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New Albion Founder In Car Accident

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I just heard that Jack McAuliffe, the founder of New Albion Brewing, the country’s first microbrewery, was in a serious car accident in Las Vegas. Here’s what we know so far.

According to Tom McCormick, director of the California Small Brewers Association, “Jack’s sister, Cathy McAuliffe who had just spoken to the hospital, said Jack was “doing OK, considering…” It was also reported by Maureen Ogle that Jack is “in intensive care, on a ventilator, in a Las Vegas hospital,” but details were still vague.”

Updates, as they become available, will be posted to the Pro Brewer forum.

Jack was a pioneer in the industry, let’s send good wishes to him and his family for a speedy recovery.

 

UPDATE 4.2: Maureen Ogle let me know that Jack’s sister will be sending her updates as they become available, so check out her blog to learn more. As of 12:44 p.m., Cathy McAuliffe sent Maureen the following. “He is still on the ventilator, but seems to be doing OK.”

 

Making Nonsense Of Alcohol

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The UK has its share of loonies, anti-alcohol neo-prohibitionist groups foaming at the mouth like our MADD, the Marin Institute and the CSPI. One major organization is Alcohol Concern, whose motto is “making sense of alcohol.” The UK’s Independent ran a propaganda piece today entitled Health Fears Over ‘Extreme Beer’ Craze, in which they appear to be making more nonsense about alcohol than anything else.

They also target Scotland’s wonderful BrewDog and confuse being hip and edgy with “targeting young people.” The tagline for the article is the historically forgetful “Bottled bitters with mind-blowing alcohol contents are being marketed to young drinkers,” as if high alcohol beers are something new. Barley Wines, a creation of the old guard British breweries, have been around more than a century, so it’s not like “extreme beers” are novel. A spokesperson for Alcohol Concern, CEO Don Shenker, is quoted as complaining “that BrewDog appeared to be targeting young people” and that it “remind[ed him] very much of alcopops. It looks to [him] like they’re going for the 18 to 25-year-old category.” Well how scientific. It “appears,” he’s “reminded” and it “looks to [him] like something he doesn’t like is taking place. That The Independent gives this group a voice is the real tragedy at the heart of what’s wrong with the way beer is so often mischaracterized by a press pandering to fear to sell papers and get hits online.

As part of an article in the Publican, by UK beer writer Pete Brown, was used as background for the smear piece, he rightly exposes their hypocrisy. Read the original article and then read Pete Brown’s response. It’s a joy to behold. Pete is obviously a kindred spirit.

 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Animals Associated With Beer

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I had to skip last week’s list, there was just too much going on. But as the last day of March is upon us, I’m reminded of the old saying “March comes in like a lager, and goes out like a lambic.” Or perhaps that’s a lion and a lamb? There are several animals closely associated with beer and brewing, so today my list will cover my favorite animals having some association with beer, a goofy a list as I could come up with. Anyway, here’s List #11:

Top 10 Animals Associated With Beer

10-25Rams Young’s registered the Ram trademark in 1893, and since then countless breweries have also used a ram or sheep, from the Black Sheep Brewery to the RAM chain of brewpubs. animals-10
09-25Moose & Squirrel I can’t over emphasize how much of a huge fan of Rocky & Bullwinkle I am. I had the great pleasure to meet Jay Ward very briefly in L.A. in the mid-1980s at the Dudley Do-Right Emporium. So anything with a squirrel or a moose and I’m in. I even tried to get Bullwinkle on the short list of names for my son — my wife wasn’t having any of it. So while Big Sky’s Moose Drool or New Glarus’ Fat Squirrel Ale are fine by me, Laurelwood’s Moose & Squirrel Russian Imperial Stout is the bee’s knees. animals-09
08-25Fish While I’m no fan of fishing — to me it’s just standing next to water with a pole in your hand staring into space — for people who do get more out of it, beer goes with it like nothing else. It couldn’t hurt. And so there are Flying Fish, Fish Brewing, Steelhead and a Dogfish. As a Pisces in good-standing, I love all things fish, except eating it (unless fried and with chips) or trying to catch one with string, a stick and a worm. animals-08
07-25Bears While the Hamm’s Bear is undoubtedly the king of beer bears, there are plenty of others. Another favorite is the Boonville Bear, complete with antlers, from Anderson Valley Brewing. Though my favorite has to be from Gentle Ben’s Brewing in Tucson, Arizona. Their mascot bear, Big Ben, espouses what must be one of the great philosophies of the 21st century. “Drink ‘Till You’re Sleepy … Sleep ‘Till You’re Thirsty.“ animals-07
06-25Bigfoot / Sasquatch Seen only once each year, usually in mid-January or early February, though it’s not the only sighting of Bigfoot. Up in Eugene, Oregon there was Sasquatch, now a part of the Glen Hay Falconer Foundation and Sasquatch Stout from Old Yale Brewing Company in B.C., Canada. I picture that grainy film of bigfoot lumbering through the forest, but with a beer in his hand. But this year is the 25th anniversary for Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale, making it the one to hunt for. animals-06
05-25Elephants If the sight of pink elephants doesn’t give you tremors, then you haven’t had enough to drink yet. Have a few more cans of Carlsberg’s Elephant Beer. They may not be pink, but they’ll still have you seeing the pink variety. animals-05
04-25Lions Hard to believe, but lions once roamed Europe and didn’t become extinct until as late as 100 CE in some parts. That’s at least part of the reason why the lion is such a part of European mythology, and is on flags, coats of arms and, of course, on beer labels. Lowenbrau means literally “lion’s brew” and the one in Munich is by no means the only lion’s brewery. There’s lion beers around the world and Lion Stout and a Lion Brewery in Pennsylvania. animals-03
03-25Birds Believe it or not I have a strong affinity for birds. Being a Jay myself, some of my happiest moments as a child were birdwatching with my aunt and grandmother and one of my earliest merit badges was for birdwatching, too. According to the International Bird Beer Label Association (IBBLA), there are at least 310 beer labels with a bird on them. From Antarctica’s penguin to the bald eagle on Yuengling’s Traditional Lager, the hummingbird from Humboldt and all the Hawks — Red Tail, Black, White and the Eye of the — from Mendocino, birds are all over the world of beer. animals-04
02-25Dogs Dogs might quite possibly be the most popular animal on beer labels. Many breweries have their own dogs and Rogue even has a festival for their dog Brewer, who passed away a few years ago. In Australia, you can even get a special beer for your dog. There’s Flying Dogs, Sea Dogs, Brew Dogs, Red Dogs, Laughing Dog, Thirsty Dog, Big Dog, Lazy Dog, Ugly Dog, Blue Eyed Dog, a Hair of the Dog, and even Lucky Labrador. There’s a Turbo Dog Beer, a Fat Dog Stout, Dogfather Imperial Stout and Old Leghumper. Man’s best friend is undoubtedly a brewery’s best friend, too.

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01-25Goats The German style Bock began in the town of Einbeck. The name is a corruption of the medieval German brewing town of Einbeck, but also means male deer or goat in German; the word is a cognate of the English “buck”. So it is that goats are often featured on bock beer labels. They’re downright ubiquitous, and in fact it’s more unusual that a bock beer label doesn’t have a goat somewhere on it.

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animals-01b animals-01c animals-01a animals-01e animals-01i animals-01m animals-01l animals-01h animals-01d animals-01o animals-01p animals-01f animals-01k animals-01n animals-01j

Other animals considered were the wonderful Griffin, but since that’s only Fuller’s it didn’t make sense to include. I certainly couldn’t include talking frogs or flatulent horses. I considered deer, usually called Stag beer. And apart from rhyming, what do skunks have to do with being drunk?

What are your favorites?

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

Das Bierbrauen

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Here’s another very cool old beer video that was sent to me by Steve Altimari, brewmaster at Valley Brewing, who got it from Brian Hunt at Moonlight Brewing. Anyway, it’s a nearly twelve-minute silent film (with appropriately cheesy music) from Germany around the 1920s and shows the brewing process in film and crude animation. The original title was Das Bierbrauen.

The video is a part of Classic Beer Commercials, Vol. 3, available on DVD from TV Days. The YouTube title is Visit A German Beer Factory 1930 but in the DVD description says it’s from the 1920s. Either way, enjoy!

Guusagain’s Mouse In A Beer

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I’m not sure exactly who Guusagain is — could that be “guess again” in Dutch? — but she loves drawing mice that at least somewhat resemble Danger Mouse. There are hundreds of photos with mice drawn into the scene. But the one I stumbled on was this one of several mice drinking and even swimming in a glass of beer.

 

Apparently “Guus” is the name of the mouse, based on a testimonial on her Flickr profile page.

 

When Doctors Battled For Medicinal Beer

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Today is “Doctor’s Day,” which commemorates the “anniversary of the occasion when Dr. Crawford W. Long became the first acclaimed physician to use ether as an anesthetic agent in a surgical technique, Mar 30, 1842.” The holiday has been observed annually since 1933, though it’s unclear why in 1933 people decided a holiday for doctors should be started. But it’s the perfect day to mention a curious account of Doctors during Prohibition that was published in New Scientist last fall. It was called When Doctors Battled For Medicinal Beer and while beer and whisky are at the center of the story, it’s really about control and the physician’s autonomy that’s at the heart of the story. An interesting read.

 

Beer In Art #21: Jan Miense Molenaer’s Man With Glass Of Beer

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Today’s work of art is another old painting, from the 17th century. It’s by Jan Miense Molenaer, a Dutch painter who lived from around 1610-1668. He’s mostly known for his portraits, usually depicting everyday life, though he did still life work, too. He was a student of the more well-known Frans Hals, considered a Golden Age Dutch painter.

Here’s a short biography, from Encyclopedia.com:

Dutch painter, active in his native Haarlem and in Amsterdam, where he moved in 1636 after marrying Judith Leyster; both belonged in their youth to the circle of Frans Hals. He and his wife probably collaborated and sometimes it is difficult to differentiate their work. Molenaer, however, was more prolific and more versatile. His genre scenes range from pictures of the indecorous activities of peasants to exquisitely finished interiors showing well-to-do families. He also painted portraits and religious scenes. His early works (which are considered his best) have a grey-blond tonality and touches of bright colour; his later ones are darker, in the manner of Brouwer or Ostade. He had two painter brothers, Bartholomaeus (d. 1650) and Claes (d. 1676), both active in Haarlem.

The painting below is called Man With Glass Of Beer, and, oddly enough, is up for auction on the Italian eBay through the Gallery Duval. Opening bid is just under $3,000.

 
Here is the description of Man With Glass Of Beer from the auction:

Artist:
The painting is signed with a monogram “JM” for Jan Miense Molenaer (ca.1610-1668), a well-listed Dutch Baroque Era painter of genre subjects. He shared a studio with his wife, Judith Leyster, also a genre painter, portraitist and painter of still-life. Both Molenaer and Leyster may have been pupils of Frans Hals.His style is similar to that of Dutch genre painter, Adriaen van Ostade. His works often depicted players of music, taverns, card players, scenes of games. He also depicted biblical stories.

Age:
The painting is from the 17th century.

Medium:
The painting is a genuine oil painting on wood.

Size without frame:
The picture is 22 cm /8,6 inches high and 17 cm /6,6 inches wide.
The frame itself is 5 cm /2 inches wide.

Auction record:
A painting by Jan Miense Molenaer was sold at Christie’s, New York NY on the 16th January 1992 for $ 260,000.

Description:
Here you are offered a fine early 17th century oil painting of museum quality featuring a seated peasant man in a blue jacket, red trousers and a red hat, shown against a dark background. He is amused and coarsely smiling while raising a full glass of beer. On a plinth beside him stands a glistening ceramic pitcher. The work is marked by naturalistic precision in rendering the male figure captured in a dynamic and emotional gesture, excellent handling of colour and virtuoso effects of light and shadow.

 
This is perhaps his most beer-centirc work, though because he painted scenes from everyday life, many of his paintings involve drinking since it, too, was a part of everyday life in 17th century Holland. Here are a few more of his paintings that featured beer in them.

 

Drinking Peasants
Unknown date
Oil on panel, 62 x 79 cm
Private collection

 

Amorous Couple in an Inn
1640s
Oil on panel, 50 x 39 cm
Private collection

 

The King Drinks
1636-37
Oil on panel, 42 x 55 cm
The Collection of the Prince of Lichtenstein, Vaduz

 

Peasants in the Tavern
Unknown date
Oil on wood, 30,3 x 24,6 cm
Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

 
If you want to learn more about the artist, Wikipedia, the Artnet or the ArtCyclopedia are all good places to start. And to see more of his work, check of the Web Gallery of Art.

 

Beer In The 1950s: Gracious Living

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I’ve been trying to research the United States Brewers Foundation for something I’ve been working on, but haven’t been able to find out very much. I believe they were formed on October 14, 1944 through a merger between the original United States Brewers Association (USBA), which was formed in 1862 (sort of, that’s was when the first meeting took place, at least), and the upstart United Brewers Industrial Foundation (UBIF), then only seven years old. The newly combined trade group was called the United States Brewers Foundation (USBF). What happened to them after that I can’t say. I’m sure somebody knows. The Encyclopedia of Beer (Rhodes, Christine, ed. The Encyclopedia of Beer. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 1995) claims the USBA is “now defunct” but also details how getting some legislation passed in October 1976 was its “crowning achievement.” By that I infer that they believe they were still a going concern at least as late as 1976, but that after that they “unofficially” merged with the Brewers Association of America (BAA), which was formed in 1941.

Even the Wikipedia entry for the USBA is contradictory. The first sentence claims the USBA existed from 1862 to 1986. But in the last paragraph, the 1944 merger is also recounted. I know the BAA “officially” merged with the Association of Brewers to create the present-day Brewers Association around four years ago. But if the USBA merged with the UBIF in 1944 to create the USBF, how was it possible they were still around in 1976 or 1986? Something is wrong there, I just don’t know which account is right.

Anyway, that’s almost pointless — except in the hopes that someone can set the record straight and has some authority to back it up — what’s important here is that I also stumbled on a great little propaganda film promoting the brewing industry produced by the USBF in the 1950s. It’s called As We Like It, and runs just over ten minutes. Parts of it are unintentionally funny, in the way all documentary films were during this time period. But perhaps more interesting is that some of the arguments they make about the positive aspects of the brewing industry are ones we’re still having to make today, which is a little sad. But since the New Drys keep ignoring them, we have to keep reminding them. That’s the nature of their propaganda, to simply not address uncomfortable or inconvenient truths. Here is, or rather was, ours. Enjoy!

 

 

For extra credit, guess how many times the words “clean” and “friendly” are used, including variants. Those seem to be the big selling points, that the beer industry is “clean” and “friendly.”

 

Beer Hunter, Whisky Chaser

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Today, in honor of Michael Jackson’s birthday, a new book was published, Beer Hunter, Whisky Chaser, featuring new short works or essays by a baker’s dozen of beer and whisky writers. The new works were all donated by the authors and the proceeds of the book will be donated to the Parkinson’s Disease Society. I know better than half of the writers, a number of whom are good friends, so even without reading it, I suspect it will be a worthwhile addition to your library. The authors are Stephen Beaumont, Dave Broom, Ian Buxton, John Hansell, Julie Johnson, Charles MacLean, Hans Offringa, F. Paul Pacult, Roger Protz, Lucy Saunders, Conrad Seidl, Carolyn Smagalski and Gavin D. Smith.

And it’s for a good cause. I’d say buy it on Amazon, but it’s not showing as being available. So look for it at your local bookstore soon. It would also make a lovely gift, don’t you think?

From the publisher’s website:

Editor Ian Buxton, who conceived the project, said “Michael Jackson dominated the world of both beer and whisky writing for two decades and was hugely influential in both ‘real ale’ and single malt whisky. A complete generation of writers has cause to be grateful to him, not to mention countless brewers and distillers. This new book honours that legacy.”

 

The Bistro To Host Bill Brand Birthday Celebration

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Tomorrow, beginning at 6:30 p.m., The Bistro in Hayward, California, will be hosting a Celebration of the late beer writer Bill Brand’s life on his birthday, which is March 26. Tomorrow would have been Bill’s 71st birthday.

The Bistro will be serving some rare beers, appetizers, and chocolates, peppered with toasts and camaraderie. All proceeds from the Special Beers will be donated to the Contra Costa Food Bank. Come join us at the Bistro if you’re able.

 

William “Bill” Brand
March 26, 1938 — February 20, 2009
Photo by D. Cameron Ross, Oakland Tribune