It's been crazy around here and Jeff is up to his neck in office dickheads. But we are down to the final strokes, the last steps in judging now and are happy to announce the final forty entries.

Who will win the grand prize? Who will it be?

I am not sure what it is about journalists these days but they seem to have entirely forgotten what life was like in the 1980s. People seem to think that, you know, the special friends relationship of hooking up was invented by those with a Blackberry and that facing economic tough times is something that no one has coped with before. Odder, however, than forgetting the lax ways of amore and getting together with pals over a pot of weak tea is the idea that "pre-drinking" as described by the Toronto Star this morning is new:

Young people are engaging in a "new culture of intoxication" that even has its own buzzwords – "pre-drinking" or "pre-gaming." If you're a confused parent looking for a simple definition, just click on YouTube, or on urbandictionary.com, where it's described as the "act of drinking alcohol before you go out to the club to maximize your fun at the club while spending the least amount on extremely overpriced alcoholic beverages." This new form of binge drinking goes far beyond a warm-up to a night out with friends, says a new report by Centre for Addiction and Mental Health researcher Samantha Wells and two colleagues at the University of Toronto and University of Western Ontario. It's an "intense, ritualized and unsupervised" drinkfest, in many cases perfectly timed so that the booze hits the bloodstream within minutes of stepping inside the bar, Wells said in a telephone interview from London, Ont.

Wow. They are "unsupervised" when they do this?!?!? Imagine that.

Did anyone involved with these studies ask a Maritimer who was in university a quarter century ago? Frankly, I still find it odd to be in a pub before ten in the evening given that the Halifax social scene required picking up a case (Nova Scotian for 12 beer) on the way home, having something for supper like K-D or oven fries and then landing at one house or another to, frankly, pound them back until it was time to get the taxi downtown. But these days I get all snoozy well too early for this sort of thing. I hardly make it to the end Num-Three-Ers on Friday night at eleven now. Yet somewhere some part of me is happy that gangs of the young are still being safely dumb in fun packs within reasonable parametres, singing at the tops of their lungs, turning into bags of seat as they slam-dance or whatever the kids are up to today.

There I was, gleefully hacking through the Xmas 2008 Beer Blog Yule and Assorted Holiday Photo Contest and Snowballing Spree, culling the herd from 524 pictures to a select 132 or so, needing a little something. Thirsty work so I popped a 500 ml 6.5% New Brunswicker IPA from Freddie's Beach. I had no idea what to expect. There are very few things a Nova Scotian like me can imagine coming out of New Brunswick that I might, you know, ingest. Sure it's my inter-Maritimal prejudice speaking but you got to be what youse is, right?

But there are present surprises in life and this is one of them. It pours a light orange amber with a frothy white foam. On the nose, plenty of bright herbal citrus - including tangerine and lemon. None of that heavy orange marmalade you often get. In the mouth, more tangerine and lemony citrus but mainly white grapefruit with some decent rougher bittering hops that cuts completely though the good grainy pale malt profile. Plenty of body. Solid without being stodgy. Sweetish, moreish and a bit deceptive for its strength. And honest brewer, too, as the label says "this beer may change slightly from batch to batch as we explore the various interpretations of the style." Yip. Eee.

I like. This would go very well with a spicy curry. One lonely BA give an honest opinion.

This really has gotten out of hand. I spent a couple of hours finalizing the entries to the best of my meager abilities and as far as I can tell we have had 524 photos sent in, 186 email threads and about 40 prizes pledged by 30 of the nicest beer folk out there. I have no idea how we are supposed to go through these and make good choices. Remedy? Arbitrary choices!

No, there shall be some sense placed over the discussions - especially for grand prize winner who will get a bundle of various gifties in the mail from a number of gift givers. But you can help. You can let us know who your favorites are. Have a look at the four galleries on Flickr (linkably referenced just below) and give your comments about which ones you like the best. And then argue about your differing opinions. Call each other names. That would be great.

• gallery one - 118 photos of great promise.
• gallery two - 119 photos of rare perception.
• gallery three - 151 photos of commanding voice.
• gallery four - 136 photos of doubtful toe-curling amateurism.

I jest. I have had no time to categorize these in any way. As Jeff wrote after the contest closed UK time, we'll work out the best over the week and get back to you on how it pans out. Sound good? Fine. Let us know your thoughts, too. That's also fine. You want to offer your ideas on the rules? That's fine, too...but we'll just ignore them.

Starting with the metaphor of going steady, Jay sets out his observations on the state of The Session with the line "Dear Session, we’ve been going steady now nearly two years...and I think perhaps it’s time to “talk.”

He's right. The thing needs a couples weekend, a counseling session... maybe even a few dates with some other folk. Read what Jay has to say.

Well, I think it is safe to say that as far as Jeff and I are concerned the 2008 Yule, Christmas and Assorted Other Holiday Photo and Yodeling Contest has been insanely successful. With the addition of the latest photo gallery at flicker, there is a total of 388 entries and thirty prize giving brewers, authors and others in the beer trade. Nutty. Here are the three galleries of photos for you to check out:

• gallery one - the first wave of 118 photos.
• gallery two - the challenging second album of 119 photos.
• gallery three - 151 all new all hit entries!!!

Time moves on and the contest is drawing to a close. Breaking Newsflash: I will be away from the computer for the best part of the balance of the contest, taking part in some early Yule festivities at the other end of the province so I will not be updating the entries until after the close of the contest next Sunday at 4:00 pm eastern time zone, North America. But please do continue to pour in more photos by emailing your photos of anything related to beer (not to mention more pledges of prizes) to both me at beerblog@gmail.com and also Jeff at stonchblog@gmail.com. We'd like that. We really would.

I would also like to thank all each and every one of our prize sponsors. I am adding the prize offerings to the list below to give you an idea of how good they have all been - for you and for beer-tography. I would particularly like to thank Daniel Bradford of All About Beer magazine who not only has pledged some great prizes but has offered to run the winning photo in our magazine with a little blurb about the contest. Fantastic stuff. Here are all the prize givers to date:

• Beer-Ritz, Britain's bestest online beer retailer which is giving an international selection of a dozen harder-to-find dark ales, stouts and porters to a UK based winner;
• All About Beer magazine...which has offered five subscriptions as well as other goodies;
• BrewDog Beer of Scotland (the greatest Scots rock stars since the BCRs) two mixed cases of their singular concoctions for UK winners (dontcha want to live in the UK now?) as well as a signed t-shirt.
• Flying Dog Brewery of Maryland if shouting out with the gift of a Barrel-aged Gonzo, Humphrey the Humper dog, Gonzo Poster and Gonzo T-shirt. Jeff and I are not entirely clear on what that means but we also know that is because we may not be cool enough to understand...ok, I'm not;
• Beau's All-Natural Brewing of easternest Ontario is giving one of you a hat and t-shirt which will have been specially selected by Steve, the man who put me to work as a brewery roadie;
• Shipyard Brewing of Portland, Maine steps right up and offers three separate prizes of a Shipyard travel coffee mug and a Shipyard aluminum water bottle;
• Church-key Brewing of Campbellford, Ontario is giving away a brewery tour and lunch at their Stinking Rose pub...which I have every expectation could lead to one thing or another;
• Roland + Russell, Canada's nicest beer importers will be giving out a seasonal basket of miscellaneous love and good feeling;
• Jolly Pumpkin of Dexter, Michigan USA which has once again affirmed that timeless truth - "a t-shirt sounds great";
• Flossmoor Station Brewing, of Illinois is presenting a growler and a sampler to lucky winner when he or she next visits;
• Widmer Brothers of Portland, Oregon gives jingle bell laced notice: "we can send you 12 Widmer weizen glasses, 6 T-shirts, and probably some other small items" - that'll make six of you merry;
• Cracked Kettle beer store in Amsterdam, The Netherlands is giving out a Cracked Kettle t-shirt and a bottle of Westvleteren 12;
• Laurelwood Brewing Company, of Oregon pledges a T shirt, Hat, and 4 Pint Glasses to a US winner;
• New Holland Brewing of Michigan is giving out "one awesome t shirt"! I wonder if it is 12 feet tall - that would be awesome;
• Maureen Ogle, author of "Ambitious Brew" is offering a signed, hardcover, first edition. Wow. And for those who don't win this prize (aka "humankind-1=X") order your copy at Amazon;
• TAPS, Canada's beer magazine is giving one lucky and hopefully literate winner a one year's subscription;
• Cigar City Brewing of Tampa Bay FLA has given us a t-shirt, pint glass, snifter glass, decal and hat and also announced the good news through the St. Pete's Times;
• Hopworks Urban Brewery of Portland Oregon has offered a growler full of organic beer with fill and an organic tshirt to the winner of the "best organic photo" catetgory...which begs the question if we have an organic photo category. Maybe we can go with "best cat and beer" picture instead;
• Oskar Blues Brewery of Colorado is offering an as yet unspecified "a couple prizes" - the whole mysteriousness thing is not traditionally a Yule thing but we can work with it;
• Dogfish Head Craft Brewery of Delaware will be mailing out a hat and a t-shirt to some lucky shutterbug;
• The Gunmakers Pub of London England which is offering a nod...which, is as good as a wink to a blind man...if you know what I mean, Ron;
• Roots Organic Brewing Company of Portland Oregon is slapping down a hat and a bottle of this years Epic Ale on the digital table. Righteous;
• The Granite Brewery and Restaurant of Toronto, Ontario is giving a brewery sweatshirt.;
• Monday Night Brewery; The Aleuminati have pledges "a couple of items"...which I think means stuff;
• Great Lakes Brewing of Toronto, Ontario will supply a t-shirt and a couple of Great Lakes glasses;
• Lew Bryson, fabulous beer author - a copy of New Jersey Breweries which can otherwise be obtained at Amazon or from Santa if you have been nice;
• Full Sail Brewing Company of Hood River, Oregon - a sweet hoodie;
• Evan Rail and CAMRA - a copy of Good Beer Guide Prague which the non-winners can get at Amazon;
• Lakes of Muskoka Brewery of Bracebridge, Ontario will put you in a hat which you really need when it is either cold or hot;
• ...and last but not least Steam Whistle Brewing of Toronto, Ontario which is pledging a very neato Retro Wall-Mounted Opener!!!

So that is all for now. Get more photos in and send some more prizes. I think that the entrants have outstripped the prize givers but such is life. We do this for the art. For art and about a 41% shot at a prize. Not bad odds.

I had reason to mine the archives of The New York Times today - for entirely proper purposes, I can assure you - but it was quite a moment, that moment when I knew in my small way that I was living out the life Pattinsonian, beery archive sleuth. What I came upon today was an 1890s travel piece with beer references worked in for good measure, the sort of thing our pal Evan Rail of Beer Culture fame, provides for The New York Times today, 118 years later. This is the key beer-related bit.

...The similarity to the English extends quite noticeably to minor matters, even to eating and drinking. Pipes rather than cigars are smoked in the streets and public places. English relishes and sauces in great abundance are displayed upon the dining tables. Lager beer is wanting almost absolutely. I remember in all my travels, extending through hundreds of miles in Ontario, beginning at this place, to have seen the sign "lager beer" displayed only once. Light wines are rarely called for. Strong ales like Bass's and stouts like Guinness's abound. Coffee is rarely served and when ordered is found to be a mockery. Tea is, next to mineral waters, the stable temperance drink at table...

That is an interesting bit of social observation. The whole piece with its August 16 1890 dateline is interesting and, if you have any idea of Kingston and its rare preservation of a huge part of its Victorian architecture, one that you can immediately place in the streets about the downtown. Except there's lager beer here now. A little too much, frankly.

Interesting news from down under as one of the big macro-brewers on the other side of the planet decides to take on craft brewing though returning to more disciplined brewing:

...enough is enough. The big boys are fighting back, or at least leading brewer and winemaker Lion Nathan is, with a "natural beer" promise that's backed by a dedicated website and television advertising campaign. Chief brewer Bill Taylor says the company has "seen the writing on the wall" and is responding to a consumer push towards natural products. "People are becoming more conscious about what they're putting in their bodies. There are a lot of consumers who prefer to go a slightly more natural route and we're giving people that option with some ajor brands." The brewer's pledge is that Toohey's New, Toohey's Old, XXXX Gold, XXXX Bitter, West End Draught and Swan Draught contain only five natural ingredients: water, malted grains, hops, cane sugar and yeast.

And say what you like, promising you are only using cane sugar is quite a restriction given the wide range of sugars this may actually be cutting out. I like the use of "natural" as well. Usually a poxy mealy-mouth word that is code for "what I think it should mean" in this case it can refer to the natural technique of brewing as opposed to some sort of certification as to the ingredients. Beer is naturally made from malted grain with a few other honest ingredients. Been made that way naturally for many a millennium. It is, in fact, part of human nature. That works for me.

To say that the response to the 2008 Yule and Christmas Beer Blog Photo Contest and Pageant... I did mention the pantomime pageant, did I?... has been far greater than expected would be the understatement of the year. We just created another photo set on Flickr for entries submitted between 28 November and half of the entries on 2 December and that adds another 119 photos to the 118 on the first Flickr photo set. 237 pictures to 2 December and we still have four days of entries to catch up. That is crazy...but not if you consider the fabulous prizes that are being pledged by these great sponsors:

• Beer-Ritz, Britain's bestest online beer retailer;
• BrewDog Beer of Scotland;
• Flying Dog Brewery of Maryland;
• Beau's All-Natural Brewing of easternest Ontario;
• Shipyard Brewing of Portland, Maine;
• Church-key Brewing of Campbellford, Ontario;
• Roland + Russell, Canada's nicest beer importers;
• Jolly Pumpkin of Dexter, Michigan USA;
• Flossmoor Station Brewing, of Illinois;
• Widmer Brothers of Portland, Oregon;
• Cracked Kettle beer store in Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
• Laurelwood Brewing Company, of Oregon;
• New Holland Brewing of Michigan;
• Maureen Ogle, author of "Ambitious Brew";
• TAPS, Canada's beer magazine;

• Cigar City Brewing of Tampa Bay FLA;
• Hopworks Urban Brewery of Portland Oregon;
• Oskar Blues Brewery of Colorado;
• Dogfish Head Craft Brewery of Delaware;
• The Gunmakers Pub of London England;
• Roots Organic Brewing Company of Portland Oregon;
• The Granite Brewery and Restaurant of Toronto, Ontario;
• and last but not least All About Beer magazine...which has offered FIVE subscriptions as well as other goodies.

I am simply gobsmacked. That is crazy. Good crazy but crazy. I fully expect that I have missed a prize or two in all the flood of emails and we do have more photos to upload this weekend to create a third set of entries on Flickr...if not more. A big thanks to Troy Burtch of Great Canadian Pubs and Beer and Matt Wiater of portlandbeer.com who have joined in and helped beat the bushes for more and more prizes for all of you. Jeff and I ecstatic that this is taking off as it is. There is still time to enter, too. Email your photos of anything related to beer (as well as more pledges of prizes) to both me at beerblog@gmail.com and also Jeff at stonchblog@gmail.com.

Join in! As we say around here every Yuletide, get it on and bang that gong. Merry photo contest to you all!