Okay, this has got to stop. These mindless articles that meander through topic after topic and attempt to sum up the “craft beer movement” in 500 words or less must cease and desist.

Take this one, for example. The title conveys the message that a beer expert has some thought-provoking insight on two particular topics: the InBev takeover of Anheuser-Busch and “extreme” beer. The first half of this article is all about what author Ken Wells did to write his book Travels with Barley: The Quest for the Perfect Beer Joint, then it jumps to the reaction to the A-B buyout, mentions one brief snippet on extreme beer being “high-alcohol content concoctions,” the changing American palate, then back to the book. Mr. Wells may have had something new to add to the conversation, but if he did, the author sure didn’t include it when he quoted him.

What is this article supposed to be about? Why is this trend of glossing over the beer world becoming the norm? It’s those passive connections (extreme beer=high alcohol) that give the wrong impression, and it’s damaging to beer’s image as a whole. I’d almost rather them not say anything at all about it and keep us up to date on the latest happenings with Mike’s Hard Lemonade instead.

Some of these articles just seem really poorly written (that’s rich, coming from me), and with the subject matter all over the place, look like they’ve been penned by a kid who hasn’t taken his Ritalin in a week. Can’t we raise the bar just a little here?