History On the Radio
Now here's something I can get behind (or, as the case may be, in front of): a radio program devoted to American history. Check it out.
This week the topic is alcohol! (Historically speaking, that is.)
July 23, 2008
July 19, 2008
Good News for Beer Historians
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has finished processing a large collection of Pabst Brewing Company records and those are now available for use by researchers.
The university received the collection in 2000, just as I started working on my book, but the papers were not processed until 2006. Translation: I was not able to use them (which was, sigh, the story of my life when I was working on the book.)
The vast majority of the records are financial in nature (ledger books, stock records, receipts), but there's also a large scrapbook related to Captain Pabst and the company itself. There are also some "private ledgers," and as I learned from the few scattered ones I found at other libraries, those can yield a great deal of information!
You can see the finding aid here. I hope someone makes use of the collection! Grad students, heed my call!
July 18, 2008
International Brewers Day
I almost forgot: today is the first annual International Brewers Day (an idea that originated in the immensely fertile mind of my pal Jay Brooks, the brains behind the Brookston Beer Bulletin).
So -- go hug a brewer!
July 16, 2008
Cool Blog About Hops Farming
This is quite cool: a new blog about hops farming. VERY interesting with lots of great photos. Check it out.
Thanks and a tip o' the mug to pb_rick at The Confrontation Board, the forum at The Beer Report.
Oh, If You Need A GOOD Laugh.....
My dear friend Daniel Bradford just sent me this. The relevant bit is right at the beginning. Will only take five minutes to watch.
I am HOWLING. H.O.W.L.I.N.G. And I've actually got laugh-tears streaming down my face.....
WAFFLE-HUMPERS!
July 08, 2008
Pints for Prostates
Beer writer/journalist Rick Lyke is one of the nicest guys I know. So I'm glad to support -- and hope you will, too -- Pints for Prostates.
Nope, that's not a joke. It's (deadly) serious, and you can read about it at Rick's blog and here.
Is there a man in your life? Show your love by urging him to have regular prostate exams.
July 03, 2008
Celebrating the Fourth -- in Berlin! With American Beer!
This is the kind of stuff I love. The American embassy in Berlin will celebrate the 4th of July with -- fife-and-drumroll please -- American craft beer. Very cool.
You can read about it at Charlie Papazian's blog at examiner.com.
And if you don't know who Charlie is, well, he's this guy.
April 24, 2008
Three Pals In the News
I've been on the road doing a speaking gig and am just now catching up on what's up with the rest of the world, including news about three people I know (and like):
Gilbert King, one of the most decent humans I know, had an op-ed piece in yesterday's New York Times. It relates to the topic of his new book. When he's not busy writing books, he's a professional photographer. (And a husband and dad. Totally unclear to me how he finds the time for all of this. Does he ever sleep?) (Plus, and yes I'm shallow, he's horrifyingly good looking.)
Second, the totally swell Jim Arndorfer is the subject of a front-page feature piece in today's Wall Street Journal. The paper's website is suffering serious Wierd Issues at the moment (it keeps freezing), so I'll simplify things by posting a link to Jim's blog, where's he's posted a workable link to the piece. It's the entry titled "WSJ Covers Beer Blog." Again, I'd send you straight the WSJ piece itself, but their site is suffering serious wonkiness at the moment.
[SEE NOTE BELOW]
Finally, I learn that the inimitable Charlie Papazian has taken up blogging. (Charlie! I beg you. Stop now while you can.) Charlie is the most calm guy I know. He's verrrrrrrry caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalm. When I'm around him, I land in the caaaaaaaaaaaaalm zone. (Thanks to Stan for this tip about Charlie's blog.)
Addition to original blog entry: Full disclosure. I know Jim only by phone and email. He's called me on numerous occasions to interview me for pieces he's working on for the Miller Brewing magazine titled "Brew." I have no other affiliation with Jim, the blog, the magazine, or Miller Brewing.
I am never paid for my insight (such as it is) and I extend to him the same courtesy I show to all the newspaper/magazine reporters who call me on a regular basis: I share my knowledge of the brewing industry's history.
April 19, 2008
Happy Birthday, Anchor Liberty Ale*
Anchor Liberty Ale is one of my favorite beers -- and the guy who makes it, Fritz Maytag, is one of my favorite people. (Well, okay, Fritz's brewers actually MAKE the beer.... but let's not quibble...)
And today is Liberty's 33rd birthday (thanks for the tip, Jay.) Fritz is one of those people who knows, and enjoys, history (probably one reason I like the guy so much), and he released the beer on this date because it's the anniversary of Paul Revere's famous (albeit misreported) ride.**
So, here's to Paul Revere, to Fritz, to Liberty Ale -- and to liberty itself, which I hope you all "revere" as much as I do. Without it, we're nothing.
* Whoops! Original title made it sound like it was Anchor's b-day. It's not... Got so carried away that I lost my typing-train-of-thought.
** Another addition to the original blog entry. If you're interested in a marvelous, thorough take on Revere and his ride, read David Hackett Fischer's book Paul Revere's Ride. Fischer is a terrific historian and one who can, gasp, communicate with a general audience.
April 16, 2008
The Sculptures of Starr Kempf
This has absolutely nothing to do with anything, but:
For reasons not worth mentioning, tonight my husband and I spent time remembering a long-ago trip to Colorado Springs. (We think this particular visit was c. 1990. Doesn't matter.)
Anyway, we both still enjoy vivid memories of the Starr Kempf sculptures. If you've seen them, you know why we remember them with such clarity. If you've not seen them, they're worth a trip to C. Springs. He was an extraordinary artist.
In either case, some online images of Kempf's work:
The Kempf family page
Even better images taken by a visitor.
The Wikipedia entry.
April 14, 2008
Lager Beer In 1869
When I'm researching a book, most of what I read doesn't make it into the final version of the manuscript. If I quoted from or referred to everything I found, my books would end up being 2,000 pages long and who the hell wants to read a doorstop? (Not me!)
The result is that I have to pick and choose and I often leave out some juicy stuff.
I was reminded of that yesterday while working on my new book (which is about meat, not beer). I tracked down a copy of a book titled The Great Metropolis, which was published in 1869, because it contains a chapter on New York City's markets.
And then I remembered that this book also contained a chapter on lager beer gardens -- and that it was quite comical.
Just the kind of thing you beer buffs might want to read -- and you can do so for free online. (Hooray for digital databases!)
This book, and zillions of others, is at a website called Making of America, which is hosted by the University of Michigan and funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Frankly, the search mechanism is crude and clunky, so I'm creating a link that will take you directly to the chapter in the book itself.
Just in case that link goes haywire (although I did test it):
The site is Making of America.
Once there, use the "browse" feature (not the little search box, which won't get you anywhere) to find a book called The Great Metropolis. The author is Junius Browne, and the lager beer chapter begins on p. 159.
But the link above should take you straight to correct page.
Enjoy!
April 13, 2008
Italian Beer At Russian River
Man, those people out in California are having way more fun than I am -- mainly because they spend a whole lotta time consuming fabulous food and drink.
Now it's the always enjoyable Natalie and Vinnie Cilurzo at Russian River -- brewing up a flower-based Italian beer.
You can read about and see photos of the proceedings at Jay's blog. It's his entry for April 12 titled "Italian Brew At Russian River."
Come to think of it, it's all Jay's fault. HE's the one having too much fun -- and he keeps telling the rest of us about it!
No, maybe it's my fault. I keep reading his damn blog.............
April 08, 2008
So -- Where Was I???
For those of you who are now totally confused by the media's coverage of yesterday's events: no, April 7 was NOT the 75th anniversary of the end of Prohibition.
Please -- take my word for it. I know what I'm talking about. I may not know much, but I am dead certain of that one thing.
Anyway, where was I before I started all this countdown stuff?
Well, here's one thing I missed:
My pal Jay Brooks issued a call for a new national "day": You know: like Boss's Day, Mother's Day, Kiss Your Therapist Day.
Jay suggests designating July 18 as "International Brewer's Day." You can read the details at his blog. Scroll down to his entry for April 4th titled "Session #14: Beer People." It's at the end of that entry.
I second the motion.
And picking up on the more general topic of that blog entry by Jay: "Beer People": What's not to love about beer people? I've yet to meet one I didn't like.
In no particular order, here are links to just a few of the websites run by people who love beer -- and who, in my opinion, exemplify all that's good not just about "beer people" but about people in general:
There's Jay's blog of course. You just won't meet a nicer guy.
There's Stan's blog -- currently running "slow" because he and his family are traveling more-or-less around the world.
TRULY a swell guy, James Spencer
In it for the love of the beer, my favorite brothers Groucho and CHUD
Mr. Cool himself, Rick Lyke
The fabulous Carolyn Smagalski
One of the nicest guys on the planet, Bryce Eddings
Historian, food guy, and beer guy Bob Skilnik
Everybody at the Brewers Association
The inimitable Lew Bryson
Stephen Beaumont. I don't know him, but god he's good-looking....
Alan from Ontario. I don't know him either, but he's very smart and so he's also probably good-looking. (Smart = sexy.) (You knew that, right?)
Russ from Maine -- who boggles my mind because he manages to keep up such a great blog.
Hmmmm....... I just realized that this list could go on and on and on. And I've got a book to write (I've only cranked out 7,000 words. That means I've got about 100,000 to go. Must. Get. Busy.)
To be continued.
March 24, 2008
Re-thinking Malthusian Limits?
I'm going to assume most people have at least a passing familiarity with the ideas of Thomas Malthus regarding human population and the planet's resources.
According to him, a society's population "adjusts" to accommodate the available supply of food and natural resources. People might learn how to raise more food more efficiently, but often the mechanisms of "adjustment" are things like war, disease, and famine.
That's a simplistic summary, but you get the drift. (If you want to learn more, the internet is actually a good place to start looking. Even Wikipedia, which I don't normally recommend, offers a good primer on Malthus.)
Anyway, unless you're living under a rock, you know that demand for food and water have risen to historic highs, thanks to rising population and global affluence.
Naturally that raises the question: How will Malthus' theory play out over the next few decades? Was he right? Completely off mark? Has technology altered his fundamental premise?
There's a fascinating article in this morning's Wall Street Journal about relevance, meaning, and importance of Malthusian economics in today's world. If you spend any time pondering stuff like, oh, high food prices, soaring costs for brewing materials, globalization, and other interesting-and-complicated-but-depressing topics, it's worth a look.
March 17, 2008
Fun With Groucho and CHUD
Thanks to Groucho and CHUD at beerreport.com for taking time to interview me today. Somehow they got the idea that I have half a clue; I didn't have the heart to burst their bubble . . . .
Seriously, these are two smart, funny, and totally irreverent guys. What's not to love? Check out their website, including links to their podcasts and forum ("The Confrontation Board") here.
The interview with me will be up at their site sometime during the week of March 24.
March 11, 2008
Robot Food Tasters?
I picked this up from Stan's blog. It's his entry for March 10.
There's a piece in the Washington Post about using of electronic sensors to taste food and drink. A Japanese group, for example, has developed a "Health and Food Advice" robot that can identify and distingush among various wines, cheeses, and breads. (And apparently warn its owners not to eat unhealthy food. In which case, I'm not interested. The damn thing probably hates pate.) Presumably it's possible to create a device that can also "taste" and identify flavors in beer.
Anyway, apparently robotic devices some American slaughterhouses are testing these electronic devices, using them to sort and grade sides of beef in accordance with federal standards.
I need to think about this some more, but that's fascinating. The meatpacking industry serves up some of the nation's most unpleasant jobs -- there's a reason illegal immigrants end up there; no one else wants these jobs, which are low-paying, foul, and dangerous -- but it's also the kind of work that is hard to mechanize.
If packinghouse owners could use sensors to grade meat, or even distinguish tainted from safe meat, well, that's probably a good thing. Maybe the brains behind these "robots" could also figure out how to slaughter and butcher cattle and pigs, eliminating human labor altogether.
Yes, okay, the economy needs jobs. But packinghouse work is truly the bottom of the employment ladder. People only work in packinghouses when there's no alternative.
On the other hand, well, taking humans out of the equation only adds to the already vast distance between we Americans and our food. Soooooo........ maybe not so good.
As I say, I need to think about it. But hey, I'm writing a book about the history of meat in America. I might as well keep thinking about it. If I have any brilliant insight, I'll pass it along.
March 07, 2008
The Beer Can House and Other Wacky Stuff
Well, okay. Might be worth a road trip.........
.......to visit the Beer Can House in Houston, Texas. It's now owned by the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art (translation: a group of people who've rounded up enough dough to buy, preserve, and celebrate the work of local eccentrics.)
The group's site is here. Roll your cursor over the round icons at the top to find the Beer Can House and other delights.
There's a story about the house in today's New York Times.
February 29, 2008
Don Barkley Returns to His "Roots"
The last two chapters of my beer book cover the "microbrewing revolution" (or "real beer movement" or whatever tern you prefer). I interviewed a number of people involved in changing the American beer scene. One of my most important sources of information was Don Barkley.
In the 1970s, he was an avid homebrewer who enrolled in the UC-Davis brewing program with the goal of going professional. More important, he was one of two "employees" at New Albion, the nation's first microbrewery (he got paid in beer; I guess that made him an employee....). His recollections of what happened there proved to be an unexpected and priceless treasure for me.
I met Don in person at the 2006 GABF, and then got to drink some beer and enjoy serious talk time with him and his wife in San Francisco in October 2006.
Anyway -- I just learned, thanks to Stan, that Don has retired from Mendocino (where he went after New Albion closed) and joined a new small-scale craft-brewing venture called Napa Smith Brewing Co.
I'm delighted to hear this. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that Don is the longest serving brewmaster now working in the United States. And he's young (53). He's got a lot of great beer left in him. And I know this much about being in my fifties: new challenges are crucial to keeping the mind and spirit young.
So this is exciting news about a guy that I ilke and admire. You can read about the venture here and at Bill Brand's blog.
Don, here's to you!
And a BIG tip 'o the mug to Stan for alerting me to this news.
February 28, 2008
Beer Haiku
Okay, more cool stuff. Check out beerhaikudaily.com,which is precisely what the name implies.
Thanks and a tip 'o the mug to the folks at Imbibe magazine.
February 18, 2008
Jim Koch -- Good Guy of the Day, Week, Month
As every beerdrinker knows, beer prices are rising to infinity and beyond. There are many reasons, but one of them is that there's a serious shortage of hops in the United States. Serious enough that some brewers have not been able to buy what they need.
Jim Koch to the rescue. Jim is the brains behind the Boston Beer Company, which makes the Sam Adams line of beers. He's also a good guy (I interviewed him for the book) whose head is screwed on straight.
A fact he demonstrated this week when he announced that he would sell his extra hops to any brewer that needed them. You can read the announcement here at Stan's blog. Entries for February 15th and 18th. (I can't seem to open the relevant page at the Sam Adams site, otherwise I'd send you there. But the announcement is on the company's front page.)
February 07, 2008
People Power
Okay, this falls into the "seriously cool" cateory:
There's a piece in today's New York Times about a device that uses the human knee as a power generator. With it, one "minute of walking can power a cell phone for 10 minutes."
That's amazing -- because of course cell phones have to be charged, and that requires electricity and electricity ain't cheap (especially in "third world" countries) or "green."
You can read the article here.
As always, a BIG tip 'o the mug to the Times' for its free content. (Also in today's issue, a truly grim article about plunging profits at newspaper around the country. I have to wonder: how many newspapers will still be around in two years?)
January 28, 2008
New Beer Book, Part Two
Several months ago, I noted that another beer book was due out soon. It has now been published and the final version has a different sub-title than was advertised pre-publication:
It's BREWING BATTLES: A HISTORY OF AMERICAN BEER, by Amy Mittelman.
As near as I can tell, it's a POD book and apparently only available from the publisher or from Amazon. But hey, Amazon is one of the greatest creations of the past century, sooooooooo............
Anyway, the book is out, and the first eight or nine pages cover colonial brewing, something that will make many people happy.
January 16, 2008
Cows in Space
I'm not keen on passing on internet sites, because god knows there are too many and too many people emailing each other links to sites -- but even I thought this was way too funny to pass up.
Tip 'o the mug to my buddy Danielle Schaaf. Who can also be found here. (Although not often enough... she's a very funny woman.)
January 09, 2008
In One Nostril. Out the Other
I'm not much on you-tubing, passing on funny stuff, or the internet in general.
But I gotta pass this on from my buddy Jay Brooks. As he says, once the image is in your head, it ain't goin' nowhere.
It's at Jay's blog as an entry for January 8th titled "Rhinodrinking."
But here's a direct link to the video.
After I watched it, I googled the "idea" and discovered there are entirely too many people in the world with too much beer and time on their hands.
Warning: do NOT watch while ingesting liquids.
January 04, 2008
The Morning After
Well, so much for all of that.
There were nearly 600 people at my caucus, well over the 200 or so who were there four years ago. Sadly, my guy (Biden) was not viable so I had to make an agonizing decision about what to do next.
My heart was with Obama, but my head knew this one fact: There is no dirt left for the Republicans to dig up on Hillary Clinton. But Obama? He’s still relatively unknown and they could, as one of my neighbors said last night, slice him into hash during a general election.
Plus, I’m worried that he’ll get elected and pull a Jimmy Carter “El Foldo.” That he won’t be up to the task. Whatever other complaints I have about Clinton, I KNOW she can do the job.
So I leaned toward Clinton, except for one other thing: The annoying precinct captain who was there working the floor on her behalf. I had three complaints:
1. her bullying tactics. The assumption at a caucus is that people arrive with a game plan in hand, and campaign representatives don’t start wooing people until after the first division. Then, if a candidate isn’t viable, candidate reps can start trying to persuade the non-viables to join their camp.
Not this woman. She was in people’s faces before they even got in the door. And she was loud. So loud, that I discovered, by over-hearing her hectoring a young kid.....
2. .... that she wasn’t even an Iowan! She was a New Yorker. Which means she shouldn’t have been serving as a precinct captain and she was supposed to leave the floor and stand in the observers’ corner.
3. She kept referring to “the Clintons.” In the plural. I got news for her: only one Clinton is running for office.
So thanks to this loud out-of-stater, I am wondering what kind of campaign Hillary Clinton is really running. Worrisome.
But in the end, my two fears (see above) won out and I stood for Clinton. Which, in the bright light of the sunny winter morning, I now regret. But whaddya gonna do?
I am also sad that a decent, honorable man like Joe Biden never stood a chance. It’s baffling. On the other hand, it was nice to know that there WERE so many great choices.
So it’s on to New Hampshire, and may John McCain win there. Seriously. Huckabee’s been scaring the shit out of me since he first moved on to my radar last July. With those dimples and doe-eyes, and “aw shucks” charm, he could easily win a general election.
Now THAT is a scary proposition!
January 01, 2008
Here In Iowa.............
....... politics are, well, what we're doing. Or at least what my house is doing. And talking. And thinking. And watching.
Random observations after spending the past month trying to make up my mind who I'll stand for on Thursday night:
1. The media are annoying. They spend all day, every day following candidates around, so, no surprise, they've heard the speech and the questions and they're bored. So they spend the events talking to each other or talking on their phones. If you're unlucky enough to be in the back where they are, lotsa luck trying to hear the candidates. I went to an Obama event Sunday, and mostly what I heard were two cameramen one-upping each other about their equipment.
2. Tim Russert is one of the exceptions to the above. He's so unassuming that he goes almost (but not quite) unnoticed. He leans against a wall and watches the candidate as if he, too, were trying desperately to make up his mind. Doesn't talk; doesn't check his cell or blackberry incessantly. Just watches and listens.
3. Andrea Mitchell doesn't stop talking.
4. The phone calls are maddening beyond words. On Friday, December 28, we got fifteen calls. On Saturday, December 29, we turned off each phone's ringer and turned the volume down on the answering machine. Relief. Should have done it a month ago.
5. The TV talking heads make caucusing sound so......... complicated. It's not. Plus they keep yammering on about how if your candidate isn't viable, one representative from each of the other groups will come and try to persuade you to join their.
I'm here to tell you: that doesn't happen. I've gone to every caucus since the first one in 1972. I've never supported a viable candidate, and I've never had someone from another group try to woo me. The assumption is that everyone has a second choice and they'll just wander over to that group on their own. Or, as I often do, the non-viables will sit out the proceedings.
6. The weather sucks and I wish we could do this in February or March.
7. Why why why do we have to do that on a weeknight? Why the HELL can't we do this on Saturday? (Yeah, okay, I know the answer: it's because the candidates want one last weekend in New Hampshire. Where the weather is no doubt just as shitty.)
8. It matters. And it's thrilling. I go to an event and see other ordinary people like myself listening and thinking as if it's the last chance we'll ever get in our lives. People ask great questions and the candidates (mostly) work hard to provide thoughtful answers.
9. We appreciate how hard these candidates work. And it IS hard work. They may appear at four or five events every day. They get up early , stay up late, and travel hundreds of miles each day. And did I mention how crappy the weather is?
10. Listen to the TV or read the paper and it sounds and reads as if only three Democrats are running. There are actually six. Two of whom (Dodd and Biden) deserve a hell of a lot more attention than they're getting. It's a bit heart-breaking to see such smart, dedicated, thoughtful men be so utterly ignored.
11. Don't believe the numbers. Accorrding to today's NY Times, 750 people showed up for Clinton event today here in Ames. I was there. There weren't that many people. 400, maybe. 750? No.
12. Bill Clinton could talk someone into believing in the Easter Bunny. He's smartand perhaps the finest public speaker I've ever heard. I suffered Hillary-passion for three days after hearing him. Happily, I'm old and cynical and eventually I came to my senses. (Don't get me wrong. She's also VERY smart and immensely capable and would make a great president. I just don't think she can win in November.)
13. Joe Biden is perhaps the most sincere politician I've ever heard. I get the distinct impression that he's decided that life is too short for bullshit, posturing, and posing.
14. And that's why on January 3rd, I will stand for Biden. He probably won't be viable, but in my heart I think he's the best person for the job.
I think ALL the Democrats would do a fine job, even a superb job (okay, maybe that's going a bit far). But Joe Biden has an incredible grasp on how things connect. He gets how soil chemistry, health care, nuclear power, the situation in Pakistan, and university research are all connected to each other. He gets it. He gets me on January 3rd.
December 12, 2007
Mothers for Social Drinking
Coming out of the cave for a moment to affirm my support for Mothers For Social Drinking. (Thanks to Jay Brooks for his blog about this. It's his entry for December 8, 2007.)
November 13, 2007
Beer and Chocolate -- Ancient Companions
Okay, so we already know that some beer styles are sublime when consumed with chocolate.
Turns out the connection is older than we knew! A piece in today's New York Times reports on new archaeological research about fermented cacoa in Mesoamerica.
Addendum two days later: As usual, Jay Brooks and Stan Hieronymus are MILES ahead of me on this. Check out their takes and links to lots more info.
Stan is here.
Jay is here.
What's NOT to love about those guys????? (Answer: Not much. They're two of my favorite people.)
Living With Chronic Pain (No, Beer Is Not Always the Answer)
The New York Times is running a three-part series on living with chronic pain. (The link is to Part Two, and from there you can also get to Part One. The series concludes next week.)
It's fairly basic stuff, but it's nice to see this acknowledgment of the issues involved.
For the past fourteen months, I've "enjoyed" a crash course in chronic pain. Torn rotator cuffs, the doctor told me. "Not much we can do for it," he said.
Bad news. And depressing, too, I discovered as the months wore by.
Because that's the nightmare of chronic pain: The body hurts, but the spirit hurts more.
I can't speak for others, but in my case, the pain transformed daily life into drudgery, and the "future" into a burden. Every day, I was just a little less interested in the world around me, less willing to engage with friends, family, work.
This story has a happy ending. In September, a different doctor provided a different diagnosis: bone spurs. Those can be fixed. Last week he operated to remove bone spurs on my right shoulder. He'll "fix" the left shoulder as soon as the right one heals.
But for millions of people, there won't be a happy ending. Either the physical issues can't be resolved, or they lack the funds needed to pay for good medical care.
So today I raise my glass in celebration of modern medicine -- and pray for all those who wake each morning knowing that their's will be a day of pain rather than pleasure.
November 06, 2007
New Cartoon Collections on DVD
If you're my age (54), you probably grew up watching cartoons and developed an appreciation for and love of high-quality animation.
Rejoice! There are some new collections out on DVD. There's also a first-rate round-up of what's available in today's "Critic's Choice" column in the New York Times. (Tip for the day: every Tuesday, this Times column reviews new DVD releases, focusing on the off-beat, unexpected, and non-bestseller stuff. Great way to build your collection.)
November 03, 2007
Music and Drinking
Okay, in a million years I would not have thought of or about this. But now I have, and I must say: the human brain never ceases to amaze me.
Start here with W. Blake Gray's piece in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Then read Stan Hieronymus's take on the topic. I love knowing that Vinnie Cilurzo is a believer (and that his dad loved Sinatra).
It's, well, just too marvelous. Too marvelous for words. Etc.
November 01, 2007
Who Knew? The Poop on the World Toilet Summit
In my former life -- okay, one of my former lives -- I wrote a book about plumbing, and the subject still intrigues me.
So imagine my delight: A World Toilet Summit. In New Delhi, no less. (God, I'd love to know the number of flush toilets per capita in that city!).
My virtual pal Dave Praeger is there, no surprise, and, even less surprising, is blogging about the event.
All kidding aside, it's a serious subject and I love that someone besides me thinks so.
Sustainable Food Survey
The folks at The Splendid Table are conducting a survey of people's concerns about and interest in sustainable foods.
You may already have a strong opinion about this. You may not have any opinion. But the survey is worth taking if only because it forces the issue: by which I mean, you'll find out real fast just how much you do or don't care, and how much you're willing to to do buy and eat "sustainable" foods.
I was, um, a bit surprised by my responses.
Note: the survey does not ask about "liquid" foods such as beer or wine. Which is itself an interesting point.
Anyway, the survey is here and it's worth look.
October 24, 2007
Presto! Magic! Old Interview Reappears!
I did a mental double-take when a link at the History of Drugs and Alcohol website took me to this interview.
For a millisecond, I thought it was bogus. I had zero recollection of talking to anyone in Fond du Lac, at least not recently.
But then my brain dredged up a memory of a radio host named "Silk." The post is a transcript of a radio interview I did about a year ago. Whew! For a minute, I thought maybe my brain had spun, crashed, and burned.
Live, on-air interviews always feel so ephemeral. But here's one embedded in e-print, complete with plenty of the verbal grammatical howlers that are an inevitable part of the thinking-on-your-feet process.
Tip o' the mug to "Silk" Casper and David Fahey!
May 14, 2007
Beer = Passion
From Crookedtimber.org, here's a great example of people's passion for and about beer.
Thanks to Antimeta for the link.
One minor correction to Daniel Davies' blog piece: In 1876, Budweiser was owned by Carl Conrad. It was brewed on contract by his friend Adolphus Busch, the mastermind at Anheuser-Busch. A-B only acquired the brand/trademark and outright ownership in 1891.
On a related note (beer = passion), last week I spoke at a regional meeting of the Master Brewers Assocation of America in New Ulm, Minnesota (home of Schell Brewing, the nation's second oldest brewing company). As always, I met with and spoke to an amazing group of people: talented, smart, funny-bordering-on-hilarious.
We toured the brewery and heard about Schell's attempts to create a plastic container for beer. The folks there have my admiration -- and sympathy: as the history of canned beer demonstrates, it ain't easy to "contain" beer. Researchers spent a quarter of a century trying to figure out how to can it. I have no idea how long it will take to capture beer in plastic.
Eventually we gathered back at the tour center for the group's business meeting and my talk about beer's history. Then it was time for the main event: eating, talking, laughing, telling stories. Enjoying the moment, the grand spring evening, and the beer.
Toward the end of the evening, I was sitting with a small group that included Ted Marti, the brewery's president.
Mark Sutred, founder-president of Summit in Saint Paul, came to the table to say his good-byes. He shook hands all 'round, then leaned down, embraced Ted's shoulders, and kissed him on the cheek.
A rare display for an American man, but a typical expression of friendship and affection for the people who work in the brewing industry.
Made my night!
February 27, 2007
The Enlightened Bracketologist
Okay, so this new book has come out, THE ENLIGHTENED BRACKETOLOGIST. You can read about it at Amazon. If you know what bracketing is, you've already figured out. If not, take a detour to Amazon (or any other online bookseller).
There's a review of it in SI.com (I had to go to the site to figure out what SI means......)
Here's a link
Just two points:
1. No, I'm not a beer "expert."
2. I have no idea who David Wells is. I googled and I think he's a baseball player.
In any case, the book is a hoot, and I, too, love the Bald Guys category.
November 13, 2006
This week, you can find me . . . . .
. . . .at Powells.com, where I'm the guest blogger.
I know, I know: given how much I hate blogging, it's more than a bit ironic. But I LOVE Powells and simply couldn't say no.
Go here to find the blog pieces, starting today, Monday November 13, and running through Friday the 17th.
If you've never visited Powells online or in person, you're missing something. The main store in downtown Portland, Oregon, occupies an entire city block and three (or four?) stories. Fabulous. Book heaven.
The website is also marvelous! Lots of good "content," and their customer service is superb.
November 01, 2006
The Page 69 Test
Until last week, I'd never heard of the "page 69 test."
According to Marshal McLuhan, if you want to decide whether to read an entire book, turn to page 69.
The contents of that page will likely exemplify the whole, and if you like what you read there, you'll probably enjoy the entire book.
Why? Beats me.
By page 69, has the writer hit her stride and is spewing endorphins and creativity like crazy?
Is page 69 the point at which the novelist gathers all the plot threads and they begin rolling toward their inexorable conclusion?
I dunno. All I know is that it works.
I applied the test to
1. books I've already read
2. books I started but didn't finish, and
3. books that I've not yet read.
In the first case, page 69 exemplified the book's whole content.
In the second case, page 69 provided me with nothing that made me want to keep reading.
In the third case, I was completely absorbed and wanted to keep reading.
Okay, so why am I bringing this up? Because Marshal Zeringue, who blogs for the Campaign for the American Reader (his blog is here) has invited writers to submit their works to the Page 69 Test and is posting their comments on the blog.
I just wrote my piece for the blog, which I think will show up there next week. Interesting stuff.
And you can bet that next time I'm standing in the library or the bookstore, trying to decide whether to read/buy a book, I'll apply the test.
Because I don't know about anyone else, but I am sooooooo tired of picking up books, mostly novels, starting them, and abandoning them after 20 or 30 pages as unreadable. I won't start on my "where have all the good novels gone?" rant, but ....... jeez, where HAVE the good novels gone??????
September 18, 2006
The Beer Bracketologist
I’m bracketing beer!
Don’t know what bracketing is? Don’t feel bad; until last week, I didn’t either. Think of a sports tournament, the classic example being the NCAA college basketball tournament. It starts with 64 teams, or 32 pairs grouped in BRACKETS.
The pairs play. The winner advances to the next bracket, or round. Eventually only four are left, the famous Final Four, and those two pairs play each other and then the winners of that round face off -- and a winner is declared.
So these two guys in New York are writing a book titled THE ENLIGHTENED BRACKOLOGIST: THE FINAL FOUR OF EVERYTHING, in which various “experts” will “bracket” their specialties, with the goal of determing “the best” of whatever it is they’re bracketing.
Chris Matthews from CNN is bracketing famous speeches. Heidi Klum is bracketing lingerie; Arnold Palmer is doing golf swings. Elvis Costello is pondering Beatle songs that were never number one. Someone else is bracketing Elvis Costello. One guy is bracketing red wine, and another one typefaces.
And I – drumroll please—am bracketing beer!
It’s been quite the project, not least because first I had to come up with 32 beers. And then pair them up. And then taste them and pick winners of each round.
I know. I know. “A tough job,” you say, cackling, “but someone’s gotta do it.”
So you say, but I’m here to tell you that this has been hard on my poor stomach! I ran the first five rounds over two days, but today I’m still so overdosed on beer that I’m putting off the contest between my Final Two until tomorrow.
And no, I’m not gonna tell you which brew comes out on top. I don’t think the book’s editors would be too happy with me.
But you don’t have long to wait: THE ENLIGHTENED BRACKOLOGIST hits the bookstores in March 2007. About the same time as the NCAA men’s basketball tourney plays out.
Coincidence? Or not? You be the judge!
September 05, 2006
Jay Brooks -- Human Being Extraordinaire
Also long as I'm praising wonderful people, I've got to say something about Jay Brooks. He's the guy behind the Brookston Beer Bulletin, which I've mentioned more than once in my own blog.
I don't have much free time to surf the 'net, plus I spend all day staring at a computer, and don't WANT to spend my free time staring at it then as well. So I'm not one for visiting websites and reading blogs. But I try to read Jay's blog every day. He covers the beer industry and things/ideas/events related to beer and alcohol. And he does a very very good job.
What's amazing is that this isn't his full-time work. He's a stay at home dad, caring for two small kids, and anyone who's ever done that knows how exhausting and time-consuming kids are.
Anyway, somehow Jay manages to juggle all this work and responsibility and crank out the best beer blog in the country.
So my hat's off to him for that. But I'm writing about him today because he's also an extraordinarily generous and kind human being. I know that firsthand.
In late October, I'll be in San Francisco co-hosting with Fritz Maytag a book party at Maytag's Anchor Brewing Company. But that meant I needed to come up with a guest list.
The problem is that I don't live in SF and know a grand total of four people in the Bay area (most of whom I know because I interviewed them for the beer book).
So I wrote to Jay, with whom I'd exchanged maybe two emails total, and asked him if he could look at my guest list and make some suggestions as to who else I could invite. (As near as I can tell, Jay knows half the population of northern California and 100% of the people living there who are involved in beer.)
He said sure! Glad to help! Now remember, this guy doesn't know me from adam. I'm just some email address out in cyberspace. But he says Sure!
Next thing I'm know, I get a lovely email from him apologizing for taking so long (a grand total of what?, eight days has passed since I'd asked for some guest-list input) and a list of 107 names, complete with addresses and broken down by category (eg, brewery owners, bar owners, journalists).
Holy COW! I was speechless and nearly in tears that this stranger would spend so much of his obviously limited free time to help me out.
But I've said it before and I'll say it again now: beer people are very very special people. Smart, lively, passionate about their work. And incredibly generous. And Jay Brooks, human being extraordinaire, is yet another example of that trusim.
Jay, thank you!
And everyone else, please, read Jay's blog!
September 04, 2006
Carolyn Smagalski -- The Beer Fox
This morning I spent about an hour on the phone with Carolyn Smagalski. She's the Beer Fox over at BellaOnline. You can find her corner of that website here
She wanted to talk about my new book (she'd read an advance copy of it). That was great -- but I was even more thrilled to be talking with such an amazing woman.
She has a "real" full-time job -- and still finds time to write cookbooks (cooking with beer!) and serve as the beer editor at BellaOnline, a task that involves writing a regular column and cranking out a newsletter.
I have NO idea how people like her manage to find the energy to deal with what amounts to two jobs -- but I'm awed by her energy and by her passion for what she does, both of which are evident in her Bella columns. Their content ranges from discussions of "current events" in the brewing industry to suggestions for creative pairings of food and beer.
She exemplifies what I've found to be true about "beer people": They're smart, creative, passionate, and fully engaged with the world around them.
So I've added another inspiring role model to my collection.
Carolyn, you totally rock!
July 15, 2006
Beer Radio
Just want to put in a plug for the fine folks at Beer Radio. These are the same people who brought the world the United States Beer Drinking Team. They're funny, smart, and respect beer and women!
I did a segment on today's show. It will be re-broadcast tomorrow and then will be available in a month or so on their website. Check it out!
June 28, 2006
TED videos
There's a column in this morning's NY Times about the TED conference (Technology * Entertainment * Design), an annual four-day event during which VERY brainy people exchange ideas.
Anyway, videos of the participants' talks are now being posted at the TED site. These are fascinating presentations of mostly out-of-the-box ideas by some of the planet's brightest and most talented people.
Go to http://www.ted.com and click on "tedtalks."
Don't miss the talk given by Hans Rosling. Who knew statistics about income and infant mortality could be so fascinating?!