May 2012
The Great MetaBlog Debate Of 2004 Has Returned!!!
Posted by on Thursday, May 31, 2012 in - 3 comments
There is no honey sweeter, no creek water cooler, no child's laughter more precious than what happens when bloggers write about blogging. Walk with me through these thoughts from Andy Crouch, would you? • Back when the mainstream media spent little time covering the craft beer segment, one only …
Rogue UK Health Experts Proven To Be Silly And Dull
Posted by on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 in - 1 comment
Weird news out of Britain where researchers at Oxford have announced that you should only eat three beans at a single sitting: • People should drink just a half unit of alcohol daily in order to cut the number of deaths from cancer, liver disease and other conditions linked to drinking, health …
New York: Frankenwhale, Community Beer Works, Buffalo
Posted by on Tuesday, May 29, 2012 in - leave a comment
OK, it is Frank and The Whale, actually, the two brews from Buffalo's Community Beer Works. The recent Euro 2012 Beer Bloggers Conference has sent the up a red flag about the ethics of samples. Really? I suppose some have ethical debates within about the free bit of gak they might foist upon you … read more »
Ontario: Pale Ale, MacLean's, Normanby, West Grey
Posted by on Monday, May 28, 2012 in - leave a comment
It seems a lot farther than just a bit over 400 km when you drive it. Kids... you know what they are like. And Toronto... you know what that is like, too. I found this bottle another 50 km on. Why did it take all the way from 9:15 am to 6:20 pm to travel that far? Snacks. • I picked up this at …
Ontario: Strong Beer Just Can't Compare To Very Strong Beer
Posted by on Saturday, May 26, 2012 in - 8 comments
In the 1820's, Ontario was in that space between the end of the War of 1812 and the unrest of the late 1830s that led to responsible government. In that quarter century, Ontario or what was then called Upper Canada was a bit of a test kitchen for conservative political forces within the British …
Not Beer: Spirit Tree Estate Cidery, Caledon, Ontario
Posted by on Friday, May 25, 2012 in - 1 comment
It was a bit of a haul today. A drive of 500 or 600 km from the eastern end of the fifth Great Lake to the south of the third. We made a point of finding better stops along the way. Chatterpaul's Trinidadian influenced bistro in suburban Whitby was a bit of a happy surprise. As was the traffic, a …
Oh, Look - Peter Gansevoort Needed Barley In 1798
Posted by on Thursday, May 24, 2012 in - 2 comments
After an intense amount of effort researching only the very finest digital archives, Craig (and not I) came across this sweet ad from 28 July 1798 from the Albany Gazette. He explains himself over at his blog how he was hot on the train of Edward A. Le Breton, Albany brewer in the first decade of …
I Was Looking For The Moon Under Water Mug... Again
Posted by on Tuesday, May 22, 2012 in - 6 comments
So, you recall that I bought that rather swell Wedgewood 1940s sage green tankard? I seem to have caught a bit of a fever. And there is only one cure for that... a tankard you can play like a cowbell. For the record, here is the information which came with the online listing: • This quart mug …
One More Angle On A Beer Is Not Always Helpful
Posted by on Monday, May 21, 2012 in - 3 comments
Beer often needs back story. It is after all just water, grain, water, a weed and yeast. So you have to add more to the story... right? • Hops and Robbers is their flagship beer and is touted as an "extra delicious IPA." It is something of a hybrid between the English and American IPA styles …
Am I In A Cross Border Beer Buying Rut?
Posted by on Sunday, May 20, 2012 in - 4 comments
It is either a rut or I have developed a staples list for the beer stash. We were over in the USA this afternoon. As the far side of the customs booth is only 35 minutes from my driveway so this is not any great luxury but I am noticing a certain pattern in recent trips. A bunch of cubes of …
What Is Worse? Free Beer Or Free Advertising?
Posted by on Friday, May 18, 2012 in - 12 comments
It is a sad state of affairs when you can't read this far into an argument without asking yourself if the author can't see the screaming incongruity: • The other reason why we don't give away beer is because we have a firm conviction that if you want to write about our beer, then we don't want …
Utah: Detour Double IPA, Uinta Brewing, Salt Lake City
Posted by on Thursday, May 17, 2012 in - 6 comments
I am staring at an empty bottle of Detour Double IPA from Uinta Brewing of Salt Lake City. It's a big bottle and I think it was emptied at about 2:20 am this morning. My first beer from Utah and it got drained over a mid-week middle of the night family bonding fest of Kids in the Hall DVDs. The …
Again, A Monopoly Copes With Competition
Posted by on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 in - leave a comment
A few years ago we discussed how the eastern Canadian province of New Brunswick was coping with challenges posed by its location next to Quebec and Maine. It is at it again: • NB Liquor quietly launched a new plan last week to attract New Brunswick beer drinkers to buy local by lowering prices …
Is The River Slowly Rising At The OCBeerCommentary Wiki?
Posted by on Sunday, May 13, 2012 in - 2 comments
Seven months ago, I wrote a post entitled "And Quiet Flows the OCBeerCommentary Wiki" about the sensibly slow pace of its review of The Oxford Companion to Beer. But the flow more than slowed. Pace became somewhat geological over the winter. I have to admit that I wasn't very focused myself and … read more »
Idaho: Snarling Badger Berliner Weisse, Grand Teton Brewing
Posted by on Saturday, May 12, 2012 in - 1 comment
I have no idea what to think of this. A sample of a Berliner Weisse from Grand Teton in Idaho showed up in the mail the other week and I thought to myself... I have no idea what to think of this. While I have quite enjoyed their samples before, I have only had one Berliner Weisse before and I have …
When Is More Local Beer Not Really Local Beer?
Posted by on Friday, May 11, 2012 in - 10 comments
An excellent set of observations by Velky Al over at Fuggled on the somewhat sudden trend for east coast production facilities for west coast US national craft: • I can't help but think that this is the first stage in the consolidation of the craft brewing industry, where the bigger companies …
What Was 1736's George Orwell's Favorite Tankard?
Posted by on Thursday, May 10, 2012 in - leave a comment
Now that I have a 1940s china tankard I want more. And think the view above is one that I would appreciate. A George II silver tankard for a mere £7,750. It's on eBay right now. I think it's worth it. I am worth it. What beer would it have held two hundred years or so before Orwell daydreamed … read more »
I Was Looking For The Moon Under Water Mug...
Posted by on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 in - 5 comments
But I found this which will do for now. • In George Orwell's 1949 essay The Moon Under Water - mentioned here, here and here - we are taken perhaps though the looking glass to an idyllic perfect pub of post-war Britain. It is a gorgeous physical essay that sets out the elements of Orwell's dream …
When Whatever You Do Is Normal It Just Might Not Be
Posted by on Monday, May 7, 2012 in - 8 comments
This is one of the weirder quotes of the day: • I like beer. I like the way it calms me, and I like the taste of it. I’m 38 and have been drinking around 10 beers a day for five years. I pace my drinking so that I am quite sober even with this amount of beer. I can carry on a conversation and …
As I Consider 2012 World Beer Cup Awards I Wonder...
Posted by on Sunday, May 6, 2012 in - 18 comments
I have to admit that I have not given two seconds thought to the World Beer Cup in all the years since I began writing about beer. Not that I have anything against the idea of a mass sipping and note taking exercise - but a long time ago, I came across a brewery that claimed it had won certain …
So Does "Community" Really Mean Conference + Beer?
Posted by on Saturday, May 5, 2012 in - 10 comments
You know how most people go to conferences not so much for the subject matter but to do something else in the evening, in another city where no amount of effort will help the kids get to their softball practices? Reading the various bits and pieces coming out of the Craft Brewers Conference being …
Session 63: Just A Moment If You Please
Posted by on Friday, May 4, 2012 in - 13 comments
Further to my recent admission of an understanding gap, Pete Brown has been given the keys to today's Session #63, The Beer Moment: • I’ve been thinking about this quite a lot recently, because I’ve been talking about it to various people who are working hard to try to improve the image of beer …
To Be "Shelted" Is Not To Pay A Premium Price
Posted by on Wednesday, May 2, 2012 in - 4 comments
With respect, Lew in this case is wrong: • "Shelted" is a word Canadian blogger Alan "A Good Beer Blog" McLeod made up three years ago, and from the context, I'm guessing it means "being asked to pay a premium price for a beer imported by Shelton Brothers." (Alan's a bit obsessive on price/value …
What Are The Corporate Values Of Beer?
Posted by on Tuesday, May 1, 2012 in - 1 comment
I found this at Forbes entitled "Why More CEOs Should Drink Beer", a column about about that guy who said he had too much beer a bit, odd or at least unusual: • Mason is 31 years old and running a hot tech company in Chicago. Hot tech companies are filled with smart, young people like Mason who …
