musing

. . . and do you remember when GABF had only twelve (12!) style categories?

I’m doing a lot more reading of blogs than writing of blogs these days (when not being amazed by what a terrific climate Asheville has for all things local). Two topics I suggest you chime in on:

– Should we be as excited about the screening of Beer Wars on April 16 as the next episode of 24? Start with what Andy Crouch has to write.

– The proliferation of designated beer styles. Start with Jack Curtin, but also check in with Jeff Alworth, Tom Cizauskas and Ron Pattinson.

I have one thought to add to Topic #2. In 1987 they began judging beers “by style” at the Great American Beer Festival. Got by with twelve of them, they did. Interesting to see what the 12 were:

Ales
Alts
American Cream Ales
American Lagers
American Light Lagers
Bocks/Dopplebocks
Continental Amber Lagers
Continental Pilsners
Porters
Stouts
Vienna Style Lagers
Wheat Beers

And the winners were . . .

A bunch of beer and alcohol legislation by states in the headlines these days, well reported elsewhere and with plenty of commentary, so I’m mostly leaving that to others.

But . . .

In Utah, the Senate killed a measure that would have allowed bars (including brewpubs) and restaurants to sell draft beer stronger than 4% alcohol by volume (3.2% by weight). A bill to lift the cap was approved 58-2 in the House. But on Thursday, the last day of the session, the Senate decided not to debate the measure and to go home early instead.

Bars and restaurants are already allowed to serve full-strength beer if they buy it in bottles from the state liquor store at the same 86 percent markup paid by the general public. That means brewpubs can brew stronger beer, bottle it, sell it to the state and then buy it back to serve it. Makes a lot of sense, don’t you think?

I comment here often that despite this law Utah’s breweries make outstanding beers full of flavor. However, our travels in states (Georgia and the Carolinas) where the alcohol cap on beer recently was boosted makes it apparent how that changes the beer culture for the better. Yes, much of the excitement is about “bigger” beers but when people are talking about flavor all beers with flavor benefit.

The new A-B: The story begins begins “Critics in the United States and overseas have eviscerated parent Anheuser-Busch InBev for slowing down its payments to suppliers in an effort to conserve cash. Employees say morale has shriveled.”

Sean Paxton is in the kitchen: Two stories really, from the current Imbibe magazine. Beer claims a place at the table is what’s known as the maingamer, while the sidebar Paxton offers tips for putting together a beer-pairing dinner.

Put away the ‘No Fat Tire’ signs: At least in the six (!) new markets New Belgium Brewing of Colorado will enter before summer: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Indiana, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Three NBB beers (Fat Tire, 1554 and Mothership Wit) went on sale in North Carolina on Monday.

Tuesday morning I had a quick conversation with the man behind the counter at Sam’s Quik Shop, a fine beer store in Durham. He said was was happy that now he could just point customers to the stack of Fat Tire when he heard one of his most asked questions. Then he looked at the display and noticed it appeared a lot of Fat Tire sold Monday evening, but almost none of the other two beers. As well as new markets in 2009 NBB has a bunch of new beers coming. Details in the press release.

Weather on the East Coast has played havoc with our travel plans and — let’s be honest, this is less important — my Plan A for Friday’s round of The Session, Session #25: Lager Love.

We expected to be touristing around Baltimore on Friday, so I was thinking about stopping by Nacho Mamas in Canton, drinking a Natty Bo and writing about the experience. I’ll grant you that many find this place a bit much. The Mexican food isn’t particularly Mexican, for instance. I’ve heard the there can be lines out the door, which is plain silly.

But . . . you have to love a place where if you don’t see a picture of Elvis Presley or a photo from old Baltimore (mostly sports) there’s a National Bohemian item. National Brewing opened in 1885 and resumed production after Prohibition until it was sold to Carling in 1975, then to Heileman.

Natty Bo was still made in Baltimore as recently as 1997. It’s been brewed under contract since, in several different breweries (wish I could tell you where now). But for many it’s still the Baltimore beer.

It’s a light lager. I’m not sure you could pick it out in a blind tasting with Pabst, Lone Star and whatever similar beer you want to include. And when you order it at Nacho Mamas there is no point in asking for a glass. Drink from the bottle or don’t order it.

That said, it would have been great to drink in Nacho Mamas for The Session.

But we won’t be rambling around Baltimore on Friday. On to Plan B.