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my humble and correct opinion
More great beer books! You should really pick this one up if you are in the great Northwest or if you are planning on going there.
Lisa Morrison knows the good stuff. That’s why she has a radio show about beer, she writes for Beer Advocate and All About Beer and she is a member of the new Barley’s Angels as well!
So go HERE and grab a copy!
I am a big fan of beer movies. Especially ones that show me a side or place that I haven’t seen yet. Enter……
BATB Promo 3.0 from Taylor Brush on Vimeo.
Once you get past the obligatory, “Belgian beer is the best” there is a nice bit of history and discussion of the Art of Brewing which sometimes gets short shrift to the science aspect. Tim Webb is knowledgeable about Belgium to the max so I am looking forward to more of this series.
In my interweb browsing, I came across this tidbit from way back in February…..
“Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that he is joining more than 20 bipartisan colleagues to introduce legislation that will cut the excise tax on small breweries in half, helping small brewers across New York reinvest in their business, hire new employees, and revitalize downtown communities. Currently, brewers pay a $7 excise tax for the first 60,000 barrels they brew per year. Under the BEER Act that Schumer will introduce, that rate is slashed to $3.50 per barrel, resulting in potential savings of $210,000 per year for the brewery. The bill also cuts the tax by $2 on the next 1,940,000 barrels produced, resulting in potential savings of $3,880,000 each year. This totals over $4 million in potential annual savings for these brewers. Allowing small breweries to reinvest in their companies is good for the surrounding communities, as many build state-of-the-art structures or renovate existing buildings, preventing blight and creating good-paying jobs.
“Small breweries throughout Upstate New York not only brew great beer, they also create great jobs,” Schumer said. “By cutting taxes for these small businesses, we can help grow the economy and put more New Yorkers back to work in stable, good-paying jobs. Breweries are the crown jewels of so many of our communities, and many of them have renovated charming old warehouses in downtowns across the state. Putting more money back into these businesses will be good for economic development, good for jobs, and good for New York.””
OK, so I want you to follow this link HERE.
Now that you are back. I would love to hear any stories you have about this happening. Me being an unassuming sort, tend to not argue with the barkeep and just get a better beer.
But how does one go about getting bad beer off the tap? Do you tweet it? And if so, do you tweet that the beer is bad or just to beware that it was off tasting to you?
I would probably just inform the manager next if the barkeep does nothing and let the next level make the call.
I am a HUGE fan of the Mikkeller Single Hop beers. Don’t believe me? Type Mikkeller into the search box to the left and find out.
But I gotta say that these new labels are not an improvement. The old ones were boring but in line with other Mikkeller beers. These just look a little too computer cute to me. I will still drink them, of course, but it certainly is an odd graphic choice.
What do you think?
There are certain beer bloggers who I follow more than others either due to topics covered, geographic location or humor.
One person who covers all those bases is based in my former burg, Portland. Jeff Alworth’s Beervana blog has been going strong since 2006 and he has posted about places or beers that I have then HAD to visit or WILL visit soon.
So what did I see the last time I visited? Well, he’s compiled a book. With blog posts and additional material that you can physically read.
Follow the LINK to purchase a copy today.
In March of 2007 I couldn’t have guessed the topic March 4, 2011 might be “regular beer.” How vague is that? But when in December I was motivated to post my defense of “regular beer” the course was set.
Please write about a regular beer (time to lose the quotation marks). You get to define what that means, but a few possibilities:
* It might be your “go to” beer, brewed commercially or at home. The one you drink regularly.
* I could be a beer your enjoy on a regular special occasion. When in San Francisco I always like to start with draft Anchor Liberty Ale. But it might be your poker night beer.
* It doesn’t have to be a “session beer,” but it can be.
* It probably shouldn’t have an SPE of more than $25 (that’s a very soft number; prices may vary by region and on premise further confuses the matter). Ask yourself, is it what somebody in a Miller High Life TV commercial in the 1970s could afford? Because affordability matters. I’m all for paying a fair price (which can mean higher than we’d like) to assure quality and even more for special beers, but I’m not ready to part with the notion that beer should be an everyman’s drink.
* Brewery size, ownership, nationality do not matter. Brew length doesn’t matter. Ingredients don’t matter. It feels a little strange typing that last sentence, since the Mission Statement here says ingredients matter. But I hope you get the point. I prefer beer that costs a little more because its ingredients cost more, because there’s more labor involved. You don’t have to. Beer should be inclusive.
Visit Appellation Beer to see what other bloggers wrote about.
Right off the bat I am going to be too pedantic and/or split too many hairs, but the word “regular” does not work for me. So I will change to the name that I use for a quality everyday type of brew, “table beer”.
Now that the change is made, on to my definition:
It has to be lighter on the ABV scale. Maxing out at 6%
It needs to be milder of flavor
It should pair with a variety of foods
It should be newbie friendly
It should be readily available throughout the year
Yes, that does rule out quite a few contenders. But it does leave me plenty of options. You can find quite a few pilsners, pale ales, hefe’s and other wheat beers that meet my semi-stringent criteria.
To me, a good table beer is that needle in the haystack. Something that many drinkers and brewers have forgotten about. It hit’s that sweet spot of a beer that you can just flat out drink and enjoy but isn’t boring or a compromise.
And what I find myself coming back to is the Brown Ale from Mission Street (aka Firestone-Walker) that I can get at my Trader Joe’s across the street. A bomber is $1.99 and it is a tremendous value.
It goes great with burgers, BBQ and even a pizza if it has mild toppings. It comes in at 5.7% so no one will be under the table after a glass. It is mild but flavorful with a good burst of carbonation to lighten the mood. And best of all, it doesn’t scare anyway beer newcomers.
In the end, I need to add another criteria, it has to taste good enough to buy again and again.
I heard about this movie last month on Jeff Alworth’s Beervana blog and I finally got around to renting it on iTunes and giving it a watch.
Thumbs are up on this one. It is a journey following the filmmaker as he immerses himself in British tickerdom (much different than the American version) and if that person is annoying or weird then the whole enterprise can fall apart. But Phil Parkin is engaging throughout and fond of the people while touching on beer topics too. Tickers have a bad name in the U.S. because of a feeling that their is a lack of appreciation but the main tickers in this movie all truly appreciate real ale. And they seem to be fully aware of appreciation vs obsession. That doesn’t make them any less weird or annoying at times but they are characters destined for movies in a way.
What I especially liked the side trips interspersed into the documentary. The interviews/talks with Pete Brown and Melissa Cole were too short but were great. And the Thornbidge Jaipur brew day was great. All in all, it is a peek into the British ale culture that I know very little about. The best part it that it is also a wonderful way to see the inside of British pubs that I may not visit. And to see some great tap clips that made me very thirsty.
SO, set aside the ticking debate. Enjoy the community and learn about Sheffield, the U.K. and beer.
PtY madness is a disease. But it is treatable.
This month’s Pliny the Younger release from Russian River Brewing was a much smoother affair than last year. Growlers were replaced with glasses and more people went away happy with a bitter beer.
The only downside to PtY or Dark Lord from 3 Floyds or Black Tuesday from The Bruery or Kate the Great from Portsmouth is the mania that goes with each beer.
I’m not going to get into the nuts and bolts about how to fairly distribute a scarce product. It’s hard. And what works one year may not the next.
First, let me be clear, these are great beers. You do not get people returning, year after year if they are not. That is not my issue.
My concern is that the rest of a brewer’s line up is settled for at best and dismissed at worst. This mania creates a small sub-category of beers that are worthy of treasure hunts or put on pedestals. And to me that is the opposite of what craft beer is about.
We spent years drinking one type of beer. We now have choice. Why limit ourselves again? I want to have Russian River’s entire selection, not just one beer. The brewery should always be first and foremost. Not PtY but Russian River’s Pliny the Younger and then add, “one of many fine IPA’s brewed by Russian River”. It’s redundant but the focus needs to be fixed onto the brewery and not individual brews. Otherwise we can end up with one trick pony breweries.
PtY day is like beer Christmas. A day that people wait for all year long. But I want people to remember that the other holidays are great too.
Phase two of the operation to bring California growlers is to get the word out while I seek to figure out how to either amend the current law or add a piece to make this dream a reality.
First things first, go to the online petition HERE and sign it if you didn’t click on the widget on the side of the page.
Then start telling people that Whole Foods in New York sells growlers of different beers from different breweries. Heck, even a pharmacy chain has an outlet that sells it in Brooklyn. Why can’t California do that?