I'm literally at the airport right now.  Do you know the scene?  Loud and obnoxious people talking on their cell phones right by you instead of removing themselves to the spacious non-people occupied areas.  People that act like being more than five feet away from you would put them in the infamous "dead-zone."  The same people who talk on the phone until the last possible second and turn that puppy right back on the second they land ("we just landed"...etc).  I think you get the picture.  You begin to think, "At least I can find solace in a good beer."  But you might be wrong.   Most of the time you can scrounge up some Guinness, Bass, or possibly Stella Artois (which are good beers), but it is difficult beyond that.  Now if you are in Denver's or Chicago's airport, you are actually not in such desperate straits.  One can readily find some Breckenridge or New Belgium selections in Denver and some Goose Island in Chicago.  I readily admit that this is a soap-box article.  But isn't it singularly odd that in a place where you can buy an ipod from a vending machine, a decent beer is hard to come by?  Think ...

Well, here I am in Mountain Home, ID (formerly Rattlesnake Station...it's a good name change).  On various occasions I've wanted to find some beers that I can't get in the Midwest, only to be thwarted by the local selection.  There certainly are a lot of breweries in the West to choose from, and I have wanted to pick up a couple of their selections.  What was the solution?  Resignation?  I don't think so. Legend had it that there was a co-op in the far and wondrous land of Boise, ID.  It was told by those from the old country that there were abundant brews to be found there.  So, I became part of a long 50 minute wagon-train and trekked the unforgiving wilderness in search of some auspicious find.  (Eat your hearts out, Lewis and Clark.)  Behold I discovered gold, brown, red and numerous other precious finds in the rush of the '09ers.  I went in thinking, "They'll have a decent selection of beer."  I was wrong.  It was worthy to be called excellent by Bill and Ted. I have seemed to fall off the radar a little bit, as far as our site is concerned (thanks for writing, Nate).  Don't worry, ...

In a few days I am flying through the Denver airport.  Man, am I hoping that I'm not going to experience any delays.  I'm hoping even more that I am not going to be like that other airplane and slide off the runway.  Did you hear about the story?  Maybe that slide off drove those people to enjoying some Breckenridge beers in the airport.  Anyway, I heard about the story, but I'm still going through with taking a flight that will be at the same airport.  Why?  I guess because I still want to see some family members.  I know that flying is actually safer than driving, which we take for granted because most of us drive every day.  But many things in life are risky propositions.  If you seriously consider it, we do a lot of things in the journey of our own lives that can be downright perilious.  Don't we? Yet, many of us have some inherent fright of trying something new.  Is this how fear that we should have about dangerous things (which we actually do) expresses itself?  I don't know.  But some of us will risk our very lives in everyday life in ways that we consider mundane.  We'll risk our lives but not our palates.  Now ...

Working at a wealth management firm that deals in securities, I am ever more aware of the sharp slump in the economy.  It gets depressing!  In fact, just the other day I was viewing a chart from Dow Theory Letters that showed the daily advance or retreat that the DOW has taken for the past several years.  Of course there were slumps and peaks on the graph that are typical of any dynamic market...nut then came 2008.  It was unsettling.  The line on the graph (the graph is about 4' X 3') shows the DOW plummeting to suicidal deaths.    I see this, then I hear harrowing tales of unemployment (I myself was in that leaky ship a couple of months ago), I see boarded up houses, I smell the fear of recession in the air, and I find myself craving good news of any variety.  Fortunately, this week it came in the form of beer...and not just from the joy I get from emptying a bottle, but from the industry itself.   Earlier this year we talked about how beer is somewhat recession retardant--maybe resilient--would be a better word.  Well, we seem to be right...so far. First of all there is this gorgeous and ...

It's been a while, but we're getting around to writing about Ales.  If you want to know what distinguishes an Ale from a Lager, check out this article.  Basically, it breaks down in terms of where and how fermentation takes place.  Many people assume that when we are talking about Ales, we are talking about English beer.  It is almost an aphorism to hear people speak about beers in this manner.  In one sense it is true that the British are known for their Ales.  In quite another sense, it is fundamentally wrong-headed to speak about beer in this way.  Before the storage of beer in caves and the Lager revolution, all beers were Ales.  This is the case because Lager temperatures were not consistently achievable until the mastering of refrigeration (there is so much on this website to read, if you don't know what I'm talking about).  In fact, Lagers are actually the anomaly in beer history...despite what Budweiser says about their long brewing tradition.  Perhaps a counter-claim to the Budweiser mantra would be, "Ales are the king of beers."  There happens to be a very wide variety of distinguishable styles of beer that can properly be considered Ales, so there is a great deal on which ...

I really do love the Christmas season...the majority of individuals, despite a wretched economy, allow their mood and general good will to elevate. That woman at Walmart--stubbornly blocking the tight aisle with her cart and large body--moves out of the way without my exacerbated sighs. The teller at the bank pretends to be interested in my stories.  And, we give gifts to our friends and families, because we want to.  Some of us give gifts out of tradition, some under influence of the proliferate and enticing marketing coming through their television, some out of obligation and others do so in thespian commemoration of the one moment in history in which God was birthed in human flesh as a gift to mankind. Regardless, gift giving is intrinsic to this time of year, and I thank heaven for this seasonal activity. Quite often, though, it is more burdensome than it ought to be. One may find themselves wandering the malls and the pandering sales people, only to find they are unable to deliver that special gift for that special person. Your dilemma is futile...beer is the answer, after all, wasn't Christ's first miracle actually a gift of alcohol? Just last week I received this heavenly ...

This article has been a while in the making.  Part of the reason for the delay is that I was not quite sure how to address the rest of the Lager family of beers.  After a considerable amount of deliberation on the subject, I've decided to put them together.  As I've said at numerous points in this blog, Lagers are more about yeast strains and fermentation temperatures than color.  The color of a Lager can be iridescent.  The palest blond beer can be a Lager...but so can a black beer.  Here is the hit list of various lagers that can be considered distinct styles: American  Microbrewery  Lager - this style distances itself from Mega-breweries and emphasises domestic hops. Australian and Mexican Lagers are worth a mention if only for the fact that they are based on Czech, Bohemian, and German traditions of Lagers. Bierre de Garde beers (from France) are aged for long periods in order to mellow them out. The rest of the styles that could be mentioned are often defined by where they are made.  Bohemian, Czech, Dortmunder, Erlanger, Munich Dunkels, Kulmbacher and other area defined beers vary in darkness and alcohol content but are not necessarily well-defined beyond the appellations that they carry.  Some Lagers such as Klosterbier are monastery ...

I just finished drinking an English Ale with a bit of Venison Bratwurst.  How was it?  Very nice. Here at thank heaven for beer we have all sorts of interests.  From one of my first posts on here, you might know that I like to hunt a little.  I like game because of its lack of fat and lack of growth hormones.  Maybe I'm crazy, but I like the taste of beer with a nice bit of wild game.  It doesn't even have to be deer, duck, or squirrel.  The point is trying beer with anything that you eat.  It doesn't matter that if it is wild game or goat...whatever it might be.  I tried some Ethiopian beer with Ethiopian food (goat) not too long ago, and it was wonderful.  Have you ever tried goat, deer, elk, moose or anything outside the normal routine with beer?  Why not give it a try?  If you don't hunt, maybe you know someone that does.  I bet you could get some deer meat that you could marinate and drink a beer with.  A nice earthy tasting beer with the taste of an earthy animal can be a perfect match.  It could be that a pleasant ...

I just wanted to make a quick note on here.  With all the incessant Christmas music starting to blare in ever store that you visit, it's time to mention that seasonal Christmas beers will be coming out.  We will be trying a few but you ought to pick one up on occasion.  You might find some delightful surprises.  I would suggest some Thanksgiving beers but there are few to choose from.  If anyone knows of a Turkey Leg Lager, Mashed Potato Porter, or Stove Top Stout let me know.  Actually, there should be some Sam Adams Cranberry Lambic (although not really a Lambic) coming out before too long.  Anyway, stay tuned for some Christmas beers hitting the shelf before long.

Some seemingly oxymoronic things fit so well together, that when combined they result in brilliance:   Peanut butter and pickles, Guns and Roses, Alec Baldwin and Jack Donaghy, and beer and politics.  Of course, as per the theme of this blog necessitates, I intend on focusing on the latter of these medleys (although Axl and Alec tempt me to stray).  I do hope this post results in deeper, much more intellectual, ponderings in the future, whether in the seldom utilized comments section, or in posts to come. First off, tip of the hat to you, Half Moon Bay Brewing Company for your satirical commitment to patriotism and clever marketing in your recent "Alection."  (If the stars align and you find your way to this humble brewski shrine, please, feel free to send us a sample of you life's labor).  Half Moon Bay has made it possible for all us Joe-the-Plumbers of America to show our love for our candidate of choice to all those who sidle up to the bar next to us.  They have filled thousands of bottles with the same recipe and dressed them up in either Obama labels or McCain labels.  Supposedly, this will shed some light on the ...