#are they not allowed to use fannon if it's too popular???

[hello-god-its-me-sara]

the injustice of it all

[aizenat]

You know, as a writer, I feel like takes like these only work if you’re talking about an original work. Fanfic writers take the characters and plots and settings of established stories and then try to manipulate and twist them to fit whatever narrative or tropes you want for these characters. Even if it clashes or doesn’t fit with the original characterization. Or, hell, even if it results in a version of the original character that is so fundamentally different that it might as well be a new character.

At that point, you’re not engaging with the actual lore, themes, and perspectives of the characters. So what is the point? This is why these debates and conversations happen in literally EVERY fandom. Because you have one faction who actually want to use fanfiction to explore the themes of the story while another (and often louder and bigger) faction want to focus on creating “cracked” versions of the story. And from the latter group will come ideas and views that will clash with the actual narrative, that end up becoming the popular narrative that people cling to. Sometimes even to the point where if the story doesn’t follow their cracked logic and give them the fan service they want, they get angry and hostile towards the show.

I mean, with iwtv, look at how much hate the show already gets for deviating from the books and not wubbifying Lestat already. I’ve been around the block in fandom spaces for more than half my life at this point (been there, did that, bought the t shirt and then got way too fat for it), and I’ve literally seen that. Some takes and expectations that have me thinking “did we read the same book/watch the same movie/show?”

And if people just kept it to themselves, a little play fantasy they know will never happen, then sure. Yes to everything in your OP. But again that’s not what’s happening.

I don’t agree with a lot of the takes the person you’re referencing says (their take on the “if you want werewolves go read twilight” was completely stupid, and the attempt to backtrack when called out with “well this is my opinion” is a huge red flag to me but that’s because of narcissistic abuse I’ve been through so I’m not appreciative of dismissive language like that), but I do think there is validity on their criticism of the feminization of Louis by the fandom. I think the fandom really struggles to allow for Louis’ complexities in a way similar to both Lestat and Armand (as I saw someone point out), which tends to make people harp on and really hyper focus on one aspect while ignoring others.

Especially considering the person you’re referencing is Black, I can attest that this is a common experience for Black people and is probably also partly why that person tries to correct it when they feel it’s happening. I don’t think it’s fair to completely dismiss their concerns.

Shutting down these conversations just because they get in the way of your laissez faire approach to fandom is so intellectually dishonest and disrespectful to Black fans (and there are a lot of us in the iwtv fandom now) who deserve to be able to participate in fandom spaces too. That person doesn’t speak for all Black people, so there’s nothing wrong with disagreeing with their views but you need to at least interact with what they’re saying because they are bringing their perspective to the table.

I personally think that fanfiction has become a practice in anti intellectualism in that people don’t interact with the actual text but rather their fantasies. The text could be explicit in what it’s representing but then the fandom decides they don’t like it so they disregard it. And again, and I say this as a writer myself, you can’t just disregard the original text. Death of the author is not something I subscribe to because what an author intended does matter. And I don’t like fandom’s insistence that we should disregard whatever the text is ACTUALLY trying to say to prioritize fannon. And despite not agreeing with the person you’re talking about on a lot of how they respond to others and some of their takes, I will say that they at least seem intent on working with the actual text and exploring and making meta based on that and not just coming with cracked theories to hold the show and fandom to.

I don’t get the point of policing other fic work, Louis can be enjoyed in as many variations and iterations as fans of the show can dream up. In certain regard to basic respect to his character but THIS IS FICTION. LOUIS is beautiful and contrary, hypocritical, passive, overbearing. He is so many things at once.The feminization debate, I actually really liked because I love analysis and exploring differing opinions. The background history I learned, the different perspectives that brought up ideas and and context I’ve never thought about. There are so many ways to enjoy the content someone else has taken the time to make. Like if it’s a trope its a trope, if you don’t dig it move on. There are a lot of layers when it comes to Louis’s experience as a black man. There are so many different characterizations of Louis I’ve fallin’ in love with, due to talented writers, artist and creatives that participate in this fandom. Including the other characters, that we all so enjoy. I really enjoy this fandom and seeing a black character at the forefront that shows the realities of being black to the nuances of a complicated character that the fans should have space to expand on.

[ask-copperright]

[Ask-copperright reboot plans]

*up until now, the main story of the blog is extremely out of my expectations. All the copperright content you’ve seen on this blog has been VERY forced. So, i’ll come clean to you all.

I am not satisfied with how this blog came to popularity.

*I’ve teased, created illogical ships that conflicts with my headcannons and made an effort to try and match with the current fannon-takes of Copperright even though it might appear as something entirely different. I have been constantly restraining myself and forcing out too many comics at a time. Mod Quan admits it. They’re hungry for recognition. for fame. But i believe summer will be a GREAT and fresh new start for us all! Though....so many arcs are unfinished and still ongoing. To be able to start this reboot, I’ll have to take HUGE amounts of time off my hands. I’m so glad that I have 2 beautiful mods with me to help. 

*Anyhow, I’ll get to the point. The reboot will erase some of the current cannons of this blog. I’ve still got a lot to do but Quan will DEFINITELY try to not make this ship seem so cringy and CREEPY! EUGH! THIS HURTS MY PRIDE AS A REALIST! 

*We’ll start from scratch and you all can ask new questions from there! but since we all remember that I prefer Quality over Quantity, asks will not be answered blandly, but rather with full effort! No half-assed excuses like laziness and MAGIC will be allowed! Even when i can’t figure out an answer by myself, I’ll just have to take the time to think of it! 

*Not only that, a fresh brand new redesigning of the current characters will be in session! Henry won’t wear that overly-long black coat of his and RHM will have a much more complex cyborg design! AND REGINALD WON’T HAVE THAT MOP HAIR ANYMORE! nah jk, i know you all prefer his hair all messy.

*Furthermore, loads of new bg characters from the HSC will appear! gotta give this blog some variety, amrite? Though keep in mind, Reginald and RHM are the main stars here.

*That’s all! the rules may have some minor changes but it won’t affect that much! see you all in summer with new and improved comics and dynamics!!! Feel free to leave suggestions and questions in the inbox!

[elsa-of-arrendelle]

Dear Nonny,

So, in response to an anon who somehow magically took offense to my last post, this is my answer. Didn’t post the actual “ask” cause I avoid having swearing on this blog whenever possible.

Yeah, no one has to justify their ships to me. I was hoping some Sabriel shippers would talk to me about why they ship so I could better understand (Shippers tend to love talking about why they ship something) but I got you trying to make me feel guilty or wrong instead for some reason. I’m not sure how long you’ve been in the fandom if you were unaware of some of the blowouts in SPN fandom history over Destiel, but here you go and this is going to be long.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKnf_c27T4g

^^ Here’s the big one that people freaked out over and called Jensen homophobic for (cause pointing out that a ship is fan-made means you’re insulting gay people now). And even though he’s given the same response to these questions, people keep asking and getting upset because HE’S ACTUALLY REFUSING TO QUEERBAIT/GIVE FALSE HOPE WHEN FANS DEMAND IT. 

https://youtu.be/tACYrKGx_MA?t=554

Start here to 11:23 ^^^  It’s about Sam and Dean. Jensen doesn’t say it’s about Castiel, doesn’t even mention Castiel because the show is about brothers and family and doing what’s right no matter the odds. This is followed shortly by him shutting down a “Destiel or Cas/Dean” question succinctly and with no room for rational misinterpretation to his feelings on the subject.

As for the “Underbear” incident, for me, that’s a matter of consent. Jensen acted of his own accord to be goofy with a friend who didn’t believe he had weird underwear on that day. Writers making Destiel canon when Jensen has expressed on and off screen that Dean doesn’t feel that way about Castiel would be contractually obligating him to support a Fannon ship that he doesn’t feel his character would be comfortable with. For the role in Blonde (since that’s the only queer role I’ve encountered with him), his character was based off a real person who truly had that preference and he accepted that as part of his role. Making Destiel canon now would alter the character to a new preference when he’s been portrayed for years as a heterosexual man. 

I ask you, on this point, if a straight ship centered on a straight character and a strictly gay or lesbian character became popular, would you demand that their sexuality be changed to support the most popular ship? If you can’t say yes to this, then what you really care about is gay representation over the actual storyline. And even then? How much love and support was given to Charlie? What about freaking Chuck being portrayed as Bi? How much love is given to any openly gay character? If you don’t support the positive representation that you have, the writers won’t change an already popular character’s orientation to appease you.

What’s scary is how much Destiel and Cockles shippers do to manipulate events to “support” their ship like altering photos to be only with Misha and Jensen. Example 1.

Example 2.

Example 3.

And seeing these on their own would make people question why the ship isn’t canon if the actors themselves are willing to be so close. I get that. It doesn’t make sense if all you saw was the photoshopped pictures and the slowed-down gifs of eye contact. With only those pictures to work with, yeah. It totally looks like queer-baiting or mocking those fans when it doesn’t appear more often on screen. 

Most, if not all, of the queer-baiting, is simply misinterpreted snippets from actors who are scared of hurting shippers or actually made-up quotes from obsessive Destiel shippers who spread it and upset everybody because we don’t know where it came from but we accept it for some reason. Anything else is usually meant in a joking manner that people take seriously even when characters are clearly being sarcastic. Typed quotes take away voice inflections.

There’s also direct avoidance of anything canon that makes Destiel problematic but I’m just tired of the mental acrobatics of making the show about Dean and Cas’s relationship rather than Sam and Dean’s brotherhood and quest to fight evil.

Jensen’s not a writer on the show, that’s correct. If the writers are responsible for Queerbaiting, that’s on them. But you do realize that everyone on Tumblr just LOVES to read between the lines so intensely that everything has meaning when that’s not always going to be the case. Friendships get turned into the most popular OTP over someone’s interpretation of a scene and then other people begin to look for it. It’s something your brain does naturally if something is pointed out or even suggested to you, you tend to look for it more even if it’s not there.

User Postmodernmulticoloredcloak wrote a massive post on every freaking detail of “Regarding Dean” to make it sexual (from the freaking bunny to watching scooby doo) and tie it all to Castiel who wasn’t even in the episode. At this point, I’d like to remind that “Regarding Dean” involves Dean at his most childlike and innocent. He’s losing memories, he forgets words and watches cartoons, is over enthusiastic about cool things compared to adults... And this shipper tries to make that ...Sexual...If you can’t recognize that some shippers have gone too far with their detail-sniffing and obsession with the gay sex factor of the ship, nothing I can say will help you. People declare clothing, food choices, drinks and more to be evidence of Dean being bisexual. It’s insane and it’s an insult to actual members of the LGBTA community to claim that these can be used to gauge the sexuality of a person.

Another way to interpret that statement (since your context was loose) would be that Jensen doesn’t make the call because he’s not a writer and the writers can make him do anything that they write. What that is saying is that you’re more okay with contractually obligating an actor to go against his feelings and knowledge of his character than for your ship to not become canon.

Someone else wrote this better “ [Jensen] has portrayed Dean for last twelve years, this man knows Dean inside and out, this man defined and made Dean Winchester a legend—this man is Dean. The writers may have outlined the character, but Jensen, Jensen becomes Dean, Jensen is Dean. Do you really think that Jensen is not qualified to talk about Dean? Do you think that his thoughts do not matter? Do you think that Jensen is lying and overcompensating? If yes, then I have to pity you.“ (user: deanisdarkness). Their whole post on this is actually on point. http://deanisdarkness.tumblr.com/post/156250200937/isnt-it-interesting-how-the-guy-who-tells-the

So, yeah. The queer-baiting issue lies more with fans in denial about actors and characters saying straight out that it’s not going to be canon, and instead spreading tampered evidence to fellow shippers than the actual writers intentionally messing with fans.

I love Misha. I love Jensen. I love Jared. I love the show.

The fandom has a lot of issues of hate-mail, shipwars, and, frankly, porn through both imagery and fanfiction which I find disgusting. I focus on the family foundation and the fandom family with the actors, fans, and those involved with the show.

Once again, I don’t care if you ship Destiel. Or Wincest (although that one’s still creepy to me and I’m allowed that opinion as well, but hey at least they don’t forget that this show is about Sam and Dean). Or Sabriel. I care if you’re an honest person and if you’re going too far to promote your ship by doing things like forging evidence and sending hate to other fans.

[miniwolfsbane]

Copied from @andalite-angel post. Edited slightly.

A - Ships that you currently like a lot. (They don’t have to be OTPs because not everyone has OTPs.) Friendships, pairings, etc. are allowed.

Biospecialist, Marco/Rachel, Sam/Rahne, all cannon Disney Princess pairings, the two young kids Pacific Rim Uprising,  Lancitty, Evo Kurt/ Amanda,  Jott in Evo. Skyward??

B - A pairing–platonic, romantic or ***** that you initially didn’t consider, but someone changed your mind.

Fanfic writers and Evo romy, adult Jubilee x Gambit, others.

C - A ship you have never liked and probably never will.

Never gonna be big on Evo Romy ever again, will forever hate Rahne x Roberto, Sam and Rahne with anyone but each other!!

D - A pairing you wish you liked but just can’t.

Evo Romy...somtimes. Because it does sorta make sense IN FANNON, but not in cannon. And Jean x Scott, because it’s so iconic, but I only like them in Evo, so...yah.

E - Have you added anything cracky crazy/hilarious to your fandom? If so, what? 

See my fan fiction.

F - What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom?

The Little Mermaid and Star Trek have been there for 95% of my life.

G - Have you ever had an OTP? If so, do you remember your first one? Who was in it?

Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask, Sam/Rahne, Ariel and Eric (first when I was 5, even though I wanted to be Ariel), Rachel Tobias (first when I was actually gettin into fandom), Jake/Cassie (Animorphs), Clark/Lana, Clark/Lois (I think??) and Chloe/Ollie, Romy (even in Evo at a point!), and now Eliza and Goliath in Gargoyles. I keep saying I’m not a shipper, but I think I’m just a subtle one that pines and doesn’t read a lot of fanfic, but my heart swells over seeing my OTP on screen

H - What is your favorite source text for fandom stuff (e.g., TV shows, movies, books, anime, Western animation, etc.)?

TV Shows and Western (superhero) Animation mostly, but also a few animes.

I - Has Tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why?

I was annoyed by the Agents Of Shield fandoms behavior for a while, but I’ve never stopped liking any fandoms because of Tumblr. 

J - Name a fandom you didn’t think about until you saw it all over Tumblr. (You don’t have to care about it or follow it; it just has to be something that Tumblr made you aware of.)

SuperWhoLock, Riverdale...some other popular teen shows.

K - What character has your favorite development arc/the best development arc?

Tie between Sailor Moon and Gambit I guess, but I’m sure there are lots of others. Sailor Jupiter has a good arc as well, even though she doesn’t have a lot of character development TBH.

L - Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves. (Characters you’re neutral about are fair game, as are characters you merely dislike. Characters that you absolutely loathe with the fire of ten thousand suns are exempt, as there is no point in giving yourself an aneurysm over a character that you hate.)

Roberto Dacosta’s super strength power is pretty cool and he’s a chill guy. And rich. (I just realized that a lot of X-Men characters are rich, actually. Gambit, Xavier, Warren and him. Holy crap.)

M - Name a character that you’d like to have for a friend.

Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Moon. TAS Rogue too, because she seems fun to hang with, and who wouldn’t like to be called “Sugah” all the time?

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice).

MORE GAMBIT (and comic Nightcrawler) IMAGINES!! And just more love and less fan wars across all fandoms, really.

O - Choose a song at random. Which ship or character does it remind you of?

Hero by Chad Kroger. Ship: Romy or Mollyx Remy. Character: Gambit or Angel.

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas).

For any fandom? A mad scientist and a famous baker get together after the scientist contacts aliens, resulting in a warring invasion on earth.

Q - A fandom you’ve abandoned and why.

To be perfectly honest, The Smurfs because we’re a Christain household and we found it had stuff in it we didn’t agree with. I was three.  Other than that, I’ve only given up one other fandom permenantly that wasn’t what I thought it was and chosen at a bad time. 

R - Which friendship/platonic relationship is your favorite in fandom?

Kurt and Kitty in Evo, and Logan and Kurt is cool, but I don’t actually pay much attention to it.

S - Show us an example of your personal headcanon (prompts optional but encouraged)

Hmmm. One that isn’t too boring? Remy isn’t (wasn’t? He is married now) particular about a woman’s height and is comfortable enough with himself to date a woman much taller or shorter than he is. (Remember, Frenzy was freaking 6′7 before she got rebooted to a normal height and it was implied they had history.) For a while it was a wish of mine they’d pair him with a short gal, because all X-women are physically clones of each other, minus Rahne, Kitty and Jubilee. Blargh. Oooh, just had an idea for a new art project to make the girls look individual! ^_^

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending?

Besides the above? Uh...headcannon that Remy smells good and his hair is silky to the touch and yes I’m a sick, weird little person, I know. Haha, not really. I’m not much of a headcannon person. 

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites.

* Gambit: Hot, suave, lit, accent, good cook, romantic, my fictional ideal man (told you, I’m sick and weird). * Sailor Jupiter: Sweet, loyal, living on her own at bloody 14 years old, strong physically and emotionally, had trouble believing/finding her feminity like me, tall (not like me!), brunette character, thunder powers. * Tuvok (Star Trek): My second crush ever, calm, reflective, hot grandpa, sarcasm galore, strong, suffers emotionally and physically, POC and like the only black vulcan that I know of, cute little boy chest, that butt (XD), frakin’ hot.

V - Which character do you relate to most?

Surprisingly, one I haven’t talked about yet and that I’m not really fandom-y about. Rapunzel from Tangled. When I saw the movie, I was attached to her immediately. I’d grown up homeschooled and at that point I’d been caregiving for one of my parents for six years at that point, unable to move out and get married and have much of a life, so I was always metaphorically in a tower too. I have childish interests, am artistic and creative, have done LOTS of self-insert art like her, and am a generally happy person (even if I don’t always show it and don’t smile enough). So, out of every character in my many fandoms, I relate to Rapunzel the most. Also, I have only 2 things of Tangled merch-the movie, the soundtrack, and a gorgeous bedspread that’s actually based on the show, but doesn’t look like it. (I don’t like it’s animation/character designs, so it’s been hard to get into it.)

W - A trope which you are virtually certain to hate in any fandom.

OMG, do we have to go here? Anything over-sexualized or kinky or just plain gross/weird. (v***, gore, ect.) There’s this one X-Men:Evo artist on DA that would be brilliant, but I can’t stomach their gallery because they feel the need to do a few  v*** and bondage pics amongst otherwise G-rated pictures. *throws up* IT’S A SHOW FOR 7-YEAR OLDS!! 

X - A trope which you are almost certain to love in any fandom.

Huge guy, Tiny girl! (but it looks...weird...in live action. *Good Luck Charlie flashbacks*.) Also age differences. Some people are put off by Usagi and Mamo’s age difference in Classic, but I think it’s cute and they were really chaste about it. Specifically, I liked the part where he told her to do well in school for some reason. 

Y - What are your secondhand fandoms (i.e., fandoms you aren’t in personally but are tangentially familiar with because your friends/people on your dash are in them)? Holy crap, Pride and Prejudice and Anne of Green Gables. No one on my dash is into them though, it’s a real life thing. Long story.

Z - Just ramble about something fan-related, go go go! (Prompts optional but encouraged.)

I have written more self-inserts than is probably healthy, but at least I’ve mostly gotten past my teenage phase of thinking anime guys are hot and it’s extended to Gambit as well. I’d much rather see him be portrayed by a living, breathing actor semi-bringing my fantasies to life than as a drawn character. Well, not that I’m not happy seeing him animated and his voice in Evo is still super hot, but that’s another thing. Anyway, on that note, I wish XM:E weren’t a dead fandom and I could get more reviews instead of just faves/follows. I get so frustrated, because I’m not writing my fics for myself, I’m writing them to finish the story and for the fans. I know OCs/SI aren’t everyones bread and butter, but when you work hard on something, you want people to enjoy and appreciate it on it’s own merits. My regulars dropped off the planet and the fandom is just not that active online. (It’s still kind of active though, otherwise the Gambit and other prints on Steven Gordon’s online store wouldn’t have sold out so fast.) I wish it had been as creative as the MLP fandom, but even that wouldn’t have saved it. Thankfully, there are a few people “keeping the faith”, like Coldfusion180 and some others. They haven’t abandoned it and people have made AMVs for it in recent years, long after the shows cancellation. I know we’ve all moved on in one way or another, but it’s still nice to see the love for the show and it’s characters going strong, even if we’re now a niche fandom, tiny, but there. And even if I don’t get another single review up until the last in the series, at least I can say I finished it, if nothing else. Even if your fandom is dead, keep supporting it. If we don’t keep the characters alive, they die and are forgotten. They need us.

https://fanfiction.net/~miniwolfsbane

[miamibeerscene]

6 Craft Beer Bars That Changed Their City’s Beer Scene

The Avenue Pub is a cornerstone in Louisiana’s craft beer scene. (Credit: Donavon Fannon)

June 6, 2017

Breweries and craft beer bars have a symbiotic relationship. Pubs have been community centers of social activity for hundreds of years.

Over the past 30 years or so, a growing number of bars and pubs have focused on bringing beer drinkers a better variety of beers, especially those from small and independent brewers.

The connection between beer bar and community is stronger than ever, be it a showcase for beers made steps from the bar, or a place where beer geeks from all over the world can come together to drink and discuss the newest trend to classic styles.

(READ: Brewers Association Releases 2017 Beer Style Guidelines)

In cities with passionate local beer scenes, you’ll often find a craft beer bar that’s anchored the scene, be it for five, 10, 20, or 30 years. The longer the beer bar has been around, the earlier that community of brewers, publicans and drinkers came together as a cohesive community enriching everyone.

Here are six iconic U.S. craft beer bars which have strengthened beer communities in the cities where they operate, from oldest to newest.

The Toronado | San Francisco

As a brewer, Jesse Friedman from Almanac Beer Co. says being able to say you’re on tap at the Toronado is a big deal – a life goal. As a customer, he adds, the gruff demeanor of the Toronado bartenders is part of the whole experience.

Dave Keene opened the now-iconic Toronado about 30 years ago in San Francisco’s Lower Haight neighborhood on August 5, 1987. The service is no-nonsense, the beer is cash-only, and the bathrooms are well known for being small and grungy. It’s also one of the most prestigious and well-respected beer bars in the world.

Friedman says that while the pioneering Toronado cares about freshness and cultivates relationships with breweries, hype doesn’t really matter to Keene & Co. “They set their own path and invariably it works out their way.”

Vinnie Cilurzo, co-founder of Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, California, notes that the Toronado is one of the oldest craft beer bars in the United States.

“I think it goes without saying that Toronado has influenced the San Francisco and Bay Area beer scene more than any other establishment,” Cilurzo says. “It really means something to a brewer or brewery to have their beer on tap at the Toronado.”

(READ: Great American Beer Festival 2017 Ticket Sales Announced)

San Francisco’s 21st Amendment Brewing co-founder Nico Freccia jokes, “I love to talk about the Toronado. It’s one of my favorite subjects and where I asked my wife to scatter my ashes.” (He notes that Keene does not know about this plan.)

When Freccia started going to the Toronado regularly in 1994, he describes it as primarily a neighborhood bar, but also one of the few places anywhere where Belgian beer was available. He also points to the bar’s Barleywine Festival, which started as an annual event in 1993 until 2015, as evidence of Keene’s beer-forward thinking.

“People didn’t know what a barleywine was [in 1993]and most breweries didn’t brew one,” Freccia says. But the Toronado found more than 30 examples in those early years, and as the festival progressed over time, added multiple verticals, which helped people understand how beer ages.

The cash-only bar only sells two things, beer and t-shirts, which Cilurzo sees as one of the reasons for the Toronado’s success. “Because of this, they can focus on selection, inventory and clean lines.”

Hopleaf | Chicago

Michael Roper, owner of the 25-year-old Hopleaf beer bar in Chicago, remembers that in 1992, there wasn’t much of a local beer scene in the area.

“It was a very small, very troubled scene,” he says. Chicago city leadership did not issue one permit for breweries or taverns in the 12 years Richard M. Daley was mayor (1989-2011). That’s why Three Floyds opened in Indiana, Roper says, and all the employees live in the Chicago area and commute.

Chicago’s Hopleaf beer bar opened in 1992. (Credit: Michael Roper)

Hopleaf opened in February 1992 with eight beers on tap and 35 bottles. Roper refused to carry the popular standard macro lagers of the day. Early customers who walked through the door were always surprised.

“Why do I have to carry beer that I’m not passionate about?”

Of the bar’s 65 taps, 15 are reserved for Belgian beers and 15 for Chicago breweries. He believes carefully curating your beer list is the key to staying relevant.

“Our draft list changes every day,” he tells us. “I print out 250 menus every day. It’s a full-time job just to keep up with the thousands of beers available now.”

The Hopleaf has supported the legacy breweries like Firestone Walker, New Belgium and Sierra Nevada from the very beginning.

“Because of that loyalty we get a lot of special releases from those breweries,” Roper says.

Gabriel Magliaro founded Half Acre Brewery in 2006, and prior to that (and since then) visited the Hopleaf frequently.

“It had the best selection of Belgian beer, and early on provided a true, authentic publican experience,” he says. As soon as Half Acre was incorporated, he started working with Roper. “It’s a great example of a place we’d love to have our beer sold.”

(LEARN: Take CraftBeer.com 101 Course)

Falling Rock Tap House | Denver

Falling Rock Tap House’s 20th anniversary is June 2017 and owner Chris Black has scheduled a week of celebration. He’s flown all over the country to brew collaboration birthday beers with some of the breweries that have come to think of Falling Rock as a second home, especially during the Great American Beer Festival (GABF).

GABF is a big part of why Black opened Falling Rock Tap House in 1997. He’d moved to Denver from Houston, following a career in beer, working for beer bars like the Ginger Man, breweries and distributors. He moved to Denver to do something with beer, and although the Wynkoop Brewpub was popular at that time and Great Divide was making local beer for the market, there were no beer bars.

Falling Rock Tap House in Denver (Credit: Adam Bruderer/Creative Commons)

“During GABF, bars would put up banners, and sell a bucket of Sam Adams longnecks for $20, but that was the extent of it,” he explains. “I thought if I opened a place and put on a whole bunch of cool beers, no one else is doing that and I had all these contacts going back 10, 15 years. That would appeal to the uber beer geek coming out to the festival.”

Lauren Limbach (formerly Salazar), the specialty brand manager and wood cellar blender at New Belgium Brewing in nearby Fort Collins, says, “During GABF, we share [the Tap House]with the entire beer drinking community. It’s the maddest of all madhouses. Tappings every hour on the hour. Everyone comes out of the woodwork.”

Last year at GABF, the Falling Rock Tap House held 31 events in six days, with special brewery offerings being tapped almost every hour. Although during the high season of the Great American Beer Festival, rare kegs are plentiful.

(LEARN: Our Big List of Beer Schools)

“We were the only game in town for a decade. Then things exploded. Now, there are three or four places in Denver I really like to go. Great Divide is my local haunt if I don’t want to be at the Tap House.”

Brian Dunn from Great Divide verifies this, adding that his staff are regulars at Falling Rock. “Chris comes to our taproom bar, he’s a big supporter of local breweries. We go there all the time, and he brings his crew to brewery events.”

“We’re lucky to have them in Denver,” Dunn says. “And after 20 years frequenting the Tap House, there are so many stories I can never tell.”

J. Clyde | Birmingham, AL

The Birmingham scene was bleak when Jerry Hartley opened the J. Clyde on April 13, 2007.

“There was nothing here. No place to get craft beer, and only one brewery in the state,” Hartley says.

He moved to Birmingham in 2004 after living in Germany for several years and tried to find quality beers in his city, like the ones he loved overseas.

The J. Clyde craft beer bar is a staple in the Birmingham, Alabama, beer scene. (Credit: J. Clyde)

Originally, Hartley wanted to open his own brewery, but Alabama’s restrictive laws regarding breweries and beer at the time made it too difficult. Instead, he opened the J. Clyde, a beer bar and restaurant and worked to help change state laws and the local beer culture.

“If there were people like me looking for quality beer,” Hartley says, “I knew there would be others.”

The J. Clyde started with 40 taps, which Hartley filled with imports and quality craft he could find under the state’s legal ABV limit. He worked with the legislative advocacy group, Free the Hops, to change the antiquated beer laws and the group used the J. Clyde as a meeting place and rallying point.

In 2009, the ABV limit was raised from 6% to 13.9% and in 2011, The Brewery Modernization Act was signed into law, allowing breweries to open taprooms and sell their beer on site.

“As taprooms opened in 2012, that ignited people’s interest in local beer,” Hartley says. “We remodeled our back bar with 13 taps exclusively for Alabama beers and four more to pour at cellar temps.”

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The J. Clyde helped Good People, Birmingham’s first brewery, in their early days with “research and development.”

“Whatever they brewed, we’d tap it and give them the feedback we heard,” he says.

Michael Sellers, Good People Brewing co-founder, says that both the brewery and the J. Clyde started around the same time, which created a common goal between the two businesses to promote craft and local beer.

“You could get beer there you couldn’t get from other bars and you were exposed to different styles of beer,” Sellers says “There’s so much more craft now, so the impact is lessening but for years, it was the place to be for craft beer in the area.”

ChurchKey | Washington, D.C.

Greg Engle worked at the Brickskeller in Dupont Circle before joining the Neighborhood Restaurant Group as a partner and beer director. The Brickskeller first opened in 1957 and was the site of the first tasting that Michael Jackson held in the United States, due to its strong Belgian beer program.

The owners of the Brickskeller, the Coja family, also worked to change import and distribution laws so that the District of Columbia could serve beer from all 50 states.

Inside ChurchKey in Washington, DC.

Although the Brickskeller closed in 2010, its owners set into motion a progressive beer culture, which is directly responsible for the current success of all beer bars in Washington, D.C. The legendary beer hall, Engel says, continues to influence DC beer culture due to the pioneering vision of the Cojas.

Engle and his partners opened ChurchKey in 2009, the group’s first property in Washington, D.C. The concept, as overseen by Engle, includes a five-engine cask program, heightened levels of service, and a temperature-controlled draft system. The 24 beers on tap are carefully sourced. The attention to service means menus are always updated, the food menu complements the beer, educated staff is at the ready, and proper glassware will be deployed.

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“ChurchKey has provided a lot of consumer education – for example, breaking the menu down into approachable style categories with descriptors,” DC Brau founder Brandon Skall says. “Now it’s an educated populace.”

DC Brau, the first distributed brewery in Washington, D.C., opened in 2011, two years after ChurchKey.

“The city’s been purveying great beers since the 1950s,” Engle says. “We were a city of beer bars before having a brewing community.”

The Avenue Pub | New Orleans

Polly Watts turned the Avenue Pub into the beer bar you know today. (Credit: Johan Lenner)

Polly Watts took over her father’s neighborhood bar on St. Charles Avenue knowing nothing about beer. Now, she’s the local leading expert.

The Avenue Pub converted to a craft beer bar in 2009, the same year that NOLA Brewing began producing beer. At that time, the only other local option was Abita, Watts says.

“The only other breweries we had access to were Rogue, North Coast, Harpoon and Brooklyn. That was it,” she tells us. “There was very little out there.”

National breweries and local distributors were unwilling to take a risk and send specialty styles to the untested New Orleans market. But Watts began talking to her connections with importers, and they would go through their list line by line with her.

“We started turning people onto sours, Belgian pale ales, saisons and barrel aged imperial stouts,” Watts says. “And all the beers were exceptional – they blew people away. You do that a few times and you get a beer person.”

She transformed the beer selection.

“No one had heard of anything on the menu before, and that was a deliberate strategy. If you put on a bunch of new beers and one familiar, people will gravitate toward the familiar,” Watts says. “This way, at that time, chances were that no one knew anything about the beers or the styles and they had to talk to the bartenders to learn about them. It got people to be more experimental in the city.”

“The Avenue proved that there was safety in showcasing the higher end, experimental beers – and they could really shine there,” says Dylan Lintern, COO of NOLA Brewing.

The Avenue Pub is a cornerstone in Louisiana’s craft beer scene. (Credit: Donavon Fannon)

Watts says after a while, American breweries started to trust her, so they started sending her special beers.

Over the past five years, the number of breweries in Louisiana has tripled, and working with the Avenue Pub has helped local breweries succeed.

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“Part of our job is to champion the best local beer. And I always give new breweries a chance,” Watts says. “At first, if they brewed it, we’d tap it — but now we have to be more selective.”

“She changed the game and there are still no other places like it,” Lintern says. “She brought a new element to the beer world here.”

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Nora McGunnigle

Nora McGunnigle is a freelance beer and food writer living in New Orleans, focusing and the unique food and beer culture of Louisiana and the Gulf region. Her work can be found in Beer Advocate, All About Beer, and Louisiana Kitchen and Culture and is a regular contributor to Southern Brew News, Alcohol Professor, Eater NOLA, and the New Orleans alt-weekly, The Gambit. Keep up with her work at NOLAbeerblog.com. Read more by this author

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