Jack Curtin’s LIQUID DIET

Heavens no, but when Harry Schuhmacher, America’s Most Beloved Beer Trade Writer (© Jack Curtin’s Liquid Diet 2010) checked in today from the latest Sierra Nevada Beer Camp with lots of of exciting news about forthcoming SN beers, he made a typo that gave me some early morning giggles, which is always a good thing (key phrase underlined for emphasis):

Sierra Nevada is growing another 10% so far this year, with every region of the country posting gains, and hot newish double IPA Torpedo draft isn’t even rolled out everywhere. Seasonals are up 21.1%, and Torpedo up 84% (the number one IPA now)….they will be rolling out, on allocation, a new hoppy beer called Hoptimum in 24oz bottles and 5 gallon kegs in January 2011. Also possibly look for a new Lime and Limb collaboration with Sam Calagione. But what got the most oohs and has was a new collaboration with a group of nearby Trappist Monastery to create an abbey dubbel ale called Ovila. Lots of action in the hopper for Sierra Nevada, and getting mighty close to breaking the million barrel mark.

Harry also did a nice summary of SN’s impressively green facility:

If you’ve never made it out to Chico to see the brewery, it is a sight to behold. Over 80% of their electrical needs come from solar power or their fuel cells. Every supportable roof has solar panels on it. They are below a 3:1 water to beer ratio, and they have their own hop and wheat fields for their estate ales. They also grow vegetables on the property for their restaurant, and a new composter is en route to turn bio-trash into rich soil, among many other innovations.

Good stuff, a story well worth Harry’s risking his …um…life and limb.

Tags: Beer Buddies, Beer Writing, Breweries, News by jackc
No Comments »

We all know that I never miss a chance to quote myself and so, admittedly after having been reminded by a Sunday morning email from Sir Richard the Spam-Hearted and having seen that the ineffable Scoats has himself chosen to bring something I wrote way back when up front and center on the Grey Lodge Pub website, I have updated the Beer Yard listing for some event that’s happening this week.

I commend the listing to you for its invaluable information and unforgettable prose.

Then again, I would, wouldn’t I? (see first sentence above)

Tags: Beer Buddies, Beer Events, Cafes, Restaurants, Taverns, Philly by jackc
No Comments »

Our pal Harry Schuhmacher (in this morning’s Beer Business Daily) does not agree with our pal Lew Bryson.

Clearly privatizing control states is probably not good for beer, as it invariably would expand spirits and in some cases wine to many more outlets, and they would likely be promoted more aggressively. It’s our view that privatization is generally a bad idea, not just because it would hurt beer, but because it throws state systems that have worked for 75 years into disarray and opens up a whole host of other issues.   In Washington State’s case, Costco is backing an initiative that would allow retailers to buy directly from manufacturers, circumventing the three-tier system entirely, and have forked over about a million dollars to push it through.  Wine and spirits distributors have ponied up their own million to push for another privatization effort.  It’s serious business.

The latest battle is heating up in Pennsylvania, a state I know so little about but admire what I do know.  I visited wholesalers there a month ago and they seem to have everything under control and in hand.  However, privatizing their 621 state liquor stores has become a political football in the governor’s race.

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dan Onorato supports keeping the state-owned system.  ”The current Wine and Spirits store system generates significant revenue for the state each and every year, and it keeps liquor out of the hands of minors,” said Brian Herman, an Onorato campaign spokesman to the Centre Daily Times. He said Onorato would be supportive, however, of further efforts to sell alcohol in large grocery stores.

Republican nominee Tom Corbett supports privatizing to raise money.   ”There are a lot of variables that need to be considered before going forward with the privatization, but (Corbett) does support in general the liquidation of commonwealth assets, such as the state’s liquor control system,” said a spokesman.

The latest proposal to privatize liquor sales, by state Rep. Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, is estimated to generate about $2 billion for the state by auctioning 100 wholesale distribution licenses and 750 retail store licenses. Under the plan, no single person or business could purchase more than 10% of either type of license.    Pennsylvania Beer Alliance chief Jay Wiederhold told me that “it’s going to be something we keep a very watchful eye on.”

If Lew decides to fight back, look for him to jump on that “a state I know so little about” aside. He’s vicious that way.

Tags: Beer Buddies, Opinion by jackc
3 Comments »

With Pat McGovern as Ed McMahon.

You know this had to happen, right?

Tags: Beer Buddies, Brewers, News by jackc
1 Comment »

Entourage returns to to HBO tomorrow night. While clearly past its prime, this comedic half hour about an actor whose up and down career and lifestyle (plus more than a few women) are shared to one extent or another by three of his buddies from high school and the old neighborhood is still fun to watch.

The TV show is loosely based on the antics of Mark Wahlberg and his pals during the early days of his career (Wahlberg is co-executive producer) and entourages are very much a part of the Hollywood and professional sports lifestyles. They come in all sorts of combinations. Sometimes they swirl around a central powerful figure; sometimes there is no leader of the pack, just a bunch of famous guys who party together; sometimes they are, let’s face it, hangers-on taking advantage of a old friend’s good fortune. Think of the  Sinatra “Rat Pack” at one end of the spectrum and Allan Iverson’s gangsta pals at the other.

For our purposes here, let’s think more in the Rat Pack vein, people who are relatively equal in star power although some may be more equal than others. And while entourages seem to be more a male thing than a female one in the real world, I invite the ladies to jump in here and knock that barrier aside. Think “Sex Beer and the City.”

So…

Assuming you were a “player” in the craft beer world and thus able, perhaps required, to float around the country, maybe even the world, having a good time and showing the flag for your brand, who are the three people you’d want in your traveling party?

Or in whose traveling party would you want a dedicated slot?

Put another way, who would you want to party with regularly because…

Well, explain that too. Who’s in your entourage…and why?

I know who my three bestest pals would be. How about yours?

Update: Special Bonus Points for, if you’re familiar with the TV show, telling us who your “Ari Gold” would be.

Tags: Beer Buddies, Fun Stuff by jackc
6 Comments »

So I’m at Sly Fox Phoenixville a half hour or so ago, drinking an O’Reilly’s Stout and chatting with Pete Giannopoulos and we get to talking Philly Beer Week and surviving it. I go into my usual “I live 50 miles from center city” rant about how damned difficult it is to be downtown late at night and catching the late train and then having to drive 20-plus miles from Wayne or Devon out to the sticks and that means I won’t get to do nearly as much as I would like.

“Tell you what,” I conclude. “If I ever magically hit it rich, I’m not buying a fancy place to live or lots of new stuff, what I’m buying is a driver. I’m hiring some guy for $100,000 a year to drive me around in a comfortable car whenever and wherever I want or need. He can have the car for himself otherwise and I’ll do the best I can to schedule things out ahead of time but he has to be there when I call and he has to get me home safely.”

Pete looks at me. “You know,” he says, “you could hire Lew.”

My first reaction is to laugh, which I do, but then I think a bit. That actually makes sense. Bryson likes to drive, he can handle his liquor should I decide to allow him to drink on occasion, he knows the area and he is, as far as I know, reliable. It could work.

So, if I hit it rich, Big Guy, so do you. After a fashion. I would of course require some serious “yes, sir”-ing and maybe one of those little chauffeur caps.

And it might not even cost me that much. I figure I could get the PLCB to kick in a substantial portion of his pay if I promise to keep him busy and away from the intertubes.

Tags: Beer Buddies, Entirely Too Much Time on my Hands, Hilarious Hilarity by jackc
3 Comments »

The other big sale, or reputed sale, stirring up some attention in the beer biz is word that Anheuser-Busch InBev might want to unload all its beers in the UK (damned ales just get in the way of dumbing-down beer, apparently) and the ever-clever Stephen has a grand suggestion about what to do with Bass.

Tags: Beer Buddies, Beer Writing, Breweries, History, News by jackc
3 Comments »

You’ve probably all heard about the Pabst sale by now (if not, go here). Well, here’s a great lead on a story about same at The Consumerist website….

After nearly a decade on the market, someone has finally gotten beer-goggled enough to plunk down the cash to purchase Pabst Brewing Co. According to reports, the deal went down for an ice-cold $250 million, though for only a dollar more they could have gotten a shot of Jameson to go along with it.

My thanks to the retired and desperately-seeking-ways-to-fill-his-days Carl P,* who prowls the interwebs for this stuff so I won’t have to.

* One of the ways he’s found is to journey Eastward and spend a goodly part of Philly Beer Week following me hither and yon. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Tags: Beer Buddies, Breweries, Hilarious Hilarity, News by jackc
No Comments »

The guys at Beer Valley have created what is probably the world-record Google Calendar in terms of listings. It’s their Philly Beer Week Calendar (click over to June when you get there).

Four listing showing per day and, on the peak day,  Thursday, June 10, “118 more” you have to click through to see. Wow.

Plus, in their email, they give credit where credit is due which is very cool:

“Big thank you to Bryan Kolesar of The Brew Lounge for entering 800+ events into a worksheet by hand. Without his hard work this would not have been possible.”

What would we do without our nerdy brethren?

Tags: Beer Buddies, Beer Events, Philly Beer Week by jackc
No Comments »

I just put up a longer than usual news piece at the Beer Yard, talking about the infusion of canned beers on the shelves there. It’s like somebody opened a floodgate or light bulbs went on over the heads of a slew of brewers across the nation.

You will note that I shamelessly slugged the story a “Special Report” and then beg for validation of same in a News Note below. Fee free to mock me mercilessly; I’ll be out drinking at a Mystery Bar after 3pm. The first five people who show up and say “Gotcha” as their first word to me while I’m on the premises get a pint on me, that’s how good I feel today.

Tags: Beer Buddies, Beer Events, Beer Writing, Cafes, Restaurants, Taverns by jackc
5 Comments »