March 2008
One US Presidential Candidate Rejects "Designer Beer"
Posted by on Monday, March 31, 2008 in - 3 comments
Being Canadian, it really isn't my place to comment upon the politics of my southern cousins but this little tidbit is a bit shocking, is it not? • “"You know I got a beer down there. What do they call it.. a Yuengling?" Obama said to a local man. • "Yuengling! Like you didn’t know," the guy …
By The Beer Cooler of Wegmans I Laid Myself Down And Cried
Posted by on Sunday, March 30, 2008 in - 3 comments
A fantastically bad shot of the actual Wegmans from GooglePlex • Not really but there was a moment of near tears - of joy and frustration, that is. What else, after a sensible visit to Fort Stanwix, could make me feel this way other than a beer cooler room in a not particularly recently …
You Know I Know You Know It's Beer Poetry Weekend 2008
Posted by on Saturday, March 29, 2008 in - 1 comment
Time is running short. The deadline is Monday and you need to get your iambic pentametre, your haiku and your free form jazz quadriplets going. Beer poetry demands your attention. Forget about the NCAAs, forget about opening day. Think in verse. The rules? Once again: • You may submit any poem … read more »
Lew Wants A New Word For Beer Geer...Is It Nerd?
Posted by on Friday, March 28, 2008 in - 14 comments
Beer Nerd. That is what I sort of think of myself as. Why? Because of the whole "Revenge of the Nerds" thing, of course. If it weren't for the nerds we would not have information technology, statistics-based sports fanaticism and male teens who entirely avoid ending up with child support orders …
Sour Beer Studies: Oude Kriek, Drie Fonteinen, Beersel, BE
Posted by on Thursday, March 27, 2008 in - leave a comment
Great hopes for this one after Michael Jackson calls this one "very fruity" and "great" in Gee-Bee-Oh-Bee. No need for punishing austerity tonight. No need for the beery equivalent of the strap as an educational tool. Not when one can hope for something of a repeat of that De Ranke Kriek. • This …
Pick A Date, Any Date, For The End Of Prohibition
Posted by on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 in - leave a comment
Happy Canadians Helping Thirsty Mainers1 • Some of our US cousins are all happy happy over celebrating the 7th of April as some sort of anniversary of the repeal of prohibition despite strong evidence otherwise reviewed last year. While it is hard to pin point the actual date that celebrating …
Michigan: Sacred Cow IPA, Arbor Brewing Co., Ann Arbor
Posted by on Tuesday, March 25, 2008 in - 12 comments
The other day I had an alt. The alt by Arbor Brewing and it was so good I didn't post about it, take a note or nuttin'. I simply marveled at the most robust head on a beer I had ever seen. I also planned how I might find myself in a position to buy more • We stopped into Arbor Brewing when we …
Contest: More Entries For Beer Poetry Slam 2008
Posted by on Monday, March 24, 2008 in - 2 comments
It's happening. Adam over at Beer Bits 2 forwards this, which he says is something he wrote while drinking Sierra Nevada ESB: • “a pint is too easy • to quaff • the wine glass full up with beer is better • to take in • sip after sip • pull after pull • funky earthy sweet bread fills …
Belgium: Gouden Carolus Easter Beer, Het Anker, Mechelen
Posted by on Sunday, March 23, 2008 in - 3 comments
I had been planning on having this beer today as one small nod to the once busy task of brewing beer for holidays. Time was there were beers made for every saint's day, every profession and every celebration of a stage in life. Now we are restricted to Yule and a few stragglers like this one for …
Stan Poses A Question On Criticism And Gets Critical Attention
Posted by on Saturday, March 22, 2008 in - leave a comment
I am enjoying a conversation over at Stan's about beer writing and criticism which turns on this quotation from English theatre critic Kenneth Tynan: • “A critic’s job, nine-tenths of it, is to make way for the good by demolishing the bad.” • Go have a read and add your thoughts, here or there …
Sour Beer Studies: Kriek 100% Lambic, Cantillon, Brussels
Posted by on Friday, March 21, 2008 in - 2 comments
I shared with one to the shock and dismay of my guests two years ago but I've grown up so much since then I thought I would revisit it to see what I thought. Back then I use the word poo which seemed to tick off a crank. Apparently some who write "barnyard" have never been in a barnyard. Let's see …
Oklahoma Wholesalers Ask To Lower Standards
Posted by on Friday, March 21, 2008 in - 1 comment
This is about as pathetic as it can get. In Oklahoma, beer wholesalers have lobbied to be excused from some of the most basic requirements of their obligation to provide the public with good beer in good condition: • “...one beer supplier told commission members his company recently bought back …
Contest: Our First Two Entries Are In For Poetry Slam 2008
Posted by on Thursday, March 20, 2008 in - 1 comment
Exciting times around here as the entires for the Good Beer Blog Poetry Slam are starting to come in with eleven days still to go. The first is from Andrew Jones of I don't know where: • “Olde Enkidu unwashed bestial man • Took bread & beer from prostitutes hand • Gilgamesh’s trickery custom …
Book Review: "Beer and Skittles", Richard Boston
Posted by on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 in - 3 comments
This arrived from a used book shop in the UK yesterday and, today being off sick, it was a great opportunity to rip through this book in record pace. Richard Boston was the columnist for the then Manchester Guardian whose weekly "Boston on Beer" is credited as being as important as the early days …
Nova Scotia: Brewing Staff At Garrison Quits Or Fired
Posted by on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 in - 2 comments
It's been years since I have had a Garrison Brewing beer from Halifax. I liked them fine when I lived out east and in the late 90s and early 2000s they were certainly a leader in Maritime Canadian brewing. And, as Troy (another expat Haligonian) has been telling us all for a while now, Garrison …
A Night Of Beery Mysteries: Who Is Ron And Where's The Horse?
Posted by on Tuesday, March 18, 2008 in - leave a comment
Two great mysteries of the unknown tonight in the beer world: who is Ron and where did that horse go? Or is it which is Ron and who's the horse? Or who bought the beer and whose smile is real? Maybe it's what's that smell and why is Stephen smiling? • Anyway, at least they didn't try to try 150 …
The Next Session Is Announced At Stonch's
Posted by on Monday, March 17, 2008 in - 7 comments
I think I am going to have a bit of a hard time writing something for the next edition of The Session as Stonch has announced that it has to be about your favorite beer person: • “On Friday 4th April, the date of the next Session, I'd like you to write about people. Choose someone you know …
Contest: Poetry From You Equals Tickets For Beer
Posted by on Sunday, March 16, 2008 in - leave a comment
The mathematics of it could not be clearer: • “Poetry + internet = free beer” • The more extended verion of the rules can be found here. You know, I would have done better in school if the arithmatic was that attractive. No, I settled for a middling degree in sventeenth century verse rather …
Finally - The French Paradox Has A Beery Counterpart
Posted by on Saturday, March 15, 2008 in - 2 comments
Well, not really - but there is some sort of speculation going on about that very possibility: • “The ground-breaking study shows that the hippocampus, the part of the brain involved in memory, spatial tasks and many other functions, was more than 10 per cent smaller in those whose tipple was …
Germany: St. Michaelsberg Kellerbier, Maisel, Bamburg
Posted by on Friday, March 14, 2008 in - 3 comments
Oh, goodie - another kellerbier, that unfiltered low carbonation lager, my third now. Steve Thomas tells me Maisel is Bamburg's second biggest brewery - but Maisel Bräu Bamberg GmbH appears to be different from Brauerei Gebrüder Maisel GmbH & Co. from Bayreuth. So a Maisel is not always a Maisel …
Are You Getting Your Friday Night Blues and Beer
Posted by on Friday, March 14, 2008 in - leave a comment
Just saying. I must have mentioned it before but who doesn't need one beer review and an hour of smokin' blues each and every Friday night? • I think that Darcey has taught me more about the blues than just about any rural western Canadian construction draftsman of Metis decent ever has. I don't …
Ontario: Scottish Pale Ale, Neustadt, Bruce County
Posted by on Thursday, March 13, 2008 in - 1 comment
A Scotch ale from the good people of rural south-western Ontario's Neustadt Springs Brewery. And in a can. Our masters at the LCBO (aka "the government store") have decided that the 473 ml can is the way to go and those wanting to sell through them do well to fall in step. The best thing about it …
Contest: More Prizes For More Poetry
Posted by on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 in - 1 comment
Enough long winded guff. You want prizes and I want poetry. The rules? We got rules, sure - plenty of them: • You may submit any poem on the subject of beer as long as you wrote it. No format or minimum length.I will judge them - extra points for the best use of the letters "j" and "q".The …
What Does Tasting Mean To Each Of Us?
Posted by on Tuesday, March 11, 2008 in - leave a comment
Taste and memory...clam fritters and plain ice tea. • I shouldn't be so lazy. The house is mine for a few days what with a March break trip. I have projects like a tub to caulk. I have beer to brew and to bottle. Heck if I wanted to I could get into those four krieks I have laid in for a … read more »
Reuters On North Korea's Secret Beer Making Capacity
Posted by on Monday, March 10, 2008 in - 7 comments
The latest brewing lassie imagery snuck out of North Korea, circa 2004. • An interesting article from Reuters today on one beer from North Korea, Taedonggang: • “After a hard day of contributing to the cult of personality around Asia's only communist dynasty and vexing the world with a nuclear …
Book Review: Great Beers Of Belgium By Michael Jackson
Posted by on Sunday, March 9, 2008 in - 7 comments
As I noted the other day, I picked up a copy of the 2006 edition of Jackson's Great Beers of Belgium the other week and I could not be happier. It is a great addition to the collection and also provides an opportunity to discuss beer writing generally. You see, the other day I called beer …
Travis Tries Ted's Nut Brown Ale
Posted by on Saturday, March 8, 2008 in - 1 comment
As a home brew blogger, I get a lot of comments and do a lot of commenting on other people's blogs (you down with OPB?). One of the blogs that I frequent is Ted's Brews. Ted is a home brewer out of the Chicago area that is extremely thorough and meticulous with his documentation and his brewing as …
Session 13: Organic And/Or Natural From Beau's
Posted by on Friday, March 7, 2008 in - 2 comments
I am not sure what I think about all things organic. On one hand, I kept an acre vegetable garden from 1999 to 2002 that was an all organic effort and about 40% of our food came from it. On the other, organic/green/sustainable to a significant degree has about as much relevance as "new and …
Investigative Reporting On Beer Price Gouging
Posted by on Friday, March 7, 2008 in - 2 comments
A quick note on this day of the Session recommending highly Andy Crouch's post about price gouging that is taking place at one establishment in response to the wholesale increase in certain cost inputs for beer. A fine piece of that rarest of birds, real beer journalism.
My Night As A Guest Roadie For Beau's All Natural Beer
Posted by on Thursday, March 6, 2008 in - 3 comments
The call came at 7:45 pm. For weeks I had been exchanging emails with Steve about Beau's All Natural Brewing's move into the Kingston market and the prospect of another great Ontario made craft beer showing up in my favorite pubs as well as the LCBO. Being the man of mortgage as well as offspring …
Why Am I In This Alley And Why Is Steve Driving At Me?
Posted by on Wednesday, March 5, 2008 in - 3 comments
The Steve in question is Steve Beauchesne of Beau's All Natural Beer Company and all I can say is that is has a pretty good touch with a extended van on the night after a storm day in the middle of a more than 1000 km drive out delivering beer to his western side of his brewery's range. More …
Thirteen Feet Of Sin And Heinous Crime
Posted by on Wednesday, March 5, 2008 in - 1 comment
Google news is a Godsend, providing glimpses into local news from far away that makes you glad that you are, in fact, far away. Consider this news on a hearing recently held before the Benton County Beer Board in Tennessee and be glad you are not there: • “Approximately 75 community members …
Contest: The Good Beer Blog Spring 2008 Poetry Face Off
Posted by on Tuesday, March 4, 2008 in - 2 comments
The hints are over. The time is now and apparently the time is ripe for beery poetry as not only am I announcing the Good Beer Blog Spring 2008 Beer Poetry Contest - our seventh contest in an unending series - right here and right now...but then I received an email from Evan Rail saying that his …
Ontario: The Grains Of Wrath, Church-Key, Campbellford
Posted by on Monday, March 3, 2008 in - 2 comments
Excellent! A literary allusion to a classic of American prose for this month of the beer blog's poetry contest. Or to an '80s and early '90s Canuck rock indie band. Yet it's also a (skate) punk tune. I picked up this one when I was on the road coming back from Toronto last week but I have to …
How Does One Get One's Hands On A Poem About Beer?
Posted by on Sunday, March 2, 2008 in - 2 comments
Interesting to note that poetry - or at least poetry about beer - remains a difficult medium to get one's hands on through the miracle and conundrum that is the internets. The promise of 2004 was that by now all copyrighted works would be as easily ripped off as Napster allowed Gen Y to undermine …
Craft Beer And Substantial Equivalence
Posted by on Saturday, March 1, 2008 in - leave a comment
Market Saturation and Substantial Equivalence Illustrated • The tough thing about the hop and malt price bump is that it comes at a time of US consumer uncertainty. Something of a double whammy. Add to this the idea that I have come across recently to express something I have thought about for …
Posted by on Saturday, March 1, 2008
