Pete Brown suggests his own Three Sheets to the Wind would make an excellent Father’s Day present.

Before passing that along I thought: Why would I to want to get into making gift recommendations? Not to satisfy advertisers or even to promote Brew Like a Monk. Probably not to pass along the useless suggestions I’m getting bombarded with these days.

But that Pete Brown post lured me in, made me think it could be fun - as long as I came up with a list that was appropriate for Appellation Beer - items related to the fact that it matters where a beer is brewed, the ingredients used and the context in which it is enjoyed.

So here goes:

1. Three Sheets to the Wind. Entertaining, in context (he visited pubs in 13 countries), amusing, educational, and (did I mention this?) entertaining.

2. Dinner at your local brewpub complete with brewery and kitchen tour. Is this possible? Perhaps not - and it has the potential to be not as cool a present as you hoped - but it might be educational to see where the ingredients for both food and beer at your local brewpub come from and how they are being used.

3. A collectible item from a brewery or brewery supplier that once (preferably before Prohibition) operated nearby. Old malt sacks and barrel ends are really cool, but postcards and labels are easier to find (and more affordable).

4. A beer and cheese pairing. Three beers. Five cheeses. Sharing is required.

5. A trip to some place beer is grown. The American Northwest would be easier on the pocketbook, Bavaria would be more fun. (The photo above is from the German Hop Museum in Wolnzach.)

6. The English Pub: A Unique Social Phenomenon by Michael Jackson or Beer Naturally by Michael Hardman and Theo Bergström. Both books were published in 1976 and are long out of print, so you may have to hunt to find them (that’s why there’s an option). Primarily a book of loving mostly black-and-white photos - hops twine being strung, vines, harvesting of barley, floor maltings, well-worn kettles - Beer Naturally illustrates how connected beer is to agriculture and artisanal work. The English Pub also has handsome photos, but it’s Jackson’s words (this was his first book about beer) that make it collectible.

You may have figured out I could keep doing this book thing (The Ominvore’s Dilemma would be next - yes, I think it is relative to the discussion here) for a long time, so let’s quit at a six pack.

Posted: June 8th, 2007 under Beer culture.