Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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SF Beer Week One Month Away

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In exactly one month, SF Beer Week will start up again. For ten days beginning on February 11, beer in the Bay Area will be front and center. Last year we had over 225 diverse events and this year promises to have even more beer-centric events throughout the Bay Area. In a couple of hours — at 4:00 p.m. — this year’s website will go live with the first batch of events added to the schedule. Start filling up your dance card now, to make sure you have a seat at as many of the great events as you and your liver can manage.

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The Anchor Christmas Party 2010

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A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I attended the Anchor Christmas Party that’s held each year at the brewery. It’s one of the few events I can drag her out to, and it’s always a good time, seeing lots of local friends in the beer community. They put out an amazing spread and, of course, the beer is exquisite. Not much more to say about it, but I thought I’d share a few photos from the event.

Sarah and me in front of the Anchor Xmas box tree
Mrs. Brookston Beer Bulletin and me at the annual Anchor Christmas Party.

Zambo, Rich Rosen, Jen Garris, Sarah, Lloyd Knight, Dave Suurballe, James Renfrew and Shaun O'Sullivan
Zambo (21st Amendment), Rich Rosen (Pi Bar, Chenery Park), Jen Garris (Pi Bar), Sarah, Lloyd Knight (21A), Dave Suurballe (everywhere), James Renfrew (formerly with Potrero Hill Brewing) and Shaun O’Sullivan (21A).

Shaun O'Sullivan and my wife, Sarah
Shaun O’Sullivan and Sarah.

Shaun O'Sullivan, Dave McLean, James Renfrew, Rich Rosen and Dave Suurballe
Shaun O’Sullivan, Dave McLean (Magnolia), James Renfrew, Rich Rosen and Dave Suurballe

Me and Fritz Maytag
Me and Fritz Maytag.

Open It! Today, Tomorrow Or Sunday

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open-bottle-cap
Here’s a gentle remainder that Open IT! Weekend begins today and runs through this Sunday, so get cracking … those bottles open.

The brainchild of UK beer writer Mark Dredge, who writes at Pencil and Spoon, he’s designated the first weekend in December — the 3rd through the 5th — as “Open It!” weekend. What that means is it’s time for you — and me — to open some of those special bottles we’ve been saving for … a special occasion that never comes. Instead, let’s open them now and, in the spirit of the holidays, start sharing.

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Here’s how he put it a few weeks ago, in his initial post, Announcing Open It:

So here’s the idea: let’s create a special occasion. Let’s call this special occasion Open It! and let’s drink the good beers. Let’s find a bottle from the depth of the cellar and open it, drink it and then tell others about it (in blogs, blog comments or twitter or facebook).

Open it alone or open it with others; hold an Open It! party or take it to the pub to see what people think. Most importantly, get that bottle open and drink the thing and then tell everyone about it.

Open It! over the first weekend in December — Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th — and then blog about it in the week after. Use the #openit hashtag on twitter while you are drinking it and like the facebook group. It’s just about opening something special and enjoying it.

Doesn’t that sound like fun? The key, I think, is letting everybody know what you opened. That should be the best part, our collective stash. So just open it! Today, tomorrow or Sunday. Yum!

Mutineer Magazine’s Holiday Comedy Festival In Wine (& Beer) Country

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This should be a fun — and funny — event. Mutineer Magazine is hosting a comedy event to benefit A Child’s Right, an organization with a mission to ensure children have access to safe drinking water. The Mutineer Magazine Holiday Comedy Festival will take place at the Jacuzzi Family Vineyards in Sonoma on December 11, beginning at 7:00 p.m. In addition to Jacuzzi wine, tequila from sponsor Don Roberto and beer from Lagunitas and Firestone Walker will also be served.

The evening of stand-up comedy will include comedians Ben Morrison (host), Bryan Callen (co-headliner), Natasha Leggero (co-headliner), Ben Gleib, Greg Wilson, and Daryl Wright. In addition, the winner of a Laugh Factory contest is scheduled to appear. Also special guest Jonathan Goldsmith will appear. He’s the Dos Equis spokesperson for the “The World’s Most Interesting Man” advertising campaign. You can read more about each performer at the Mutineer event website.

Tickets are only $35 and can be purchased online.

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From the press release:

RARE LAUGHS, SPECTACULAR BEVERAGES

Performing against this fantastical blue backdrop (blue for water relief, naturally!)? An all-star lineup of standup comedians and special guests, no shortage of Hollywood-style glamour (think paparazzi-style photogs on the blue carpet) and outstanding libations from some of the finest names in beverage. It’s all in line with the publication’s rep for pushing boundaries and exceeding expectations where drinks and lifestyle experiences collide, and looks to be one of the wildest nights wine country will see this side of 2011. Los Angeles-based funnyman and festival host Ben Morrison – known as well for being Ashton Kutcher’s right-hand man on the hit MTV show “Punk’d” as for his prolific appetite for Single Malt Scotch – says, “It’s a totally rare opportunity to see this caliber of comedic talent all under one roof, in one night outside of Hollywood.”

Even better: it’s for a good cause.

LAUGHS TO BENEFIT WATER RELIEF

The festival is an ebullient catalyst for Mutineer’s 2011 trek to Nepal, where magazine staff, select “cultural influencers” and beverage industry reps will install five water filtration systems on behalf of relief organization A Child’s Right. The systems will provide clean drinking water to 25,000 children for ten years. To bring the full impact of the outreach home to readers, magazine editors will blog about the trip along the way and report on the endeavor with significant coverage in the May 2011 issue. Kropf sees it this way: “There’s nothing funny about the need for clean water. But bringing top comedic talent – and lots of laughter – to wine country to raise funds for water relief among at-risk kids? Priceless.”

FUNNY, SEXY & BLUE ALL OVER

Officially on the program roster: Cocktails by presenting sponsor Don Roberto Tequila and other select purveyors in the beverage tent, festive surprise guests, base-thumping holiday soul and funk beats, and lots of laughs. As for the show itself, the endlessly funny Natasha Leggero (as seen in NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” Comedy Central’s “Reno 911” and “Ugly Americans”) and Bryan Callen (“MadTV” and “The Hangover”) are set to co-headline an elite group of seven Hollywood humorists, all of whom have pledged to share with guests their most amusing insights into the theme of thirst. One of the comedians for the evening will be a wild-card performer selected at a Mutineer-sponsored search contest at LA’s Laugh Factory November 18, 2010, and a special appearance will be made at the festival by Jonathan Goldsmith, who famously portrays “The Most Interesting Man In the World” in Dos Equis’ advertisements.

A CHARITABLE GIFT EVERY HIP HOLIDAY REVELER CAN EMBRACE!

Best part of all? Festival guests will know that they’re laughing and sipping in the name of charitable water relief. And thanks to the show’s top-shelf talent, delicious drinks, eye-popping blue décor and insanely affordable ticket price — Mutineer tagged entry at a rightly reasonable $35 to make the show as millennial-accessible as possible — it looks as though everyone gets to have the last laugh come December 11. Cheers to that.

“Open It!” Weekend To Be Held December 3-5

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open-bottle-cap
Here’s a fun idea from UK beer writer Mark Dredge, who writes at Pencil and Spoon. He’s designating the first weekend in December — the 3rd through the 5th — as “Open It!” weekend. What that means is it’s time to open some of those special bottles you’ve been saving for … a special occasion that never comes. Instead, let’s open them now and, in the spirit of the holidays, start sharing.

open-it

Here’s how he puts it in the initial post, Announcing Open It:

So here’s the idea: let’s create a special occasion. Let’s call this special occasion Open It! and let’s drink the good beers. Let’s find a bottle from the depth of the cellar and open it, drink it and then tell others about it (in blogs, blog comments or twitter or facebook).

Open it alone or open it with others; hold an Open It! party or take it to the pub to see what people think. Most importantly, get that bottle open and drink the thing and then tell everyone about it.

Open It! over the first weekend in December — Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th — and then blog about it in the week after. Use the #openit hashtag on twitter while you are drinking it and like the facebook group. It’s just about opening something special and enjoying it.

Which was echoed in a reminder posted yesterday. It certainly encouraged me to take up the cause and try to spread the word. I could see this becoming a fun annual event. I do a monthly tasting that’s somewhat similar, insofar as I try to share the samples I get every month so they don’t end up in the back of the refrigerator in the first place. But despite those efforts, I still have four of them, two of which are filled with beer I’m reluctant to open on a whim.

The first day of Open IT! weekend also coincides with December’s Session, and the topic is Unexpected Discoveries. There’s no reason that discovery couldn’t be that forgotten bottle hiding in your beer cellar.

But the key, I think, is letting everybody know what you opened. That should be the fun part, our collective stash. So just open it!

Are You “Porter Worthy?”

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porter-worthy
I might have ignored this press release from Yuengling Brewery had it not been for one personal detail: my son is a porter. How could he not be “porter worthy,” whatever that means? Apparently it means “good deeds,” so that may leave my Porter out, after all. He’s just mostly good, like any 9-year old boy.

What Yuengling is doing is recognizing that “good deeds happen every day thanks to the selflessness of friends, family and, sometimes, perfect strangers. But most of those good deeds go unrecognized — until now.”

A new campaign from Yuengling seeks to shine a spotlight on the individuals who go above and beyond. The campaign, for Yuengling’s Porter beer (also its oldest beer), is called “Porter Worthy” and is inspired by the porters of 19th century England, who would toil day in and day out transporting travelers’ luggage through the cobblestone streets of London. Each month on Yuengling’s Porter Worthy blog, we’ll recognize a Porter Worthy Person of the Month, who will receive a prize signed by Dick Yuengling himself.

From the press release:

“Depth of character allows ordinary people to do extraordinary things on a daily basis. These are the achievements we call ‘Porter Worthy,’ and we want to give these achievements the recognition they deserve,” said Yuengling Marketing Manager Lou Romano. “That’s where Yuengling Porter comes in. It’s a reward that’s special, yet accessible.”

According to Romano, the Porter Worthy campaign was inspired by the beer’s namesake, the strong, hard-working porters who carried travelers’ heavy baggage through the cobblestone streets of 18th century London.

The blog and Facebook page will feature Porter Worthy persons identified by the Yuengling team but also will recognize a “Porter Worthy Person of the Month” based on reader nominations. Monthly honorees will receive, among other prizes, a personalized award signed by brewery President Dick Yuengling.

Yuengling Dark Brewed Porter is available in 13 states and Washington D.C. The Porter Worthy campaign is scheduled to run indefinitely with Porter Worthy nominations open to people around the world.

porter-worthy

As beer promotions go, it’s hard to fault one that tries to find and honor people for doing good in the world, no matter how small the deed. Yuengling describes being “porter worthy,” as “a special tribute for those who have carried a heavy load, picked up extra work or gone out of their way to help.” They continue:

That could be you, or someone you know. Each month, we’ll select a different “Porter Worthy Person of the Month” based on the nominations you send us. Those selected will have their story told here on PorterWorthy.com and will win a limited edition Yuengling Porter hand-signed by Dick Yuengling.

So nominate a friend, family member, co-worker or even yourself. Remember, a Porter Worthy action isn’t necessarily monumental. It could be a small gesture. But large or small, doing something Porter Worthy means making a difference when it matters most.

2nd Annual Holiday Beerfest at Fort Mason This Saturday

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The 2nd annual BevMo Holiday Beerfest will be held at Fort Mason this Saturday, November 20, from 5:30 until 9:00 p.m.

More than 100 local and international breweries will be pouring over 150 holiday, seasonal and special beers, including cider. For the designated driver, they’ll also be serving craft soda. You can see a list of the beers being poured at the festival website.

Tickets are $40 and may be purchased online, and include unlimited samplings of the beer. Food will be available for purchase and three bands will be performing throughout the evening: Con Brio (Funk, Jazz & Soul), Sentinel (Indie Pop Alternative) and the Jugtown Pirates (Acoustic Psychedelic Bluegrass).
bevmo-holiday-beerfest
This was a fun festival last year and a great opportunity to try a number of different holiday seasonals at one place. See you there.

Anchor To Receive Ralston Award From SF Museum & Historical Society

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anchor-steam
Fritz Maytag may have stepped back from his daily duties at Anchor Brewing, the brewery he owned and ran since 1965, but that doesn’t mean he’s slowing down. He’s still running his winery, York Creek Vineyards, and consulting with the new owners of Anchor Brewing & Distilling.

And later this month, on November 18, the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society will present their William C. Ralston Corporate Award to Fritz Maytag and Dave Burkhart on behalf of Anchor Brewing.

From the press release:

Receiving the Ralston Award on behalf of Anchor Brewing will be Fritz Maytag and David Burkhart. Maytag, considered the father of modern microbreweries, had been at the helm of Anchor Brewing for 45 years. Maytag helped spark a revival in the craft of making beer by hand and inspired thousands of entrepreneurs to follow him in creating small, artisan breweries. He won the 2008 James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award. The company was sold this spring but he serves as Chairman Emeritus, Anchor Brewing Company.

Burkhart, a staff member of Anchor Brewing and a California-born historian and honors graduate of Yale, is the author of Earthquake Days: The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake & Fire in 3D and the editor of Cocktail Boothby’s American Bartender. He is also a professional trumpeter who teaches at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and performs with the San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Symphony. His latest book project is called Cocktails & Punches in Mark Twain’s San Francisco.

Congratulations to both, and to Anchor. Tickets to the Awards Luncheon may be purchased online.