Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Spirituality On Tap

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With Win Bassett about to enter the seminary, this story from Madison, Wisconsin, stood out as something he could do to combine his callings. According to the Cap Times, a couple of local taverns, the Chief’s Tavern and the Fountain, both in Madison, are hosting regular events combining beer and religion.

The Fountain is hosting a group known as Spirituality on Tap, who meets the on the first Sunday or each month “to talk about faith and spirituality in a relaxed, comfortable environment.”
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The second group takes over Chief’s Tavern for “Beer & Hymns,” where members of a nearby Lutheran Church meet to drink a few pints and sing a few hymns.
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As one attendee quipped. “It’s easier to talk to a pastor standing next to a bar stool.” Another admitted that “a pub or a local bar is a more comfortable space than a church is.” Best of all, another advocate had this to say. “This is about recognizing that many people equate alcohol with alcoholism … those two things, while related, are not the same. We need to be sensitive to those that have struggled, but not demonize alcohol itself.” Amen to that.

That’s how all church should be held, frankly. Win, can you do something about that?

Beer Birthday: Win Bassett

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Today is the … gulp … 28th birthday of Win Bassett, formerly of All About Beer magazine and formerly the executive director of the North Carolina Brewers Guild. To learn more about Win, check out the interview that the Beer Wench did a few years ago. In addition to his work with beer, Basett’s also an attorney who worked as a state prosecutor. Win was a great asset to the craft beer community, both in his home state and nationally. He’s recently decided to take his life in a somewhat different direction, and has enrolled in a seminary to begin the next phase of his life. So this birthday post is also something of a fond farewell. Please join me in wishing Win a very happy birthday, and also raise a toast to wish him well in his coming endeavors.

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Win, along with (counterclockwise), Jim Koch, Marty Nachel, John Holl, me, Bob Townsend and Tony Forder, judging the finals of the Samuel Adams Longshot Homebrew Competition in Boston last year.

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Win at DPAC with Ken Grossman, Kim Jordan and Dale Katechis.

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Win, at far right, with (from the left) Jim Koch, Daniel Bradford, Jack McAuliffe, two All About Beer folks and Rick Lyke.

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Gina and Brian Grossman, Daniel Bradford and Win during Asheville Beer Week.

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John Holl and Mountain Man Win. [Note: last four photos purloined from Facebook. Forgive me.]

Replacing Water With Beer?

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Monks famously fasted for the forty days of Lent by supplementing their lack of food with liquid bread; beer. But how long could you really go without food, and especially water? In this interesting article, io9 tackles the question Could you drink beer instead of water and still survive? If the world ends in a nuclear fireball, I want to know how useful my beer cellar’s going to be as part of my survival plan.

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Beer In Ads #829: Party Brew!

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Friday’s ad is for Goetz, and their Country CLub Malt Liquor. It’s from 1955 and “Mmm — just wait until you taste it.” That’s not me saying that, that’s what the ad copy says. Notice that can looks smaller? It doesn’t appear to be a 12 oz. can. Maybe that’s the “new” part of “Party Brew!”? I also love this bit of ad copy: “So smooth — so different! Looks inviting … tastes exciting!” Hilarious. What exactly does “exciting” taste like?

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Announcing The Bay Brewers Guild

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I’m pleased to announce that a number of South Bay, Silicon Valley brewers have banded together to form the Bay Brewers Guild, a new trade group for brewers located “South to Monterey, North to The Northern most point of the SF bay, East to all breweries that call the Bay their home (this can include places such as Livermore, Pleasanton, Walnut Creek, etc.), and West to the Pacific Ocean.” The new guild has been brewing for some time now, but it recently became official, and they’re a 501(c)3 non-profit organization as of November 27, 2012.

In a press release announcing their formation, the guild’s stated goals are the following.

  1. To promote the beers of the breweries in our area.
  2. To raise awareness about the joys of drinking craft beer.
  3. To support other non-profit organizations in our area.
  4. To develop and run annual beer events for our community.
  5. To spread the word about our area as having a long history in the American Craft Beer Movement that continues today.

They’re just getting started, and will be conducting monthly meetings. ALso, there’s no online presence yet, but I imagine that’s in the works. Executive Director of the new guild is Dan Satterthwaite, who’s a Siebel trained brewer who’s worked for Gordon Biersch and is currently in the process of opening his own brewery in Santa Cruz. If you’re in their geographic area and not currently a member, please contact Dan about becoming involved in the guild. Congratulations to everybody involved.

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Founding Members of the Bay Brewers Guild:

  • Rock Bottom Brewery Restaurant, Campbell
  • Campbell Brewing Company, Campbell
  • Lost Gatos Brewing Company, Los Gatos
  • Gordon Biersch Brewing Company, San Jose
  • Firehouse Brewery, Sunnyvale
  • Rabbit’s Foot Meadery, Sunnyvale
  • Tied House Brewery Restaurant, Mountain View
  • The Hermitage, San Jose
  • Santa Cruz Ale Works, Santa Cruz
  • Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing, Santa Cruz
  • Uncommon Brewers, Santa Cruz
  • Seabright Brewery, Santa Cruz
  • Discretion Brewing Company, Capitola
  • Sante Adairius Rustic Ales, Capitola
  • Boulder Creek Brewing Company, Boulder Creek
  • Peter B’s Brewpub, Monterey
  • Corralitos Brewing Company, Corralitos
  • Faultline Brewing Company, Cupertino
  • El Toro Brewing Company, Morgan Hill

So You Want To Save Water?

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Since today is World Water Day, our infographic for the day is So You Want To Save Water? Though it’s not strictly about brewing or beer, it seems relevant since water is the biggest ingredient used in brewing beer. Two interesting mentions of beer are in the poster. The first is that it takes 19.81 gallons to produce a glass of beer. I’m not sure about the exact number, but I do know many brewers are aware of their own water ratio and work hard to lower it. The second is that you can save 15,582 gallons of water per year if you switched from a daily glass of milk to a daily glass of beer. Now that’s conservation I can get behind.

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Click here to see the infographic full size.

Death Of A Contract Brewer: Shmaltz Builds A Brewery

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Wow, this is big news. My old friend Jeremy Cowan sent me a note this morning about this. His company, Shmaltz Brewing, makers of He’Brew and the Coney Island Craft Lagers of beers, will very shortly no longer be a contract brewer. He’s building a 20,000-square foot, 50-barrel brewery in Upstate, New York — Clifton Park (about 10 minutes north of Albany) — which will have an annual capacity of 20,000 barrels. Production is expected to begin in April or May, with a grand opened currently scheduled for July 7, 2013. He’s been working on the plans for this for a year and was finally ready to announce it to the world. Also, great news, is that his brewer, at least initially, will be Paul McErlean (who I’ve judged at GABF with). Paul oversaw all Shmaltz’s contract brewing before and “created every recipe in Shmaltz’s award winning family of beers.”

Here’s more information from the press release:

After 16 years as one of contract brewing’s loudest cheerleaders, Shmaltz Brewing Company, handcrafters of HE’BREW – The Chosen Beer® and Coney Island Craft Lagers®, is breaking with tradition and opening its own New York State production brewery. Located in Clifton Park, NY, 10 minutes north of Albany’s capital district, Shmaltz’s new home boasts a 50-barrel brewhouse with 20,000 barrels of annual capacity. With a $3.25 million dollar budget and countless hours of planning and preparation, what began as an improbable fantasy only one year ago, has blossomed into a nearly 20,000 square foot brewing reality.

The first stainless kettles were delivered this week and the inaugural brew date is targeted for late-April. Packaging should commence in May and June, and Shmaltz projects bringing 100% of its production in-house by mid-to-late summer. The heart of Shmaltz’s new operation features a custom-made, 5-vessel manual workhorse brewhouse as well as 8 fermentation and 2 bright beer tanks manufactured in the US from Oregon’s JV Northwest. The 120-bottle-per minute packaging line comes from the well respected Italian experts at SBC/BC International. The new Shmaltz brewery will package 12 and 22 ounce bottles and kegs of their diverse core and seasonal favorites. Several new releases and collaborations are on tap for 2013, and Shmaltz will continue their acclaimed exploration of barrel-aging with a current inventory of more than 300 bourbon, rye whiskey, and tequila barrels. The brewery projects hiring upwards of 10 full time staff for the new operation in addition to the dozen staffers currently handling sales, marketing and contract brewing operations. The space also touts a 1,700 square foot tasting room, and roughly 800 square feet of office space.

Even with this new beginning, Shmaltz will be piloted under the watchful and experienced eyes of the same dynamic team that’s brought the craft beer world many years of delicious beer and delicious shtick, including Jeremy Cowan (Proprietor), Bob Craven (General Manager), Matt Polacheck (Art Director), Zak Davis (National Sales Manager), Jesse P. Cutler (PR Director), and Paul McErlean (Consulting Brewmaster who created every recipe in Shmaltz’s award winning family of beers).

A press event and ribbon cutting ceremony will be announced shortly for late April or early May. The official, public grand opening bash will take place on Sunday, July 7, 2013. Specific details will be announced soon. Following the opening, craft beer enthusiasts will be able to enjoy the nectar of the new brewery gods at Shmaltz’s tasting room throughout the year. Brewery tours will be available to the public — times will be announced this summer.

Congratulations to Jeremy and the whole Shmaltz tean. L’chaim.

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