It has been a busy wee while for the mailbags, physical and digital around here at AGBB HQ. Let's see what we have received (as I ignore for another evening that i have not yet got the contest prizes in the mail yet...la, la, la...I can't hear you, obligations, I can't hear you...la, la, la:
- First, we welcomed a new sponsor, TAP NY 2007. This is a craft beer and fine food festival in upper down state New York at the end of April and we got word today that I will have ten tickets for a give away contest in the next few weeks. At forty-five bucks a pop that is the most gi-normous contest ever here at A Good Beer Blog. More information when I get it but one question: would it be better to do a couple of four ticket prizes and a pair for three prizes, say, or all singles. You tell me.
- Julie wroite to tell me about PubQuest, a beer mapping tool and the third I now know about.
- Marty Jones - otherwise of the fantastic Oskar Blues Brewery - wrote to let me know that Diane Catanzaro, a Norfolk, VA college professor, recently won the coveted title of 2007 Beerdrinker of the Year at the National Finals at Wynkoop Brewing Company:
The finalists weathered two hours of difficult questions from the judges. The queries stretched from questions about beer chemistry, styles and history, to the finalists' abilities to sing old beer-advertising jingles and recall esoteric beer trivia. During the competition's Beer Whispering segment, Catanzaro impressed judges with a cross-continental conversation with a blend of the Duchess de Bourgogne and Oskar Blues Brewery's Old Chub Scottish-Style Ale. For her closing statement, she sang a reworked version of the vintage blues song "Beer Drinking Woman" that referenced Tommee Arthur, Flying Dog Brewery's Horn Dog barley wine, and female craft brewing legend Carol Stoudt.
Neato. Catanzaro is the 11th person to win Wynkoop's Beerdrinker of the Year crown. I never win anything. - We got a nice mention from the good folk over at epicurious.com.
- I have a backlog of four books to review and expect a few more in the mail soon:
I think that is the list. I have to get at these but please keep sending in the books, and samples...not to mention the sponsorships.- Xhosa Beer Drinking Rituals by McAllister,
- A History of Brewing in Holland: 900-1900 by Unger,
- Beer and Food: An American History by Skilnik, and
- Beers and Breweries of Britain by Putman.
- Finally, readers Kim and Allen took the time to send me photos of a bar crawl they did in Brussels plus one from Amsterdam. I was really taken by the gallery of photos, his and her photos of their interested and interesting choices. You know I like beer photos and there was something about this set when put all together that I really like.
