Mr. Oliver Goes to Washington
This evening, the National Geographic Society and The Brickskeller will hold their annual beer seminar. For the fifth year running, Brooklyn Brewery’s Garrett Oliver will host the event, which was begun by none other than Michael Jackson, The Beer Hunter. This topic of year’s seminar is “New Beers of Scandinavia.”
In case you haven’t gotten your hands on a ticket (the event is sold out), Tammy Tuck of the Washington City Paper has a story about her interview of Oliver.
Michael Jackson Remembered
Last Friday Andy Crouch, the Beer Scribe, wrote about a recent visit to England. The highlight of the trip was Michael Jackson’s archive in Oxford. It contained 30 large file cabinets filled with everything from tasting notes to his personal research into treatments for Parkinson’s disease.
Crouch’s post got the attention of Jack Curtin, who blogs at Liquid Diet. The fact that no one had visited the archive in two years prompted a blog post containing this comment:
We really need a good Michael Jackson biography written, and the sooner the better. It was something I ever so gently approached him about once and was going to make a more serious effort to present the last time we met, about five months before his death in 2009, but never managed to get to.
Curtin’s post also links back to his fascinating interview with Jackson’s personal assistant, Owen Barstow, who portrays “The Beer Hunter” as honest, intense, and dedicated to his craft. And, like most writers, underpaid.
Michael Jackson Documentary to Debut at GABF
It’s hard to believe that more than two years have gone by since Michael Jackson, The Beer Hunter, passed away. Many of us who write about beer have a Michael Jackson story to tell. (Maryanne and Paul’s involves a Jackson-tutored vertical tasting at the New Belgium Brewery when we were in Colorado for the 2003 Great American Beer Festival. And yes, we still have the festival program bearing his autograph.)
Now comes word that a documentary about The Beer Hunter will debut at this year’s GABF. It was directed by John R. Richards of The Wine Travelers series fame, and produced by his production company, Maroon Studios. The website for The Beer Hunter: The Movie describes the film:
Filmmaker J.R. Richards traveled extensively with Michael throughout the United States and Europe, filming Michael as he got the story behind the world’s greatest beer and whiskey. Through this footage and interviews with leading brewers and beer enthusiasts, we are treated to an intimate picture of Michael: his enigmatic personality, his extraordinary life, his remarkable contributions, and his secret struggle with Parkinson’s Disease.
. Here’s a preview of what festival-goers are going to see:
By the way, proceeds from the film will go to the National Parkinson’s Foundation.