All But The Prizes For Best And Crappiest O' Yule '12
I don't know why I didn't think of this before. I have run this contest for years and never realized that my real goal ought to be how to make it easy for me to run. For example, in the past, I encouraged an insane number of entries. In 2008, we had over 500 entries now locked somewhere on some Flickr database. What the hell was I thinking??? To heck with that, said I. Ever since, we have limited submissions one way or another and had a steady 180 or more entries. Sanity reigns. This year's innovation of loading up a few winners with all the prizes has made it all the better. Winners win because they get loads of prizes and I win because I can type this while watching TV all rather rapidly because all I have to do today is pick five excellent photos from a pool of pretty good photos. That's easy, right?
How is that - you and all the children gathered around your Christmas family table ask? Well, I shortlisted the best of the submissions earlier today over here. From that, I have picked five below to win the five prizes between the grand champion and the crappiest entry. Well, the crap one is not in the pool and the snow one is so really, other than snow photos, I have only four to pick. Easy. No problem. Let's see what I've decided.
| Picture | Artist / Reasons | Prize / Mailer |
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Snow Photo Prize: won by Atis Rektins, a Latvian who was living in Switzerland last spring when the photo was taken. What is not to like? He told me "This was the first really warm and sunny day of the spring 2012 and the snow was melting fast. So I put my baby daughter in her pram, packed a beer and a glass and we both went to a sunny spot in cow pastures with an excellent view...." What is not to like? |
Stan Hieronymus of Appellation Beer, Brew Like a Monk as well as his new For the Love of Hops. And from Jordan St. John, Canada's favorite national beer columnist a copy of his first book How to Make Your Own Brewskis.
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Ontario region prize goes to Patrick Hirlehey who says it was "taken at this year's Winking Judge Beer Fest in Hamilton - facial hair, beer, a goat stein and masonic symbols - I had to be quick with the camera to capture this "alignment" of the planets." That's a lot of goats. See, I am a lapsed Mason so I know these things. |
Ontario's Roland and Russell's gift pack of fluid gifts and from Alistair Reece of the blog Fuggled some Fuggled merchandise.
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Euro-traveler prize: Fabio Freire our Brazilian pal in NYC who tells me that "a friend and I rented a (very) small motor-home for a week and drove around the country visiting bars and breweries." The country was Belgium. The cask runner works at Cantillon. Love it. Go!!! |
A signed copy of Shakespeare's Local signed by Pete Brown and from Max Bahnson of pivni-filosof.com, a Maximum Max Goodie Bag of a copy of his book Prague: A Pisshead's Pub Guide as well as a rare opportunity to get yourself to Prague and buy him beer.
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Shirt lovers prize.... this one is not as easy as I had thought. Last one picked of the night. Gimme a mo. OK, it is going to Zak Rotello here from The Olympic Tavern in Rockford IL who tells us it is from their annual Halloween party where he tapped a keg of Southern Tier Pumking through a real pumpkin. But it is really for the sharpness of the image, the honey colours throughout the image... and the idea. |
A black Nøgne Ø golf shirt, sized XXL. But a fairly short XXL. and from Jeff Alworth of Portland, Oregon and the blog Beervana, a Beer Tasting Tool Kit as well as some other treats. And a Coney Island Mermaid Pilsner bike shirt in blue, size XXL but a very allegedly XXL that I would think is more L. Not to mention from Maine's Gritty McDuff''s, a black t-shirt with the Hop Angel's logo. Sized M or S. Pretty S for an M. And, yes, from Maine's Shipyard brewing a t-shirt. As well as a Narragansett t-shirt and tie.
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Lucky Random Draw: won by Michael Irrera of Boston, MA whose glowing glass of IPA taken at Prohibition Pig, Waterbury, Vermont undoubtedly, he says, becoming sun struck as he took it. I like the glow. I like the angle of the light. I like the heavy lacing tracing three good sips already having taken place. Mike wins! |
Maine's Shipyard brewing t-shirt and from Jeff Alworth of Portland, Oregon and the blog Beervana, Beer Tasting Tool Kit as well as some other treats.
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Excellent. Now, please let me be honest for a minute. There are so many great entries out of which there are at least 15 that are as good as any we have received. But I hate myself for not picking this photo. I love it but Jeff won last year's grand champion and it is so asymmetrical. There is nothing wrong with asymmetry but I would have parked a little less on the right in the photo. But it is a fool's request as the moment was there and gone. Jeff, in a real sense, did not take this photo so much as he had it given to him. It is gorgeous. The moving man's hair, the red rim of the cask and the copper sheeting sing while the barrel and the tap setter's hair colour are one in the same. There is action and stillness. And it is a strangely private moment. Jeff was a voyeur. Because he wants what they each want. Beer now. This is a great photo. But it will not win a prize this year. Like the others.
Comments
Jeff Alworth - December 18, 2012 10:52 PM
CHEATED! All I wanted for Christmas was bragging rights--that's wholesome, right?
Actually, you are exactly right when you say this: "Jeff, in a real sense, did not take this photo so much as he had it given to him." I spent six and a half weeks over the past two autumns going on the most extravagant, absurd journey to the world's greatest breweries. I got special access and I got to see extraordinary things. Every day, just because I was in the right place, I could point my point-and-shoot in a very obvious direction and snap a rare, wondrous pic. It was the place, not the photographer. You will see very clearly how things change next year, when I send in a batch with hairy Oregon brewers standing around in front of shiny cylindro-conicals.
It never felt fair or earned, but I sent the photos in because I had them. You are right to pass them up this year. However, I will lodge a protest on Max's behalf--that shot of him with the medieval wooden tankard is one of the coolest pictures I've ever seen.
Everyone's a critic.
Jeff Alworth - December 18, 2012 10:55 PM
Oh, just in case anyone cares: that photo of the keg tapping is taking place at Schlenkerla in Bamberg. I happened to look up from across the pub as they were wheeling it out and I knew the tapping was coming next. I grabbed the camera, sprinted across the room, and waited the excruciating ten seconds as it slowly woke up. I actually have two shots, one without the fuzzy helper shooting in--I thought it was more interesting to see him blur by.
Alan - December 18, 2012 11:10 PM
"...lodge a protest on Max's behalf..."??? He is still in the running you know.
Your shot is great. Fuzzy helper is great.
Jeff Alworth - December 18, 2012 11:32 PM
Ah, no, I misunderstood. Go Max!
Patrick Hirlehey - December 19, 2012 1:22 AM
Thank you Alan and R+R, one of my favourite shots from my submissions, glad you liked it. Unfortunately, by the end of the Beerfest, most shots were out of focus or had the lens cap still on...some great submissions this year, congrats to all, I love seeing these slices of what make us passionate about beer.
I think about beer - December 19, 2012 1:04 PM
I'm really excited to have made the shortlist with my "A La Mort Subite" photo. What made me chuckle most was that of the 9 I submitted, this one was picked. It was the only one in the group that had been shot with my iPhone. I just cleaned it up a bit with photoshop touch. Next year, I'll have to see if I can send in a winner!
Great contest, great entries!
Thanks
Alan - December 19, 2012 3:02 PM
You caught a little moment there. The colours of the clothes and postures of those in the bar are what caught my eye.
Atis - December 21, 2012 5:10 AM
Wow, that was unexpected. I never thought I could win a prize considering there were loads of very good photos. The prize is excellent as well, I have not read these books. Thank you, Alan and Merry Chrismas and Happy New Year and all the best!