Let it snow, let it snow – Two cool contests

The Yuletide Photo Contest must be one of the very best inventions beer blogging has given us. And it’s back. There are rules, so please read and follow them. Otherwise one of these years Alan will come to his senses and then where will we go for a snow and beer porn?

Contest No. 2 has nothing to do with yule or other tides, but you can win a beer brewed in 1936. All Zak Avery asks that you do is “write something about beer and time, up to a maximum of 500 words.” (He’ll also accept videos, so you best read the rules). Figure there might be a little competition, since the prize is a bottle of beer brewed for the 1937 Coronation of Edward VIII.

Franconian hops field

More about contest No. 1: The headline and this photo (taken in Franconia in 2008) refer to Alan’s affection for photos that include beer and snow (yes, these hop bines, not beer, but you get the point). However, having observed this contest from the get-go I can tell you is a sucker for photos featuring people, beer and conviviality.

More about contest No. 2: For the announcement Zak took a picture of the 1937 bottle sitting next to a notebook computer. Shouldn’t that be an old typewriter instead?

A beer culture and culture cultural shift

The beer menu at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque: Corona, Miller Lite, Tecate, Dos Equis, Marble (local brewery, both the India Pale Ale and the Wildflower Honey Wheat).

No local wine.

Alas, at intermission of “Bless Me, Ultima” last night most people seemed to be ordering wine or coffee.

 

Sometimes it’s hard to part with that last bottle

Well, we opened the final bottle of Westvleteren beer we bought when we visited Abbey Saint Sixtus in December of 2004. It was an “8” (or “blue cap”).

It’s our wedding anniversary. Made it easy.

Great beer. Make that a really great beer, because you couldn’t taste the floaties. That’s the end of the drinking note, and I won’t bother you with the story about losing a bottle (and the sock it was stuffed inside) in transit.

Be happy for us. This is what life is about.

 

Session #46 announced: ‘Unexpected Discovery’

The SessionMike Lynch of Burgers and Brews has announced the topic for The Session #46: “An Unexpected Discovery.” He writes:

I recently drove out to Colorado for a concert, and realized this was a perfect opportunity to stop at as many “beer destinations” as I could. I researched, plotted routes, looked at maps, and generally planned the entire trip around beer. What I was surprised to find was that despite all the amazing stops I planned, one of the best beer experiences of the trip was completely accidental. I found great beer in the last place I thought to look for it.

Has this happened to you? Maybe you stumbled upon a no-name brewpub somewhere and found the perfect pale ale. Maybe, buried in the back of your local beer store, you found a dusty bottle of rare barleywine. Perhaps a friend turned you on to a beer that changed your mind about a brewery or a style. Write about a beer experience that took you by surprise.

Well, there was the time in 1995 when we stopped at the Cat’s Paw Casino in Bozeman, Montana. Maybe I’ll write about that Dec. 3.

Session #45 (wheat) wrapped up

The SessionBruce Ticknor at host BeerTaster.ca has posted the wrap up for the 45th gathering of The Session. Not surprisingly, turnout was a little light but the reading was good.

I guess we should have lobbied for a session for The Session session at the Beer Bloggers Conference.

Mike Lynch at Burgers and Brews will host #46 on Dec. 3, and the topic is “An Unexpected Discovery: Finding Great Beer in the Last Place You’d Look.” A few more details when he posts them.