Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Next Session For The Accidental Tourist

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Our 46th Session will be hosted by Mike R. Lynch of Burgers and Brews. His topic is “An Unexpected Discovery: Finding Great Beer in the Last Place You’d Look,” or as he describes it:

I recently drove out to Colorado for a concert, and realized this was a perfect opportunity to stop at as many “beer destinations” as I could. I researched, plotted routes, looked at maps, and generally planned the entire trip around beer. What I was surprised to find was that despite all the amazing stops I planned, one of the best beer experiences of the trip was completely accidental. I found great beer in the last place I thought to look for it.

Has this happened to you? Maybe you stumbled upon a no-name brewpub somewhere and found the perfect pale ale. Maybe, buried in the back of your local beer store, you found a dusty bottle of rare barleywine. Perhaps a friend turned you on to a beer that changed your mind about a brewery or a style. Write about a beer experience that took you by surprise.

So see if you can get off your armchair and make your own unexpected discovery for the next Session on Friday, December 3.

The Chicago Beer Market

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Chicago Business has a lengthy, but interesting, article online about the beer market in the windy city. It’s entitled Pay-to-play infects Chicago beer market, Crain’s investigation finds, and was written by a trio of reporters: James Ylisela Jr., David Sterrett and Kate MacArthur.

Corruption, of course, infects virtually all business everywhere and while Chicago has an elevated reputation because of its history, it seems to me what is exposed here is happening in many places. When it comes to the smaller breweries, most just understand that they can either go along with it or not, based on their own individual company philosophy. I don’t think it makes any one of them good or bad, it’s just different responses to the markets in which they’re trying to sell their products. In a sense, there’s a trade off with the three-tier system. It has advantages and disadvantages that manifest themselves in different ways in different states. That’s what the film Beer Wars tried to expose, which is simply the uneasy way in which the beer industry actually works.

But give it a read and let me know what you think. Oh, and be sure to read all the comments, too.

The Many Sides of Sam Calagione

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In honor of the debut of Sam Calagione’s new Discovery Channel series, Brew Masters, Anat Baron (the director/writer/producer of Beer Wars) posted this short video of Sam and his Dogfish Head Craft Brewery that was originally shown at the “Alamo Draft House in April 2008 as part of the Dogfish Head Off-Centered Film Festival.” In the post, A Star Is Born, Anat reminisces about her first meeting Sam and working with him on her movie. Thanks for sharing, Anat.

The Many Sides of Sam Calagione and Dogfish Head Craft Brewery from Beer Wars on Vimeo.

CBS Sunday Morning On Pretzels & Beer

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On the CBS show Sunday Morning yesterday, they aired their annual Food Issue, which included a segment of pretzels and beer.

It was great to see them delve into the history of pretzels in America, especially because I grew up on Pennsylvania pretzels. In fact, one of the companies they highlighted, Tom Sturgis Pretzels, is located in my hometown of Shillington, Pennsylvania. The man who runs it now, Bruce Sturgis, was in my high school class.

For the beer segment, entitled Even the Founding Fathers Loved Beer, it was mostly a positive depiction of beer for a change and featured two friends, my old professor Charlie Bamforth from U.C. Davis and Marty Jones from Wynkoop Brewing in Denver, Colorado.

The only annoyance was when host Barry Petersen had the following exchange with Charlie Bamforth.

Peterson: “Charlie Bamforth teaches brewing and he throws down the gauntlet on wine versus beer.”

Bamforth: “The most sophisticated and complex of alcohol beverages.”

Peterson: “More than wine?”

Bamforth: “Yes.”

Peterson: “Oh, come on.” [said in a tone dripping with contempt.]

Bamforth: “No, absolutely.”

Peterson: “How?” [in a tone barely concealing his disbelief and, again, dripping with contempt.]

Bamforth: “It’s much more complicated to make.”

Peterson cut Charlie off at that point, but he could have gone on and on, no doubt, about the issue of wine vs. beer. After all, Bamforth has written several books on this subject, the most recent of which is Grape vs. Grain. I also just got my review copy of his latest book, Beer Is Proof God Loves Us: Reaching for the Soul of Beer and Brewing.

I don’t know much about Barry Peterson, but it takes a lot of gall to assume you know more about beer and wine than a professor of fermentation sciences. What’s the point of interviewing an expert if you’re just going to assume you know more than they do. Charlie’s pretty used to it by now, I suspect, and just nonchalantly continues. The segment later on talks about how the perception of beer and wine is what keeps better beer in the shadows, which is ironic since Peterson, by his own actions, just proved that point by displaying his own ignorance for the subject he’s reporting on.

But that aside, a nice take on beer overall. You can watch both the pretzel and beer segments below.

Beer In Art #103: David Hockney’s Wheat Field Near Fridaythorpe

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This week’s work of art is by contemporary British artist David Hockney. It was painted in August of 2005 and is known as Wheat Field Near Fridaythorpe. It was part of a series of paintings Hockney did entitled “A Year in Yorkshire.”

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For more about David Hockney, Wikipedia is a good place to start, and there’s a biography at DavidHockney.com. There are also tons of links at the ArtCyclopedia, the Web Museum and the Art Archive.

Are You “Porter Worthy?”

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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.

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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.

ManTables’ End Table Refrigerators

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Earlier this year, I watched a stand-up comedy special by Jake Johannsen on Showtime, entitled I Love You. In one of his bits during the show Johannsen describes a dream — a man dream — for putting a mini fridge in his bedroom. Here’s the essence of it, omitting the added automatic coffee maker he wants to put on top of it.

I was going to buy a mini fridge, and that was going to be my bedside table. I thought I had a great idea. So at night I could be lying in bed with my wife, maybe watching a movie or reading a book, and have a nice cold beer out of the mini fridge, maybe two. That was my dream.

Long story short, the punchline is his wife said no, which was his example of compromise between married people. Trust me, it’s funnier in context. Well apparently somebody was listening and felt his pain. A new company, ManTables, has created a line of small refrigerators that resemble end tables so they won’t look out of place in a living room, rec room or … bedroom.

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They ManTable refrigerators come in three colors: black, walnut and tobacco. Below in the walnut finish in a living room setting.

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And here’s an open view. The website claims they can fit 45 beer cans. No word on how many bottles.

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It seems to me they’d be perfect for a rec room or man cave that was some distance from the kitchen. The cost is $389.99, plus shipping, tax and handing charges.

Update On Beer Found In Baltic Shipwreck

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Back in September of this year, you may recall, that Beer From Early 1800s Found In Baltic Shipwreck. Near the Åland Islands, they found champagne and beer bottles in a sunken cargo ship thet is believed to have been sailing from Denmark, most likely Copenhagen, sometime between 1800 and 1830, and possibly bound for St. Petersburg, Russia.

Motor Boats Monthly recently published an update on the fate of the bottles. They also note that “experts” — no word on who — opened some of the bottles and declared them to taste “absolutely fabulous.” I wish there was something a bit more than AbFab to go on, but that’s all that’s said. In addition, there’s this exciting news:

Bottles of beer found in the wreck are thought to be the world’s oldest drinkable ale, and could provide the recipe to allow it to be replicated. Finnish authorities have approved the idea and several breweries, including one managed by Christian Ekstroem, have expressed interest in brewing the beer for today’s drinkers to taste.

I hope that happens, it would be like tasting history.

Beer Birthday: Sean Lilly Wilson

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Today is the 40th birthday of Sean Lilly Wilson, founder of Fullsteam Brewing in Durham, North Carolina. Even before the brewery opened this past April, Sean made a name for himself and the brewery through twitter and their blog. Join me in wishing Sean a very happy birthday.

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Marty Jones and Sean at the Craft Brewers Conference earlier this year in Chicago.

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Greg Koch with Sean at CBC.