Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer In Ads #361: American Originals, Black & Tan

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ad-billboard
Tuesday’s ad is for another one of Anheuser-Busch’s series of beers they marketed under the name “American Originals,” beginning in the fall of 1995. This one was Black & Tan, a “Porter.” Here’s what a press release said about it at the time:

Adolphus Busch’s Black and Tan was first brewed in 1899 as an American porter, and was particularly popular on draught in saloons. Black and Tan is a full-bodied porter with a bit more malt to soften the flavor, and it has a deep reddish-brown color. It is a hearty, rich and dark ale that features taste characteristics of roasted malt, chocolate and coffee. Its aroma combines roasted malt, chocolate, fruity and slightly floral characteristics.

Black and Tan is brewed using a true English ale yeast, a blend of chocolate, caramel and two other varieties of roasted malt, and a combination of Washington State hops and imported hops.

“Black and Tan is a very hearty, rich, and dark beer that is a perfect complement to foods of a similar nature, such as meat stews, chilis and strong chocolate-flavored desserts,” Kahn said.

ab-black-tan

Beer In Ads #360: American Originals, Faust

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ad-billboard
Monday’s ad is for one of Anheuser-Busch’s series of beers they marketed under the name “American Originals,” beginning in the fall of 1995. This one was Faust, a “Devilish All-Malt Lager.” Here’s what a press release said about it at the time:

Faust was first brewed in 1885 by Adolphus Busch for his good friend Tony Faust to serve at Faust’s renowned St. Louis Oyster House and Restaurant. The brand was initially sold only in Faust’s restaurant, but it became so popular that it was made available on a much wider basis in subsequent years.

“Faust is an all-malt lager that is brewed using only the richest two-row, dry-roasted barley and a blend of distinctive imported Bohemian and Washington State hops,” said Dan Kahn, the Anheuser-Busch brewmaster responsible for American Originals’ development.

faust

Beer In Art #125: Pieter de Hooch’s Woman Drinking In A Courtyard

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art-beer
This week’s work of art is by the Dutch artist Pieter de Hooch who was active during the time period known as the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century. The painting, completed between 1658-1660, is entitled Un homme fumant et une femme buvant dans une cour a Delft (which is translated as Man Smoking and Woman Drinking in a Courtyard in Delft). The original painting is in the Mauritshuis in the Hague.

pieter-de-hooch-courtyard

The woman looks positively modern, almost like she’s savoring the aroma of the beer before taking her first sip.

You can see more of Pieter de Hooch’s work at the Artchive, the Artcyclopedia, Olga’s Gallery and the Web Gallery of Art.

Cheese & Beer Pairing Session Next Friday

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A gentle reminder that the first Friday in May is less than a week away, and that means it will be time for the next Session, a.k.a. Beer Blogging Friday. I’ll be your host for the 51st Session, and I’m making it as difficult as possible, though not on purpose, I assure you. I thought it would be fun to take things a step farther and really do something different and challenging. So check out the original announcement for the full details, but in a nutshell here’s the dealio:

  1. Pick up three cheeses*:
    1. Maytag Blue, or another blue cheese.
    2. Widmer Cellars 1-yr old aged cheddar, or another aged cheddar.
    3. Humboldt Fog, or another goat cheese.
  2. Pick a few beers you think will pair well with each cheese.
  3. Drink them with the cheese.
  4. Write up your results and post them on or before Friday, May 6.
  5. Leave a comment here, the announcement, or my Session post, or send me an e-mail so I can find your Session post.

bluecheese-cashel

Rinse. Lather. Repeat.

That’s the easy part. Now here’s where I make things a little trickier. As soon as I can, probably Saturday morning May 7, I’ll post the round-up with a list of all the beers that every participant thought worked best with each cheese. Two weeks later, I’ll be hosting Session #51.5. Here’s how to then take part in round two:

  1. Pick a few beers from the round-up list, as few or as many as you wish.
  2. Have another session where you drink those new beers with the same cheeses.
  3. Write up your results and post them on or before Friday, May 20.
  4. Leave a comment on the round-up post, or my new 51.5 Session post, or send me an e-mail so I can find your new Session post.
  5. That’s it, you did it. Now wasn’t that easy?

cheese-edam
Even with making it a tad more complicated, I think it should be great fun to really dig in and experiment and learn about how best to pair cheese and beer together. What works and what doesn’t through trial and error will always trump abstract philosophies of how to pair the two.

So spread the cheese .. er, the word. Get some cheese and some beer, and start eating and drinking the two. I hope to hear how it went next Friday, May 6, for the Great Online Beer & Cheese-Off.

* NOTE: I’ve heard that many people have had some trouble finding some or all of the recommended cheeses. Sorry about that. I really thought they’d be easier to find. But don’t stress about it, using a substitute will be just fine. Please don’t let that keep you from participating. Hopefully, all of you can find a blue cheese, an aged cheddar cheese and a goat cheese to pair with some beer for this Session. I’m looking forward to hearing about how everybody’s tastings went.

Guinness Ad #66: See What Big Chief Toucan Can Do

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guinness-toucan
Our 66th Guinness ad is an odd one, obviously from a time when sensitivities toward Native Americans weren’t particularly high. That cringeworthy tagline “— Him Strong,” while obviously referring to Guinness, nonetheless seems wrong by today’s standards. And it’s not helped by the iconic Toucan wearing the headdress with the slogan “See What Big Chief Toucan Can Do.” Still, it was a different time.

Guinness-him-strong-2

Louisiana Beer

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louisiana
Today in 1812, Louisiana became the 18th state.

Louisiana
State_Louisiana

Louisiana Breweries

Louisiana Brewery Guides

Guild: None Known

State Agency: Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control

Other Trade Groups: Beer Industry League of Louisiana

maps-la

  • Capital: Baton Rouge
  • Largest Cities: New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, LaFayette, Lake Charles
  • Population: 4,468,976; 22nd
  • Area: 51843 sq.mi., 31st
  • Nickname: Pelican State
  • Statehood: 18th, April 30, 1812

m-louisiana

  • Alcohol Legalized: April 13, 1933
  • Number of Breweries: 6
  • Rank: 43rd
  • Beer Production: 3,849,482
  • Production Rank: 18th
  • Beer Per Capita: 27.1 Gallons

louisiana

Package Mix:

  • Bottles: 40.8%
  • Cans: 55.6%
  • Kegs: 3.4%

Beer Taxes:

  • Per Gallon: $0.32
  • Per Case: $0.73
  • Tax Per Barrel (24/12 Case): $10.00
  • Draught Tax Per Barrel (in Kegs): $10.00
  • * Municipalities and counties may assess a tax of up to $1.50 per barrel

Economic Impact (2010):

  • From Brewing: $36,209,782
  • Direct Impact: $868,936,804
  • Supplier Impact: $394,401,774
  • Induced Economic Impact: $848,102,310
  • Total Impact: $2,111,440,888

Legal Restrictions:

  • Control State: No
  • Sale Hours: On Premises: No state imposed restrictions on on-premise hours. “24 hour” bars are common in New Orleans and in Jefferson Parish. Some municipalities and parishes require on-premise service to stop at 2:00 am.
    Off Premises: No restrictions on hours of package sales statewide.
  • Grocery Store Sales: Yes
  • Notes: Packaged alcoholic beverages of any strength may be sold in supermarkets, drug stores, gas stations, and convenience stores 24 hours a day. Local municipalities may not restrict this. As a result, dedicated “liquor stores” are mostly specialty stores in larger cities, and some supermarkets have large selections of liquors and wines, and compete on the basis of liquor prices and selection.

    Alcohol can be consumed in plastic cups in the streets of New Orleans and taken from club-to-club if the establishment allows it. Otherwise it depends on the locality. Most parishes other than Orleans Parish do not permit alcoholic beverages served at on-premise establishments to be taken from the premises. However, many parishes and municipalities permit consumption of packaged beverages (for example, cans of beer) on the street, as long as the packaging is concealed. Glass bottles on the streets are prohibited. One can enter most bars at 18 years of age but must be 21 years old to purchase or consume alcohol.

louisiana-map

Data complied, in part, from the Beer Institute’s Brewer’s Almanac 2010, Beer Serves America, the Brewers Association, Wikipedia and my World Factbook. If you see I’m missing a brewery link, please be so kind as to drop me a note or simply comment on this post. Thanks.

For the remaining states, see Brewing Links: United States.

Beer In Ads #358: Miller’s Six-Bottle Man

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ad-billboard
Thursday’s ad is also from 1983, but is for Miller Brewing. The ad welcomes us to “Miller Time” and features a bearded man in a plaid shirt (at first I thought he might be a lumberjack, but alas it doesn’t look like flannel) holding six bottles of Miller High Life in both hands, that is three bottles per hand. That’s a pretty impressive feat, especially when you consider he’s holding them in such a way that every label is facing us.

miller83bottlesman

Maryland Beer

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maryland
Today in 1788, Maryland became the 7th state.

Maryland
State_Maryland

Maryland Breweries

Maryland Brewery Guides

Guild: Brewers Association of Maryland

State Agency: Maryland Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Bureau

maps-md

  • Capital: Annapolis
  • Largest Cities:Baltimore, Frederick, Gaithersburg, Bowie, Rockville
  • Population: 5,296,486; 19th
  • Area: 12407 sq.mi., 42nd
  • Nickname: Old Line State
  • Statehood: 7th, April 28, 1788

m-maryland-2

  • Alcohol Legalized: December 5, 1933
  • Number of Breweries: 23
  • Rank: 22nd
  • Beer Production: 3,343,296
  • Production Rank: 25th
  • Beer Per Capita: 18.4 Gallons

maryland

Package Mix:

  • Bottles: 45.3%
  • Cans: 44.2%
  • Kegs: 4.9%

Beer Taxes:

  • Per Gallon: $0.09
  • Per Case: $0.20
  • Tax Per Barrel (24/12 Case): $2.79
  • Draught Tax Per Barrel (in Kegs): $2.79

Economic Impact (2010):

  • From Brewing: $41,776,563
  • Direct Impact: $940,459,495
  • Supplier Impact: $453,776,947
  • Induced Economic Impact: $948,842,606
  • Total Impact: $2,343,079,048

Legal Restrictions:

  • Control State: Variable by locality
  • Sale Hours: Variable by locality
  • Grocery Store Sales: Variable by locality
  • Notes: Baltimore County prohibits the sale on Sunday in some areas.
    Montgomery County, Somerset County, Wicomico County, and Worcester County are alcoholic beverage control counties.
    Garrett County prohibits the sale on Sunday except in some areas.
    The sale of alcohol at grocery and convenience stores varies by county.
    There are no dry counties, but some individual voting districts within counties restrict or prohibit alcohol on a local-option basis.

maryland-map

Data complied, in part, from the Beer Institute’s Brewer’s Almanac 2010, Beer Serves America, the Brewers Association, Wikipedia and my World Factbook. If you see I’m missing a brewery link, please be so kind as to drop me a note or simply comment on this post. Thanks.

For the remaining states, see Brewing Links: United States.