Next time the show will revolve around Rouge’s Double Dead Guy Ale, so scrape up some for drinking along if you can find it. And if you happen to be a fan of horror fiction, especially of the podcasted variety, crack open/download your favorite novel or short story and get reading/listening.
The Beeriniverse has its share of luminaries: people whose hard work, vision and creativity have been instrumental in bringing about the Good Beer Renaisance we are all enjoying today. Names like Fritz Maytag, Jim Koch, Tomme Arthur, and Sam Calagione spring immediately to mind, but along with those and a few other heavy-hitters, there is a “long tail” of thousands of passionate beer people whose collective endeavors are raising the quality of our favorite libation. Today’s show is a conversation I had with one such hard-working individual fighting the good fight to raise the profile of what beer is, and ought to be, in the mind of the public at large. His name is Mikal Merlina, and he works for Whole Foods Market. Yes, he’s the guy you see stocking the beer case and checking on the supply of cheese in the cooler, but he’s also much more. Mikal has used his position to educate and influence hundreds and hundreds of people as to what makes a good beer, how to enjoy beer more, and how decide which beer to purchase out of the stunning variety he was able to get on to the shelves at his store. It was a pleasure to sit down and talk with him and find out how the world looks from the perspective of a foot soldier in the craft beer revolution.
Joe Murphy was a talented podcaster and inspiring human being who passed all too soon from the planet. Here’s a show where two mutual friends (and friends of SoB) Jack Mangan and Tee Morris remember his legacy. Raise a root beer, and enjoy.
The next episode doesn’t feature any specific beer, but does spotlight what, for me, has become a go-to beer outlet. If you’ve been following along, you’ve probably already guessed that I’m talking about Whole Foods Market, my own personal Beervana. Episode 57 is a Beer As Folk interview with one of the hard-working “team members” who has hooked be up with beer and interviews for the last couple of years now, and it’s an inspiring tale about how much influence one person can have in the cause of Great Beer. To drink along, scare up your favorite, special beer that you don’t mind paying just a little more than usual for. If you get it at Whole Foods, all the better.
And so we come to the end…
After two big and strong (if not universally loved) brews, why not change it up? Because big and strong is what’s called for this time of year, so bring on some more! Foregoing the Belgian theme, round three of this post-Thanksgiving evening show turns to a different Holiday thread: the gift. We cap things off with Founder’s Breakfast Stout, a generous present from The Beer Report that was part of the annual Beer Safari Beer Exchange. Of the guests (and once again that’s my lovely wife Carolyn, Brewing Compadre Shawn, Sheila Dee, Evo Terra, and Jack Mangan) who’ve been struggling with the Belgian beers, will this big stout from the Midwest be a welcome thing? Tune in and find out!
Picture by Groucho from The Beer Report
And the evening wore on, and our revelers continued in their revelry…
Beer #2 for the evening is Delirium Noël, the holiday entry from the storied brewers at Belgium’s Huyghe Brewery, who’ve brought us many other fine beers with “Delerium” in their names. Amongst the post-Thanksgiving crowd (to review, that’s my lovely wife Carolyn, Brewing Compadre Shawn, Sheila Dee, Evo Terra, and Jack Mangan) the gloves come off, as the relative merits of beer #1 vs. beer #2, or Belgian beer vs. non-Belgian beer in general, get a surprisingly heated going-over. There’s even a couple of cheap shots hurled around the table, but then, this is the Holidays. Who’s dissing whom while getting more and more jolly? Tune in and find out!
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K, so it’s been a strange month. An episode turned into a trilogy? Slurping on video? Three shows in less than 30 days? Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on either, but what the hell. Isn’t that what this new media’s for anyway? And in that spirit, if you’d like to drink along with the last segment of Show 56: Liquid Christmas 2008–Vrolijk Kerstfeest!, you’ll want to scare up some Founder’s Breakfast Stout. Alternatively, Old Viscosity or Victory’s Storm King might get you in the same general ballpark.
The Holidays are once again bearing down on us with their relentless festiveness, and there’s no better time to explore the world of beer. Like Oscar-baiting movie studios, breweries the world over save their best, most interesting, and most profound brews for the year-end season. To celebrate this bounty, Speaking of Beer turns this year to Belgium, the land of diverse, sublime, and often butt-kicking brews. Once again I invite my Thanksgiving dinner guests to drink with me as the turkey is still settling in our tummies, and this year I’m honored to be joined by my lovely wife Carolyn, Brewing Compadre Shawn, Sheila Dee, Evo Terra, and Jack Mangan. So much fun was had that I’ve decided to split this up into three installments, the first of which features Gouden Carolus Noel. I was a big fan of their Grand Cru, but how does their Christmas brew go down with a slap-happy group of all-over-the-map outspoken party-goers? Tune in and find out!
So you know that certain someone who loves their beer and appreciates unique clothing, crockery, or various other sundries, but are stumped about what to give them this Holiday Season. Well, might I suggest something from the Speaking of Beer Store? There’s no better way to show support for quality brew and new media in one fell swoop, and the the proceeds all go to that great big smile on the face of the lucky recipient. Come on, you know you want an SoB thong for that certain special someone…don’t you…?
You’ve been marking your calendars and waiting with baited breath, but the wait is over: Another dose of beercasters running amok is now available! The third annual Beer Safari Christmas Beer Exchange Video Special (that’s what I’m calling it anyway) is here to crank up your festive cheer. Here’s how it works: folks from nine beer podcasts randomly draw names and send a beer to the drawn show. The receiving show opens it and drinks it, while filming the result. It’s all then spliced together and hilarity ensues. What you get is a great selection of diverse interpretations of the idea, and lots and lots of really good beer being consumed.
Thanks to The Beer Report, Should I Drink That?, My Life as a Foodie, Davis on Draft, The Good Beer Show, Big Foamy Head, Brain Gravy, and Craft Beer Radio (collecively known as the good folks at Beer Safari) for once again inviting me into the fun. Enjoy!
