Today’s infographic is another one from Lug Wrench, this one all about Alcohol By Volume Ranges By Style, showing the BJCP styles with the range of a.b.v. for each.
Spirituality On Tap
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.”
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.
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
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.
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.
Win at DPAC with Ken Grossman, Kim Jordan and Dale Katechis.
Win, at far right, with (from the left) Jim Koch, Daniel Bradford, Jack McAuliffe, two All About Beer folks and Rick Lyke.
Gina and Brian Grossman, Daniel Bradford and Win during Asheville Beer Week.
John Holl and Mountain Man Win. [Note: last four photos purloined from Facebook. Forgive me.]
The History Of Beer
Today’s infographic is entitled The History of Beer, and was created by the Black Sheep Brewery in the UK.
Click here to see the poster full size.
Are Hops Addictive?
Are Hops Addictive? I sure hope so. PopSci’s BeerSci series tackles that very question in an interesting article: Are Hops Addictive? So what’s the answer? I’m not telling, but don’t worry. The answer is a click away.
Das Bier
Today’s infographic is a poster of different common types of beer called Das Bier. It was created by Lemonwood Design.
Click here to see the poster full size.
Replacing Water With Beer?
vs. 
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.
Beer In Ads #829: Party Brew!
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?
Announcing The Bay Brewers Guild
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.
- To promote the beers of the breweries in our area.
- To raise awareness about the joys of drinking craft beer.
- To support other non-profit organizations in our area.
- To develop and run annual beer events for our community.
- 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.
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?
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.
Click here to see the infographic full size.