I've been on the road doing a speaking gig and am just now catching up on what's up with the rest of the world, including news about three people I know (and like):

Gilbert King, one of the most decent humans I know, had an op-ed piece in yesterday's New York Times. It relates to the topic of his new book. When he's not busy writing books, he's a professional photographer. (And a husband and dad. Totally unclear to me how he finds the time for all of this. Does he ever sleep?) (Plus, and yes I'm shallow, he's horrifyingly good looking.)

Second, the totally swell Jim Arndorfer is the subject of a front-page feature piece in today's Wall Street Journal. The paper's website is suffering serious Wierd Issues at the moment (it keeps freezing), so I'll simplify things by posting a link to Jim's blog, where's he's posted a workable link to the piece. It's the entry titled "WSJ Covers Beer Blog." Again, I'd send you straight the WSJ piece itself, but their site is suffering serious wonkiness at the moment.
[SEE NOTE BELOW]

Finally, I learn that the inimitable Charlie Papazian has taken up blogging. (Charlie! I beg you. Stop now while you can.) Charlie is the most calm guy I know. He's verrrrrrrry caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalm. When I'm around him, I land in the caaaaaaaaaaaaalm zone. (Thanks to Stan for this tip about Charlie's blog.)

Addition to original blog entry: Full disclosure. I know Jim only by phone and email. He's called me on numerous occasions to interview me for pieces he's working on for the Miller Brewing magazine titled "Brew." I have no other affiliation with Jim, the blog, the magazine, or Miller Brewing.

I am never paid for my insight (such as it is) and I extend to him the same courtesy I show to all the newspaper/magazine reporters who call me on a regular basis: I share my knowledge of the brewing industry's history.

Posted by Maureen Ogle at 11:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Amy Mittelman has followed up on the issues and politics of the proposed California beer tax hike. You can read her blog entry here. (I think it's one of those blog format where the entries don't have separate urls, so it's the entry for April 21 titled, appropriately enough, "Fat Taxes.")

As is often the case, tip 'o the mug to David Fahey at the Alcohol and Drugs History society website.

Posted by Maureen Ogle at 02:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Anchor Liberty Ale is one of my favorite beers -- and the guy who makes it, Fritz Maytag, is one of my favorite people. (Well, okay, Fritz's brewers actually MAKE the beer.... but let's not quibble...)

And today is Liberty's 33rd birthday (thanks for the tip, Jay.) Fritz is one of those people who knows, and enjoys, history (probably one reason I like the guy so much), and he released the beer on this date because it's the anniversary of Paul Revere's famous (albeit misreported) ride.**

So, here's to Paul Revere, to Fritz, to Liberty Ale -- and to liberty itself, which I hope you all "revere" as much as I do. Without it, we're nothing.

* Whoops! Original title made it sound like it was Anchor's b-day. It's not... Got so carried away that I lost my typing-train-of-thought.

** Another addition to the original blog entry. If you're interested in a marvelous, thorough take on Revere and his ride, read David Hackett Fischer's book Paul Revere's Ride. Fischer is a terrific historian and one who can, gasp, communicate with a general audience.

Posted by Maureen Ogle at 03:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

To be sung to the tune of "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair."

In the 1880s and 1890s, the prohibitionists attacked drinking in part by going after drinkers' wallets: raising tavern license fees, raising brewer' taxes, etc.

Today's prohibs are still at it.

A thoughtful look at a Wisconsin attempt to control/reduce drinking by raising taxes is here at Amy Mittelman's blog. Amy wrote about the late 19th century relationship between the alcohol industry and federal tax policy in a terrific dissertation titled "The Politics of Alcohol Production." She's also the author of a book titled Brewing Battles.

And that reminded me of Jay Brooks's blog on the subject of beer and taxes a few days back. As always, he's got much to say on the subject, he being one of the staunchest defenders of our right to drink. To read Jay's piece, scroll down to the entry for April 11.

Thanks and a tip 'o the mug to David Fahey for alerting me to Amy's blog.

Posted by Maureen Ogle at 02:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, I could see this coming: people rising to defend Portland as America's "beer central."

A few days ago, my globally ethical (ethically global??) pal Matthew alerted me to an article in the current issue of Time magazine, touting Denver as the best place to tour breweries and drink beer.

"Hmmm," I thought. "Someone's bound to challenge that claim -- because surely Portland, Oregon, wins the prize with no contest at all."

Sure enough -- the Portland defenders are on the job. See Stan's blog, which also references a blog I didn't know, Beervana.

But the Time article got my attention for something entirely different: Its characterization of "artisanal" brewers as hippies and Grateful Dead addicts...

Huh?

I don't think so. (Well, okay, maybe craft brewing contains a disproportionate number of people who like the music of the Grateful Dead. But people stopped equating fondness for the Dead with being a hippie, oh, I dunno, maybe thirty years ago?)

Laid-back hippie-tude doesn't cut it in craft brewing. The work's too hard and the industry is too brutal. That's a lesson learned that, historically (and what is my perspective except historical?), every homebrewer who tries to turn pro learns reaaaaaaaaaaaaal fast.

Besides which -- long hair and a beard do not a hippie make. I'm so old that I was there the first time around and I oughta know.

Posted by Maureen Ogle at 03:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This has absolutely nothing to do with anything, but:

For reasons not worth mentioning, tonight my husband and I spent time remembering a long-ago trip to Colorado Springs. (We think this particular visit was c. 1990. Doesn't matter.)

Anyway, we both still enjoy vivid memories of the Starr Kempf sculptures. If you've seen them, you know why we remember them with such clarity. If you've not seen them, they're worth a trip to C. Springs. He was an extraordinary artist.

In either case, some online images of Kempf's work:
The Kempf family page

Even better images taken by a visitor.

The Wikipedia entry.

Posted by Maureen Ogle at 01:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I'm researching a book, most of what I read doesn't make it into the final version of the manuscript. If I quoted from or referred to everything I found, my books would end up being 2,000 pages long and who the hell wants to read a doorstop? (Not me!)

The result is that I have to pick and choose and I often leave out some juicy stuff.

I was reminded of that yesterday while working on my new book (which is about meat, not beer). I tracked down a copy of a book titled The Great Metropolis, which was published in 1869, because it contains a chapter on New York City's markets.

And then I remembered that this book also contained a chapter on lager beer gardens -- and that it was quite comical.

Just the kind of thing you beer buffs might want to read -- and you can do so for free online. (Hooray for digital databases!)

This book, and zillions of others, is at a website called Making of America, which is hosted by the University of Michigan and funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Frankly, the search mechanism is crude and clunky, so I'm creating a link that will take you directly to the chapter in the book itself.

Just in case that link goes haywire (although I did test it):

The site is Making of America.

Once there, use the "browse" feature (not the little search box, which won't get you anywhere) to find a book called The Great Metropolis. The author is Junius Browne, and the lager beer chapter begins on p. 159.

But the link above should take you straight to correct page.

Enjoy!

Posted by Maureen Ogle at 02:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)