Mashing-In News: Silly Beer Names, Barley POP! Year One
GOOD MORNING, SOUTH PUGET SOUND!
Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 — Josh Duhamel turns 53 today!
From barrel-aged icons and birthday bashes to bold rebrands and a nationwide debate over silly beer labels, today’s craft beer news captures a craft landscape reinventing itself one release, one acquisition, and one cultural curveball at a time.
Are Silly Names Killing Craft Beer? Grit & Grain Weighs In
The Grit & Grain Podcast’s Episode 167 takes aim at The New York Times’ claim that “wacky labels and silly names are killing craft beer,” sparking a lively debate among brewers, retailers, distributors, and drinkers on whether playful branding is the industry’s downfall or its creative lifeblood. (Grit & Grain Podcast)
Barley POP! Brewing Marks One Year With All-Day Birthday Bash
Barley POP! Brewing in Snohomish is celebrating its first year in its brick-and-mortar taproom with an all-day Nov. 15 birthday party featuring new beer releases, bakery treats, a food pop-up, and fresh merch to thank the community that helped it grow from a garage project to a beloved local hangout. (Washington Beer Blog)
Grand Fir Brewing Turns Three With Awards, Expansion, and Big Plans Ahead
Grand Fir Brewing in Portland is celebrating its third anniversary on Nov. 15 after a meteoric rise marked by major state and national awards, thoughtful expansion, and a chef-brewer duo pushing brewpub culture forward with elevated food, intentional hospitality, and standout beers. (The New School)
Crux Releases 2025 Tough Love Barrel-Aged Stout With Vintage Flights and Cigar Pairings
Crux Fermentation Project is releasing the 13th edition of its 14% Tough Love Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout on Nov. 14 with a release party featuring vintage flights, brewer meet-and-greets, cigar pairings, and label artist Michelle Schultz. (The Brew Site)
Alesong Debuts Four New Barrel-Aged Blends for Fall Release Weekend
Alesong Brewing & Blending is rolling out four new fall barrel-aged releases — Bière de Noël, Petite Cherry Parliament, Rhino Suit, and Señor Rhino — debuting this weekend for Blender’s Circle members and hitting Pacific Northwest retailers next week. (Brewpublic)
Upslope Brewing Sold to Wilding Brands in Major Colorado Craft Consolidation
Upslope Brewing has been acquired by Colorado’s rapidly expanding Wilding Brands, joining a portfolio that now includes nine craft beverage companies and over 80,000 barrels of annual production, making Wilding the state’s second-largest independent craft beverage group. (The New School)
SWRL Reinvents Makgeolli as the World’s First Korean Hard Seltzer
A new Korean-American startup is turning tradition into innovation with SWRL, the world’s first makgeolli-based hard seltzer, reimagining the creamy, unfiltered Korean rice liquor as a light, sparkling, zero-sugar drink designed to introduce global drinkers to Korean culture in a modern, approachable way. (Hop Culture)
MadTree Reinvents Itself as a Hospitality-First Brewery
MadTree Brewing has transformed itself from a production-focused brewery into a full-fledged hospitality company, redesigning its taprooms, culture, and product lineup to compete with restaurants and family venues while expanding its community impact, sustainability work, and B Corp–driven mission. (Brewer Magazine)
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