Sunday “See the USA” Travel Supplement
See the USA. Even if you don’t drive a Chevrolet.
Let’s begin in Cincinnati, where you can toast the Reds, drink to forget the Bengals, or both. And if the weather is nice, you can do so in one of the city’s beer gardens.
The New York Times uncovered this gem: Brew York, New York, which keeps New Yorkers abreast of beer happenings in the city’s 8,000 or so licensed establishments.
If your travel plans include Colorado, think about buying a copy of The Beer Drinker’s Guide To Colorado by Mike Laur. Breweries are springing up so fast in the state (there are now well over a hundred) that Laur just released the fourth edition of his book.
Speaking of Colorado, if you’re going to the Great American Beer Festival, P.J. Hoberman of The Hop Press profiles 15 establishments within a three-mile radius of the festival venue.
Finally, is I-84 in Oregon the ultimate Ale Trail? Jeff Alworth of Beervana.com counted seven brewerieson the route (plus two more across the Columbia River in Washington State) in towns whose combined population is well under 100,000.
HuffPo’s Ten Best Beer Cities
This is sure to start a few barroom arguments. Yesterday’s Huffington Post contained a World’s Ten Best Beer Cities slideshow. The photography is excellent, but the selections leave something to be desired. For instance, Bruges is on the list while Brussels isn’t; Burlington, Vermont, is included but other worthy college towns–Boulder and Madison come to mind–aren’t; Sapporo made the top ten on the strength of a single brewery, while Philadelphia is nowhere to be found. And we’re still scratching our heads over Mexico City’s inclusion.
Your Sunday Travel Supplement
Because everyone we know is on vacation, back from vacation, or planning their next one:
The folks at ESPN Sports Travel were in Milwaukee, where they fired up the grill, caught a Brewers game, and posted a Miller Park photo gallery.
We don’t know who wrote the article, but he or she recommends a long list of beer destinations in and around California’s wine country. You’ll definitely need a designated driver for this itinerary.
Reb Stevenson of the Toronto Star went to Oktoberfest, where she discovered that women need to be extra careful.
Steph Weber at TheHopPress.com, leads us on a photo-filled tour of the hop spots of her favorite city in North Carolina–namely, Asheville.
The Friday Mash (Elvis Edition)
Next Monday marks the 33rd anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death, but today we celebrate a different Elvis–namely, Elvis Grbac, who played quarterback at Michigan and in the NFL. He turns 40 today. We’re also honoring two other athletes with that name: figure skater Elvis Stojko and running back Elvis Peacock.
And now…The Mash!
We begin at the ballpark, where Chris Gigley of Beer Connoisseur.com celebrates the keystone combination of minor league baseball and craft beer.
Next stop is New York City, where beer gardens have been sprouting up. Robert Simonson of the New York Times tells us where to find them. If you’re thinking of visiting NYC, you might want to arrive sometime between September 24 and October 3, which is New York City Craft Beer Week.
In our style section, Jack Curtin answers the question: What’s up with ginger beer? And Greg Kitsock, writing in the Washington Post, gets us acquainted with an up-and-coming style: black India pale ale.
Turning to travel, Bryan Kolesar of The Brew Lounge was among the revelers at Belgium Comes to Cooperstown, and he’s got dozens and dozens of photos to prove it.
Northern Michigan is known for its wine, but a European-style farmhouse brewery, the Leelanau Brewing Company, is about to open.
Finally, Stone Brewing Company, Ballast Point Brewing, and North Park Beer Company have joined forces to brew San Diego County Session Ale. It’ll hit the shelves next month.
A (Beer) Run For the Border
Maryanne and Paul live less than 30 miles from the Canadian border, and have crossed it numerous times to enjoy theater (Stratford); city life (Toronto); and, of course, craft beer (just about anywhere).
Turns out that cross-border goes both ways: there are Canadians who cross the border to drink Michigan beer. One of them is Sandra MacGregor, a food and travel writer for the Ottawa Citizen.
Her mission: to find Canadian Breakfast Stout, which got its name because it’s aged in barrels formerly used for maple syrup. It was waiting for her at Founders Brewing Company, where a marketing person told her, “we don’t necessarily encourage you to drink it for breakfast.”
MacGregor’s travels in the Great Lakes State also took her to Bell’s Eccentric Cafe in Kalamazoo and the Jolly Pumpkin Cafe and Brewery in Ann Arbor. She didn’t reveal how much Michigan beer she brought back with her. Though she did point out that it can’t be found at liquor stores in Ontario.
The Friday Mash (Model T Edition)
On this day in 1863, Henry Ford I was born. Among other things, he pioneered the assembly line for building cars. Mr. Ford was a sworn enemy of alcohol, so don’t let him know that Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum, which he built during the 1920s, now serve locally-brewed craft beer.
And now…The Mash!
This is the last day to vote in TheFullPint.com’s Best IPA Poll. Currently in the lead: Ballast Point Sculpin IPA.
Iowa has upped its ABV limit on beer to 12 percent. Ryan Van Velzer of Draft magazine tells us what’s on tap and what’s in the tank in the Hawkeye State.
Don Russell, a/k/a “Joe Sixpack,” takes note of the latest fresh-beer technology–namely, home draft kegs.
Trying to convert a wine lover to beer? Evan Benn offers style-by-style recommendations.
Sean Norquist, who blogs at The Hop Press, is beer hunting in Hawaii. You can find his first three posts from the Aloha State here, here, and here.
Madonna’s ex-husband Guy Ritchie plans to open his own brewery.
Finally, Maureen Ogle, the author of Ambitious Brew interviewed Beer Robot. Her “boxers or briefs” question didn’t compute.
“Three Sheets” Now on The Travel Channel
Three Sheets, the travel series starring self-described “drinking nerd” Zane Lamprey, can be seen on the Travel Channel. Two episodes are shown back-to-back on Wednesdays (that’s tonight, folks), starting at 11 pm Eastern and Pacific time. Or, if you prefer, Hulu.com has the first four seasons of Three Sheets.
If you’ve never caught Lamprey on television, New York Times TV critic Mike Hale tells you what you can expect.
Beer Hunting in the Badger State
It goes without saying that Wisconsinites love their beer. In fact, the Badger State has more breweries than any state east of the Rockies. Visiting them all would be quite an accomplishment, and writing a guidebook to them would be even more impressive. And that’s what Madison-based writer Kevin Revolinski has done.
In 2006, Revolinski wrote The Wisconsin Beer Guide: A Travel Companion, a guidebook to the state’s breweries. Four years later, things had changed so much in his state’s craft-brewing industry that he hit the road again and wrote a second edition. The book, which is now in print, lists 74 breweries and brewpubs, from the gigantic MillerCoors plant in Milwaukee to the little Pioneer Haus inside the student center at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
Revolinski and his book came to our attention after we noticed a story he wrote in Sunday’s Chicago Tribune. If you live in Chicagoland or, for that matter, anywhere in the Great Lakes area, the story might make you plan a Wisconsin beer tour–and pick up a copy of the book.
A Festival With a Dress Code?
Still looking for something to do Labor Day weekend? You might want to catch a plane to Austria, make your way to Altaussee, and take part in that town’s 50th annual Altausseer Bierzelt.
The festival, which is organized by the local fire department, draws many local residents, as well as visitors from the Vienna area, along with a few from beyond. It offers everything you’d expect from an Oktoberfest-style celebration: oom-pah bands; roast chicken and wursts; carnival rides; and of course, plenty of beer.
There’s one requirement you should be aware of: festival-goers are expected to dress the part. That means lederhosen for men, and dirndls for women.
If you can read German, and want more information, you’ll find it on the festival website.
A Visit to the Moscow Beer Festival
Tim Kirby, an America living in Russia, has produced a number of high-quality “Tsar Podcasts” about his current home. The other day, he sent Ludwig one of his latest podcasts: a nine-minute video from the Moscow Beer Festival, held last weekend outside Lenin Stadium. (Lenin turned his back to the festivities, and Tim will explain why.)
In some respects, beer festivals are the same everywhere, but there are distinctive touches to Moscow’s festival. For one thing, the food menu includes the likes of moose sausage, fried croutons, and fish. And Russian brewers are not afraid to try unusual ingredients such as seaweed and ginger, or to serve unfiltered beer.
Here’s Tim’s video from the festival:
Spasiba, Tim!