January 2012
...Or, On The Other Hand, Should Incomes Be Declared?
Posted by on Monday, January 30, 2012 in - 11 comments
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 …
What Is Local Beer From A Southern Ontario View?
Posted by on Sunday, January 29, 2012 in - 12 comments
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 … read more »
England: Fuller's Vintage Ale 2006 v 2011, London
Posted by on Sunday, January 29, 2012 in - 4 comments
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 …
What If I Posted A Series Of Posts For A Fee?
Posted by on Saturday, January 28, 2012 in - 48 comments
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 …
Some Days There Just Isn't A Beery Meme Even To Steal
Posted by on Friday, January 27, 2012 in - 4 comments
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 … read more »
Booklet Review: "Why Beer Matters" By Evan Rail
Posted by on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 in - 3 comments
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 … read more »
"Trucks Were Backing Up To Get The Stuff In"
Posted by on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 in - 5 comments
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 …
Totally Different To Drinking In The Garage At Your Home
Posted by on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 in - leave a comment
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 …
Often The Messages About Good Beer Just Don't Matter
Posted by on Monday, January 23, 2012 in - 23 comments
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 …
With Friends Like This, Who Needs That Beer?
Posted by on Sunday, January 22, 2012 in - 9 comments
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 …
In Search Of The World's Most Averagest Hip Beer
Posted by on Saturday, January 21, 2012 in - 12 comments
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 …
I Think I Learned That Beer Has Arc And Width
Posted by on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 in - 8 comments
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 … read more »
What Is The Value Of Value With Drinks?
Posted by on Monday, January 16, 2012 in - 4 comments
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 …
What Are The Best Rules For Aging Good Beer?
Posted by on Sunday, January 15, 2012 in - 23 comments
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 …
Quebec: Dum Duminator, Brasseurs Du Temps, Gatineau
Posted by on Friday, January 13, 2012 in - 6 comments
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 … read more »
When Do Good Beer And Public Money Mix?
Posted by on Friday, January 13, 2012 in - leave a comment
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 …
Oh, To Be In Milwaukee In A Beer Garden There
Posted by on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 in - 1 comment
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 …
Time For A New Dialogue About US Good Beer
Posted by on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 in - 17 comments
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 … read more »
New York: Will Hydro Fracking Force Ommagang Out?
Posted by on Monday, January 9, 2012 in - 7 comments
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 …
Tasting: Could The Holiday Effect Be With Us Daily?
Posted by on Saturday, January 7, 2012 in - 13 comments
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 … read more »
Session 59: When I Don't Drink Beer I Like A Glass Of...
Posted by on Friday, January 6, 2012 in - leave a comment
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 …
California: Ovila Dubbel, Sierra Nevada Brewing, Chico
Posted by on Thursday, January 5, 2012 in - 10 comments
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 …
How Many Things Are Wrong About This Story?
Posted by on Wednesday, January 4, 2012 in - 1 comment
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 …
A Good Beer Blog's Guide To Good Beer Manners
Posted by on Tuesday, January 3, 2012 in - 12 comments
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 …
Beer Cocktails: A Glass Of Port And One Of Stout
Posted by on Sunday, January 1, 2012 in - 6 comments
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 …
