2 links before we fly away

Last week, the upper left coast (a couple of photos); this week, the right coast (might collect some photos).

Two eagles, spotted on San Juan Island

Eagle departing after tourist approaches. San Juan Island.

But first, a couple of links.

– David Jesudason rounds up The Session #149. As co-author of the Time Life “Brewpub Cookbook” I should have been there. We were otherwise occupied.

– This from hood canal cody at Bluesky. I am probably doing this wrong, but pointing to an entire thread at Bluesky seems tricky. This will drop you in at #58. If you scroll to the top you will reach #9 and see a link to take you to #1. There’s plenty here to disagree with and plenty to agree with. Check your pulse and take your picks.

It’s Monday, and look, a link (in fact, make that two)

The observation that made me laugh most loudly last week:

Tom Brewer of ABinBev is “clearly very dedicated to his job. I would even say passionate if that wasn’t something that only craft brewers are capable of feeling.”

– From Ed’s Beer Site.

And as long as I am here . . . the kids in breweries story is back. Or maybe it never went away. We’ll see if I can successfully share a link. This is a version where brewery owners are considering banning children.

“These owners cited instances of children throwing rocks or running around unsupervised, staff being forced to act as babysitters, and even one occasion when a parent pulled out a travel potty for a toddler to use in front of other guests.”

Beer dinners, ah yes, we remember them well

Thankgiving dinner -- one of a series of illustrations as part of the Beer Belongs campaignA couple of days ago, a story in Inside Hook asked, “Is the beer dinner dead?”

You’ll have to touch the link to see what the answer might be. My comment would be that anybody who has been to a beer dinner at Good Word Brewing and Public House in Georgia would answer, “Hell, no!”

And I’ll use the story for an excuse to link to a series of posts from almost 17 years ago, in which I asked, “If you could invite four people dead or alive to a beer dinner who would they be? What four beers would you serve?” The first to answer was Neal Stewart, then marketing director at Flying Dog Brewery. A few months before, the brewery launched a website called BeerDinners.com. I’m not sure how long after they let the domain name go, but it is now for sale for $2,695. (Sighs deeply).

And the rest . . .

– Steve Hales
– Sean Paxton
– Andrew Mason
– Lisa Morrison
– Rick Sellers
– Stonch
– Alan McLeod
– Tomme Arthur
– Eric Delia
– Martyn Cornell

It’s Monday and these are links, but don’t get used to it

Last week, Alistair Reece wrote that he is stuck in a rut and looking for a way to break a log jam that keeps him for completing writing projects he has started.

His plan? “So here is my crazy idea, I am just going to write whatever random boozy thoughts pop into my head each and every day for the rest of July, including when I am in Florida on vacation.”

A couple of days before, in his twice-a-month email dispatch Jay Hoffman at The History of the Web pointed to a earlier post about the evolution of blogging. He tells the story in terms of generations (somewhat analogous to something Jeff Alworth wrote last week).

– “In their earliest days, webloggers stood as gatekeepers to the web’s ever-growing well of content. Each day, these URL pioneers would post a few new links and sprinkle in their own commentary. Blogs acted as a signpost for web users, and following a few key blogs was enough to keep track of just about everything new on the web.”

– “But on the fringes, a new type of blog was emerging. The personal blog. These sites ditched the curated links and focused exclusively on commentary. Bloggers used their site to chronicle their personal journey, from the almost boring and banal to the weird and wonderful. This new type of blog was less an alternative media source and more akin to an online journal or diary. And these writers saw themselves not as gatekeepers to the web, but as sharers of their own identity.”

Read more

Which one of these breweries is not like the others?

Waiting for food at Side Project Brewing in St. Louis
This sign helps the food truck server find you at the bar at Side Project Brewing.
A press release that the London Craft Beer Festival would include “a spectacular line-up of UK-rare, high quality, sought-after American craft beers” dropped earlier this week.

Sadly, it does not name names, but promises “creative sour and fruited sours, wild and spontaneously fermented beers, classic wheat beers and a plethora of show-stopping IPAs. Audacious flavour combinations include blueberry crumble sour ale, peach lager made with real fruit and Bourbon Barrel-aged stout made with monster cookies, honey glazed coconut, a touch of peanut butter and candy-coated chocolates to tempt the tastebuds of even the most traditional beer drinker.”

After I paused to consider what it means to be a traditional beer drinker, I scanned at the list of 22 breweries and thought about how different some of them are from the others. On the whole, diversity is good. But Side Project Brewing squeezed in there between Samuel Adams and Sierra Nevada just looks strange to me.

AleSmith Brewing Co
Allagash Brewing Co
Cigar City Brewing Co
Coldfire Brewing Co
DESTIHL Brewery
Fremont Brewing Co
Hinterland Brewery
Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers
Maui Brewing Co
Mother Road Brewing Co
Montauk Brewing Co
Other Half Brewing Co
Oskar Blues Brewery
Rogue Ales & Spirits
Samuel Adams
Side Project Brewing Co
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co
Sweetwater Brewing Co
Toppling Goliath Brewing Co
The Bold Mariner Brewing Co
The Virginia Beer Co
Urban Roots Brewery & Smokehouse