A Possible Beer History Topic

I'm always thinking about research ideas. (And would LOVE to turn off that part of my brain.)

This one surfaced the other day: The "sociability" factor of the late-19th-century American brewing industry.

As many of you know, that industry was built almost entirely by German immigrants, who brought with them a beer culture that, based on socializing, families, and conviviality, was the diametric opposite of the alcohol culture that existed then in the United States.

But the brewers themselves enjoyed, as near as I can tell, a microcosm of that culture among themselves: Their gatherings were as much about socializing and "community building" as they were about discussing issues related to alcohol and beer.

I say as near as I can tell because --- I can't read German. And many of the original American brewing industry journals were in German.

In any case, based on my perusal of the industry magazines/journals printed in English, brewers then were less interested in competition (although there was plenty of that) than they were in using those printed outlets to foster "community" among brewers who were scattered around the country (at a time transportation and communications bore no resemblance to the easy-peasy communications now).

Someone who can read German should take a look at that. How much did that beer community resemble --- or not --- today's supposedly tight-knit brewing industry/community?

Have at it.

Here. But Not Here

Or something like that. I'm on the road this month. In Denver last week for the Craft Brewers Conference - about which I have much to say (or will have as soon as I'm not on the road).

I'm typing this while in NYC for a week. Partly to babysit and help our kids move, but also to film footage for a National Geographic TV series about food.

and next week, I'm off to Phoenix to talk to a pork industry group. 

Translation: I'm alive and "here," but the here offers only limited access to the interwebs (!or whatever). 

Translation: I'm typing this on an iPad and when you're The Worst Typost In The Universe, an iPad keyboard is not your best friend. (And, yeah, I left my portable keyboard at home.) 

So: the radio silence during this otherwise hot media moment (The Michael Berry Show! America's Test Kitchen Radio!) is regrettable but necessary.

Hang tight. I shall return. And it took me four tries to get "hang" typed correctly. See what I mean??