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Pike celebrates Repeal Day in grand style

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Here’s how to celebrate Repeal Day the right way.

Breweries, brewpubs and bars across the country today are celebrating the 75th anniversary of when beer resumed shipping beer (although Prohibiton was not officially over) in 1933, but none may be doing it better than the Pike Brewery in Seattle. Check out the schedule.

11:00 am – 6:00 pm: Hourly Tours of The Pike Brewery

6:30 p.m. – 10:00 pm: Museum Lounge-Theater seating:
Pike’s Repeal Party celebration continues with a Repealathonon the 80 inch high definition screen.

6:30 pm – 7:30 pm: The American Brew 2007
Filmmakers Roger Sherman and Jesse Sweet’s “The American Brew” is an hour-long documentary film celebrating the rich history of America’s favorite beverage of moderation. Many modern craft breweries and brewers are featured, set against a background of antique photos and films, the work is visually exciting. It vividly brings the viewer in touch and taste with America’s beer brewing heritage. Sherman’s documentaries have received numerous honors the past three decades including a Peabody Award, an Emmy Award and two Academy Award nominations, and Sweet has garnered attention and praise for his work in the history,
crime, biography and documentary genres.

7:30 – 8:00 pm: Prohibition’s effect on Beer
A discussion presented by Charles Finkel who grew up in Oklahoma during prohibition where it wasn’t repealed until 1959.

8:00pm – 9.30 pm: The Lady Eve 1941
Directed by Preston Sturges Starring Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, and Charles Coburn.

A hilarious comedy about the love life of Charlie Pike, scion to The Pike Brewing Company fortune. Charlie couldn’t remember whether pale ale, brown ale, porter and stout were bottom or top fermented – he was more interested in rare snakes and beautiful women. The movie features Pike Pale, “the Ale that won for Yale.” The Lady Eve was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Story in 1944. In 1994, it was selected for preservation in the United States National
Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

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The perfect summer job? Best Brewers Summer intern

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Turns out being Chief Beer Officer for Four Points by Sheraton is a real job.

In fact, CBO Scott Kerkmans has discovered he needs help and the company has announced a “world wide” search for a Best Brews Summer intern.

As part of his undertaking the resident CBO is seeking a yeasty soul over the age of 21 with a love for lager and a thirst for industry knowledge. “I am excited to share my knowledge and experiences with someone who is as passionate about the brewing community as I am,” said Kerkmans.

The search for the Best Brews Summer Intern kicked off with ads in the Wall Street Journal and a number of intern job boards like MonsterTrak and craigslist.

Those interested in applying for the position should email their resume to Four Points Chief Beer Officer, Scott Kerkmans at cbo@fourpoints.com along with a cover letter. The letter should include facts about the applicant, as well as a list of his or her f our favorite simple pleasures in life. The deadline for applicants is April 26.

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Georgia bar gives customers own personal taps

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A sports bar in Atlanta now allows customers to pour their own beer while seated at their own table.

Jeff Libby, 26, invented and patented the system.

Taps boasting two beer spouts are built into tables dotting Atlanta’s swanky STATS sports bar. Each is hooked into a cooler of kegs in the bar’s basement through a network of tubes and pipes.

To fly with state officials, serve-yourself beer had to include some built-in deterrents.

A waitress must first check IDs before turning on the tap. When the digital ticker counting each ounce hits 180 — or about three pitchers — the taps shut off until a server comes by to check on the table. Bigger parties keep servers running back and forth fairly often, while it’s rarer for smaller groups to hit the limit.

Each tap has two spouts offering a selection of the bar’s more than a dozen beers, including Miller Lite, Guiness Stout, Newcastle and a house brew called Numbers Ale. Customers can only pick which taps they get by reserving a private party table.

Call is customer friendly.

“Sometimes you’re with your husband and he drinks twice as fast as you _ and you can only down a quarter beer,” said 31-year-old Jennie Olshaske, nodding toward her husband. Now, she said, she can pour as little beer as she wants.

Libby is looking to expand, and has approval from the states of North Carolina, South Carolina and California.

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Joe Sixpack’s Philly Beer Guide released

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Philly Beer GuideEven though Philly Beer Week has ended, Philadelphia continues to celebrate beer on a daily basis, and beer writer Don Russell has written a guide to drinking in his hometown. “Joe Sixpack’s Philly Beer Guide: A Reporter’s Notes on the Best Beer-Drinking City in America” cites more than 300 places and is thick with maps and photos.

“Philadelphia is unmatched as a beer town,” Russell said for a press release. “The fact that our bars are woven into the fabric of each neighborhood makes it a world class beer city.”

The book has already earned enthusiastic endorsements. “. . . useful information bulges out of this book,” Lew Bryson writes as Seen Through a Glass.

“Useful information for the beer drinker, that is. Don’t come here looking for much else: Don’s total focus is admirable. There are beer bar walking tours (excellent, with maps), lists of the local breweries, Philly beer and bar history, take-out tips (absolutely necessary in Pennsylvania, a very useful guide to the beers you’re most likely to find here (that would be everything), even a welcome chapter on where to find your favorite beer-linked “Amusements” — darts, pool, shuffleboard, good jukes — but don’t expect to find much in the way of filler on what to go see in Philly. This is about finding your way through the gloriously rich jungle of beer that is Philadelphia.”

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4,000-year-old skeleton still clutching beer mug

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The Daily Mail found the perfect headline for a story after construction workers uncovered a skeleton that archaeologists believe is 4,000 years old and holding a type of beer mug: “At least he died happy.”

Marion Green, of the Canterbury Archaeological Trust, said that the find last week was one of the best preserved Bronze Age skeletons she had ever seen.

She added: “It is a beautifully decorated pot which could have been used as a type of beer mug.”

Here are the photos.

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Michigan barber can’t serve beer with haircut

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A Michigan barber hopes to convince the state’s attorney general’s office to reinstate his cut-and-a-beer service.

Thomas Martin, who has 11 shops in the Grand Rapids area, used to offer customers one complimentary beer until authorities told him to stop.

State Rep. Kevin Green says he doesn’t see why Martin’s clients can’t have a beer since no one is looking to get drunk. The Wyoming Republican has asked the Michigan attorney general’s office to research whether giving customers a beer violates state law.

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Homebrew contest winners enjoy Samuel Adams’ spotlight

Posted in Breweries, Homebrewing, Just for fun on   

Samuel Adams longshot“It’s a bit overwhelming. The weirdest thing was when [Samuel Adams] sent me pictures of my beer on the bottling line. I saw thousands of bottles with my face on it.”
         – Rodney Kibzey

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Rodney Kibzey’s friends call him a “beer rock star.” Because Kibzey was a winner in the 2007 Samuel Adams American Homebrew Contest a Weizenbock brewed to his recipe currently is on shelves across the country.

Each Longshot six-pack contains three bottles of Weizenbock and three of Grape Pale Ale from Samuel Adams employee Lili Hess.

Kibzey’s beer was one of two winners of a national homebrew contest. The other was an Imperial IPA and production of that one was delayed because of the hop shortage.

Grape Pale Ale is the 2007 champion of Samuel Adams’ annual employee homebrew contest. Attendees at the 2007 great American Beer Festival tasted the three employee finalists’ homebrew and voted Grape Pale Ale their favorite.

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This Bud’s for your . . . child’s name

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Reports abound that actor Matthew McConaughey wants to name his unborn son “Bud,” after – you guessed it – Budweiser beer.

A source close to the actor said: “Matthew’s older brother Michael named his second son Miller Lyte because he loved the beer so much. And Matthew loved the name so much he really wants to name his son after his favorite beer. He is thinking of going for Bud after Budweiser beer.”

However, Brazilian model Camila, the boy’s mother, is less than impressed with his choice of name.

The source added: “Camila is pretty old-fashioned. She hates the name and won’t let Matthew push her into this.”

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Lawmaker would make ‘Bud’ official Missouri beer

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A Missouri legislator wants to make Budweiser the official beer of Missouri.

“We’ve got a state dinosaur, a state frog, a state reptile, a state flower, a state nut, but no one has given a thought to a company that’s been in Missouri for many, many years and is bringing prosperity to our state and manufacturing a product in our state that many people enjoy,” Rep. Curt Dougherty said.

He argues this might be good for tourism.

In a statement released Friday, an executive for Anheuser-Busch said the legislation was “flattering” but not requested.

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Beer taps: ‘Behold, a new form of art’

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The Seattle Times asks, “Does the tap handle tell you anything about what the beer tastes like? Or what’s in it? What the alcohol content is?”

Perhaps not, but tap handles are hot and this story profiles Renton-based Taphandles Inc., one of the country’s largest producers, which expects to ship half a million tap handles this year, mostly to American and Canadian brewers. It employs four designers at its Renton office who spend their days dreaming up designs to be made at its production facility in Guangdong province, China.

They can get a little crazy.

Some bartenders also think brewers might be going overboard. One tap handle for Maudite, a Belgian strong dark ale brewed in Quebec with a logo featuring a smug-looking devil, actually lit up when pulled. Another brewer offered an illuminated, working clock. “That was a little excessive,” says Ian Roberts of Brouwer’s Cafe in Fremont. “But think about it — it was the one lit handle on the entire bar.”

There is, of course, a bottom line. Notes one bartender: “Any attention-grabbing you can do is good. But if your beer’s no good, nobody’s gonna give you a second look.”

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KLCC Brewfest fieldtrip report

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KLCC BrewfestBy Banjo Bandolas

A combination of bass and brass flooded the room as I entered Eugene’s KLCC Brewfest. Classic R&B from local UofO student band “The Essentials” played to the crowd who leaned more towards 40-somethings like me than beer guzzling 20-somethings. I found myself singing along to almost every song as I perused the program and checked my “must haves.”

When KLCC took the fest over in 2001 they had about 20 breweries…this year it was up to 48.The festival, KLCC’s biggest fund raiser of the year, is in its seventh year, and 2008 attendance is expected to top 3,700 people. (Thank god I got here early!)

The KLCC brewfest isn’t really very big as brewfests go, but Eugene, Oregon isn’t real big as cities go, so it’s size-appropriate. Attracting 48 breweries to our little berg is an indication of how strong the beer community is here. The breweries (half of which were from the Northwest) were a cross section of the big players in the craft brew scene, Widmer, Rogue, Lagunitas, Dogfish Head, Deschutes, as well as up and coming envelope pushers like Cascade, Ninkasi and Hopworks Urban.

Oregon beer gear was heavily represented on the attendees. Rogue Dead Guy Ale being the most popular T-shirt in the crowd, I gave up counting at 50.

I’d brought along my designated driver/wife Bonne, so I planned to enjoy a full lineup of craft brew. I figured a good place to start would be the festival’s collaboration brew. All five local Eugene breweries (Eugene City, Ninkasi, High Street, Steelhead, and Willamette) used the same base recipe and yeast (along with their own personal twists) to create a Bavarian Dunkelweisen.
A Dunkelweisen’s is a wheat beer, similar to a Hefeweizen, except it’s brewed to be darker (Dunkel = Dark). Most are brown and murky (from the yeast).

KLCC Brewfest

I quickly worked my way through all five (hey no lines yet!). They were all soft, bready, and smooth with small nuances that set them apart from each other, but none seemed remarkable. I guess this is what it’s like to be a beer judge. Maybe it was me, I’d just returned from the Rogue Imperial Red launch in Newport and my palate may have been suffering from the Impact of a lot of big beer.

“Okay, if that’s the case,” I thought as I made a beeline for the Deschutes table, “there’s no reason not to go right to the big guns.”

The Abyss is the second of the Deschutes Brewery’s Reserve Series launched last year with oak-aged Mirror Mirror. The Abyss is a Russian Imperial Stout aged in French oak bourbon casks and packing a whopping 11%abv. If I couldn’t taste it, all was lost. The pour was BLACK topped by a nice, well laced, tan head. The nose wasn’t what I expected, very light aroma with sweet notes of chocolate, smoke, and cherry. The flavor was strong. Bittersweet chocolate, molasses, spicy hops, coffee, and the slight burn of alcohol. Nice dry finish. Wow!

Obviously my taster was in working order so I moved on to the next beer on my list a couple tables away, Lagunitas Hop Stoopid. I love the fun themes Lagunitas uses in their marketing. This beer reminded me of the Frank Zappa IPAs, with little dryer finish. It’s a good sweet beer with lots of fruit at the entry balanced by a bitter finish. A very drinkable big session ale.

The band was really rolling now; did I mention it was a ten piece band with a brass section and everything? They were playing every song I’d ever danced to when I was young and I felt myself swaying to the beat as I moved from table to table. Looking around I noticed I wasn’t alone in enjoying the tunes and the open area in front of the band was filled with gyrating baby boomers.

One of my favorite Steelhead beers is Hopasaurus Rex, a recipe developed by brewer Jamie Floyd who now owns Ninkasi Brewery. So I had to try his Ninkasi Tricerahops Double IPA. The pour was a dark apricot with a soapy white head. Strong hops with citrus nose. Big hop flavor balanced well with the malt. Smooooooooth! Jamie’s double IPA is something even a non-hophead could enjoy.

I was starting to feel the impact of my selections so I decided to check out the LP, tape, and CD music sale in the corner. Cheap prices on hundreds of artists I’d never heard of. A friend came over and shared her Eugene City “100 Meter Ale, which is an anniversary brew celebrating the 100th batch of beer by Eugene native, Trevor Howard. Trevor combined two of his award winning recipes, Natty Red and Track Town IPA to create an ale he claims is the best of both. Nice floral aroma with slight fruit notes, definitely India style. Dark red with a tan head. Oh man, this is nice! The hoppiness of an IPA paired with the smoothness of red ale.

KLCC BrewfestThe hall was beginning to get kinda crowded and loud, time to finish my list and move on out. Hopworks Organic HUB Lager was a nice change after all the heavy beers I’d had. The beer pours a beautiful clear golden color with a tall white head. Crisp hop nose, spicy and floral, a great pilsner.

I attributed the long line at Lost Coast brewery’s table to its cult-like status with many beer enthusiasts and a taste of Downtown Brown was worth the wait. Lost Coast Downtown Brown pours a clear dark reddish brown. The taste is chocolaty with berry fruit notes and a mild hop finish. Love it!

I saved my last taste for Pelican Brewery where my buddy Darron Welch is brewmaster. MacPelicans Wee Heavy Ale – a Wee Heavy” Strong Scotch Ale. This ale is a batch of MacPelican’s Scottish Ale brewed with half the water and twice the boiling time, creating a massive malty flavored beer with a deep red color. The nose is rich caramel, cocoa, and fruit. The taste is sweet with a slightly dry finish. Dangerously drinkable at 8%a bv and a sweet relief after an evening of powerfully complex beer. And I’m done! (in more ways than one! Thank god I’ve got a Designated Driver)

What did I think of the KLCC Brewfest? Good tunes, great brews, and low impact crowds. What’s not to like?

KLCC BREWFEST PEOPLE’S CHOICE WINNERS
1st Place: Lagunitas – Hop Stoopid
2nd Place: Willamette – Espresso Stout
3rd Place: Ninkasi – Tricerahops Double IPA


KLCC Homebrew competition winners.

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Matt Venzke 2008 Beerdrinker of the Year

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Beerdrinker of the YearMatt Venzke of Yorktown, Va., has won Wynkoop Brewing Company’s 2008 Beerdrinker of the Year contest.

Venke, an aircraft maintenance manager, is the second straight Virginia resident to win the competition. Diane Catanzaro of Norfolk won in 2007.

Venzke beat out finalists J Mark Angelus Oregon and and Richard Pedretti-Allen of Texas.

As the 2008 Beerdrinker of the Year, Venzke wins free beer for life at Wynkoop, a $250 beer tab at the Taphouse on Queensway and clothing proclaiming him the 2008 Beerdrinker of the Year.

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And there were 3 . . . for Beerdrinker of the Year

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The finalists will travel from Texas, Oregon and Virginia to Denver in a couple of weeks to determine who become the 2008 Wynkoop Beerdrinker of the Year.

The finals begin at 2 p.m. Feb. 23 at Wynkoop Brewing and are open to the public.

The three finalists are:

– Richard Pedretti-Allen, a McKinney, Texas, recording producer. An avid homebrewer and certified beer judge, Pedretti-Allen has visited over 100 North American brewpubs, won numerous homebrewing awards, and owns over 7,000 beer coasters.

– J Mark Angelus, a Nehalem, Ore., semi-retired prosecutor. Last year Angelus sampled 916 beers, visited 68 breweries and attended nine beer festivals.

– Matt Venzke, a Yorktown, Va., aircraft maintenance manager. Venzke has visited 454 breweries in 16 countries and 39 states, and logged 3,000 miles in 2007 visiting breweries.

The event is open to the public and admission is free. Wynkoop beer will be served at the event, including a special lavender-infused, saison-style beer based on a recipe by 2007 Beerdrinker of the Year, Diane Catanzaro of Norfolk, VA.

The 2008 Beerdrinker of the Year will win free beer for life at Wynkoop, $250 worth of beer at their local brewpub or beer bar,
and clothing proclaiming him the 2008 Beerdrinker of the Year.

He will also have their name engraved on Wynkoop’s Beerdrinker of the Year trophy.