musing

I’m not sure what to think of the cover for the latest All About Beer magazine that prominently features New Belgium Brewing co-founder Kim Jordan with a headline that reads She makes America’s Hippest Beer.

Jay Brooks writes inside about the greening of America’s breweries (New Belgium is at the forefront), but it’s also made clear that “hippest” on the front refers to Fat Tire Amber Ale.

Look, I’m a fan of New Belgium (had Fat Tire with dinner in a restaurant Saturday) and have been writing for AABM for more than 14 years. I’m certainly not trying to pick a fight, but the hippest beer in America? In further considering the idea I came to a series of (eventually painful) conclusions:

* I have no idea which beer America’s drinkers might vote hippest.

* I don’t care if my beer his hip.

* Therefore I might just be old.

I finally figured this out after a comment from jesskidden in the discussion about “extreme beers”:

I also noted that I found using “sick” as a synonym for “great” (especially for beer) to be confusing- “This beer tastes SICK!”

This wasn’t a Belgian brewer talking about his lambic going through a bad phase. This was more like the e-mail I received from a brewer who talked about a store’s sick selection, meaning I’d like it.

Hey, it’s good that the next generation thinks beer (“craft,” “extreme,” “micro” or whatever) can be sick.

Now I’m wondering why I find the question of who brews the sickest beer more compelling than who brews the hippest.

– Philly Beer Week “officially” lasts 10 days (March 7-16), but it starts with a festival a week earlier. And it looks like they plan to pack at least a month’s worth of events in. Quite a schedule at the website.

And they’ve even got this cute commercial:

– And a story that just makes you smile — The Seattle Times updates what Charles and Rose Ann Finkel have been doing since buying back Pike Brewing in 2006. Let’s saw they aren’t resting on their considerable laurels. “Now our overall goal is to make it a world-class brewery,” Charles said.

There are few stories that raise the hair on the back of a good beer geek’s neck as fast as those about the ongoing battles between American Bud and Czech Bud.

Thus Evan Rail’s report that the often-rumored privatization of Budejovicky Budvar won’t be happening for at least two more years should produce a few smiles.

The government still plans to transform the company into a joint-stock company in preparation of future privatization, but will own 100% of the shares. It will be left to the government that emerges after the 2010 elections to decide about privatization.

I can’t march in lockstep with the “American Bud bad, Czech Bud good” crowd, so maybe I think this is a good news for a different reason. As Rail suggested in one of his first post at the appropriately named Beer Culture blog were Budvar privatized then Anheuser-Busch might be the best fit.

Just look what has happened when classic brands have ended up in the hands of SABMiller and InBev. And make no mistake, if the brewery is sold it will be a brewing conglomerate.

It’s a Czech beer. It should belong to the Czechs. It’s good news that it’s going to continue that way — at least for now.

While some of you may have been sleeping in on January First we were venturing up and down the sand dunes nears Stovepipe Wells (Elevation 0) in Death Valley. If you click on the photo you’ll find it easier see one person (Daria) standing and another (Sierra, in pink) sitting.

What does this have to do with beer? Nothing, other than to explain why I suggested a while back there will be less blogging here in 2008 and 2009 than there was last year.

Long before the first post went up at Appellation Beer we were already planning a trip that will last nearly 15 months. After Sierra graduates fifth grade in May we’ll be headed north to Alaska. By August of 2009 we expect we’ll have been in 49 states, the District of Columbia, nine Canadian provinces, and 14 European countries.

Since they have nothing to do with the mission here, no need to bore you with trip details — there will probably be another blog for that.

When we started talking about this adventure it was to be even more of a sabbatical (other than for Sierra, for whom school never ends). Since then other beer-related projects have popped up. I’ll be working on a book about wheat beer for Brewers Publications, and want to get the Beer Oral History Institute rolling. Expect a few magazine stories as well — got to compensate for what’s happened to the dollar in recent years — and posts here when time and Internet connections permit.

But the recent trip should be pretty typical. Had we been planning to update the Beer Lovers Guide to the USA then when we returned home through Las Vegas we would have felt obligated to visit the city’s brewpubs and the Freakin’ Frog, a suddenly famous beer bar. Instead we went to the Hofbräuhaus, because in the fall we can visit the original in Munich.

So that’s our plan. Maybe we’ll see you along the way.

I guess that might involve beer.

Pete Brown’s name is short. And plain.

There, I’ve written something about him that wasn’t complimentary. Now I can go back to praising his posts (wouldn’t want you to think I have a crush or anything).

I’d be typing this even had I not had a conversation just Friday about what a splendid beer White Shield remains. You must read all of For Christ’s sake, cheer up!, both pre- and post-rant. To encourage you, I offer this:

The point is, there’s an attitude in beer appreciation that’s the same as the one I used to have when I was a teenage indie kid: back then, we thought anything on a major label was shit, anyone who actually got into the charts had sold out. It seems lots of beer fans enjoy being just as miserable as I was then. Big brewers churning out bland lager are easy hate targets, but when they start to show some interest in characterful beers, the vitriol only increases. Why?

So is he talking about you?

Go away a few days and links worth pointing to and/or commenting on sure pile up. Some have sparked ideas for longer posts in the next few days. Even so the list got long too fast so I’ve tried to minimize my musing:

– As you’d expect, lots of recaps on 2007 and predictions for 2008, so I won’t try to list them all (with apologies to the majority of beer bloggers). Start with the first of three posts at A Good Beer Blog. Also, Stephen Beaumont declares 2008 “the year of beer and food” at his website, and has a list in progress at That’s the Spirit blog. He’s going to be writing about wood, and that’ll be my excuse to do the same here.

And as only Jay Brooks can, he recounts his Top 10 Beer Stories of 2007 (he got about half right – just kidding, Jay) and his predictions for 2008.

I’m partial to predictions — they make a jumping off point for good conversation — and may comment on Jay’s later while looking for more (like when Jon gets his posted). But I’m even more partial to resolutions. Several out there, including a particularly bold list from Lew Bryson.

Notice No. 4:. Re-dedication to the Session Beer Project. Like he’s got a choice. As Jeff Bell (Stonch) pointed out Imbibe magazine has taken note with a feature titled “Smallville” and decorated with a picture of Lew. You can read the story here.

– On to the sommelier/Cicerone front. The Cicerone Certified Beer Server Exam is now available online. So you are going to see people adding a “Certified Beer Server” signature wherever people use online sigs.

I’m late getting to this (since Jeff Bell pointed to the Times Online Love Lager marketing section six weeks ago), but did you envision there would be a time you’d see a story headlined A day in the life of a lager sommelier?

The first specialist beer sommelier is yet to appear, but as knowledge of beer and demand for the better versions increases, it’s only a matter of time.

That’s already happening in the United States. Not sure this is relevant, but Slate claims American sommeliers are better than French ones. Is there a beer analogy? Not interested in flag waving, but the enthusiasm of those who sell and serve craft beer.

– Miller CEO Tom Long indicates that brewing giant could be shopping for a craft brewery (or two). From Brew Blog:

“There are opportunities for acquisitions, and we’re talking with folks right now. We like that space, we believe in it. … [W]e will definitively be pursuing other craft plays, if we can find one at a reasonable price. In fact, if you know of anybody who needs an angel, who is willing to give them a lot of room, like Leinie’s being a business within a business, let me know.”

Two syllables: Cel-is.

– The January Wired magazine includes a full page advertisement for Blue Moon White near the front of he book. Having been in multiple Western states gas stations last week I noticed that almost every one sells Blue Moon, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Samuel Adams Boston Lager and New Belgium Fat Tire.