THHG Book Club: Alcoholica Esoterica.

To begin with, we’re predisposed to like any book that supports our belief that civilization and fermentation go hand in hand. Give us a book called “Alcolholica Esoterica: A Collection of Useful and Useless Information as it Relates to the History and Consumption of All Manner of Booze”, and we’re in Happy Hour Guys Heaven. Ian Lendler has done a remarkable job of distilling some of history’s most amusing and interesting pieces of trivia in one easy to use, 264 page volume.

Every bottle in the liquor cabinet has a chapter devoted to it, as well as chapters that take the reader through mankind’s history from a yeast’s-eye perspective. How did the monks begin to brew? What were the after effects of Prohibition? Why did absinthe get such a bad rap? Does Mexico really have a Ministry of Tequila? (Yes.) Also included is a series on some of the most notorious imbibers ever, called Mount Lushmore. Humphrey Bogart, Dorothy Parker, Winston Churchill and others are all included in the dubious category.

Information is doled out in easily digestible nuggets, so the book moves quickly. Did you know that “bar” is short for “barrier”, as in keep away from the booze? That Winston Churchill’s mother invented the Manhattan cocktail? That the Jell-o shot has a pedigree stretching back to the mid-19th century? That Johnny Appleseed was planting trees so folks could make hard cider? All these and so many more are contained in this completely delightful addition to anyone’s library.

Don’t worry that the book takes itself too seriously, either. The first chapter is a warning on the possibility of releasing your inner Cliff Claven if you don’t proceed with caution. On the bright side, you’re sure to win a barroom bet or three when armed with the trivia provided. Rather than try to “review” this book, we simply call your attention to it. The joy is in the reading.

Whether you’re a historian with a sense of humor, a comic with a sense of history, or someone who’s just plain curious, this book will quench you thirst for knowledge. (Sorry, had to.) 

Available at Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Alcoholica-Esoterica-Collection-Information-andConsumption/dp/0143035975/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

And most large bookstores.

Sam's Steins.

In our travels we are always on the lookout for stops of interest for you, our faithful readers. We’ve brought you information as varied as movie reviews, notes on tegestology (the collection of beer coasters), book reviews, festival news, and interviews with the Beer Snob, the Bar Man, and noted urban sociologist/ author Dr. Ray Oldenburg, the tricky yet informative bar quiz, and some great new music. (That was a not very subtle suggestion to check out our Arts & Leisure section if you haven’t lately). Through it all, we do it with an eye to the best in pub life and culture.

Today, we bring you another entry in the increasingly popular world of collecting breweriana—or, to put it in layman’s terms, bar memorabilia. Sam’s Steins (www.samssteins.com) caught our eye as we traveled through Lancaster and the surrounding area. Stopping in one day, I had the good fortune to meet both owner Sam May and his daughter. They are open and friendly and the shop is a charming salute to bar collectibles and, in particular, beer steins. In fact, it’s the largest collection of steins we’ve encountered. Sam opened his shop in the late 1960’s and moved into full time business in the early 1970’s. He anticipated the craze in bar and beer collecting and now does a thriving business, including a mail order service. Sam stocks almost anything you could imagine from signs to flasks to apparel to coasters, but the stars of the shop are undoubtedly the steins. It’s perfectly appropriate that Sam should have opened shop in what was once known as the “Munich of the New World” because of all the quality breweries that once operated in the Lancaster area. It’s a tradition that is enjoying a resurgence. There are some exceptional beers coming out of this neck of the woods, and Sam’s Steins is right in the heart of it.

Beer steins have a fascinating history, having come into existence in the 14th century in Germany as a response to the bubonic plague and infestations of flies. Seriously.  Laws were passed requiring drinking vessels to have lids for sanitary reasons. Beer steins were the result. Collecting beer steins became popular in the 1800’s and has continued as a pastime ever since. Stein’s also became a widely used means of advertisement, in the U.S. often associated with Anheuser- Busch, but used widely around the world. More information on beer steins can be found at www.steincenter.com . Or better yet, make a stop at Sam’s Steins when you are in the Lancaster area or visit their website from wherever you may be. The quality of customer service is matched only by their impressive collection of breweriana. 

Interview: The Beer Snob.

All of you Brew Heads out there have undoubtedly heard of The Beer Snob ( http://www.mybeerquest.com ), an Internet Hero that we recently had the chance to catch up with.  Here’s all we were able to glean from this mysterious figure.  Enjoy.

Dear Mr. Beer Snob;

Who is the Beer Snob?  Is he/she a mythical character?  What is the story of this hero?

The Beer Snob is a nickname my friends came up with in the early 90's because when we went out for a beer after work, I wouldn't drink domestic beer. 

Does the Beer Snob possess fantastic powers of nose, palate, and writing ability, or is he more along the Bruce Wayne 'wealthy and dedicated' variety of hero? 

He strives to possess fantastic powers of nose, palate, and writing ability, but really he's just a guy that likes beer. He only becomes a Hero after a couple of beers, then he forgets after a couple more.

How did the Beer Snob get started?  (No 'I fell down a well and beers flew at me' stories, please.) 

My First post  explains it fairly well. http://www.mybeerquest.com/beerlog/?p=1   I guess It started when I was younger I thought I didn't like beer. Then one day I had an Anchor Steam and I thought, “Wow, maybe beer isn't so bad,” then I found Sierra Nevada & GUINNESS.  I started finding more and more every year.

What beers/breweries does the Beer Snob follow religiously?  Is 2008 a good year for beer in your opinion?

I think I answered part of that in the last question - Anchor &  Sierra Nevada are two of the most nostalgic beers for me, but most of the West Coast breweries like Stone have become my favorites. I could be a little biased towards West Coast Brews being that this is my home but I think some of the best beer in the world is coming from here right now. It seems like within the last ten years every year has been getting better and better, 2008 is no exception. I can walk around the corner now and not only get good beer but good beer on tap, and I used to have to search for places like that.  Now more and more of them are popping up every month. 

What's the coolest discovery the Beer Snob ever made? (for example, a beer or brewery no one ever heard of.)  Other brags? 

I have just discovered a new place; its a Bar and Grill that just opened in Southern California.  They have a very nice beer selection. It’s called The Office http://www.theofficeburbank.com/ .  That’s all I can think of right now. 

I normally hang out at the message boards of the http://thefullpint.com and http://www.thebeerinme.com/ Stop by some time.  Cheers, Enjoy your Beer. We will, Mr. Beer Snob.  You can bet that we will.

Take care, everyone.  As always, more good stuff comin!

Frankenbeer!

From the New York Times:

 “Deal for Anheuser-Busch Is Said to Be Near"

By ANDREW ROSS SORKIN and MICHAEL J. de la MERCED

Published: July 11, 2008

In a reversal of its previous hostility to the idea, Anheuser-Busch is in active talks to sell itself to the Belgian brewer InBev in a friendly deal, people briefed on the matter said Thursday night.

Exact terms of the potential deal could not be learned, but one person said that InBev had indicated that it would be willing to pay more than the $65 a share it had originally offered. People briefed on the deal cautioned that the talks might still break down.

In striking an agreement, Anheuser risks a political backlash from the growing number of hometown politicians and customers who had supported the company in its efforts to remain independent.

Helping to drive the deal talks was the indication that some of Anheuser’s largest shareholders, including Warren E. Buffett, were leaning toward backing a deal with InBev.

If a deal is reached, it would end more than a month of hostilities between the two beer giants and create the world’s largest brewer. It would combine Anheuser, the maker of Budweiser and a fixture in American culture, with InBev, the producer of Stella Artois, Beck’s and Bass, creating a new behemoth with distribution channels around the world. 

Since InBev unveiled its original $46.3 billion, $65-a-share offer in June, however, the two sides have waged a very public and very bitter brawl. Both companies have sought to press their case in court: InBev has sought to oust the American company’s board, while Anheuser accused the Belgian brewer of lying about its financing commitments and criticized it for having operations in Cuba.

The fight is set against a backdrop of rising prices for beer ingredients like grain and a rapidly consolidating beer industry. Giants like InBev and SABMiller, the world’s two largest brewers — which were themselves the products of mergers struck this decade — have raced to outstrip each other in market share. Though SABMiller, based in London, currently holds the No. 1 position, an Anheuser deal would propel InBev to the top spot.

While the United States remains the world’s largest beer market, domestic brewers have struggled in recent years as their customers drift toward wine and spirits, as well as craft beers and imports. That has tempted the international brewers, as has the weak American dollar. SABMiller and Molson Coors will combine their operations in the United States, forming a formidable rival to Anheuser.

InBev has been mindful of the political pitfalls that could befall a hostile bidder for an American icon like Anheuser. The company said that it would keep St. Louis as its North American headquarters and would try to keep the Anheuser name somewhere in the combined brewers’ new title. Yet on Monday, InBev said that it would begin to canvass Anheuser’s shareholders, seeking their support in ousting the company’s directors. It named an alternate board, including a dissident member of the controlling Busch family.

August A. Busch IV, Anheuser’s chief executive and a scion of the company’s longtime owners, has consistently said that InBev’s offer is too low. But he has felt pressure to enhance his company’s long-stagnant stock. To counter InBev’s claims that it could bolster Anheuser’s bottom line, Mr. Busch and his management team have said that they will cut the company’s work force by as much as 15 percent.

Anheuser has also sought to stymie InBev’s efforts to dislodge its board with its own lawsuit, filed on Tuesday. The company accused its suitor of lying about the firmness of its lending commitments, drawn from a group of eight international banks including JPMorgan Chase. It also argued that because of InBev’s current brewery operations in Cuba, the combined company would run afoul of American trading prohibitions against the island nation.”

Analysis?  Well, eventually, the more money you offer, people start to see things differently.  The whole cuba thing’s pretty silly though.  Cheers!

Fear no Beer. Or anything else.

Okay. 

A quick story.  As you all know, THHGs is out here in Vegas these days and soon will be pulling stakes for the Great Colorado Beer Tour and other places east.  We’ve spent a lot of time seeking out new things here, and have happened upon a chain restaurant / bar whose big hook is the loud Classic Rock (yeah!) and many beers on tap.  At any one time, they have 130 - 160 different offerings On The Line, as it were.  (Know what chain I’m talking about?  See pic above for name. Get it right? You win another tour of the THHGs website!)

They also have 2 Happy Hours per day, one during afternoon hours, and another that starts at 11PM, with half price on most pints and most (very large, very tasty) appetizers.  Now, you know that we’re not big on chains here at The Happy Hour Guys, but there is definitely a deal to be had here.  Can you stand Very Loud Music?  A somewhat Fratty atmosphere?  Okay then - after 11, the beer is affordable, so is the food, and both taste extremely good.

But the substance of this entry is not about the place itself, but what I witnessed there the other night.  As I stood there, mouth watering, trying to decide between a Deschutes Black Butte Porter and a Rogue Shakespeare Stout, a person sauntered up to the bar, glanced briefly at the huge menu of different well-crafted beers, looked at the bartender, and ordered a Bud Lite.

(Deep breath.  Count to ten.  Neither one working.)

WTF? Would you go to Baskin Robbins and order Vanilla Ice Cream?

 Now we understand that a huge list of beers you may never have heard of can be incredibly daunting.  But it can also be (try this one out, folks) incredibly exciting!

Variety is the spice of life:  There is a reason that hackneyed phrase holds up over the years.  But variety in booze always seems to be something that people are scared of.  We find over and over in the booze industry that once one selects a particular brand as being “theirs”, they stay with it... for life.  And that’s just sad.  With all these people out there creating incredible beers, wines, and distilled products one after another, why not walk a new path for a moment? There’s nothing scary or distasteful here - if you don’t like it, turn around and go back to the old familiar way; but trust us, these new tastes are not to be missed.  

 Become a Declaimer of Drink.  A Singer of Sauce.  A Poet of Pub Culture.  Build your repertoire of tastes, stories, and phrases.  It is truly an honorable path to walk, easy to start upon, and as in any great philosophy, it is all about the journey.

To that person who ordered the Macro-macro Brew:  We here at THHGs forgive you, just this once.  But it is so easy to amend your ways:  Try something new!  You will not, will not, will not regret it.  Cheers!

THHG Book Club: Haunting and Diving.

We’ve all heard of eco-tourism by now: Vacation travel that visits places of natural beauty in a way that helps preserve the environment. Great idea, right? Well, the Happy Hour Guys have coined a new term in the same spirit: bev-tourism. Simply put, bev-tourism includes visiting pubs, taverns, saloons, breweries, wineries and distilleries of some significance. Surprisingly, these spots will often share parallel philosophies with eco-tourism destinations; many of the favorite beverage dispensaries we’ve visited practice business in an environmentally responsible way and contribute to the well-being of their communities. In addition, these properties are some of the most historic, quirky, creative, flat-out enjoyable places around, making it easy to be champions of bev-tourism. There are an increasing number of books being written about these places: Here are two more of our favorites.

First up, we have Wendy Mitchell’s 2003 guide, NEW YORK CITY’S BEST DIVE BARS “Drinking and Diving in the Five Boroughs”. Ms. Mitchell’s writing style is direct and to the point, like most of the bars she visits. We’re on the record as being avid dive bar fans, and Ms. Mitchell has been kind enough to do some leg work for those of you who feel the same. Alphabetically arranged with the criteria for a dive bar clearly laid out, Ms. Mitchell takes her readers on a crawl through the Big Apple’s most famous and infamous dives. She’d give Greg Louganis a run for his money. Best of all, she seems to really enjoy it. These are places she visits herself and her personal stories make each entry even richer. I’m not sureMcSorley’s Old Ale House should qualify as a “dive”, but quibbles like that aside, Ms. Mitchell has written a love letter to the smoky, seedy, sticky NYC that is disappearing under a crush of shiny condos and $12 pomegranate martinis. It’s a sad realization that since its publication in 2003, her list of dives has diminished significantly as developers continue their march through the city. Thus, a sad tip of the hat to Siberia, and many others no longer with us.

Next we move to Roxie J. Zwicker’s HAUNTED PUBS OF NEW ENGLAND: Raising Spirits of the Past.  That’s right; pack the kids in the Previa because we’re going on a tour of the creepiest watering holes to serve grog since Our Founding Fathers. Zwicker does a nice job of painting the local picture for her readers, both currently and in an historical context. She hits her stride, though, when she shares the stories of the actual pubs and their ghostly inhabitants. It should be of little surprise that inns and taverns that saw the high drama of the creation of our country should be home to spirits who long to remain at the scene of their greatest moments of fame or infamy. These pubs have given rise to stories of both the famous and the obscure appearing to strangers. Privateers, patriots, rebels and spies as well as more commonplace murderers and victims can be encountered if the stories are to be believed. History, a good fright, and no shortage of adult beverages. Perfect for the whole family.

Both of these books are a great jumping off point, but neither can explore every possibility. There are dive bars around every corner in NYC and mysteries down many back roads throughout New England. Ideally, they will serve to pique your interest and let your curiosity lead you away. Both are available atwww.amazon.com . 

What are you waiting for? Bev-Tour!