Followers of the blog know that I am more than just a little keen on Beer history. I like all the nooks and crannies of beer throughout the years. But it is not as well covered as many other fields. Thankfully, the Beer Culture Center along with the Newberry Library are partnering on a fellowship that will help remedy that situation.
It is the Beer History Studies Fellowship which is open to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) MA students, PhD candidates, or post doctoral scholars who are researching beer and who have a specific need for research in the Newberry Library collection.
I am hoping that initiatives like this will bring forth more beer books for me to read and review.
Right off the bat, I have never had Jeppson’s Malört even once. And I probably don’t want to pay for a full bottle since the sub-title of Josh Noel’s book contains the word, reviled.
Take away the whole taste of Malört angle or the whole spirits business angle and this is still a fascinating tale of people told in a fair and even-handed way while still showing the warts of people.
It starts with George Brode and Red Horse Liquors. Brode brought Malört into the portfolio and when that business went down, took it with him and for years ran it as a side-hustle while his legal practice paid the bills (and then some).
Brode had a secretary, Pat Gabelick, who he in true 1950’s style had an affair with while staying married to his wife. This is where the story goes in a whole different direction. Brode and before him, his wife, pass away and Gabelick inherits Malört. Brode was a steady hand but not one for growth and Gabelick is even less interested never really enjoying or even really tasting the product that she sort of lacklusterly runs.
Then Malört starts being cool and fans come in and volunteer to help and eventually catch the hipster wave. And there is more drama before the story reaches the here and now.
This is an entertaining tale that Noel takes us through clearly and at a pace that matches the rise of the drink. You learn about Chicago, cocktail culture and social media too.
I like a small beer festival. I feel like I can actually taste the full rainbow if there is a tight mix of breweries. And Ogopogo Brewing is using their 6th anniversary to throw a little shindig in San Gabriel.
I am especially interested in Craft Coast and Burgeon and what they may be tapping.
When the U.S. can pre-order A Pub for All Seasons by Adrian Tierney-Jones, I will be in the front of the line because it sounds like a delightful book…
“The story of one man through the year and his travels to all corners of the country, A Pub For All Seasons follows Adrian as he visits far-flung corners of the country. From mellow, gentle pubs in autumn and dim, cosy spots in winter to bright, lively bars in spring and wondrous, buzzing gardens in summer, Adrian speaks to locals and landlords, hears unique sounds and stories, and samples food, drink and atmosphere. He watches the wild and beautiful similarities, differences between pubs, and notices how they all shift, tonally, throughout the year.”
Until the book is U.S. ready, you can listen to the author talk about it with All About Beer and John Holl, right HERE.
Next week, you can get a mini fresh hop festival SoCal style at MacLeod Ales in Van Nuys.
No need to buy tickets, $40 at the door gets you pours from the breweries in the above graphic all made with hops from Eden Forest Collective just a little north of L.A. in Fillmore.
Blocks with Neal Brennan is part of the large industry of comedians talking to comedians that also includes the likes of the Marc Maron podcast, Jerry Seinfeld’s TV show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee or even live events like Smartless.
The hook for this one is in the title, Brennan adds a component of mental health and self-help to the proceedings so that it doesn’t become just a softball type of show. The shows run a bit long for my taste but there are helpful nuggets that the guest share about how they deal with what life can throw your way.
For craft beer pairing, I would make a list of beer styles that you have tried but were either m’eh on or didn’t like and go back and see if the 2024 you has the same opinion on it.
Now that it is October we can legally talk pumpkin beers and Halloween. And the first thing I want to do is get a little jealous of Seattle for having Cloudburst Brewing and their beer copywriter who had a great time with this their seasonal pumpkin beers description…
Check Your Worst Nightmare out HERE. If you want to avoid opening another tab, here is the ingredient list, “a milk chocolatey base beer brewed with Libby’s canned pumpkin and spiced with a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and clove.”
This month, as a bit of a scientific lark, I am going to review the same beer weeks apart to see if any differences can be found. I chose Patio Project IPA from Beachwood Brewing as the test subject after picking it for the beer shopping list post last month.
As you can see from the above photo, it was canned up on 8/1/24. For this review, the first can was tasted on 8/16/24. Can two was opened on 9/5/24. Can three was opened on 9/29.
Still pours a bright and light yellow. No visual degradation seen at all. Aroma also coming in strong. The hop bite is still there which is good because this is near session IPA to me and without it, the beer would lose a dimension.
Maybe I shall conduct this experiment again but with a different, not as high quality brewery as Beachwood and maybe take it over a longer time frame.
Sometimes in beer, you may not see a beer style produced very often but one way you can sneak around that is to “imperialize” that style and it helps to have a brewery like Stone Brewing who excel at big beers doing it.
One of my bottle shops stops is Talon Tap & Wine in Eagle Rock. Friendly people, you have a great selection that you can buy single cans of and there is a nice little bar in the back if you want to catch a game.
And this year, they are turning 5! There will be a special day of celebration for it on Saturday, October 5th.
