John Gasparaine , a beer lover and wood craftsman, is busy making the wooden hammer that Boog Powell will use to tap the cask aboard the USS Constellation. That event, Oct. 8th,  will start off Baltimore Beer Week .

The hammer, Gasparine says, will include wood from the Wye Oak, the state's historic white oak that was felled by a storm in 2002. 

But he needs a name for the hammer.

One suggestion is 

"Hammer of the Gods"

In Philadelphia, the hammer used to tap the cask that started its beer week was called

Hammer of Glory.  

Anyone got a good name for the Baltimore Beer Week hammer?

Let's hear  it.

Photo of Wye Oak, by Baltimore Sun photographer Aubrey Bodine, date unknown 

Posted by Rob Kasper at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (21)
        

Baltimore Beer Week, a celebration of local brewing culture Oct. 8-18th will soon be upon us.

Fellow beer bloggers, Brad Klipner of BeerInBaltimore.com and Ryan Boddy of So YeahDood.com recently  recorded an interview about the week  with Joe Gold, Volker Stewart and me. Here is a  link.

Here is tidbit from Baltimore beer history.

While the state's first  brewery was opened by  Benjamin Fordham in Annapolis in 1703, Baltimore's maiden brewery followed in 1748

 John Leonard Barnitz opened  Baltimore pioneer brewhouse on Hanover Street south of Baltimore street.

Barnitz's Brewery  would have a string of about 10 owners before eventually becoming  Globe Brewery, which rose where the main entrance to the Morris Mechanic Theater sits .

So we toast John Leonard Branitz for getting the beer barrels rolling.

Photo of Morris Mechanic Theater, where city's first brewery once stood, The Baltimore Sun

Posted by Rob Kasper at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Congratulations to the four Maryland breweries that walked away from the Great American Beer Festival in Denver last weekend with medals.

Flying Dog  in Frederick won three gold , plus a silver and  also garnered honors for  the nation's best mid size  brewery. Their Robert Malone was named  top brewer for mid-size operations.

The gold medal winners for Flying Dog are Horn Dog in the aged beer category, Dogtoberfest  in German style Marzen, Imperial Porter in Imperial Stout.

Their Gonzo won silver in the  wood and  barrel aged strong beer category.

Other Maryland winners are as follows

Clipper City MarzHon won a bronze for  Vienna style Marzen.

Dog Brewing's Pub Dog Black Dog  won bronze in Irish Style dry  stout.

Brewer's Alley's IPA won a bronze in English Style IPA.

Best wishes to the brewers for jobs well done.

Opinions on these beers?

Dogtoberfest label courtesy of Flying Dog

Posted by Rob Kasper at 9:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

While reading the obits ---what author John Gregory Dunne once called "the Irish sports pages"----  I noticed that noted artist and illustrator Bernie Fuchs  got his start because of beer.

According to the obituary in The New York Times, Fuchs was an art  student at Washington Universtity in St. Louis when one day he was "captivated by the technical precision of an illustration showing beads of sweat dripping off a beer bottle."

Making those precise  droplets on the beer bottle, became his quest. From there he went on to career as an illustrator, with his work appearing in Sports Illustrated, McCall's , TV Guide and other leading magazines.

He also painted portraits of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.

Kennedy liked his portrait. LBJ apparently did not.

No word on what brand of beer displayed those inspiring droplets.

But since he was in school in St. Louis, I am guessing it was a Bud. 

I also bet those "water droplets" were really glycerin, or some other substance photographers use to make droplets. 

What do you think?

Are you inspired by pictures of beer?

Photo of Budweiser and Stella Artois bottles, minus droplets from  AP.  

Posted by Rob Kasper at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Check out the story in The Sun Taste section today,  listing the beers that were picked as this year's  favorite Oktoberfest offerings,  foreign and domestic, and the favorite pumpkin beers.

I am less fond of Oktoberfest beers than I used to be . Maybe it is the influence of all those hop bombs that have  muscled out my taste for malt.

Never much of a pumpkin fan.

Howsabout you? Have your Oktoberfest tastes changed?

Posted by Rob Kasper at 9:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Over the weekend  Munich Mayor Christian Ude swang the mallet and  uttered the words " O zapft is!, which I am told means, " It's tapped."

Oktoberfest is on.

In Wednesday's Baltimore Sun I will list the favorite Oktoberfest beers, German and domestic, that our tasting panel picked.

One from Lancaster, Pa, did very well.

We also sampled pumpkin beer, the seasonal up and comer.

Picked our favorites there as well.

Anyone picked personal fest favorites yet or are you still tasting?

Photo of Munich Mayor Christian Ude : AP.

Posted by Rob Kasper at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Even if you don't have tickets to the Great American Beer Festival you can still sip plenty of good beer in Denver .

That is the message being sent out by the Denver Beer Fest. It promises "130 beer- centric " events will be held from today until Sept 27.

I have been to Denver, a nice town if the wind is blowing and the air pollution isn't too bad.

I have not been to Great American Beer Festival, but have heard mixed reports.

Some say it is heaven.

Others say it is too big  and too crowded.

Any veterans of the festival care to weigh in ?

Any opinions on Denver air pollution?

Photo of Mike Memsic  of Boulder Beer a Colorado brewery that turns 30 next week. AP. 

Posted by Rob Kasper at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Lots of beer drinking oportunities in the next few weeks

This weekend , as Brad  pointed out in a comment, there is the German beer festival at Max's on Broadway. As this photo shows, in  Germany  one way politicians campaign for office,--- the election is at the end of September--- is to visit the beer tents set up at local festivals. Maybe we should try that here. 

Oct. 8- 18th marks Baltimore's first Beer Week, featuring some 180 sudsy activities.

Saturday Oct 10th is the date for the Brewers Association of Maryland Oktoberfest at the Timonium Fairgrrounds. 

The 6th Annual Chesapeake Real Ale Fest is set for  Sat. Oct. 17th at The Pratt Street Ale House, which used to be called The Wharf Rat.

This brings up an interesting Baltimore habit, namely calling a place by its former name.

This habit , I have been told, marks you as a local.

For instance,from time to time I have called the Midtown Yacht Club on Centre street, by its former name,  O'Henry's.

Anybody else do this.? 

Photo of German finance minister Peer Steinbrueck visiting a beer tent: Getty Images.

Posted by Rob Kasper at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Word out of Russia is that President Dmitry Medvedev is pressing the government to restrict alcohol sales, including beer sold at street kiosks.

The Telegraph  reports  that Medvedev regards Russia's high level of alcohol consumption ---32 pints per person per year  --- as a national disaster.

Among the reforms he is proposing is banning the sale of " strong beer", that is  9 per cent alcohol by volume, from the numerous street kiosks.

Anybody had beer from a street kiosk in Russia?

How was it?

Photo of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev :Associated Press

Posted by Rob Kasper at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Tis the season for Oktoberfest festivals, if that is not redundant.

Philadelphia is holding its festival Saturday  Sept 19th.

The Brewers Association of Maryland will holds its on Oct. 10th in Timonium.

The big one, in Munich is set for September 19th to October 4th.

Anybody been to the one in Germany?

I've been to Timonium . Nice as long as the weather is good.

Photo of two Munich Oktoberfesters  from Associated Press

Posted by Rob Kasper at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

One of my favorite fall beers was Pyramid's Broken Rake.

I was fond of the beer, an amber  autumn ale, but was crazy about the label.

It showed a broken leaf rake, implying  that once your rake was broken, it was time to drink beer.

I miss it, especially on days like today when I am off work, raking .

When Magic Hat took over Pyramid in 2008, Broken Rake disappeared, or rather was replaced with  The Juggernaut as the brewery's fall seasonal. The Juggernaut has artwork showing a rugby player carrying the ball.

I like rugby, but I miss Broken Rake.

Anyone else miss it?

Anyone try Juggernaut?

Posted by Rob Kasper at 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

I love beer, and I love homegrown tomatoes.  This time of year I have plenty of both.

However, I have not considered putting them together as a culinary twosome.

Great Lakes Brewing Co.  in Cleveland has thought of this pairing.

Next week it is having a beer dinner matching its beers with tomatoes.

Here are some of the pairings.

Coconut shrimp with diced tomatoes paired with its Oktoberfest.

Smoked tomato with roasted garlic and basil matched with its Nosferatu, a highly hopped ale.

Heirloom tomato stuffed with mozzarella matched with its Pale Ale.

Anybody else try matching beers with tomatoes?

Got any winners? 

Photo: Los Angeles Times

Posted by Rob Kasper at 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Funny piece in yesterday's New York Times describing how Dogfish domo Sam Calagione chewed corn in an historically accurate attempt to make chicha, a Latin American corn beer. 

The lengths some brewers go to.

On the calendar this weekend, the Gonzo Fest  at the Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick.

It goes from 3 p.m until 9 p.m Saturday and features a Hunter S. Thompson lookalike contest.

Thompson was the correspondent for Rolling Stone magazine who fathered "gonzo journalism" in the 1970s.

The artist Ralph Steadman illustrated many of Thompson's articles  and books . Both Steadman and Thompson were friends  of George Stranahan, one of the  founders of Flying Dog, when the brewery and Thompson were in Colorado. Steadman's work can be seen on Flying Dog labels.

Thompson grew up in Louisville, Ky., where I once worked. I recall an article that a colleague of mine on The Louisville Times wrote about Thompson's early years.

Thompson's mother said that even as a youth, he had mythic appeal. She said that on summer mornings boys in Thompson's Louisville neighborhood would gather on the family's front porch, waiting for Thompson to wake up, and for the fun to begin.

One of my favorite examples of Thompson's writing is his account of sitting in the back seat of car with Richard Nixon. The two of them talked about pro football. 

Are you a Thompson fan?

What are your favorites examples of his work?

Posted by Rob Kasper at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Here is a question for beer drinkers: Why so much pumpkin beer?

Every fall the ranks of pumpkin beer grow. Most of the ones I have sampled are not especially winning.

It is a seasonal fondness?

Pumpkin beer drinkers, please tell me why you do what you do. What am I missing?

Photo Credit : AP

Posted by Rob Kasper at 9:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

Had two pleasant experiences over Labor Day weekend.

No. 1: Went to Camden Yards and watched Jeremy Guthrie and the Os' beat the Texas Rangers 7-0.

No. 2: Had a can of 21st Amendment Hell or High Water Watermelon Wheat beer while sitting poolside. Nothing like drinking a beer after swimming laps.

I was skeptical about watermelon beers. I have had some horrible ones made by breweries in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

But this one, brewed in San Francisco, was OK. It had good citrus notes, from the watermelon puree, and yet still had body that tasted like beer.

It would not be my first choice of beers, and $9.50 a six-pack is somewhat pricey.

But when conventional wisdom said that the O's and Guthrie were finished, and that there is no good watermelon brew, conventional wisdom was proven wrong. I have not sampled 21st Amendment IPA.

Anybody else have this watermelon beer?

What do you think?

Is this the only watermelon beer you like, or are there others you prefer?

Photo: 21st Amendment Brewery 

Posted by Rob Kasper at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Interesting piece in the Toronto Globe Mail by Sarah Boesveld asking whether cyclists think twice about getting on their bikes after they have been drinking.

This is a topic of discussion in Toronto after a cyclist died last week when he was run over in a road rage incident.

According to Boesveld,cyclist Darcy Allan Sheppard had been drinking before he got on his bike and collided with a convertible driven by Michael Bryant, a former attorney general in Ontario. Apparently the two men exchaged words and Bryant attempted to drive away in  the top-down convertible with Sheppard clinging to the car. Eventually Sheppard, who had a job as a cycling courier, fell from  the car and was run over.

The incident , which is being investigated by police, has aroused strong feelings .

Friends and colleagues of Sheppard staged a protest last week, dropping their bikes on Toronto streets during rush hour. A post on the blog  Treehugger acknowledged the situation was "complicated" but said that even if Sheppard was drunk, Bryant used his car as a weapon.

Others, including a Toronto  blogger called the Lazy Photographer, contend that the cyclist, who had been drinking, instigated the altercation. 

I don't know who is at fault here. But I do know  that  reading about the  Boesveld piece made me think twice about riding my bike after downing a few beers.

Do you have different standards for drinking and driving when you are"driving" your bike not your car?

Is there a difference in your mind between operating a bike and a car?

Photo of Michael Bryant outside Toronto police station: Associated Press

Posted by Rob Kasper at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Imbibe Magazine, a prize- winning publication from  Portland , Oregon names its top 100 beers in the world  in the Sept/October issue.

I have not seen this issue but did read  a press release with highlights. A publicist for the magazine told me  no beer brewed in Maryland made  the cut. 

However, several beers brewed near us did win a nod of approval.

Victory Prima Pils , brewed in Downington ,Pa, was  named as one of the best 10  beers to have with a burger.

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron , brewed in Milton , Delaware  was cited as one of the top 10 beers brewed in unusual places.

And Sly Fox Pikeland  Pils from Phoenixville ,  Pa, was said to be one of the 10 best canned craft beers. 

We can't get Sly Fox in Baltimore, but we can get several of the other canned craft beers Imbibe liked: Oskar Blues Ten FIDY, Oskar Blues Old Chub, ,  21st Amendment, and Caldera Brewing Pale Ale.

We also get Victory and Dogfish bottled beers.

Do you agree with these picks?

Any additions?

Photo courtesy of Imbibe Magazine

Posted by Rob Kasper at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Nice piece in yesterday's Washington Post by Greg Kitsock on "Brett" , the short name for  Brettanomyces , a yeast that appeals to the wild side of brewers.

Brett is often used by Belgian brewers to add extra flavor to their lambics. As Kitsock points out, the gamey flavors of ales made with Brett  have been described as "horse blanket" and "barnyard."

Orval Trappist Ale from Belgium sets the standard for Brett beers, Kitsock wrrote, and listed three American beers that pay tribute to Orval and its potent yeast.

The are Matilda from Goose Island in Chicago.

Saison Rue from The Bruery in Placentia, California.

And Wild Devil from Victory  in Dowington, Pa. 

Anyone had these?

Anyone brave enough to brew with Brett?

Photo: Victory Brewing Company

Posted by Rob Kasper at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Took a tour of Red Brick Station Restaurant and Brew Pub in White Marsh the other day and sampled the four beers it has entered in the Great American Beer Festival competition set for Sept. 24-26 in Denver.

The beers and their categories of competition are They Made Me Do It Blueberry Ale in Fruit Beer; Avenue Ale in English Style Summer Ale; Something Red in Irish-style Red Ale; and Daily Crisis IPA in English-style IPA.

These were well-balanced, mild beers, and that to me was impressive.  So often brewers try to overwhelm drinkers with giant beers, or "hop monsters."  Brewer Mike McDonald has done a nice job of making beers that have flavor, yet are smooth and easy to drink.

The alcohol content was relatively low, 4.1 percent ABV for the blueberry,  4.1 percent or the Avenue Ale,  5 percent for the Something Red and  6.1 percent for the IPA. Again, so many beers these days are going for muscle in the ABV rather than finesse. Happily that is not case here. 

I note that the beer that recently was declared the champion beer of the Great British Beer Festival in London was Rudgate Ruby Mild, a 4.4 percent ABV mild brown. 

Do you think there is a move to mildness in American craft brews? Do you believe in the "big tent" approach to craft  beers? Do you prefer beers with big hop and alcohol content on some occasions,  and ones with lower ABV and milder profiles for everyday drinking?

Posted by Rob Kasper at 8:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

Last week's FTBB post served up a beer and politics cocktail courtesy of Facebook.  In the post you were introduced to Ward III councilman from Aurora, CO, Larry Beer.  Also buried within the post was a fleeting mention of Sigrid Beer, who had a Facebook page supporting her candidacy for Burgermeisterin - essentially the mayor - of Paderborn, Germany.

Hours after the post hit the blog, we received a comment from Sigrid's daughter, Kristina, who was delighted to see that we had mentioned her "mum."  Kristina also noted that the election was to be held on Sunday, August 30.

Sigrid, whose current political office title translates to "member of the federal state parliament, and spokeswoman for education, petitions, and church politics" (It's been 25 years since I last took college German, so please feel free to offer a better translation) was a candidate on the Bündnis 90/Die Greünen, or Green Party ticket.

Well, the results are in and unfortunately, Sigrid did not win.  However, in an email received the day after the election, she was incredibly upbeat and optimistic about the outcome.

"It's a beautiful morning!  I'm happy and proud.  It is the best result for a Green candidate we ever had, with 13.5%.  That's a very good increase in votes, compared with the last elections - 7.2% in 2004."

I'm sure that Paderborn has not heard the last from Sigrid.  And neither have you.  That's because she has offered to send some of the town's Paderborner Pilsener for Rob and me to review. Those results will be coming your way soon.

 

 

 

Posted by Steve Sullivan at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Beer blogs