May 2011
CAMRA-tantrum 2011: The Gift That Keeps Giving
Posted by on Tuesday, May 31, 2011 in - 9 comments
It's starting to look like the case of the guy with the girlfriends with an ugly tattoo. She may be nice, a kind and pretty, be a real stand by her man sort of gal and all that stuff. But that sure is an ugly tattoo. Mr. B's contribution was particularly fun: "...Jay Brooks and I went on a tear of …
A Beery Sound That Reminds You Of The Summer
Posted by on Monday, May 30, 2011 in - leave a comment
I caught a bit of this driving home today and thought it more than worth saving: • "...clink... clinky clink... clink... clink..."
When Is A Beer Garden Not A Beer Garden?
Posted by on Sunday, May 29, 2011 in - 6 comments
I was reading jealously in the NYT this weekend about the new wave of beer gardens in New York when I came something that made me ask what exactly the heck they were talking about: • Beer gardens have achieved such cultural ascendancy that even grand masters are getting into the act. Recently …
Is CAMRA Run By Puristans Or Precisionists?
Posted by on Saturday, May 28, 2011 in - 19 comments
That is surely an unkind thing to say but recently I read a fascinating book about the first leader of the good if extreme folk who settled Boston, Massachusetts in the early 1600s. In that book, I came upon the distinction between "puritanism" and "precisionism" which boiled down to the …
Doubt Craft Beer Drinkers Are Purer, Just A Bit Happier
Posted by on Thursday, May 26, 2011 in - 9 comments
That is what I wrote just now over at Beervana. See, Jeff wrote one of the statements that I never have accepted: • People buy macros to consume in quantity; micros are more often savored. • Just as we have to be careful when considering whether we are important, we also have to consider …
What A Perfect Day For A Meta-Meta-Discussion!
Posted by on Wednesday, May 25, 2011 in - 4 comments
An interesting comparison today between two communities of beer bloggy types. With a hearty hat tip to Stan, I see, Mark Dredge in England considers the hobby of amateur writing about professional beers and brewing to be incredibly important. Sure, he is yet to come down after a successful …
What's The Word For That's Too Stunned To Be An Idea?
Posted by on Tuesday, May 24, 2011 in - 2 comments
Sometimes things do make you head explode, even if only you feel the pain. Fact: just like armed forces everywhere, just like Houses of Parliament, just like top jobs in every market in every country, there is no place that anyone does not need to feel fully integrated in any nation that welcomes …
Book Review: Brewing Better Beer, Gordon Strong
Posted by on Monday, May 23, 2011 in - 8 comments
This came in the mail last week and I got a chance this long weekend to look it over. Gordon Strong is a very accomplished home brewer and judge so I was interested in reading what he admits is a very personal take on making your own beer at a high level of skill. • As you know, I am a bad … read more »
California: Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada, Chico
Posted by on Sunday, May 22, 2011 in - 6 comments
So, a few weeks ago, Jeff asked of this beer was foundational. I was over in the states this afternoon and picked up a 12 pack for something ridiculous like sixteen bucks.* I was offered Molson Canadian at 19 bucks for 30 cans** at the same grocery store so SNPA is in no sense swill. • When did … read more »
Royal Military College's Arch Ceremony 2011
Posted by on Friday, May 20, 2011 in - leave a comment
A bit of a change today as I thought you might like something local. You will recall the other week, I played old school base ball and then went for a pitcher of beer with some great guests from the USA as well as cadets from Canada's Royal Military College. The fourth year cadets organize the …
So What Does "Blended 33 To 1" Mean?
Posted by on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 in - 13 comments
I noticed this picture in a collection of 1930s and 40s colour photos from the US Library of Congress collection published by the UK's Daily Mail. Click for a bigger version. The caption is "Part of the South Water Street freight depot of the Illinois Central Railroad in Chicago, Illinois, May …
Rhode Island: That Sample Of Summer Ale, Narragansett
Posted by on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 in - leave a comment
I have received Narragansett samples before and have generally enjoyed them. The basic lager and especially the porter were solid as was the bock. But summer ale? What is that other than another name for "Lite"? At 4.2%, the beer is certainly light in the North American context but is it a good …
Pittsburg Pirates Demand Loser Pride From Fans
Posted by on Monday, May 16, 2011 in - 7 comments
Apparently, the Pittsburgh Pirates have some heaping pile of loser pride - enough to take on someone who believes in the civic good and consoles their long-suffering fans: • "I've never heard of anything so ridiculous," said Estelle Aversa, who owns the Stroll Inn. A sign in front of the bar on …
Mr Gillman On APA, SN PA, Liberty, Ballentines And Stuff
Posted by on Sunday, May 15, 2011 in - 10 comments
Nothing like someone else doing the heavy lifting. Me? Me, I am fine with the idea of history being murky and unclear, prone to romanticism and post hoc hero creation, frankly, being often a bit irrelevant. But not regular commentator Gary Gillman who sent me this information today to bolster the …
Canada's Dirty Secret: Buying Beer In Another Province
Posted by on Friday, May 13, 2011 in - 10 comments
Of all the reasons to call in the cops, buying beer in one province and taking to another has to be one of the most important, as this story shows: • "Our intelligence gathering revealed that we believe there was a large quantity of alcohol being brought in to the province from other provinces …
Heritage As Brand As Heritage As Foundation As Brand...
Posted by on Thursday, May 12, 2011 in - 13 comments
Sort of an odd article over at a Canuckistanian news service about branding and a few given breweries' histories, all of which is wrapped around this observation: • ...beer companies, especially Canadian ones, seem to stand alone in the frequency and consistency of how they use their heritage in …
Where There Is Beer There Is Peace Revisited
Posted by on Tuesday, May 10, 2011 in - 12 comments
When I was growing up, Ethiopia was one of those nations with the hallmark of being incessantly near collapse. Civil war unending. The famine. Now there is beer: • The Beemnet bar is one of those places in Addis Ababa which attracts Ethiopians of all ages. Increasingly locals are going here for …
The US Secret Service Needs Good Cellerpersons
Posted by on Monday, May 9, 2011 in - 9 comments
Interesting to note that the impending trip of a US President to the ancestral home in Ireland requires the safe supply of beer: • The US secret service is to supply beer kegs to a pub US President Barack Obama is expected to visit in Moneygall, Co Offaly. Security surrounding the trip will be … read more »
All That Base Ball Was Really About That Pitcher
Posted by on Sunday, May 8, 2011 in - 3 comments
I indulged in my other odd hobby yesterday. 1860s - 70s base ball. Two words. No gloves. No sliding. The ball springs off the bat with about as much zip as an Edam cheese would. Underhand pitching and bats that are like swinging a 2 x 4 fresh from the lumber yard. I put the thing together with …
Session 51: Nothing Says Weekend Like Cheese!!!
Posted by on Friday, May 6, 2011 in - 1 comment
Jay declared it some time ago but I was only reminded this morning when the Beer Nut posted his submission for this month's version of The Session. Jay's instructions are too complex for me to repeat at this cusp of weekend so check out his link yourself. • I had originally meant to bitch and …
A Fantastic Beer Law Canadians Too Backward To Want
Posted by on Thursday, May 5, 2011 in - 5 comments
Is that unkind? Have a look: • ...Mr. VanGlad’s Tundra Brewery will be the first to sell beer at the Greenmarket, under a law passed in 2009 that allows small-scale breweries in New York to sell at markets. The hops in the ale are among the first to be grown in New York — which once produced … read more »
So, How Was That Beer George Made Anyway?
Posted by on Wednesday, May 4, 2011 in - 8 comments
Some buzz around the beer news that the Coney Island / Shmaltz Brewing Company is brewing up a recipe of George Washington's beer for a charity gig... and a cheater version with roasted malts for those who might want to pretend. Here is the recipe entitled "To Make Small Beer" as set out by the …
Election Night Beer In Canada? Something From Quebec!
Posted by on Monday, May 2, 2011 in - 3 comments
I pulled out a Blanche De Chambly because it was handy. The results look polarized but they are also federalized in that the Quebec separatists have been rejected. Not nationalists... just separatists. And after 7 years of minority governments, well, the Prime Minister for the last five years …
NY State's Wholesale Monopolies By Legal Fiat
Posted by on Sunday, May 1, 2011 in - 5 comments
Ah, so that is how it is done in NY state: • When the brewery tried to terminate its contract, the wholesaler sued under New York's alcoholic beverage control law—which binds brewers to one distributor within a marketing region once an agreement is in place—Brooklyn Brewery shelled out more than …
