Before jumping into a bookish week here — reviews plus the requisite holiday suggestions — a few beer links to kick start your week. Don’t forget that its ends with The Session #10: “Let it snow, let it snow, Winter Seasonal Beers.”
– Concern about the carbon footprint of older appliances, particularly refrigerators, is quite valid. But headlines like “Beer fridges guzzling too much power” would seem to blame this on beer. In most cases these are second refrigerators not refrigerators dedicated to beer. An example of how slang, and the fact that any newspaper story will be better read if you put beer in the headline, may tarnish beer’s image.
– Yep, I’m a little disappointed readers didn’t join in last week to answer the question “Who would you invite to a fantasy beer dinner?” Just a list (perhaps you were intimidated by the impressive narratives provided by here by my guests) would have been OK.
A new book, The Last Supper, asks chefs a similar question: How they envision their last meal on earth (guests, menu, who cooks it, etc.). Beyond noting a “last supper” seems like less fun than an ongoing series of beer dinners, I’m happy to leave a review to Stephen Beaumont at World of Beer. He find the “fascinating concept almost ideally executed,” with an exception or two.
Most disappointing to me is the near-complete lack of respect good beer receives from chefs who presumably otherwise care a great deal about the foods they ingest. Jamie Oliver, for example, chooses to sup Hoegaarden, of all things, with spaghetti all’arrabiata, ignoring that the chilies in the dish would render the beer almost flavourless.
Beaumont’s own “Last Supper” beverage list includes beer.
– ‘Tis the season. Jon at The Brew Site is reprising his Advent Beer Calendar.
And Alan at A Good Beer Blog has brought back the Yule Photo Contest and partnered with Stonch’s Beer Blog to make it international. They’ve assembled quite a lineup of prizes, with more rolling in all the time.
I was intimidated by the impressive narratives, does that count?
I was busy keeping Father Stonchmas in line. You have no idea what these things involve. 😉
I completely misunderstood that you were looking for answers from readers…. 🙁 Must have missed that along the way. Sorry – too late, I presume?
Rick – Feel free to chime in any time. Just a list, or a list with explanations, either way.
And either here or at your blog (we can just link to it from one of the Beer Dinner posts, probably the intro).
Yes, I was too dappy to note that readers had been invited to contribute. It’s a good idea and I’ve been enjoying reading the answers.