Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Glass Bottle Workshop for Brewers

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On March 1, the California Small Brewers Association, in conjunction ProBrewer.com, will be leading a half-day seminar focusing on the “resources, equipment and financial requirements of transitioning from pre-pack to bulk purchasing and the supply of glass to the beer industry. Suppliers of glass bottles and other vendors will be in attendance. This forum will be an opportunity for both brewers and suppliers to discuss needs and issues in a positive and constructive conversation.”

The Glass Bottle Workshop will be held at the Lagunitas Brewery located at 1280 N. McDowell Blvd. in Petaluma, California. The seminar is free to CSBA members and registered ProBrewer.com users. The course fee is $50.00 for all others. A beer social will follow. To attend, you must pre-register by calling 530.265.0422.

Reunion Beer to Benefit Bone Cancer Research

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Once upon a time, Pete Slosberg created Pete’s Wicked Ale. And the brown ale was good. He had help spreading the word, of course, and in the early days Alan Shapiro and Virginia MacLean also helped Pete’s become a nationally known microbrewery. Pete, of course, moved on to chocolate and Alan Shapiro worked for a time with Merchant Du Vin and now heads his own import company, SBS Imports. Virginia MacLean, in the meantime, left the beer business but as she approached her fortieth birthday was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, which is a type of bone cancer that currently has no known cure. For more information about the disease, see the MMRF or the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research.

Recently, Pete Slosberg and Alan Shapiro got together and decided to help their friend by creating a new beer to help raise awareness and money to fund research into this disease. The beer is named “Reunion,” and it’s a big, imperial brown ale and is the first commercial beer Slosberg has done since selling Pete’s Wicked Ale to Gambrinus in 1998. He worked with award-winning brewer Daniel Del Grande at Bison Brewing in creating the organic beer. In the Bay Area, Beverages & more and Whole Foods will be carrying the beer. Please support this worthy cause and buy a bottle or a case.

The press release:

INTRODUCING REUNION
A BEER FOR HOPE UNIQUE COLLABORATION TO BENEFIT
THE INSTITUTE FOR MYELOMA & BONE CANCER RESEARCH

In the early days of the craft brewing business in the U.S. Pete Slosberg brought Alan Shapiro and Virginia MacLean to help lead his emerging namesake company and take his Wicked Ale® to new heights. While these long-time friends ultimately pursued different professional paths, some 18 years later they have reunited to create a beer inspired by Pete’s early recipes.

REUNION – A BEER FOR HOPE is an organic imperial brown ale brewed by Pete and Dan Del Grande at Bison Brewing Company’s organic brewery in Berkeley, CA. It will be sold in 22 ounce screen printed bottles via Shapiro’s SBS Imports distributor network in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, and Illinois. It has a suggested price of $4.99 per bottle. All profits generated by SBS from the sale of REUNION will benefit The Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research in Los Angeles, CA. “Alan informed me that our good friend Virginia had been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma — a form of bone cancer,” Pete Slosberg recalled. “He later called with the idea of reuniting to create a beer to celebrate our friendship and bring hope to Virginia and others battling this disease. I am thrilled to be a part of the effort to raise funds for this worthwhile organization.”

“Virginia has been a close friend from the day we met at Pete’s back in 1989,” noted SBS Imports President, Alan Shapiro. “I wish I was a great scientist who could help find a cure — but at least I can make a small contribution by raising both funds and awareness for this disease. I have met Dr. Berenson’s team at IMBCR and have seen their work in progress. I know the funds we raise will help make a difference.”

About Multiple Myeloma & IMBCR:

Multiple Myeloma is a unique cancer of plasma cells that attacks and destroys bone. The term is derived from the multiple areas of bone marrow that are usually affected by the disease. Worldwide, over 1,000 people a day are diagnosed with this currently incurable form of bone cancer. Led by Dr. James Berenson, IMBCR is one of the world’s leading research organizations combating this disease. IMBCR specializes in developing novel chemotherapy drugs and treatments. For further information on multiple myeloma or IMBCR, please visit www.imbcr.org or contact 310-623-1210.

About the Beer:

REUNION is a collaborative beer created by Pete Slosberg & Dan Del Grande and inspired by Pete’s original recipe. It is brewed with 6 different organic malts, 3 different hops and dryhopped. It is 7.5% alcohol by volume. REUNION will be available at leading specialty beer retailers and many Kimpton hotels in the western United States. More information is available at www.reunionbeer.com.

The back label:

 

CSBA Expands Board

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The California Small Brewers Association recently added two new board members, increasing the number from five to seven.

The CSBA Press Release:

The California Small Brewers Association has elected a new and expanded board of Directors. The new Board was elected in December and took their seats on January 1st.

The CSBA Board was expanded from five to seven members.

“The Board was expanded to allow greater representation of the membership,” said Tom McCormick, Executive Director of the association. “It will also allow for more Board involvement as we embark on a new and expanded mission for the future.”

With a new Board at the helm, the association plans to expand and broaden the realm of services for small brewers in 2007.

“For the first time, the CSBA will be conducting work shops to address critical business issues.” McCormick said. “We will also be implementing a new marketing campaign to promote California craft beer in addition to conducting numerous events and meetings to help foster communication and education among our family of brewers.”

The CSBA is a non-profit trade association that as founded in 1989 to protect the political and legislative rights of the small brewers of California.

The new Board of Directors of the CSBA are:

  1. President: Steve Harrison (Sierra Nevada Brewing)
  2. 1st VP: John Martin (Triple Rock Brewery)
  3. 2nd VP: Steve Wagner (Stone Brewing)
  4. Treasurer: John Dannerbeck (Anchor Brewing)
  5. Secretary: Glynn Phillips (Rubicon Brewing)
  6. Board Member: Geno Acevedo (El Toro Brewing)
  7. Board Member: Lee Doxtader (San Diego Brewing)

Strong Beer Month is Here

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Beginning today, 21st Amendment Brewery and Magnolia Pub & Brewery, both in San Francisco, will team up again to host their fifth annual Strong Beer Month. Each brewpub has created six new and different seasonal beers — and if you haven’t figured it out yet, they’ll all be strong — that will be available at the two locations throughout February.

From the press release:

It’s that time of year again. This is our fifth annual Strong Beer Month and it has become quite a tradition. When Dave Mclean, owner and brewmaster at Magnolia Pub and Brewery and Brewer Shaun set out five years ago to put on an interesting array of strong beers to warm the body and soul through the San Francisco winter doldrums, they never really conceived that the month of February would be so popular. Five years ago we had six strong beers and this year we bring present you with twelve winter warmers between both breweries. Quite a feat when you think of it as we set aside valuable brewery tank space and our normal house brews and serve up a collection of higher octane adult beverages in all shapes and flavors.

These strong beers are big beers, big in body, bold in flavor and full of the heady, warming sensations that can only come from beers above 8% in alcohol. They span a wide range of styles, from Barleywines, Imperial IPA’s, several strong Belgian beers, imperial smoked porter and a Russian imperial stout. They are all over the map from light to dark but they share one defining characteristic: their strength.

Best sipped slowly and savored, not quaffed in a hurry, these twelve beers command respect. No need to rush through them all in a day. They will be available throughout February (or until they run out) in commemorative 13.5 ounce glasses. Drink all twelve strong ales (six at each brewery) and the glass is yours. Commemorative 2007 Strong Beer Month T-shirts are also available. We will also have special library strong beers from years past presented throughout the month and special food dishes paired with the strong beers.

The strong beers at both pubs:

At Magnolia:

Tweezer Tripel
Old Thunderpussy Barleywine
Smokestack Lightning Imperial Stout
Promised Land Imperial IPA
Weekapaug Monster
Old Perplexity

At 21st Amendment:

Golden Doom
Double Tripel
Blind Lust
Diesel Imperial Smoked Porter
Double Trouble IPA
Lower de Boom Barleywine

New Laurelwood Pub Closer to Opening

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The newest Laurelwood Public House at 51st and Sandy in Portland. According to a recent newsletter, “We’ll let all of you know when we’re close to brewing and even more importantly, when the pub will be opening. Things have been moving along quickly in recent weeks and the long wait should be over soon.” There are new photos now posted to the Laurelwood Live Blog.

American Craft Brewers to Enter Australian Beer Awards

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The Brewers Association Export Development Program (or EDP) announced that they will be facilitating the entry of 19 craft brewers into the the Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA)

From the press release:

Held in Melbourne each year, the AIBA is Australia’s most prestigious beer event and has become firmly established on the international brewing calendar as a renowned and recognized barometer of excellence and diversity in beer brewing across the world. In 2006, the Australian International Beer Awards attracted 974 entries from 31 countries. AIBA uses the Brewers Association’s Beer Style Guidelines. The Brewers Association’s Export Development Program, in an effort to help promote the image of American craft beer as a world class beverage, pays for entry fees and transportation into select international beer shows for its program subscribers, such as the AIBA. “Assisting US craft breweries with participation in large international competitions like AIBA is a major focus of the EDP,” says Brewers Association vice president Bob Pease. “Our work for EDP subscribers allows us to allocate funds for their entry fees and cover the cost of a consolidated beer shipment to the competitions. US craft beers typically perform well on the international stage and the awards they receive bring attention to the brands and to the US industry as a whole.”

These are the brewers entering their beer in Australia:

  1. 21st Amendment Brewery Café,­ San Francisco, California
  2. Blue Point Brewing, Patchogue, New York
  3. Deschutes Brewery, Bend, Oregon
  4. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, Delaware
  5. Eugene City Brewery, Eugene, Oregon
  6. Flying Dog Brewery, Denver, Colorado
  7. Full Sail Brewing,­ Hood River, Oregon
  8. Great Divide Brewing, Denver Colorado
  9. Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales, Dexter, Michigan
  10. Kona Brewery, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
  11. Rogue Ales Issaquah Brewhouse, Issaquah, Washington
  12. Left Hand Brewing, Denver, Colorado
  13. Matt Brewing, Utica, New York
  14. Odell Brewing, Fort Collins, Colorado
  15. Rogue Ales, Newport, Oregon
  16. Shipyard Brewing, Portland, Maine
  17. Sprecher Brewing, Glendale, Wisconsin
  18. Stone Brewing, Escondido, California
  19. Widmer Brothers Brewing, Portland, Oregon

Let’s wish all good luck. Winners will be announced April 19.

New Belgium Springs Springboard for Spring

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New Belgium Brewing will be releasing their spring seasonal, Springboard, a unique beer made with oats, Mt. Hood hops, Schisandra (an ancient Chinese herb), Gogi berries, and wormwood. Then it’s blended with a small amount of one of New Belgium’s other beers aged in wood.

According to the press release, “Springboard opens with fruity berry-like tones, has a spirited, tart threshold and ends with a dry, crisp finale. It’s partially filtered, resulting in a cloudy blonde appearance, and moderate body. Springboard was created to satisfy our desire to introduce new flavors and produce a spring seasonal that is innovative and inspiring,” said Brewmaster Peter Bouckaert. “Springboard maintains an equilibrium that keeps it balanced and easy to enjoy.”

Springboard will be available on draft and in bottles from the end of February into April.

Boscos Supports Blues Music with “Blues & Brews”

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Today is the 11th birthday of Boscos in Nashville. They currently have three brewpubs in Little Rock, Arkansas and Memphis and Nashville, both in Tennessee. As a big fan of music, especially traditional forms, I was pleased to see that they’re supporting the Blues Foundation with a concert at their Memphis location in April. The concert will feature Grammy winner John Hammond and will be a benefit to raise money for the organization whose goal is to “preserve and to highlight the rich history of Blues through” a variety of ventures. A worthy eandeavor, at least in my opinion. If you’ll be in the Memphis area the first week of April, please consider attending. Great beer and great music. How could you go wrong?

From the Press Release:

The Blues Foundation and Boscos Squared, 2120 Madison Avenue, Memphis, TN 38104 in Overton Square are teaming up to host a fund raising event to benefit the Memphis based international blues organization. “Blues and Brews” will be held on Saturday, April 7, 2007 from 1 to 4 PM.

The Blues Foundation is a nonprofit corporation headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, the home of the Blues. With more than 145 affiliated Blues organizations, and membership spanning the globe, the Foundation serves as the hub for the worldwide passion for Blues Music.

Blues and Brews will feature entertainment by acoustic blues master John Hammond. From coffeehouses to concert halls, festivals and beyond, John Hammond has spent forty years entertaining blues, folk and rock audiences around the world, performing intense solo-acoustic blues. A Grammy Award winner and four-time nominee, Hammond is also a multiple W.C. Handy award winner who has shared the stage and/or recorded with many of the masters.

Boscos, The Restaurant for Beer Lovers, will brew a special beer for the occasion. Hammond will perform on Boscos’ patio, consistently voted the best place for outdoor dining in Memphis.

Tickets for the event are $100 per person and will be available on The Blues Foundation website, beginning in February. The ticket price includes food, beverage and entertainment.

Blues musician John Hammond.

Allagash Road Trip

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According to Allagash Brewing’s newsletter, beginning tomorrow in San Diego, owner/brewer Rob Tod will be on a beer odyssey of his own as he winds his way from the left coast to the right, ending up in Atlantic City, no doubt with a ring on his finger and no memory of how he got there.

Ben Franklin a Wino, News at 11

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Okay, so maybe I used an overly sensational headline to get your attention, maybe Benjamin Franklin wasn’t exactly a wino, but he did apparently like the stuff enough to say in a letter, “behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards; there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.” That’s a little different from the t-shirt in my bedroom dresser, which reads “”Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” I must confess I was always a little skeptical that Franklin’s quote was so perfect, but it was hard not to love the idea of America’s first true genius being such a beer lover. It’s clear Franklin enjoyed beer, as well as wine and rum, from the historical record. I’m sure, for example, he would have enjoyed a pint at the India Queen Tavern in Philadelphia in 1787 where a compromise to our Constitution was hammered out. Or even earlier, in 1774, when newly arrived delegates to the Continental Congress met John and Sam Adams for a pint at the City Tavern. But as for the famous beer quote, it appears to be hogwash. That’s according to a new book by Chicago historian Bob Skilnik, Beer & Food: An American History, which goes deep into our nation’s heritage of beer and food pairing. I’ve seen an advance copy of Skilnik’s book and it’s a great, informative read, especially for those of us who have been beating the drum of beer and food.

Here’s the press release that came out today:

As bookstores make ready for the release of “Beer & Food: An American History” (Jefferson Press, ISBN-10: 0977808610, ISBN-13: 978-0977808618, $24.95) by nationally recognized beer and brewing expert Bob Skilnik, the author thinks it’s time to address one of the biggest historical fallacies concerning Ben Franklin. Beer-themed web sites, brewing organizations and even “beer writers” are fond of quoting the Founding Father and his love of beer. A web search of the supposed Franklin quote, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy,” yields almost 100,000 hits, all with vague attributions that Franklin did indeed utter the quote or penned it in his long-running pamphlets of sound advice and witticisms known as “Poor Richard’s Almanack.”

Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy
“I challenge anyone to find the documented attribution of Franklin making this beery statement,” says the author and researcher. “My research indicates that Franklin did make a similar quote in a letter to his friend, French economist Andre Morellet, around 1779 while living in France. In the letter, Ben Franklin swoons over the pressings from the noble grape, even mentioning its starring role at the Wedding at Cana, ‘Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards; there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy,’ says Franklin, and after reading the entire letter, one might argue that he had consumed more than enough French wine while writing his friend Morellet about its qualities.”

The tweaking of Franklin’s passage about rain from the heavens and its eventual conversion into wine probably took place during the post-Repeal era when the U.S. brewing industry was in a heated battle with liquor manufacturers for the taste buds and dollars of a generation of drinkers who had turned towards ardent spirits during National Prohibition. As part of their marketing plan to groom a bigger beer-drinking audience, the United States Brewers Association began a decades-long advertising campaign that was quick to associate beer and beer drinking with our Founding Fathers, early American history and patriotism.

“With Benjamin Franklin’s 301st birthday coming up on January 17, I hope I can set the record straight about this little white lie. I have no doubt that ole Ben enjoyed a tankard or two of beer with friends and associates, but this beer quote is inaccurate. Imagine if a dairy association had hijacked the original Franklin quote years ago and substituted the word ‘milk’ instead.”