Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 1d

In her essay for FG09, @amethystheels.bsky.social wrote about the difficulties of trying to write about beer & leisure while rights & services are being stripped away, & the disappointments of seeing many breweries back away from DEI in the present environment. www.beantobarstool.com/shop/p/final...

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David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 1d

The second annual Midwest Craft Chocolate Festival is coming to Rushville, Indiana on November 21-22. I'll be tabling and giving several presentations, and there's an amazing list of speakers and vendors. I'm previewing the festival today on Bean to Barstool:
www.beantobarstool.com/episodes/mcc...

Previewing the Second Annual Midwest Craft Chocolate Festival in Rushville, Indiana — Bean to Barstool

David Nilsen previews the second annual Midwest Craft Chocolate Festival, and talks with organizer Barb Genuario, sponsor Cocoa Supply's CEO Leila Carvajal Erker, chocolate maker Tandy Peterson of Emb...

www.beantobarstool.com

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David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you!!!

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David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 1d

My article on brewing with cacao fruit pulp for Craft Beer & Brewing won second place in the Best Technical Writing category at the @nagbw.bsky.social awards yesterday! www.beerandbrewing.com/pulp-nonfict...

Pulp Nonfiction: The True Story of Brewing with Cacao Fruit

Cacao isn’t just for chocolate beers—around those nibs is a whole fruit with its own bright and unexpected flavors. Largely unknown outside tropical climates, those flavors present some unique possibi...

www.beerandbrewing.com

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David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 1d

And, of course, we're all well aware of the remarkable success of Fat Head's. 54 BA medals since 2009, and at least one GABF medal 15 of the last 17 years, when they opened.

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David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 1d

Northeast Ohio breweries have had remarkable award success for Hefeweizens. Since 2019, a NE Ohio Hefeweizen has won at at least one of the two BA comps, for a total of 9 medals from 3 different breweries. 7 of those are golds, and there's been at least one gold each year.

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David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 1d

Every year since 2019, an Ohio-brewed coffee beer has medaled at either GABF or WBC, for a total of 13 medals in that span. An Ohio coffee beer has medaled at 7 of the last 8 BA competitions, and 6 of the last 7 GABFs.

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David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 1d

Lil Zoomie, Brink's coffee stout, has medaled in the last 5 straight BA competitions (GABF & WBC) going back to GABF 2023. Their Moozie milk stout has won 4 GABF golds in the past 8 years.

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David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 1d

Brink Brewing has medaled in every GABF since they opened, a streak of 9 straight years 2017-2025. In all but one of those, they've won at least one gold. They have a total of 17 BA medals in that time frame.

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David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 1d

A few Ohio GABF and general BA awards (GABF & WBC) stats I've been taking a look at the last couple days...
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David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 2d

By a wide margin, our largest expense at Final Gravity is paying our writers, and we want to pay them more. If you want to support more award-winning beer writing in our pages, you can subscribe, order solo issues, or sign up on Patreon: www.beantobarstool.com/final-gravit...

Final Gravity Zine — Bean to Barstool

Final Gravity is a print zine that tells immersive stories about craft beer. Published and edited by writers David Nilsen and Melinda Guerra, Final Gravity issue one will feature writers freelance bee...

www.beantobarstool.com

David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 2d

Congratulations to James Tai for his second place award from the @nagbw.bsky.social awards in Best Beer & Food Writing for his vignette Quenelle in Lyon from Issue 06. www.beantobarstool.com/shop/p/final...

Graphic with painting of quenelle with a crayfish and the text "Vignette: Quenelle in Lyon by James Tai. An international beer judge indulges in a once-in-a-lifetime culinary adventure in France."

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David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 2d

Also from Issue 05, congratulations to Bono Sigudu for her Emerging Voices recognition from the @nagbw.bsky.social awards for her wonderful story Soak It Until It Is Bitter: Umqombothi in South Africa. www.beantobarstool.com/shop/p/final...

Graphic with photo of two people brewing over an open fire with text: "Soak It Until It Is Bitter by Bono Sigudu. What Umqombothi means and has meant for South African families and communities."

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David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 2d

Congratulations to Maria Kruglyak for her First Place award in Best Travel Writing at the @nagbw.bsky.social awards for her excellent story The Glory of the Portuguese Half-Pint from Issue 05. www.beantobarstool.com/shop/p/final...

Graphic with photo of half pint of beer in tattooed hand with cityscape in background, with text: "The Glory of the Portuguese Half Pint by Maria Kruglyak. How a hard-core cheapest-light-lager-pint bartender fell for the imperial."

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David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 2d

Congratulations to @totalcurtis.bsky.social for his First Place award in Best Personal Essay at the @nagbw.bsky.social awards for his excellent story On Deaf Ears—Beer Spaces and the Hard of Hearing from Final Gravity Issue 08. www.beantobarstool.com/shop/p/final...

Graphic showing person installing noise-cancelling panels on a bar roof with text "Beer Space & the Hard of Hearing by Matthew Curtis. Being hard of hearing doesn't just influence where this writer wants to drink, but where he definitely doesn't want to."

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David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 2d

At yesterday's @nagbw.bsky.social awards, @melindag.bsky.social & I were thrilled to see 4 of our Final Gravity writers recognized for their excellent work in our zine. 🧵

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Reposted by David Nilsen

Brian Alberts @brewedculture.org · 2d

For Indigenous Peoples' Day, a reminder that the PNW hops that beer lovers love to love owe much of their existence to the thousands of Native Americans who migrated around the Puget Sound region each year to pick them in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

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David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 2d

This was such a well-written article on a topic we hadn't seen covered previously, balancing personal experience with solid reporting and actionable guidance. Really proud to have published it.

Matthew Curtis @totalcurtis.bsky.social · 2d

I was thrilled to pick up a first place at last nights @nagbw.bsky.social awards for an essay in Final Gravity about my diagnosis of hearing loss. Huge thanks to @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social for commissioning and careful edits.

Best personal essay, First Place — Curtis, Matthew. “On Deaf Ears—Beer Spaces and the Hard of Hearing.” Final Gravity, April 1, 2025

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David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 2d

Thanks for giving this a home, @pelliclemag.com !

Matthew Curtis @totalcurtis.bsky.social · 2d

Especially proud of @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social for receiving an hon. mention for this incredible piece of writing.

www.pelliclemag.com/home/2025/4/...

Between the Bars — On Alcohol, Suicide, and Depression in the Beer Industry — Pellicle

Content Warning: This article makes frequent and detailed references to suicide and severe depression, therefore reader discretion is advised. No one should struggle with their mental health alone....

www.pelliclemag.com

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David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 4d

Ohio breweries take Silver & Gold in Strong Red Ale with Silver for Fat Heads Bonehead and Gold for Streetside Sofa King. By my count, that's 7 BA medals for Bonehead over the years.

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David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 4d

And ANOTHER Gold for Moozie Milk Stout from Brink Brewing. That's 8 GABF/WBC medals since 2018.

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David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 4d

NE continues its unusual level of success in Hefeweizen, with Gold for Fat Heads Goggle Fogger (its 5th GABF or WBC gold since 2020) and bronze for JAFB's Hefeweizen, which won gold in 2021. Add to that Market Garden's past success, and it's pretty wild these breweries are all a pretty small area.

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David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 4d

Ohio takes Gold & Silver in Munich Helles, with Forbidden Root's Cbus outpost and the long-overdue-for-recognition Gemut Biergarten, respectively. Gemut then follows up with bronze in Munich Dunkel for Woden's Hunt, fast becoming an Ohio legend for insiders.

David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 4d

Ohio takes 3 of the 6 medals in the coffee beer categories at GABF. Consistently a strong area for our breweries. I wrote about our pale coffee beer niche specifically for @vinepair.com a few years back: vinepair.com/articles/ohi...

Ohio Coffee Beer Steps Into the Light

Last October in Columbus, Ohio, Wolf’s Ridge Brewing head brewer Chris Davison was tucking his daughter into bed when he learned that his brewery had won a gold medal at the 2020 Great American Beer F...

vinepair.com

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David Nilsen @davidnilsenbeer.bsky.social · 4d

Fat Heads takes gold in Strong Porter after winning Gold at WBC earlier this year. That is such a great beer.