Clamps & Gaskets: News Roundup for Weeks 34/35, 2014.

A bi-weekly, non-comprehensive roundup
of news of beer and other things.

Weeks 34/35
17 August - 30 August 2014

• 2014.08.30
  The top U.S. city, in terms of drinks consumed per capita, is Boston, Massachusetts, at 15.6 per month. Norfolk, Virginia, is second at 15.1 drinks per person per month.
  —Via Daily Beast (using data from Experian Marketing Services).
  
  
• 2014.08.26
  Philippine de Rothschild, a scion of the vaunted winemaking family who helped modernize and expand a renowned wine-producing enterprise —Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA owner of the Château Mouton Rothschild estate— that sells 22 million bottles annually, died on 23 August 2014 in Paris. She was 80.
  —Via New York Times.
• 2014.08.26
  A strip club in Dayton, Ohio, had trouble getting a liquor license. So, the owners got a brewery license instead.
  —Via Dayton City Paper.
  
  
• 2014.08.25
  The ancient origins of beer (and drinking straws): 10,000 years ago, give or take a few thousand years.
  —Via Jay Brooks (in the San Jose Mercury News).
  
  
• 2014.08.25
  Most wineries in Napa Valley are located north of where a magnitude-6.0 earthquake was centered on 24 August 2014, and were spared damage. "At some wineries, bottles and barrels rolled off shelves and burst, fermentation tanks ruptured, and fine wine was running in rivulets through the streets. Elsewhere, however, the wine appeared largely secure."
  —Via Washington Post, quoting the (California) Wine Institute.
  
  
• 2014.08.24
  On this day, two hundred years ago during the War of 1812 (on 24 August 1814), Washington, D.C. was captured and burned by the British.
  —Via Washington Post.
  
  
• 2014.08.24
  The online magazine, Thrillist, ranks each U.S. state by beer. Oregon finishes #1, Mississippi lat at 50th. Washington, D.C. was ignored. The criteria: "Quantity and quality are both important, but quality's a bit MORE important. If you're a small state turning out a disproportionate amount of great beer, it did not go unrecognized. We also gave a boost to states who played a historical role in American beer as we know it today."
  —Via Thrillist.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 2014.08.23
  The best beers in Virginia, brewed by Virginia 'craft' breweries: the winners of the 2014 Virginia Craft Brewers Cup are announced.
  —Via YFGF.
  
  
• 2014.08.22
  "Of Pints and Prices." Reasons why a pint of 'craft' beer costs $7 or more in the U.S.
  —Via Literature & Libations.
  
  
• 2014.08.19
  Don Pardo, legendary announcer for "Saturday Night Live" and many television game shows, dead at 96.
  —Via Baltimore Sun.
  
  
• 2014.08.17
  "From Grain to Growler" is a documentary on the history and recent growth of 'craft' beer and breweries in Virginia. The film was publicly screened for the first time, on 9 August 2014, at the Capital Ale House, in downtown Richmond, Virginia.
  —Via YFGF.
  
  
• 2014.08.17
  "BREWLAND™ is a feature-length documentary exploring the craft beer industry and culture in the United States. It’s a “coming of age” tale about an industry struggling to define its identity in an ever-changing environment while growing at an unsustainable pace. We will reveal how it has evolved through American history, the challenges of being a craft brewer, and what the future may hold for the craft brewing world." The producers are crowd-sourcing funds at IndieGoGo.
  —Via Brewland.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 2014.08.17
  Bob and Ellie Tupper —long-time advocates of good beer in Washington, D.C.— have tasted in excess of twenty-five thousand beer, and kept notes on them. The husband-and-wife-duo are writing a memoir and guide to European beers.
  —Via Tammy Tuck (at Washington City Paper).
  
  
• 2014.08.17
  Go EAST, young man. How some western U.S. craft beer breweries are dealing with the historic drought, by opening facilities in the eastern U.S.
  —Via The Beermonger.
  
  
• 2014.08.17
  The top 10 beer brands in the world. At No. 1 is Snow, brewed in China by CR Snow, a joint venture between SABMiller and China Resources Enterprises, only first released in 2004. Bud Light is third. Via @teamdb:
  —Via The Drinks Business.

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• Clamps and Gaskets is a bi-weekly wrap-up of stories  not posted at Yours For Good Fermentables.com. Most deal with beer (or wine, or whisky); some do not. But all are brief, and many are re-posts from twitter.com/cizauskas.
• The Clamps and Gaskets graphic was created by Mike Licht at NotionsCapital.