I know that there are many doctors who believe themselves to be god, and act accordingly. Having the power of life and death tends to do that to a person. Michael Crichton, who himself completed medical school at Harvard even though he never practiced, wrote about this phenomenon in a collection of essays; either in Travels or Five Patients, I can’t recall which one. And indeed, medical schools even instill this into their students, with presumably the idea that confidence begets confidence. In other words, doctors who act decisively and confidently are perceived as being better doctors. It probably works most of the time, but, of course, not always. I think it especially goes off the rails when doctors go outside their sphere of expertise, and try to act as godlike on subjects on which they’re mere mortals.

Case in point, today the senior medical doctor in the UK, Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, has decided his M.D. makes him an expert in economics, too. In order to combat binge drinking, he’s recommending that the price of all alcohol across the board be raised. He may be a good doctor, but he’s an idiot at economics. You can read the full story at the Telegraph online, in the story Government’s Top Doctor Recommends Price Hike For Alcohol. If adopted, Dr. Loony’s proposal would double the price of many alcoholic drinks, including beer. With the British pub already threatened, and the world economy on the ropes, what does he think this would do to the economy?

As many have already pointed out, raising the price for everyone, punishes the vast majority who drink responsibly and in moderation. “This would hit the pockets of hard-working families who are already struggling to make ends meet, and it would not deter those people who drink to get drunk.” Said David Poley, chief executive of the Portman Group.

Dr. Donadlson’s proposal addresses not one of the multitude of reasons that cause people to binge drink. And of course, the definition of what constitutes binge-drinking is as suspect in the UK as it is the US, where it’s an arbitrary calculation divorced from reality. Whatever the real percentage of binge drinkers, addicts and habitual alcoholics, making them pay more will not stop them from drinking. From the Telegraph article: “Doctors working in casualty departments and specialists in liver disease backed the proposal, but said price alone was unlikely to change an increasing culture of binge drinking on Britain’s streets.”

The main problem for binge drinking in the UK, at least according to many, is that grocery chains are offering beer at below cost as loss leaders to lure customers in the store, where they hope they’ll buy other, more profitable, stuff while they’re there. But there’s no reason why they can’t just restrict that practice, if it is believed to be one of the causes. In many U.S. states, like California, it is illegal to sell alcohol at or below cost, presumably to stop just the sort of problems the UK is experiencing. Why not at least propose that first and see if it helps, instead of going straight for punishing everybody for the sins of a few. Even if I thought what he’s proposing might work — which I emphatically do not — is the cost to society of the binge drinkers greater than what it would do to tens of thousands of people in the form of businesses going under, people out of work and greater harm to the already fragile economy? Because that’s what would surely happen if overnight the price of a drink doubled. What industry could afford to cut its revenue in half? It’s preposterous in the extreme and not very well thought out, just a knee jerk reaction to a problem without considering the consequences. Luckily, I’m not the only one who thinks so.

Government sources said ministers were aware of Prof. Donaldson’s views on alcohol prices, but one said “I cannot see any way that we will accept Liam’s recommendation on this”.

My love of bacon is hardly a secret, it should be it’s own food group as far as I’m concerned. So this is especially good news I learned today, courtesy of my friend and colleague Rick (thanks, amigo). According to a story in the Science and Technology section of the UK’s Telegraph, Bacon Sandwich Really Does Cure A Hangover.

Elin Roberts, of the Centre for Life at Newcastle University had this to say about food and hangovers. “Food doesn’t soak up the alcohol but it does increase your metabolism helping you deal with the after-effects of over indulgence. So food will often help you feel better.

She continues in the Telegraph article:

“Bread is high in carbohydrates and bacon is full of protein, which breaks down into amino acids. Your body needs these amino acids, so eating them will make you feel good.”

Ms. Roberts told The Mirror: “Bingeing on alcohol depletes neurotransmitters too, but bacon contains a high level of aminos which tops these up, giving you a clearer head.”

Researchers also found a complex chemical interaction in the cooking of bacon produces the winning combination of taste and smell which is almost irresistible.

The reaction between amino acids in the bacon and reducing sugars in the fat is what provides the sandwich with its appeal.

My that’s good news. Perked up my day, that did.

According to scientists, “a bacon sandwich really does cure a hangover — by boosting the level of amines which clear the head.” Personally, I like the bread toasted and with some cheese, too. That’s perfection.

On the blog Politico today, there’s a ten-minute podcast with Craig Purser, President of the NBWA, the National Beer Wholesalers Association. The title of the piece is Beer Fans Glad White House Has A Drinker. Give it a listen below.

Politico introduces the podcast, in part, with the following:

Purser admits that lobbying on behalf of alcohol can be a sweet gig. “I’ve got a very good job,” he said. “I enjoy working and representing America’s beer distributors. … We do represent a product that is one of celebration, that brings people together and that makes it fun.” Still, “there are days, however, when it truly does feel like work.” The NBWA held its annual legislative conference last week, and Reps. Chris Van Hollen and Kevin O. McCarthy delivered keynote addresses. “We have 127 members of Congress that have been sworn in in the last 26 months,” Purser said, and the NBWA has focused on catching them all up to speed on the group’s issues.

Perhaps most interesting is the way Purser answered the question about beer being recession-proof:

Beer is not recession proof, that’s a big misnomer. Some have even incorrectly asserted that consumption goes up in times like this. The fact is that the on-premise folks; retailers, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, are all feeling the pinch, as folks deal with uncertainty in the employment arena, uncertainty as it relates to the investment markets. There’s real concern when it comes to that. Likewise, we see a real emphasis in some sectors in trading down, where perhaps you were maybe a consumer that enjoyed a craft beer or an import. Most of those sectors are experiencing some softness.

I know imports are down, but the most recent numbers of craft beer sales seem to contradict his assertion that people are trading down to cheaper beer from craft beer. According to the most recent sales figures from the Brewers Association, released in late February, “from 2007 to 2008, estimated sales by craft brewers were up 5.8 percent by volume and 10.5 percent in dollars.” Unless that can be accounted for by former spirits and wine drinkers jumping ship — doubtful at best — then something doesn’t quite add up for me. I hate to engage in conspiratorial speculation (not enough not to do it, of course) but since the NBWA represents beer wholesalers, a.k.a. distributors, whose bread and butter comes from the Big Two (A-B InBev and MillerCoors), perhaps Purser is spinning things toward where his meals come from, too. Imports are down, macro brands are flatlining, only craft has been consistently up. They’ve slowed a bit in the last two years, dropping below double-digit growth by volume, but otherwise are still showing the most growth of any segment of the beer industry. I’ve heard that there is statistic data showing consumers trading down from so-called “premium” brands like Budwesier to “sub-premiums” like Busch, but that’s vastly different from what Purser is asserting is happening.

Saturday, April 4th, was the 6th annual Bay Area Firkin Gravity Fest at Triple Rock in Berkeley. But it was the first time new brewmaster Rodger Davis was at the helm, after five years of Christian Kazakof, who moved to Iron Springs Pub & Brewery last year. Rodger, however, did, help Christian with set-up in the early years, so was quite familiar with the process. From what I could see the festival went off without a hitch, beyond the typical fussiness of firkins.

Brewmaster Rodger Davis looking surprisingly spry after being at the brewpub until 4 in the morning setting up for the festival.

The weather was beautiful, making the deck upstairs at Triple Rock the place to be.

For more photos from this year’s Bay Area Firkin Gravity Fest, visit the photo gallery.
 

The annual Belgian Beer Lunch put on by the Toronado took place on Sunday, April 5, beginning at 11:30 a.m. The “lunch” ran to 12 courses, paired with 20 beers (and countless mores used in cooking) and finished up at dinner time, a little after 5:30 p.m. The food was done, for the second year, by the Homebrew Chef, Sean Z. Paxton. Though highly anticipated, it nonetheless did not disappoint. It was another startlingly original and delicious meal.

The Toronado was transformed into a fine dining establishment, with place setting at the bar, the back tables and each four-person table running along the wall.

After the meal, a table in the back room raises a toast to Sean, the beer and a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

For many, many more photos from this year’s Belgian Beer Lunch at the Toronado, including each course, visit the photo gallery, or each individual gallery, as the photos are separated into three galleries, as follows:

1. The Preparations
2. The first six courses
3. The last six courses

Maureen Ogle, author of Ambitious Brew, sent me the following update on New Albion Brewery founder Jack McAuliffe, which she received from Jack’s sister Cathy earlier today:

Jack is still in the trauma ICU. He’s much more alert, so he can communicate by nodding or shaking his head. He’s still on the ventilator, so he can’t talk…warning to all of you smokers! Smokers have to spend more time on a ventilator in a situation like this than non-smokers!!!

The brewpub chain BJs Restaurant Brewhouse is planning to put their newest location in Marin County, their first in the county and their 14th in Northern California. It’s a rumor I’ve been hearing for several months now, but a well-placed inside source has all but confirmed that it’s going to take place. The new location will be at the Northgate Mall in San Rafael, occupying the corner space that was formerly a Blockbuster Video store. It’s actually a good location, on a prominent corner that’s part of the main building but with no entrance from inside the mall. No word on whether the location will brew or be fed beer from a hub location. But since it’s not too close to another brewing location it’s entirely possible they will brew at the new Northgate location.
 

 
BJs operates 85 restaurants and brewpubs in fourteen states, with at least three more planned, not including the San Rafael location.

April brings our 26th monthly Session, a.k.a. Beer Blogging Friday, courtesy of my favorite big galoot, Lew Bryson, whose smokin’ hot topic this month is rauchbiers, smoked beers of all stripes, though I’ll let him tell you what he was thinking.

Before we get carried away with this health craze [after last month’s lagers], I’d like to invite everyone to join me out back of the barn, where we’re going light up some smoked beers.

There may be more smoked beers than are dreamed of in your philosophy, Horatio; it’s not just rauchbier lagers from Franconia. Within the last year, I’ve had a strange smoked wheat beer, light and tart, that local brewers insisted was a re-creation of a Polish grodziski beer; a lichtenhainer, another light smoked wheat beer; several smoked porters; the odd Schlenkerla unsmoked helles that tastes pretty damned smokey; and, yeah, several types of smoked lagers. You’ve got three weeks, is what I’m saying: go find a smoked beer.

Because I’m not going to tell you that you have to like them, how you have to drink them, or whether you can have an expensive one or where it has to be from. But I do insist that if you blog on this Session, that you drink a smoked beer that day.

They’re not the ideal choice in a variety of settings. They don’t go with a lot of different meals. They’re just not all-purpose beers by any stretch of the imagination. Unless ….

So back in California, it’s a relatively cool, but sunny, spring day. No German Rauchbier, but Alaskan Smoked Porter is as good an American substitute as I can imagine. Though technically a porter, it’s deep black color and thick tan head could make anyone mistake if for a stout, at least in appearance. The nose, of course, is another matter. The smokey aromas are unmistakable, and the Alderwood Alskan uses gives it different aromas than the typical rauchbier, in fact different from most other smoked beers entirely, giving it a singular nose. It has a silky smooth mouthfeel and a dominating smoke quality, naturally. A few times before I’ve had it with smoked salmon that Alaskan Brewing owner Geoff Larson has hand-carried from Anchorage. The salmon is smoked using the same Alderwood used for the beer and as you’d expect, it’s a match made in heaven. They compliment one another perfectly. I’ve never been to Alaska, but I wonder if the Smoked Porter tastes even better there under the glare of the Aurora Borealis? Again, it’s a really wonderfully well-made beer, with just the right amount of smokey character with rich malt notes and a creamy, dry finish. But I don’t think I’ll be able to finish the 22 oz. bottle by myself, not without it turning suddenly into a more frigid day or without some thick, meaty stew to have with it. C’est la vie. I think maybe it’s time to go back to Bamberg … or Alaska.

I meant to write about this yesterday, but you know how it is with these things. So, as usual, I procrastinated. But according to Russian River Brewing, on Wednesday they finally released the long-awaited, highly anticipated Procrastination, the newest of the -tion beers. Here’s the description from Russian River:

Yes, Procrastination, a Belgian-style Herbed beer, was tapped just in time for our 5th Anniversary this weekend, and will only be available on draft at our pub! We have all been waiting patiently for years, watching it on the “Coming Soon” section of the chalkboard, wondering when and what Procrastination will be, and, voila! The wait is finally over! This Belgian-style beer is made with fresh, locally grown Sonoma County herbs. It weighs in at a whopping 9.3% ABV and 72 BU’s… clearly not for the average beer drinker!

So, is Natalie and Vinnie pulling our legs? Probably.

No, not the yellow kind or even pure driven snow, but the Chinese beer Snow has overtaken Bud Light as the world’s best-selling beer, at least according to Plato Logic, a UK-based beer market data company. They’ve just published their latest World Brewer Factfile and Bud Light is apparently no longer the reigning king of beers, at least in terms of beer produced.

But as Jeremiah McWilliams points out in Lager Heads, A-B vigorously disagrees with the rankings, arguing that Snow’s numbers are a total of the brewery’s output, which included 25 line extensions. Budweiser and Bud Light alone easily overtake Snow without even having to resort to Bud Lime numbers. Snow is, of course, owned by rival SAB Miller so pride may have more than a little to do with these rankings.

But as a Reuters story explains it, “Plato lists the top six beer brands as the Snow range of beers followed by the Bud Light range (my emphasis), including Dry and Ice, at 55.6 million hectoliters, Budweiser at 43.4 million.”

And as Williams reminds us, A-B itself separated the Bud and Bud Light brands into two “mega-brands,” each having their own family of brands and considers them now separate and distinct from one another.

From Anheuser-Busch’s website:

As Budweiser begat Bud Light, each brand is in the process of becoming its own powerful, distinct brand family. Budweiser has added Budweiser Select, Budweiser & Clamato Chelada and Budweiser American Ale to its mix, giving adult beer drinkers the variety they want from a brand they trust. Bud Light has added Bud Light & Clamato Chelada and Bud Light Lime in 2008, offering a wider scope of beers and enhancing the Bud Light brand as consumer tastes and needs change.

So I’m not sure they get to have it both ways. All the other brands include line extensions, too, but Budweiser and Bud Light are separated into their own brands expressly because A-B wanted it that way. Only these results have caused them to rethink that strategy, at least for purposes of spinning this story in which they’re seen as no longer being number one, which can’t be good for shareholder and market confidence.