Greetings,

Work has begun on the Tower Building and the initial results have been spectacular. As the 40 foot ceilings were being sandblasted to their original glory, POKÉMONs started to rain from the rafters. Gotta love gamers. Or maybe not.

Milwaukee won a hotly contested battle to host next year’s Beer Bloggers' Conference, besting competing cities including Minneapolis, Seattle and Buffalo. Here’s the backstory highlighting an incredible collaborative effort: http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/beer/milwaukee-to-host-2017-beer-bloggers--writers-conference-b99759736z1-386339591.html

For two reasons, I regrettably announce that I will not be participating in this year’s golf competition in the Rio Olympics. Reason #1 is, of course, the Zika virus. Reason #2: I suck at golf and wasn't invited in the first place.

Random beer facts:

  • Before thermometers were invented, brewers would dip a thumb or finger into the mix to find the right temperature for adding yeast. Too cold, and the yeast wouldn't grow. Too hot, and the yeast would die. This thumb in the beer is where "rule of thumb" comes from.
  • In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's".

The hallmark of all City Lights brews will be quality. Brewmaster Jimmy and his team were fine-tuning policies, procedures and protocols for Quality Assurance and Quality Control and Jimmy gave me a shout out, not for any reason other than he thinks I’m old and my hearing is deteriorating.

And a special shout-out to Frank Guiffre and his entire team at Mallory Properties.  In addition to being incredible landlords, both Frank and Frank Jr. have been valued strategic advisors and great partners to have along with us on the exciting journey.

And for all the bloggers coming back to the beer mothership next summer - a hearty welcome. And I'll write it here first, so you don't have to, “Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated…”

Have the best "Your Amazon Prime Day purchases should arrive today" day ever!

Cheers,

Robin