You yet have time to celebrate Cask Ale Week. It began Monday 29 March but it continues through Monday 5 April. This party for fresh, living "real ale" is organized in the UK; most of the official activities occur there. There are, however, a few unofficial participants here in the US. [Click here for a list.]
Week 12
Your tax dollars at work ... or topsy-turvy priorities.
He was a newspaperman by trade, a Yorkshireman by birth (of Lithuanian heritage), a witty speaker with a dry sense of humor, an erudite author of books on beer, and an adherent (when there had been few) of beer style and terroir. Today would have been his 68th birthday: Michael Jackson, the Beer Hunter.
I recently talked with a professional brewer who dismissed Jackson as "that Englishman who was always drunk." Well, I'm (not) sorry, but that's a calumny.
Jackson, so outspoken in his advocacy for good beer, long waged a private battle against Parkinson's Disease, its progressively deteriorating symptoms observable as slurred speech, rigidity, and herky-jerky movements. After publicly revealing his disease a year before his death in 2007, Jackson would quip that he was writing a memoir entitled, "No, I'm Not Drunk."
In Jackson's second appearance on the Conan O'Brien show (embedded below), you might notice the disease's effects upon him, but you can't miss his wit, sharp as always. Jackson may have been losing, but he wasn't surrendering. Even O'Brien, beyond his schtick, was gracious.
Today, in Michael Jackson's honor, consider offering a donation to a charity funding Parkinson's research. And then, of course, toast his memory with a good beer ... but for Jackson's sake, pour it in a glass.
"It's a waste of money if you drink out of a bottle because so much of the taste is in the aroma."
Week 11
While it's true that we've traditionally celebrated the beginning of spring on March 21, astronomers and calendar manufacturers alike now say that the spring season starts one day earlier, March 20, in all time zones in North America. Unheard of? Not if you look at the statistics. In fact, did you know that during the 20th Century, March 21 was actually the exception rather than the rule?
The vernal equinox landed on March 21, only 36 out of 100 years. And from 1981 to 2102, Americans will celebrate the first day of spring no later than March 20.
In the years 2008 and 2012, those living in Alaska, Hawaii and the Pacific, Mountain and Central time zones will see spring begin even earlier: on March 19. And in 2016, it will start on March 19 for the entire United States.
At about this time last year, I wrote this, and it applies today:
It's Beer Madness time again at the Washington Post. (In case, you're not a US sports fan, the name is a play on March Madness, the collegiate basketball championship tournament which occurs every March.)
Eight panelists are selected, based upon their one-sentence emailed applications. 630 applied, including me. ("I sell beer, and I wear a tie," I wrote this year, as I did last year, again failing to secure a spot. Maybe I should re-write.)
They vote their preferences (in blind fashion) on thirty-two beers —-as selected by Washington Post beer writer Greg Kitsock— pairing two at a time. The winning beers advance through 4 rounds until one remains. <...>
Last year, the results and process seemed to distress a few 'serious' beer gurus who decried the judges' lack of training and the somewhat arbitrary match up of beers. But it's that very approach that mirrors the real-world of commercial beer. Beer is bought and enjoyed in a non-rigorous manner.
Beer Madness, our annual quest for Everyman's favorite brew, returns with a twist. This year, we've included beers from 22 nations. Our panelists met for a blind taste test in early March, but we want to see where your votes different from theirs. Each week, we invite you to play along by voting for your favorite in each matchup.
Week 10
The area of Arlington, Virginia bounded by Ballston, Clarendon, and Court House, is about to become very good-beer friendly.
There's the granddaddy Galaxy Hut, which has been pouring good beer since the early 1990s.
a bistro/bar project ... 20 draft lines–with Eastern European cuisine, including: Alsatian tarts, hanger steak and frites, skate schnitzel, roast chicken, and a [homemade] sausage platter.
The three-story establishment will also feature an open kitchen (basement), 18-seat marble bar, outdoor patio, semi-private dining in the “Trophy Room” and reclaimed New York City subway light fixtures throughout.
[I] have been writing about beer for 20 years. I recall when when Anchor Christmas and Noche Buena were about the only beers at a holiday tasting and Sisson’s was the only brewpub in Baltimore. A collection of his columns, "Raising Kids and Tomatoes, Amusing Tales and Appetizing Recipes," was published in 1998. He lives with his wife, Judith, a professor at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, in a downtown Baltimore rowhouse. They have two grown sons, who come home from time to time and drink their father’s beer.
BOULDER, Colo.• March 8, 2010 —The Brewers Association, the trade association that tabulates production statistics for U.S. breweries, today released 2009 data on the U.S. craft brewing industry. In a year when other brewers saw a slowdown in sales, small and independent craft brewers saw sales dollars increase 10.3 percent and volume increase 7.2 percent over 2008, representing a growth of 613,992 barrels equal to roughly 8.5 million cases.
Week 9
The Session is a monthly event for the beer blogging community begun by Stan Hieronymus at Appellation Beer, and co-moderated with Jay Brooks at the Brookston Beer Bulletin.
On the first Friday of each month, a predetermined blogger hosts The Session, chooses a specific, beer-related, topic, invites all bloggers to write on it, and posts a roundup of all the responses received.
For more information and to host a Session, go to the archive page at the Brookston Beer Bulletin
My journey to a full-fledged beer enthusiast has gone from having a preference for full flavored beers -- to homebrewer -- to craft beer drinker -- to beer traveler -- to beer collector -- to beer blogger. Over the past few years, I have purchased or been gifted numerous bottles of beers that I subsequently cellared and designated as “to be opened on a special occasion.” My dilemma, however, is matching an occasion with opening a particular bottle in my collection.
...the word Britain wasn't actually crossed out (although it looks like it I agree!), it has the UK flag on it. I can send you the image if you like. Although we have no plans to involve other countries we are very happy for them to get involved - it is only a lack of resources to involve other countries which is stopping us. Could be something for the future though. All the best with anything you can organise and keep us posted on the best stories!
Saveur Magazine has announced their 1st annual Best Food Blog Awards, and the editors should be abashed. They failed to nominate the Brookston Beer Bulletin, one of the best blogs on beer written in the United States. (Even though there are several wine blogs in the running, there are none for beer or spirits writing.)
Jay Brooks, based in California, writes prodigiously for the nearly eponymous Bulletin. He is entertaining, concise, and analytical. If you haven't read the Bulletin recently —or at all— read it now.
Jay features several series: for example, one on beer advertisements and one on beer in art. He also compiles a comprehensive calendar of beer birthdays: anniversaries of the folk who make, sell, and write about beer. It's a marvelous resource.
Yesterday was Dr. Seuss' birthday. In his honor, Jay wrote a beery doggerel. Today is Jay's birthday, and he was too humble to mention that himself. So, I will.
Happy Birthday, Jay.
[UPDATE: He has posted a few photos of himself, from past days: here.]
The Virginia General Assembly has passed a bill permitting concealed weapons in restaurants. This 'corrects' an earlier law that had allowed only openly carried weapons.
If signed by the Governor, the law will prohibit "those who pack guns from drinking [alcoholic beverages]" in establishments serving alcohol. There are no bars, per se, in Virginia. Establishments which are allowed to serve alcohol must also serve food prepared on-site.
This begs some questions. If a weapon were concealed, how would the bartender know this? Would he/she be complicit in violating the provision?
"ID, please. Up against the wall, and spread 'em!" [The story here.]
Maryland is considering car ignition interlock devices for first-time offenders of alcohol violations. A breathalyser would prevent a car from starting if any alcohol were present in the breath of the driver. Presumably non-entertainment purposes might interfere with the ignition, such as, for example, mouthwash. The bill catches with a wide net: intoxication has not been, and cannot be, demonstrated to be the same as having one standard drink. [The story here.]
Here's a modest proposal.
If there were more public transportation, wouldn't there be less driving? If there were more sidewalks, wouldn't more residents be able to walk safely? If state and local governments would relax suburban zoning laws, might not there be more neighborhood pubs to which adults could walk ... rather than drive?
Let a thousand pubs bloom!
Week 8
Depending on whether you believe the birth certificate or the man himself, either 22 February or today, 1 March, is the 200th anniversary of the birth of the great pianist and composer Frédéric Chopin. Read more (and listen) at The Collaborative Piano Blog, and at the Washington Post here:
Chopin's piano pieces -- all of his pieces involve the piano: no symphonies or operas here -- are lyrical and lovely, poetic and, therefore, seen as accessible. Yet they can also be harmonically intricate, technically challenging. <...> Chopin's pieces represent a towering hurdle, the benchmark against which a classical pianist is measured -- in part because of the difficulty of finding a way to plumb the music's depths while sounding simple.
Since 1997, Cask Marque has been ensuring that the cask ale you drink in pubs in the U.K. has been in perfect condition. Qualified ass...
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