Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer In Art #47: UC Berkeley’s Historical Beer Exhibition

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art-beer
This past Saturday, October 10, the Heart Museum at UC Berkeley held a special beer fair and symposium for their latest exhibit, 99 Bottles of Beer: Global Brewing Traditions 2500 BC – Present.

99-bottles

I’m fascinated by the history of beer and especially the notion that beer just might possibly be responsible for civilization itself. The Berkeley exhibit was also the subject of one of my recent newspaper columns. I was able to meet with the curator, Ira Jacknis, and preview the collection as he spoke about the exhibition.

The artistry of many of the pieces is obvious, but instead of choosing just one or two, here is the entire collection and a summary of the Beer Fair and Symposium that kicked off the beer exhibition, which will be on display at the Hearst Museum at UC Berkeley for at least one year. Stop by and see it in person when you have a chance.

Cat. No. 6-19811
The oldest piece in the collection was from the Old Kingdom in Egypt from the 5-6 Dynasty (2465-2150 BCE). It’s the figurine of a servant woman “straining mash for beer” in painted limestone.

Cat. No. 4-5255
A corn beer tumbler in gold from the Ica Valley of Peru. It dates from the Late Intermediate Period (1000-1476). According to the museum, “Incans graduated their drinking vessels, according to material. The lowest-ranked used gourd bowls, the better-off had finer ceramic and wooden cups, while gold and silver cups were reserved for the elite. The cups were often used in pairs, especially the ornate ones of the emperor.”

Cat. No. 16-14917
Another corn beer cup from Peru, this one made of polychromed lacquered wood. It was found in Cuzco and is believed to be from the late 16th-17th century. “Like the ancient Incan cups, these wooden cups were made and used in matched pairs. While the shape was conservative, the decoration was innovative, the figures and flowers showing a Spanish influenced. Apparently, they ceased being made after the 1820s. The beer was sprinkled or poured on the ground as a divine offering.”

Cat. No. 7-6408
An English mug from the early 1800s, probably from the first quarter of the 19th century. It’s made of lead-glazed pearlware and was found in Staffordshire.”

Below is a slideshow of the day’s events, the collection itself (including press shots) and some photos from my preview of the collection. This Flickr gallery is best viewed in full screen. To view it that way, after clicking on the arrow in the center to start the slideshow, click on the button on the bottom right with the four arrows pointing outward on it, to see the photos in glorious full screen. Once in full screen slideshow mode, click on “Show Info” to identify each photo.

Final Beer Dinner At Cathedral Hill Coming October 23

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beer-chef
The final beer dinner to be held at the Cathedral Hill Hotel in San Francisco is scheduled for Friday, October 23. For the past eight years, the Beer Chef, Bruce Paton, has done over 60 beer dinners featuring beers from around the corner and across the world. But what you probably didn’t know is that many of the recent dinners have been done on borrowed time. A medical corporation owns the land that the hotel is situated on, and for many years has been planning on building a new hospital there. It’s been postponed several times already and the hotel’s been able to keep renting rooms and doing beer dinners. But that’s finally coming to a close as a date is now set and the Cathedral Hill Hotel will be closing. A week after the dinner, on Halloween, October 31, the hotel will be torn down.

The final beer dinner will feature the beers of Allagash Brewing and brewer/owner Rob Tod will be on hand to talk about his beers. It will be a four-course dinner, and well worth the $100 price of admission. It will begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m. Call 415.674.3406 for reservations before it’s sold out. Don’t delay, it will likely sell out quickly. I’ll see you there.

The Menu:

Reception: 6:30 PM

Beer Chef’s Hors D’Oeuvre
Beer: Allagash White

Dinner: 7:30 PM

First Course

Cannelloni of Dungeness Crab Legs with Citrus Lobster Sauce
Beer: Fluxus

Second Course:

Hobbs Applewood Bacon Fat Poached Duck Breast with Artichoke Fingerling Potato Hash
Beer: Hugh Malone

Third Course:

The Best of the Barnyard with Yam Crème Brule and Bloomsdale Spinach with Duck Ham
Beer: Odyssey

Fourth Course:

Sweet Trick or Treat
Beer: Vagabond

allagash-bdin-09
Bruce Paton, the Beer Chef, with Rob Tod, from Allgash, at an earlier beer dinner.

10.23
Dinner with the Brewmaster: Allagash
Cathedral Hill Hotel, 1101 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, California
415.674.3406 [ website ]

Firestone Walker Beer Dinner: The 2nd Last At Cathedral Hill

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beer-chef
Last night was the second to last beer dinner that will take place at the Cathedral Hill Hotel in San Francisco. The hotel is scheduled to be torn down on Halloween to make way for a new hospital. The Beer Chef, Bruce Paton, put on four wonderful courses paired with the beers of Firestone Walker Brewing in Paso Robles, California. Brewer Matt Brynildson was on hand to talk about his beers.

Bruce & Matt Brynildson
The Beer Chef, Bruce Paton, with Firestone Walker brewer Matt Brynildson.

Below is a slideshow of the beer dinner. After clicking on the arrow in the center to start the slideshow, you can also click on the button on the bottom right with the four arrows pointing outward on it, to see the photos in glorious full screen. Once in full screen slideshow mode, click on “Show Info” to identify who and what’s in the photos.

The final beer dinner at the Cathedral Hill Hotel will take place on October 23. Keep an eye on the Beer Chef website for details.

Bear Republic GABF Preview Tasting

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bear-republic
Last Sunday, Bear Republic Brewing hosted a very fun event at their brewpub in Healdsburg. Between the brewpub and their production brewery in Colverdale (where they brew their package beer) they entered 22 beers in the Great American Beer Festival. At the event, dubbed the 2009 Bear Republic Cellar Party, they served all 22. They gave everyone attending a booklet with each beer along with it’s description, style parameters for GABF and a judging sheet like the one we use for the festival. As brewmaster Rich Norgrove explained to the people there, he wanted to afford an opportunity for those who weren’t able to attend GABF to sample all the beers they sent out to be judged. It was fun idea and hopefully more breweries will begin to give their locals a peek into the way GABF works.

Below is a short slideshow of the Bear Republic Cellar Party. If you click on the button on the bottom right with the four arrows pointing outward on it, you can see the photos in glorious full screen.

Beer In Art #42: Cat Scott’s Paintings Of Beer On The Wall

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art-beer
Today I want to showcase an artist who’s painting a series of beer bottles that will eventually be nearly 100. The artist, Cat Scott, is calling the series 99 Paintings of Beer on the Wall. She’s finished a dozen so far, and here’s a familiar one, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Cat_Scott-Sierra_Nevada

Scott is primarily an illustrator and graphic designer, but loves to paint and draw in her spare time. Of the project itself, she says. “I like beer, and I like painting. So why not combine the two? I intend on doing 99 paintings of many different types of beer.”

Cat_Scott-red_stripe Cat_Scott-newcastle

Here’s some biographical information about Scott, from her website:

I was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky and, like many artists, spent my childhood drawing and painting. With generous gifts of art supplies from my parents, I developed quite a knack for rendering. After taking as many art classes as possible during my high school years, I ventured off to the University of Dayton to study graphic design. My love for the fine arts led me to concentrate on Illustration.

After receiving several awards for my art and being honored as the Most Outsanding Graduating Senior in Visual Communication Design, I graduated with honors in 2003. In 2006 I attended the Illustration Academy and worked with illustrators and artists such as John and Mark English, Sterling Hundley, George Pratt, Gary Kelley, Brent Watkinson, Anita Kunz, and CF Payne.

My full time gig as a Graphic Designer in Santa Monica, California gets the rent paid and inspires creativity, but there’s nothing like taking a pen/brush/marker to paper.

One of my favorites is her Unibroue La Fin Du Monde, which is actually different then the rest of the works. It’s not painted, but instead is a pen and ink drawing over top of a postcard of Francis Picabia’s La Source (“The Spring”).

Cat_Scott-LaFin_DuMonde

Here’s two more. With twelve done, she has 87 left to paint. It may take a few years, but it will be fun to watch. If you own a brewery, maybe you want to consider commissioning her to paint one of your bottles. That way you get a cool painting, you support the arts and further the project.

Cat_Scott-blue_moon Cat_Scott-Stone_Ruination

You can more of her work at her own website, Cat Scott and her blog. She’s also a member of Girls Who Draw, a website featuring a baker’s dozen of female artists showcasing their art.

Bistro IPA Festival Winners 2009

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bistro
Head Hunter IPA from Fat Heads Brewery & Saloon in Cleveland, Ohio was chosen best in show at the 12th annual IPA Festival earlier today at the Bistro in Hayward, California. The keg of Fat Head beer was sent via FedEx in a blue suitcase to The Bistro. Bistro owner Vic Kralj recounts that when he called Fat Heads brewer Matt Cole, who coincidentally was enjoying a beer in Wisconsin with Bay Area brewers Arne Johnson and Alec Moss, that his screams of delight could be heard through the phone by everyone around Vic. The full list of winners is below.

The Hopfather: A Beer You Can’t Refuse

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russian-river
At the Bistro IPA Festival next Saturday, Russian River Brewing will debut their latest beer: The Hopfather. The Hopfather is a 7% IPA that’s loosely based on an IPA recipe Vinnie Cilurzo contributed to Sam Calagione’s book Extreme Brewing, though Vinnie says he’s changed things up considerably. It starts with CTZ and Magnum hops, but uses primarily Amarillo and Centennial for flavor and aroma to the tune of around 10 pounds per barrel. While Vinnie assures me it will have a big malt backbone, he also promises the flavors and aroma will be “balls to the wall hops.” As if you needed another reason to go to the Bistro IPA Festival, this should make your attendance all but mandatory if you love hops.

Cheesesteak Love

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Thanks to Jesse from Beer & Nosh for tweeting me about this. It seems fellow Pennsylvanian Dave McLean, who owns both Alembic and the Magnolia Gastropub, loves cheesesteaks. What do you know, so do I. Perhaps most people from Pennsylvania do. If you grew up on them, you know how hard it is to find a decent one outside of the Keystone State.

Jesse probably didn’t know that I, too, am obsessed with cheesesteaks. He sent me the link because of Dave’s keen fashion sense. So I was pretty excited when I saw he was wearing my logo shirt. Way to go Dave!

dave-mclean-cheesesteak
Photo by Stefanie Michejda

In a profile about food obsessions, Dave McLean reveals his own cheesesteak love. But he’s from Pittsburgh (BTW 7×7, Pittsburg is in California, Dave’s from Pittsburgh) whereas IMHO real cheesesteaks come from the Eastern part of the state, near Philadelphia. Both Pat’s and Geno’s are in Philly, where the cheesesteak, if not originated, is thought to have been perfected. Those two are the most famous, but I realize which is best and which other places are better is a volatile subject and everyone has an opinion on the subject.

I actually grew up west of Philadelphia, near Reading, and prefer the V&S Cheesesteak which used real cheese, not cheese whiz. I think whatever taste profile was your usual when you were a kid is the one that stays with you, like Mom’s home cooking. But Dave is also right that the Cheesesteak Shop, with 26 locations around the Bay Area, does probably the best job of approximating a Pennsylvania cheesesteak. As Dave points out, they do use Amoroso’s rolls from Philadelphia — a key ingredient — and they have Tastykakes, too. But I have to gently take exception to the assertion that a Tastykake is “like a Hostess cupcake.” That’s like saying Filet Mignon is like a hamburger.

Of course, I’m also obsessed with Tastykakes. I grew up on them and they’re definitely light years ahead of any other pre-packaged desserts I’ve ever tried. Although I love the Butterscotch Krimpets, the cream-filled cupcakes and even the now-defunct coffee cake, my all-time favorite is the peanut butter Kandy Kake. But I swear that they used to be called “Tandy Takes” when I was a kid (can anybody corroborate that?). Safeway carried them briefly in the Bay Area a decade ago, but then abruptly dropped them. You can also buy them online, which I confess I’ve done. They’re that good. Their tagline used to be “all the good things wrapped up in one.” Too true. Damn, now I’m hungry.

 

Beer Birthday: Tom McCormick

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csba
I’ve known Tom since he was still at the beer distributor he founded, McCormick Distributing, which then, as now, promoted craft brewers and better imports. Tom has also worked as a consultant, with Wolaver’s and Real Beer, and now runs the ProBrewer website. But these days his primary job is running the California Small Brewers Association. Join me in wishing Tom a very happy birthday.

nancy-johnson-2
At the CBC banquet with Nancy Johnson, director of the GABF.

csba-sd-01
Tom with Greg Koch, co-owner of Stone Brewing, after a CSBA meeting in San Diego the year before last.

Dr. Bill Joins Stone

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According to the Stone Blog, as of Monday, Dr. Bill Sysak has joined Stone Brewing as the Beverage Coordinator of Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens.

dr-bill

Believe it or not, this is Dr. Bill’s first job in the beer industry, though he’s been involved in the beer world for quite some time. I profiled Dr. Bill a few years ago for an article on Beer Geeks I did for Beer Advocate magazine. He’s justly famous for the legendary beer-tasting marathon parties he threw a few times each year. Congrats, Bill.