Dave Infante
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dinfontay.com
Dave Infante
@dinfontay.com
16K followers 4.2K following 14K posts
reporter covering the beer industry (@vinepair.com), drinking in america (fingers), and east end richmond (the church hill lookout) | send tips to dave@dinfontay.com, or dinfontay.11 on signal (good tips only, thank you) | more: linktr.ee/dinfontay
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it’s not cheap or easy but i do hope more brewers start offering smaller packaging options like this. 8.4oz is nice!
Dave holding a sirrra Nevada pils in the 8.4oz slim can
November 22, 2025 at 10:43 PM
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📥 The Fingers Weekender hits paid subscribers' inboxes tomorrow morning chock-full of analysis on the latest news in beer, wine, spirits, and beyond. Subscribe now, here's a ***BLUESKY-ONLY*** discount: www.fingers.email/upgrade?offe...
November 22, 2025 | Read Online Trump take America’s brewing future Plus: Sour grapes about the WSJ's ABI-BeatBox scoop! Dave Infante like comment Welcome to The Fingers Weekender, a Sunday digest exclusively for paying Friends of Fingers featuring the independent journalism about drinking in America you love, optimized for hungover scrolling. In today’s edition: Molson Coors’ now-former CCO got a golden parachute; Ste. Michelle Wine Estates got a wage-theft class-action suit; DISCUS got big mad at Trump again; The bev-alc industry got more bad news about crossfading; And much more. As ever, if someone forwarded this to you, buy a subscription to get next Sunday’s edition straight in your inbox.
November 22, 2025 at 9:34 PM
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ICYMI: I interviewed @smith.senate.gov about the impending hemp-derived THC ban—how it went down, what it will do to MN's nation-leading drinks market, and what boosters can do to try to reverse it before the jig is up in November 2026: www.fingers.email/p/an-inside-...
What’s actually possible for the industry to accomplish in the next year? A year is a long time for some things, but that’s not that long to get something done in Congress. You’re absolutely right: it takes too damn long to get anything done in Congress. You gotta keep trying, you gotta keep looking for the avenues to get it done. That’s what I’ll be doing. But I think there are two ways of looking at this. One is, as I understand it, the path that [Minnesota] Representative [Ilhan] Omar is looking at which is: is there a way to do a carveout for states like Minnesota that have good rules and regulations in place? That would be one path forward. Another path would be to—and I'm quite interested in this—I've been working at very early stages with the Minnesota craft brewers on legislation that would try to find a way to bring the framework that we feel works in Minnesota to the federal level. Now, that's obviously going to take a long time, I'm not naive about that. But I do, at this early stage, think that would be a really good approach. If you’ve got a framework that's working so well in Minnesota, is there a way to write that into federal law?
November 21, 2025 at 5:23 PM
dinfontay.com
No yeah wild fermentation is cool but you're not supposed to do it to yourselves
meme. it reads "the worst regulars at every bottle shop" photo is of matt damon and zendaya on the set of dune. he;s labeled "stinky gueuze bf" she's labeled "funky pet nat gf"
November 21, 2025 at 4:03 PM
dinfontay.com
Q3 2025 featured few bright spots for the US brewing industry. The trade’s top leaders have been trying to reframe the dismal outlook to shareholders, employees, and maybe themselves. But I'd never gaslight you, so this week at @vinepair.com, I did some exposure therapy: vinepair.com/articles/hop...
illustration from vinepair of dave's column, which is titled "the us beer indnustry is bleeding red ink" illo is a collage of hemp leaf, can with arrows in it, eagle snatching abi truck, fireball trojan horse
November 21, 2025 at 3:41 PM
dinfontay.com
you've heard of absolute unit, now get ready for
11/20/2025: Sysco Drivers Are an Appropriate Unit
November 20, 2025 at 10:45 PM
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Started from the mentions now we here:
If it seemed like the booming trade got rolled in the frenzy, that’s because it did. “This is a time-honored strategy for getting something done in Congress when you don’t want to get a lot of attention,” Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota, tells me in a phone interview. Though the Democratic lawmaker sits on the Senate Agriculture Committee, she only caught wind of the scheme to smuggle prohibitionary language into the so-called “minibus” package at “the last minute.” As the industry panicked, its bipartisan supporters in the Senate, including Sen. Smith and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), scrambled to block the maneuver, a longstanding priority of Kentucky’s senior senator and notorious hemp-derived THC hater, Republican Mitch McConnell. But the ban made it through the upper chamber, and sailed through the House of Representatives. When Trump signed the bills reopening the federal government on the evening of November 12th, he started a 365-day countdown to shut down the business in its current form.
November 20, 2025 at 9:48 PM
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NEW: Today the Siebel Institute—the US' oldest/most prestigious brewing school & a cornerstone of the industry globally—announced its relocation from Chicago to Montreal, citing "[r]ecent regulatory changes in the US [that] have made it much more challenging for many of our international students."
Siebel Institute of Technology & World Brewing Academy's Post Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Siebel Institute of Technology & World Brewing Academy ntosdSpreo39546 h 70hghau15c20a1ccli67t31866hu79 2 7uc1m1ti5af7f · Siebel Institute of Technology Announces Strategic Relocation to Montreal Chicago, IL / Montreal, QC — Nov 20, 2025 — The Siebel Institute of Technology, the oldest brewing school in the Americas (established in 1872), is officially relocating its operations from Chicago, Illinois (USA) to Montreal, Québec (Canada) effective January 1, 2026. The new location address will be 3035 rue Sainte-Catherine E, Montréal (Québec), near Molson’s original brewery site (1786), the oldest brewery in North America. Siebel will be co-located with the new Lallemand Baking Academy and Application Technology Training Facility. This move marks a significant milestone in Siebel’s evolution, aligning with the changing dynamics of the global brewing industry and the need for the business to remain competitive and sustainable far into the future. The decision follows a comprehensive review of operational costs, industry trends, increased student visa challenges to enter the United States and is fully supported by Siebel’s longstanding partners and stakeholders. “Lallemand has proudly owned the Siebel Institute since 2000 and has consistently supported its autonomy as the center for world-class brewing education," said Antoine Chagnon, CEO of Lallemand Inc. "we are excited about the opportunities this relocation brings for the future of brewing education." Throughout its history, Siebel Institute has maintained a reputation for excellence in brewing science and education. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Lallemand’s financial support was instrumental in ensuring the school’s survival and continued service to the global brewing community. The relocation is also strongly endorsed by Siebel’s strategic partner in Munich, Germany, which makes up the World Brewing Academy (WBA). "We fully support this move and look forward to many more years of successful collaboration," said Dr. Werner Gloßner, Managing Director of Doemens Academy. The new facility in Montreal offers a unique opportunity to integrate brewing and baking education under one roof—two disciplines that have shared a rich history for millennia (as evidenced from the ancient Egyptian frescoes and scriptures). Montreal itself provides a vibrant, safe, and culturally rich environment for students, with world-class amenities and a thriving food and beverage scene. Siebel Institute will continue to offer its renowned online and campus classes and programs from its new home in Montreal, remaining committed to delivering the same high standards of education and training that have defined its legacy. "Maintaining the quality of education while keeping Siebel Institute and World Brewing Academy offerings affordable was key for us,” said John Hannafan, General Manager and Director of Education, Siebel Institute. “Recent regulatory changes in the U.S. have made it much more challenging for many of our international students, who have become the majority of our student body, to attend classes in person. This relocation of North America classroom operations to Montreal allows us to pivot without sacrificing the student experience." About Siebel Institute Siebel the oldest continuously operating professional brewing school in the Americas and part of Lallemand Brewing since 2000. www.Siebelinstitute.com About Doemens Academy Doemens, based in Munich (DE), is an internationally recognized institute for vocational development and training in the brewing, beverage, and food industries. The key to its success is the consistent combination of theory and practice, which is also reflected in the vocational training courses offered by the World Brewing Academy. Doemens is also the world's leading institution for training beer sommeliers and offers a wide range of consulting and laboratory services for companies in the beverage industry. https://doemens.org/en/ About Lallemand Brewing Lallemand Brewing, headquartered in Milwaukee, WI (USA), is a business unit of Lallemand Inc., a private family-owned company and one of the global leaders in the development, production and marketing of yeasts, bacteria, other microorganisms and their derivatives (such as yeast fractions, enzymes and other metabolites) for use in many foods, beverage, agricultural, health and nutrition applications. Lallemand is headquartered in Canada but has operations on all 5 continents. www.lallemandbrewing.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:26 PM
dinfontay.com
Oi bruv
meme. screenshot of ralph fiennes in costume for the prequel to the hunger games where he's the president i guess? he's dressed sort of like a standard british foxhunting lord with a red coat and black collar trim. copy says "pov you just said that hops actually weren't originally used to preserve ales on the long voyage to india"
November 20, 2025 at 3:27 PM
dinfontay.com
looks like i picked the wrong week to not get kicked out of a bunch of group chats that barely tolerated me in the first place
Signal Polls Are Here Are you and your friends on the same page, or are you poll-ar opposites? Polls are an easy way to see what your group chat really thinks. Create a poll with competing dinner options, vacation destinations, musical preferences for an upcoming road trip, or any other important choices.
November 20, 2025 at 3:18 PM
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One way of understanding how bad things are for the brewing industry right now: the Beer Institute's +1% year-over-year volume estimate for September 2025 was the first and only growth the category has posted all year. Woof.
Taxable Removals - TTB (31 Gallon Barrels) Month 2024 2025 Percent Change Volume Change January 11,571,405 10,572,389 -8.6% -999,016 February 12,125,150 10,133,518 -16.4% -1,991,632 March 12,482,301 12,341,425 -1.1% -140,876 April 12,482,666 12,046,514 -3.5% -436,152 May 13,554,865 12,885,517 -4.9% -669,348 June 14,369,312 14,065,563 -2.1% -303,749 July 12,730,253 12,625,000 -0.8% -105,253 August 13,023,779 11,700,000 -10.2% -1,323,779 September 12,083,625 12,200,000 1.0% 116,375 YTD 114,423,356 108,569,926 -5.1% -5,853,430
November 19, 2025 at 9:29 PM
dinfontay.com
Seems like a fine time to note that Fingers' ethics policy is explicitly clear on how generative AI is used in the publishing workflow (it isn't.)
Artificial intelligence Fingers does not use generative artificial intelligence (ChatGPT, Midjourney, etc.) to produce text or images at any point during the editorial workflow process, including but not limited to coming up with things to write about, researching those things, writing about those things, etc.
November 19, 2025 at 6:40 PM
dinfontay.com
👍👍👍
Hi Dave, As a 2x award-winning journalist and freelance writer, your storytelling skills could be a great match for this AI Trainer role. Outlier Ai offers the chance to earn up to $15/hour with flexible remote work. If you're interested in shaping the future of AI, you can apply now or view the job description for more details.
November 19, 2025 at 6:30 PM
dinfontay.com
a flag (?) that has illustrations of three piss jars on it. the copy says "PISS JARS." i do not know why this exists but it was the first result on google images for "piss jars"
November 19, 2025 at 4:34 PM
dinfontay.com
meme. four quadrants. upper left reads "big booze to congress when researchers link alcohol to cancer" upper right shows a illustrated roly poly guy in glasses wielding a knife saying "leave the multibillion dollar company alone...:" lower left reads: "big booze to congress when hemp derived thc becomes a $28b industry" lower right shows bugs bunny as a communist meme
November 19, 2025 at 3:35 PM
dinfontay.com
And your Hop-ocalypse Now from the latest @vinepair.com Hop Take 🤯: vinepair.com/articles/for...
🤯 Hop-ocalypse Now What a difference a week makes. Shortly after I filed this column last Friday laying out how hemp-derived tetrahydrocannabinol’s (THC) many enemies had timed their moves against the nascent $28 billion industry to take advantage of the immense pressure on Congress to reopen the government, the action really got going on Capitol Hill. I’m pleased to say it played out more or less as Hop Take predicted: With support from major bev-alc and CPG trade groups, federal lawmakers opposed to the trade attached de facto prohibitionary language to the must-pass agricultural appropriations bill, which survived Kentucky senator Rand Paul’s amendment to strip it out in the upper chamber Monday, then sailed through the House of Representatives on Wednesday evening. THC drinks producers and aligned distributors and retailers won’t be pleased: The effective ban will take effect in 365 days from when the law is enacted. Expect a gnarly year of lobbying to come.
November 19, 2025 at 3:33 PM
dinfontay.com
INBOX: Everybody is being super-normal about the hemp-derived THC situation, keep it up!
Psychiatrist Available: What the Proposed Hemp-THC Ban Really Means for Patients & Clinicians
November 19, 2025 at 3:03 PM
dinfontay.com
SCABBED OVER: RESTORED RODENT RETURNS TO RALLY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Media Advisory for 18 Nov2025 @ 5pm Media contact: Mike Haack, mhaack@local25now.org, (202) 431-5972 Following knifing, Scabby—the union rat mascot—makes a triumphant return to protest Babbo Ristorante Restaurant workers and community allies will rally to call for a boycott of Babbo, recently reopened by restaurateur Stephen Starr. During Scabby’s last stint outside Babbo, he was stabbed by a man who disappeared into the restaurant. What: An inflatable union mascot rat get well ceremony. Workers and community allies with UNITE HERE Local 25, the hotel and restaurant union, will gather in Washington Square Park for a speak-out about Stephen Starr’s union busting. They will then walk over to Babbo where they will place get well cards on the balloon rat’s belly and sing uplifting songs. This is in response to a stabbing of the balloon that took place the night of the restaurant’s opening and was covered extensively in the New York Post here and here. Protestors will take special steps to ensure Scabby’s safety.
November 18, 2025 at 7:35 PM
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X Challenge (Impossible) Know Your Meme https://knowyourmeme.com › memes › x-challenge-im... Sep 30, 2022 — X Challenge (Impossible) is a phrasal template that is used as a means to call attention to someone's or something's tendency to act in a certain way. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/x-challenge-impossible
November 18, 2025 at 4:41 PM
dinfontay.com
if somebody showed up to thanksgiving looking like this i would citizen's arrest them
molson coors' new ad campaign showing a guy with an armful of molson coors beers loose, he's wearing a leather jacket, you can't see his face but the vibe is pretty weird
November 18, 2025 at 3:06 PM
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love my fans!
Re: Hemp-ocalypse Now (ish) External Inbox Summary surendra haripial <surendraharipal72@gmail.com> 9:13 AM (36 minutes ago) to me Hi clarabowman1992, I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to provide you with some updates on the project status. We have made significant progress since our last meeting and have successfully met several key milestones. I believe we are on track to meet the project deadline. Please let me know if you have any questions or if there is anything specific you would like to discuss in our upcoming meeting. Best regards,
November 18, 2025 at 2:50 PM
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Ancient history now, but workers at Rogue tried to organize in 2011, but the company busted the drive: www.splinter.com/craft-beer-s...
Often, this manifests passively, in low wages, understaffing, or unsafe work conditions and equipment. Occasionally, though, that hypocrisy is active. In 2011, Rogue Ales, a nationally distributed craft brewer in Newport, Oregon, allegedly led an anti-union campaign against brewing and bottling employees who were organizing, according to an account published by the Northwest Labor Press. But the company’s branding has always featured apparent appropriations of Soviet pro-worker propaganda, including red stars and raised fists. (Brett Joyce, Rogue’s current president, says the Northwest Labor account of the union drive was motivated by an “obvious agenda” and disputes its accuracy, while allowing that “what happened in 2011 served as a wake-up call.”)
November 17, 2025 at 8:24 PM
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in the rare instances this guy actually showed up at disasters he always looked stressed as hell. dog that caught the car ass trump appointee.
David Richardson looking overwhelmed and stupid as emergency responders try to tell him stuff.
November 17, 2025 at 7:50 PM
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NEW: Liz Owoc, the wife and business partner of ousted Bang Energy CEO Jack Owoc, has apparently moved on to other business ventures. Namely: doing affiliate marketing for something called the "Finding Jesus Doll," an evangelical answer (?) to Elf on the Shelf.
screenshot of instagram from meg owoc, showing off the Find Jesus Doll screenshot of instagram from meg owoc, showing off the Find Jesus Doll
November 17, 2025 at 7:40 PM
dinfontay.com
Costco's bottle-popping problem got a lot worse: www.fingers.email/p/kirkland-h...
meme. photo is a screenshot from hurt locker where he realizes he's surrounded by a bunch of ieds. copy reads "when the function got kirkland prosecco"
November 17, 2025 at 3:19 PM