The California Winners of the 2012 World Cup
Every two years the best brewers are invited to come together and compete in the worlds most prestigious beer competition known as the World Beer Cup. With 54 countries entering almost a thousand more beers than 2010, this year's competition was bigger and badder than anything that we've seen before, and truly reflected the last two years' craft beer boom.
The Craft Brewers Conference
Next week is the Craft Brewers Conference here in San Diego. With over 2,600 brewing professionals in attendance, CBC12 is the ultimate in professional conferences. There will be lectures, demonstrations and roundtable mentoring sessions to chose from and I have had quite the difficult time trying to figure out which ones were of greater importance to me.
My thoughts on the Farm-To-Table craze
Fearful of the TGIF crowd or trying to make a quick buck? What's the sentiment behind buzz words like "locally owned" and "farm fresh"
Part one on Lite Beer
Part One of my take on the battle between lite beer and beer snobbery
Check out BeerMixology.com
We've been very busy here on the home front at FugglyBrew.com, the latest project being BeerMixology.com! My dear friend the Beer Wench has been busting her rump to organize some of the top beer experts and mixology gurus nation wide to come together and share recipes and mixing tips with all of our awesome readers and beer fans!
Adventures in distilling
A video of my first time trying to distill Two-Buck Chuck!
Showing posts with label Off the Hoof. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Off the Hoof. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Shit Beer Snobs Say
Having a little fun with this internet meme....some day I'll figure out the art of acting and or editing :D
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Drinkwel: Saucy Science
 |
| Apparently Absinthe was also involved in the scientific method |
Monday, July 18, 2011
Fuggly Brew Beer Dinner 08/11
Hello Readers!
You are cordially invited to join me for my very first beer dinner! Please read and distribute the press release at the bottom at your leisure and Thank You All for being so supportive the last couple years I appreciate all the love and encouragement and I hope to see you there!
You are cordially invited to join me for my very first beer dinner! Please read and distribute the press release at the bottom at your leisure and Thank You All for being so supportive the last couple years I appreciate all the love and encouragement and I hope to see you there!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Dan Smith
Out Of The Park Pizza
E-mail: ylfamilypizza@yahoo.com
Phone: (619)569-7084
Tatiana Peavey
FugglyBrew.com
Phone: (707)813-1233
E-mail: tatiana@fugglybrew.com
Out Of The Park Pizza and FugglyBrew.com Host Local Beer Dinner Featuring Orange County Breweries
Anaheim, California, July 18, 2011 – Out of the Park Pizza and FugglyBrew.com are set to host their first O.C. Brewery Beer Dinner on Thursday, August 11 at 7:00 p.m. at its 5638 E. La Palma Ave. location featuring selections from local Orange County Breweries.
The local Beer Dinner will feature beers from Orange County's renowned Bruery, Bootleggers Brewing Co, Left Coast Brewing Co and a special six-course beer pairing menu courtesy of FugglyBrew.com author, Tatiana Peavey. The night’s courses will be served as follows: chopped Jicama salad with The Bruery Hottenroth Berliner Weisse; creamy Camembert mac and cheese with The Bruery Saison Rue; pineapple pork ribs with Left Coast Asylum; deconstructed Out of the Park Signature Chuck Norris pizza with Bootleggers Golden Chaos; Gorgonzola and nectarines with Bootleggers Knuckle Sandwich; and fresh baked chocolate cookie a la raspberry mode with Left Coast VooDoo Stout.
Owner, Dan Smith is excited to be a part of Orange County's growing craft beer scene and hopes that this is the first of many special beer events for Out of The Park Pizza .This is a must-attend event for any beer enthusiast from the budding crafty to the seasoned cellarist, this event is not to be missed.
Tickets for the event are $30 in advance and for Out of the Park Pizza Homebrew Club members and $40 at the door. Early purchases are suggested as tickets are limited and the event will reach capacity.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Get on the Chain Gang
Totally bringing me back to 8th grade, Ashley Routson, of Drink With The Wench has tagged me in a chain letter! So I've had a couple days to mull things over and I finally have decided to join the chain gang. The premise is “7 Things You Don't Know About Me” and while I don't have a wingspan of 6'1” (yes, I love you Ashley but that is just freakish!) I do have some fun random facts that may be enjoyable.
2.I have a pet opossum. Her name is Lamya after the queen of Libya who turned into a child eating daemon. Lamya is an awesome little pet she's very cat like and a ton of fun at parties.
3.I love to sail. I have a varsity letter in sailing and sailed for the Encinal Yacht Club racing team back in high school. I also did Rowing for a short time...it kicked my butt!
4.I am exactly half Russian and half Mexican. My mom was born in Guadalajara and moved here where she was one of the first women to graduate with a degree in Civil Engineering from her school. My dad was born in Munich, Germany to Russian parents, where he moved here and got his degree in Nuclear Engineering. They met on the job!
5.I feel earthquakes all the time. Perhaps this has to do with reckless experimentation from my high school years however I often feel earth quakes whether I'm walking or sitting still. It's not constant, but it's often enough for people to point it out to me. This goes hand in hand with falling dreams, I get those quite often as well.
6.I am OCD about my Pajamas. As soon as I get home the first thing that I must do is get into my PJ's. It doesn't matter what is happening, how badly I have to go to the bathroom, or anything that is happening around me—PJ's are TOP priority.
7.I am good with my hands. I am a huge project nerd. If something needs to be designed and constructed I am the person to go to. I hand made most of the things for my wedding, I paint, I do carpentry, I weld, I solder, I lay tile.......the list goes on and on. I'm a true project hound.
Ok, So I'm supposed to tag other bloggers in this and I will try to do so without doing any repeats from Ashley's list.
Beer Bloggers:
Reggie Currie from Cheer's For Beers
Ilya Feynberg from Damn, That's Good Beer
Jeff Bull from HeBrewing
Health and Sports Blogger: Whitney Hoffman from The Sports Dish
and the new kid on the blog Candice Graham of Picky Dark Kid's Picks
7 Random Goat's Udder Factoids
1.I am a classically trained musician. I have been playing piano since I was 4 years old and singing classically since I was 7. I attended the Conservatory in San Francisco at the age of 11 to study voice, pipe organ and music theory. I started my own jazz band when I was 13 too, while I was in High School. Right now I practice piano as a daily ritual and still sing for weddings, however I have put my music on hold due to a staph infection that virtually destroyed my tonsils. |
| Wedding in Santa Ana, CA |
 |
| Lamya (Yes ladies, the guy behind me is single) |
3.I love to sail. I have a varsity letter in sailing and sailed for the Encinal Yacht Club racing team back in high school. I also did Rowing for a short time...it kicked my butt!
 |
| Hanging loose! |
4.I am exactly half Russian and half Mexican. My mom was born in Guadalajara and moved here where she was one of the first women to graduate with a degree in Civil Engineering from her school. My dad was born in Munich, Germany to Russian parents, where he moved here and got his degree in Nuclear Engineering. They met on the job!
5.I feel earthquakes all the time. Perhaps this has to do with reckless experimentation from my high school years however I often feel earth quakes whether I'm walking or sitting still. It's not constant, but it's often enough for people to point it out to me. This goes hand in hand with falling dreams, I get those quite often as well.
6.I am OCD about my Pajamas. As soon as I get home the first thing that I must do is get into my PJ's. It doesn't matter what is happening, how badly I have to go to the bathroom, or anything that is happening around me—PJ's are TOP priority.
7.I am good with my hands. I am a huge project nerd. If something needs to be designed and constructed I am the person to go to. I hand made most of the things for my wedding, I paint, I do carpentry, I weld, I solder, I lay tile.......the list goes on and on. I'm a true project hound.
 |
| Painting a portrait of Frank Zappa |
Ok, So I'm supposed to tag other bloggers in this and I will try to do so without doing any repeats from Ashley's list.
Beer Bloggers:
Reggie Currie from Cheer's For Beers
Ilya Feynberg from Damn, That's Good Beer
Jeff Bull from HeBrewing
Health and Sports Blogger: Whitney Hoffman from The Sports Dish
and the new kid on the blog Candice Graham of Picky Dark Kid's Picks
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Because you know you want a pair of beer shoes!
I am not Jean Paul Gaultier, Coco Chanel or Hubert de Givenchy--I am however a fan! So what primarily started off with me playing around with a "customize your own shoe" gadget on Steve Madden's website has ended up with me opening my own store of beer geeky goodness! I encourage you to check it out and if you have any pointers I'd love to hear them. Currently I have a couple artists who will be featuring their designs on my page soon as well as some exciting contests in the works. But for now I present: The Goat's Baaazaar!
Monday, February 28, 2011
The Goat Ate My Homework But I Passed The Cicerone's CBS Exam
It's been on my mind a lot lately, that I need to finish my schooling. Since I was four I have been doing nothing but music. Music was my life 24/7 all the way through my first year of college. Things started to melt between illness and the personalities of professors, staying on top of such a physical art as voice became much maintenance and heart break. So I took a break I am twenty-three now and still don't have my bachelor's degree which is starting to make things rather problematic not career wise but just with myself. You need to have that silly piece of paper or else no one will take you seriously. As much as I would like to tell everyone what a genius I am it just ain't happenin' with no d'gree-- in our society what matters is not what I say, it's what I do. So here it is: I am going to finish my degree with a minor in music and a major in Journalism. There, I said it to you so therefore I must do it or my whole credibility goes down the tube. More importantly though, what does this mean for my blog and my crazy dreams in the beer world? Someone asked me the other day at a beer class that I taught, where and how I learned so much about beer. My only answer was, “I drink a lot of beer” but let's be honest, we all eat but that alone doesn't make us all gourmets, does it? So in the spirit of standardized testing and getting little paper's that deem us “smart” I decided to check out the cicerone's exam and what it took to be considered “smart” in the beer world. There are three levels to being cicerone certified: Beer Server, Certified Cicerone and Master Cicerone.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Goats Do Roam...and Tweet!
Check-in your brew from the shower! Tweet your latest cocktail recipe! Foursquare from the hottest gastropub! I am truly obsessed with social media from almost every angle of my life. We want our information smooth and fast and that's just what I've done with my ultra simple photo stream called The Roaming Goat. The Roaming Goat is a strictly food related mobile blog updated from where ever I may be but not only that, it's optimized for you to see from where ever you may be. Each photo's description is accompanied by links to websites and the twitter profiles that are related to the place I'm at. Check it out and tell me what you think!
Cheers!
Cheers!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Cheers to 2011
Happy New Year! It's 2011 and I just wanted to take a quick moment to thank all my wonderful friends for reading my blog and being so supportive! I had a wonderful 2010 and as sad as I am to see another year pass I am so very excited for this year. I have some wonderful trips planned and new concepts for the blog. My amazing husband gave me an underwater video camera (just in case I drop in in some beer) that I look forward to implementing soon.
After watching the South Park Food Network episode I was inspired to film some cooking videos, including homebrewing videos! I am so excited and I wish everyone a fantastic new year with all the success in the world. I have a feeling about this year and it freaks me out! Cheers!
After watching the South Park Food Network episode I was inspired to film some cooking videos, including homebrewing videos! I am so excited and I wish everyone a fantastic new year with all the success in the world. I have a feeling about this year and it freaks me out! Cheers!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
#BBC10 Official Video!
Coverage of the the Beer Bloggers Conference brought to you by
Thank you for your support!!!
Coverage of the the Beer Bloggers Conference brought to you by
Thank you for your support!!!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
A Haiku From One of My Readers
Craft Beer
Drinking craftbrews now
Coffee, charcoal, cream and hops
I wish we had more.
~Cory Chipman
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Heady Musings
An essay regarding today's Craft Brewing Culture and the renaissance of tomorrows brews:
“You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer.”
-Frank Zappa
Imagine you're walking through your local grocers looking for a beverage for this evening. You encounter the beer aisle. As quiet as these shelves may appear they are actually one of the most politically active war fields of our time. This is a conflict in which microbreweries from around the nation and around the world are fighting with every penny and every drop. This treatment will contrast the cultures of major brewing corporations' in their attempt to own the numbers in consumption and conformity versus the culture of the privately owned microbrewery, who's goals for social, psychological and intellectual stimulation benefit communities economically and socially at a grassroots level. The struggle touched upon herein is brutal, but in the end I feel that the Microbrewer Beer Culture will prevail. Beer culture for the small brewer is a culture united in defending and constantly redefining flavor and people's choices, they are the freedom fighters of the beer world.
The best way to define the microbrew culture is to delineate it using the anti-culture of the macrobrewing corporations. The two largest breweries in the world are Molson-Coors and Anheuser-Busch of the Budweiser brand. Through multimillion dollar marketing campaigns and a government lobby that supports both political parties with equal generosity it is no wonder that all their money has gone to the support and creation of a brand identity and not to brewing a palatable beer. Sentiments like this can be heard from all over the beer drinking world, but most notably from Anat Baron, former CEO of Mike's Hard Lemonade and creator of the documentary Beer Wars. In Beer Wars, Ms Baron goes through and identifies the struggle of the independently owned small business owner that toils daily to market and find funding for their beverages while watching large companies such as Anheuser-Busch go so far as to replicate a prototype and sell it under their name in order to bully out the small time operator—whether they make money at it or not. It saddens me to say that in this text on beer culture we have yet to discuss quality let alone taste, however this just goes to show that in this power game it is not about the product but about strong power houses defending their status through economic and legal intimidation. Our weapon? Good beer!While money talks the rest of this country is brewing up a stranger more wonderful elixir in order to take down the fire breathing corporate dragon. Craft beer and craft beer culture embodies the characteristics of family, home town pride, and all the joy that you get on a warm summer day sitting down to sip a nice cool glass. In short Craft Beer Culture is America at it's purest. While major companies sell us the idea of an All-American beer at our baseball games, NASCAR races, and product placement at every turn complete with Old Glory's colors as part of the brand identifier, foreign owned companies such as Anheuser-Busche are anything but American. To be American is to have freedom of choice, to strive for the best, and to have a say in what you're consuming. Where else but in America can we go to our bountiful super markets and decide to eat Thai food, Ethiopian food, Mexican food, etc. and not leave our 12,000 square foot fully refrigerated heaven of florescent lights and fresh produce? Shouldn't our beer be the same? It isn't. Our freedom is being impeded without most of us even being able to identify it as it happens . I walked into a local Albertson's where there was a marketing “planogram” of how the beer is to be displayed. Directly at 5'4” off the ground, and stretching from front to back, right in my face is the red, white, and blue boxes of major brewing companies and their subsidiaries and corporate partners (of which there are many.) Literally two companies dominating over 80% of the available space. Where was the craft brew? If it is there at all it is either at bottom shelf or top shelf locations depending on the brand. How can this be? Macrobrewers exert a heavy influence over the distribution company, and they also pay the grocers enormous sums of money to ensure their products dominance on the shelves, all the while spending billions on advertising to ensure the product moves. Or even worse, like in Beer Wars, they will buy out a smaller market owner to place their product where they want it moving small competitors out of places they payed for or discussed.
Economically speaking while these companies do employ thousands in places like Bakersfield, or Milwaukee, these jobs are perhaps just as tenuous as that of the Detroit auto worker back when US cars were being out-classed by foreign competitors. In contrast, places like my home town of Fort Bragg, CA are being saved by the brewing industry creating jobs and pride. Fort Bragg, CA is a small town of about 5,000 people who's numbers continue to plummet after the loss of the logging and fishing industry. North Coast Brewing Company has saved a small town on the verge of economic collapse in the last 10 years by becoming the largest employer in the city. Similar stories go for Lost Coast Brewing Company, Mendocino, and Anderson Valley. Keeping the economy moving in the small towns of our country is part of what gave this country its life and soul and these privately owned breweries know that. This is why they produce the best beer they possibly can with local ingredients and to standards that these towns as a community can stand behind. Last month I attended the 14th Annual Boonville Beerfest which was hosted by Anderson Valley Brewing Co. There were approximately 50+ breweries in attendance from all over the country including Dogfish Head from Delaware, Stone Brewing from San Diego, Flying Dog from Colorado, etc. People came from all over to taste beer listen to music and camp out. There were t-shirts sellers and non profits there benefiting many local programs. The entire feel was of elation and of course home town pride for everyone involved.
In a previous anthropology class I discussed beer as being a catalyst for human civilization using modern day tribes from Mexico and Africa as basis for primitive brewing styles and motives. Through research I deduced that large corporations were breaking down the importance of beer in these cultures that had made beer not only an intricate part of day to day social life but also as a means of trade and networking. These corporations do this by making beer cheap and readily available making certain customs useless. What I would like to do is compare these same ideals and concepts to our American Tribe. In Ozzie Simmons' book on drinking in Peruvian communities, he discuses how making beer a community effort and allowing drinking in a community reduced fear and violence and even alcoholism in said community. Alcohol has had the same effect on people for thousands of years, nothing has changed except the potency of our drinks, thus I propose the same would go for our tribe. The distance between us as individuals brewing in regards to craft beer is miniscule. I can walk into Tustin Brewery and look for John Porter (their current brewmaster) and pick a bone with him regarding a specific beer or ask him for advice on my own private home brew. I doubt the CEO of Anheuser-Busch could tell me if Budweiser is top or bottom, cold or warm fermented- And if I had a problem with his beer who would I go to? This was proven in Beer Wars when Anat tried to talk to A.B.'s CEO about bullying and he refused to answer a single question or come to the press for any reason. What does this create for our consumers? Well, on one hand we have a major corporation trying to sell a lifestyle choice of an American Beer with only one universally acclaimed bland lager as their major selling point. There is obviously a serious disconnect here. The action of me going to a super market to buy a 30-rack of Coor's Light to mindlessly throw back beer is as cold as the image of “the ugly american,” glutes firmly planted in their lazy-boy, watching an equally mindless program on television. The lack of quality combined with the lack of choice is terrifying, mind boggling, and borderline Orwellian. On the other hand, you have someone who has flavor in mind, perhaps dinner and even perhaps to watch tv, but the action is different- you don't buy craft beer by the 30's because you don't need to. Nor do you buy craft beer to affirm to your peers that you are not a homosexual nor an eccentric. The culture behind craft beer sparks not only conversation but pride and brotherhood. The trip to the store becomes an exciting moment of the day- “What am I going to drink tonight?” You ask for suggestions, you read about it, you're always looking for that next wonderful beer. There is a progression and life in this culture that promotes calm community interactions and not just cold consumption. A perfect example of this was at Boonville Beerfest. There were approximately 6,000 people visiting (in a town of 500) and during the 5 hours of bottomless beer tasting there were only 2 members of law enforcement to be found for miles. At that they were calm and collected even through good humored bating and through the whole thing nobody got out of hand. This however is not the same for the Budweiser Pool Party in Las Vegas, no. With almost the same attendance, security was almost as thick as the guest list. However, when I called the Hard Rock Hotel they wouldn't tell me if there was any violence or injuries. Between advertising and the distance of the ivory tower, major brewing companies have created an anti-culture celebrating underachievement and steady consumption in a controlled setting. In short, they do everything they can to keep us prisoners of our own ignorance.
Beer Culture celebrates choices through different styles of beer, for those of us willing to open our minds to new flavors you will be surprised to know that there is a beer for every pallet. Sweet, Savory, Sour, Smokey, Smooth and Bitter, beer is as diverse as we are. Every culture has beer. Even our now dry brothers in the middle east were once a brewing capitol of ancient times. It's our human way of coping, celebrating, and enjoying life no matter what cultural background you come from. This is why it's important to support your local brewery and local brew pub. By getting involved and drinking local, you are supporting local economy and organizations and you are celebrating choice. Beer Culture is about our freedom and how we can be unique and express ourselves through the beer we drink. Much like art is left to the individuals interpretation, the beauty is truly in the eye of the beer holder, allowing their taste buds to become detectives in a mysterious malty tour of hoppy discovery. I am proud to be a discerning beer drinker and home brewer as are most in the beer culture. Let our voices be heard and support local brewing, in short make beer, not war.
“Good People Drink Good Beer” -H. S. Thompson
Works Consulted
• Beer Wars (2009) Directed and Written by Anat Baron, Ducks in a Row Entertainment, http://beerwarsmovie.com
• Simmons, Ozzie G. (1962) Ambivalence and the learning of drinking behavior in a Peruvian community. David J. Pittman and Charles R. Snyder, eds. New York, John Why and Sons.
• Beer (2010) Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved May 5th, 2010. http://search.eb.com/eb/article-66615
• Hard Rock Hotel (702) 693-5000 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (702) 693-5000 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
• 4455 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89169
Events and Notes:
• I drank with Brewmaster at Tustin Brewery and we discussed his involvement in local events and marketing.
• I attended 3 BevMo beer tastings, at the El Toro location (held most fridays from 5-9).
• I organized a beer tasting for several personal friends who are home brewers where we tasted a novice Stout that blew us all away.
• In May I attended the 14thAnnual Boonville Beerfest in Anderson Valley, and Craft Beer Week at Stone Brewing Co. San Diego.
• At all events I asked people how they would define beer culture the most popular responses were as follows: “Freedom”, “Taste”, “Friends”, “The story of the underdog against the man”, “Good beer, no shit!”-H.S.Thompson
“You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer.”
-Frank Zappa
The best way to define the microbrew culture is to delineate it using the anti-culture of the macrobrewing corporations. The two largest breweries in the world are Molson-Coors and Anheuser-Busch of the Budweiser brand. Through multimillion dollar marketing campaigns and a government lobby that supports both political parties with equal generosity it is no wonder that all their money has gone to the support and creation of a brand identity and not to brewing a palatable beer. Sentiments like this can be heard from all over the beer drinking world, but most notably from Anat Baron, former CEO of Mike's Hard Lemonade and creator of the documentary Beer Wars. In Beer Wars, Ms Baron goes through and identifies the struggle of the independently owned small business owner that toils daily to market and find funding for their beverages while watching large companies such as Anheuser-Busch go so far as to replicate a prototype and sell it under their name in order to bully out the small time operator—whether they make money at it or not. It saddens me to say that in this text on beer culture we have yet to discuss quality let alone taste, however this just goes to show that in this power game it is not about the product but about strong power houses defending their status through economic and legal intimidation. Our weapon? Good beer!While money talks the rest of this country is brewing up a stranger more wonderful elixir in order to take down the fire breathing corporate dragon. Craft beer and craft beer culture embodies the characteristics of family, home town pride, and all the joy that you get on a warm summer day sitting down to sip a nice cool glass. In short Craft Beer Culture is America at it's purest. While major companies sell us the idea of an All-American beer at our baseball games, NASCAR races, and product placement at every turn complete with Old Glory's colors as part of the brand identifier, foreign owned companies such as Anheuser-Busche are anything but American. To be American is to have freedom of choice, to strive for the best, and to have a say in what you're consuming. Where else but in America can we go to our bountiful super markets and decide to eat Thai food, Ethiopian food, Mexican food, etc. and not leave our 12,000 square foot fully refrigerated heaven of florescent lights and fresh produce? Shouldn't our beer be the same? It isn't. Our freedom is being impeded without most of us even being able to identify it as it happens . I walked into a local Albertson's where there was a marketing “planogram” of how the beer is to be displayed. Directly at 5'4” off the ground, and stretching from front to back, right in my face is the red, white, and blue boxes of major brewing companies and their subsidiaries and corporate partners (of which there are many.) Literally two companies dominating over 80% of the available space. Where was the craft brew? If it is there at all it is either at bottom shelf or top shelf locations depending on the brand. How can this be? Macrobrewers exert a heavy influence over the distribution company, and they also pay the grocers enormous sums of money to ensure their products dominance on the shelves, all the while spending billions on advertising to ensure the product moves. Or even worse, like in Beer Wars, they will buy out a smaller market owner to place their product where they want it moving small competitors out of places they payed for or discussed.
Economically speaking while these companies do employ thousands in places like Bakersfield, or Milwaukee, these jobs are perhaps just as tenuous as that of the Detroit auto worker back when US cars were being out-classed by foreign competitors. In contrast, places like my home town of Fort Bragg, CA are being saved by the brewing industry creating jobs and pride. Fort Bragg, CA is a small town of about 5,000 people who's numbers continue to plummet after the loss of the logging and fishing industry. North Coast Brewing Company has saved a small town on the verge of economic collapse in the last 10 years by becoming the largest employer in the city. Similar stories go for Lost Coast Brewing Company, Mendocino, and Anderson Valley. Keeping the economy moving in the small towns of our country is part of what gave this country its life and soul and these privately owned breweries know that. This is why they produce the best beer they possibly can with local ingredients and to standards that these towns as a community can stand behind. Last month I attended the 14th Annual Boonville Beerfest which was hosted by Anderson Valley Brewing Co. There were approximately 50+ breweries in attendance from all over the country including Dogfish Head from Delaware, Stone Brewing from San Diego, Flying Dog from Colorado, etc. People came from all over to taste beer listen to music and camp out. There were t-shirts sellers and non profits there benefiting many local programs. The entire feel was of elation and of course home town pride for everyone involved.
In a previous anthropology class I discussed beer as being a catalyst for human civilization using modern day tribes from Mexico and Africa as basis for primitive brewing styles and motives. Through research I deduced that large corporations were breaking down the importance of beer in these cultures that had made beer not only an intricate part of day to day social life but also as a means of trade and networking. These corporations do this by making beer cheap and readily available making certain customs useless. What I would like to do is compare these same ideals and concepts to our American Tribe. In Ozzie Simmons' book on drinking in Peruvian communities, he discuses how making beer a community effort and allowing drinking in a community reduced fear and violence and even alcoholism in said community. Alcohol has had the same effect on people for thousands of years, nothing has changed except the potency of our drinks, thus I propose the same would go for our tribe. The distance between us as individuals brewing in regards to craft beer is miniscule. I can walk into Tustin Brewery and look for John Porter (their current brewmaster) and pick a bone with him regarding a specific beer or ask him for advice on my own private home brew. I doubt the CEO of Anheuser-Busch could tell me if Budweiser is top or bottom, cold or warm fermented- And if I had a problem with his beer who would I go to? This was proven in Beer Wars when Anat tried to talk to A.B.'s CEO about bullying and he refused to answer a single question or come to the press for any reason. What does this create for our consumers? Well, on one hand we have a major corporation trying to sell a lifestyle choice of an American Beer with only one universally acclaimed bland lager as their major selling point. There is obviously a serious disconnect here. The action of me going to a super market to buy a 30-rack of Coor's Light to mindlessly throw back beer is as cold as the image of “the ugly american,” glutes firmly planted in their lazy-boy, watching an equally mindless program on television. The lack of quality combined with the lack of choice is terrifying, mind boggling, and borderline Orwellian. On the other hand, you have someone who has flavor in mind, perhaps dinner and even perhaps to watch tv, but the action is different- you don't buy craft beer by the 30's because you don't need to. Nor do you buy craft beer to affirm to your peers that you are not a homosexual nor an eccentric. The culture behind craft beer sparks not only conversation but pride and brotherhood. The trip to the store becomes an exciting moment of the day- “What am I going to drink tonight?” You ask for suggestions, you read about it, you're always looking for that next wonderful beer. There is a progression and life in this culture that promotes calm community interactions and not just cold consumption. A perfect example of this was at Boonville Beerfest. There were approximately 6,000 people visiting (in a town of 500) and during the 5 hours of bottomless beer tasting there were only 2 members of law enforcement to be found for miles. At that they were calm and collected even through good humored bating and through the whole thing nobody got out of hand. This however is not the same for the Budweiser Pool Party in Las Vegas, no. With almost the same attendance, security was almost as thick as the guest list. However, when I called the Hard Rock Hotel they wouldn't tell me if there was any violence or injuries. Between advertising and the distance of the ivory tower, major brewing companies have created an anti-culture celebrating underachievement and steady consumption in a controlled setting. In short, they do everything they can to keep us prisoners of our own ignorance.
Beer Culture celebrates choices through different styles of beer, for those of us willing to open our minds to new flavors you will be surprised to know that there is a beer for every pallet. Sweet, Savory, Sour, Smokey, Smooth and Bitter, beer is as diverse as we are. Every culture has beer. Even our now dry brothers in the middle east were once a brewing capitol of ancient times. It's our human way of coping, celebrating, and enjoying life no matter what cultural background you come from. This is why it's important to support your local brewery and local brew pub. By getting involved and drinking local, you are supporting local economy and organizations and you are celebrating choice. Beer Culture is about our freedom and how we can be unique and express ourselves through the beer we drink. Much like art is left to the individuals interpretation, the beauty is truly in the eye of the beer holder, allowing their taste buds to become detectives in a mysterious malty tour of hoppy discovery. I am proud to be a discerning beer drinker and home brewer as are most in the beer culture. Let our voices be heard and support local brewing, in short make beer, not war.
“Good People Drink Good Beer” -H. S. Thompson
Works Consulted
• Beer Wars (2009) Directed and Written by Anat Baron, Ducks in a Row Entertainment, http://beerwarsmovie.com
• Simmons, Ozzie G. (1962) Ambivalence and the learning of drinking behavior in a Peruvian community. David J. Pittman and Charles R. Snyder, eds. New York, John Why and Sons.
• Beer (2010) Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved May 5th, 2010. http://search.eb.com/eb/article-66615
• Hard Rock Hotel (702) 693-5000 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (702) 693-5000 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
• 4455 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89169
Events and Notes:
• I drank with Brewmaster at Tustin Brewery and we discussed his involvement in local events and marketing.
• I attended 3 BevMo beer tastings, at the El Toro location (held most fridays from 5-9).
• I organized a beer tasting for several personal friends who are home brewers where we tasted a novice Stout that blew us all away.
• In May I attended the 14thAnnual Boonville Beerfest in Anderson Valley, and Craft Beer Week at Stone Brewing Co. San Diego.
• At all events I asked people how they would define beer culture the most popular responses were as follows: “Freedom”, “Taste”, “Friends”, “The story of the underdog against the man”, “Good beer, no shit!”-H.S.Thompson
Saturday, January 24, 2009
There's No Place Like Home
As with all things in this world there is a definite starting point. From the big bang to an apple hitting Newton on his head there is always the definitive "ah ha!" point in history that all great things have grown from. For me it was a typical summer day hanging out with friends on the beautiful headlands of Mendocino, in Northern California. The usual run had been made to the local market for the normal supplies of beer and munchies by the kids who were "of age" and the goods had safely made it to the Big Log over looking the mouth of Big River. Maybe it was what we were smoking, maybe it was the way the sun had hit me in the face at that moment. What ever it was, I was not prepared for the quantum leap my pallet was about to make that day.
I popped open my beer on the log and notice that light release of spirit (co2) waft off the mouth of the bottle, put the bottle to my lips and time had stopped. It was not that it was my first sip of beer, it was not that it was my first sip of North Coast Brewery Scrimshaw either- No. It was something much greater than that. During that moment I had an epitome that my 17-year-old self could not account for. I remember jumping up and exclaiming how absolutely wonderful this godly nectar was! How perfectly crisp and light, yet full and robust this elixir of life tasted, felt, smelled! Beer was alive to me, and I was in love. The older kids laughed and patted me on the back with the usual “aww how cute!” remarks and went back to the usual business. I still dream about that beautiful fateful day, which is why, in homage to my home town and to my youth, I am starting with the North Coast Brewing Company, in Fort Bragg, California.
Located on the north end of this small town where I grew up is a Mecca for beer lovers and food lovers alike. Considered one of the top ten breweries in the world by the Beverage Testing Institute, this brewery boasts 10 core beers, and recently added a new Belgian ale, two organic beers. They currently have a special edition of their multi-gold winning beer Old Rasputin, with anniversary ale soon to come. Across the street they have their tap room (a beer garden should be completed before summer this year on the brewery side). The tap room has wonderful food including their pub burger with bleu cheese, or their fish and chips made with Scrimshaw batter. And for dessert you can indulge in their wonderful Old Rasputin chocolate cake drizzled with syrup made from condensed old stock ale- it is simply to die for!
I popped open my beer on the log and notice that light release of spirit (co2) waft off the mouth of the bottle, put the bottle to my lips and time had stopped. It was not that it was my first sip of beer, it was not that it was my first sip of North Coast Brewery Scrimshaw either- No. It was something much greater than that. During that moment I had an epitome that my 17-year-old self could not account for. I remember jumping up and exclaiming how absolutely wonderful this godly nectar was! How perfectly crisp and light, yet full and robust this elixir of life tasted, felt, smelled! Beer was alive to me, and I was in love. The older kids laughed and patted me on the back with the usual “aww how cute!” remarks and went back to the usual business. I still dream about that beautiful fateful day, which is why, in homage to my home town and to my youth, I am starting with the North Coast Brewing Company, in Fort Bragg, California.
_____________________________________________________
Fort Bragg, CA 95437
(707) 964-2739 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (707) 964-2739 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
Located on the north end of this small town where I grew up is a Mecca for beer lovers and food lovers alike. Considered one of the top ten breweries in the world by the Beverage Testing Institute, this brewery boasts 10 core beers, and recently added a new Belgian ale, two organic beers. They currently have a special edition of their multi-gold winning beer Old Rasputin, with anniversary ale soon to come. Across the street they have their tap room (a beer garden should be completed before summer this year on the brewery side). The tap room has wonderful food including their pub burger with bleu cheese, or their fish and chips made with Scrimshaw batter. And for dessert you can indulge in their wonderful Old Rasputin chocolate cake drizzled with syrup made from condensed old stock ale- it is simply to die for!
