I have been deeply engaged and writing about the world of craft beer for about nine months now. I knew when I decided to focus my efforts on this culture and industry that there was a lot I didn't know and that I needed to learn. I soon found myself surrounded (virtually and otherwise) with other beer lovers, writers, brewers, and so on, all eager to pass on information and answer any question I had. And there was no common theme other than beer people helping other beer people. No one asked "are you a Democrat or Republican". No one cared how much money I made, if I was married, had kids, owned a home, had a good credit rating, or where I went to school. The single factor was that I liked craft beer and wanted to learn more.
Everyone I have met has a different background, comes from a different place, and has their own personal tastes and preferences when it comes to beer. Hop-heads and malt-heads, sour-lovers and "extreme" beer hunters alike love to talk about beer and their experiences... and actually listen to yours!
Recently a hashtag of #beerpeopleRgoodpeople has been circulating on Twitter, and I have to smile every time I see it. As I have gotten to know more people I am uplifted by how something as basic and seemingly simple as craft beer can bring so many people together from so many different walks of life. of course there is some healthy competition. West Coast and East Coast, Yankees and Red Sox, NorCal and SoCal, Portland and Asheville... But I have met someone great from each of those. And with each new person i meet, be it online or in person, my own knowledge and appreciation of craft beer grows. I am not only introduced to new beers, but new books, new blogs, new cities, even. I can go just about anywhere in the country at this point and probably be within a couple hours at most from a #beerpeopleRgoodpeople connection. There is something fundamentally comforting about this to me.
So my goal - long term, anyway - is to share a craft beer in person with as many of these great beer people as possible. As spread out as they all are, it is a lofty goal, but a worthy one, I think.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Brewed for Tots
I was recently made aware of a new craft-beer-related blog called Brewed for Tots. I highly recommend it.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
... Out Like a Lamb? Not hardly...
Of course, there are choices that have to be made sometimes. Weighing the lesser of two evils or - if you are lucky - the greater of two goods. The more I go down the path of beer writer/blogger/advocate the more choices I am presented with and the more opportunities. And with those choices come compromises. Balancing those against a regular job and family life and just general responsibilities can be a daunting task. But undaunted, I press on.
A lot is going on in the world of Craft Beer these days. New breweries opening, long-standing ones being sold, and new offerings appears on shelves. Distribution is increasing and beers previously unavailable in certain markets are suddenly there. Fellow beer writer Ken Weaver described the craft beer situation in America these days as "an embarrassment of riches", and I have to agree. And its one of those times you have to be happy about being embarrassed. Here in Florida, the news is encouraging. More craft breweries opening up, more events being held, and more beers are becoming available. In fact, the shelf-space is becoming limited for all the new stuff coming in, and buyers are having to make choices about what to stock! A good problem to have, I suppose, but it got me thinking.
Is there a peak that we might reach where there is TOO much craft beer out there? How much will the market bear? According to studies and reports I have read recently, the craft beer industry increased sales over the past few years while macro-beer sales have fallen. In fact, the craft been industry is one of the few that have actually grown in this uncertain and unstable economy. If you think about market share, we still have a LOT of room to grow. But how does that growth happen and what does it look like? Does it mean more production from the current breweries? More breweries opening up? Larger and more far-reaching distribution? More local consumption?
The future of the industry is unclear, bu not uncertain. I don't think there is much that could stop the increasing momentum short of another Prohibition, and all signs point to the opposite happening. Greater acceptance and understanding of craft beer is taking hold, and it is also being recognized as a stable and positive economic addition to any local market. More and more craft beer is moving up the ladder of respect, and the brewers recognized not only in their niche but in a larger capacity as business people and artisans.
The coming months should prove to be interesting and exciting ones. I have been invited by the brewer of a yet-to-open brewery to sample some of his recipes, asked to help organize a craft beer pub crawl downtown, and expect to attend a few special events in the area. Things are happening in St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay, and all of it good!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Festivals and Honors
So out of nowhere, this very blog was selected as "Beer Blog of the Week" by the fine gentlemen of Beer Tap TV. Eric Boles and Eli Shayotovich host a weekly internet TV show all about beer! From events to tastings to beer-related news, these guys know their beer and are entertaining to boot! I hope to raise a few with them someday. I am very humbled to have been selected. Thanks guys!
In a Hop Press article this week, fellow writer Brian Cendrowski reviewed his trip to the Chaleston Brewvival beer festival and it made me think about the festivals I have been to and will go to. This coming weekend is the Florida Brewers Guild Beer Festival in Ybor City, an event I have been to numerous times. However this time I will be attending as a member of the "press". Being invited to a festival takes on a different feeling than just attending one. There is a certain responsibility that comes with it to not only prove that you belong as a recognized beer writer/journalist, but also to represent your sponsor, even if it is just yourself. In my case I am representing the Hop Press by RateBeer.com, the St. Petersburg Craft Beer Examiner, and of course Beer for the Daddy. My conduct directly reflects on all three (even more than the following article to a certain extent), and can very well determine future invites. Drunken, slovenly behavior is not usually appreciated by hosts or sponsors.
That said, these ARE beer festivals. Alcohol is part of the equation. And when you have twenty five craft brewers from Florida, and god-knows how many other great craft breweries represented, even if one were to only taste a single beer from each ("tastes" roughly being 1-2 ounces)... well, you do the math.
But something I have noticed about myself at recent festivals is that I am being more selective about what I choose. Maybe it is a sign of being a little more mature, maybe a sense of responsibility... maybe I am actually taking the time to TASTE the beers now. Yes, intoxication is pretty much a given, but obliteration is not. Back in my days at the old Harp and Thistle Pub we used to call it "that slightly blessed feeling, where you are oozing good will and compassion." Its a good state to be in.
Beer festivals have a tendency to bring out a variety of people. Of course, you have the beer geeks, hop heads, malt-lovers, home-brewers and so on. Then you have the people in the business... sales reps, distributors, brewers, and bar owners.
From there things start to go downhill. Its a toss-up to me which is worse: the frat-boy drunk or the beer-snob. The frat-boy drunk is the loud obnoxious guy sporting his Hollister shirt (2 sizes too small) trying to drink as much beer as he can and trying to find the highest alcohol beers only. He does taste, he guzzles. He probably will try to sound like he knows something about beer by making "poignant" statements like "I'm really into beer these days. Mostly I like lagers and ales." He will say this with a straight face.
The beer-snob is at the other end of the spectrum; she knows her beers. In fact, she knows YOUR beers. Better than you do. And she knows what is good, regardless of what you actually like. She will recite the OG, IBUs, and ABVs of everything you mention (WTF... seriously...) And she will tell you she will not enter a bar that serves Budweiser. She too will say this with a straight face, and probably an upturned nose.
But do not let the inevitable appearance of these two deter you from attending. They are easy to spot, and easy to avoid. It is not hard to find the beer geeks and genuine craft beer lovers, and they will most likely welcome you into their conversations, talk about the beers that have tried and liked, and direct you to ones you may not have found yet.
Saturday I am looking forward to tasting many of the Florida craft beers I have not had a chance to sample before. Swamp Head, Saint Somewhere, and a few I have never heard of are tops on my list. Most of all, I am looking forward to talking to some of the brewers and hearing their stories and ideas for the future of craft brewing in Florida. The event proceeds all go directly to moving pro-craft beer legislation in Florida government, spearheaded by the Florida Brewers Guild.
In a Hop Press article this week, fellow writer Brian Cendrowski reviewed his trip to the Chaleston Brewvival beer festival and it made me think about the festivals I have been to and will go to. This coming weekend is the Florida Brewers Guild Beer Festival in Ybor City, an event I have been to numerous times. However this time I will be attending as a member of the "press". Being invited to a festival takes on a different feeling than just attending one. There is a certain responsibility that comes with it to not only prove that you belong as a recognized beer writer/journalist, but also to represent your sponsor, even if it is just yourself. In my case I am representing the Hop Press by RateBeer.com, the St. Petersburg Craft Beer Examiner, and of course Beer for the Daddy. My conduct directly reflects on all three (even more than the following article to a certain extent), and can very well determine future invites. Drunken, slovenly behavior is not usually appreciated by hosts or sponsors.
That said, these ARE beer festivals. Alcohol is part of the equation. And when you have twenty five craft brewers from Florida, and god-knows how many other great craft breweries represented, even if one were to only taste a single beer from each ("tastes" roughly being 1-2 ounces)... well, you do the math.
But something I have noticed about myself at recent festivals is that I am being more selective about what I choose. Maybe it is a sign of being a little more mature, maybe a sense of responsibility... maybe I am actually taking the time to TASTE the beers now. Yes, intoxication is pretty much a given, but obliteration is not. Back in my days at the old Harp and Thistle Pub we used to call it "that slightly blessed feeling, where you are oozing good will and compassion." Its a good state to be in.
Beer festivals have a tendency to bring out a variety of people. Of course, you have the beer geeks, hop heads, malt-lovers, home-brewers and so on. Then you have the people in the business... sales reps, distributors, brewers, and bar owners.
From there things start to go downhill. Its a toss-up to me which is worse: the frat-boy drunk or the beer-snob. The frat-boy drunk is the loud obnoxious guy sporting his Hollister shirt (2 sizes too small) trying to drink as much beer as he can and trying to find the highest alcohol beers only. He does taste, he guzzles. He probably will try to sound like he knows something about beer by making "poignant" statements like "I'm really into beer these days. Mostly I like lagers and ales." He will say this with a straight face.
The beer-snob is at the other end of the spectrum; she knows her beers. In fact, she knows YOUR beers. Better than you do. And she knows what is good, regardless of what you actually like. She will recite the OG, IBUs, and ABVs of everything you mention (WTF... seriously...) And she will tell you she will not enter a bar that serves Budweiser. She too will say this with a straight face, and probably an upturned nose.
But do not let the inevitable appearance of these two deter you from attending. They are easy to spot, and easy to avoid. It is not hard to find the beer geeks and genuine craft beer lovers, and they will most likely welcome you into their conversations, talk about the beers that have tried and liked, and direct you to ones you may not have found yet.
Saturday I am looking forward to tasting many of the Florida craft beers I have not had a chance to sample before. Swamp Head, Saint Somewhere, and a few I have never heard of are tops on my list. Most of all, I am looking forward to talking to some of the brewers and hearing their stories and ideas for the future of craft brewing in Florida. The event proceeds all go directly to moving pro-craft beer legislation in Florida government, spearheaded by the Florida Brewers Guild.
Monday, March 1, 2010
...Coming In Like a Lion
Oh February... where hast thou gone?
I find myself beginning the last month of the first quarter (in business parlance) wondering how I got here. Where did January and February go?! Granted, articles were written, festivals attended, events and new discoveries and so on. But can it really be March, 2010 already?
Apparently it not only can be, but it is. So be it.
Since this blog is not only about beer, here are some thoughts and musings of the past 2 months:
I have been reading Sam Calagione's Brewing Up a Business and am very impressed. I am a big fan of Dogfish Head Brewery, and really like most of their beers. It is very eye-opening to see things down the right way and have them equated with a successful business. I have seen many other companies doing the opposite, and they are miserable places to work.
More people seem to be taking notice of the difference between "beer geeks" and "beer snobs". I talked about it in a Hop Press article a few months back, but have now seen it pop up in other articles and as a topic of discussion. Beer snobs do a disservice to the industry they purport to love. Beer geeks uplift it.
The Winter Olympics were a lot of fun to watch. I would love to visit Vancouver again some day now that I am an adult. I really enjoyed the opening ceremonies and most of the games I watched. However, NBC's decision to air the majority of the hockey games - including the USA v Canada (preliminary) game - on their cable channels was a huge disservice to their non-cable audience. And then to go a step further and offer it streaming online was great... until you discovered that even online, you had to be a cable subscriber. NBC = FAIL.
Olympics II: The men's hockey tournament was exceptional. Even though the USA lost, the level of play was a joy to watch from every team. And the level of class each team displayed regardless of victory or defeat should be a model for athletes world-wide (including prima-donna Russian figure skating men). Call Alexander Ovechkin a show-boat, but you didn't hear him bad-mouthing Team Canada after losing.
January and February are typically cold months everywhere in the northern hemisphere, even in Florida. However, in the past 15 years that I have lived here, I have never experienced this many "cold" days. By cold, I mean in the 50's or below. Now, before those in snowy climes start guffawing and pointing and shaking their heads, it should be pointed out that people live in Florida mostly because it does NOT get snowy and icy and frigid. People who live in those Hoth-like locales are there by choice. I am tired of being cold all the time. But it does make for good stout, porter, and barley-wine drinking weather.
I have sampled the Three Halos Rum Porter now a few times since bottling. This most recent test revealed a really, really good beer. Not as much rum flavor as I had hoped, but its there. Cheers, my friends.
My journey up to Dunedin Brewery for the Stogie and Stout event was excellent. I fell in love with stouts while living in Sonoma, and they were my beer of choice for many years. I was reminded why at the S&S. Full, rich, dark, and flavorful... I need to remember that its not always ONLY about hops...
The coming weeks hold several beer-related events and happenings which will be detailed out on Examiner.com and the Hop Press. I am also going to try to be more present here on Beer for the Daddy. Until then, relax and have a homebrew or craft beer...
I find myself beginning the last month of the first quarter (in business parlance) wondering how I got here. Where did January and February go?! Granted, articles were written, festivals attended, events and new discoveries and so on. But can it really be March, 2010 already?
Apparently it not only can be, but it is. So be it.
Since this blog is not only about beer, here are some thoughts and musings of the past 2 months:
I have been reading Sam Calagione's Brewing Up a Business and am very impressed. I am a big fan of Dogfish Head Brewery, and really like most of their beers. It is very eye-opening to see things down the right way and have them equated with a successful business. I have seen many other companies doing the opposite, and they are miserable places to work.
More people seem to be taking notice of the difference between "beer geeks" and "beer snobs". I talked about it in a Hop Press article a few months back, but have now seen it pop up in other articles and as a topic of discussion. Beer snobs do a disservice to the industry they purport to love. Beer geeks uplift it.
The Winter Olympics were a lot of fun to watch. I would love to visit Vancouver again some day now that I am an adult. I really enjoyed the opening ceremonies and most of the games I watched. However, NBC's decision to air the majority of the hockey games - including the USA v Canada (preliminary) game - on their cable channels was a huge disservice to their non-cable audience. And then to go a step further and offer it streaming online was great... until you discovered that even online, you had to be a cable subscriber. NBC = FAIL.
Olympics II: The men's hockey tournament was exceptional. Even though the USA lost, the level of play was a joy to watch from every team. And the level of class each team displayed regardless of victory or defeat should be a model for athletes world-wide (including prima-donna Russian figure skating men). Call Alexander Ovechkin a show-boat, but you didn't hear him bad-mouthing Team Canada after losing.
January and February are typically cold months everywhere in the northern hemisphere, even in Florida. However, in the past 15 years that I have lived here, I have never experienced this many "cold" days. By cold, I mean in the 50's or below. Now, before those in snowy climes start guffawing and pointing and shaking their heads, it should be pointed out that people live in Florida mostly because it does NOT get snowy and icy and frigid. People who live in those Hoth-like locales are there by choice. I am tired of being cold all the time. But it does make for good stout, porter, and barley-wine drinking weather.
I have sampled the Three Halos Rum Porter now a few times since bottling. This most recent test revealed a really, really good beer. Not as much rum flavor as I had hoped, but its there. Cheers, my friends.
My journey up to Dunedin Brewery for the Stogie and Stout event was excellent. I fell in love with stouts while living in Sonoma, and they were my beer of choice for many years. I was reminded why at the S&S. Full, rich, dark, and flavorful... I need to remember that its not always ONLY about hops...
The coming weeks hold several beer-related events and happenings which will be detailed out on Examiner.com and the Hop Press. I am also going to try to be more present here on Beer for the Daddy. Until then, relax and have a homebrew or craft beer...
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Three Halos Rum Porter
The Three Halos Rum Porter was brewed in remembrance and in honor of my friends Derrick Ide and Jevon Witherspoon, and my aunt Bonnie Nordquist. All three passed away in the final months of 2009.The Wolf Paw represents Derrick. It is the same design that he had tattooed on his leg, and his wife Rachel now wears the same artwork. I see it as a symbol of his untamed spirit, even in his darkest days.
The Norwegian Flag represents Bonnie, the Norwegian wife of my Swedish uncle Neil. She tolerated the unceasing teasing by our family with great humor and love.
The Florida Gator represents Jevon, a Gator fan to the core. He wore the colors whenever possible, even down to the orange and blue flip-flops.
The design was created by John Wilson, aka Sailin Nox.
Monday, January 4, 2010
The First Beer of 2010
Well, technically the first beer I brewed in 2010.
2009 was a tough year for me personally, especially towards the end. I lost two good friends and my aunt over the last 3 months, and it definately took its toll on my heart and mind, although i can't begin to imagine what their families have now been through.
Back in October, I lost a good friend named Jevon. He was my oldest son’s best friend's dad. 33 years old. He was in remission from testicular cancer. Father of 3 boys, 1 baby girl. He got suddenly sick (non-cancer related) and was hospitalized, then kept in a coma, then passed away, all in about 3 weeks. He was a perpetually positive and happy guy, always helping everyone else and having a good time doing it.
About 8 months ago I reconnected with an old friend from my days in Arizona named Derrick. After I left Arizona, we kept in touch for a few years, but then lost touch. I knew that he had moved back to upstate NY and gotten married. I searched for him on Facebook but found his wife instead. I contacted her and she told me that in 2006, Derrick had been diagnosed with cancer. Urachal adenocarcinoma to be specific. The past 6 months had been especially hellish with the pain and experimental treatments, etc. I got an update from her on November 14th that they were pretty much done. There was little to no chance of recovery anymore. They moved him home and got in touch with Hospice. He was 36 with a 5 year old daughter. Again, someone who did everything right, someone who had so much to offer the world and made it a better place. He passed away on Thanksgiving night in his wife’s arms after saying goodnight to his daughter.
In the beginning of December, I got an email from my mother that my aunt Bonnie (my dad's brother's sister) was in the hospital in critical condition. She was suffering from something called C. diff (which after looking it up sounds particularly nasty) and had her colon removed, which then was followed by her kidneys and liver failing. Come to find out she had actually been hospitalized since Halloween. She went dramatically downhill from there and passed away on the 4th of December. According to my father, she was nearly unresponsive at the end, and "They were gathered around her bedside reminiscing, and Neil (my uncle) looked over at Bonnie and saw a tear run down her cheek. At that moment her heart stopped. Neil said, "She made the decision for us.""
For a while I felt a bit stunned and unsure what to do or how to even grieve. I was also keenly aware that my sense of loss had to be a drop in the bucket compared to the two young widows and my uncle who had just lost his wife of many years. I decided – in true homebrewer fashion – that I would dedicate and brew my next batch in their memory, and thus, the Three Halos Rum Porter was born. I brewed it up yesterday, and have an artist friend working up a special label for it incorporating something special for each of them.
2010 Three Halos Rum Porter
Grains:
16oz Crystal 90L
8oz Cara-Pils
8oz Chocolate
4oz Black Patent
1 Cup Mount Gay Barbados Rum
7lbs Dark LME
Hops:
At 30 minutes, added 1oz Kent Golding and 1 oz Fuggles
At 60 minutes, added 1oz Willamette
Using White Labs English Ale Yeast (WLP002)
This baby is DARK...
Not sure if the rum will come through or not, but I figured better understated than over, eh?
O.G. is 1.062
I will report as it progresses.
2009 was a tough year for me personally, especially towards the end. I lost two good friends and my aunt over the last 3 months, and it definately took its toll on my heart and mind, although i can't begin to imagine what their families have now been through.
Back in October, I lost a good friend named Jevon. He was my oldest son’s best friend's dad. 33 years old. He was in remission from testicular cancer. Father of 3 boys, 1 baby girl. He got suddenly sick (non-cancer related) and was hospitalized, then kept in a coma, then passed away, all in about 3 weeks. He was a perpetually positive and happy guy, always helping everyone else and having a good time doing it.
About 8 months ago I reconnected with an old friend from my days in Arizona named Derrick. After I left Arizona, we kept in touch for a few years, but then lost touch. I knew that he had moved back to upstate NY and gotten married. I searched for him on Facebook but found his wife instead. I contacted her and she told me that in 2006, Derrick had been diagnosed with cancer. Urachal adenocarcinoma to be specific. The past 6 months had been especially hellish with the pain and experimental treatments, etc. I got an update from her on November 14th that they were pretty much done. There was little to no chance of recovery anymore. They moved him home and got in touch with Hospice. He was 36 with a 5 year old daughter. Again, someone who did everything right, someone who had so much to offer the world and made it a better place. He passed away on Thanksgiving night in his wife’s arms after saying goodnight to his daughter.
In the beginning of December, I got an email from my mother that my aunt Bonnie (my dad's brother's sister) was in the hospital in critical condition. She was suffering from something called C. diff (which after looking it up sounds particularly nasty) and had her colon removed, which then was followed by her kidneys and liver failing. Come to find out she had actually been hospitalized since Halloween. She went dramatically downhill from there and passed away on the 4th of December. According to my father, she was nearly unresponsive at the end, and "They were gathered around her bedside reminiscing, and Neil (my uncle) looked over at Bonnie and saw a tear run down her cheek. At that moment her heart stopped. Neil said, "She made the decision for us.""
For a while I felt a bit stunned and unsure what to do or how to even grieve. I was also keenly aware that my sense of loss had to be a drop in the bucket compared to the two young widows and my uncle who had just lost his wife of many years. I decided – in true homebrewer fashion – that I would dedicate and brew my next batch in their memory, and thus, the Three Halos Rum Porter was born. I brewed it up yesterday, and have an artist friend working up a special label for it incorporating something special for each of them.
2010 Three Halos Rum Porter
Grains:
16oz Crystal 90L
8oz Cara-Pils
8oz Chocolate
4oz Black Patent
1 Cup Mount Gay Barbados Rum
7lbs Dark LME
Hops:
At 30 minutes, added 1oz Kent Golding and 1 oz Fuggles
At 60 minutes, added 1oz Willamette
Using White Labs English Ale Yeast (WLP002)
This baby is DARK...
Not sure if the rum will come through or not, but I figured better understated than over, eh?
O.G. is 1.062
I will report as it progresses.
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