Feeds

6694 items (6694 unread) in 17 feeds

Breweries Breweries
Bloggers Bloggers
Craftbrewers Craftbrewers

Bloggers (100 unread)

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/02/04/Session_60__The_64_Ounce_Jug_Is_Considered'

    Session 60: The 64 Ounce Jug Is Considered

    Posted: February 4th, 2012, 7:58pm CET by Alan McLeod

    The 64 ounce beer jug - or growler - is sufficiently interesting to the guys as Washington Beer Blog that they made it the topic of this month's edition of The Session:

    These days people take growlers for granted. In my neck of the woods, growlers are a relatively new phenomenon. I don’t recall exactly when they appeared on the local beer scene but it could not have been more than eight or ten years ago. Maybe they existed in obscurity before. My memory fails me. Today growlers are everywhere. I think. Growlers are very common around the Pacific Northwest, anyway. I cannot speak to their popularity elsewhere. I’d love to know.

    Unfortunately, by "everywhere" they mean large parts of the US. Growlers are only available at some breweries in my part of Canada. I have to drive an hour and a quarter to find the nearest growler fill. In Quebec, they are actually found pre-filled on the shelf in some retail shops, too. I have seen similar things, rarely, in the odd NY beer store instead of the normal tap fill but more and more they are showing up in grocery stores and even gas stations over there. It is a prudent sustainably green way to buy good beer you may want to have in a few days or so at a decent price. Once upon a time, they were galvanized steel pails served out a side window. But people can recycle them on you.

    I actually discussed the growler as the fourth unacknowledged serving unit for beer back in Session 48. I was a year ahead of time. I like them a lot. Just wish I have access to them that is provided in a free society.

Hop Talk

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/02/02/Are_There_Different_Schools_Of_Beer_Thought_'

    Are There Different Schools Of Beer Thought?

    Posted: February 2nd, 2012, 1:40pm CET by Alan McLeod

    Stan asked me to elaborate on something:

    Could you elaborate on what you mean by 'beer thinking'?

    Hmm... I think there is beer thinking. If there is anything, there is a lot of under-thinking about beer thinking. If I were honest with you, there is a lot of under-thinking about over-thinking, too. Not sure if there is over-thinking about under-thinking but that could be, too. And if there is beer thinking there must be schools of thought. Can we describe them?

    ♦ The School of Aesthetics: As a pleasure trade, beer is concerned with sensory experience and - as with any ideas of beauty, art and enjoyment - the sensory-emotional values of the individual. In a way, all efforts to elaborate the subjective experience of the aesthetic undermine its purity. Boak and Bailey observed in a tweet this morning: "we're going to run out of language for talking about beer soon..." But as we know, by any other name, a beer is a beer is a beer. The aesthete knows that there is no higher thought than moving into a less conscious experience... maybe I could put that in a better way... a less dictated experience with their perception of pleasure. Yet less of that can be more of something else - the drunk, the addled.

    ♦ The School of Empiricism: These place the emphasis on observational evidence. While still involved in what we may experience, objective is added to the mix. In this school we find the historians, the data miners, the mash bill reviewers, the home brewing replicators. Just as the aesthete is the neighbour of the short term drunk and the long term addled, the empiricist can lead us astray through the musty corridors of the library. They forget sometimes that the well stocked beer shelf in a store or a pub is the only library you really need. They also lead to judging. Where the aesthete might describe, empiricists judge. The county fair jam and jelly contest is a very fine thing and a blue ribbon a treat - but remember: judge not lest ye be judged.

    ♦ The School of Ancient Wisdom: These accept received wisdom or, in another way, believers that others - their betters - were and are wiser. When you read enough beer books about the same few notions, it does become pretty evident that not thinking can in fact occur. I blame Jackson who did a very fine thing in layering classification upon us but then did not enforce enough that it was only one mode, one approach. As a result we are left with broadly practiced rote based lessons. They are related to conservative pessimistic approaches like skepticism as it presents a doubtful outlook, doubtful that there is anything new to be said. It also gives rise to experts to tell you, for a fee, that you do not know what is right. They even tell you that something is off when it's simply not to their taste. Never mind that. You simply need to be told.

    Ultimately, while each may have a place, each school distracts us from the good, that simple state of the moderate engagement with meaningful pleasure. When combined, they are disaster. Imagine a library where the best books were removed after a few weeks and taken out of circulation. Aestheticism meets empiricism. That is what we face here in Ontario with the restricted and regulated government store that stocks it shelves with temporary listings of good beer, our better's ideas of what the experts tell us to enjoy when and where they determine. And imagine a store that sells paperbacks for fifty bucks because there are only a few copies printed. The wise meets the empirical. That's what is being foisted upon us by short run swanked up brews which seem to have as part of their experimental goals a study of the best way to get wallets opened wider. But surely we have to forgive them. They know not what they do. Maybe. It is always truly wise to recall the first lesson of Thales.

    Are there more schools? Many more no doubt and likely splintering schismists amongst these schools above each trying to set in stone a better more complex rule to define what for most really does not need proscription. They do as much harm as good. Each aggrandizes an aspect what is essentially a simple thing - the enjoyment of a malt mildly intoxicating beverage that has been enjoyed for thousands of years quite nicely, thank you.

Hop Talk

Knut Albert's beer blog

  • Permalink for 'Knut_Albert_s_beer_blog/2012/02/01/It%e2%80%99s_them_BrewDog_guys_in_the_middle_of_the_fight_again'

    It’s them BrewDog guys in the middle of the fight again

    Posted: February 1st, 2012, 4:18pm CET by knutalbert
    If you thought the British beer scene was all quiet pints and cobwebbed pubs, you obviously do not follow Melissa Cole’s blog. She did not like what BrewDog has to say about other british brewers in a recently published book, feeling that BrewDog owes the industry as a whole a bloody enormous apologyy. It wasn’t exactly [...]

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/02/01/The_Oldest_Beer_Joke_In_History..._But_Wuzzit_Mean_'

    The Oldest Beer Joke In History... But Wuzzit Mean?

    Posted: February 1st, 2012, 1:31pm CET by Alan McLeod

    So they finally got to the bottom of a box of Iraqi cuneiform tablets dug up in 1976 and found some written by some guy trying to be funny as reported in the New York Daily News:

    This one could also benefit from cranking up the laugh track:

    “In your mouth and your teeth, constantly stared at you, the measuring vessel of your lord. What is it?

    Beer.”

    So there you have it: an ancient beer joke. (At least, a riddle referring to its taste, the authors say.) Perhaps something has been lost in the translation through all those many centuries. And since they were meant as riddles designed to communicate truths about life - "wisdom literature," as the authors call it -- perhaps gut-splitting hilarity was not the point.

    Well, how many riddles today really bust a gut. Few. What I find more interesting are the underlying premises. The person has a lord. The person constantly sees beer. Perhaps he is saying that the measure of a lord's virtue is his generosity with the beer.

    After clicking through various news articles of increasing seriousness, I actually arrived at the scholarly article upon which the story is based. Go to page 117. I don't know why the speculation is that this is the work of a student as there are two references to the impotency of a soldier as well as the ethical status of leaders - plus some sex and a bit of beer. Its a view from down there somewhere and it's a bit telling. Any other ideas? I know from the emails that you've been clamoring for a chance to play Mesopotamian cuneiform scholar so live it up.

Hop Talk

Knut Albert's beer blog

  • Permalink for 'Knut_Albert_s_beer_blog/2012/01/31/Tradition_or_innovation_'

    Tradition or innovation?

    Posted: January 31st, 2012, 10:08pm CET by knutalbert
    The Norwegian breweries used to have a very lucrative market. The mediums sized ones gobbled up the smaller ones, and we ended up with half a dozen regional breweries in the Seventies. They whimpered a bit about the ban on strong beers, the phasing out of ads for alcohol and other government regulations, but at [...]

Hop Talk

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/31/...Or__On_The_Other_Hand__Should_Incomes_Be_Declared_'

    ...Or, On The Other Hand, Should Incomes Be Declared?

    Posted: January 31st, 2012, 12:55am CET by Alan McLeod

    The response to the post about the ethics of running a series of posts for a fee has been interesting - and, shockingly, far more civil that then outburst of Engerlander finger pointy hand baggery over at Taking the Beard Out of Beer today. It's as if they don't know that being in a beer community means you just don't say certain things? It starts out so innocently:

    But when I got to the BrewDog page I was so incensed by their comments I actually chucked the book down in disgust. I don't think I need to go into why BrewDog do what they do, I think we're all familiar with their shock tactic methods by now, but it's one thing to thumb your nose at authority and it's another to tell outright lies. The comment, photographed right, is simply outrageous, the UK brewing industry closed? Yeah, ok lads...

    Whaaattt?!?!? "Lies"??!??! "Outrage"??!??!?! Oh, misery. Oh, calamity. What has happened to our happy house where we all agree, we all get along?

    Frankly, what annoys me the most is knowing that all the people in the conversation or at least most of them make money from the beer trade one way or another. It sure would help me a hell of a lot if I could get a sort of guide to the various interests at play that are not being admitted, the cheques that are cashed as we follow along with the allegations and counter charges. Perhaps someone can prepare a fully annotated version with a flow chart.

    God forbid that people should have different experiences. When folk in the future suggest the best beer thinking comes from "pros" I will have to pull out this wee chestnut for review.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/30/What_Is_Local_Beer_From_A_Southern_Ontario_View_'

    What Is Local Beer From A Southern Ontario View?

    Posted: January 30th, 2012, 3:21am CET by Alan McLeod

    What is local when it comes to beer or anything else in southern Ontario? Today there is someone who need not be mentioned drearily tweeting a series of xenophobic exhortations for we Ontarians to drink "local" beer. It reminds me of how the naivety of my former co-residents of Prince Edward Island were characterized by Halifax, Nova Scotian news columnist: PEI was too insular to be xenophobic. The Ontario comment is a bit different but still naive in its own way as it makes no effort to define "local" by any other standard other than political jurisdiction. Because we live in the province of Ontario, we should support Ontario stuff. Even if it is from very far away. And, presumably, even if it is bad or over priced.

    Have a quick look at the map above. That is my quick calculation of the distance (in red) from the site of eastern Ontario's Beau's Brewing in VanKleek Hill to the border crossing between Windsor and Detroit, Michigan. It's a 758 km drive. Probably over 760 km now that I think of it as Beau's is on the east side of town. Taking that distance as the radius for a yellow circle, we reach the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the east of New Brunswick, south to the bottom of Delaware, north to within view of Hudson Bay and west to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. This is great news for me as my "local" now include many of the vibrant scenes within the north-eastern chunk of North American - aka the land of diacetyl acceptance, perhaps greater New Yorkshire of which my Easlakian home is but a sub-region.

    Isn't this a rational point of view? If I am being asked to support someone I have never met to the west why not one I have never met to the south. Anything else is jingoism. Embarrassing jingoism at that. My "local" is all that until I get a better definition that relates to the beer and not the available funding marketing grants application policy or the irrational wholesale distribution regulations.

Hop Talk

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/29/England__Fuller_s_Vintage_Ale_2006_v_2011__London'

    England: Fuller's Vintage Ale 2006 v 2011, London

    Posted: January 29th, 2012, 2:33pm CET by Alan McLeod

    In December 2010, I decided that I had to get at the task of drinking the Fuller's Vintage Ales that I had been hoarding in the stash. I figured I needed to compare beers that were brewed five years apart and posted the '05 v. '10 results. Now, it's time for the second edition comparing 2006 to their 2011. First, one thing to note is that I am using 200 ml German glasses for this experiment. See, the thing is, this was the week that the pint was dissed to a lower point than I have ever seen it dissed. My choice of glassware reflects that brave new world where reasonable measures of beer are a thing of the past. Still, I am sure these tiny tiny Teutonics will not let down this litre of greatness as they are wonderful wee things in themselves.

    I reviewed the 2006 back in the day. It has clearly improved according to that description... or maybe my powers of description have. It now gives off an aroma of fresh bright orange marmalade on malt bread. Oddly, the scent is much stronger than the 2011 which gives off some booze and a bit of beef broth with not a lot more... or at least not nearly as much.

    In the mouth, again there is no question that the 2006 is a bigger more complex beer at this point in its life. It's got the malty smoked thing I noticed in 2006 and I get the green fig as well. But the texture is no longer what I likely meant when I wrote grain. It's more like baseball glove leather now. Quite sweet as well. But well cut by what I had called black tea hops. They are now melded much more neatly together to give a sort of rose water effect. The 2011, by comparison, tastes of beer. There is a fresh acidity but the malt is a bit undeveloped. I had a 2006 Thomas Hardy Ale yesterday and it informs that idea. That pleasant little variety of acids that are in both '06s of the last 24 hours sit dormant in the 2011's pear juicy sweet ball of pale malt. The '11's box and insert card tells me that the malt is organic but not the variety. In 2006, the malt was Optic which the OCB tells me is the most widely planted variety in England.

    First 400 ml down. Unlike the 2005 v 2010 comparison, I would not suggest the younger beer is cloying. It has a rustic hopping that is a bit twiggy and a bit menthol. Goldings, organic First Gold and Sovereign hops were used according to the box. They give a bit of a licorice effect at this point which may unpack into marmalade with time. I will let you know in 2016. The 2006, by contrast, relies on Fuggles and Super Styrian hopping. The OCB tells me that the Super Styrian - as opposed to the pending Super Dooper Styrian - is itself a form of Fuggles. From my lost homebrewing days, my world of English beer is divided into three: Goldings, Fuggles and Northern Brewer. I think 2/3s of this are demonstrated before me. The older beer leans to the hedge. The younger is more floral. Quite content to be the Mayor of Simpleton in such matters, it's a distinction that works for me.

    The head of the 2006 is worth comment - fine, densely packed off white bubbles giving a very appealing visual creaminess and a lovely maker of rich lacing. Otherwise the two beer appear to be quite similar. The elder is a bit clouded but I don't care about the sorts of things. Each a very attractive deep orange amber ale.

    700 ml gone and I am just going to enjoy the rest.. This is as high a point in my beer experience as any - and one that only cost me about 15 bucks and just half a decade. I am little proud of me. I was very sensible to start this series, to start saving these beers. The process may well see me out now that I think of it. There are far worse markers of another year's passing.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/28/What_If_I_Posted_A_Series_Of_Posts_For_A_Fee_'

    What If I Posted A Series Of Posts For A Fee?

    Posted: January 28th, 2012, 6:38pm CET by Alan McLeod

    I have been quite impressed with the idea Evan had to post an essay on Amazon and ask a very modest fee for payment. I have also loved and supported Lew's idea for the TV series American Beer Blogger funded through Kickstarter. They've got me thinking. The price point and revenue streams for writing about beer are minefields - ethical and otherwise. General search engine optimization ads on the blog are in decay due to aggregators like Google Reader [Ed.: waving hello to the 15,938 GR followers!] taking activity away. And direct support from the beer trade for all beer writing just isn't what it used to be - if it ever was. So, I am wonder what the response would be if I posted a series of posts on a certain topic I have in mind and asked for a fee. The plan would be to place a brief summary or introduction on the blog and link to the longer text of each essay which folk could follow if interested through a micro-payment process. Would the following elements of that sort of idea be interesting to you or a turn off?

    ♦ The price would be low, say 49 cents if that price point is available.
    ♦ The posts would be longer than usual around here and each would be on elements on single even greater theme.
    ♦ The theme would be a proposal for a rethinking of the elements of the consumer's relationship with beer.
    ♦ Through this exercise I would be preparing an system of thinking about beer that I may present through next autumn's Beau's Oktoberfest where I will be assisting with the preparation and presentation of their whole seminar series.

    The point of this would be giving myself the opportunity and structure to work on a more detailed and lengthy bit of research with a sufficient if modest revenue stream to pay for the related expenses such as travel, research time and maybe beer that needs to spent.

    My question is this: if I do this would it be incredibly irritating, of no interest or something you might be willing to participate in? Be honest. Tell me if you think I don't have what it takes. Let me know if it would drive you from following the blog and why. Let me know if you even like it. All thoughts and feedback most welcome.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/28/Some_Days_There_Just_Isn_t_A_Beery_Meme_Even_To_Steal'

    Some Days There Just Isn't A Beery Meme Even To Steal

    Posted: January 28th, 2012, 1:18am CET by Alan McLeod

    Me-me's. That is the whole stock in trade of blogging when you think of it. A story to nick and build upon with a hope that someone builds upon it further, mentioning your name or at least offering a link. Not today. I blame the freezing rain in the middle of the night. It sounded like someone with a garden hose full of jello spraying the bedroom window: flurdidblutblubfluuuurfutblutffluuuur.... You get the idea. Absolutely exhausted. No point in writing a beer review. "Tastes like beer" to quote James.

    I have never really understood why beer blogging is quiet on Fridays but there is no doubt about it. Perhaps people are off Twittering their night out expectations and experiences. Twitter sort of acts as blogging's cheat in that way. "No, no... don't mind me..." says the blog, "I'll be fine... I'll make my own fun... you go tweet..." If I were to share any experience of the last two days it would be that the two available Oz and James Drink... DVDs that seem to be available to this continent, Britain and France, are as good a pop discussion of beverages as I've ever experienced. People go on a bit about why there is no beery TV but it might be because beery TV makes no sense unless contextualized in other drinks as well as the places they come from. Helps immensely that there is no sense that the BevCo PR suits and the well placed cheque are behind the scenes.

    But that is it. That is all I got. Oh - that and Knut has hit his first millennium. If I were to write a history of beer blogging and consider the role of those who led the way, Knut of Norway would be among those at the top of the list. When many were unaware of how pervasive this would become, when the few writing were writing reviews - Knut was thinking about what beer meant to Knut. While not his first, this 2007 guest post from five years ago is one of my favorites. I like the way he takes weird photos like this one from 2005 or the one above from New York in 2008. Part of that great international beer blogging legacy.

Hop Talk

Knut Albert's beer blog

  • Permalink for 'Knut_Albert_s_beer_blog/2012/01/27/Thoughts_at_1000'

    Thoughts at 1000

    Posted: January 27th, 2012, 6:08pm CET by knutalbert
    It’s been quite a ride. My WordPress blogging interface tells me this is blog post no 1000. One thousand.  Add to that the hundreds of posts at my old blog now disappeared into the graveyard of cyberspace, it is quite a figure. But does it matter? Looking back, the first couple of years were spent [...]

Hop Talk

  • Permalink for 'Hop_Talk/2012/01/27/Craft_beer_in_Japan'

    Craft beer in Japan

    Posted: January 27th, 2012, 1:46am CET by Al

    CNN’s Eatocracy blog has an interesting post up about the craft beer scene in Japan, with a focus on Coedo Brewery.

    Earthquakes and blackouts aside, it hasn’t been easy for Coedo, founded in 1997 by boss [Shigeharu] Asagiri’s father-in-law. It wasn’t until prohibitive laws against small commercial breweries were repealed in 1994 that a microbrew scene in Japan could emerge.

    Even since then, breaking the chokehold the big four Japanese brewers – Asahi, Kirin, Suntory and Sapporo – have on the domestic and international beer market has been a challenge. What Coedo produce in a year is the equivalent to what just one of the big boys produce in a day.

    The taxman in Japan still takes around $2.50 on every liter of beer brewed there, which has led to the big breweries creating cheaper “beer-like” drinks (alcoholic and often additive-rich) and further diluting the market among a local population more familiar with types of sake than varieties of beer.

    “For most (Japanese) people, beer is just beer, no one orders it by name; it’s no fun, but it should be,” says Asagiri. “Beer is exciting!”

    Eatocracy: Craft beer from the Land of the Rising Sun

    (tip o’ the hat to Max)

    Related Posts:

    Craft beer in Japan is from Hop Talk - Beer. Life. Blog.


A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/26/Booklet_Review___Why_Beer_Matters__By_Evan_Rail'

    Booklet Review: "Why Beer Matters" By Evan Rail

    Posted: January 26th, 2012, 1:34am CET by Alan McLeod

    I got a review copy of Evan Rail's essay "Why Beer Matters" via email today. It's published for the Kindle and available at Amazon.com for an embarrassingly low price. Buy it. Why? Good question. Ever since his coming out party chez ici, he has been one of my favorite beer bloggers, a steady source of interesting writing via his gig with The New York Times as well as a guide to pals visiting Prague. Oh, and he wrote a book, too. An important book.

    But why must you buy this essay? Well, unlike me you may be able to get the &*$*(^%^ Kindle work and actually be needing content. Beyond that, you might want good beer writing that takes a fresh perspective. Frankly, we have more than enough "Guides to the Styles" and "298846 Beers To Try Before Find Another Hobby" books. What we do not have are many new points of view. Evan offers that. He takes the proposition set out in the title and expounds for 20-ish pages on the matteringness of beer. Beer engages with people, it can be replicated over the ages, it runs with the seasons and sits in a place. It's a travel piece but not through geography, instead it echoes his own path with writing and thinking about beer. How beer rivals wine, how it is an emerging pleasure, how it is of the people are the stuff of Evans wonderings.

    Personal essays are one of the finest forms of writing there are. I mentioned that when I reviewed one of Michael Jackson's books back in 2008. I mention it again when I suggest you might want to read this work Evan's. Well worthy.

Knut Albert's beer blog

  • Permalink for 'Knut_Albert_s_beer_blog/2012/01/25/Rumours_from_the_Norwegian_beer_scene'

    Rumours from the Norwegian beer scene

    Posted: January 25th, 2012, 10:20pm CET by knutalbert
    A new proper blog post sooon. For now: Samples of a Nøgne Ø Imperial Stout aged in Cognac barrels are reported. I don’t know anything about a release date. A new cranberry IPA, Zombie IPA on tap at Schouskjelleren in Oslo tonight. Their import list is as strong as ever. Lots of good stuff at [...]

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/25/_Trucks_Were_Backing_Up_To_Get_The_Stuff_In_'

    "Trucks Were Backing Up To Get The Stuff In"

    Posted: January 25th, 2012, 3:04am CET by Alan McLeod

    Good article at OpenFile Halifax today touching on a few points of my old home town of Halifax's drinking history. Most neato of all is the click-able photo above of the 1948 version of the Sea Horse Tavern. The name of the place has continued in the underground bar that was my home away from home in undergrad days. The article has this great description of opening day for the Sea Horse:

    In September of 1948, the Sea Horse Tavern, operated by the Carleton hotel, was the first tavern to open since Halifax’s 1916 prohibition, charging 25 cents for a pint of Maritime-brewed bottled beer and 30 cents for a pint of Central Canadian beer, the maximum price set by the province. By 10:20 am, 51 people had filed in to drink. “When the fridge doors were opened, they stayed open. Trucks were backing up to get the stuff in. The beer had no time to get cool, we were dragging the crates out this side so fast,” said ‘Yank’ Landry, Sea Horse manager, to the Mail-Star.

    First of a three part series, the article also mentions that the town had issued 30 tavern licenses within the first 8 months of British settlement in 1749 - when the first wave of population numbered only 2,500.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/25/Totally_Different_To_Drinking_In_The_Garage_At_Your_Home'

    Totally Different To Drinking In The Garage At Your Home

    Posted: January 25th, 2012, 2:27am CET by Alan McLeod

    I don't think I have ever seen the basic economics of running a bar actually hit a newspaper as a story. But here it is in New Zealand:

    Wages, insurance, rent, rates, taxes, repairs and maintenance, cleaners, fixtures and fittings, heat, light and power, telephone, entertainment and security costs all need to be taken into account. "It's not a garage selling twist tops, we sell quality products. You have got to provide a convivial atmosphere and inviting environment. You have got to make it a place where people want to come," Mr Burleigh said. "Drinking at Peggy Gordon's is totally different to drinking in the garage at your home." Mr van Praagh said the hospitality industry was not a cash cow. "At the end of the day we are here to make a living but as you can see from the number of bars that shut down in town, it is not that easy," Mr van Praagh said.

    I know NZ is something of an oddly different place but - heavens to Betsy - what would Mitt think about all this having to explain capitalism? The concerns arose out of a public debate on minimum pricing policy, more about how cheap supermarket beer is down there and just exactly who was "usually responsible for the majority of the trouble caused in town later at night."

    Still, sad to see that Grumpy Mole went out of business.

Hop Talk

  • Permalink for 'Hop_Talk/2012/01/24/Help_get_a_Mississippi_brewery_started'

    Help get a Mississippi brewery started

    Posted: January 24th, 2012, 6:17pm CET by Al

    Mississippi is one of those “voids” in the craft beer scene. There are some pretty archaic and draconian laws there.

    I recently got a missive from Chip Jones, one of a group of folks who are trying to bring a viable craft brewery to Jackson, Mississippi. Here, I’ll let Chip tell his story:

    Lucky Town Brewing Company is a new planned brewery in Mississippi, and although there is no brewery within 150 miles of Jackson, the craft beer community here is thriving. As many of you know, Mississippi suffers from some of the strictest beer legislation in the country, which is one reason why there is only one production brewery located in Mississippi currently. Since the laws do not allow for many to bring their beer to Mississippi, we at Lucky Town intend to give the local craft beer enthusiasts a broader choice.

    Lucky Town recently launched a Kickstarter project, and our goal is to raise at least $20,000 to help cover some of our up front costs such as license fees, insurance costs, keg expenses, and ingredients costs among others. We raised over $6,000 in the first 10 days, and with the support we have locally we feel confident that we can reach our goal. We need your help to reach those who haven’t heard our story yet – please help us spread the word.

    You can find our Kickstarter page here:
    [www.kickstarter.com]

    So, how about it? Got a couple of bucks to spare to help the thirsty beer fans in Mississippi?

    Related Posts:

    Help get a Mississippi brewery started is from Hop Talk - Beer. Life. Blog.


  • Permalink for 'Hop_Talk/2012/01/24/Where_to_find_real_ales_in_Twickenham'

    Where to find real ales in Twickenham

    Posted: January 24th, 2012, 1:51am CET by Al

    What follows is a guest article from Carlo, a London-based Italian who works in online marketing for an English brewery.  When he’s not blogging he is an avid beer, foodie and nature lover.

    Real ales are a long standing tradition in England. The influx of European lagers has made the likes of Heineken and Becks hugely popular drinks. But when it comes to a drink of pure Britishness – you can’t go wrong with traditional real ale.

    There are all sorts of real ales out there. These range from the popular big-name brands found all over the country, right down to locally brewed tipples that people flock from miles around to come and have a taste of.

    To try every real ale in the country would be something of a challenge. Some people make it their life’s ambition to try as many as possible, heading to all corners of the country in search of new and exciting drinks.

    If you are thinking about embarking on a sort of real ale quest, it is best to start small and take it slowly. Otherwise there could be some alcohol related mishaps. For many, a good place to start is England’s home of rugby – Twickenham.

    Twickenham, and its pubs, is rugby through and through. And as a result it is awash with real ales, each one offering something different.

    To accommodate the hoards of rugby fans that arrive in Twickenham each rugby season, there is a whopping 19 pubs in this relatively small town in the suburbs of West London.

    Not all of them offer a decent selection of real ales, with many catering for the Friday and Saturday night crowd, which is not known for its cask ale appreciation.

    But the ones that do offer real ales usually have an impressive selection to choose from. And remember, if you are spoilt for choice and simply cannot decide, most pubs will be happy to offer you a free sample to help with the decision making process. But which are the best of the best in Twickenham?

    The Old Goat is a little out of the way, located about a ten minute walk from the familiar high street that most rugby fans won’t leave all day.

    But if you have a little time on your hands, make the ten minute walk to The Old Goat. It is more than worth the time it takes to get there, as this pub offers one of the most extensive beer and real ale menus in Twickenham.

    The fridges are stocked full of rare European lagers not seen in most pubs, and on the bar there are so many real ale taps you might have a mild panic attack.

    If you want to stay a little closer to the high street, and the rail station, take a wander down to the river. The White Swan is located just off the high street, and overlooks some of the most beautiful parts of the river Thames.

    Real ales on offer here include a couple of other locally-brewed tipples. If you prefer a dark-coloured, malty ale then try Original, which offers a rich, chocolaty flavour.

    Related Posts:

    Where to find real ales in Twickenham is from Hop Talk - Beer. Life. Blog.


A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/24/Often_The_Messages_About_Good_Beer_Just_Don_t_Matter'

    Often The Messages About Good Beer Just Don't Matter

    Posted: January 24th, 2012, 1:31am CET by Alan McLeod

    Stan posted this four and a half minute video for Deschutes beer and I was surprised to find that I had an entirely different response to the thing than he did. I found it oddly creepy while he admitted he was "a sucker for these sorts of things." The strange thing I thought was how - for one of the first times that I can remember - I was maybe getting turned off about a beer I really liked. A brewery I liked. So, I thought I should think about that a bit more.

    There is a good comparator. Stone. See, Jeff said certain things about Greg from Stone and Greg responded. In that response Greg from Stone set out all the things I dislike about his approach to thinking about beer - the boring narcissism, the ever present first person pronouns "I, me, mine". But he does not shake my interest in buying his beer because for the most part it is very good beer at a very good price. I can avoid Greg and the dumb grade 8 back of the glass gargoyle branding thing. It is good for me and Stone that things work out this way. I get to take what I like and pay for the pleasure.

    My take on the Deschutes video is like that. Like Greg from Stone, it says a lot of things that may be good and reasonable things but does so in a way that makes me uncomfortable. Even though the vid's tone is entirely unlike a loud diatribe or self back slapping session it still leads me to think thoughts like this:

    ♦ There is something creepy in the voyeuristic decision to have the girl strip off her shirt and turn back for good measure. Or are we to think that sexism and beer can't touch craft breweries.
    ♦ There is something odd about the need to grab her off the street and the choice to include the banjo. I own two banjos but appreciate the have that creepy thing associated with them. Your average baritone ukelele or maybe a mandolin would have done the trick.
    ♦ There are no other people other than far way on that bridge by the pond. Is it intentionally surreal? Or is the message that good Deschutes beer best fits a post apocalyptic landscape. Did he see someone in the gas station and what did he do when he did? And what is the message that she reads at the bottom of a page. He wrote at the top. Is there some suggestion of misunderstanding?
    ♦ Building on that, there is a tone that is like something out of a movie by Bruce MacDonald or Don McKeller. Maybe it's that the bit of the US being filmed aligns with southern Canada, the setting looks less like wilderness to me and more like the landscape of Road Kill, the moment a bit like Last Night. I keep thinking she is going to off him. Solve her little problem once and for all. The message just fits into her master plan, creates opportunity.

    So, I am thinking it is a Canadian thing maybe. Road trip movies often don't work out all that well up here. There's danger. There's bears in the woods, not just make believe empty campsites with no one out there out to the horizon. But, like Greg of Stone going on and on, it doesn't matter. The beer is still tasty and reasonably priced. Wish they were both in my town and not just something I can find on the road. If I really have to go on the road.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/22/With_Friends_Like_This__Who_Needs_That_Beer_'

    With Friends Like This, Who Needs That Beer?

    Posted: January 22nd, 2012, 5:09pm CET by Alan McLeod

    A bit of odd news out of Brazil as published in The Sydney Morning Herald as that nation prepares to host the FIFA World Cup in 2014:

    ''Alcoholic drinks are part of the FIFA World Cup, so we're going to have them. Excuse me if I sound a bit arrogant, but that's something we won't negotiate,'' Valcke said on Thursday at the end of a visit to Brazil to meet the organising committee. He added that FIFA had repeatedly made it clear it wanted authorisation for beer sales in the stadiums, and stressed that Brazil was warned of that when it was chosen to host the 2014 World Cup. FIFA has an agreement with its sponsor, the US-based Anheuser-Busch brand Budweiser, and prohibiting beer sales would cut into the football organisation's revenues from the games. The sale of alcoholic drinks in sports arenas has been banned in Brazil since 2003, but a bill now making its way through Congress would create an exception, allowing beer to be sold in plastic cups at World Cup matches.

    I know we are all supposed to be all "hooray for booze in every context" when we beer blog. The pressure to conform is heavy - as you no doubt have noted. But isn't there something quite disturbing about beer being foisted - nay, forced - upon a people who have decided that beer in a sporting event is not appropriate? It would be comforting I suppose to pretend that FIFA cares about the thirst of dipsomaniac soccer fans but of course they are going to get a cut of stadium sales but not sales in private establishments before or after the matches. Having attended enough league matches in Scotland in the 70s and 80s when the ban on booze was skirted by those later arrested fans who duct taping bottles of cheap sherry to their legs under wide leg jeans (quite the thing for a teen to witness) I am aware of the reasons for keeping booze out of the stadiums.

    So FIFA is lining up on the side of lining its own pockets at the risk of public safety. Odd to see the makers of Bud still called "US-based" however. Surely, that Brazilian based brewer is lobbying its own as hard as FIFA. Rioters are, after all, good paying clients.

Hop Talk

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/21/In_Search_Of_The_World_s_Most_Averagest_Hip_Beer'

    In Search Of The World's Most Averagest Hip Beer

    Posted: January 21st, 2012, 6:08pm CET by Alan McLeod

    Just when you think collaborations make muddled beer... just when you couldn't wait for beer by committee to be the next big thing... we give you statistically averaged beer recipe formulation:

    “We’re asking them as a group to help us design a beer,’’ Koch explained Friday. Through a special application on Facebook, Sam Adams fans will collectively produce a recipe. “The parameters are things like the color, the clarity, the mouth feel, the yeast, the malt, the hops, so there's almost 2,000 different outcomes. Imagine what a really great beer would taste like, and then slide each of those six scales to design the perfect beer, and we'll take the total of all those different beers and then we're going to brew it.’’

    Yum. I am pretty sure that even in my darkest moments I haven't ever imagined this new odd PR trick as a way to truly master the making of dull beer. Taking social media add the power of averaging and, voila, dullness in a glass. And roll it out at SXSW just to make the thin veneer of hipster-ism seamless.

    Neato! Crowd sourcing!!! The wide-leg jeans of this decade. Thanks for bringing it to brewing, Sam Adams. Can we stop associating this brewer with craft now?

Hail the Ale! Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'Hail_the_Ale__Beer_Blog/2012/01/19/Top_Hops_Beer_Shop_is_Open_in_NYC'

    Top Hops Beer Shop is Open in NYC

    Posted: January 19th, 2012, 5:00pm CET by Chris Scott
    I saw this pop up on Urban Daddy the other day and just got the press release below. Dying to go now.   Top Hops Beer Shop: Merchants and Advocates of Great Beer Part Bottle Shop, Part Tasting Room, Part Classroom New York, NY [January 19, 2012] – Top Hops Beer Shop is now open [...]

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/19/I_Think_I_Learned_That_Beer_Has_Arc_And_Width'

    I Think I Learned That Beer Has Arc And Width

    Posted: January 19th, 2012, 1:36am CET by Alan McLeod

    It started innocently enough. Boak and Bailey repeated approvingly my comment that "surfing along with the flavours or things that cannot be controlled is the hallmark of an artisan." I had been thinking of Jeff's transcription of his interview with Jean Van Roy when I commented about hop oil being a cousin to Velveeta cheese. Makes sense, no?

    What ensured was an interesting and odd line of tweets. And things took off in an interesting direction. I was quite surprised by the idealism that good beer can be pure and perfect. I always thought good things express many things including the work of time itself as well as the inevitability of human foible. Jeff shared an observation from John Keeling of Fuller's, that sometimes the relationship you have with a beer over time is like when friends get haircuts - "you recognize the person, but he's not identical." I like it. I believe good things display aspects of their goodness in different ways over time. No point in time is better as long as the goodness still is there.

    But this means that there is an arc over time. Good beer taste one way young and another old. Both have their charms. And it means as the arc passes, there is a also width to the range of variables which may be displayed at any point in time as well as at the same point. All real food is like this. For me, Saison Dupont is a perfect example. Every time it seems different but still itself. Like someone you know with new stories to tell. Sure, I have changed and the context, too, but it's not just me. The beer that has morphed.

    When industrial brewers - or, for that matter, any brewers who believes that beer should only taste as they conceive - demand our obedience we are being asked to believe. To believe there was a mythical big bang of flavour when it was truer and more perfect is to believe that you are not a participant in the process.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/17/What_Is_The_Value_Of_Value_With_Drinks_'

    What Is The Value Of Value With Drinks?

    Posted: January 17th, 2012, 4:32am CET by Alan McLeod

    Value. Money. Opportunity. Knowledge. I got thinking about this when I read this from the beer columnist for the Star-Ledger about the wine columnist for the Star-Ledger:

    I love reading John Foy's wine column in the Star-Ledger. His descriptions of the wines are quite evocative:

    The 2004 and 2006 show the same pedigree of bright red color, and a plethora of aromas ranging from raspberry, cherry, cinnamon, white pepper, roses and black raisins. Both are medium bodied with delicious fruit emitting raspberry, cranberry and bitter cherry flavors with harmonious tannins. There is an undercurrent of vanilla in the aroma and flavor from the oak barrels that is pleasing because it is not obvious.

    By the time I finish reading those descriptions, I'm ready to get out a corkscrew, a loaf of French bread and some brie. But then I read the price: 63 bucks. Yikes! It's back to beer for me.

    Really? The article goes on to talk about the lack of objective truth about wine. What is it we value about thinking about drinks? Are the drinks tastier? Saturday afternoon, I finally took the advice on the back of the bottle and just poured ginger ale into my Pimms rather than making the full punch. I needed no Pimms pundit to tell me that. The bottle told me. There is, in fact, no result at all when you place pimmspundit.com into Google. Some guy called Pimm had the blog. Shame. Opportunity awaits to corner the market.

    Or maybe its indirect value. Maybe it's that the language and the thoughts allow you to be or do something or hang out with those who are or do? I dunno. I have always suspected that there is value in increasing the value of beer to those who write about beer because it's always good to be the smart person in the room when it comes to things that cost more than other things. Show me the person who made it by being the expert on how kids play with sticks. Kids play with sticks. Sticks are free. Limited guru opportunity. Like Pimms in a way. Take stick. Throw or drag. Take Pimms. Add ginger ale or make punch.

    The article implies the direction towards less is better. It seems to tie over-thinking and over-pricing. Could that be true?

Hop Talk

  • Permalink for 'Hop_Talk/2012/01/16/Kujo'

    Kujo

    Posted: January 16th, 2012, 4:12am CET by Al

    My friends at Flying Dog announced the availability of this puppy a month ago, but I haven’t seen it until now. (All due to my charming wife. Thanks, dear!) Of course, I did happen to have it at the brewery before they gave it a name, and again while they were test marketing it in bottles.

    After today’s thrilling New York Giants playoff victory over the top-seeded Green Bay Packers, I figured I should celebrate.

    They say:

    Kujo is the savage spawn of two brewing worlds – coffee and beer – colliding. But in that collision, there’s a balance between rich and roasted stout characteristics and the deep, dark coffee notes. The result is an 8.9% ABV brew made with locally-roasted coffee from Black Dog Coffee out of Summit Point, West Virginia.

    It is nearly as dark as burnt motor oil, with a thick, medium-brown head. The coffee is obvious in the aroma, with a bit of that dark-roasted malt underneath. Creamy and roasty both. At 8.9% ABV this isn’t something to quaff in large quantities, but this is definitely becoming a new favorite of mine.

    Flying Dog Kujo

    Related Posts:

    Kujo is from Hop Talk - Beer. Life. Blog.


A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/16/What_Are_The_Best_Rules_For_Aging_Good_Beer_'

    What Are The Best Rules For Aging Good Beer?

    Posted: January 16th, 2012, 12:08am CET by Alan McLeod

    I have been happily aging beer for years. The oldest beer I have is 18 years old. I have also been happily reading rules about aging beer for years. But it was only when reading this article in the Poughkeepsie Journal, which for the most part is pretty good, that I realized I don't really follow the supposed rules and have been happily doing so for years. Let's look at a few rules:

    ♦ Corked bottles need laying on their sides: I have caged cork bottles in the stash that are four and five years old and they all stand upright. In Let Me Tell You About Beer from last year, Melissa Cole suggests "cork-sealed bottles need to be laid down so the cork stays moist and maintains the seal." My feeling on the cork is that it is more of a source of risk of off flavours over time than lack of beer is a risk to the cork. Plus, unlike most wines, corks used in beer - like champagnes - are larger than the opening, are caged and subject to back pressure. These conditions keep these bottle sealed more than the wetness of the cork. I have never experienced the suggested problem.

    ♦ Dark coloured beer ages better than light ones: Never had any experience of a badly aged strong pale ale like a tripel or one of those nutty strong US craft beer anniversary ales. The article in the Poughkeepsie Journal states dark beers "will mellow in intensity" but pale strong beers do exactly the same thing under generally cool and dark conditions. Don't limit your experiments, that's my opinion.

    ♦ Beer has to be stored in a limited temperature range: In 2009's The Naked Pint from 2009, Perozzi and Beaune recommend investing in a dedicated wine fridge at the cost of $300 to $2,000 because beer should be aged between 50°F and 60°F. My house has a cold room under south-east facing steps. It has air circulation from the outside. It's about 7°F outside right now. I bet the stash experiences 15°F to 75°F over the course of a year. But it does so in a very slow cycle because the beer sits five feet underground. They are also kept boxed and piled to create a thermal mass that would further slow down temperature changes. While protecting the beer, this may actually also result in speed aging. Remember - you want the beer to undergo alteration over time. Why wait by putting the beer in cryogenic hibernation at huge expense?

    ♦ Don't age beer under a certain strength: Randy Mosher in Tasting Beer also from 2009 states conclusively "...beers with under 6 to 7 percent alcohol are never meant to age." Nothing in life is that certain. My philosophy is that beers at that level and less can shift pleasingly in flavour over time. It's just that they will do it faster. Where I am quite comfortable leaving a 10% beer for years, I'd comfortably leave certain lover strength beers like porters in storage to see if they pick up some tangs. And what about those beers that are spoiled from day one? Old gueuze and other lambics can easily be far closer to 5% than 10%. Again, try it out. See what happens.

    That's my experience. Your results may differ and you may have something to add. My idea is that for the most part beer is pretty cheap stuff. Putting away a few wines like I do (in the same space) leads to a small collection with a couple of thousand bucks of investment. Beer? You can have a 200 bottle stash with maybe a third dedicated to long term aging for maybe half that cost. So take a chance. See what happens.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/14/Quebec__Dum_Duminator__Brasseurs_Du_Temps__Gatineau'

    Quebec: Dum Duminator, Brasseurs Du Temps, Gatineau

    Posted: January 14th, 2012, 2:15am CET by Alan McLeod

    So, this is finally winter. Last night I had to buy more flashlights than ever before. Tonight, three massive jugs of alt snow and ice melty stuff. Think there was a polar bear on the label. A growley one. I need a beer to match.

    Brasseurs du Temp is right across the river from Canada's capital in Ottawa. Or its part of it. Never understood our capital. Wow. The effect of the wheat at this concentration is like taking the grassiness from sauvignon blanc wine, ditching 90% of the fruity notes, adding some fig and a bit of date, throwing in a bitter barky twiggy thing. There are spices but they are like spices from a land you have never been. Cedar perhaps? Something like an evil changling of the love child of cinnamon and apple wood. Earthy with cloves. And old roses. I once had a massive rose bush that was about 8 feet high and 15 feet across. When they were just past there best, they gave of a musk like a great party that was well after midnight. There's a bit of that in here, too. Yet it is fresh and, for the style and strength, a lightness.

    Gorgeous. BAers missed the point. Sometimes a beer doesn't taste like the beers you have already have had.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/13/When_Do_Good_Beer_And_Public_Money_Mix_'

    When Do Good Beer And Public Money Mix?

    Posted: January 13th, 2012, 1:50pm CET by Alan McLeod

    I like beer as much as the next guy. Probably more. But I am not sure why one of Ontario's, frankly, less interesting brewers deserved $1,000,000 in tax support annually:

    ...until a few years ago, few Ontario consumers knew or understood the concept of craft beer. All that changed in part due to an $8 million provincial program that Ontario’s smallest brewers learned this week will not be renewed, another victim of the government’s sweeping deficit-slaying measures... The move will have the biggest impact on Brick Brewing Co. Ltd., which disclosed in a statement Wednesday that the program would not be renewed. The Waterloo-based brewer, known for its discount Laker and premium Waterloo brands, received up to $1 million a year under the four-year program. The publicly traded company said the loss of the program would have a material impact on its financial performance.

    Full disclosure. I get income from advertising, including that little Ontario Craft Brewers crest to the left. I expect the money for that comes from the other fund, the 1.2 million marketing program. I think I have received 0.1% of that. Spreading the message through all media broadly seems to be a good thing to me but you can judge that for yourself. While you are at it, consider also how other brewers, other Ontarians might take the news that 1/8th of a fund of that scale went to one out of fifty brewers. One whose stocks you can buy on the stock market. The concerning thing is that the firm's financial indicate the subsidy represents a significant portion of profitability.

    It will be interesting to see now what the lack of this part of their revenue will mean for corporate stability. Either way, there will be lessons to be learned.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/12/Oh__To_Be_In_Milwaukee_In_A_Beer_Garden_There'

    Oh, To Be In Milwaukee In A Beer Garden There

    Posted: January 12th, 2012, 3:11am CET by Alan McLeod

    What an advanced form of civilization they must have in Milwaukee:

    The county would likely get a percentage of sales from each beer garden. The county's request for proposals suggests a minimum of 15%. "I'm not saying I can pull it off, but I'm putting it before the public," Black said Wednesday. Local breweries and restaurants were contacted to gauge the interest and park advocacy groups were advised of the idea. Formal proposals for a beer garden are due Jan. 20. Local historian John Gurda has agreed to serve as an adviser to the Parks Department on the beer garden idea, Black said. A 2009 article by Gurda described how the upper Milwaukee River once served as a "nearly continuous waterpark," especially the area between North Ave. and Locust St. on the city's east side.

    A government program. To introduce beer into city parks. To help pay for services and increase public use of parks. Brilliant. I am actually without smart remark. What is not to love about Wisconsin?

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/11/Time_For_A_New_Dialogue_About_US_Good_Beer'

    Time For A New Dialogue About US Good Beer

    Posted: January 11th, 2012, 2:05am CET by Alan McLeod

    Interesting intervention in a rather over the top bitching session over at the Beer Advocate pointing out the disfunctionality of a large part of the discourse. In response to some wildly weirdly accusations about which breweries in the US are "over rated", Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head in response went off:

    It's pretty depressing to frequently visit this site and see the most negative threads among the most popular. This didn't happen much ten years ago when craft beer had something like a 3 percent market share. Flash forward to today, and true indie craft beer now has a still-tiny but growing marketshare of just over 5 percent. Yet so many folks that post here still spend their time knocking down breweries that dare to grow. It's like that old joke: "Nobody eats at that restaurant anymore, it's too crowded.” Except the "restaurants" that people shit on here aren't exactly juggernauts. In fact, aside from Boston Beer, none of them have anything even close to half of one percent marketshare. The more that retailers, distributors, and large industrial brewers consolidate the more fragile the current growth momentum of the craft segment becomes. The more often the Beer Advocate community becomes a soap box for outing breweries for daring to grow beyond its insider ranks the more it will be marginalized in the movement to support, promote, and protect independent American craft breweries...

    It is a weird response. It could have been just "screw you, I do what I want." It could have been about how the BAers had become jaded. Both of which are pretty much true. But no. No, we get handed that old saw about how we are all in one boat together and how Team Craft Beer has to pull all in the same direction. See, we need to support "breweries that dare to grow" because, like the flower, they are fragile. It is a call to not be a consumer. It is a call to be something between a co-conspirator and a patsy. Never mind, as Jay points out, there are a an ever expanding huge number of craft breweries in the US. It sounds like we are asked to pay, accept and put up with a craft movement well into its third or fourth decade. But then look at the response. "Sorry!!" "Didn't mean you!!" "Were would we be without you?" "You are the wind beneath my wings." It's the Stockholm Syndrome, good beer version. Would someone respond in the same way if the head brewer of, say, 1900 of the 1952 craft breweries had responded? Not likely. It takes celebrity to get a response like that. Excellent.

    There has to be a better way. The part of the good beer trade that pays for everything, the consumer, has to be treated better than this. And the consumer has, in turn, to learn to be more intelligent and well spoken if they are to be taken seriously. The current dialogue this thread exemplifies does not really provide as much as it could or should. Saying that "Bells, Founders, FFF, Surly, RR, DFH, Bruery, Avery, Cigar City, Mikkeller are all overrated" is just weak minded. As Calagione goes on to point out, much to his credit, each of these breweries make a range of beer some of which are to many people's taste. And, to add to that idea, for the most part they are well priced for what they offer.

    But some are not. And that is the point of "over rating" a brewery. It is not enough to slag the complaint makers, however thick. Over priced, over packaged and overly precious beers deserve being called over rated. I don't care if you have passion, try really really hard or dare to grow. It's up to me - and each of you - to determine if a beer is a bust or not. If it is worth your money. You want to pay for daring and the duds that that entails, feel free. Me, I like good beer at an honest price.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/10/New_York__Will_Hydro_Fracking_Force_Ommagang_Out_'

    New York: Will Hydro Fracking Force Ommagang Out?

    Posted: January 10th, 2012, 1:51am CET by Alan McLeod

    I was really bummed about the prospect of this threat to one of my favorite breweries coming to pass:

    A well-known brewery in the Cooperstown area says that fracking may force it to relocate or fold. Brewery Ommegang lays out its case in a friend of the court brief, which it submitted in support of a Town of Middlefield zoning law. That law bans heavy industry, including gas and oil drilling, according to the Oneonta Daily Star. Approximately 50 percent of the land next to brewery property has been leased by drilling companies. The property owner, Cooperstown Holstein, is suing to overturn the Middlefield ordinance and has asked a judge to reject the brief. Middlefield is located in prime Marcellus Shale country.

    Last November, the story same out that Ommegang was seriously concerned that the practice of hydro fracking was a risk to their water supply. There isn't anything on the brewery's website as the news there seems not to have been updated since 2008. But for me, it's up there with the chance that the natural gas exploration technique could trigger earthquakes.

    Ommegang is participating in public outreach on the issue including a community forum this Saturday. They are also actively involved in the political debate. Which makes me like them all the more as they are doing more than issuing a threat. I have written a lot about how peace is good for good beer and a precondition for brewing the best stuff. Maybe we need to say the same about a healthy environment.

Knut Albert's beer blog

  • Permalink for 'Knut_Albert_s_beer_blog/2012/01/09/Christmas_wasn%e2%80%99t_over'

    Christmas wasn’t over

    Posted: January 9th, 2012, 5:47am CET by knutalbert
    Well. I had paid for it. I had bought the beer, paid the postage, forked out the Norwegian duties. But it’s nive to receive a package anyway. When it is filled with beer from Marble, Hardknott and others. From myBrewerytap.com.

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/07/Tasting__Could_The_Holiday_Effect_Be_With_Us_Daily_'

    Tasting: Could The Holiday Effect Be With Us Daily?

    Posted: January 7th, 2012, 3:56pm CET by Alan McLeod

    You know what I mean by the holiday effect, right? The idea that the beer on the beach looking at the Gulf of Mexico or the Mediterranean taste great there but sucks when you try one after getting back home? Well, I whipped off a comment over at Boak and Bailey's just now that got me thinking about how we may actually each be on our own holiday all the time:

    I am more and more convinced that we do not have a good handle on taste. I have pals who I will have over to try good beer who say “I never tasted that until you described it and then I do.” I think this has as much to do with suggestion as acuity. Apparently there is a valid phenomenon anyone can experience walking down a street. You see across the block and down the street people walking towards you. You can’t make out the face but your brain will fill in the detail with available faces from your memory. So you see old friends as they looked way back then until you get closer when you admit its a stranger. I am wondering more and more these days how much of the range of tastes I am experiencing in beer “X” are based, in the same way, on the tastes I have experienced in the past.

    Further, I then worry that there is a disconnect between taste of beer and beer production intentions. When I read at Ron‘s as well as Jeff of Beervana about how there is not the separation, the malty sweetness of Scots ales that we have been led to believe. There is no such thing as the peaty note. Yet since 1977 I have had the Sweetheart Stouts, the Traquair Ales, the Caledonian /80′s. the McEwan’s export and others and there is is. I’ve brewed it myself and there is it. It’s not the same.

    I now wonder if the subtleties of taste perhaps less reflected on the brewer’s grain bill than other elements – plus suggestion and expectation – are what really frame what we sense in the mouth far more than what the brewer might be trying to achieve on paper and in the tun.

    I don't know if that makes sense but it would align with my understanding of the qualify of evidence based on human observation as well as the anecdotal state of beer descriptors written by we the million monkeys. I have never been a big fan of tastings, judging or correctness when it comes to beer. But I am wondering more and more about how autonomous we each are when it comes to the theatre of the mouth. We may well each be within much the same range when perceiving taste but could it be that that is as close as we get?

Knut Albert's beer blog

  • Permalink for 'Knut_Albert_s_beer_blog/2012/01/07/A_German_beer_Wiki'

    A German beer Wiki

    Posted: January 7th, 2012, 10:36am CET by knutalbert
    Still in its infancy, but all such initiatives are to be applauded: A Wiki for the German family owned breweries – Private Brauereien. There are a thousand of them, and, while there are some good regional sites, a comprehensive site for Germany would be very welcome.

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/07/Session_59__When_I_Don_t_Drink_Beer_I_Like_A_Glass_Of...'

    Session 59: When I Don't Drink Beer I Like A Glass Of...

    Posted: January 7th, 2012, 1:24am CET by Alan McLeod

    I was tempted to break the streak and not get involved with the question posed this month which, as far as I can tell, boils down to "...let’s talk about what we drink when not drinking beer." Brewed For Thought asked and - after I go over the openendedness of it all - thought a bit more about it. Sorta.

    What do I drink? Coffee every day but only first thing. Not enough water. Not enough tea. Used to. Summer sees a jug of unsweetened green tea holding its place in the fridge. I like juice. I especially like lime juice. Errr... do you see my point? This is hardly thrilling tales. Oh, you want to know about booze? I've written about sherry and certainly port. A jug of Pimms is swell when the unsweetened ice tea is not doing the trick. Cucumber spears, baby. I'd drink more perry if I could get my hands on it. I prefer bourbon to bourbon barreled beer for the most part - usually in a Manhattan, a bit of angostura with a dash of sweet vermouth. Are you enjoying this so far? Good scotch and vodka are former favorites one is now too difficult to enjoy and, after working in Eastern Europe, I gave up vodka the best part of 20 years now. Gin and tonic? Now that can be a well placed decision. Once in a while. And table wine... though I mainly buy that for others.

    So, there you go. The obligatory post. I am sure I must have written duller. Just can't think of when. Oh, maybe when I did it in May 2010 when I couldn't think of anything else. Writer's block. You know what that is like.

Knut Albert's beer blog

  • Permalink for 'Knut_Albert_s_beer_blog/2012/01/06/Yet_another_Oslo_micro'

    Yet another Oslo micro

    Posted: January 6th, 2012, 5:05pm CET by knutalbert
    I have mentioned the two  food emporia in Oslo taking shape. Mathallen at Vulkan, on the rapidly gentrifying East end of town, has just announced that Ølakademiet will have a beer shop and what they call a small micro brewery. Ølakademiet is what I would call a beer event company, conveniently located across the road from Vulkan. [...]

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/06/California__Olivia_Dubbel__Sierra_Nevada_Brewing__Chico'

    California: Olivia Dubbel, Sierra Nevada Brewing, Chico

    Posted: January 6th, 2012, 2:33am CET by Alan McLeod

    As you know, "collaboration" is always a dangerous word to read on any beer bottle. Often an experiment and holiday for others but at your expense. Unfortunately for my prejudices, I quite like dubbels and there are apparently honest to goodness Cistercian monks involved so I will open my mind.

    But first, this post is brought to you by my electrician who installed a switch in the stash room yesterday. I've actually broken a on-off pull chain and then destroyed a jury-rigged switch with all these bottle photos over the years. It's a nice switch. Switch 3G. Functional. Unassuming. And reasonably priced. The same goes for this dubbel. It pours a pleasant chestnut with a light mocha froth and rim. On the sniff there's nuts, brown sugar and a nice fruity almost grape scent. A very pleasant sip. Spiced burlappiness soaked in a little treacle. The label alleges clove and black pepper which I might buy. Not a very interesting spice combo if you think of it. 10,000 years of global cuisines have rejected it. The malty bits are more interesting: date, fig, a little citrus thing that might be lime (or maybe yellow plum) and also brown bread. Perfectly fine.

    The Ovila line of beers has its own unnecessarily fussy website. Don't hold it against them. They know not what they do. And the BAers say... HEY, they switched to number. This is an "86" whatever the hell that means. Useless.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/05/How_Many_Things_Are_Wrong_About_This_Story_'

    How Many Things Are Wrong About This Story?

    Posted: January 5th, 2012, 1:19am CET by Alan McLeod

    Start counting:

    ...inquiries by the Labour MP Tom Watson have revealed attempts by Portland Communications, which is run by Tony Blair's former adviser Tim Allan, to improve the brand's online reputation on behalf of its client, the brewer AB InBev. Under the user name Portlander10 it removed reference to Stella Artois from the Wikipedia page entitled "Wife beater" and replaced it with a generic reference to lager or beer. Portland also tried to remove the reference to wife beater on the Wikipedia page for Stella Artois. But other users spotted the edit and reversed it.

    Both the brand and the nickname, I suppose. But editing Wikipedia to boost your brand... and worse the idea of paying a consultant to edit Wikipedia for you. Then there is paying a consultant to edit Wikipedia to boost your brand and your consultant editing it from the consultancy's own IP address as well. Perhaps, too, is the setting up of a brand victim strategy. We should feel badly for the maker due to the slurs being foisted upon their macro gak.

    Or was it just to have people like me mention the event. Like me. Well played, Portlander10. But it's still a face full of bland.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/04/A_Good_Beer_Blog_s_Guide_To_Good_Beer_Manners'

    A Good Beer Blog's Guide To Good Beer Manners

    Posted: January 4th, 2012, 2:05am CET by Alan McLeod

    At the outset, let me say one thing. A discussion of manners that crosses international boundaries is a mine field. There is no reason that rules in Prague help with situations in California or have any meaning in Leeds. Yet, fools go where angels fear to tread so let's get into it. The Pub Curmudgeon posted the results of a poll he posted... the results of which he then took issue with:

    Out of 80 poll respondents, 43 wouldn’t be prepared to let the likes of Carling, John Smith’s or Guinness pass their lips if caught at a party or function where there was no “decent” beer available. Sorry folks, but whatever the motivation, that comes across as a pretty snobby attitude to me. Scant sign of the “all beer is good” inclusiveness there.

    There is something of a double negative at play so I have to make sure this is right but my read of that is if you are at a house or an establishment that does not have a class of beer that you consider worth your while, the small majority of those polled would refuse to have what was on offer. Comments at twenty-six and counting ensued as well as a range of Twitter activity largely in line with the polling results. Me? I was raised to eat and drink what was put before me, that it was not good manners to not clean my plate and that, you know, handsome is as handsome does. There were so many food fables in my upbringing that they could accommodate every situation and point of view. Even with that confusion, the discourse reminds me of a number of helpful hints:

    ♦ Fundamental to good food and drinks manners is that you do not turn up your nose. If you are presented with a range that is not up to your standards, you still participate. If there is Guinness, of course you accept it. You hold it. You place it one a table near you. You take the odd drink. It becomes you buffer guarding you against another of its kind. You will live. Eat your greens.
    ♦ Next, you do not show up those helping. In the recently published Let me Tell You About Beer, well reviewed at Simon's, I was faced with the shocking comment on page 32: "[a]ny pub that baulks at giving tasters of the draught beer is not to be trusted." Oh my. Faced with a range of unknown taps in a bar, good manners roll the dice, guess a likely candidate, take the glass and only then perhaps ask for samples once you have engaged in the drinking contract with the establishment. Holding up the staff or other drinkers places everyone in a special level of purgatory. Get on with it.
    ♦ Don't flaunt. In a new favorite The Art of Living According to Joe Beef, the great Montreal restauranteurs give a great recommendation about their highest priced wines. They would "rather see you for a great meal and a decent bottle." While it is fun to go to a place like Portland, Maine's Novare Res and empty the wallet... please take a friend and treat. Treating is the opposite of flaunting. If you need to air your views of the drinks, earn your keep, share the wealth - or shut it or leave.

    For me the bottom line is that unless your uncle owns the place - and probably especially if he does - you are a guest in any public house at any price point. You join in the spirit of the place or you leave. Handled badly, your beer knowledge and your beer money may be the vacuum that hoovers up all joy around you. All great bores are the same in this respect. Others I respect disagree. You may be among them. That is fine and it is your right. But let me point out one thing I saw in that poll that is being missed: "...you are at a party..." There is nothing worse than an ill mannered ungrateful guest. And when you are not at your own home, to one degree or another, you are a guest.

Knut Albert's beer blog

  • Permalink for 'Knut_Albert_s_beer_blog/2012/01/03/How_I_would_run_the_Haandbryggeriet_festival'

    How I would run the Haandbryggeriet festival

    Posted: January 3rd, 2012, 5:31pm CET by knutalbert
    As I’ve told you, Haandbryggeriet will organise their own festival in Drammen, Norway in May this year. Lots of guest breweries from near and far,and they have asked on Facebook for suggestions on how to proceed with the plans. I’ve never organised something on this scale, but I have attended enough festivals to know what [...]

Hop Talk

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2012/01/01/Beer_Cocktails__A_Glass_Of_Port_And_One_Of_Stout'

    Beer Cocktails: A Glass Of Port And One Of Stout

    Posted: January 1st, 2012, 11:26pm CET by Alan McLeod

    I have had my doubts about beer cocktails ever since I heard the term. I don't trust that the attempt to create a new niche - and then, of course, the jostling to become guru of that niche - bodes well for actual experience being foisted upon us all. Plus, I am of an age that does not find me in bars watching however much I like them. I have to rely on my own wits. Any that usually keeps me from experimenting too much.

    Yet, there is something about port and stout that I like. The "ye olde" nature of it perhaps? I have certainly had a love of ports as well as Spanish sherries, Hungarian tokays and other "sticky" wines that actually predates my love of good beer. These are the drinks of childhood holidays, ex-pats comforting themselves with rich tastes of trade and empire. I came across the concept five years ago and have been tinkering with blends since at least 2008 and, while I approve, I have not found myself converted.

    Until today. I realized my problem might be the requirement of blending in the glass. Sure, you might say, that is what a "cocktail" is but, if we are honest, is not the shot and chaser a cocktail, too? And, frankly, is it not even more guru-tastic to use more than one piece of glassware to create the effect? Hands up everyone who agrees. There. It is settled.

    Today, I poured a glass of Feist Colheita 1998 port and a pint of Grand River's Russian Gun Imperial Stout. Both share a rich dryness when tasted in succession that I think would blend well in the same glass. But they also have so many complimentary tastes when tasted separately which are drowned when put together. The lingering dry cocoa licorice of the strong stout is washed by the heady tannin berry of the port. Both have a hint of chalkiness, too. Each are fine drinks in their own right. Together, a partnership.

    So, first big news of 2012? It's OK to use two glasses. Good old double fisting is now surely guru approved. Second big news? If you have a stash it's now time to get the cabinet, too. Your own little gin palace tucked in a corner of the dining room.

Knut Albert's beer blog

  • Permalink for 'Knut_Albert_s_beer_blog/2012/01/01/Resolutions_be_damned_'

    Resolutions be damned!

    Posted: January 1st, 2012, 4:09pm CET by knutalbert
    Adnams Tally-ho and some cheese. Port-like flavour, dark cherries. Bitter almonds in the finish. Should have had some Stilton……
  • Permalink for 'Knut_Albert_s_beer_blog/2012/01/01/A_pardon_for_everyone_'

    A pardon for everyone?

    Posted: January 1st, 2012, 12:23pm CET by knutalbert
    Some Germans are working on the rehabilitation of people who were burned as witches between 1500 and 1800, according to Der Spiegel. Sounds fine. But, on the other hand,  some of them were convicted for spoling beer….

Hop Talk

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/31/My_Most_Interesting_Discovered_Drinky_Thing_Of_2011'

    My Most Interesting Discovered Drinky Thing Of 2011

    Posted: December 31st, 2011, 4:31pm CET by Alan McLeod

    This has been a year that I have thought about history a bit more than others. Canadian history for the most part. We make great mistakes in considering our own time on this land. We dismiss the First Nations. We pretend that Canada began when the current constitution was signed in 1867. But Canada has been populated for thousands of years and Europeans have been nibbling at the edges for the best part of a millennium. Vikings lived in northern Newfoundland back then. In 1674, the Hudson's Bay Company was importing malt and hops into the Arctic. But this year I came across another couple of fact that I found most interesting in this report. It's in the bibliography:

    ROSS, L. (1980) - 16th-Century Spanish Basque Coopering Technology: A Report of the Staved Containers Found in 1978-1979 on the Wreck of the Whaling Galleon San Juan, Sunk in Red Bay, Labrador, 1565. Manuscript Report Series.Ottawa. 408.

    See that? 1565. And the other thing? Staved containers. I have found West Country seasonal fishermen recorded as importing malt as part of their seasonal businesses packing salt cod for the Iberian market in the 1630s. How far before that did the practice occur? Peter E. Pope in his book Fish into Wine: The Newfoundland Plantation in the Seventeenth Century explains that there was a regular practice of travel each spring from Elizabethan England to what is now eastern Canada for this fishing trade. It is inconceivable that these men in the 1500s did not ship malt, too. That they did not pack drinks in casks for the voyage here and back, too.

    But where are the records? Where are the records for Albany ale for that matter like Taylor's brewing books? Or early Ontario beer? That's the thing. The records. In overseeing the OCB wiki, it has already become a little bit of a jostle over which record is the one to be trusted. Yet there is the tantalizing possibility that in the later half of the 1500s on cool spring days on the Newfoundland shore, men made beer for themselves many decades before the first beer was thought made in this country. There is a phrase for those whose families went on in places like Ferryland to shift to year round residence: masterless men. Don't you think they might have made themselves a little beer?

Knut Albert's beer blog

  • Permalink for 'Knut_Albert_s_beer_blog/2011/12/31/I_have_seen_the_future__and_it_is_barrel_aged'

    I have seen the future, and it is barrel aged

    Posted: December 31st, 2011, 12:46pm CET by knutalbert
    At least I know something about 2012. It will be the year of the barrel aging. There will be barrel aged barley wines. There will be barrel aged blondes. Norwegian brewers will be barrel aging everything-but-the kitchen-sink. I have visited both Sundbytunet and Haandbryggeriet during december, and they both have bought plenty of oak barrels.  I assume Nøgne Ø and Ægir [...]
  • Permalink for 'Knut_Albert_s_beer_blog/2011/12/30/Looking_back'

    Looking back

    Posted: December 30th, 2011, 5:39pm CET by knutalbert
    Not the most active year of blogging, though I feel quite pleased about the number of Berlin pubs I have been able to cover during three short visits. I have really come to appreciate this city, which encapsulates the best and the worst of our common European identity. Some excursions to London and Copenhagen, too, [...]

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/29/My_New_Year_s_Week_Reflections_Upon_How_2011_Was_Great'

    My New Year's Week Reflections Upon How 2011 Was Great

    Posted: December 29th, 2011, 7:31pm CET by Alan McLeod

    Pos-i-tiv-i-tay. That is really what I am known for, right? The cheery voice for good beer and, let's be honest, the good life. It's a bit like that 1980-90s TV program "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" around here... except for all the riches and, you know, the fame. But that is neither here nor there - because of what 2011 gave that part of my happy life that connects with beer and brewing:

    ♦ I have met more young brewers than before. Whether it is because I am approaching some sort of elder statesman status in beer blogging, in addition to being at events I can even think of at least four young brewers who went out of their way to get in touch and stop by my town to say hello for the first time and share a beer. Their excitement for brewing feeds mine. Their interest in my writing for what it is worth, well, is one of the best returns on investment I have known.
    ♦ It has been an extraordinary year for beer book publications. The Oxford Companion to Beer has proven to be a great gift to us all. It has done more to spread the word and opened more doors to thinking about beer than anything since, if I do say so, the beginning of beer blogging. And I am still not sure it was even the best book of 2011.
    ♦ I finally settled on a set of "go to" beers that I am comfortable buying without a secret fear that I am missing something in the craft seasonal or anniversary beer that I passed by. Hanssens gueuze, Saison Dupont, Sixpoint Bengali Tiger, Narragansett Porter, Charlevoix Dubbel are all beers I buy again and again. I am sure there are more. They teach me more each time I have one or share them.
    ♦ Speaking of sharing, I gave away more beer than ever. People talk about building community or spreading the word - but for me there is no better thing to do with good beer than to just give it away. I think I gave away at least 40 bottles or cans worth, if I am crassly counting on my fingers, over $300 in the few weeks before Christmas. Try it. It works.
    ♦ Finally, participatory serious thought about beer has propelled me into three separate initiatives. Again, we have had the annual Christmas photo contest and never was it so smooth and friendly an event - with many shockingly good entries. In addition, I was asked to help with the seminar series for the next Beaus Oktoberfest and my mind is a whirl of ideas about topics and methods of presenting information and discussion. Would a worldwide video panel of talking heads really work? And, of course, the OCB wiki has been an absolute treat. Watching old email pals and new voices fill this odd thing I created with gems of nerdy beer thoughts of all sorts has been a revelation. Rather than being as some fools thought a condemnation of The Oxford Companion to Beer, it is a celebration and an affirmation that there is, simply put, a wealth of knowledge about this stuff.

    There is more. Simon as perhaps the new Stonch in particularly cheers us all. All the regulars in the comments have again propped me up and given me insights as well, if things pan out, maybe even opportunities. Running into other beer writers in my few trips out of the basement - guys like Tory... err... Troy, Jordan and even Mr. B - has been just fun.

    2011? It's been a very good year. What was great for you?

Knut Albert's beer blog

  • Permalink for 'Knut_Albert_s_beer_blog/2011/12/29/A_new_home_for_Haandbryggeriet'

    A new home for Haandbryggeriet

    Posted: December 29th, 2011, 4:34pm CET by knutalbert
    Norwegian craft beer has been succesful in the American market. Nøgne Ø has, of course, been the door opener, but Haandbryggeriet has also been exporting as much as they have been able to brew for some time. Their old facilities did not allow for any expansion, so they decided to move across the Drammen river to the [...]

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/28/My_New_Year_s_Week_List_Of_Beery_Confessions'

    My New Year's Week List Of Beery Confessions

    Posted: December 28th, 2011, 8:14pm CET by Alan McLeod

    Do I dare? Simon posted his list just now but I am starting to think that Simon is a far braver beer blogger than I will ever be. Sure you might say that I run the wiki thing but I did it out of guilt for a slightly mean spirited post and thought it would disprove my knee jerk reaction to one page of The Oxford Companion To Beer. Surprise.

    So, following Simon's lead, what would my list of "forgive me, Father, for I have sinned in thinking my evil dark thoughts" look like:

    ♦ those who do not call it black bitter, the only sensible name proposed for the stuff;
    ♦ self-re-tweeters who bleg "please RT" as well... except maybe where a kitten dies if you don't;
    ♦ brewers who add the $1.57 or so it costs to put the beer in swing top or caged cork so that they can pocket a "swank tax" of another $1.57 of your money;
    ♦ bloggers who actually post every one of those PR emails that everyone gets but no one else posts because we all know that everyone gets them and/or no one cares;
    ♦ CAMRA fanatics both pro and con;
    ♦ Users the word "haters" instead of thought in response;
    ♦ The very suggestion that we do not like beer in significant part because of the cheery buzz;
    ♦ Anyone who suggests what should not be written and who should not write about beer;
    ♦ The use of utter false phoney baloney history to add another "swank tax"; and
    ♦ beer gurus, beer experts, beer celebrities and, worst of all, self-appointed celebrity beer expert gurus.

    I still think that Simon's list is way better. But that was cathartic even if largely hypocritical. Far better than a best of 2011 list. Though I might do that tomorrow.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/27/My_New_Year_s_Week_Wish_List_For_Things_Beery'

    My New Year's Week Wish List For Things Beery

    Posted: December 27th, 2011, 5:03am CET by Alan McLeod

    Had a good couple of hours today talking beer with Jordan who was in town visiting family. I am starting to think that I live in a town where people's people live. When I lived in Truro, NS a pal from neighbouring Pictou, NS said Truro was where grandparents lived. [I got my own people to move here, too, now that I think of it.] Anyway, he and his were a treat to meet and we talk a lot of things that could be and some that shouldn't. Which sort of echoed in my head later in the day when I read Ding's Christmas wish list this evening as part of my Yuletide beer blog catch up. What would my own wish list for 2012 look like?

    1. I wish Canadian brewers had more... daring, insight, common sense and inventiveness. It is sad that the stash is filled with northeastern US craft beer that's cheaper and better.

    2. That being said, I still wish Wegman's would open a mega store at the very southern most footing of the Thousand Island Bridge so that I could pop over every Saturday and not every third or fourth. That extra two and a half hours on the round trip would be great.

    3. Like Ding, I wish "I could find a bar that PERMANENTLY has at least one cask of well kept, low-hopped, sub 4% beer pouring." Jordan and I talked particularly about how this is still one of the big gaps in the market.

    4. I want more people to ask why. About everything they are told about beer. Especially from self-appointed gurus and celebrities.

    5. I wish the next big thing was saison - except not the ones that remind me of "good canned fruit salad". Tonight, I want more Saison Dupont and dates. Who knew?

    6. I wish that the construct of the beer discourse would shift. I wish for heated debate. I wish for what Mr. B called "the accolades and the criticism and the controversy."

    7. I want to drink a 1780s beer from John Stuart's tankard in my backyard.

    8. I want the buying power of the drinker to have more say.

    That is only eight. I am sure there are more. I might add some later and so might you. Enjoy your Boxing Day Tuesday if you get one. It's the holiday you get when Christmas is Sunday and Boxing Day is Monday so you are due another holiday that stands for not so much but, like Easter Monday, is a great time to not be at work.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/26/Boxing_Day_Guilt__Confessions_And_Reflection'

    Boxing Day Guilt, Confessions And Reflection

    Posted: December 26th, 2011, 5:39pm CET by Alan McLeod

    I am exhausted. Too tired from too much rich food and drink. Slugging East India sherry as you chew shortbread seems such a good idea at the time. Surprised someone didn't pass me a straw given my monopolization of the bottle. I am going to eat only sardines and oatmeal while sipping green tea from now on. Good, glad that's settled.

    I had one of the few true revelations of 2011 late yesterday afternoon as I settled in with the DVD set of Oz and James Drink to Britain. After the first two episodes I was blown away by how simply, humorously and intelligently they explained so many aspects of British beer and brewing. You know how you read those unending complete guides to beer understanding that come out every 4 months which include some fun catch phrase over and over like "relax - have a beer" or "don't forget beer is supposed to be fun"? And then you realize that the book is neither relaxing or fun due to the cacophony of misorganized data as well as the authors' screamingly irritating self-promotion? You know that feeling? Well, Oz and James have found a way to completely avoid it. By being rude and silly. Great concept. Completely and legitimately connected to booze, too.

    But rather than write about it (ie dancing about architecture) at this time I will only encourage you all to pick up a copy. Boxing Day sales, that sort of thing. I will leave more insights, if I have any, in the comments. You can as well. See, that's how the internet works.

Hop Talk

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/24/A_Merry_Christmas_Eve_Strikes_Good_Beer_Blog_HQ'

    A Merry Christmas Eve Strikes Good Beer Blog HQ

    Posted: December 24th, 2011, 8:43pm CET by Alan McLeod

    I love when Christmas Eve is Saturday. It creates a whole gentle extra day of laying around, wrapping gifts, watching the Jets and Giants, sipping beer, eating cheese, sampling squares, nibbling on cold beef, consuming tidbits and generally chewing and not shifting. I have chatted on IM with the newly crowned cham-peen of the sub-continent. Stan has sent merry wishes and had same returned. Ron has told me what he was tippling and I wondered back whether we were going to have a drinkalongathon. If you have not already, read Martyn on the meaning of beef at this time of year.

    It is a happy day. I adjudicated a difference of opinion on The Oxford Companion to Beer wiki. And it's St. Bernardus Christmas Ale in the mid-afternoon today. They should make a Christmas Eve Ale, too. Imagine the marketing possibilities. Tomorrow, I just bet the kids get me beer books. I win that bet because I have already bought them and, later tonight, will wrap them with a tag that says from them to me.

    Happy Christmas Eve. Let tomorrow take care of tomorrow.

Knut Albert's beer blog

Hop Talk

Knut Albert's beer blog

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/23/Icelandic_Beers_Sales_Include_Shrubs_And_Sheep_Herds'

    Icelandic Beers Sales Include Shrubs And Sheep Herds

    Posted: December 23rd, 2011, 2:21am CET by Alan McLeod

    Sheep herds? There must be. Yes, I say - yes! And likely a few gulls, too, with this much being sold:

    The Icelandic love of specially-made Christmas beers knows no bounds this year…that is until all of it has been sold. Nearly 500,000 litres of Christmas beer have been sold in Iceland so far this year — and that does not include sales of ‘normal’, standard beers which are available year-round. The most popular Christmas beer is once again Danish; but its Icelandic competitors are close behind. Already by yesterday 473,000 litres had been sold since Christmas beers became available in the middle of November.

    Do you see what I mean? I mean, Iceland has only 320,000 people and Christmas beer was only released in mid-November. So, that is a lot of beer per person - man, woman and child - over the last five weeks or so. If this chart has any meaning, I don't see any difference in strength for these beers. We read it's a bit darker, has more taste. What the hell does that mean? Jolabjör seems to have a cultural place that might be not quite explicable. This blog seems to suggest it's a "cross between mulled wine and a barley wine... a sweet and spicy beer with a rather large body" but also, disconcertingly, requiring "typical goat taste."

    Good luck to them. Good Yule. Enjoy the goat taste.

Knut Albert's beer blog

  • Permalink for 'Knut_Albert_s_beer_blog/2011/12/22/Special_Holiday'

    Special Holiday

    Posted: December 22nd, 2011, 10:48pm CET by knutalbert
    So. The family is already installed in the mountains, I have my last day of work tomorrow before the holidays.  I’ve cleaned the floors. I’ve done the laundry. It’s past ten and I put on a dvd with Elvis Costello’s talk and music show featuring lots of musical goodness. There is nothing on the news [...]

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/22/So..._Where_Was_I__Oh__Yes__Beer_And_Me.'

    So... Where Was I? Oh, Yes! Beer And Me.

    Posted: December 22nd, 2011, 2:47am CET by Alan McLeod

    When I began blogging almost nine years ago I remember being asked what blogging was. I replied I was writing a magazine about me. And I suppose that is what I have been doing. Here there have been 2,516 posts and over there another 5,377. Most astoundingly to me are the 38,973 collective comments - beyond the filtered spam - that have been left by folks like you. I suppose I have read them all. I don't recall.

    The end of the annual Christmas beery photo contest serves as something of a conclusion of the bloggy season in a way. It's good to reflect. To slow down for Yule and also think about the beer and blog connection. In one real sense, I have put my dedication to the fluid on display. Perhaps even my weakness to its call. I am not one to blindly boost good beer, after all, so much as to admit its grip - or, perhaps, only its deep abiding attraction. I don't really care about my right to good beer, the role of those slagged as neo-prohibitionists or even matters of snobby status. I don't think I have really discovered any truths. I don't want a job. I really just like the beer and like the regular discipline of writing about it.

    So, away we go with the seasons. As we again turn slowly into the light of the sun as winter solstice passes with this longest night of the year, I will have beer and keep writing about it. I will enjoy it and I will think about it. I hope you do, too.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/20/Day_23_8__And__So__We_Have_A_Grand_Champion_Photo'

    Day 23+8: And, So, We Have A Grand Champion Photo

    Posted: December 20th, 2011, 1:40am CET by Alan McLeod

    This year's photo contest has been a real treat. A great response from prize donors as well as a great response from you the readers. We had 39 entrants email photos in time and then three more try to get their pictures in after the deadline. We have awarded 22 prizes in all and now have just one left. Again here is what the winner of winners wins.

    ♦ Oxford Companion to Beer, Oxford University Press.
    ♦ A subscription to TAPS The Beer Magazine as well as 2 TAPS glasses, a CBA glass and a TAPS t-shirt.
    ♦ A subscription to All About Beer magazine - as well as a high likelihood of the photo being featured in an edition later in 2012.
    ♦ A beery bar towel from Shipyard Brewing of Portland, Maine.
    ♦ Adrian Tierney-Jones and CAMRA have offered two copies of Great British Pubs.
    ♦ Beer and Economics, Oxford University Press.

    In addition, they join the ranks of these five great winners to date.

    YearPhotographArtist
    2006 Dave Selden of Portland, Oregon
    2007 John Lewington of England
    2008 Matt Wiater of Portland Oregon
    2009 Kim Reed of Rochester, New York
    2010 Brian Stechschulte of San Francisco, California

    So, who gets to join this august crew, this merry band of grand champions? Well, let's have a look at these four runner ups. Note one thing: these have not been awarded awards but that is to build what we folk in internet productions - aka les productions des internets - call "building the dramatic effect"! Had I merely dropped in a few prize winners, what is there for you to speculate about by email, MSM, Facebook and Twitter behind my back? Nuttin, that's what. So here are the four runners up:

    Do you see my problems? I really like the one to the left, John Lewington's photo of the sinister black eye watching the urban English street outside the pub - but he's won it all before. I can't do that so soon in to the inevitable decades of the Xmas photo contest... can I? And two photos to the right of that Jeff Alworth has an amazing photo of the Cantillon koelschip. I like this shot a lot as we have had a number of entries from Cantillon but I like how this photograph is so three dimensional, how it shows the space well and also how it describes the process of opening the windows to let in the wild yeast. But Jeff is from Portland, Oregon and I will be damned if I am going to award 50% of all grand prizes to the same town over the course of more than half a decade... I won't have it. Frankly, this was the winner until I put that table together up there and remembered where Dave and Matt were from. Blame them, Jeff.

    What to do? Between Jeff and John sits a fabulous lucky shot from Adrian Tierney-Jones from the moving brewing line from Jenlain of France. It dates from 2005 and Adrian told me he was being shown round the brewery by Raymond Duyck’s father who had been so instrumental in getting the brewery recognized in the 1970s. But Adrian has published what I am considering possibly the best beer book in a very good year for beer books. Fame, praise and wealth are sure to follow. He won't give a rat's ass about winning this come mid-February. Can that be the fate of this grand contest?

    Finally, to the right, we have a gorgeous silhouette of a man and his beer in, I am pretty sure, Germany submitted by Boak and Bailey. Older gents in bars having a quiet beer and a smoke has been a surprising theme over the years. I always assumed they were dirty smelly drinks but when a keen eye gets involved they look like angel. Lars in Norway has submitted another couple of real gems in the genre. But hasn't it been done? I am just not sure. So, I need a few more moments to think about it all. Maybe I should pick on of these after all. Maybe I should pick that sweet shot that has grown on me since 2008. I need a moment more... I need a beer...

    [More below.]

    So, I lied. Not so much lied as realized I don't care. The third winner from Portland Oregon is Jeff Alworth of Beervana for this photo below:

    What do I like about it? Well, I am not one to fawn over Cantillon. I have like a few just fine but, five years later, this one still burns. No, it's not the beer and its not the celebrity brewery - it's what is going on. Look at the photo. There is steam in the air. Look at the condensation on the window pane. And there is yeast. There's yeast gathering on Jeff's for heaven's sake. But there is also light and shadow. Like to the left. Light from those vents in view. And most of all light falling down upon the koelschip. There is the dark of the wood and the light of the painted brick as well. Dynamic microbes abounding in a scene where the only thing not doing its job might be the newest. I like it.

    So there you go. Another Oregon winner. Sue me.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/19/Day_23_7__Which_Means_The_Contest_Ended_Last_Weekend'

    Day 23+7: Which Means The Contest Ended Last Weekend

    Posted: December 19th, 2011, 1:57am CET by Alan McLeod

    I feel a bit bad as three good beer boys and girls have entered photos for the contest but days after it has closed. I hope I was not unclear in some way. But I have to be firm and, really, it was in the rules - photos had to be in a week ago. So... sorry.

    I don't feel really really bad, however, as I was overnight in central New York on a Yuletide treat buying expedition. Found the best hotel yet, ate a big steak, had a martini in the bar to celebrate the Orange winning and confirmed, once again, that Wegmans is a great place to buy beer. $9.49 for a cube of Sixpoint? A special on Saint Bernardus Christmas Ale? No wonder no one is opening up a CNY specialty beer shop to match the sort of outlets found in Ithaca, Rochester, Albany and now Watertown. But you can get a growler fill at a gas station, now. See that up there? Them's proof of craft as normal, them are.

    But, as a result, I have left the photo evaluation computer program running a bit longer than expected - but as the working of the algorithms and matrices are straining the capacity of governors and coal scuttles I think it is all for the best. Want to do a proper job picking the champion of champions, right? Tomorrow. Tomorrow for sure. I love you, tomorrow. You're always a day away.

    Did I mention I have to find a tree still?

Hop Talk

  • Permalink for 'Hop_Talk/2011/12/17/Taps_and_a_Love_Story'

    Taps and a Love Story

    Posted: December 17th, 2011, 5:20pm CET by Ron

    I’ve been living half my life in Rochester NY since I started at a new company a couple of months ago. (and I will use that as an excuse for the lack of podcasts… Al can say the same) While out there I’ve been looking for a pub with some good taps and I have found many. This is a photo of the taps at MacGregor’s in Henrietta. Just check out their beer list.

    Especially attractive is their selection of vintage and seasonal specialties like the 2009 Southern Tier Krampus and the 2011 Dogfish Head 120 minute IPA (being cellared for consumption at a later date…).

    Equally attractive were these two 20-something year old girls that grabbed a pub shelf nearby. Both tall and dressed well, one was a red head and the other a brunette. No one ran over to serve them (which just confused me) but after a bit they went to the bar and returned with a couple of tall 24oz coppered colored ales each with a thick head of foam on them. Then, the red head took out her phone and took a photo of her beer… that’s when I feel in love ;)

    Cheers everyone and enjoy the holidays!

    Related Posts:

    Taps and a Love Story is from Hop Talk - Beer. Life. Blog.


A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/17/Day_23_5__Another_Eleven_Beer_Photo_Prizes_Announced'

    Day 23+5: Another Eleven Beer Photo Prizes Announced

    Posted: December 17th, 2011, 2:30am CET by Alan McLeod

    So here we are. The second wave of prizes. Eleven in total today making for 22 all together. Just the Grand Champion to go and I am going to need a couple of days to think about it. There is a photo I have in my mind but I need to consider the options. It is a little unusual but because it tells an important story - and does so from an uncommon perspective - I am leaning in that direction. I suppose I could receive some lobbying from you lot over the weekend, too. Feel free to let me know what you think of the choices so far and your idea of the best of the entries.

    PictureArtist / ReasonsPrize / Mailer
    Jeph Stahl of Grimsby, Ontario
    for the best "we got beer" entry ever.    		 Super Dooper Ontario-only
    Prize Pack from
    Roland and Russell
    Steve Palmer, CEO and Brewer
    at Beermont, Vermont because
    of how the sunset colours
    infuse the beer.    		 Grand Teton Brewing
    prize pack from Idaho

    		Robert Gale of Wales
    wins with a tie between
    two picture - one with a harp
    and one with calm
    in the middle of a rush.    		 Brew Like A Monk
    by Stan Hieronymous
    Jeff Wayne of Tampa, Florida
    for what Gary said.    		 All About Beer
    magazine subscription
    Matt Wiater
    Portland Oregon
    for the glistening stainless.    		 A bottle of Westy 12
    Jeff Alworth of Beervana
    Lars Marius Garshol of Oslo, Norway
    for the use of grey and how the suit
    matches the street, not the pub.    		 Subscription
    TAPS The Beer Magazine
    Steve of Houston, Texas and All Good Beer for the thickness of foam and
    hairiness of arms.    		 Subscription
    TAPS The Beer Magazine
    Maximiliano Bahnson of Prague for
    the beer soaked planking.    		 Great British Pubs
    Adrian Tierney-Jones and CAMRA

    		Boak and Bailey of Cornwall England
    for pandering to my kölschkranz needs.    		 Creemore Springs Brewery
    prize pack
    Marco Redbaz of Milan, Italy
    for more thickness of foam.    		 Prague: A Pisshead's Pub Guide
    by Maximiliano Bahnson
    Fabio Freire, a Brazilian in
    NYC who runs Bierboxx.com
    for the moment and glimpsed beer.    		 Oxford Companion
    to Beer    , OUP

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/16/Day_23_4__Ten_Prizes_Awarded_And_Four_Innis___Gunn'

    Day 23+4: Ten Prizes Awarded And Four Innis + Gunn

    Posted: December 16th, 2011, 3:37am CET by Alan McLeod

    Prizes. Better start picking some prizes. But there are samples building up, too. Better opens some samples. Good thing I have tomorrow off.

    First the beer. I have reviewed at least three Innis + Gunn beers and I have a sense what to expect: rounded, juicy, well balanced and tasty malt without a little acid or something yeasty to make it twing. Easy. Is that a prejudice? Could be. It's well represented here in Ontario but there is a bit of a price tag. Is that, too, a prejudice? Mr. B has recently noted unexpected things. Let's see what is going on.

    ♦ Original: at three bucks for a small bottle, this brew has flickers of peach and walnut in a pretty smooth caramel sip. Vanilla in the nose and in the mouth is there... and there and there, too... but this is that white ice cream covered with other tasty things. Accessible and moreish at 6.6%.
    ♦ Winter Beer 2011: available in the holiday pack, I haven't a separate price per bottle. A similar quiet scent. There is cola, rum, cardamon and nutmeg in a subdued rounded malty brew. I think I like the Original better. I don't get the orange zest as mentioned on the label. There is a little burnt note where that might sit. 7.4%.
    ♦ Spiced Rum Finish: I am not sure if this beer is the same as rum cask. Maybe not. A rather elaborate portfolio. Again, a subdued sniff that asks for a quaff of moreish soft water maltiness. More huskiness if that is an available adjective with these beers. Spices are better integrated. Cinnamon and maybe white pepper at 6.9%. There is a dryness competing with the light sweetness that is the signature of the line. I like it. It is still a bit toffee-ish but nicely cut with the dry spice.
    ♦ Highland Cask: This is the beer himself liked. Again, the nose has to go a long way into the glass to get aroma. In the mouth, more vanilla and caramel with a bit of a bumped up volume. I opened these beer in the right order. There is another sort of dry that is less cutting, sort of a brushy woodland floor thing. There is caramel but it is neither burnt or cloyingly flaccid. I like the "stewed fruit" description. There might be a bit of mushroom or even oolong. It is still within the brewery's blanket of comfort zone but I like what is happening. A nickle under five bucks at 6.9%. Worth it.

    What have we learned? This line of beers have been around a long time now and maybe it's time to admit that they are not resting on their idea of a sweet round filtered cask beer but are dedicated to tasty roundness that is accessible and interesting. I am as guilty as the next person in thinking these are brand before brew. I pass them. But I like these explorations of malt. I like these beers. Have a try.

    Contest awards in a minute... OK, let's see on the second attempt if I can still create a table in HTML-like code.

    Picture Artist / Reasons Prize / Mailer
    Ed Carson of Pennsylvania
    for capturing his wait
    for Lew and that prize
    at the Gray Lodge.    		 Shipyard Brewing
    Portland, Maine
    Joe Stange
    Costa Rica
    for a seasonal
    remembrance of
    beer nog.    		 All About Beer
    magazine subscription
    The Beer Nut of Ireland
    for besting Degas.    		 An evening hosting
    Ron Pattinson
    Peter Collins
    Cambridge Ontario
    for capturing glow.    		 Subscription
    TAPS The Beer Magazine
    Tom Cizauskas for capturing ye
    olde pub in a modern setting.    		 Martyn Cornell
    Amber Gold + Black
    Alistair Reece of Virginia
    for the reminder of beer
    just past... and the light.    		 Narragansett Brewing
    prize pack
    Dan James of PEI
    for that purple.    		 Subscription
    TAPS The Beer Magazine
    Mark Michalski of Somewhere, USA
    for the simple truth about
    cheap beer and crab.    		 33 Journal 6 Book Set
    Jerry Davison of Illinois
    for that shade of green.    		 Shipyard Brewing
    Portland, Maine
    Michael Bank of Vermont
    for the magic of a
    kölschkranz in motion.    		 Beer and Economics
    Oxford University Press

    Did that work? It worked? More prizes tomorrow.

Knut Albert's beer blog

  • Permalink for 'Knut_Albert_s_beer_blog/2011/12/15/Sundbytunet_%e2%80%93_cheers_to_the_lucky_commuters'

    Sundbytunet – cheers to the lucky commuters

    Posted: December 15th, 2011, 6:23pm CET by knutalbert
    It was one of those December days when dawn is just the dark night sliding into grey – gray clouds and steel gray ice. Lucky then that some of us had decided to brighten up the evening through an excursion to the newest brew pub in the Oslo area, Sundbytunet. Sundbytunet is located in Jessheim, [...]

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/15/Outdoor_Skating_Causes_Haligonians_To_Lose_Control'

    Outdoor Skating Causes Haligonians To Lose Control

    Posted: December 15th, 2011, 1:37pm CET by Alan McLeod

    I had no idea that residents of my former home town of Halifax, Nova Scotia have such a problem with the drink... and ice skating:

    Selling beer at the oval was not part of the sponsorship deal or any of the discussions leading up to it, Mayor Peter Kelly said Wednesday. “I wouldn’t think (we) would ever want it to be part of the discussion,” the mayor said. “It certainly was not part of the sponsorship agreement approved by council ... and I don’t believe council would consider going there.” Although the BMO Centre in Bedford serves beer, Coun. Linda Mosher (Purcells Cove-Armdale) said she thinks the two venues cater to different crowds and different events. Grabbing a beer during a hockey game is socially acceptable, she said. But when you’re skating? Not so much. “You don’t want to get people skating half-cut,” Coun. Jerry Blumenthal (Halifax North End) said.

    "Half-cut" is such a good old Halifax phrase for being smashed. One is never, as far as I recall, cut. And I am never sure what receives the cutting. But, in any event, it is a dangerous state of affairs and one that can, apparently, be triggered by outdoor skating in a way that people who skate indoors can never fully appreciate. Is it the view of the arc of the sky that sends east coast folk into that maddened state that they can never stop at one... or maybe two?

    My recollections of the port town - that centuries old North Atlantic navy town - was that there was no need of an excuse and no obstacle that could not be circumvented to get to one's beer. But maybe outdoor ice skating is it, that socially unacceptable behaviour that must exclude beer for Nova Scotians. I knew there had to be one thing hypothetically, theoretically. Never really expected to actually scientifically identify it.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/14/Lord_Goog_Has_Another_New_Way_To_Suck_My_Time_Away'

    Lord Goog Has Another New Way To Suck My Time Away

    Posted: December 14th, 2011, 11:34pm CET by Alan McLeod

    Just a note. I am watching you. I may be the last to know but Google Analytic's beta real time display has enthralled me. I am in its thrall, its slave. The image above does not do this justice. It moves. I can watch you go on the site, what you are looking at, where you are from, how long you are there and a whack of other stuff all in dancing graphs, maps and pie charts. And it moves. I am its thrall.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/14/Day_23_2__Thirty_Nine_Contestants_Twenty_One_Prizes'

    Day 23+2: Thirty-Nine Contestants Twenty-One Prizes

    Posted: December 14th, 2011, 2:51am CET by Alan McLeod

    I wish I was more diligent. Every year I think I am getting close to a prize for every winner but, again this year, the answer is no. Sadly. But the prizes are sweet. Look at what the winner of winners wins.

    ♦ Oxford Companion to Beer, Oxford University Press.
    ♦ A subscription to TAPS The Beer Magazine as well as 2 TAPS glasses, a CBA glass and a TAPS t-shirt.
    ♦ A subscription to All About Beer magazine - as well as a high likelihood of the photo being featured in an edition later in 2012.
    ♦ A beer mat from Shipyard Brewing of Portland, Maine.
    ♦ Adrian Tierney-Jones and CAMRA have offered two copies of Great British Pubs.
    ♦ Beer and Economics, Oxford University Press.

    Wow. That's the el supremo winner's catch and I have to say I would love getting that. Each prize will be sent directly to the winner from the donor after winners in touch with the donors by email. It will take a little time and has to wait a bit yet as there are still TWENTY more to declare over the next few days. Bear with me as the judging begins.

    And, OK, I am going to add one more. A prize from my own collection. The bad photo of the year award. I will come from me and it goes to a very special person, the person who I was happiest to see enter - Roshan Gopal Krishnan of Cochin, Kerala, India. Occasionally I award a prize for one just plain ugly photo - in 2009 it was awarded for a photo of a pile of dirt. I can't find it in the archives but that was just plain bad. No, there it is, submitted by Bill of Oregon in 2009. What a horrid thing. Roshan's photos are not of that dirt pile quality but - as he admitted, I will have you know - they are humble. Plus they break the rules. He sent nine... but who cares. He took a photo of food. Yik - but who cares. They are out of focus and they have absolutely no sense of anything. Yet... they come from Kerala, that land of magic. So, congratulations. Send me your address. Happy tropical Yule.

    More results soon.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/13/Shipping_Beer_May_Save_US_Constitutional_Provision_'

    Shipping Beer May Save US Constitutional Provision!

    Posted: December 13th, 2011, 1:50pm CET by Alan McLeod

    Change is tough. The toothbrush that is always and ratty blue suddenly is new and green. Throws me off. So much more disruptive is the shock of the new information and communications technologies. And no one knows that better than the US Postal Service - but a bipartisan set of US Senators are to the rescue:

    We also need to give the Postal Service tools to offer new products and services — such as shipping beer and wine, as competitors FedEx and UPS do. This also would let the Postal Service turn a perceived liability — a nationwide retail, transportation and delivery network — into an asset that can bring in new revenue. We are not crying “wolf.” If nothing is done, the Postal Service will not be able to make payroll next summer — stopping mail delivery in its tracks and wreaking havoc on our already fragile economy. To prevent this, we must pass a comprehensive reform bill. If we don’t, the Postal Service, which is enshrined in our Constitution, will fail — ending an American institution that has served us well since the beginning of our Republic.

    All hail beer the conquering hero!!! But how much additional shipping will have to take place to beat back the shortfall? The service needs to cut $20 billion in expenses by 2015. That is a lot of beer. But if beer can save a matter that is enshrined in the Constitution surely the originalists amongst the beer nerds community will get behind this, maybe only drink beer delivered by post as a matter of national pride during this technological transformation. Surely that would be the patriotic thing to do.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/13/Day__23_1__Those_Photos_Caught_In_The_Spam_Filter'

    Day 23+1: Those Photos Caught In The Spam Filter

    Posted: December 13th, 2011, 2:21am CET by Alan McLeod

    I suppose I should check under the sofa, in the mail box and out in the garden, too. One really never knows where one will find photos does one. Robert Gale sent in these eight entries on Saturday but I missed seeing them as Lord Goog thought he knew better where they ought to go. He lives in Torfaen, Wales and is one half of beerlens.com along with Kim Reed, our 2009 grand winner. Robert himself won a prize in 2009 and again in 2010. He's probably won more. I should have phoned him over in Wales and asked why he hadn't submitted. I should have known something was up.


    And, look, he's provide detail on each picture so I really should provide that to you, too. But it's not all in order. So you'll have to figure it out for yourself, what picture goes with which description. If your are as thick as me you'll be looking for the harpist on Mr. Ranier. Heck, I just realized I called this the 2012 contest in the title of yesterday's post. I kept doing that all month but I have no idea why.


    Taphouse Grill, Seattle: In the UK we are lucky to see 10 beers on tap at the same time and the most you will ever find permanently on tap is around 40 so imagine how overwhelmed I felt when visiting the Taphouse Grill with its 160 permanent taps!

    House of Trembling Madness: The small but busy bar at the fabulously named House of Trembling Madness in historic York, England. The pub is situated inside an old medieval hall that dates from 1180.

    Mt Rainier, WA: On a recent trip to Mt Rainier I noticed that the restaurant sold cans of Rainier beer. I couldn't miss out on an opportunity to take a shot of the beer in front of the mountain.

    Glass of Hops: This glass full of hops was found at the excellent Full Sail Brewing Co. in Hood River, OR. They smelled amazing!

    Matt Brynildson, Firestone Walker: I spotted Matt at London's The Rake pub during the Great British Beer Festival 2011. Matt was in the UK to brew Red Nectar Ale with the Shepherd Neame brewery. In keeping with tradition, Matt was asked to sign the wall at the Rake.

    Bunch of Grapes, Pontypridd, Wales: It's not everyday you see someone turn up to the pub with their harp but this group of musicians are regulars at the Bunch of Grapes pub in Pontypridd, south Wales.

    The Old Joint Stock, Birmingham, England: The grand interior of the Old Joint Stock in central Birmingham. The pub is owned by Fullers who have a tradition of converting old banks into pubs. This particular pub was built in 1864 as the Birmingham Joint Stock Bank. Today it is an excellent pub that also has it's own theatre!

    The Harp, London: A warm summer evening at The Harp pub in Covent Garden, London. Well known for its good selection of ales, you can just make out the huge collection of pump clips that decorate the bar.

    There. Connect the dots. See if you can get them all. And that makes the contest now truly over.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/12/Day_23__The_Final_Xmas_Photo_Contest_Entries_For_2012'

    Day 23: The Final Xmas Photo Contest Entries For 2012

    Posted: December 12th, 2011, 2:43am CET by Alan McLeod

    There you go. Another year's worth of entries for the Xmas Beer Blog Photo Contest 2012. By my court there are 211 entries this year, up over 10% from last year. Stats. That's the true meaning of Christmas... and Hogmanay for that matter. Let's see who sent what, shall we?

    My pal Dan James of Prince Edward Island - and man about the globe right now - sent in two photos, one above of a beer shelf in Indonesia and the other below to the left of a Tiger beer by a Malaysian beach. Another pal Mark Pacilio of Sackets Harbor New York sent in the two photos to the right of that mug of Tiger. They were the taken at another exotic location, the 1888 Tavern at the Saranac Brewery formerly West End Brewery known as Utica Club. Ah, Utica Club...

    Tom Cizauskas of Yours For Good Fermentables sent in these eight shots. I like the shouldering the firkin one. Its of Drew Barton, brewer for French Broad Brewing in Asheville, North Carolina. He's pouring the final contents from a firkin (10.8 gallon cask) of his Wee Heavy ale.


    Simon Johnson, the Reluctant Scooper, forwarded these eight pictures. I am not sure of the cultural importance of "lots of GBBF brewers, writers, publicans, waifs and strays wearing the Ginger Merkin" but I am sure there is plenty.


    Chris Barrett in Scotland sent along one entry, to the left below of the best cask choice in Aberlour during the Spirit of Speyside festival on an April evening. Sarah Petersen, an American living in Toronto sent in the two two to the right of Chris's, leveraging her chances heavily on the beer and baby category. Note: that is a beer fest tasting glass. Christopher Paulin of Toronto sent a picture of his cat in a box.

    Russ Burdick of Markham Ontario sent in this set of eight. I like that view from the dock. It'll be a few months yet in Canada before we see that again.


    Finally, Steve of Houston Texas and proprietor of All Good Beer sends in these rather wintery shots from a place I would not have expected to get them from. But he is an expat Canuck so one does what one must:


    There. That's quite the load. Let the judging begin.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/11/Day_23__Kristen_England_Supports_Properly_Priced_Beer'

    Day 23: Kristen England Supports Properly Priced Beer

    Posted: December 11th, 2011, 2:32pm CET by Alan McLeod

    Ron has posted a great interview with Minnesota brewer Kristen England brought to us by Northern Brewer, the US home brew supply shop. I don't normally like web video due to production values (or surprisingly squeaky voices) but this is a straight one camera interview that does not pretend to be anything it isn't. And they use good microphones. And they recorded it in the home brewing room I lust for.

    Plus, there is a great observation at around 27 minutes in about beer being priced by the gravity units. Somewhere around here I made the point, years ago, that lower priced session beers would gain traction when brewers priced them according price inputs. I recall receiving a scolding. It was at a time when craft brewers could say things like they had to train drinkers to pay more. Such silliness.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/10/Day_22__As_We_Wait_For_Late_Entries__Pause_For_A_Shotz'

    Day 22: As We Wait For Late Entries, Pause For A Shotz

    Posted: December 10th, 2011, 8:53pm CET by Alan McLeod

    Could you do this on TV now? A comedy about brewery workers? Probably not. By the way, I sing a song like that to myself as I am beer shopping. Every time. Don't you?

    Under 24 hours to get your photos in. Tom Cizauskas of Yours For Good Fermentables did as did Simon Johnson, the Reluctant Scooper. Here are the prizes. What have you got to lose?

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/10/Day_21__It_s_Beginning_To_Look_A_Lot_Like_A_Finish_Line'

    Day 21: It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like A Finish Line

    Posted: December 10th, 2011, 1:33am CET by Alan McLeod

    Seem you just get started and before you know it... it's the time we have to say... man, the 2012 Xmas, Yule, Kwanzaa, Hogmanay and Hanukkah Christmas photo contest has flown by. The entries have to be in by Sunday at noon eastern standard time but so far we are close to where we were last year - 171 pictures of beer love compared to last year's final total of 186. That is good. And the prizes bulge. That is good, too.

    Up there is another entry by John Lewington of England. he says:

    This is a picture of another London pub that I thought may be of interest. Over here in the UK we have an organisation called CAMRA... This photo is a different take on that name. It's not a lamp above the door but one of the 1000s of security cameras that now watch our every move. Boy! I am glad in live in the countryside where I take enjoy my beer without being spied upon.

    I think I would find that a bit less than comfortable, too.

    Sounds like we have some word of mouth going on. Gary Simmons of Kitchener Ontario has sent in this one photo to the left. He says "I don't take many beer photos, but I shot this one this past summer." He learned about the contest from fellow entrant and fellow photographer and pal Peter Collins.

    Steve Palmer, CEO and Brewer at Beermont, Vermont - just a few hours drive to my east, has sent in these three entries. The middle one is a glass of Jack D'or before a Catamount sunset.

    Jeff Wayne of Tampa Florida has sent in these eight photographs including one of Dublin's Temple Bar as well as one from a trip to the Brick Store Pub in Decatur, GA:


    Adrian Tierney-Jones, he of one of my favorite beer books of the year, Great British Pubs, has sent in three photos below. Two entries but three photos. Hmm... He wrote to explain:

    I’d like to enter the second pic to your comp — it’s from the Star in Bath and if you look closely at the beer you will see the whole world reflected in it, well the wolrd in which I live within my head. [H]ere’s another pic I have always loved but it dates from 2005 when I last visited Jenlain, so it’s not an entry it’s just one of those lucky shots, which reminds me I need to get back to northern France next year (travel jourmalism is so handy in getting to beer places).

    I am not sure why the Jenlain shot is not an entry so I am posting it as a provisional entry until I clue into what he's saying. He added, however, that the photo of London Pride reminds ATJ of a Beefeater at the Tower of London. And it does:

    And finally, Brian Stechschulte, the writer and photographer behind AllOverBeer.com has sent in these eight entries. Titles include "Ken and Fritz" and "Toronado Barleywine Festival." Brian was last year's grand winner and also suffered the annoyance many of us have felt from time to time when DRAFT magazine poached his winning photo giving some half-assed excuse that it had a right to his art. Hands of this year, DRAFT jerks:


    There you go. You are caught up to date. Two days left. Let's get some more beer pR0n in in the inbox, please.

Hop Talk

Knut Albert's beer blog

  • Permalink for 'Knut_Albert_s_beer_blog/2011/12/08/Alternative_reading'

    Alternative reading

    Posted: December 8th, 2011, 6:07pm CET by knutalbert
    I should post more. But while you wait, there are other beer blogs to go to. Like The Pour Curator. A very good concept that makes it stick out among the thousand other beer blogs out there. The motto says a lot about the idea: There is art. There is beer. This is where they meet.

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/08/Day_19__More_Photos__Too__Including_One_From_Martyn'

    Day 19: More Photos, Too, Including One From Martyn

    Posted: December 8th, 2011, 1:45am CET by Alan McLeod

    I lost Martyn's submission of a photo in late November. It's not like I have staff running this thing. Wouldn't that be great? Staff who hits up prize givers all year. Staff to re-size these photos?

    Enough daydreaming. Martyn's offering is called "The Traveller's Relief" and was taken at Istanbul Airport on December 23 last year during he calls a nightmare-like 36-hour journey home from the Middle East. I've been chatting about beer on the internet with Martyn for over eight years.

    Although I am sure it's not been that long, The Beer Nut of Ireland feels like a fellow traveler of as long a spell. His eight entries are below with titles like "Happy hour at U Slovanské Lipy, Prague" or "Thornbridge Dom at the taps at the Borefts Beer Festival in the Netherlands" or "Yours truly, confounded by a blind tasting in the Bull & Castle, Dublin":

    [Notice also the full facial photo. Is that a first?]


    A newcomer to the photo contest is Fabio Freire, a Brazilian living in New York who runs Bierboxx.com, a São Paulo based beer web store and bar.. I think. Here are his entries including "A Lunatic Left a Westy Unattended" and "Fermentation Tanks, Plzensky Prazdroj":


    That's enough for now. Send in more entries and I will see if I can squeeze a few more prizes out of the industry. Maybe the Portman Group has hoodies. Probably have three arms.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/08/Day_19__Oxford_University_Press_Books_Added_To_Prizes'

    Day 19: Oxford University Press Books Added To Prizes

    Posted: December 8th, 2011, 12:35am CET by Alan McLeod

    See those books up there? Oxford University Press has confirmed two copies of each that enter into the prize pool for all you good little beer photo nerds. To the left is The Oxford Companion To Beer, review here and considered in greater and greater depth here. To the right is The Economics of Beer, reviewed here. Both are important cornerstones of any beer library and get added to an already great set of prizes:

    ♦ Shipyard Brewing of Portland, Maine who have supported this contest for years.
    ♦ Roland and Russell, Ontario fine beer, spirits and wine importer who help make this part of Canada as much the beer center that it is becoming.
    ♦ TAPS The Beer Magazine, one of our finest supporters year after year and strong supporters of the Canadian craft beer movement.
    ♦ Ron Pattinson, author and YouTube phenom.
    ♦ Jeff Alworth of Beervana, who is madly researching in Europe for his book The Beer Bible just picked up a Westy glass as well as a bottle of 12 for some lucky beer nerd who gets to choose either the vessel for every or the brew for one day.¹
    ♦ Adrian Tierney-Jones and CAMRA have offered two copies of Great British Pubs.
    ♦ Martyn Cornell, the Zythophile himself, has pledged a copy of his book Amber Gold and Black.
    ♦ Creemore Springs Brewery - whose prizes I covet. Are they the most generous?
    ♦ Maximiliano Bahnson, author of Prague: A Pisshead's Pub Guide and a guy I want to have a beer with.
    ♦ David Selden, 33 books the guide to taking your own drinking life seriously.
    ♦ Grand Teton Brewing of Idaho, a much welcomed newcomer to the contest.
    ♦ All About Beer magazine, a great supporter of this here thing.
    ♦ Narragansett Brewing, home of, yes, my favorite porter and another much welcomed newcomer to the contest.

    I also have a large sized Narragansett porter brown t-shirt that came in the mail today. It's crazy. A cavalcade of prizes. All that is missing are envelopes stuffed with cash. And, just to be clear, I am willing to entertain offers of gift pledges of large envelopes stuffed with cash.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/07/Day_18__Dear_Lord___Save_Us_From_The_Portman_Group'

    Day 18: Dear Lord - Save Us From The Portman Group

    Posted: December 7th, 2011, 2:59am CET by Alan McLeod

    Hear our prayer. Remember the money lenders and the false prophets? They are back, Lord. The shadowy Portman Group is back. A trade industry organization representing macro brewers pretending they are an independent consumer-protection organization. Lord, hear our prayers.

    It's been over three years since these imposing imposters pretended to have authority and used their market share to crush the small and interesting. Hardknott Brewery is the focus now. A tiny brewery lacking in their resources - mammon, coins of silver, call it what you will. The sort of victim a thick bully especially likes. Fortunately, Hardknott is both hard and knotted firm. He will have none of it. Can't say that for the pathetic apologists in the comments. Look at this: "...campaign for a change within the trade rather than going for cheap publicity stunts"!?!? And this: "...the people there are excellent and far from to-ing and a-froing you'll get the right advice back quick smart. Use em - it's why their there!" Shocked. If this were an attack on Parliament, we would shout "I SEE STRANGERS"!!! If this were Norway, plucky Norway, we would hear accusations of "collaborationist"!!! Those responses read like they were written by someone who dreams of a future as a tenuously employed regional newspaper beer column scribe.

    And why? All over calling a drink a "tonic" as if someone else owned the word. FIGHT!!!

    In other news, more photos for the Xmas photo contest 2012 pour in. Up top is an action photo. Taken this very week which is particularly exciting. An image of Ron Pattinson at the library table researching... the researchers apparently. Ron caught a glimpse of his own dark soul as he coveted the cameras of others. Below we have the submissions of a fan favorite, Lars Marius Garshol of Oslo, Norway. A strong selection this year as every year from Lars.


    Next up is Jeff Alworth, fresh back from a tour of Europe, he of Beervana has sent in these images from Rodenbach, Orval, Fuller's, the GABF, Boon, Caledonian, Cantillon and Casks of Old Brewery Bitter... in reverse order.


    Matt Wiater of Portland Oregon wins the "Matt Can't Count" Award for 2012 because he has sent in other 6 entries. But they are good. I like the Decshutes Brewery Black Butte XXIII labels. I like the BridgePort Brewing Bottling Line. So, I am posting them.


    Stan Hieronymus, he of Appellation Beer, has sent in these four photos. I know which one I like. Looks like a vineyard. Smells like a hop yard.

    I might post some more. But that's a start. We are up to around 130 entries for this year with days and days to go. Remember: FIGHT!!! But send in photo contest entries, too.

Knut Albert's beer blog

  • Permalink for 'Knut_Albert_s_beer_blog/2011/12/06/Brew_your_own_N%c3%b8gne_%c3%98_beers'

    Brew your own Nøgne Ø beers

    Posted: December 6th, 2011, 8:32pm CET by knutalbert
    The pioneers of the Norwegian craft beer movement have cooperated with home brewers for a long time, and the tickets for their next meetup at the brewery sold out fast. That includes not only a visit to the brewery, you get to take some prime ingredients home to make your own version of one of [...]
  • Permalink for 'Knut_Albert_s_beer_blog/2011/12/06/Cheers_from_Vienna__or__from_England'

    Cheers from Vienna, or, from England

    Posted: December 6th, 2011, 6:39pm CET by knutalbert
    If Austrian beers (or, more likely, brandy, wine or chocolate), Austian Airlines have teamed up with AustrianGrocery.com, delivering to your door if it’s not prohibited. A shame this seems to be aimed more at the homesick Austrian expat. I’m afraid that the beer selection is not up to the same standards as the fruit brandies, [...]

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/06/How_To_Write_A_Good_Review_Of_A_Very_Bad_Thing'

    How To Write A Good Review Of A Very Bad Thing

    Posted: December 6th, 2011, 1:48am CET by Alan McLeod

    Mr. B noted it the other day. We are indeed "seeing the maturing of the craft brewing industry and those who follow it." And by mature we mean critical. Problem is this - if we have been too nice, too obliging, too lacking of the critical eye - how do we go about being, you know, mature? Here is a great example of what might be the way forward:

    Our dinners were wheeled out from the kitchen on a plastic service cart. The prime rib really needed help. It was a relatively thin, visibly overcooked piece of meat that didn’t have much flavor at all. It sat there on the plate bone-dry, not a speck of juice coming out of it. We were never asked for a doneness, so assumed what we got —well done — was how it was being served that night. Some au jus would have helped — even a can of Campbell’s beef broth warmed up would have worked. Green beans came with it, right out of a #10 can. I thought I was back in summer camp eating over a campfire. Except these beans weren’t even hot.

    That is a passage from "Pulled in by prime rib at the Gouverneur Elks Lodge", a restaurant review by Walter Siebel from a recent edition of the Watertown Daily Times, the venerable newspaper published in neighbouring upstate New York. Walter does a few things in that article about a thoroughly horrible dining experience that I think are instructive. He implies things. The only people in the place when he arrives are drinking in the bar. He mentions only seeing teen wait staff. He also does not say how bad it was. He only describes it: "[i]t looked like a russet but had the taste of a Yukon gold"; "[a] wedge of lemon would have really come in handy"; "the cream curdled as soon as it hit the coffee." He is not unkind. There is no need to be. He only needs to recount particulars accurately and one can clearly see where the unkindness is to be found.

    We do see bits of it in beer writing now. B+B's glee at finding "people behind the bar who talk to you like human beings whether you’re a regular or not." Simon's day in Sheffield. AJT's "six men stabbing away at a big platter of pork in the centre of their table". Little precious in any of that. Little that might be taken to supporting mongering calls for ultra-premium beer with an ultra price or prop up a names, whether a brand or a scribe, whose best is far past.

    Beer drinkers observing and reporting on the experience before them. That's the stuff. The sort of stuff that allows me to trust if what lay before them was crap that they would tell me and not concern themselves otherwise. What with worrying about a future cold shoulder from a brewer or the loss of a chance of a printed column these things can bear upon other things. Like good honest writing. But when boosterism, fears and ambitions are ignored we get a result of perhaps even more value then when merely describing the good, the great and the wonderful.

Hop Talk

  • Permalink for 'Hop_Talk/2011/12/05/Wil_Wheaton._Actor._Writer._Homebrewer.'

    Wil Wheaton. Actor. Writer. Homebrewer.

    Posted: December 5th, 2011, 3:14am CET by Al

    One of my favorite storytellers, Wil Wheaton, has lately entered the world of homebrewing. It was something he’d tried out last summer as a bonding experience with his newly-twenty-one-year-old son, but has, he admits, turned into something more. I won’t say it has become “consuming”, but he says he’s been doing it a lot more than he thought he would. (I’m sure you other homebrewers out there can relate.)

    He’s just started his ninth batch, and is already doing all-grain brewing. I’m a little jealous, honestly. He can also write some pretty pictures.

    It was warm on the patio, and a gentle breeze stirred the trees in the back yard. The Postal Service played on the Sonos. A Stone Pale Ale sat on the patio table, condensation beginning to bead up on the neck and run down the bottle. Next to it, the 10 gallon cooler I’d turned into a mash tun with judicious use of weird plumbing things that, 24 hours earlier, had been as relevant to my life as a musket. Just behind the mash tun, in a paper bag, nearly 13 pounds of crushed grains waited to go into the mash tun.

    I looked at the brewing kettle on the propane burner to my right. The water was beginning to stir, small bubbles rising from the bottom as science happened. I took out the thermometer and checked the temperature: 155 degrees.

    “Well, here goes nothing,” I thought, in the digitized voice of Lando Calrissian from the Return of the Jedi arcade game. I picked up the bag of grains, and poured it into the cooler-cum-mash tun. It filled it about 1/3 of the way in a small cloud of fragrant dust. I turned the heat off on the burner, and stirred the water. I checked the temperature again: between 160 and 162. Perfect.

    Go read the rest at his blog: Wil Wheaton: Further adventures in Homebrewing

    Related Posts:

    Wil Wheaton. Actor. Writer. Homebrewer. is from Hop Talk - Beer. Life. Blog.


Knut Albert's beer blog

  • Permalink for 'Knut_Albert_s_beer_blog/2011/12/04/2012_Festivals_II_%e2%80%93_Haandbryggeriet_opens_its_doors'

    2012 Festivals II – Haandbryggeriet opens its doors

    Posted: December 4th, 2011, 3:41pm CET by knutalbert
    There are more beery pleasures next year than the Mikkeller event in Copenhagen. I have complained about the quality of some festivals here in Norway recently, but I am happy to tell you there are others more concerned about quality. Haandbryggeriet have just finished moving to new and bigger premises in Drammen, half an hour [...]

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/04/Day_15__More_Photos_To_Consider_And_Still_A_Week_To_Go'

    Day 15: More Photos To Consider And Still A Week To Go

    Posted: December 4th, 2011, 2:10am CET by Alan McLeod

    Time flies. Except when you have pneumonia. Joe Stange in Costa Rica has it, too, so he has sent in one entry this year as well as a prize that will be added to the list. He writes about the picture over here at his blog Thirsty Pilgrim, of an egg nog he concocted in the southern US heat to make a Yuletide deadline. Perennial entrant Ed Carson of Pennsylvania has also sent in a single shot this year, the one to the left. He calls it "Waiting for Lew" and I think I know why. Last year, Ed won Lew Bryson's latest book, the fourth edition of Pennsylvania Breweries, which I understand was delivered at a bar. The very bar on the very afternoon photographed by Ed, submitted for this year's contest.

    Michael Bank of Vermont has sent in these eight photos... including another about Cologne. I may have to have a category of prizes just for the waiters of that fine city:


    Marco Redbaz of Milan in Italy has forwarded these shots. I see the one I am leaning towards:


    Alistair Reece, a mad expat Scot who lives in Virginia, USA and is better known as Velky Al send in these for your consideration:


    Mark Michalski of... somewhere in the American Mid-west sent in these and I am jealous of that case in the back of the car.


    There. Caught up. More entries needed, however. Keep sending them. I have a few more prize givers to hit up. Let's see what we can come up with.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/02/Session_58__Beers_Of_Christmas_Past__Present_and_Future'

    Session 58: Beers Of Christmas Past, Present and Future

    Posted: December 2nd, 2011, 9:29pm CET by Alan McLeod

    It's session day again. The first Friday of every month for a whopping 58 months now beer bloggers around the world have written on the same topic. This month's edition was chosen by Beersay:

    “A Christmas Carol“. The idea for me was based loosely around the visits of three ghosts to Ebenezer Scrooge, but relayed in a post about the beers of Christmas past, present and future. What did you drink during Christmas holidays of old, have you plans for anything exciting this year and is there something you’d really like to do one day, perhaps when the kids have flown the nest? Do you have your own interpretation, was Scrooge perhaps a beer geek? Or maybe it’s all one day. What will you drink Christmas morning, Christmas afternoon and what will you top off the holiday with that evening?

    A great topic. One in which you can move your elbows about. It inspires me to think about where the blog has been, is and will be. I now have 23 posts under one of those categories to the lower left of winter and Christmas beer. Have I actually made sense of what that heading means?

    Christmas past. Going back to the beginning, in 2004 and again in 2005 I wrote post about collections of strong, winter and Christmas beers. Highlights seem to have been Harvey's Elizabethan Ale and La Choulette De Noël. Can you believe Rouge Santa's Private Reserve Ale was $3.79 USD for a 22 oz bomber? Beers past were pretty damn good as far as I can tell. But was I? Not so sure about this sentence: "[a]ll I get is one recessed biscuity note which sits oddly, leaving an impression of a big bitter arugula salad with one animal cracker crumbled on top." Not so bad. A little sarcastic yet accurate referencing non-beer words to describe beer flavours. Yet a little precious, no? And did I drink all that to write that on post on those Yuletide evenings? Intemperance abounded at Christmas past.

    Christmas present A very fine Christmas present is the state of the Christmas present this year. If I lost you with that punnery, I will let you know that the photo above was taken today. When I asked for a sample of Narragansett's porter, I got two. When I shamelessly asked for a few more, I got twelve. This beer is incredibly good. Mr. B stated on Facebook recently:

    It occurs to me that if I could get a regular supply of the Narragansett Brewing Company Porter, it would become a staple in my beer fridge this winter. The slightly jarring burnt note I found in the finish last year seems entirely absent in this year's version.

    I couldn't agree more. I love this stuff. I do. I loooooooove it. Which means I should be concerned that it has brought out Scrooge like feelings within me this Yuletide. These are mine. Understand. Me. Me. Me. I am not sure if you can covet your own stuff but these twelve cans of porter are making me sense it might be possible.

    Christmas future. What would I wish for myself, for you all? Well, the Christmas photo contest closes on Sunday 10 December which means in the near future more little beer nerds will get more little beer presents under the tree and in their stockings? I wish there were more for you, more entries and more prizes. My Christmas future would have a prize for all. What else would my Christmas future have? A case of La Choulette De Noël perhaps? Or maybe another 250,000 words on the Oxford Companion to Beer wiki proving both that it is a great foundation for any exploration of beer but also that there is so much more to be explored and yet to be discovered. I would wish for that. I would also wish for Albany ale. The real stuff that 96 year old Charles H. Haswell in 1899 looked back upon in his youth and thought was a mighty good drink. We are working on it but it already may be having an effect, hunting out as much of the actual as you can. If I am coveting more this year, I also see in my future less and less patience for questionable claims to authenticity. If you are going to hold yourself out as something, please do the prep that such claims require.

    There you have it. Insobriety, covetousness and impatience. Past, present and future. Exactly what Christmas brings out in all of us.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/12/02/Day_13__The_Day_The_Beer_Photos_Attacked'

    Day 13: The Day The Beer Photos Attacked

    Posted: December 2nd, 2011, 2:14am CET by Alan McLeod

    OK. Some catching up to do with the entries for the Xmas New Year Hanukkah Hogmanay 2011 Photo Contest. Up there is a photo of the world's greatest beer fridge or at least the best I have seen. It's by Jerry Davison of Oregon who writes:

    My wife and I were in Portland... and I stopped in to a charming “speakeasy” called Saraveza on the way back to our hotel from a charming brewpub. Being from the Midwest (Central Illinois), I was immediately charmed by their Packer motif throughout the bar. Check them out on Facebook (Sara Veza). I wish they were around the corner. So many beers, so little time!

    Excellent. I want. Excellent photo even if it was so huge in terms of megabytes that my 2004 Dell just about fainted. Remember. Keep the entries below 500 K, please. And, before we go on further, a reminder and update of the prizes:

    ♦ New Shipyard Brewing of Portland, Maine who have supported this contest for years.
    ♦ Roland and Russell, Ontario fine beer, spirits and wine importer who help make this part of Canada as much the beer center that it is becoming.
    ♦ TAPS The Beer Magazine, one of our finest supporters year after year and strong supporters of the Canadian craft beer movement.
    ♦ Ron Pattinson, author and YouTube phenom.
    ♦ Jeff Alworth of Beervana, who is madly researching in Europe for his book The Beer Bible just picked up a Westy glass as well as a bottle of 12 for some lucky beer nerd who gets to choose either the vessel for every or the brew for one day.¹
    ♦ Adrian Tierney-Jones and CAMRA have offered two copies of Great British Pubs.
    ♦ Martyn Cornell, the Zythophile himself, has pledged a copy of his book Amber Gold and Black.
    ♦ Creemore Springs Brewery - whose prizes I covet. Are they the most generous?
    ♦ Maximiliano Bahnson, author of Prague: A Pisshead's Pub Guide and a guy I want to have a beer with.
    ♦ David Selden, 33 books the guide to taking your own drinking life seriously.
    ♦ Grand Teton Brewing of Idaho, a much welcomed newcomer to the contest.
    ♦ All About Beer magazine, a great supporter of this here thing.
    ♦ Narragansett Brewing, home of, yes, my favorite porter and another much welcomed newcomer to the contest.

    OK, so we are up to date with the gifties. Now, what pictures have people taken to deserve the attention of Santa's beery elves this year?

    Matt Wiater of Portland Oregon sent in these five entries including one of a gigantic congratulatory beer from Hopworks Urban Brewery owner Christian Ettinger for Ben Love as he left the head brewer position at HUB to open up Gigantic Brewery in Portland. Matt was our 2008 contest winner:

    Roshan Gopal Krishnan of Cochin, Kerala, India sent in these fuzzy shots but I have to say that I never thought the Christmas contest would reach out so far. What holiday is celebrated in Kerala this time of year? He makes no claim to art: "Nothing fancy here. I'm not much of a photographer and my instrument is a humble 2mp camera on my Blackberry. Plus lighting in bars & pubs in my area are usually bad." Yet there is a lunar landing 1971 quality that I like... sorta.


    Jeph Stahl of Grimsby, Ontario - a prize winner in at least 2010 - sent in these eight entries. I may have to add a category for small children face planting the hops. And, I do believe, the first Sousaphone appearance:


    Tom Morgan of Dayton Ohio sends in these eight entries> he runs a beer blog called "What We're Drinking" which I initially read as "What were we drinking?!?!?"


    I am going to leave it for now. There are still a few more entries - and one even came in as I typed this out, but I am spent. So many photos. So many photos...

Knut Albert's beer blog

  • Permalink for 'Knut_Albert_s_beer_blog/2011/12/01/2012_Festivals_I_%e2%80%93_The_one_for_the_geeks'

    2012 Festivals I – The one for the geeks

    Posted: December 1st, 2011, 4:36pm CET by knutalbert
    May next year will be a busy period for those of us in Northern Europe who take our beer drinking seriously. I’m not referring to the opportunity to drink beer Al fresco after hibernating through a long winter, but to the fact that there will be more beer festivals than most of us will have [...]

A Good Beer Blog

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/11/30/History__Heritage_and_Plain_Old_Marketing_Actually_Differ'

    History, Heritage and Plain Old Marketing Actually Differ

    Posted: November 30th, 2011, 2:09pm CET by Alan McLeod

    I think this is one of the more naive articles I have ever read about beer:

    “The story is critical because it’s what differentiates a beer from any other beer,” Calagione told me. Still, he added, “just because you hear of some creepy group of Norwegians that 300 years ago put the blood of virgins into beer doesn’t mean you should replicate it. You have to have a story, but can you have a story and also make a world-class beer?”... In a way that other drinks often don’t, these beers explicitly convey the distinctive tastes of distinctive pasts. “I can write stuff and bang on about, ‘Oh, the beers were very different back then,’ but people don’t listen very well,” says Pattinson, who is now trying to bring back Scottish India pale ales. “If you give them a bottle of something to drink, they’ll understand.”

    Spot the difference? Chalk and cheese. "Story" can mean many many things but it is rarely used in relation to beer to mean something that is actually true. How many "modern interpretations" have anything to do with sitting about the big mid-eastern clay pot and sucking through a straw? How many celebrate American colonial corn beer? Damn few. Yet we seldom see anyone really asking whether what is being foisted is authentic.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/11/29/An_Update_On_The_OCB_And_The_Commentary_Wiki'

    An Update On The OCB And The Commentary Wiki

    Posted: November 29th, 2011, 2:52am CET by Alan McLeod

    So, the forecast for the last four weeks over at the wiki that was set out in my Halloween post "And Quiet Flows the OCBeerCommentary Wiki" came to pass. This is going to be a longish process. But it advances. I just finished loading the Index of Articles by Author to the point Stan managed to get to, which was mid-"J". I have gotten it to "L" and hope to fit in the rest before Christmas so we can cross reference commentary to the indexing. Oh, think of the data mining possibilities. Any volunteers want to load a letter or two? If you have email and a copy of the OCB, please let me know.

    The biggest news related to The Oxford Companion to Beer is that it is hitting the top 50 on Amazon.com. It is sitting at #44 right now but has been as high as #15 that I have seen. This is good for beer. Don't be confused like the deeply afflicted Protz. The wiki displays the parasitic nature of the beer nerd in nicest sort way. The OCB is the Wildebeest while we are the Oxpecker. And it's only $26 bucks right now. Buy it. Right now.

    And what have we found? Well, a month ago, Clay Risen in The Atlantic saw only 40 entries and considered the commentary mainly about interpretation. While he was fairly incorrect on the last point, we are now up to 62 entries and many have multiple comments and corrections. Just look at the entries for "ale", "ale house" and "ale pole." More interesting to me, however, is that some of the entries are mainly elaborations of the topic, building upon what is there. So, we can now see that Canada's brewing experience was years and perhaps decades older. We can see that the US state of New York had a rich post-Prohibition hop growing experience. Neato.

    62 entries? That's 5.63% of the book. By Christmas, maybe it's 9% or 12%. Who knows? What is good is how information gets fine tuned through the wiki - not the scorecard. Join up. If you have a copy now or get one for Christmas, let me know if you'd like to add any thoughts by emailing me at beerblog@gmail.com.

  • Permalink for 'A_Good_Beer_Blog/2011/11/29/An_Update_On_The_OCB_And_The_Commentary_Wiki'

    An Update On The OCB And The Commentary Wiki

    Posted: November 29th, 2011, 2:52am CET by Alan McLeod

    So, the forecast for the last four weeks over at the wiki that was set out in my Halloween post "And Quiet Flows the OCBeerCommentary Wiki" came to pass. This is going to be a longish process. But it advances. I just finished loading the Index of Articles by Author to the point Stan managed to get to, which was mid-"J". I have gotten it to "L" and hope to fit in the rest before Christmas so we can cross reference commentary to the indexing. Oh, think of the data mining possibilities. Any volunteers want to load a letter or two? If you have email and a copy of the OCB, please let me know.

    The biggest news related to The Oxford Companion to Beer is that it is hitting the top 50 on Amazon.com. It is sitting at #44 right now but has been as high as #15 that I have seen. This is good for beer. Don't be confused like the deeply afflicted Protz. The wiki displays the parasitic nature of the beer nerd in nicest sort way. The OCB is the Wildebeest while we are the Oxpecker. And it's only $26 bucks right now. Buy it. Right now.

    And what have we found? Well, a month ago, Clay Risen in The Atlantic saw only 40 entries and considered the commentary mainly about interpretation. While he was fairly incorrect on the last point, we are now up to 62 entries and many have multiple comments and corrections. Just look at the entries for "ale", "ale house" and "ale pole." More interesting to me, however, is that some of the entries are mainly elaborations of the topic, building upon what is there. So, we can now see that Canada's brewing experience was years and perhaps decades older. We can see that the US state of New York had a rich post-Prohibition hop growing experience. Neato.

    62 entries? That's 5.63% of the book. By Christmas, maybe it's 9% or 12%. Who knows? What is good is how information gets fine tuned through the wiki - not the scorecard. Join up. If you have a copy now or get one for Christmas, let me know if you'd like to add any thoughts by emailing me at beerblog@gmail.com.

← Breweries Craftbrewers →