Is craft beer still one of the cool kids? One rock-n-roll legend thinks so

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Sometimes you want to drink a beer that is profound, significant, or exceptional, like listening to an intense and thought-provoking song. Sometimes you want to drink a beer that goes down easy and is not at all complicated, like listening to a simple, straightforward rock song. That said, this week's our topics are not as weighty as some of the stuff we've talked about recently on The Taster Tray. So just slap on the headphones, crank it up, and let's rock.

Is craft beer still one of the cool kids?

Creature Comforts Brewing of Athens Georgia ranks 37th in the nation in terms of production volume (Brewers Association's most recent data). In 2022, it was one of just a few top 50 breweries that recorded double-digit volume growth.

In January, a group of individuals working on behalf of employees at Creature Comforts Brewing formed the Brewers Union of Georgia (BUG). At that time, BUG filed two complaints with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Creature Comforts alleging that the company had engaged in unfair labor practices (ULP) that were “interfering with employees’ federally protected right to engage in union organizing...” BUG filed more complaints in April.

Now, here we are in October and BUG organizers finally held a vote. Reportedly, 60 percent of the employees at Creature Comforts Brewing voted against joining BUG. But hold on, it ain't over yet. BUG has now filed objections with the NLRB alleging that it wasn’t a free and fair election. We'll see where it goes from here.

There are not a lot of examples of craft, or craft-sized, breweries that have pursued unionization, but it is certainly becoming a more common topic in our newsfeed. It’s another example of how, with each passing year, the craft beer industry feels more like big business. The question is, can craft beer grow up and still remain cool, creative, and independent? Those attributes are our strengths, right?

"Brewery unionization" sounds so mainstream. So square. It's an age-old question: how do we grow up and become responsible adults while still remaining as quirky and cool as we were when we were teenagers? We'd love to hear your thoughts.

A rock-n-roll legend gets into the beer biz

Before George Clooney, Michael Jordan, Kendall Jenner, Dwayne Johnson, and all those other celebs started hocking booze, Sammy Hagar founded Cabo Wabo Tequila nearly four decades ago. He's the O.G. of celeb-backed booze. Now, Sammy is making beer: Red Rocker Lager.

Young 'uns probably don't even recognize his proper name, much less the longtime frontman's nickname, The Red Rocker. Suffice it to say, he's a bona fide rock star. Since the 80s, when his career really hit its stride, he has wanted to make a beer. Sammy says that back in the day, in the pre-craft era, he explored the idea with some of the mega breweries. We can only imagine how well that idea was received by the stuffed shirts in the A-B boardroom.

That was a long time ago when the beer industry looked a lot different. Sammy told The Oakland Press about how the plan finally came together. “It just felt right to me. It’s just been the story of my music and my rock... I’m real proud of it. It’s not like this just came out of the woodwork in the last week or so. I’ve been working on this for frickin’ over 20 years, before I made tequila. So it’s about time."

Red Rocker Lager is currently brewed by Brew Detriot, a contract brewing company in Michigan, but Red Rocker Lager is its own company and the plan is to brew the beer in several other cities across the country: Red Rocker has already applied for licenses in nine other states. The beer is described as a crisp, easy-drinking lager brewed in the Mexican style. Translation: an American-made version of Modelo.

Will Sammy start a trend of rock stars and rock legends attaching their identities to beer? Seems unlikely, but it probably depends on how well Red Rocker Lager sells. It worked with Cabo Wabo Tequila, and then it took decades for everyone else to catch on.

Around the Web

• Bud Light wants to be known as a tough guy. In a bold move to try and salvage its image among a certain demographic, Anheuser-Busch just signed a multi-year deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). In doing so, Bud Light supplants Modelo as the UFC's big beer partner. Reportedly, it is the biggest sponsorship deal in UFC history. Read about it on ESPN.

• Tsingtao Beer is facing a major PR crisis after a video went viral recently. In the video, one of the brewery workers is apparently urinating into a tank at one of the company's breweries in China. Reportedly, the backlash has been particularly profound in South Korea, for whatever reason. Read about it on The Guardian.

• The story of how Sammy Hagar put tequila and the town of Cabo on mainstream America's radar is pretty impressive. Worth a quick read.

Say What?

We can’t say it was universal, but we got a lot of positive feedback on last week’s edition of The Taster Tray.

karamainhester@... said: “I appreciate the broader industry reports. Understanding how global warming will affect hops and the scientists who are battling that is pretty interesting.”

We think it is interesting, too. And it is important.

This week's Taster Tray was composed by Kendall Jones.