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I'm surprised there's no discussion of "Gypsy brewing" in this article. The pioneer of Gpysy brewing, Mikkeller, has brewed beers in collaboration with BrewDog

I'm surprised there's no discussion of "Gypsy brewing" in this article. The pioneer of Gpysy brewing, Mikkeller, has brewed beers in collaboration with BrewDog before and Gpysy brewing is counterpart to this "open IP" style of doing business. I think it represents a much more interesting vision of "postcapitalism" than just opening up IP. Renting out excess capacity (in a brewery or other production facility) allows IP-only companies to get into the business. Not only has it allowed Mikkeller (and others, including his estranged twin brother) to get into beer with litte or no capex, it's allowed him to operate on different continents, solving another host of problems for working in a global marketplace. Apply that model to other industries and there could be a Cambrian explosion in innovation and creativity.

colinramsay 11y ago
Brewdog got lambasted for using another brewery's excess capacity (I think it was Meantime) because people felt that it was less authentic since it "wasn't being brewed by Brewdog". While I don't necessarily agree with this, I thought it was relevant to your comment.
- themartorana 11y ago
  Yeah, it's a silly line, like saying your code isn't authentic if you didn't own the laptop you wrote it on. It's funny the things people will find to pass judgement on.
  - dbcooper 11y ago
    Yeast contamination can be an issue, as can water sourcing.
    - themartorana 11y ago
      Well yeah, that's why you use a well-run brewery until you can afford the upkeep of your own. Besides, Meantime is a great brewery. I doubt those concerns - while legitimate - were high on the list with that brewery.
      - HerpDerpLerp 11y ago
        Was a great independent brewery now a SABMiller profit center. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32747973 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32747973
    - e12e 11y ago
      I think water (assuming the brewery is competent/has decent quality control) is a big issue wrt resulting taste. Anything we drink is mostly water after all. This is the only explanation I have for why all the "Japanese" beers one can get outside of Japan taste so awful -- they're all produced on license -- and I assume the recipes are the same. Note I'm talking about industrial beers here -- so hardly the best beers in the world -- but I still think they taste markedly better if you get them in Japan. Could be a consequence of rosy memories, of course.
      - ryanbrunner 11y ago
        The really excellent homebrew site brulosophy focuses on doing triangle tests to determine which factors have the strongest influence on the resultant beers - while a shocking number of things they've tested don't reliably produce a noticeable change in the finished product, water chemistry was one of the few where there was a reliably significant difference. http://brulosophy.com/2015/04/06/water-chemistry-pt-1-mash-manipulation-exbeeriment-results/ http://brulosophy.com/2015/04/06/water-chemistry-pt-1-mash-m...
themartorana 11y ago
Mikkeller's Beer Geek Brunch Weasel - a stout brewed with civet coffee - is my all-time favorite beer, and I know a thing or two about beer. If you're any kind of beer lover, Mikkeller's beers are not to be missed.
- mbenjaminsmith 11y ago
  Brunch Weasel is great -- and I don't particularly like stout or any alcoholic beverage mixed with coffee. I get it whenever I see it for breakfast or brunch. It's also worth visiting a Mikkeller bar. They have a number of small-run beers on tap and those get rotated frequently. I once had a pilsner that he managed to pack 10% ABV into while still making it taste good.
- nibnib 11y ago
  Actually a lot of them are to be missed, they are famous for going with every crazy idea and many beers are completely panned.
dbcooper 11y ago
Some of the Belgian contract brewers they use are very interesting. They use electrochemical treatment of water to get it just right for the different styles of beer.
steveax 11y ago
Although they called it a much less romantic name ("contract brewing") back then, Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams) was "gypsy brewing" in 1984, over 20 years before Mikkeller appeared. Brooklyn Brewery started with contract brewing too. I hardly think you can describe Mikkeller as "the pioneer".

colinramsay 11y ago

Brewdog got lambasted for using another brewery's excess capacity (I think it was Meantime) because people felt that it was less authentic since it "wasn't being brewed by Brewdog". While I don't necessarily agree with this, I thought it was relevant to your comment.

themartorana 11y ago
Yeah, it's a silly line, like saying your code isn't authentic if you didn't own the laptop you wrote it on. It's funny the things people will find to pass judgement on.
- dbcooper 11y ago
  Yeast contamination can be an issue, as can water sourcing.
  - themartorana 11y ago
    Well yeah, that's why you use a well-run brewery until you can afford the upkeep of your own. Besides, Meantime is a great brewery. I doubt those concerns - while legitimate - were high on the list with that brewery.
    - HerpDerpLerp 11y ago
      Was a great independent brewery now a SABMiller profit center. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32747973 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32747973
  - e12e 11y ago
    I think water (assuming the brewery is competent/has decent quality control) is a big issue wrt resulting taste. Anything we drink is mostly water after all. This is the only explanation I have for why all the "Japanese" beers one can get outside of Japan taste so awful -- they're all produced on license -- and I assume the recipes are the same. Note I'm talking about industrial beers here -- so hardly the best beers in the world -- but I still think they taste markedly better if you get them in Japan. Could be a consequence of rosy memories, of course.
    - ryanbrunner 11y ago
      The really excellent homebrew site brulosophy focuses on doing triangle tests to determine which factors have the strongest influence on the resultant beers - while a shocking number of things they've tested don't reliably produce a noticeable change in the finished product, water chemistry was one of the few where there was a reliably significant difference. http://brulosophy.com/2015/04/06/water-chemistry-pt-1-mash-manipulation-exbeeriment-results/ http://brulosophy.com/2015/04/06/water-chemistry-pt-1-mash-m...

themartorana 11y ago

Mikkeller's Beer Geek Brunch Weasel - a stout brewed with civet coffee - is my all-time favorite beer, and I know a thing or two about beer. If you're any kind of beer lover, Mikkeller's beers are not to be missed.

mbenjaminsmith 11y ago
Brunch Weasel is great -- and I don't particularly like stout or any alcoholic beverage mixed with coffee. I get it whenever I see it for breakfast or brunch. It's also worth visiting a Mikkeller bar. They have a number of small-run beers on tap and those get rotated frequently. I once had a pilsner that he managed to pack 10% ABV into while still making it taste good.
nibnib 11y ago
Actually a lot of them are to be missed, they are famous for going with every crazy idea and many beers are completely panned.

dbcooper 11y ago

Some of the Belgian contract brewers they use are very interesting. They use electrochemical treatment of water to get it just right for the different styles of beer.

steveax 11y ago

Although they called it a much less romantic name ("contract brewing") back then, Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams) was "gypsy brewing" in 1984, over 20 years before Mikkeller appeared. Brooklyn Brewery started with contract brewing too. I hardly think you can describe Mikkeller as "the pioneer".