Beer of the Month Club

I received the first installment of my beer of the month club yesterday and there's enough in there to warm any Polish boy's heart!

From the domestic shaker there's a local beer: Lancaster Brewing Company Winter Warmer Ale. If this is as good as some of their other beers like the Hop Hog I.P.A. and the Milk Stout, it will definitely be a treat on any of our cold winter nights!

That is followed by Sand Creek Brewing Company and their English Style Special Ale. I haven't ever tried a beer by these boys out of Wisconsin, but I'm a big fan of English beers so this one sounds interesting.

From my homeland, much to my delight I pulled a bottle of Łomża Mocne from the 12-pack shipping carton. This is a strong (Mocne is pronounced Muhhtz-neh and means strong) ale from the Łomża Brewery in Eastern Poland. Only ever having had beer from the Żywiec Brewery, this should be a great point of comparison. As I recall the Żywiec beer that I had tasted before was a pilsner and quite light. With this Mocne coming in at a nice 7% it should be an awesome ale!

Finally from Croatia, there's a Karlovacko Svijetlo from the Karlovacka Pivovara (brewery). I've never tried beer from these fellows but it's a pilsner of the Czech variety, so it should be tasty.

Thanks S!

Beer Sales Dropping?

There is some evidence that beer sales are dropping. At least for the big guys.

Followup to Beer Price Stability

Weyerbacher states that the price of packaging went up in 2008--glass and cardboard.

Though our costs for Hops and Malt have not decreased we have experienced increasing costs in cardboard and glass, all packaging went up in '08 as a matter of fact.

Well, all commodity prices went up in `08 until they started to deflate towards the end of the year. For example, I scrapped a Dodge Neon for the unheard of price of $400 early in the year. Right now they're offering $300. That's a 25% drop.

I read somewhere the costs to produce and sell beer can roughly be split into thirds: 1/3 for production costs (labor, energy, malt, hops, water, yeast, etc.); 1/3 for packaging and distribution; and 1/3 for marketing. I would bet that this breakdown is for Coors, Miller, and Budweiser, and not your average craft-brewer. It would be interesting to see the breakdown for a craft-brewer.

Weyerbacher Keeps Beer Prices Constant for 2009

While this is better than prices going up, shouldn't they be coming down? Almost everything else is coming down in price--have you gone shopping lately? I see no reason why raw material prices for brewers should be any different and I expect that commodity costs for brewers are less now, too. For example, the cost of natural gas for boil energy, malt, hops, etc.

With jobs being lost and belts tightening everywhere, at some point any person reaches a limit as to what they can afford to pay and eventually good beer will be purchased less and the demand for good beer will drop. If that happens, the only way for the brewer to stay in business is pass on his cost-savings, or live off his past profits until he goes out of business or demand picks up.

I'm not picking on Weyerbacher, any and all beer prices should be coming down. And I'm not going to say I feel I'm being gouged. I feel lucky to still have a job and at the same time be able to enjoy great beer. And I'm not one to be happy when anyone, individual or small business, gets hurt by the economy.

Brewers are special people--artists really, not normal industrial manufacturers. The world would be far less elysian if we didn't have them. And their artistry, embodied in their beers, like all art, is expensive. Breweries and the brewers who operate them may in fact be cultural institutions reflecting the hope, achievement, and history of the local people, and worth preserving. Ok. Maybe not directly, but facilitators of the cultural institution we call the tavern.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. What do you think?

The Best Christmas Present!

S surprised me once again with a gift membership to a beer of the month club. In years past she delighted me with memberships to the combination import/domestic club, then the all-domestic craft club, and now, the all-import club.

I have very fond memories of the past beers of the month. My first Kulmbacher Eisbock--1/4 of a litre and I was feeling it! Otter Creek Copper Ale: Yummie!

S, you always know the way to my heart and you're the best. I thank you, and my taste buds thank you!

But who can really wait for the price of beer to drop?

Just saw this over at Minyanville.

Psychology of Deflation

Of course, all of this talk of economic stimulus is moot if the psychology of deflation has taken hold, a psychological state where dollars are saved in anticipation of ever lower prices. A state of mind kind of like, this:

""Forty to 50 percent [discounts] used to excite me," the 43-year-old writer said. "Now, I want at least 70 percent." Turner says she has taken advantage of 75 percent discounts on children's clothes in recent weeks and is willing to wait to get the same type of deals in the coming months."
"Stores Worry Holiday Sales May Be Permanent" - MSNBC

Happy New Year!

May you leave all swill from `08 behind,
your servant none too subtly to remind,
may the pleasures of beer not be declined,
as you crawl into the year of `09.

Solution to Declining Private University Enrollment

There's one solution I could think of to stop the declining enrollment at private universities: school-sponsored beer bash fridays! Who are they kidding? The main reasons kids go to these schools are the beer parties. What better way to attract the best and brightest than for the school to sponsor safe drinking parties?

That's one song in the bank. Next Song. Next!

Preparations are underway for my next brew. Yet another I.P.A. variation. This time with Simcoe®, and Cascade hops. I'm shooting from the hip on this one aiming for the extremities of conscious pleasure. Stay tuned.

Krakowska & Beer

I have been blessed with a love of beer and sausage, a finer pair there may not be.

Have you ever tried Krakowska? I'm sure you've tried Kielbasa, but Krakowska?

Krakowska is pronounced (roughly) krah-KAHV-ska and is a type of Polish sausage famously from Krakow, Poland. My grandfather was from Krakow so it has special meaning for me. It has traditionally been served on Easter morning but it seems it is growing in favor for Christmas feasts, as well as more generally for cold-cut trays.

It is made of very lean pork and has a ham-like constitution. The difference is that it's always smoked and stuffed in a large casing (three inch) and it has the greatest, tastiest spices you can imagine. You can warm it or more usually you enjoy it cold as it's already cooked. I recently picked up three pieces for Christmas, at Greenview Meats in West Hazleton.

It goes perfectly well with an I.P.A. where the garlic and peppery flavors mesh well with the punchy hop expression.

Tavern Politics

I'm in the midst of reading and watching John Adams. In short, this is a biography by David McCullough documenting the life of our 1st vice president and 2nd president, with emphasis on the tumultuous times surrounding our fight for independence from England. John Adams was much more and played a much larger role than just his executive branch duties and it's all on magnificent display here. Many of you may have already seen the miniseries, but I'm something of a Luddite and have no cable or satellite television, so for me it's a revelation. I highly recommend this if you're at all interested in being the proverbial fly on the wall (watch and listen and you'll know what I mean), as the founding of our great nation is brought to life and shows what really went on during those times.

What strikes me about the story is the ability of men of politics to have civil discourse over pints of beer in a tavern. Story in fact, is by no means fictional (and that's the beauty of this documentary), but historical fact gleaned from letters written and diary entries made, by the participants. Politics, in thinking just now, is also perhaps not the correct word, as political parties had not yet even been created until after the Declaration of Independence had been signed! As I was saying, the tavern served as a place where men, often of differing opinions, could discuss their views in a less formal setting than Constitution Hall. The places were frequented in the evening after federal work for the day was over, much the same as we go to our neighborhood tavern today after work. The tempering effect of beer was absolutely essential, in my opinion, to the openness in which ideas and views were put forth. Keen listening, that lost sense, was practiced widely. Speaking in civil tone, not elevated screeching, in complete and grammatically correct sentences, was the order of the evening. Perhaps, courageousness too, was a beneficial side-effect of the beer: not every man feeling able to put forth a hard view without it. Trial balloons or ideas were floated here first, too, before presentation to the assembly in Constitution Hall. All in all, a very worth-while endeavor, drinking beer and forming a new government of and for men! Wouldn't you say?

Today, some sharing of ideas and views still takes place in taverns around this great country of ours. I wonder though, how persuasive any of it is among its participants. I have heard it said (I don't know who said it but they may be right), that we've (we being US citizens), by and large, all made up our minds about everything and there's very little persuasion or mind-changing, taking place anymore. Is it because we're all too educated and know we're right about everything? Perhaps we've lost the ability to actively listen and thoughtfully analyze an oral argument, enough to discount and expose logical flaws and/or the various duplicitous ploys of argument like red herrings, straw men, slippery slope fallacies, and the such. Maybe the world has just gotten two darned complicated with very little right and wrong, yes or no, absolute conclusions; we live in a world unlike that of 231 years ago, a world that is made up of an infinite number of shades of gray, making judging the merits of an idea unmanageable. Too much data! Or maybe the real fault lies with the division created by having to choose a side (political party), that in itself creating an atmosphere of unreasonableness and confrontation. Us versus Them, an almost instinctual nature to pick sides and fight to the death regardless of merit.

I don't know who said it, but paraphrased: this democracy will only survive if the people electing their leaders are educated, read, and involved in the process. Each and every one of us. There are no exceptions to my knowledge.

So the next time, you're in a tavern and someone starts preaching tavern politics from his chair, don't immediately discount him. Engage him in some discourse to understand and explore his point of view. He probably has something meaningful to say.

If you're interested in learning more about this subject, try to find a copy of Rum Punch and Revolution: Taverngoing & Public Life in Eighteenth-Century Philadelphia by Peter Thompson (Univ. Of Pa. Press, 1998).

2008 Holiday Beer Meister Watch

Anxious minds have been asking: Tazio, (burp) what's in the beer meister for the holidays?

Well, I was feeling it on Saturday so I took a visit down to my friendly, local beer distributor professional to see what was in the cold storage locker. Well, just seeing what's there is half the fun as you well know, but the other half is picking this year's choicest of the choice.

I immediately spotted the Victory Hop Devil plotting someones demise, and literally wrestled the little satanic bastard to the floor. Tazio the Vanquisher reigns supreme, victorious over the Hop Devil!

I kept looking and passed over a sequence of silver Weyerbacher missiles: Blithering Idiot (too strong), Hop Infusion (great, but I already have Hop Devil), Quad. Hmmmm....

I settled on the Quad which is a Quadruple Abbey-Style Dark Ale, not realizing the strength that builds beyond those cloistered abbey walls.

Both beers are excellent. The Hop Devil is a very, and I say very with the utmost sincerity, drinkable I.P.A. that has it all: beautiful head, a sprightly nose, and just enough oomph on the palate to let you know what awaits you if you've been a bad boy. The Quad is a delight but I have no idea how I'm going to drink five gallons of this over the next six months! Wait. .8 gallons a month which is two pints a week. Ok, I can do it. But really, this one has almost no alcohol flavor to speak of but boy does it pack a punch. There is a distinct banana and clove-flavor present which always portends to greatness. There was very little head from this baby--the less the better in this case. The Quad is a sipping beer that should age well. Of course, me and friends and relatives won't really be letting this one age for very long. Come on over and enjoy it while it's here!

I had one empty to return so the damage was mitigated somewhat.

Interesting Beer Concept--Beer Table

Here's an enterprising duo's neat pub concept: serving a small selection of special and rare beers paired with homemade foods and snacks. And they'll also do the same for you in your home for a informal party or more formal tasting. I don't know if they'll come all the way from Brooklyn to NEPA but it's worth a try. Or, if you're ever in Park Slope Brooklyn, stop in and let me know what you think.

Where does outdated beer end up?

I was wondering if there's a place where old beers are taken when they become outdated. Is there a remand tank somewhere that gets filled and periodically the distributor (or used oil recycler) comes by and unceremoniously empties it and takes it back to the brewery to be recycled? Does the brewer have to pay back the distributor for unsold and outdated beer--sort of like funeral expenses? Or do these beers die an ignominious death poured down a sewer drain somewhere in the dead of night? Or do they all eventually find homes where they live out their last days in peace?

Many beers don't even have a date on them. Who watches over and cares for these guys to make sure that they're taken care of when they reach senility? I imagine some care, but others? I don't know about you but I've seen the dusty, neglected, case or ten lurking in the dark corners...

Now, not all beer would be subject to this sort of forced retirement. For example, a really great beer like a Chimay or a Blithering Idiot may stay on the shelf for years, much like a tenured university professor can stay as long as he can make it to a faculty meeting. But other ales, lagers and such, the more plebeian varieties if you will, what happens to them? You know, the ones that like human beings, start the long, slow, and sometimes painful process of death the day they're born.

I can't ever remember seeing a display of marked-down beer that was approaching the end of it's useful life. Or perhaps I have but the disty hasn't drawn attention to it.

I suspect that, to some, beer is always useful no matter how old it is--like a father who can always be counted out to dole out sage advice to his children who drink it all in. And some times spit it back out.

And imagine if people were marked-down upon reaching that certain age... Actually, in a way, this happens already: in the software development game, after about 45, except in rare cases, the voluminous pay raises give way to not-quite-the-rate-of-inflation humiliating kicks in the crotch...

What am I trying to say here? Well in one oft-quoted phrase: Respect Beer! Buy and try new beers, adopt them if you have to, but don't let'em go unappreciated and end up in the Chesapeake!