Session #23 announced: Old and new

The SessionBeer and Firkins has announced the topic for The Session #23 (Jan. 2) and it doesn’t exactly fit into a short headline:

What will you miss about 2008 (feel free to list your tasting notes, if that item is a particular beer) and what do you expect will excite you most in 2009, in the “Beer World”? Again, if that is a beer, what about it is special and worthy of being excited about?)

I’m posting this as we prepare to head off to the somewhat snowy Franconia countryside. Yesterday I finished my last interviews, for the wheat beer book and a magazine story I’m working on. Seven notebooks are full, so no taking of notes today.

But I know I’m sure going to miss the swath of beer drinking land between Bamberg and Prague. Maybe that’s what I’ll write about. I promise not too be long and to include something about actually drinking specific beers. This topic leaves room, you’ll note, for a simple drinking note or two.

 

Session #22 roundup posted

The Session21st Amendment has posted the roundup for Session #22: “What Does Repeal Mean to Me?”

If you are working on a term paper about beer blogging and want examples of the diversity of the beer blogosphere I’d suggest starting with December Session posts.

We’re only talking about a few dozen of the hundreds of beer blogs operating, but a pretty interesting tip of the iceberg.

 

#20 – Where in the beer world?

Where in the beer world?

Do you think you know where in the beer world this photo was taken? Then please leave a comment.

When I started this feature I didn’t mean it to turn into a contest. I simply planned to post a photos I find interesting, sometimes to make a point. I didn’t necessarily expect readers to know where they were taken. But from the get-go you surprised me.

As a result I might have lost my way, trying to post images I figured somebody would know but ones that weren’t “too easy.”

This week we return to Plan A. Maybe you will know in an instant where this was taken. Maybe you will be a bit surprised when I tell you, and I sure hope you’ll find it interesting.

 

The Session #22: Prohibition, what Prohibition?

The SessionShawn and Nico have asked us to write about Prohibtion today in Session #22.

Specifically: “What does the repeal of Prohibition mean to you? How will you celebrate your right to drink beer?”

I’ll start with a bit of a confession. My great grandfather ran for local office in the 1890s on the Prohibition ticket. He was a berry farmer and lay preacher who also wrote about community news for two nearby newspapers. A.A. Applegate was no neo-convservative. In a time when graduating from high school wasn’t the norm he reared six children who went to college on state scholarships. Some became artists and musicians. He is one of my heroes.

He didn’t use his newspaper columns as a pulpit so I don’t have any information why he chose to run on the Prohibition ticket. But read any of many histories about taverns and pubs during the final decades of the 19th century and you can see these were not family friendly places. Sometimes they weren’t even people friendly.

In contrast you have what we’ve seen during the past 14 weeks in Europe. This includes teenagers drinking (wine as well as beer) in the company of their parents. This includes shopkeepers getting together right after work at a cafe in Switzerland, some drinking coffee, some wine and some beer. And tables reserved on a standing basis (“Stammtisch”) in Germany. And the way they keep a tab with marks on coasters in Franconia or the simple slips of paper in the Czech Republic. And regulars solving the problems of the world in the back room of a German pension, beers in hand before most of the guests had finished breakfast.

Connect the dots.

I’m sure you will read lots of great posts about why the repeal of Prohibition was important, but it’s a topic I don’t feel like taking more time to write about when I can enjoy drinking beer some place where there was never was Prohibition and I can’t imagine there ever will be. Yes, I understand that might be shortsighted.

Fact is I’m pre-posting this because Friday we’ll be in Munich, and I’ll be focused on how to get from our hotel to Neuhauser Strasse 27.