Beer…By the Numbers
What’s in a Name?
Amber Stout’s parents had no idea that craft beer would become popular when they named her in 1990. Amber, who worked in this hospitality industry in college, began getting comments about her name tag while serving drinks. She told an MLive.com reporter, “I walked into Founders once and the guy checking IDs said ‘well, it looks like you’re in the right spot,’” she said. The staff must have liked her: she’s pictured holding a pint of Breakfast Stout in one hand, and a pint of Red’s Rye Ale in the other.
Grand Rapids, Asheville Defend “Beer City” Title
As you probably recall, last year’s voting for “Beer City USA” wound up a tie between Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Asheville, North Carolina. This year, Grand Rapids is trying to win the title outright, and the city’s Convention and Visitors Bureau has gotten into the get-out-the-vote act. Asheville isn’t sitting on its laurels, either. It recently staged a special Beer City music video, complete with an elaborate dance sequence.
By the way, voting is now underway for Beer City USA. The polls close Friday night.
What, You Haven’t Voted Yet?
Even though spring is slow in coming this year, it’s almost time for American Craft Beer Week. And that means another election for this year’s Beer City USA.
Last year, Asheville, North Carolina, and Grand Rapids, Michigan, were declared co-winners. Both of those cities, along with 16 others, are already on the ballot for 2013. Beer lovers are invited to nominate other deserving cities in a “primary election”. Cities that get at least 400 votes will be added to the ballot, and voting closes at 11:59 pm (Mountain Standard Time) tomorrow.
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.
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.
Pro Tip: Keg Tapping Edition
Mayor George Heartwell of Grand Rapids, Michigan, explains what not to do during the ceremonial keg-tapping at Oktoberfest:
The Friday Mash (Lion in Winter Edition)
On this day in 1152, King Henry II of England married Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of medieval Europe’s most powerful women. Their turbulent marriage was the subject of James Goldman’s play The Lion in Winter, which was made into a film starring Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn in 1968.
And now…The Mash!
We begin in Finland, where scientists are trying to re-create a beer brewed in the 1840s. Bacteria from the golden-colored beer were found in a ship that went to the bottom of the Baltic Sea.
New Zealander Katrina Hayman won’t apologize for drinking beer backstage at a Bride of the Year competition. She says the controversy never would have happened had she sipped wine instead.
In Grand Rapids, Michigan, a group of homebrewers in the area have formed The High Five Co-op Brewery. Now comes the hard part: navigating the legal and administrative hurdles.
Author Rob Kasper takes us back half a century and explains how brought major league baseball to Baltimore. The Lone Ranger’s silver bullet plays a role in this fascinating story.
In 1963, brewer Alfred Heineken and architect John Habraken designed a house made of Heineken bottles. They used “World of Beer” bottles, which lent themselves to construction.
On his Pencil and Spoon blog, Matt Dredge wonders whether it is possible to pair hoppy beers and hot and spicy foods.
Finally, Burnside Brewing Company apologized for giving the name “Kali-ma” to an ale flavored with Indian spices and hot peppers. Kali, a four-armed goddess, is revered by Hindus.
The Friday Mash (Rocket Science Edition)
One hundred years ago today, Wernher von Braun, the greatest rocket scientist in history, was born in Germany. He was the architect of NASA’s Saturn V launch vehicle that propelled Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the Moon on July 20, 1969.
And now….The Mash!
We begin in Grand Rapids, Michigan’s craft beer capital, where the city’s Public Museum plans to add a brewing history exhibit.
All About Beer magazine’s Brian Yaeger wandered into the cinematic archives and dredged up the 1985 film Beer starring Loretta Swit and Rip Torn. Here’s his review.
Soon it will be easier for brewery startups to raise capital online. The U.S. Senate approved the CROWDFUND Act, which will allow businesses to raise up to $1 million through government-approved crowd-sourcing portals.
Good news and bad news from Victory Brewing Company. It’s about to reach capacity at its current facility, but will build a second brewery not far away. The new location will use water with the same mineral composition as Victory’s original brewery.
New York City’s craft beer has gotten oodles of publicity, but Long Island has quietly been upping its game as well. Imbibe magazine’s Josh Bernstein knows where to find good beer on “the Island.”
James Fallows, the Atlantic’s national correspondent, took time out from weightier issues to report on Australia’s craft beer explosion.
Finally, global warming didn’t cause the extreme heat in Columbus last month. The culprit was the Elevator Brewing Company’s Ghost Scorpion Lager, which was brewed with the hottest peppers on Earth.
A Tool for Real Ale Aficionados
Alex Hall, who maintains a Cask Ale Finder for the United States and Canada, has enhanced his site with a Google map of establishments that serve Real Ale.
Of course, Maryanne and Paul went straight to the Michigan map. They discovered that the biggest concentration of establishments is in Grand Rapids, which continues to solidify its reputation as our state’s craft beer capital.