NEWS (North, East, South, West)
Time to hit the road, girls and boys:
We lead off with Cole Premo of WCCO-TV, who serves up a list of the ten best Minnesota-brewed beers.
Julia Burke, beer editor for the New York Cork Report, touts Rochester, New York, as “a diamond in the rough” for beer lovers.
A new Indiana law allows microbreweries to sell beer on Sunday. That same law also requires everyone, regardless of age, to show ID.
The Independent’s Rhiannon Batten locates England’s 50 best country pubs.
Finally, as part of its series on unusual customs around the world, BBC News has video of an old Peruvian beer-drinking ritual.
The Friday Mash (Cabin Fever Edition)
Same day. Different Mash.
“Johnny Fullpint” at The Full Pint gives us a preview of the inaugural Chesapeake Oyster and Beer Festival in Maryalnd.
Award-winning beer writer Pete Brown tells us that in spite of a rash of closures and an indifferent government, the British pub isn’t going to die. That said, the venerable British pint glass could be getting a makeover because it is often used as a weapon by drunken pub-goers.
This August, Charlie Papazian will be in Maine to lead another edition of The 2010 Art & Science of Beer. It’s a series of presentations, meals, and beer tastings.
Attention Indianapolis Colts fans: your Super Bowl party isn’t complete without Indiana-brewed beer. And they’re getting easier to find at your local liquor store.
Men’s Health magazine named MGD 64 the best beer to drink. John Foyston, who writes for The Oregonian, has something to say about that.
Finally, Wynkoop Brewing Company has named its three finalists for the Beerdrinker of the Year award. The national finals are February 27.
Thirsty Thursday Beer Travel
The beer bloggers have been working harder than Santa’s elves, exploring destinations old and new, and sharing their adventures with with the world.
Jay at Hedonist Beer Blog was amazed by all the new beer bars in New York City. He takes us inside one of them, Rattle and Hum in midtown Manhattan.
On IndianaBeer.com, Bob Ostrander fills us in on his mini-beer tour of Southern Indiana. Stops included New Albany, Columbus, and Brown County.
Boak and Bailey again found themselves in Cologne, where they checked out newly-opened Freischem’s Brauhaus, and also dropped in on a couple of their old favorites. They enjoyed the city’s famous Kolsch, but found beers in other styles as well.
And finally, some future beer travel. Mike at DCBeer.com profiles 5 New DC Beer spots to check out in 2010. Now that is change we can believe in.
Now in Print: Colorado, Idaho, and Indiana Breweries Guidebooks
Rita T. Kohn’s book, True Brew: A Guide to Craft Beer in Indiana, is now available. Maryanne and Paul occasionally find themselves in the Hoosier State, and they’re impressed with how its craft beer scene has blossomed.
Bob Phaff is the author of A Guide to the Beers and Breweries of Idaho. Here’s a link to the guidebook’s Facebook page, as well as a link to the Idaho Statesman’s review of the book. If you’re keeping score at home, the Gem State now has 17 breweries and brewpubs.
Last but not least, Kathy and Lee Hayward, a husband-and-wife team, have written a guidebook to their home state: Drinking and Drivingin Colorado: A Guide to Colorado’s Brewpubs. Colorado has only about five million people, but boasts 77 brewpubs and 19 breweries. The folks at Colorado-based Fermentedly Challenged recently reviewed the book.
Of course, Paul and Maryanne are the authors of Michigan Breweries, which you can buy through BeerBooks.com or Amazon.com
Indiana Craft Brewers Lobby for Sunday Sales
Living in Michigan, we take Sunday beer sales for granted. The only problem here is that you can’t get a beer before noon. That can be a big problem if you’ve tickets to a Lions game (trust us, you need a few beers before watching that team play). That’s not the case in Indiana, where blue laws remain on the books. The Brewers Guild of Indiana is asking state lawmakers to allow Sunday sales. The guild argues that Sunday sales would attract visitors to the breweries, bringing tourism dollars to the state. Unfortunately, the guild’s efforts might get mired in a bigger controversy over allowing Sunday carry-out sales at “big box” retailers.