Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer In Ads #537: Bud’s Label Conscious

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Tuesday’s ad is for Budweiser, from not too long ago: 1987. And while I don’t normally feature the overtly sexist ads, this one is too classic to ignore. This, and variations on it, were nearly ubiquitous in the late 1980s. I recall seeing them everywhere. I still think it’s a fairly clever ad, even with the titillation. One thing that sticks out now, just 25 years later, is what they’re listenging to and reading. If the ad was done today, they’d be using an iPod and reading on a Kindle or iPad.

bud-label-conscious-1987

Grenada Beer

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grenada
Today in 1974, Grenada gained their Independence from the United Kingdom.

Grenada
grenada-color

Grenada Breweries

Grenada Brewery Guides

Other Guides

  • CIA World Factbook
  • Official Website
  • U.S. Embassy
  • Wikipedia

Guild: None Known

National Regulatory Agency: None

Beverage Alcohol Labeling Requirements: Not Known

Drunk Driving Laws: BAC N/A

Grenada

  • Full Name: Grenada
  • Location: Caribbean
  • Government Type: Parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
  • Currency: East Caribbean Dollars
  • Language: English (official), French patois
  • Religion(s): Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2%
  • Capital: Saint George’s
  • Population: 108,419; 189th
  • Area: 344 sq km, 206th
  • Comparative Area: Twice the size of Washington, DC
  • National Food: Oil Down
  • National Symbol: Nutmeg
  • Nickname: The Spice Isle or The Isle of Spice
  • Affiliations: UN, Commonwealth, OAS
  • Independence: From the UK, February 7, 1974

grenada-crest

  • Alcohol Legal: Yes
  • Minimum Drinking Age: 18
  • BAC: N/A
  • Label Requirements: N/A
  • Number of Breweries: 1

EastCaribbeanStatesP17g(StVincent)-1Dollar-(1985-88)-donatedrrg_f

  • How to Say “Beer”: bière
  • How to Order a Beer: N/A
  • How to Say “Cheers”: N/A
  • Toasting Etiquette: N/A

grenada-map

Alcohol Consumption By Type:

  • Beer: 29%
  • Wine: 4%
  • Spirits: 66%
  • Other: <1%

Alcohol Consumption Per Capita (in litres):

  • Recorded: 9.85
  • Unrecorded: 0.50
  • Total: 10.35
  • Beer: 3.16

WHO Alcohol Data:

  • Per Capita Consumption: 9.9 litres
  • Alcohol Consumption Trend: Stable
  • Excise Taxes: N/A
  • Minimum Age: 18
  • Sales Restrictions: N/A
  • Advertising Restrictions: N/A
  • Sponsorship/Promotional Restrictions: N/A

Patterns of Drinking Score: 3

Prohibition: None.

grenada-carib

Beer In Ads #536: Grande Brasserie D’Arcueil

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Monday’s ad is still one more by Eugene Oge, a French illustrator who did a number of great beer adverts during his lifetime from 1861-1936. He was a major figure in the Belle Epoque and did many outstanding ads for resorts, food, and all sorts of beverages and brands. This is the fifth of his I’ve featured, and it’s for a presumably French beer brand, Grande Brasserie D’Arcueil. On a particularly hot day, the server appears to be licking the beer foam on the side of the glass as he delivers a giant mug of beer.

eugene-oge-grande-brasserie-darcueil

Beer In Art #160: LeBrie Rich’s TV/Dinner

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art-beer
Today’s work of art is a thoroughly original, unique work of contemporary art. The medium is not paint, but “stitched commercial wool felt combined with needle and traditional wet felting.” The Portland, Oregon artist, LeBrie Rich, originally created it as a window display for the local knitting shop Knit-Purl. Hard as it is to believe, everything except the aluminum tv dinner tray and the plastic fork is made of felt.

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Appropriate for today, the work also includes a football game on the felt television.

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And, of course, there’s a beer. In this case, the TV dinner is paired with a can of Hamm’s.

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And finally, here’s the TV dinner itself. Hungry? Probably a lot of fiber.

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To learn more about LeBrie Rich, check out the biography and resume on her own website. And there’s a short profile on Craft Corps. She also has some of her other items for sale on Etsy, and his online store Penfelt.

Sri Lanka Beer

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sri_lanka
Today in 1948, Sri Lanka gained their Independence from the United Kingdom.

Sri Lanka
sri-lanka-color

Sri Lanka Breweries

Sri Lanka Brewery Guides

Other Guides

Guild: None Known

National Regulatory Agency: None

Beverage Alcohol Labeling Requirements: Not Known

Drunk Driving Laws: BAC 0.06% — Breathalyzer testing is not used routinely. If suspected by police the driver is produced before the closest government medical officer who examines and determines whether the driver is under influence. If the driver refuses examination by the medical officer he is considered to have been under influence by default. [Note: WHO lists BAC at 0.08%]

sri_lanka

  • Full Name: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (f.k.a. Ceylon)
  • Location: Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India
  • Government Type: Republic
  • Language: Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8%; English spoken by 10%
  • Religion(s): Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10%
  • Capital: Colombo
  • Population: 21,283,913; 57th
  • Area: 65,610 sq km, 122nd
  • Comparative Area: Slightly larger than West Virginia
  • National Food: Rice and Curry
  • National Symbol: Blue Lily, Jungle Fowl, Mesua Ferrea tree, Lion & Sword
  • Nickname: Teardrop of India, Island of Dharma, Pearl of the Orient, Pearl of the Indian Ocean
  • Affiliations: UN, Commonwealth of Nations
  • Independence: From the UK, February 4, 1948

Sri_Lanka_Coat_of_Arms

  • Alcohol Legal: Yes
  • Minimum Drinking Age: 21
  • BAC: 0.06% or 0.08% (sources differ)
  • Label Requirements: N/A
  • Number of Breweries: 4

SriLankaP117a-50Rupees-2001

  • How to Say “Beer”: Bire (Sinhala); Madhubaanam or Oru vakai cārāyam (Tamil)
  • How to Say “Cheers”: Seiradewa (Sinhala)
  • Toasting Etiquette: N/A

sri-lanka-map

Alcohol Consumption By Type:

  • Beer: 6%
  • Wine: <1%
  • Spirits: 94%

Alcohol Consumption Per Capita (in litres):

  • Recorded: 0.35
  • Unrecorded: 0.44
  • Total: 0.79
  • Beer: 0.02

WHO Alcohol Data:

  • Per Capita Consumption: 0.4 litres
  • Alcohol Consumption Trend: Stable
  • Excise Taxes: Yes
  • Minimum Age: 21
  • Sales Restrictions: Time, location, specific events, petrol stations
  • Advertising Restrictions: Yes
  • Sponsorship/Promotional Restrictions: Yes

Patterns of Drinking Score: 3

Prohibition: None.

sri-lanka-long

Beer In Ads #535: Biere De L’Eclair

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Friday’s ad is yet another by Eugene Oge, a French illustrator who did a number of great beer adverts during his lifetime from 1861-1936. He was a major figure in the Belle Epoque and did many outstanding ads for resorts, food, and all sorts of beverages and brands. This is the fourth of his I’ve featured, and it’s for a presumably French beer brand, Biere de L’Eclair. Since fizzy yellow beer is sometimes referred to as piss water, I wonder if the horse licking the mug of beer is related to that idea? Nah, probably not, especially with the dog at the man’s feet begging for any beer that might drips down the sides of his mug.

eugene-oge-biere-de-leclair

What’s SF Beer Week Like?

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reservoir-dogs
John Heylin, of the Nor Cal Beer Guide, along with several other BABB members, created a little spoof or homage film for SF Beer Week entitled What’s SF Beer Week Like? Drawing on Reservoir Dogs and the cult status of Russian River’s Pliny the Elder, the minute and a half video might make you cry, especially if you can’t get Pliny in your hometown. But fear not. As is revealed in the end credits; “No Pliny the Elder was harmed in the making of this video.”

Here’s how John describes his film: “How spoiled is the Bay Area when it comes to beer? This spoiled. Come check out SF Beer Week from February 10th-19th and spoil yourself silly.” I spoke to Vinnie Cilurzo at Russian River Brewing today, and he loved the video, thought it hilarious and sent it to all his employees.

Pliny the Younger Day 2012

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pliny-the-younger
Now fixed as the first Friday in February, today was Pliny the Elder Day for 2012 at Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa, California.

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When I arrived around 10:30, the line stretched from the entrance of the brewpub to the end of the block. I’m told the first fans arrived at around 6:00 a.m. this morning to wait for a taste of this year’s triple IPA.

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Owners Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo now set limits on the number of people that can be in the pub at any give time, unlike two years ago, when it devolved into a madhouse. Between that, and the elimination of growler sales, it remained blissfully civilized inside throughout the morning.

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I found a table with some friends, and Natalie brought over a copy of today’s Press Democrat, which featured a story about Russian River’s big day — Credit the Hops — which I read as I enjoyed my first Pliny the Younger of the year.

This year’s version seemed smoother than previous years, and the hops, while monstrously omnipresent, were nonetheless very well balanced and never harsh. This may be my favorite batch yet, particularly because of the smoothness. Plus, it never seemed like a 10.7% beer. The strength was relatively muted behind a rich, thick mouthfeel of full flavors, so that the alcohol never dominated. It seems almost counter-intuitive to use the word delicate for such a big beer, but that why it’s so great, because despite its heft, it’s also complex and elegant; quite recherché.

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Meanwhile the patio outside filled up, too. Here Dan DelGrande (co-owner of Bison Brewing), Steve Shapiro (of Beer By BART) and Stephen Johnson (from New Brew Thursday) enjoy some sunshine and Pliny.

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While back inside, the bar was full, but not overcrowded.

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Eventually, it was time to leave, and hosts Vinnie and Natalie said so long as they toasted another successful Pliny the Younger Day.

Look for Pliny the Younger at select accounts throughout the Bay Area and at their Santa Rosa brewpub for at least the next two weeks. Around 30% more was brewed this year, but you can still expect it to sell out fast, so don’t wait around too long if you’re hoping to get a taste of this year’s triple IPA.

Beer In Ads #534: Bayrische Bierhalle Kropf

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Thursday’s ad is from Switzerland, specifically Zurich, and is for possibly a restaurant or beer hall. Because Bayrische Bierhalle Kropf, in German, is Bavarian Beer Hall Kropf. It’s by Herman Rudolf Seifert, though I can’t find any substantive information about him. Featuring prominently in the ad is the hammers logo with the date 1417, which is used on the Hacker-Pschorr logo so perhaps it is a beer hall that serves their beer.

kropf