Historian. Author. Ranter. Idea Junkie.
This a blog. Sort of. I rarely use it anymore.
I admire Shawn Connelly: he's smart, talented, and engaged with the world around him. And --- he acts on his passions. What's not to like? (Some of you already know him. He's the brain behind Aleluminati and Beer Philosopher.) Naturally I was glad to see this three-part interview with him. (The link is to part one; links to parts two and three are at the bottom of the first installment.) Enjoy!
Who knew? Turns out there was a method to Greg's madness backstage at the "Beer Wars" premiere. He had a phone/camera/something in his hands the entire time (and the "entire time" was hours on end). What was he doing? Making a "vblog." Which, mercifully, he edited down to eight minutes.
So if you want to know part of what happened backstage, have at it. Sadly, he didn't include any of what happened after the film ended --- when Sam, having been corralled entirely too long, went in search of beer. (And could not find any.) (I'm not kidding.)
. . . who have nothing to do with each other. (Er, I mean whose Good Deeds are unrelated to one another.) (Although I doubt they know each other.)
First, if you live in the Portland, Oregon, area, you're lucky: A group of local mixologists are mixing it up ("it" in this case being beer and spirits) this coming Sunday on behalf of Schoolhouse Supplies, which provides school supplies for kids in need. Read more here at Jacob Grier's blog. Then be there, or be square.
Second shout-out (and, really, the two are not connected): chops to Carl Miller at BeerBooks.com. Besides running BeerBooks, Carl is an accomplished historian whose focus is beer. This week I learned that his new project involves tracking down the story --- the real one --- about the Conrad-Busch-Budweiser relationship. This is a labor of love (although one that I hope will reward him in more than love) by one of the good guys.
So, go get 'em, Carl. (Frankly, better you than me wading through all those legal briefs. . . )
How's that for random acts of blogging? Well, okay, long as I'm here and long as you asked: Yes, am hard at work on the manuscript. Spent a miserable week tearing a chapter apart and trying, with not much success, to reassemble it. Every book has such a chapter: one that does not want to come together. Does. Not. But I'll get the bastard in the end. 'Cause I always do.
I was vaguely aware of Sam Calagione's latest foray into beer weirdness, but today Lex from Scholars & Rogues sent me a link to this article that has more detail. In this case, Sam is working with Patrick McGovern, an archaeologist whose name is well-known to alcohol scholars.
For more on the beers the duo created, see this. The beers are available to the public, but in limited editions (translation: move quickly if you want to try one.) McGovern has a new book out that sounds fascinating. I have not read it yet, but plan to. If nothing else, I'm looking forward to finding out what's new in alcohol archaeology since I first investigated it for my book seven years ago. (*1)
Anyway, all worth reading. And thanks again to Lex at Scholars & Rogues for the tip.
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*1: (I had this screwball idea that I would open my beer book by looking back --- waaaay back --- beer's ancient history. I spent months wading through archaeological studies. In the end, I opted for a different tack with the book, but I still have the chapter I wrote. One of these days, I plan to post it as a PDF file --- once I figure out how to create an online PDF file.)
You-Know-Who (yes, Dexter) sent me a bunch of links about a certain Hawaiian beer. I accidentally deleted the email, but here are two mentions of the beer to which Dexter referred: From Jack Curtain's Liquid Diet, and this from The Full Pint. I gotta say --- I wouldn't turn down a glass of the stuff.
How's that for a combo? The folks at Fullsteam Brewing (which I can't spell properly because I don't know how to make a backward "F") are smart, lively, and entertaining. As evidenced by this post about persimmon beer. (And no, not just sayin' that 'cause it mentions me.)
This particular post was written by Sean (as in Sean Lilly Wilson); his partner-in-beer is Chris Davis. You can follow them on Twitter as @fullsteam. Check 'em out.
Website of Maureen Ogle, author and historian. Books include Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer; In Meat We Trust: An Unexpected History of Carnivore America; and Key West: History of An Island of Dreams.
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