Yo! I was paging through some beer magazines I brought back from England during my recent trip to the Great British Beer Festival. I came across this ad from Shepherd-Neame brewery. They are a very well known Kentish brand that is apparently “throwin down” for some younger beer drinkers by invoking “Hip-Hop” culture in a humorous way. They have released this ad for a golden ale called Canterbury Jack. I wonder if it’s from the same ad agency that created their ad for Spitfire; with the slogan “Downed all over Kent, just like the Luftwaffe”, making reference to the fact that the beer is named after the famous British fighter plane. (Also advertised as the beer with “No Nazi aftertaste”…)

I think this may be one of the funniest beer ads I have ever seen, though I tend to disagree that this sort of advertising is a good thing for beer. This ad captures and then defiles the essence of the simple neighborhood pub, with mum and dad behind the bar and a neighborhood regular and his dogs (a very common sight in a British Pub). Enjoy!

(Note: My printed version uses the word “me” in place of “my”. It struck me as funnier, but I could not find a picture of that version online)

Okay, chalk it up to poor planning on my part, but I am getting a little sick and tired of having to perform logistical acrobatics every time I make last-minute plans to go to a friend’s house to watch a Sunday football game or whatever. The time comes every now and then, when I actually have to buy beer, and I need it when I need it! I don’t understand (playing coy here…) how we got ourselves into this stupidity of having to wait till 1 p.m. on Sundays to buy beer. When you think about it, it really does seem silly. We have all seen the padlocks and chains on the beer coolers at the local grocers, or the “lights out approach” taken by many store owners. What a freakin hassle!

The “self righteous contingent” must believe that I am going to wake up on Sunday morning and say to myself: ‘Hmmm what should I do today? Either I go to church or heck, I’ll just run down to Kroger and buy me a 12-pack and get wasted before noon!’ They don’t realize that I am Catholic and could just as easily have gone to mass on Saturday evening or Sunday at 5 p.m. after I’d brewed a big batch of beer (which I have done before and, yes, I worshiped sober).

Sometimes I think I should organize a Sunday morning protest. All of us beer drinkers can form a human chain around all of the Cracker Barrels, Shoney’s and Bob Evans restaurants, not allowing the post-church going crowds to enter until 1 p.m.. “Get your butts back to church, you belly-slaves!” “No one eats until I get a beer!”

Who’s in?

Last year my boss gave me a bottle of ale which he brought back from his native country of England. It was called “Summer Lightning”. He told me that it was all the rage and that many young folks were drinking it instead of lagers. I tasted the beer and could definitely see why it could develop such a following, especially with ever growing market of lager drinkers in Britain. The beer was clean, crisp like a lager, but it finished with very floral, hoppy aroma and bite, which is typical of English “Real Ale”. I enjoyed every sip…

Turn the clock ahead about one year and I find myself standing in London at the Great British Beer Festival. Over five hundred cask conditioned real ales are being served in peak condition. Sure, I could recognize the old standbys like London Pride, Spitfire, Old Speckled Hen, and the list goes on and on. But hey! What’s that I see? Crouch-Vale Golden Ale? Hmmm… Read the rest of this entry »

For any of you that have stopped in to Okay’s Pub recently, you may be aware of the absolute run of bad luck that owner Kay Dillon has experienced in the last six months, from her son’s tragic accident in Thailand (leaving him paralyzed from the waist down) to Kay’s own health issues. Kay is doing much better. Her son is adjusting to his new challenges and her younger son Dylan has been a real trooper, helping his mother and brother through these tough times. All of this has left the “cash drawer” in bad shape. Kay almost threw in the towel this week, but many of her supporters and confidants inspired her to give it one more try to get over the hump this weekend.

Starting Friday evening and throughout this weekend, Kay needs your support. I am not talking about a pity party either. Kay just needs patrons to do what they normally do; stop by and have a beer or a glass of wine, order up a grilled pizza and maybe listen to tunes from Charleston’s own “Honky-Tonk Power Trio” Buckstone.

Why should we care if Okay’s lives or dies? It’s simple… Okay’s is a unique, maybe even quirky pub that prides itself on serving great beer and great wine. Kay has been an ardent supporter of the arts and music scene in Charleston as well as just a dear friend to all of her patrons. Be sure to tell all of your friends!

Okay’s Pub is Located at 222 Leon Sullivan Way in downtown Charleston.

With the Government’s constant attempt to over-reach with the hand of power, it’s good for some of us to bite that hand every once in a while…

Recently, more than 50 owners of local bars and lounges took to the streets of Charleston to voice their disapproval of the recent sweeping smoking ban which includes bars. Although I am a non-smoker and prefer non-smoking establishments, I am first and foremost a person who believes in freedom and the free markets. I also believe in the existence of the potential for a “Nanny State” becoming the norm, and nobody really wants that to happen.

These businesses have banded together to let government know that the ban which was put in place by the non-elected “ministers” of health, has hurt their business.These smoking bans are wrong and an unnecessary encroachment on business owner’s private property rights.

Let me give you my thoughts. Here are 10 logical points that go toward solving this issue that are based on the principles of a free society and a free market. Read the rest of this entry »

This past week I was in Chicago for a couple of days for business. I always try to act as expected and fit in a visit to a great beer spot while I am anywhere. This week it was Goose Island’s brewpub located in the trendy Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. This isn’t my first trip to the Goose, but it may be my last. The pub (not the production brewery) is scheduled to close due to the very high cost of real estate in the area. That unfortunate news is compounded by the fact that the premises is also shared with the Siebel Institute, which is the oldest and one the most respected brewing schools in the world. Many a good brewer has graduated Siebel’s master brewing program. I can only hope Siebel finds a suitable location even if the pub decides not to reopen.

I had a few great beers while there. Replicale was the summer seasonal. It was based on a Belgian farmhouse style ale, but with a little hoppier kick. The Summer Bitter was my favorite, similar to a popular British ale called Summer Lightning. The Go0se’s version weighed in at just under 5% abv and was a slightly more bitter than what I recall in the British version. If your plans include Chicago over the next few months, you may want to visit Goose Island before it’s gone… Read the rest of this entry »

I have always held a fondness for British beer and English pub culture. While today’s Brits are often known worldwide as rowdy, drunken and often violent soccer “hooligans,” the historical reality is that the English have been some of the most civilized drinkers in the history of the world. In the last 50 years or so, England has been evolving (or devolving, depending on your perspective) into a largely commercially driven, lager swilling and very mediocre-beer drinking country. From my point of view, this “devolution” has been a contributing cause for the soiled reputation the English beer drinker earns today; it’s not unlike our own over-indulgent and irresponsible behavior that is all too common with the typical American macro-lager drinker.

Why am I picking on macro-lagers and macro lager drinkers? Well, it’s simple. The large macro lager brewers are all about volume selling. They want you to be able to “chain drink” one can after another without tasting it or filling your tummy. This sounds O.K. on the surface: Heck! Why not give the people what they want, right? The problem is that although they have lightened the beer’s taste and body, they leave all of the alcohol in the package. This means that you can guzzle away at great volumes with little consequence to your tummy; but your brain, well that’s another matter, it gets wasted. This all happens in a country where unlike most of beer drinking Europe, there is little to no public transportation to get your tummy and brain home…

Read the rest of this entry »

We mountaineers have come a long way in terms of craft beer that is brewed in state. Though we still have a long way to go to rank up there with neighboring states like Pennsylvania or Ohio, we can be proud of the small stable of West Virginia craft breweries that are turning out respectable beer.

One Charleston pub-owner has made it really easy to sample some of the best beers that the state offers. Kay Dillon at O’Kays on Leon Sullivan Way offers “West Virginia Beer Flights” on the menu. Patrons can choose a four-sample flight for $4 or a six sample flight for $5! The samples are three ounces, which is just the right amount for tasting. This makes it really easy to taste each beer and decide which one deserves your further attention when you order up a pint. Read the rest of this entry »

I spent part of last week and the weekend in Cincinnati attending the National Homebrewers Conference. Over 1,300 dedicated brewers, along with over 600 kegs of hand-crafted beer, were also in attendance. This was my first NHC, and it will surely not be the last. I must admit, I am a little “Beer-ed out” as of now, but I am sure I will recover before FestivALL’s “Blues, Brews and BBQ” this weekend.

Day one of NHC was a work day… That’s right. Judging the final round of the National Homebrewers Competition is really hard work. I spent the afternoon smelling, swirling tasting and critiquing some of the finest homebrewed beer in the world. Then it was right into “Brewer’s Night,” where homebrewers are paid homage by many craft breweries treating us with their finest brews, many of which were specially made for the conference. We partied with the pros, most of who began as amateurs just like us.

NHC is not all about the party. I was wide awake each morning and sitting in a presentation hall by 9 a.m. to listen and learn from some of the world’s best brewers, both professional and amateur. Technical topics, such as “Yeast Management for High gravity Brewing,” were presented as well as important beer culture topics such as “10 signs of a perfect pint – and why you rarely find them,” which were just as engaging and informative.

Samuel Adams founder and brewer Jim Koch took the podium with “beer in hand” Friday evening, giving what was a heartfelt and entertaining keynote address. Jim noted that he was addressing the largest gathering of brewers anywhere in the 8,000 year history of beer. He also was keenly aware of his audience when he went for easy laughs at the expense of winemakers and their undying affection for their single ingredient. They are pressured to find flavors in wine that do not exist, he said.

The highlight, or you could say the spectacle, of the weekend was “Club Night”. This is when the homebrewers and their brewing clubs entertain and attempt to outdo each other, like a kegged and tapped version of the mummer’s parade. “Rocket City Brewers” of Huntsville, Ala., strutted its stuff with pseudo-NASA blue jumpsuits and Rocket shaped tap-handles. Then there was West Virginia’s very own “Greater Huntington Homebrewers”, who dressed in yellow raincoats, hung a few fishnets and called our booth “The Deadliest Batch”.

(Click on pictures to enlarge)

The NHC is a great opportunity for brewers to leave their basement or garage breweries and find camaraderie, quirkiness and useful knowledge to improve their craft. I can only hope that more people who enjoy beer will find a friend who brews and offer to lend a helping hand at the next brew session. Or better yet, get online and order up a beginner’s kit to start their journey in a craft that is rewarding creatively, technically and really tastes good!

(Photos by Tim Lepley)

The rumors have been circulating for several months: global beverage giant Inbev of Belgium wants to buy Anheuser-Busch. Now, it’s official. Inbev has offered A-B shareholders an unprecedented $65 per share, making this something like a $50 billion deal. The financial pages of every major newspaper and magazine are touting the deal as a new page in the history of beer.

Interestingly, there is a contingent of U.S. citizens in a nationalistic uproar: “Some Ferrinners takin over Amerika’s Beer! How can y’all stand back and let this happen?!” Where was the outrage when Miller was purchased by South African Breweries, or when Daimler took over Chrysler? Frankly, I wish people were more concerned about energy independence and not “Beer Independence”! Read the rest of this entry »