Month: September 2010

GABF Fantasy Draft 2010 has begun

So the first brewery chosen in The Beer Mapping Project’s Fourth GABF Fantasy Draught was Magnolia Gastropub & Brewery.

I was a little surprised too.

Turns out that RedRover, who had the first draught pick, was busy with something that must be really important since he put it ahead of beer, and he let the Beer Mapping computer make a random choice. Picked since were Cigar City Brewing, Chelsea Brewing, Pizza Port Carlsbad, Miller Brewing, Firestone Walker Brewing, and AleSmith Brewing.

Should I back up and explain? Beer Mapping Project founder Jonathan Surratt organized the first draught in 2007. When you are the floor at the Great American Beer Festival as competition manager Chris Swersey reads the names of the winners and you mention to the woman next to you that the brewery he just called out is on your “team” she’s likely to say something like, “Cool. How’s that work?”

And you explain that if Pizza Port Carlsbad wins a gold medal you earn three points, a silver two points and a bronze one point. Last year brewmaster Jeff Bagby ended up with seven medals, four of them gold, which is the major reason my “team” won the competition. This year, like in 2008 when we were in Switzerland, I’m just watching. Mostly because I figured there’s no way to duplicate last year. Carlsbad was my second round pick, and my fourth round pick won four medals; there were first round picks that won none.

But also because I thought it would be fun to offer commentary on the Beer Mapping discussion board, Twitter or here. I now realize I must wait until next week and most of the picks are made. Right now it would be rude to type something like, “Hey, I can’t believe Firestone Walker hasn’t been draughted yet.”

Meanwhile you can watch it unfold.

The ‘State’ of beer blogging & other links

There are at least 515 “Citizen Beer Bloggers” in North America, according to the organizers of the Beer Bloggers Conference.

In “The State of Beer Blogging” they write, “We define citizen beer bloggers as those who blog about beer or the beer industry and whose blog is not designed to promote a brewery or other business. There are another 45 beer examiners on examiner.com, at least 78 English-language beer blogs in other countries, and probably hundreds of brewery-related beer blogs. These statistics compare to an estimated 1000 wine blogs and 12,000 food blogs.”

I’m not sure how “other business” might be defined since many of the blogs on their extensive list have advertising or promote something (like Brew Like a Monk).

That’s really an aside. Sure the overview was assembled to promote the Nov. 5-7 Beer Bloggers Conference, but it has plenty of useful information and usable tips for any blogger. That and the most recent update about the conference agenda make it clear the gathering will be about more than drinking beer and tweeting.

Personally, I’m still thinking about what this tidbit might mean: “If there is no established trade for beer journalism, the public might easily seek out beer bloggers for advice.” I was under the impression there is a trade for beer journalism and that blogging was just another branch.

  • Virtual Colorado Beer Tasting. It’s tonight, at 7:30 p.m. and organized by Zephyr Adventures, planner of the Beer Bloggers Conference. Both Oskar Blues and Breckenridge Brewery recently sent emails asking fans to participate (Facebook, Twitters, blogs) through their own sites or gather at brewery pages. (I know, this sounds awfully confusing but – for instance – you could follow Breckenridge on Facebook or Twitter [BreckBrew] or use a hashtag on Twitter.) You can read more about the plan here, although as I type this the page says that 7:30 Mountain is the same at 9 Eastern. No, it’s 9:30.
  • British beer: Booming or boring? Seventy-eight new breweries have opened in the United Kingdom in the last 12 months, for a net gain of 56 breweries. So things are booming, right? Writing in The Independent, Will Hawkes does not take it easy on British brewers: “Maybe, maybe not. The growing popularity of American beers in the UK suggests that things are not quite so rosy. The innovative, hop-heavy character of Yank beers is clearly filling a gap in the market, a gap that British brewers have failed to fill.” He points to Meantime and BrewDog as exceptions, but there are many more – Thornbridge and Marble for starters.
  • Beer apps. Evan Benn recently compiled a list for mobile apps for beer drinkers. I’m already getting enough press releases about other new apps, so it could be dangerous to acknowledge any of them. However, credit to Beerby because they added an Android version (not so much credit because their splash page has you looking for Pabst Blue Ribbon). And I have to mention the Belgian Beer Tour in Brussels not because, to be honest, I know if it is worth $2.99 but because it is Brussels. Reviews of either are welcome.

    • Session #43 recapped; Session #44: ‘Frankentstein Beers’

    The SessionThe Beer Babe has posted the wrap up for The Session #43.

    So it must be time to announce the topic for The Session #44 on Oct. 1.
    Ashley Routson of Drink With The Wench titles it “Frankenstein Beers,” and offers some explanation.

    Many craft brewers are like Frankenstein. They have become mad scientists obsessed with defying the laws of brewing and creating beers that transcend style guidelines. These “Frankenstein Beers” challenge the way people perceive beer. They are freaks of nature — big, bold and intense. The ingredients resemble those of a beer and the brewing process might appear to be normal, but some aspects of the entire experience are experimental, unorthodox and insane.

    So . . .

    Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to write a blog post on “Frankenstein Beers.” There are no rules about how to write about this topic — feel free to highlight a Frankenstein brewer, brewery, beer tasting notes . . . or just your opinions on the concept.

    To take it to the next level perhaps a “Frankenstein beer” created on a “Frankenbrew system.”

    Don’t forget The Session #43 today

    The Session Beer Babe is hosting The Session #43 today: “Welcoming The New Kids.”

    I’m posting this and hitting the road, but I look forward to reading everybody’s essays thoughts (reworded in deference to JayZeis) when we return.

    A lot of driving between now and Monday evening, perhaps a photo or two to Posterous (because it’s easy), and a tweet or three.

    Have a good weekend, and remember why Monday is called Labor Day. Definitely one for us beer drinkin’ folks.

    Time to ask the hard beer questions?

    As part of the run up to the Great American Beer Festival Denver’s Westword features the relatively new Cheeky Monk Belgian Beer Cafe. Co-owner James Pachorek comes across a little, well, cheeky.

    One particular paragraph got me thinking.

    In fact, Pachorek was amazed at how quickly craft brewers had been able to make beers that were as good as or better than what the Belgians have been doing for generations.

    Given that each year at GABF I end up with less time for blogging than I expect a “question of the day” might be a bit much, but I’ll aim for that . . . and maybe settle for a “question of the festival.”

    Wish me luck, since question No. 1 for brewers will be: Do you brew beers that are as good at or better than what the Belgians have been doing for generations? Make that: Do you brew beers that are as good at or better than the Europeans have for generations?