Today’s infographic is about baseball’s Beer Prices vs. Winning Percentage, a chart showing “the projected winning percentage of Major League Baseball teams this season, per Baseball Prospectus, compared to the price of beer at their stadiums,” which they got from an earlier infographic I posted.
Today is Sam Calagione’s 44th birthday. Sam is the owner and marketing genius behind Delaware’s successful Dogfish Head Brewing. Sam’s also a great guy, and a rap singer of sorts, with his duo (along with his head brewer) the Pain Relievaz. See the bottom of this post for a couple videos of him singing after hours at Pike Brewery during the Craft Brewers Conference when it was held in Seattle. Join me in wishing Sam a very happy birthday.
Sam gives the thumbs up behind his booth at the Great American Beer Festival a few years ago.
With Ken Grossman at a Life & Limb collaboration beer dinner.
Kite & Key co-owner Jim Kirk and me with Sam, Bill Covaleski & Greg Koch.
Sam at the Rare Beer Tasting at Wynkoop during GABF 2009.
Rapping at Pike Place in Seattle in 2006.
This first video is “I Got Busy with an A-B Salesgirl,” the Pain Relievaz’ first hit single.
The second video is “West Coast Poseurs,” a smackdown to the hoppy West Coast beer and brewers.
Tuesday’s ad is for Budweiser, from the 1951. Showing a couple wearing near-matching outfits, and certainly the exact same apron, with the man having constructed a gadget to do as little work as possible while the meat on the grill cooks. Check out his socks, and the white bucks. They never quite explain what the “Something more than Beer” might be, but apparently it’s “The Companion of Contentment.”
Join us this Thursday for what’s shaping up to be a fun evening of Hops and History at the former U.S. Mint building in San Francisco. The event is being put on by Flipside, a San Francisco History Events Group, in conjunction with the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society. The Society is currently “undertaking the restoration of San Francisco’s landmark Old Mint to house the future San Francisco Museum at the Mint,” and in the meantime is using the space to hold local history-themed events. Flipside worked with the San Francisco Brewers Guild — and I helped a little bit — but especially SF Brewers Guild executive director Brian Stechschulte to create an evening that includes a program of talks about the history of beer in the city, and also includes a gallery showing of San Francisco breweriana on loan from my friend Ken Harootunian, along with some pieces from Anchor Brewing. Here’s what will be going on during the event, which takes place from 6:30 p.m. until 9:30:
Tickets are $30 and can be purchased online at eventbrite. Here’s what your ticket includes:
Join us Thursday for Hops & History. See you then.
Today is the 68th birthday of Nick Matt, chairman and CEO of F.X. Matt Brewing in Utica, by the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. The brewery was originally founded in 1888, and their main brand today is Saranac. Nick is an active member of the beer industry, and especially through the brewers Association, and a big supporter of the community as a whole. Join me in wishing Nick a very happy birthday.
Nick and Fred Matt at the Rare Beer Tasting at Wynkoop during GABF.
A promo shot at the brewery, Nick with his nephew, and company president, Fred Matt.
Today’s infographic tackles the question of Which Countries Consume The Most Alcohol? It was created by Confused.com using information from the World Health Organization.
Monday’s ad is for Schlitz, from the 1955. It’s one of their “Know the real joy of good living …” series of ads, shows a couple at the beach, though they don’t actually look anywhere near sand or a spot where they could get onto the water. All I see are high, rocky cliffs. Maybe that’s why, despite the towel around his neck, they’re both bone dry.
Today’s infographic is in honor of Victoria Day in Canada. It shows Craft Beers Available Year-Round from Victoria’s Micro-Breweries & Brew Pubs.
Today is Judy Ashworth’s birthday. She’s the Grand Dame of Publicans, having once owned the Lyons Brewery Depot in the East Bay, one of the earliest bars to really embrace, support and promote craft beer. Judy sold the pub in 1998 after some health troubles sidelined her, but she’s still a fixture in the Bay Area beer scene. I’ve judged with her many times and these days she’s very supportive of the homebrewing movement and she can be seen at most of the major beer events throughout the year. Join me in wishing Judy a very happy birthday.
Judy with Shaun O’Sullivan (21st Amendment) and Chris Black at his Falling Rock Taphouse during GABF week in 2007.
Out in front of The Bistro in Hayward at the Wood-Aged Beer Festival in August of 2008. From left: Jeremy Cowan, owner of He’Brew, Judy, Dave Heist, and Zak, also from He’Brew.
At the Toronado Barleywine Festival in 2008, Judy Ashworth, Matt Salie (with Big Sky Brewing) and Judy’s daughter Laurel.
Judy with Stephen Beaumont, me and Peter Hoey at the 2010 Pliny the Younger release.
Dave Suurballe, Judy, Julie Nickels and Bruce Paton at Anchor Brewing for the book release party for Tom Acitelli’s “Audacity of Hops” earlier this month.
