The Friday Mash (D10K Edition)
Fourteen years ago today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 10,000 for the first time ever. The milestone prompted a celebration on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, complete with party hats. Probably followed by beers after the market closed.
And now….The Mash!
We begin in Chattanooga, whose Beer Board doubled a license suspension for selling to minors because the offending store displayed a sign calling Tennessee’s “card-everyone” law “silly.”
Stratford, Connecticut’s Two Roads Brewing Company has honored aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky with a beer called “Igor’s Dream”. Fittingly, it’s a Rye Russian Imperial Stout.
The Prince Edward Island Liquor Control Commission is looking for a partner for a new beer festival this fall. The commission also intends to ban rival beer festivals on the island.
Baseball writer (and beer snob) Dayn Perry treated his readers to a Cubs logo made of beer containers that “once housed regrettable North American swill.”
State lawmakers can’t figure out how the University of Minnesota lost $16,000 on beer sales last football season, even though it sold $900,000 worth of beer at $7.50 a serving.
Rock star wannabe Adam Dickinson called himself “Hellvis.” His “Hellvis” signature led police to the $30,000 in rare beer he stole from the Avery Brewing Company.
Finally, Canada produces 80 percent of the world’s maple syrup. Some of it has found its way into Canadian beer. The recommended food pairing? Pancakes.
The Friday Mash (Tom McCall Edition)
Today would have been the 100th birthday of former Oregon governorTom McCall. He’s best known for environmental initiatives, including the nation’s first returnable bottle bill. The Oregon Brewers Fest takes place every July at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland.
And now…The Mash!
We begin in York Haven, Pennsylvania, where Jeff Lebo has built a house for his collection of 83,000 vintage beer cans. His Brewhouse Mountain Eco-Inn offers overnight accommodations.
Serving miners? Krogh’s Brew Pub of Sparta, New Jersey, is storing casks of Imperial Stout in an old iron and zinc mine. They’ll be tapped at next year’s celebration of Krogh’s 15th anniversary party as a brewpub.
Iron Maiden, the heavy metal band, has teamed up with the Robinsons brewery to brew its own beer: Trooper, named after one of the band’s most popular songs.
Victory Brewing Company and Dogfish Head Craft Brewery are hosting “Amber Waves,” an exhibition of beer and the art promoting it at this year’s Craft Brewers Conference.
After Thomas Knight of Key West got caught stealing from an airport bar at 5:40 am, security handed him a trespass warning. At least he isn’t on the no-fly list.
Homebrewer Robert Scott has invented the Tapit Cap, which keeps growlers of beer fresh and carbonated. He’s trying to raise $80,000 on Kickstarter to bring his device to market.
Finally, a toast to Mark and Mandie Murphy, who have opened a baseball-themed brewery in Ontario. The Left Field Brewery’s lineup includes the wonderfully-named 6-4-3 Double IPA.
The Friday Mash (Consumer Rights Edition)
On this day in 1962, President John F. Kennedy delivered a speech that led to passage of the Consumer Bill of Rights. The president declared that consumers were entitled to a choice of safe products, information about what they buy, and the right to be heard. So if someone serves you a pint of ailing ale today, don’t be afraid to send it back.
And now…The Mash!
We begin with a consumer-rights story from Seattle, where the 5 Point Cafe has become the city’s first business to slap a ban on Google Glass. It’s part of the bar’s privacy policy that forbids customers to film or photographing others.
Meet Arnie, the smart beer vending machine. He lives at Arnold Worldwide’s offices in Austin, Texas, and dispenses beer that was home-brewed by company employees.
In London, the brewers of Sol beer offer a new form of recycling. Feed the machine one of your unwanted ties, and it will issue you a coupon good for a free bottle of beer.
A new season of Game of Thrones debuts on HBO on March 31, and Brewery Ommegang has brewed a special ale in collaboration with the cable network. Paul Schrodt of Esquire reviews the beer.
It’s only eight years old, but Milwaukee’s Old German Beer Hall has gained national attention for its genuine Bavarian atmosphere. The beer, and the flour used to make pretzels, are imported from Munich.
Does your company’s perks include a free beer on company time? Advanced Medical in Port Orange, Florida, rolls out the beer cart on Friday afternoons.
Finally, Dr. Amanda Ellison of Durham University (UK) debunks “beer goggles”: People don’t look more attractive to you after a few too many; you’ve simply lowered your standards. Caveat emptor.
Jay Brooks on the Brewing Industry
West Coast writer Jay Brooks took exception to a recent column in the New York Times about the proposed buyout of Grupo Modelo by Anheuser Busch-InBev. He concluded that the correspondent, Adam Davidson, knows little about the brewing industry and its history.
In a blog post on the Brookston Beer Bulletin, Brooks first addresses Davidson’s “sure, the industry is competitive, look at all the brands on the shelves” argument. His response: “saying they’re on equal footing is the economic equivalent of pretending that employees and employers have equal bargaining power, as most economic textbooks continue to insist.”
He then responds to Davidson’s characterization of A-B InBev being “on the cusp” of a monopoly by saying that ABI has been a de facto monopoly with one or two others for decades, all but controlling the marketplace. As for Davidson’s statement that we are in “the very early stages” of industry consolidation, Brooks points out that “the global beer world has been dominated by an ever-shrinking group of very large conglomerates for at least the last three or four decades.”
Finally, Brooks offers his prediction of what will happen next:
As always happens, the two parties will hammer out a compromise that was probably the deal everybody wanted in the first place, but this way both parties look good in the public eye. The [Justice Department] will look like they’re being tough on big business and are protecting the public while ABI will look good because they were able to get the deal done, and their share price will shoot up.
The Friday Mash (Five and Dime Edition)
On this day in 1879, Frank Woolworth opens the first of many Woolworth stores in In Utica, New York. He unwittingly inspired the Marx Brothers’ routine in which Rufus T. Firefly suggested that Chicolini be given “ten years in Leavenworth, or 11 years in Twelveworth”; and Chicolini responded, “I’ll take five and ten in Woolworth.”
And now…The Mash!
We begin in Florida, where a 45-year-old law, passed as part of a turf war among big brewers, has the unintended effect of banning the sale of growlers. Lawmakers are trying to fix that.
FirstWeFeast.com has compiled a list of 12 celebrities who ought to be spokespersons for craft beer. They include Kat Dennings, the cast of How I Met Your Mother, and, of course, President Barack Obama.
You can buy a beer at many college basketball arenas, including seven of the 20 largest. Beer sales can bring in money through concession revenues, added ticket sales, or both.
Beer and video games have always gone together, but an arcade fighting game called Beercade goes one step farther. It rewards the winning combatant with a cup of beer.
To celebrate their city’s Beer Week, the San Francisco Brewers Guild has rolled out “Green Death”, a malt liquor inspired by the 50s-60s version of Rainier Ale. Paper bag not included.
Don’t expect Anheuser-Busch to advertise this anytime soon. According to a nationwide survey, beer is the favorite beverage of underage drinkers and Budweiser is their favorite brand.
Finally, if you have a ticket to tomorrow’s Winter Beer Festival in Grand Rapids, John Serba of MLive.com has some friendly advice: dress warmly for 33-degree temperatures and snow flurries.
The Friday Mash (Carnaval de Quebec Edition)
Today is the opening day of Carnaval de Quebec, the world’s largest winter festival. The signature events of this 17-day celebration include nightly parades, the Ice Palace, and a lovable mascot named Bonhomme. If you can’t make it to Quebec City, feel free to uncork a hearty Quebec-brewed ale and mock winter.
And now….The Mash!
We begin in New Brunswick, Canada, where 17 people got a rude surprise. They got busted by the Mounties for bringing home cheap beer from Quebec. Not only was their beer seized, but each offender faces a $292.50 fine as well.
In the Czech Republic, beer is cheaper than water. That prompted the country’s health minister to propose that Czech bars offer at least one nonalcoholic drink at a lower price than a like amount of beer.
Once again, Westvleteren 12 won top honors on RateBeer.com’s list of top 50 beers of 2013. Rounding out the top five were Russian River’s Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger, Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout, and Cigar City Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout.
A fan attending the Winnipeg Jets-Boston Bruins hockey game got a big surprise–namely, a puck that flew out of the rink and ended up in his beer.
Douglas Brown of the Denver Post sat down with Kim Jordan, who explained how her Quaker upbringing and social work background prepared her to run one of America’s most successful microbreweries.
Author John Holl gets us caught up on nitrogenated craft beers. He also explains why these beers have such a thick mouthfeel. It’s because nitrogen is largely insoluble in liquid.
Finally, a Class A baseball team in the Portland, Oregon, area plans to offer a variety of craft beers this season. Fittingly, the team’s name is the Hillsboro Hops.
The Friday Mash (No Smoking Edition)
On this day in 1964, U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry released the landmark report Smoking and Health, which linked tobacco use to lung cancer and other health problems. The report led to anti-smoking efforts around the world, which probably include a ban on lighting up at your friendly local.
And now…The Mash!
We begin in Bend, Oregon, where Daniel Keeton loves his dog Lola Jane so much that he brewed a beer for her. Dawg Grog is a nonalcoholic brew made with spent grains and vegetable broth.
If you haven’t disposed of your Christmas tree yet, you might want to use it to brew spruce beer. The beverage was enjoyed by the Vikings, and used by the Royal Navy to treat scurvy.
Remember that bottle of White House Honey Porter President Obama gave a coffee shop patron last fall? It fetched $1,200 at a charity auction. The winning bidders shared the brew on stage while the University of Minnesota band played “Hail to the Chief.”
It takes balls–literally–to make this beer. Denver’s Wynkoop Brewing Company has released Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout, which is brewed with bull testicles. Fittingly, it’s available in two-packs.
Archaeologists have discovered evidence of 11,000-year-old beer brewing troughs at a cultic feasting site in Turkey. Some believe that prehistoric beer busts brought groups of people together and fueled the rise of civilization.
In 1880, Mark Twain visited the University of Heidelberg. Twain witnessed no duels, but did observe the student princes’ competition for the title of Beer King. (Hat tip: bloggers Boak and Bailey).
Finally, Boston Beer Company has resurrected New Albion Ale. The beer, which was made by craft-brewing pioneer Jack McAuliffe from 1976 to 1983, will be distributed nationwide. Proceeds will go to the now-retired McAuliffe.
Going…Going…Gone!
On Saturday, tickets went on sale for the Michigan Brewers Guild’s Winter Beer Festival in Grand Rapids. The online allocation is already sold out, but a limited number of tickets are available at select breweries, bars, and stores.
The festival will take place February 23.
The Friday Mash (Day of the Dead Edition)
Today marks the second day of Mexico’s Day of the Dead observance. During the 1990s, this tradition inspired Rogue Ales to brew Dead Guy Ale for Casa U Betcha in Portland, Oregon. The ale, perhaps the best-known of Rogue’s beers, is now available in much of the country.
And now….The Mash!
We begin in Virginia, where the Capitol City Brewing Company’s offer of a free pint for an “I Voted” sticker was found to be in violation of state law.
Your family Bible doesn’t mention beer, but according to Dr. James Bowley, a professor of religious studies at Millsaps College, beer culture flourished among the Israelites of Old Testament times.
During his contract negotiations with the Washington Redskins, Chris Cooley asked the club to throw in a case of beer. Cooley didn’t say which brand.
Here comes another brewing industry merger. Cerveceria Costa Rica agreed to buy North American Breweries, which owns the Magic Hat and Pyramid brands and also sells Genesee and Labatt beer in the U.S.
If you have $540,000, and would like to own a brewery, here’s your chance. Dan Humphrey, the owner of the Michigan Beer Cellar, has decided to sell his business. He’s had it with 16-hour days.
Pete Brown’s latest book, Shakespeare’s Local: Six Centuries of History Seen Through One Extraordinary Pub, is now in print. It’s the story of the George Inn, London’s last surviving galleried coaching inn.
Finally, Dr. Michael Lewis, a professor at the University of California, Davis, says that the familiar “shaker pint” is an awful glass for serving fresh beer because it’s wider at the top than at the bottom.
The Friday Mash (Wizard of Oz Edition)
On this day in 1939, the film version of L. Frank Baum’s classic story, The Wizard of Oz, opened at Loew’s Capitol Theater in New York. The film won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture; and, thanks to its re-introduction to the public on television in 1956, became the most-watched motion picture in history. Ludwig, however, has panned the film for its depiction of lions.
And now…The Mash!
We begin in Philadelphia, where the American Beer Blogger documentary has been nominated for an Emmy in Mid-Atlantic region’s Entertainment/Program-Special category.
In an effort to boost sales in a flat economy, some Czech brewers are committing beer blasphemy by brewing Radlers, beers mixed with drinks such as Sprite and lemonade.
Stereotypes die hard, especially when gender is involved. Naomi McAuliffe, writing in The Guardian, calls on British women to demand their pint of Real Ale.
“Craft beer” has earned a place in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary. Feel free to enjoy it in a “man cave” while compiling your “bucket list.” Both of those terms have also been added.
A “blue moon”–a second full moon in the same month–will occur on August 31. MillerCoors, the makers of Blue Moon beer, will celebrate the rare event with a special-edition Caramel Apple Spiced Ale.
San Francisco’s Toronado beer bar opened 25 years ago today. Russian River Brewing Company will celebrate with a special sour beer, to be served at the legendary establishment.
Finally, here’s your invitation to predict the future. The topic for Session No. 67 will be How Many Breweries in 2017?. Derrick Peterman, who blogs at Ramblings of a Beer Runner, is your host.