Bad news from Lambic Land

Joe Stange at the Thirsty Pilgrim posts troubling news from Armand Debelder at Drie Fonteinen.

Because of a busted thermostat, excessive heat ruined about 100,000 bottles of lambic and gueuze in storage last weekend. He said that represented about a third of his annual revenue, so it is a serious blow to his business. It is not a fatal blow—he is determined to survive and keep going—but it is serious nonetheless. For example, there will be virtually no 37.5 cL bottles of gueuze on the market this summer.

Curioiusly, Debelder could end up distilling the ruined lambic into a liquor.

Go read the whole story.

 

Celebrating one year on the road

Firestone Walker Union

One year to the day after we left home on this rather pleasant family journey I found myself wandering about Firestone Walker Brewing in Paso Robles, Calif. And checking out the brewery’s patented union system up close and personal.

That probably makes it hard for you to believe it when I keep saying “This really isn’t a beer trip.”

Anticipating ‘Hops and Glory’

Hops and GloryGiven that more than 300 people have signed up as members of the Facebook group Pete Brown created to support his book, “Hops and Glory,” I might be a little late telling you it exists.

But if you didn’t know you should. Or at least that the book is (sort of) available. I briefly forgot about it when in reviewing “Tasting Beer” I wrote “I don’t know of another beer book to be published in 2009 that should be of as much interest to you.” These are two very different books, and the fact is I haven’t read “Hops and Glory” but it sure looks to me like they’ll be equally memorable. I’ll write more about that once I read Pete Brown’s book.

Meanwhile there’s the matter of getting your hands on “Hops and Glory” if you live in the United States. It’s available from Amazon in Canada. Here’s the link.

 

#36 – Where in the beer world?

Where in the beer world?

Think you know where in the beer world this photo was taken?

Please leave you answer as a comment.

I know I mentioned last week that I should quit posting photos with barrels. But in this case I wasn’t taking the picture of the barrels, but of the brewery at night.

 

How I spent American Craft Beer Week

Vernal Falls, Yosemite National Park

This photo is from the top of Vernal Falls in Yosemite National Park.

Or I could show you hundreds of shots of waterfalls — May is definitely the time to visit if you want to see roaring waterfalls — giant trees, the valley from above, Dogwoods up close . . . you get the idea. About anything but bears. It seems almost everybody we talked to “just saw a bear.” Not us.

But we did see beer. Including Firestone Walker Double Barrel in the village store. Should have taken a picture for “Where in the Beer World.”