From the Editor: Early Summer 2026, Issue 84

Howdy folks; it’s time for another issue of The Beer Connoisseur Magazine!

This issue boasts all the brew that’s fit to drink, and it delves into multiple avenues related to the beverage we all hold so dear. Brewing beer is built on old rituals and sometimes old equipment, but it is also a business that keeps getting shoved into the future, whether it wants to or not. That push and pull sits at the heart of Issue 84.

We start with a piece about the “Stone Age” tech still holding back modern brewing, which is one of those topics that sounds dry until you remember beer is a precision product often made by people juggling spreadsheets, aging systems, stubborn software, and the kind of back-end chaos drinkers never see. The beer may be modern. The machinery behind the business? Not always.

Then we look at craft beer conglomerates, the new middle tier reshaping American craft brewing. For a long time, the conversation was small indie brewery versus “Big Beer,” with everyone dutifully choosing a side. But that framing is getting more than a little antiquated. A growing class of craft-focused groups now sits somewhere in the middle, and whether you see that as evolution, compromise, or a warning probably depends on what kind of pint you’re holding.

We also dig into THC beverages, which have gone from lifeline to liability with whiplash-inducing speed. For breweries and beverage companies hunting for growth, THC drinks have been one of the more tempting doors in the building. The problem is that fast-growing beverage categories tend to attract regulators the way patio beers attract flying insects. Maybe not immediately, but definitely eventually.

Pinthouse Brewing’s Electric Jellyfish gets its own proper look, too, and deservedly so. Here is a beer that became a national name without pretending it needed to be everywhere, which feels somewhat radical even now. Electric Jellyfish is proof that a beer can capture America’s attention while still belonging, in a very real way, to the place that made it.

We also revisit the end of automatic beer price hikes, which may not sound romantic, but matters quite a bit if you enjoy breweries staying open. The old assumption that drinkers will simply keep paying more because the industry needs them to is wearing thin. Beer still has magic, sure. But even magic has a price.

And because this magazine should never become only a stack of market pressures in a trench coat, we close the loop with two World Class Beer Highlights: Brewery Ommegang’s Rare Vos and Firestone Walker’s Wookey Jack. Different beers with different moods that provide the same useful reminder for beer fans of all stripes: Amid all the consolidation, regulation, pricing pressure, and tech headaches, the thing still has to taste damn good.

As always, we also have new beers in the Official Review, fresh Brewer Q&As, and the beer news you might have missed while you were out living your best life.

We thank you for joining us for Issue 84. May your summer be full of good pours, better company, and at least one beer that makes you stop talking mid-sentence.

Cheers!

Chris Guest
– Editor