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Five beer urban legends

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Maureen Ogle’s Ambitious Brew sparked ongoing discussion among beer drinkers in part because its history of American brewing begins in the 1840s, with the rise of industrial lager.

That doesn’t mean the American brewing industry didn’t exist before then, beer historian Bob Skilnik points out in his new book, Beer & Food: An American History.

“Although it would take years after the Revolutionary War for the diverse elements of an indigenous brewing industry to come together, the Eastern Seaboard was teeming with an active ale brewing industry, decades before the introduction of lager beer. Early nineteenth century Philadelphia and New York in particular were thriving brewing centers,” he writes in a press release.

He’s put together a list of Five Urban Legends of American Beer History that the book tackles.

Another one he tackles: The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock because they ran out of beer. Yes, a myth.

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Surviving the Philly Craft Beer Festival

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Don Russell (Joe Sixpack) has tips, lot of tips, for those headed to the Philadelphia Craft Beer Festival on Saturday.

I’m worried that some of you are a bit out of shape.

Now, I know that many of you have been flexing those elbows at the excellent festivals surrounding the city, in Kennett Square, Adamstown, even Harrisburg. And Philly continues to host many smaller fests, including the annual Penn Museum tasting with Michael Jackson and Sippin’ by the River at Penn’s Landing.

But the Philly Craft Beer Festival is the big time in the big city, folks.

Most important tip: “Yes, you’ll get a buzz on (so read on about transportation). But instead of drinking everything you see, have a plan and you’ll have more fun.”

Second most important tip: “Drink water. It’ll slow your pace and clear your palate.” It may also keep you from getting dehyradated (your hangover will thank you in the morning).

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Micro Matic leaves New Orleans a gift

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Micro Matics USA, which manufactures and distributes draft beer dispensing equipment, last month donated a walk-in refrigerator to the Brantely Baptist Center in New Orleans at the conclusion of the Cheers Beverage Conference in the Hurricane-ravaged city.

“It made perfect sense for us to donate the walk-in refrigerator, which we had shipped to New Orleans (for the conference), to a local organization that has done so much for victims of Hurricane Katrina and could benefit from its use,” said Peter Muzzonigro, president of the California company.

The Brantley Center is a 250-bed shelter that provides a variety of services for homeless people and others in need. Since it first opened its doors in 1927 during the Great Depression, the urban ministry has provided food, overnight lodging, hot showers, laundry facilities, employment assistance, counseling for drug and alcohol dependence, mail services, and worship opportunities to the people who pass through its doors. In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

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Green Oscars parties feature New Belgium beer

Posted in Beer culture, Breweries on   

Mothership WitThere’s green beer and there’s green beer.

While regulars at Coleman’s Irish Pub in Syracuse, N.Y., celebrated the arrival of green beer for St. Patrick’s Day, a different sort of green beer was in the spotlight during the Oscars.

With “An Inconvenient Truth,” the documentary featuring Al Gore on global warming, winning best documentary feature many celebrities added to the emphasis on environmentally sustainable practices arriving in fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles, and film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek hosted the third annual Global Green USA Pre-Oscar Party featuring their own kind of “green” beer.

New Belgium Brewing’s first organic beer, Mothership Wit, and its signature Fat Tire Amber Ale were served at that party and several other pre-Oscare events. The Fort Collins beer also was served at Oscar-related charity fundraisers held Thursday and Friday to benefit the environment and other causes.

New Belgium is 100% wind powered and otherwise a brewing industry leader in sustainable practices.

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Virginia woman Beerdrinker of the Year

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Diane Catanzaro

Diane Catanzaro, a Norfolk, Virginia homebrewer, beer judge and college professor, has been crowned the 2007 Beerdrinker of the Year.

Catanzaro, 48, won the title in the Beerdrinker of the Year finals on Saturday at Wynkoop Brewing Company in Denver.

A professor of industrial/organizational psychology at Christopher Newport University (in Newport News, VA), Catanzaro is the second woman to win the competition. (Cornelia Corey of Clemmons, N.C., won the title in 2001.)

“This is a dream come true for me,” Catanzaro said after winning the title. “I can use the title to carry the flag for Beer Nation and spread the news about craft beer. And it gives me an opportunity to promote a better understanding of beer to women in America.”

Catanzaro, a finalist in last year’s Beerdrinker contest, beat out finalists Logan Perkins (of Denver, Colo.) and Phil Farrell (Cumming, Ga.). Her impressive beer drinking experiences, humor and beer ambassadorship helped her land the crown.

“I’ve never seen three more deserving finalists,” said Tom Dalldorf, editor and publisher of Celebrator Beer News and one of the seven judges for the finals. ”But Diane was very engaging, and her personality and very beery background helped her win the title. She speaks well for the beer community.”

As the 2007 Beerdrinker of the Year, Catanzaro wins free beer for life at Wynkoop Brewing Company and a $250 beer tab at the Biergarden.

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We’ll miss you, Linda

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Linda Starck

Linda Starck, who has been a friend to literally thousands in the brewing community for more than 20 years, died Friday. She was diagnosed with lung cancer a year ago.

Linda – you would only have to say “Linda” (no last name needed) at any gathering of brewers, such as the Great American Beer Festival or the Craft Brewers Conference and others knew who you were talking about – was a Brewers Association staff member for more than 20 years.

A Celebration of Life is being planned in her hometown of Boulder, Colo. The family is collecting photos immediately for use at the memorial service. The Brewers Association has also created a page for friends to share thoughts and stories.

For too brief a time we got to work with Linda as she represented advertising sales on RealBeer.com and Pro Brewer. More than a colleague, anyone who knew her considered her a friend, a fellow beer lover and powerful, positive force of nature. She will be deeply missed by us all.

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Safeguarding the children from beer

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The rigorous age-verification system Anheuser-Busch initiated for those who want to visit the new Bud.TV isn’t restrictive enough for some.

Twenty-three attorneys general have written to Anheuser-Busch Cos., asking the brewer for better tools to make sure underaged viewers aren’t accessing its new Bud.TV site.

An A-B spokeswoman pointed out that many site users (or would-be users) disagree.

The St. Louis-based brewer, in a statement Friday, called itself the first in its industry to adopt independent age verification for the company’s Web sites. It said it has even faced some criticism that the age checks were too cumbersome and turning away some adults.

“Despite these extraordinary efforts, some have urged us to make the age verification process more difficult and even more invasive of people’s privacy,” said a company spokeswoman, Francine Katz, in a statement.

In fact, Louisiana’s Attorney General Charles Foti – one of those behind the letter – said he didn’t have any evidence that underage children are accessing the web site, but said it’s clear that more could be done to safeguard children.

Sure, the site does feature adult content – it’s a “channel,” but on your computer instead of the TV. But the tools for a parent to block their children from visiting Internet channels are at least is easy to implement as those block TV channels.

Are these government officials taking this stance because Anheuser-Busch is a target they can easily identify (as opposed to a gazillion pornographic websites that have no similar mechanisms)? Or could it be because beer is involved?

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Free beer as in free speech

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Free beerYou are correct if you’ve figured out that a project to create “open source” beer doesn’t mean you end up drinking beer that you get for free.

The idea of open source beer has been around as something of a joke since 1998, but students in Denmark have taken it a step further and begun a Free Beer project.

Sunday’s Boston Globe (free registration) offered the best explanation we’ve seen of the philosophy behind open source software and how the concept might be extended to other areas – such as the production of beer.

“Free software” began in the early 1980s when software developers first started asserting intellectual property rights over their works. The problem wasn’t so much that developers were making money off software, but rather that, by asserting these rights, they were no longer allowing the free and informal sharing of code. The free software movement’s objection, which was largely cast in moral terms, was essentially that while charging money for software was fine — everyone has to eat — it is not right to prevent others from using, studying, distributing, or improving on it.

The concept, and practices, of open source sprung from this.

Although the Free Beer project is fun – don’t you smile just saying the words? – brewers have been sharing information about how to brew better beer pretty much since they first learned how to make it.

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Dive bars and Internet connections

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Can a dive bar have Wi-Fi?

Something to think about next time you nurse a beer at your favoirte dive bar.

Don Russell offers his own definition plus lists some Philadelphia standouts.

And, no, he doesn’t think a self-relfecting dive bar should have a wireless Internet connection.

To me, a dive is a place where the drinks are cheap, the atmosphere is dark and comfortable, and there are absolutely no pretensions of trendiness.

There are no candles in the bathroom, no wi-fi and no cover charge. The TV is tuned to the lottery at 7, and the jukebox has Frank, Bruce and the Stones – but only pre-“Some Girls.”

Shouldn’t there also be a Simpsons Happy Hour (the juke box unplugged and patrons asked to order only during commercials)?

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Time features spicy side of Fal Allen

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Time features American brewing pioneer Fal Allen’s innovative beers at Singapore’s Archipelago Brewery in a story it headlines “Waiter, There’s a Herb in my Beer.”

Andrea Teo, Archipelago’s managing director, expects Allen to uses spices.

“I thought, what a great name: Archipelago somehow resonated with spices and islands . . . What if we make a spiced beer with indigenous local spices?” she asked.

Some of Allen’s beer include use ingredients like tamarind, palm sugar, ginger, lemongrass and even wolfberries, which are normally used in traditional Chinese medicine.

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16th century village inn top English pub

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The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) announced the Tom Cobley Tavern, Spreyton, Devon, as its National Pub of the Year 2006.

This 16th century village inn has been run by Roger and Carol Cudlip for the last four years. In that time they have turned the Tom Cobley Tavern into the epitome of a Community Pub, acting as an indispensable meeting place for local groups, sports teams and residents.

“I am absolutely over the moon. This is the highest accolade CAMRA can give to a pub and naturally we could not be more delighted that it has been given to us,” said Roger Cudlip. “Our success is down to the support of the villagers. We look after them and they look after us in exchange. The Tom Cobley Tavern is a proper rural pub and every night we have a great clientele mix of young and old. The key is to get involved and be part of the life of the community.”

The pub will receive its award Friday to mark the beginning of CAMRA’s inaugural Community Pubs Week, a campaign to highlight the vital role pubs play in the lives of local communities.

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Valentine’s Day beer suggestions

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If you’re not drinking AleSmith My Bloody Valentine tomorrow what other choices do you have?

– The Brewers Association offers something of a primer on beer and chocolate.

– Stephen Beaumont has a more complete Valentine’s Day Beer & Chocolate Companion at World of Beer.

– Donovan Hall gives us the recipe for a Liverpool Kiss. Officially you mix “a dark beer with cassis liqueur.” He goes into more detail.

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‘Chicken Man’ among beer drinking finalists

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Phil FarrellWynkoop Brewing’s judging panel has picked the three finalists for the brewpub’s 2007 Beerdrinker of the Year award. They’ll duke it out Feb. 24 at 2 p.m. in the finals in Wynkoop,s Denver brewpub. They are:

Diane Catanzaro, a Norfolk, Va., homebrewer, beer judge and professor of industrial/organizational psychology at Christopher Newport University. In 2006 she drank beer at numerous breweries, bars and festivals in the US and Belgium. She also led 16 college students on a tour of Belgian breweries and bars, ending their interest in mainstream American beer. She was a finalist in the 2006 Beerdrinker search.

Phil Farrell, a Cummings, Ga., commercial airline pilot, award-winning homebrewer, and beer judge. His beer travels include drinking beer in every country in Europe, 1,000 of the world’s pubs, and attending over 20 major beer events in the US in 2006. His basement beer pub features six taps, two refrigerators, and a 15-gallon brewing system.

He’s pictured here with his homebrew club’s chicken mascot. He takes it on all of his beery travels, the chicken has been photographed with more than 1,500 beery people across the globe.

Logan Perkins, a Denver, Colorado beer enthusiast who has tried 4,000 beers in 43 states, 21 European countries and 5 Asian nations. He took a sabbatical from work in 2006 to visit breweries and beer events in the US and overseas. Last year he drank beer in Belgium, Denmark, Croatia, Portugal, Austria, Germany, England and many other nations. He’s the first Denver resident to make the finals in 11 years of the competititon.

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A Beer for Hope

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Beer for HopeOld friends have reunited to brew a new beer with a name that reflects their purpose. “Reunion – A Beer for Hope” is an organic imperial brown ale based on early recipes from Pete’s Wicked Ales founder Pete Slogberg.

Slosberg and Dan Del Grande brewed the beer at Bison Brewing Company’s organic brewery in Berkeley, Calif. It will be sold in 22-ounce bottles via SBS-Imports distributor network in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, and Illinois. All profits generated by SBS from the sale of the beer will benefit The Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research in Los Angeles.

Alan Shaprio, president of SBS-Imports, suggested brewing the beer after he and Slosberg learned that Virginia MacLean had been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma. Shapiro and MacLean joined Sloberg at Pete’s Wicked in 1989 and helped him turn the company into what was briefly the second largest craft brewery in the country. All then went on to other businesses.

“I am thrilled to be a part of the effort to raise funds for this worthwhile organization,” Slosberg said of the project.

“Virginia has been a close friend from the day we met at Pete’s back in 1989,” said Shaprio. “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.”

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