Even if I lose, I’m actually... a winner?
My journalism is up for two awards from the International Association of Culinary Professionals!
Not to make everything About Me™️, but in place of the usual Fingers Friday Thread, I am dee-lighted to announce that my work is up for not one, but two awards from the International Association of Culinary Professionals:
Fingers (aka Ye Olde Boozeletter) has been named as one of three finalists in the Newsletter category.
Hop Take, my VinePair column about the beer industry, has been named as one of three finalists in the Beverage-Focused Column category.
As an independent journalist, I can only do this work with your support. Thank you to all the paying Friends of Fingers who have helped to fund this project for four years. If you’re still reading for free, today is a great day to upgrade to paid! Here’s a discount:
As an added treat, I’m up against some familiar faces in both categories: assorted VinePair colleagues in one, and my longtime pal Hanna Raskin, publisher of The Food Section, in the other. So even if I lose, I’m actually… a winner? Wow, damn, really makes you think.
Below, check out the coverage that I submitted for consideration way back in January of this year.
On an unrelated programming note: I’m on the road right now, so there will be no Weekender on Sunday. Fingers will return to a regular schedule next week. Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks again for the support, Fingers Fam!—Dave.
⭐️ That sweet IACP-nominated #content
For Fingers, I submitted the following stories for consideration:
The lurid allegations against Modelo's fired finance exec (12/19/23)
One polarizing brewery, six figures' worth of tax incentives (11/2/23)
How a PR pro spun the Anchor story (7/14/23)
For Hop Take, I consulted with VinePair editor-in-chief Joanna Sciarrino and managing editor Tim McKirdy, and we submitted the following columns for consideration:
A Fight Over a Controversial Brewery Exposes the Limits of ‘Community’ (11/9/23)
How Sapporo USA Sank Anchor Brewing Co. (7/13/23)
The Cowardly King of Beers Bends the Knee to Bigots (4/27/23)
As you can probably surmise just from the headlines above, and certainly from the pieces they’re attached to, a lot of my reporting at Hop Take informs my analysis at Fingers, and vice-versa. So when I say I can’t do “this work” without your support, that doesn’t just include the journalism I publish at Fingers—it includes everything I write about the business and culture of booze, wherever it appears. Your subscription dollars directly fund this adversarial, unorthodox coverage of the beverage-alcohol industry possible. Wow, what a great reason to upgrade to a paid subscription! Ahem:
For posterity, I should also note that I also submitted Taplines, the modern beer history series I co-produce and host on the VinePair Podcast Network, for consideration, but it was not named as a finalist in the Podcast category. So it goes! These were the episodes up for review by the IACP judges:
Episode 22: How Hipsters First Found PBR (featuring Neal Stewart)
Episode 30: Schlitz’s Epic Self-Inflicted Downfall (featuring Maureen Ogle)
Episode 13: Who Killed Four Loko? (featuring Dr. Joshua Sharfstein)
I obviously think they’re pretty great, but hey—can’t win em all. You can add the show directly to your feed on your preferred podcast platform using Podlink, and find an archive of all the episodes (with video!) at VinePair.
🖼️ Don’t miss the Fingers x Pints and Panels collab print
Since this has turned into a whole lotta self-promotion, may as well go whole hog, right? Right! We’ve still got a few more limited-edition “United States of Boilermakers” prints to move, snag yours today. Recall, this is an original collaboration piece with the incredibly talented Em Sauter of Pints and Panels, who illustrated the six unassailable beer-and-shot combos you see above. Every purchase directly supports two independent drinks-media cReAtOrS, and will look terrific hanging over your barcart. Or wherever, really. Get yours now!