By Jay Brooks
Magnolia Pub & Brewery on Haight Street in San Francisco will be celebrating their 10th anniversary next Monday in grand fashion at the Great American Music Hall. On November 5th they will host a concert for a mere 20 bucks with all manner of cool stuff going on with many surprises planned. It looks like it should be a great time.
By Jay Brooks
Eric Asimov had another great beer piece yesterday at The Pour, this one was an overview on cask-conditioned beers. Personally, if I have a choice I always go with the cask version. In fact last night while out with some old high school buddies, I enjoyed Sara’s Ruby Mild on cask at Magnolia and later Moonlight’s Sublimmminal at the Toronado. Yum.
And here’s some general information on casks.
The parts of a beer barrel.
Cask Sizes:
By Jay Brooks
If you’re a regular Bulletin reader you might think I drink nothing except beer, but that’s not at all true. I enjoy many different alcoholic beverages such as wine, especially heavy reds and fortified wines like Late Bottled Vintage Port, along with sake, hard cider, gin and other spirits. But I’m especially fond of whisky and, naturally, single malt scotch though I don’t generally write about it because my knowledge of it is restricted to that of happy amateur. I’ve skimmed Michael Jackson’s book Whisky, Jim Murray’s and a few others but generally I leave it to the experts. Happily, I know a few of them. One is John Hansell who’s been in the business for going on twenty-five years now and for many of them has been publishing Malt Advocate magazine, undoubtedly the best American whisky periodical. He also recently started a blog on the world of whisky called What Does John Know? My good friends Stephen Beaumont and Lew Bryson also write regularly for Malt Advocate.
Malt Advocate has been putting on tasting and educational events called WhiskyFests in New York and Chicago for a number of years, and this year they’re finally coming to San Francisco. WhiskyFest is exactly like it sounds, a festival where you can sample whisky and other libations, but it also includes an educational component with a number of speakers. And not only that, it will be the biggest whisky event in the country. If you love whisky, join me at WhiskyFest. It should be a blast.
It will take place in three weeks, on October 23 from 6:30-10:00 pm at the Hyatt Regency at 5 Embarcadero Plaza in San Francisco. Tickets are $105 for regular admission or $145 for VIP admission, which gets you in an hour earlier. Tickets include all sampling, speakers and a gourmet buffet. You can get advance tickets online at Malt Advocate or by phone at 800.610.MALT.
From the website:
What will be poured?
More than 250 of the world’s finest and rarest whiskies will be available for sampling, featuring premium single malt and blended Scotch whiskies, the best bourbons and Tennessee whiskeys, top of the line Irish whiskeys, Japanese whisky and the best from Canada. Visit Malt Advocate for an up-to-the-minute list of what will be available for sampling.
Who will be speaking?
The focus is on education, and many well-known distillery managers and distillery representatives will be on hand at the pouring booths to explain how the whiskies are made. Thirteen of the world’s leading distillery managers and master blenders will be conducting seminars throughout the evening including:
- Stephen Beal, Master of Whisky, Classic Malts
- Parker Beam, Master Distiller, Heaven Hill
- Simon Brooking, Global Brand Ambassador, The Dalmore & Laphroaig
- John Campbell, Distillery Manager, Laphroaig
- Ronnie Cox, Director, The Glenrothes
- John Hall, Whisky Maker, Kittling Ridge
- Lincoln Henderson, Whisky Expert, Suntory
- Ian Millar, Master Distiller, Glenfiddich
- Chris Morris, Master Distiller, Woodford Reserve
- Fred Noe, Jim Beam’s Great Grandson
- Richard Paterson, Master Distiller, The Dalmore
- John Scharffenberger, President, ScharffenBerger Chocolate
- Joy Spence, Master Blender, Appleton Rum
10.23
WhiskyFest San Francisco
Hyatt Regency Hotel, 5 Embarcadero, San Francisco, California
800.610.MALT [ website ] [ tickets online ]
By Jay Brooks
Don’t forget the National Toast to Michael Jackson will take place tonight, Sunday, September 30 at exactly 9:00 p.m. EST (6:00 p.m. for those of us on the left coast).
Find which establishments will be participating at the Michael Jackson Memorial. If Michael’s writing has touched you life and your enjoyment of good beer, join us at one of the countess bars, brewpubs and breweries across the country to drink a toast to his memory.
By Jay Brooks
Beverage World yesterday had an interesting little article about what’s going on with craft beer in the Japanese market. Microbreweries were only made legal in 1994 and there are about 280 operating today in Japan.
By Jay Brooks
The Beer Institute has released its 2007 Brewers Almanac with all sorts of statistics, but the one that’s getting all the attention is that California has been unseated as the number one beer state in terms of production, a position its held for several years. Colorado takes the top spot this year, besting California by just over 500,000 barrels, or roughly the equivalent of a brewery two-thirds the size of Sierra Nevada Brewing.
To Colorado, I raise my glass and toast their success. There are some fine breweries there and they deserve their moment in the sun. But just wait until next year. Let’s go breweries of California, get brewing. You’re not going to take this lying down, are you? Some kidding aside, it’s great news for everybody. A little healthy competition never hurt anybody. And with contests like this, everybody wins.
From the press release:
In 2006, the state of Colorado officially became the largest beer producing state in the country, according to newly released data from the Beer Institute. The Colorado brewing industry produced over 23.3 million barrels or 724.5 million gallons of beer. This makes the state tops in production.
“Colorado is tremendously important to the beer industry and produces a number of high quality brews enjoyed by adults around the country,” said Jeff Becker, president of the Beer Institute. “With a strong beer culture and a rich brewing history, it’s no surprise the state has become number one.”
“As a state widely recognized around the country for our natural beauty, rich history, and extensive cultural attractions, we’re pleased to now also be known as the beer brewing capitol of the United States,” added Colorado Governor Bill Ritter. “Colorado breweries are also increasingly using and producing renewable energy, which is good for the industry, good for the environment, and good for developing more home-grown sources of energy.”
Colorado is also home to other major industry trade groups such as the Brewers Association, based in Boulder, representing America’s small brewers since 1942. The state also plays host to the annual “Great American Beer Festival” in Denver.
“In addition to housing many long established large brewers, Colorado is also leading the way among small, independent craft brewers,” said Charlie Papazian, founder and president of the Brewers Association. “We invite beer lovers from every state to visit us and sample firsthand some of the many fine varieties of craft beer produced here.”
Here the Top 10 beer producing states:
Surprisingly, Oregon and Washington ranked 15th and 16th, respectively. After I take a look at the full almanac, I’ll see what other interesting facts emerge. Until then, I’m drinking a Great Divide Titan IPA tonight. Or perhaps an Odell 5 Barrel Pale Ale or even a Dale’s Pale Ale. Damn, I just have too many friends in Colorado making great beer. Congratulations one and all!
By Jay Brooks
Here’s To Beer is promoting September 16 as “Mayflower Day,” the day that the Pilgrims set sail for the New World. A few months later, tired, hungry and really, really thirsty (having run out of beer) they forgot all about their original intended destination of Virginia and instead settled in Massachusetts, landing famously at Plymouth Rock.
From the press release:
Although a little-known holiday, Mayflower Day had a big impact on making beer America’s favorite beverage of moderation.
Sunday, Sept. 16, marks the anniversary of the day the Mayflower departed from England in 1620 in search of the New World. For more than two months, the passengers and crew weathered storms, sickness and starvation without taking to land — until they ran out of beer. Beer was their primary beverage because, at that time, water could have been dangerous.
“Beer’s journey from a beverage of sustenance in colonial times to America’s alcohol beverage of choice is an integral part of our history,” said Bob Lachky, executive vice president, global industry development, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. “Whether an early settler or a modern adult, Americans share the same appreciation for beer. While today’s adults can enjoy complex varieties, styles and flavors, beer’s refreshment and drinkability remains tried and true.”
In early times, beer was made out of whatever ingredients adults could find, like pumpkins and molasses. Thirteen years before the pilgrims landed in Massachusetts, a group of settlers established a colony in Jamestown, Virginia. In 1609, the governor wrote a note back to England saying he needed two brewers to come over and establish a brewery in Jamestown. Beer was just that important.
Beer continues to reign supreme today. The latest Gallup Poll shows that of the 64 percent of Americans who consume alcohol, beer continues to be their beverage of choice, with 40 percent choosing it over wine and hard liquor.
A quick glance in the upper left-hand corner of the Bulletin should amply demonstrate that I am, among other things, a calendar geek. I have at least as many, and possibly more, books about calendars, time and dates than I do about beer. Back in the late Seventies, at the very same time I was discovering better beer, a book of mixed drinks I bought included an appendix with four reasons to drink a toast for every day of the year. The list included a mix of the usual holidays, some lesser known ones, famous people’s birthdays, and historical events. The notion of finding more of these for each day of the year captivated me and I began making lists of them for every day. In fact, my very first website — back at the dawn of time in 1995 — was “The Daily Globe,” a list of dates. Oddly enough, even though I took it off the internet in 1997, another website, JimJr Jokes, still has a copy of it hosted on their website. I don’t even mind that they didn’t ask me before stealing it whole, at least they gave me credit for all the work I put into creating it. There are a few others that stole it and gave me no credit whatsoever, such as Two Geeks on AOL. Curiously enough I first met Stephen Beaumont with reference to my dates page (he used them to come up with his daily phone messages) before we realized we both were in the beer business.
That brings us to “Mayflower Day,” a holiday that no one really has ever celebrated. It is listed in Chase’s Calendar of Events, which is the authority on current holidays and dates, but without a sponsor, website or town festival. But actually I’m okay with that. I think we need more holidays. And while it might have made a tad more sense for it to be celebrated on the day the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock — especially since it was running out of beer that contributed to the decision — that took place on December 26, the day after Christmas. That’s a terrible date to try to start a new holiday, not to mention that’s also Boxing Day, an English tradition. So September 16 it is, or rather that’s the date it is now. When the Pilgrims looked at their calendar as they set sail, the date was eleven days earlier. That’s because in 1620 England used the Julian calendar, which was off a bit. The Gregorian calendar is the one we use today and September 16 is the adjusted date. See? … calendar geek.
So I’m all in favor of raising a toast to those cranky, conservative Pilgrims. At least they loved their beer. Happy Mayflower Day everybody.
Anheuser-Busch’s Here’s To Beer ran this beautiful ad promoting “Mayflower Day” in USA Today last Thursday.
By Jay Brooks
Details for the National Toast to Michael Jackson are being finalized and it will take place on Sunday, September 30 at exactly 9:00 p.m. EST (6:00 p.m. for those of us on the left coast). Bars, breweries, brewpubs and restaurants are being invited to participate with the following press release:
“At 9:00 pm EST on Sunday, September 30, beer drinkers across the continent will raise a glass to the memory of the man who did more than anyone to further the cause of good beer, the one and only Beer Hunter, Michael Jackson. And your establishment can play a part!
“Participation is simple. Just download a copy of the official poster and print out as many as you want, adding in the details of your particular event. It could be a single toast, an all-night celebration or a more organized remembrance. Then decide how you’d like to contribute to the National Parkinson Foundation, whether “passing the hat” for donations, contributing all or a portion of the night’s revenue or selling a single keg for the charity.
Later this year, “a ceremonial contribution on behalf of all the participating bars, restaurants and brewpubs will be made at the Great American Beer Festival on Saturday, October 13. See the Brewers Association website for GABF information and tickets.”
If you own a bar, brewery, brewpub of restaurant, please consider participating. You can find more information on how to sign up at the Michael Jackson Memorial. If you’re just a lover of great beer, please ask your local favorite beer establishment to participate.
By Jay Brooks
A national toast is being planned for Michael Jackson, and as a fund raiser for the National Parkinson Foundation. It is tentatively set to take place on September 30. Details will be listed at the new Beer Hunter website. The old Beer Hunter site has been archived at a new location. Apparently, “participants will be able to register their site and download a poster, and drinkers will find a list of toast sites.” Personally I’d like to see 100% participation from the online beer community. There isn’t one of us that doesn’t owe Michael, at some level, a debt of gratitude.
By Jay Brooks
A day after praising Eric Asimov for leading the way toward detente between beer and wine, his “Ales of the Times” column today is entitled More or Less Pale but All Belgian features a tasting of several lighter Belgian beers suitable for summer. As usual, it’s a reasoned look at several lighter style Belgian ales such as Affligem Blond, Corsendonk, De Koninck and Orval and how they might be every bit as thirst-quenching as an ice-cold industrial light lager but with oodles more flavor and variety. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is what we need more of in order to win the hearts and minds of all Americans toward enjoying better beer.
