Friday’s ad is from 1950 and is for Ballantine. Showing a delectable hamburger paired with a Ballantine, as disembodied hands slice onions into the iconic three-ring logo, eventually ending up perfectly arranged on the open-faced burger.
Celebrate Triple Rock’s 25th Anniversary Monday
Geez has time flown. Twenty-five plus years ago you weren’t even allowed to operate a brewpub in the State of California. Finally in 1983 that finally changed, thanks to some hard work and a lot of meetings. Shortly thereafter, the first two brewpubs in California opened, Mendocino Brewing and Buffalo Bill’s. The third opened 25 years ago come this Monday, March 14, 1986. It was started by the Martin brothers — John and Reid — who had both homebrewed in college. It originally opened under a name you may not be familiar with: Roaring Rock. Unfortunately, the folks from Latrobe, Pennsylvania, who brewed Rolling Rock, thought the name was too close to their own, and so the Martins had to pick a new name. Eventually they settled on Triple Rock Brewery & Alehouse.
Triple Rock when it opened in 1986.
This Monday, March 14, 2011, Triple Rock will be celebrating the 25th Anniversary of opening its doors. Here’s what will be going on at the brewpub all day long:
In celebration Rodger has re-brewed “Brew #1,″ the first beer ever made in the Triple Rock system. Reid & John originally brewed it on Christmas Day 1985. On March 14th we will be pouring Brew #1 (a Pale Ale) all day for just $1.75 a pint (the original price for a pint in 1986). We will also tap a hopped-up cask version of Brew #1 at 5 pm. Kind of a “2011 hopping meets 1986 cask ale” beer. Come by and try both of them!
The kitchen will be serving some old-school items, such as our original Muffaletta sandwich. But no, you’re not going to have to go to the “window” to order your grub, like you did in ’86.
John & Reid will preside over the tapping of the cask, and maybe go for another round of arm-wresting (John lost to Reid at the Festivus celebration last Dec.) Join past & present TRB brewers, staff, and long-time regulars to toast The Rock’s 25 years of making beer!
We’ve also created a special anniversary tee-shirt that pays homage to our original name, ”Roaring Rock Brewery”. There will be just one small print run of this shirt, so you should get yours before they’re gone. But, if you are up on your trivia of the early days of Roaring Rock/Triple Rock — you just may win one!
Strong Women Brew Strong Beer
Just stumbled upon this awesome ad for Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing. They’ve used the “Strong Women Brew Strong Beer” slogan on other artwork, but this new version by local illustrator Janet Allinger is the best yet. It has a “Rosie the Riveter” feel to it and according to her blog it will be used as a poster by the brewery. I hope they’ll have a version to buy in their online shop soon. I know at least a few brewsters who will probably want one for themselves.
Brewing TV Visits The Bay Area
A few months ago the good folks from Brewing TV in the wilds of Minnesota came for a visit to the Bay Area. Brewing TV is part of Northern Brewer Homebrew Supply. In addition to mail-order business, they also operate two homebrew shops in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Jon Weber, from Beer Obsessed acted as their guide as they visited the Marin Brewing Company, Triple Rock Brewery, Linden Street Brewing Company, Dying Vines Brewing along with some homebrewing with Nathan Smith. I met up with them at Marin Brewing where we talked more generally about beer in the Bay Area. Enjoy.
7 Things
David Turley at Musings Over A Pint punked me last week — in a good way, and on my birthday no less — by pulling me into 7 Things, an internet version of a chain letter. I’m sure it’s a coincidence, but 7 Things is also the name of a song by Miley Cyrus (a.k.a. Hannah Montana). Before you think I knew that little factoid off the top of my head, I did a Google search for “7 Things” to see what I could find out about it. The idea is “I’m supposed to write seven things that people might not know about me” and then bestow the same “honor” on 15 more unsuspecting bloggers. David also nominated fellow beer bloggers Tom, Lew, Eric, Jeremy, Brad, Julie, Thomas, Joel, and Edmond, though so far none of them have stepped up. So I guess it’s up to me to get the ball rolling. I’ve never been too shy about sharing personal details and I’m just superstitious enough to think I better do it … or else.
7 Things You May Not Know About Me
- I’m obsessed with wooden clothespins. I even used to wear one every day on my collar.
- I write and throw with my right hand, but bat and play golf left-handed. I believe I may be partially ambidextrous. I can beat you at ping pong with either hand.
- Whenever I travel, I pick up small rocks to bring home as souvenirs. I try to find the most interesting and diverse rocks I can. I now have jars and bowls in the house filled with stones from around the world.
- I was active in the Boy Scouts when I was a kid, and even worked at the Scout Camp during the summer when I was in high school. I still have some of the council and OA patches I collected. I even have my bright red scouting jacket with the giant wolf on the back indicating my membership in the “Order of the Arrow” for the Minsi (now Kittatinny) Lodge 5. Once a geek, always a geek.
- Something like ten to fifteen years ago when I was struggling with whether or not to pursue writing more seriously, I wrote to one of my favorite authors, John Updike. Updike was born in the same small Pennsylvania town as I was: Shillington. Many of his earlier works were set in towns like Shillington, especially the Olinger Stories. He sent me back a hand-typed postcard that was very encouraging, which he signed and also wrote a note in the margin. I keep it framed in my office as inspiration.
- I have a half-brother and a half-sister but didn’t grow up with them. My father had a child with each of his subsequent two wives after he and my mother divorced when I was a year old. I used to keep in touch with my brother but lost track of him over ten years ago. I’ve met my sister two, maybe three times.
- I also have an e-wife. I was married in the early 1980s for just under four years. A somewhat funny side story is that the last I heard, she thinks I’m dead. About ten years ago I called a mutual friend of ours, who answered the phone by saying “hey, you’re not dead.” I thought he was joking because we hadn’t talked for a number of years, but it turned out he’d heard from my ex and she’d told him she thought I was dead.
So now you know.
Here are my nominations for 15 bloggers to follow in my footsteps:
- Alan at A Good Beer Blog
- Stan at Appellation Beer
- Lisa Morrison, the Beer Goddess
- Erik at Beer Tap TV / ErikBoles.com
- Jeff at Beervana
- Daniel at Bradford on Beer
- Bryan at The Brew Lounge
- Ashley at Drink With the Wench
- Don at Joe Sixpack
- Tomme from Lost Abbey’s Brewer’s Blog
- Maureen at her eponymous MaureenOgle.com
- Dr. Bill from New Brew Thursday
- Mark at Pencil and Spoon
- Pete from Pete Brown’s Beer Blog
- Martyn at Zythophile
If any of you actually post your own 7 Things, please be so kind as to post a comment here with a link to yours. Thanks. Oh, and by the way, if you don’t … something might happen. Or it might not. Just sayin’.
Beer In Ads #328: Falstaff Home Movies
Thursday’s ad is for Falstaff, some artwork that looks to be from the late 1940s (post-war) or 1950s. Presumably the actual ad had added copy and this is just the raw art.
Craft Beer Bridging Senate Partisan Divide
I think I’ve mentioned before that my wife is a political news junkie. She just sent me this link from one of the most popular political websites, Politico, entitled Craft beer bridges partisan divide in Senate. It’s nice to see beer getting some mainstream attention.
The Politico article is all about the introduction Wednesday of BEER, “Brewer’s Employment and Excise Relief Act,” which would cut taxes for microbreweries and on the production of smaller quantities of beer barrels, among other things. It was introduced in the Senate by Republican Mike Crapo (Idaho) and Democratic Senator John Kerry (Massachusetts).
Although Senator Kerry misstates that the “craft beer revolution started right here in Massachusetts,” I think we can forgive him for that one, having obviously been talking with Jim Koch for many months about this bill.
Here’s Crapo’s Press Release about the introduction of the BEER Act:
Small Brewery Tax Bill Would Create Jobs, Open Markets
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Washington, D.C. — Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) today introduced legislation to reduce the beer excise tax for America’s small brewers. The Brewer’s Employment and Excise Relief (BEER) Act will help create jobs at more than 1,600 small breweries nationwide, which collectively employ nearly 100,000 people. Idaho and Massachusetts are home to dozens of small breweries.
“Like any private business, craft brewing is all about supply and demand,” said Crapo. “In touring Idaho last year, I met with many craft brewers who are seeking to expand their business because they are seeing increased demand for their product. In addition, this legislation will expand the ready markets for our barley, wheat and hops producers in Idaho. I remain optimistic this bill will pass this year to create new jobs and new markets.”
“The craft beer revolution started right here in Massachusetts and they’ve been going toe to toe with multi-national beer companies ever since,” said Kerry. “This bill will help ensure that these small businesses keep people on the payroll and create jobs even during tight economic times.”
Because of differences in economies of scale, small brewers have higher costs for production, raw materials, packaging and market entry than larger, well-established multi-national competitors. The BEER Act also helps states that produce barley, hops and other ingredients used by these small brewers. In addition to Senators Crapo and Kerry, the legislation is co-sponsored by a bipartisan coalition of 16 additional Senators.
Currently, a small brewer that produces less than two million barrels of beer per year is eligible to pay $7.00 per barrel on the first 60,000 barrels produced each year. This legislation will reduce this rate to $3.50 per barrel, giving our nation’s smallest brewers approximately $19.9 million per year to expand and generate jobs. This change helps approximately 1,525 breweries nationwide.
Currently, once production exceeds 60,000 barrels, a small brewer must pay the same $18 per barrel excise tax rate that the largest brewer pays while producing more than 100 million barrels. This legislation will lower the tax rate to $16 per barrel on beer production above 60,000 barrels, up to two million barrels, providing small brewers with an additional $27.1 million per year that can be used to support significant long-term investments and create jobs by growing their businesses on a regional or national scale.
The small brewer tax rate was established in 1976 and has never been updated. This legislation would update the ceiling defining small breweries by increasing it from two million barrels to six million barrels. Raising the ceiling to six million barrels more accurately reflects the intent of the original differentiation between large and small brewers in the U.S.
Help Alan Decide On The Next Session Topic
Alan up at A Good Beer Blog will be hosting our 50th Session, which will be held — no joke — on April Fool’s Day.
But Alan is struggling to find just the right topic for “such a monumental moment in beer blogging history” and doesn’t “want to make it a case of Five-Uh-Oh.” He needs your help. He’s got a few ideas of his own but could undoubtedly use a few more. Got a great idea for a Session topic? One you’ve been hoping someone would tackle? Send it Alan’s way.
Personally, I’d hate to see the Session pass without having something to do with April Fool’s Day, but then I’m a devout Holideist.
Marzen Madness Reminder: Sign Up Today To Play
If you’d like to play along and try to pick the winners for this year’s March Madness, I’ve set up a bracket game through Yahoo which I call “Märzen Madness.” It doesn’t look like there’s a limit to the number of people who can play, so sign up today and you can make your picks when the field is announced on Sunday, March 13. The first games begin on March 17, so that’s a four day window to make your picks. I’ll post and update standings each day there’s games played until a winner emerges.
To join Märzen Madness and play the Yahoo! Sports Tournament Pick’em game, just follow this link. You’ll also need a Yahoo ID (which is free if you don’t already have one), And you may, or may not, need the following information about the group information.
Group ID#: 20210
Password: beer
Should be fun. Good luck everybody.
Beer In Ads #327: George Sanders For Blatz
Wednesday’s ad is for Blatz Beer, and features Hollywood leading man George Sanders, whose most famous role was probably in All About Eve in 1950, though I know him for playing Simon Templar in the Saint series in the 1940s (I’m a huge fan of Leslie Charteris’ “The Saint” books, movies and TV shows). The funniest part of this ad is the headline: “I’ve been to Milwaukee, I ought to know … Blatz is Milwaukee’s Finest Beer!. Yeah, ’cause to visit a place is to know everything about it. I’m not exactly sure when the ads is from, though there’s a small “100” in the lower right-hand corner suggesting 1951, which would have been the Blatz Brewery‘s 100th anniversary, having been founded in 1851.
