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Looking For Porters in Porter Square

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Last Sunday morning in Boston, I had a number of hours before my flight left for home. My plan for the day was a trip to nearby Cambridge where I was going to hunt for some toys for my kids. But as I was early getting out and had over an hour before the stores opened, I stayed on the subway a few more stops for no better reason than I wanted to see Porter Square, a neighborhood near Harvard. And the only reason I went there was because Porter is my son’s name and it was good a place as any to kill an hour sightseeing. So there’s no real ebeer to speak of in this gallery, but if you’re interest in seeing a lot of signs with word “Porter” on them, by all means click on the link to the gallery below.

Outside the Porter Square subway station.

 

For more photos from my trip to Porter Square in Masschusetts visit the photo gallery.
 

The Devil Made Him Cook It

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The next beer dinner by the Beer Chef will feature the Classic and Contemporary Beers of Duvel Moortgart USA. It will be a four-course dinner and well worth the $80 price of admission. It will be held at the Cathedral Hill Hotel on Friday, May 22, 2009, beginning with a reception at 6:30 p.m. Call 415.674.3406 for reservations by May 14 to insure a seat at the dinner.

 

The Menu:

 

Reception: 7:00 PM

Beer Chef’s Hors D’Oeuvre Selection, including Marinated Lamb Chops with Yellow Bell Catsup, Tartare of Sweet Scallops with Truffle and Hobbs bacon, English Pea Shooters with Pimenton Creme, Crab Louis Deviled Eggs, Asparagus Spring Rolls with Citrus Aioli, Kobe Beef Poke with Ponzu and Chiles

Beer: Mared Sous Blonde

Dinner: 7:30 PM

First Course

Butter Poached Halibut Cheek, Truffle Nage, Pea Tendrils

Beer: Ommegang Ommegeddon

Second Course:

House Cured Duck Prosciutto, Confit of Asian Pear, Cambazola Cheese, Micro Celery

Beer: Duvel

Third Course:

Slow Braised Shoulder of Marin Sun Farms Grass Fed Goat, Confit of Fingerling Potatoes, Artichoke in Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

Beer: Houblon Chouffe

Fourth Course:

Stroll Down Chocolate Lane

Beer: Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence

Duvel, of course, is Flemish for Devil.

 
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Dinner with the Brewmaster: The Classic and Contemporary Beers of Duvel Moortgart USA

Cathedral Hill Hotel, 1101 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, California
415.674.3406 [ website ]
 

Boonville Boontstock

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The lucky 13th annual Boonville Beer Festival turned into Boontstock this weekend as several inches of rain poured down on the Anderson Valley. The mud and rain didn’t seem to deter anyone, either from camping or going to the festival. I really thought the turnout would be lighter this year with the virtual certainty of rain all weekend. But from what I could see, this year’s festival was as well-attended as any, with festival-goes showing great ingenuity in their attempts to stay dry.

While the rain continued to pour down most of the day, the brewers were under tents, animal stalls or wooden stands wth makeshift plastic roofs.

Like a dry and surprised Brian Hunt, from Moonlight Brewing.

In the old festival area, this year brewers were inside the Lamb Palace, where though it was crowded, at least everyone could stay dry.

 

For many more photos from this year’s Boonville Beer festivalt, visit the photo gallery.
 

21A Smackdown: Putting Trash In Cans

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I’m still going through all the photos from Boontstock this weekend, but one cries out to be posted immediately, It’s too hilarious to wait. When I arrived at the Boonville Beer Festival grounds on Saturday while brewers were setting up, one of the first people I ran into was Brian Hunt, from Moonlight Brewing. “Look at this,” he beckoned, pointing out to me a sign affixed to the end of the wooden booths in the center of the festival, though this one was on the back. “Shaun O’Sullivan [from 21st Amendment Brewing] needs to see this,” or words to that effect.” So I took a photo using Brian’s camera phone so he could send it directly to Sully. But I took one, too, so you could see it, too.

“Hey Shaun, at least you’re not helping them! You’re not “putting trash in cans!” Hilarious.

 

Beer In Art #26: Brewing Traditional Beer In Zimbabwe

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Today’s works of art are more depictions of traditional, pre-industrial brewing, these ones from Africa, specifically Zimbabwe, in southeastern Africa. The title of the first painting is Brewing Traditional Beer and was painted by Morgen Chandomba in 2007.

Click on the image above for a larger, more detailed view.

There is very little information about the artist, Morgen Chandomba. At Absolute Arts, the only place I could find mention of him on the internet, there is a small galley of his work, which is primarily depictions of everyday life, along with the occasional abstract. His biography only gives very basic details, such as the fact that he’s only 24, single and enjoys “watching movies, painting, socializing, and hanging around with guys or drinking.”

 
Chandomba lives in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, the second-largest city in that African nation. And while there is industrial beer in Africa, the primary type of beer for centuries has been millet beer, which is also known as “Bantu beer, kaffir beer, or opaque beer, [which] is an alcoholic beverage made from malted millet.”

As one website tells it:

Millet beer has been brewed in Africa for millennia. It is one of the staples of religious and social life. No prayer to the ancestors can begin without an offering of millet beer, no funeral can be held without copious amounts of millet beer. Very few visitors to Africa have ever watched beer being brewed, or know that it is safe to drink in rural villages.

To buy a DVD on Brewing Millet Beer in Africa or to watch the trailer, check out CreateSpace.

There’s also an interesting story on homebrewing in Zimbabwe on Michael & Doria’s Travel Tales. And check out this Weya Story Quilt depicting beer brewing (it’s at the bottom of them page).

But not all beer in Zimbabwe is only for personal use. Some Millet beer is made to be sold, as can be seen in this painting, Brewing Beer For Sale by Milcah Mashonganyika.

On the reverse of the painting, is the following legend to help explain what’s going on in the artwork.

Two women are carrying sacks of millet.
They are putting the sacks of millet in the river.
They want it to germinate.
Mother is putting the germinated millet on a flat stone to dry.
Mother is winnowing the millet.
Mother is grinding peanut butter.
Tendai is paying with a ball.
Two women are brewing the beer in the big drum.
Now they are filtering the beer.
People are drinking beer.

It looks like she did at least a second painting by the same name, though showing more detail and brighter colors.

As for Milcah Mashonganyika, there’s slightly more information at her biography:

Born in 1966, Milcah was raised in a family of 6 children. She was married in 1982 and has 5 children. Her husband died in 1994, at the age of 32. She is now the sole support for her children.

Milcah learned to paint at the Weya Community Training Centre in 1988. She moved to Harare in February 1998, to paint on hand-thrown pottery at Ros Byrne Pottery. She says she moved to the city because “every week there was money,” thus enabling her to “give my children a better life.”

Harare is the capital of Zimbabwe and its largest city.

Here’s the Wikipedia summery for Zimbabwe:

Zimbabwe, (officially the Republic of Zimbabwe and formerly Southern Rhodesia, the Republic of Rhodesia and Zimbabwe Rhodesia) is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the continent of Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. The official language of Zimbabwe is English; however the majority of the population speaks Shona, a Bantu language. Its other native language, Sindebele, is spoken by the Matabele people.

Zimbabwe today is under the reign of President Robert Mugabe. Human rights abuses[2] and economic mismanagement leading to hyperinflation and impoverishment have increased popular support for newly sworn-in Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai.

It’s interesting that wherever cereal grains grow, native populations have figured out how to make beer with them. I don’t believe I’ve ever had a beer brewed with Millet, but now I’m extremely curious to get my hands on some. Does anyone use millet in homebrewing?

 

Session #27: Beer Cocktails

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session-the
This month is our 27th monthly Session, a.k.a. Beer Blogging Friday. The topic this month is “Beer Cocktails: Beyond the Black & Tan,” hosted by Joe Ruvel & Jasmine Smith at Beer at Joe’s. By cocktails or mixed drinking that include beer as one of the ingredients, here’s what Joe has in mind:

Most people have had a black & tan, which is a combination of two kinds of beer and think it’s pretty tasty. Most people have heard of a Shandy, beer with lemonade or soda added, and think it’s not so tasty.

But beer cocktails go far beyond these two famous examples. Many countries have their own versions, and many new chefs and bartenders are getting creative with beer as an ingredient, not just a standalone drink.

What’s your favorite beer cocktail (and yes, despite the title of this post, it can be a black & tan or a shandy)? Find a recipe for that or a new one, try it, and tell us why you did or didn’t like it–even if you think beer cocktails are nothing but a good way to waste a beer. Have fun and try something new!

session_logo_all_text_300

While I’d wager that the idea of mixing beer with other liquors and liquids strikes most as a bad idea, I’ve actually had some very good experiences with mixed beer drinks, though I suppose the majority of those are guilty pleasures. I have, for example, very fond memories of Spotie Oties (or possibly Spodie Odies), a drink I first learned about at tailgate parties at Penn State, where several good high school friends of mine went to college. A Spotie Otie is simply a mix of equal parts cheap beer and cheap Sangria. I know, I know. But it sounds much worse than it tastes. Its flavor actually reminds you a lot of a fruit punch and it’s very easy drinking, or in A-B parlance it had great “drinkability.” And don’t forget that this was at a time before craft beer so it was far more necessary than it might be today.

Another favorite beer cocktail is another very simple one, though I don’t now if it has a name. Take any dry Irish stout and add a few drops of Crème de Cassis. It just gives the beer a certain something, just a nice hint of fruitiness.

So I’m not opposed to mixed drinks with beer per se, but it seems it was a better idea when it was harder to find a decent beer.

Even when I wrote my guidebook to Silicon Valley, in 1991-92, it was often difficult to find a bar with anything different on tap. So having an appendix with Beer Cocktails made sense. If I wrote it again today, I might not include them, but looking back there are some fun recipes all the same.

I know that cocktails have their origin in the 17th century and the first mention of them in print was 1803, April 28th to be precise. And I know that the word “cocktail” itself was once a specific drink that included any distilled spirits mixed with sugar, water, and bitters. Over time it became a generic term for any mixed drink, but I think my original sense of it stems from Prohibition, when it took on a new importance to mask bathtub gin and other homemade alcoholic drinks’ imperfections. I’m probably wrong about this (Maureen? Bob?) and I’m in a field in Boonville — not the middle of nowhere, but you can see if from here — but I seem to recall that the number and creativity of cocktails exploded during that period precisely because the need was so great to cover defects in the homemade spirits served at speakeasies and elsewhere.

That was certainly my initial experience with beer cocktails, they always used cheap beer that was lacking in flavor as the base liquid for mixing. For that reason, I never felt too bad about mixing with them, since I wouldn’t want to drink those beers anyway. It always seemed like finding a home for an orphaned beer that otherwise would just be left alone to go bad. Effectively, it was adulteration with purpose. And that’s probably where it would have ended, an old idea whose time had passed. But recently my mind was changed by my friend Sean Paxon, the Homebrew Chef, who made me a special mixed beer cocktail for my birthday party in March of this year.

cocktails

Whatever Sean named it (I can’t recall), it used Westmalle Tripel as the base liquid. I confess my first reaction at the time was revulsion at what I perceived was ruining such a fine beer. But that was before I tasted it. To the Tripel, Sean added a foam made with coconut, ginger and something else, and I think Mango juice may have been involved somewhere. I’m pretty sure we were all guinea pigs for an upcoming article in Beer Advocate magazine, so the full recipe will most likely be in the next issue. Whatever was in it, it was delicious, and it definitely changed my mind that a beer cocktail can use a decent beer without fear of death threats. So I obviously need to rethink my bias against the mixed beer cocktail. Cheers!

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Drinking In The Freedom Trail

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With Boston’s rich heritage and being arguably the birthplace of our revolt and eventual revolutionary split from the British, it’s hard not to wave a flag and explore the city’s history when you’re there. So the day after the Craft Brewers Conference, I went on an all-day walking tour of the city, most of it spent along the Freedom Trail, a 2.5 mile self-guided tour of 17 historic sites from Boston’s history, and particularly its role in and prior to the Revolutionary War. There were also several old bars along the trail that I was keen to see, especially since last August I’d done some research into America’s Oldest Bars. So join me on a four-part photo journey of my day Drinking In The Freedom Trail. When you get to the end of each section, just follow the link to the next part.
 

Part 2 includes a visit to the Bell In Hand, which opened in 1795.

And in Part 3, the Green Dragon Tavern is across the street.

 

To begin the four-part photo tour, Drinking In The Freedom Trail, start with part one in the photo gallery.
 

Top Beer Brandz 2009: Final Report

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As I reported a couple of days ago, the preliminary Top 10 was revealed from the Millward Brown Optimor Top 100. Today the full list was revealed. The full list, with analysis, is available for free as a pdf at their website.

Of the Top 100, as in past years, only Budweiser made the list. It came in at #52, up 18 spots from #70 last year with a brand increase of 23%. That, of course, seems strange since sales are relatively flat, and have been for some years now. If you’re interested on learning more about how they came up with the rankings, there’s a short video that explains it in greater detail.

 
Here’s the Top 10 in the beer sector:

 

And here’s how the beer segment is analyzed in the MBO Report:

Beer Lightens Up At Home

The brand value of the beer category has grown by 15 percent, benefiting from the consumer effort to economize by shifting consumption from bars and restaurants to home. Bud Light surpassed Budweiser in brand value, with a year-on-year increase of 33 percent, reflecting the rising popularity of light beers. This accomplishment has been driven in part by a shift in tastes, the trend toward increased health consciousness, and competitive pricing. At the super-premium end of the market, Kronenbourg 1664, has moved up in the rankings to number 10 from number 12. This advance was driven by a 41 percent increase in year-on-year brand value, which places it among the top 20 risers in the BrandZ ranking. By strange coincidence the Kronenbourg 1664 brand value is $1,664 million. The brand was introduced in Russia last year, where overall consumption has quadrupled after legislation relaxed restrictions on beer drinking.

Heineken remains in third place after Bud Light and Budweiser, with a 10 percent year-on-year rise in brand value. Attempting to keep the brand relevant as consumption shifts away from on-premise consumption, Heineken explored campaigns that emphasize serving premium beer for at-home events. With Carlsberg, Heineken last year took over Scottish and Newcastle. The transaction was part of an industry consolidation trend that also included the combining of SAB Miller and Molson Coors into MillerCoors and the merger of InBev and Anheuser-Busch. Consolidation may continue, but probably not on this scale because of the limited availability of credit.

Notice how the brand value change is so volatile, much more so than actual sales of these brands. Their comment about Bud Light surpassing Bud “reflecting the rising popularity of light beers” seems pretty naive since light beers have been outselling their non-low-calorie counterparts for years, if not decades. Bud Light itself has been outselling Budweiser for many years, but this is the first year it overtook Bud in “brand value?” That calls into question a few things about the metric their using. I realize that “brand value” is not the same as sales, but the two should at least have some correlation to the marketplace, otherwise what’s the point?

Anyway, it’s an interesting exercise and I’ll be interested to see what happens next year with all the changes at the large-scale beer companies.

 

The Top 20 Microbreweries?

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This is one of the strangest lists of the top anything in the beer world for quite some time. Matador Trips, which bills itself as providing “trip ideas for travelers,” had one of their frequent contributors, Eric Warren, create a list of what they’re calling the “Top 20 Microbreweries in America.” It’s as head-scratching a list as ever I’ve seen. I know these things are almost pure opinion and that reasonable people can differ widely. I come up with my own Top 10 lists most weeks, so I know what a chore it can be. But they should, I feel, have some grounding in reality, and should at least try to maintain some internal consistency, adjust for personal bias (or at least cop to it) and be a reflection of the actual trends or reality (and if not at least be able to support the choices).

So imagine my surprise after nearly 20 years of paying very close attention to the world of beer, that the top two microbreweries in all the land I’ve barely even heard of. I’m sure they’re fine places, and I by no means wish to disparage them, but apart from the locals (and Stan, who’s been everywhere) how many people would have placed these two so high on a list of this title? How many are actually “microbreweries?” At least a few on his list are “brewpubs,” not that there’s anything wrong with that. Boundary Bay Brewing is, for example, currently the largest brewpub in America. Barrio Brewing, the #2 micro, opened in 2007 and doesn’t bottle or can their beer. Another one on the list, the Novare Res Bier Cafe doesn’t even appear to brew beer, but is instead an apparently decent beer bar in Maine. Really, he couldn’t fine one more actual brewery to round out the list?

I’m trying not to be too much of a dick here, but if you’re going to use the term “microbreweries,” it seems reasonable that you should know or find out what it means to be a microbrewery. A Microbrewery has a specific definition, but even beyond that there are some odd choices and glaring omissions that almost anybody paying attention would undoubtedly notice. The author gives no formula or idea of how he made his choices. Dartboard, perhaps? I should point out that Warren has lived in Montana for 25 years and is currently in Maine, so that may at least give some of his choices context.

Here’s the list. You probably know where I stand. What’s your take? Good list, or worthless?

 
The Top 20 Microbreweries in America, According to Matador Trips

  1. Kettlehouse Brewing, Missoula, Montana
  2. Barrio Brewing, Tucson, Arizona
  3. Full Sail Brewing, Hood River, Oregon
  4. Second Street Brewery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
  5. Clipper City Brewing, Baltimore, Maryland
  6. Free State Brewing, Lawrence, Kansas
  7. Uncle Billy’s Brew & Que Smokehouse & Brewery, Austin, Texas
  8. Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn, New York
  9. Sleeping Giant Brewery/Lewis and Clark Brewing, Helena, Montana
  10. Deschutes Brewery & Public House, Bend, Oregon
  11. Ale Asylum, Madison, Wisconsin
  12. Boundary Bay Brewery, Bellingham, Washington
  13. Asheville Pizza & Brewing, Asheville, North Carolina
  14. Moab Brewery, Moab, Utah
  15. AleSmith Brewing, San Diego, California
  16. Long Trail Brewing, Bridgewater Corners, Vermont
  17. Twisp River Pub, Twisp, Washington
  18. Novare Res Bier Cafe, Portland, Maine
  19. Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
  20. New Belgium Brewing, Fort Collins, Colorado

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Beer Books

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For my 14th Top 10 list I’m a book state of mind. I’ve been trying to finish two book proposals since last year and a third book came up recently that I have to finish in about six weeks. Then earlier this week, a colleague sent me yet another invitation to pitch a book that a specific publisher wants to do. So I took a look through my own library of beer books and decided to pick my ten favorites. I also decided to not include guidebooks (sorry, Lew), fiction or homebrewing books (sorry, Charlie) in the list. That essentially leaves reference books and history, which is what I tend to gravitate toward. Some I felt I had to include because of their influence on me once upon a time, even if they’ve become dated over time. So by top ten, I simply mean the ones I like best or find most useful on a regular basis, and not including several popular type of beer books. And of course, I don’t own every beer book, though I do have quite a few. So the list is hardly scientific. You probably won’t agree with my choices, but that’s okay. I’d love to hear your choices. Anyway, here’s List #14:
 

Top 10 Beer Books
 

The Essentials of Beer Styles by Fred Eckhardt. It’s hard to believe that Fred’s little book is only 20 years old, but it cataloged beer styles in a brand new way, one that’s been picked up by everybody since, from the BA to the BJCP.
Great Beers of Belgium by Michael Jackson. Most of us have a soft spot for the beers of Belgium, and Michael’s book bring them to life in a way no other book has managed.
Ambitious Brew by Maureen Ogle. From the Golden Age to the Silver Age, Maureen’s thoroughly researched history eschewed mythology for fact and remains one of the few records of the early days of craft beer.
Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher. A brand new book, Randy’s book was one that needed to be written, to replace Evaluating Beer, a book with much good information but disjointed and hard to use because of the format and multiple authors. Tasting Beer pulls it all together in one easy-to-use book.
Amber, Gold & Black by Martyn Cornell. Martyn’s pdf-only book takes on many sacred cows of the beer canon and shows us their true history.
Drink by Iain Gaitley. Gaitley’s thick, dense book is not just about beer, but it has so much new, interesting and informative material in one place that it’s a delight on every page.
The Brewmaster’s Table by Garrett Oliver. There are plenty of good beer and food books, but Garrett’s broke new ground and changed how we view the relationship of food to beer forever.
Brewed In America by Stanley Baron. Originally published in 1962, it’s still the standard, rich with information, though the language is a little dry.
New World Guide To Beer by Michael Jackson. The 1977, or original, edition was the first beer book I ever bought. I still consult the latest edition from time to time and often just enjoy paging through it.
Michael Jackson’s Beer Companion by Michael Jackson. Hands down my favorite beer book. It’s not just informative and rich with stories, but I love the language of it. A masterpiece of reference books.

 

As usual, it was pretty hard to keep the list to ten, and a great many wonderful books didn’t fit on the shelf. Here’s a few more that almost made the list:

The Beer Bistro Cookbook by Stephen Beaumont & Brian Morin; The Best of American Beer & Food by Lucy Saunders; Brew Like A Monk by Stan Hieronymus ; The Encyclopedia of World Beer by Benjamin Myers & Graham Lees; The English Pub by Michael Jackson; Good Man’s Weakness by Charles McCabe (admittedly a work of fiction and essays, but read it and you’ll see why it’s on this list); Grape vs. Grain by Charles Bamforth; He Said Beer, She Said Wine by Sam Calagione & Marnie Old; One Hundred Years of Brewing: A Complete History of the Progress Made in the Art, Science and Industry of Brewing During the Nineteenth Century; Origin & History of Beer & Brewing by John P. Arnold; Premium Beer Drinker’s Guide by Stephen Beaumont; and Ultimate Beer by Michael Jackson

Let me know your favorite beer books, and why.

 

Also, if you have any ideas for future Top 10 lists you’d like to see, drop me a line.