The idea for Spirited comes from the simple observation that, in recent years, the beer, spirits, cider and wine industries have blended. There’s crossover and interest among all sectors, with producers in all fields experimenting with others, whether casually or on a production level. Spirited’s purpose is to share stories, techniques, trends and research in a way that entertains and informs, giving those in the alcohol beverage community a way to connect and learn from one another. Today, it’s about collaboration, not competition.

Spirited is based in Sonoma County, Calif., a place well known for its contributions to the wine industry. What may be less apparent is its role in the burgeoning craft beer, hard cider and distilled spirits arenas. In the pages of our upcoming issues, we’ll spotlight “Maker Districts” and beverage hotspots across the county, we’ll have columnists focused on each of these growing sectors, industry news from around the country, competition results and a calendar of upcoming events and trade shows.

“Much like the industries we’re covering, Spirited is committed to providing a high-quality product in beautifully designed packaging,” says Michael Zivyak, president and publisher. “The highly-qualified audience of C-Level executives are going to truly enjoy reading and learning from this publication.”

In their most recent issue, Spirited presented a look at the world of sour beers — a rather new phenomenon in the United States — and the brewers at the helm of this most unusual form of microbrew experimentation.

Read more at source: Wine Industry Advisor