Mikkeller Launches Their Own Fitness Apparel Brand

Mikkeller Brewing’s new running apparel brand is named Final Gravity.

From Final Gravity:

Hi, we are Final Gravity.

We unite first-time athletes with elite runners, beer lovers with fashion addicts, hedonists with control freaks. All ready to do their best, make a difference, run together or on their own, give their all and - above all - have a good time.

Final Gravity is an independent running apparel brand created by the microbrewery Mikkeller and designers Femmes Régionales. What might seem like an unusual partnership is tied together by a diverse and inclusive mind-set, a passion for running, sharp aesthetics and attention to details.

Call me a fanboy, but I think this is really cool. Mikkeller isn’t the first brewery to make their own fitness apparel (many breweries make their own branded kits for cyclists), but Mikkeller Brewing is definitely the most popular brewery associated with running, with their self-branded running club, Mikkeller Running Club.

I’m a runner, I’m into fitness brands, and I love craft beer, so... #TakeMyMoney, Mikkeller.

Update — 1-24-19: They aren't shipping to the United States. #sad

Thanks, Charlie Papazian.

Say Goodbye to Charlie Papazian As He Retires From the Brewers Association

D.J. at brewpublic.com:

Bob Pease, president & CEO of the Brewers Association issued the following statement on Charlie’s retirement…

“We would not be where we are today without Charlie Papazian. Armed with a vision, a mission and the passion to succeed, Charlie turned his love of homebrewing into a community and culture that has had profound implications for so many, both personally and professionally. His contributions are indelible and innumerable, and his legacy lives on as the Brewers Association continues to serve the community Charlie helped to create. Cheers to Charlie as he takes the next steps on his never-ending path of living and learning.”

I first heard about Charlie Papazian from “Dr. Bill” Sysak, who at the time, was a member of my podcast with Stephen Johnson, Brad Kohlenberg, and Matt Becker, named New Brew Thursday. In 2010, NBT got to interview Charlie for the first time at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), and again in 2011, also at GABF. One of the things he talked about that stuck with me was how the festival started so many years ago with only a handful of breweries. This blew my mind because we were interviewing him at the very beer festival that he founded, but were surrounded by hundreds of breweries and thousands of beer drinkers. It’s quite amazing how far GABF and the beer industry itself has come, and Charlie played a big role in that, not only because of his role in the Great American Beer Festival, but also his influence on so many homebrewers that would one day open breweries of their own. Charlie Papazian is a truly important figure in the American beer scene. He’s also a genuinely kind person who loves beer and the vibrant, enthusiastic community that surrounds it.

Thanks to Charlie for everything he’s done for all of us beer nerds over the years, and may we all never forget, “relax, don’t worry, and have a homebrew.”

Finally, Apple Pay Will Be Accepted in Target Retail Stores

Apple Pay Rolling Out at Target, Taco Bell, and Jack in the Box Across the U.S. in Coming Weeks

Joe Rossignol at macrumors.com:

Apple Pay is in the process of rolling out in Target stores across the United States and will be available at all of the retailer's 1,850 locations nationwide in the coming weeks.

While it [Target] has accepted Apple Pay in its app for quite some time, Target was one of the biggest Apple Pay holdouts in terms of its stores.

Target was one of the first big stores to come out against Apple Pay in their retail stores. My local, family-owned food market has accepted Apple Pay for years and it was quite annoying that a company as big as Target would not adopt Apple Pay, even though their terminals were NFC compliant when Apple Pay was introduced. It took a few years, but I’m happy to see that Apple Pay has become so normalized that even Target capitulated.