B is For...

Ah, to be five years old (almost six) again. To wander through life driven only by curiosity of your surroundings seems a little too good to be true. Running in circles seemed like a great source of entertainment at that age (at least it did for me). To have a mind without filters between imagination and the real world. Thoughts are one with themselves, both dreams and the quick paced blur that the real world could be.

It appears that when five, turns to six and then you are soon "middle-aged" have experienced more than your fare share of the rat race, and what better way to relax and feel worry free at the end of the day but with a bubble beverage called "Beer!" The letter "B" is for a lot of things, but most commonly B is for Beer.

B is for Beer by Tom Robbins is "A Children's Book for Grown-ups" or " A Grown-up Book for Children." A tale of a girl, Gracie at the age of five nearing her sixth birthday and her curiosity for that golden bubbly beverage that made her uncle Moe burp, giggle, piddle, and make sense of life.

It's true, everything I ever needed to know I learned in Kindergarten, except for one thing. I didn't know anything about beer. Thankfully, I have grown up. Thankfully there is a book like this that brings me back in time and describes beer in a way I first imagined it, even at a later age.

This may not be a land completely of sugar elves and yeast, but there is there is a substance that make everything alright. Eat your heart out Harry Potter. This book is more to my speed. I just want beer with my cookies now.

It's worth a read to bring yourself to a child like state about a substance requiring an adult age to consume legally.

Please enjoy responsibly.

Play Nice!

Is the world becoming a giant playground? Craft brewers are on the same team! Right? The little guys, we are up against the big guys. The phrase "pick on someone you're own size!" was always meant for the larger('lager' was what I miss typed and probably did so correctly) picking on the smaller. Well, according to Beernews.org, Bear Republic Brewery is filing a lawsuit against Central City Brewing Co.

"

The Boston IP blog posted the details about the Bear Republic lawsuit over the weekend. California-based Bear Republic is suing British Columbia-based Central City over alleged trademark infringement on its “RACER 5 INDIA PALE ALE and BEAR REPUBLIC RICARDO’S RED ROCKET ALE” marks. Bear Republic takes issue with Central City’s Red Racer product line which hit cans and U.S. distribution for the first time last year. The brewery sent a cease and desist in mid-December to which Central City responded in early January, rejecting Bear Republic’s claims."

Okay, so when did this matter so much to small craft breweries? I'm also fresh after watching Beer Wars. So much effort and money goes into beating out the small guys, and craft brewers like Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head, who after watching the movie, much reminds me of Keanu Reeves as Ted, in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (in the most respectful way possible!!!) still could care less about the Japanese brewery making Catfish Head 60 Minute IIPA. Granted, it's all in the way you tip your hat and adjust to the market.

I see Canada as a place that still believes that the United States of America will never find out about their beers. However, with sites like Beer Advocate it's easy to see word spread really quick. Especially when a beer like Red Racer is getting a lot of BA respect!!!

This simply makes me feel a whole lot of mixed feelings inside. Considering, we have Stone collaborating with Jolly Pumpkin, Brew Dog, etc, and we see 3 Floyd's with Half Acre Brewing Co. collaborating. Why can't we all just get along?

I just feel a little bizarre about beer marketing these days. Everyone wants success. No one wants to fail. But, after watching Beer Wars the movie, we have to work together. Healthy competition is fine, but as such a low percentage of the total beer market share, who cares if "Red" is used in a label or as a brand. Let it slide. It's not like you are all making mass produced Lime Soda-like "beer"... I digress.

Let the small stuff slide. Life is hard enough without fighting in the sandbox while wars are going on outside. I still believe in purity and that if you believe in what you do, and what you do holds craft and merit, it will succeed regardless of the B.S.

Please, craft beer will struggle for a while yet before we even start scratching the surface of the mass market, so let's be nice to each other while we reach for a higher ground together. The underdog can, and will eventually win.

Though, I will mention that after watching Beer Wars, I often feel like screaming inside and wondering why so many people are afraid to open up their taste-buds, but willing to let a television tell them what will look good going down (NOTE: no mention of flavour in commercials!).

I'm often sure this Rooster feels the same frustration every single morning ( please enjoy):

Cheers To A New Year!

Here we are. Another day, another year, and another decade down the hatch. 2009 has been an adventure. It was a blur to say the least and it really is hard to focus on any point that really stands out. I find it hard to go through 365 days and find even a few that made the whole year worth while. Everyday is worth while in my books. All I can say is that it was a good year. Lot's of music, touring, brewing, meeting a lot of great people, studies, books, beer, food, ups and downs. It was full of life changing experiences. My eyes have opened to many new things, and I have revisited some old things (how did I live without cheese?).

This decade seemed to hang it's hat on the ideas of reflection. There has been a lot of looking to the past and building upon those things we left behind years ago. This could be a slingshot effect, pull back and then snap into the future. Hey, maybe we'll be flying around like the Jetsons in the next few years.

I notice a lot of extremes in the trends of the food and beverage industry. For example, everywhere you go you see local and organic restaurants sitting next to a "new" greasy spoon diner. Decisions, decisions, decisions. Stop into the "organic" joint for some raw dehydrated kale or head down the block for pulled pork and a side of poutine. Choice is a good thing.

Choice in beer has been getting better as well. Ontario has opened up it's arms to some big brews and it's given brewers freedom to make beer outside of the safe playing field of light fizzy flavoured soda-like beers. Black Oak's 10 Bitter Years is a great example of something that the market has been needing for quite sometime. A cheers with 10 Bitter Years in a glass was surely a good choice to ring out of one decade and into another. I hope the future brings changes in the beer market so that the smaller Canadian breweries can compete with the big guys.

We are already seeing brew pubs and new craft breweries opening up left, right and centre. Duggan's and The 3 Brewers both in the downtown core. Not to mention a lot of great one off beers. One can think back on the tie dye booth at beer fest from Great Lakes Brewery and the attention it received. Hey! The beers were great too. One step back with tie die and twenty steps forward with twenty varieties of cask ales to sample. The rise of cask in Canada would be great to see in the future. Keep it real! word! Volo really took a step up this year with the Cask Days event. How could one go wrong at an event like this? These are the things that will take the eyes off of the big breweries and lime related travesties that plagued billboards this summer and fall. Also, note that Niagara College has a brewing program opening in the fall. No need to travel around the world to learn the craft.

Anyone who produces a quality product would love to think that product could sell itself. Certainly, word of mouth does help. I'd like to see more marketing for smaller craft brewers. To target the younger beer drinking population. The youth of today just might have a few screws loose, but they don't seem to be afraid to try new things or re-visit old fads (someone please bring back hypercolour shirts). If you've ever noticed some people being so picky over food, shouldn't they be picky about beer too? If you notice people trying all of these new experimental foods, why not experiment with different beer?

So a toast to the future and the exciting things it may bring or bring back. Flock of Seagulls hair cuts might come back, we might all have flying cars and play golf on the moon, who knows, I won't hold my breath, but it wouldn't surprise me either. For now my wish list is going to be for bands that focus on music (not image or lack there of), more cask ales made accessible, good onion rings at a pub, less big branding, more simple [comfort] local (organic) foods and for Lee's Palace to put the graffiti back up because as of now it looks like a giant stainless steel easy bake oven housing a burrito joint.

Ch-ch-changes!

Cheers,

- Bartle