Lyke 2 Drink

CNN Vital Signs Features Pints for Prostates

2009-10-29T13:51:00.001-04:00

During the Livestrong Global Cancer Summit in Dublin, I had the chance to sit down with Dr. Sanjay Gupta to talk about Pints for Prostates and how we use the universal language of beer to reach men with an important health message. CNN also sent a crew to Colorado for the Denver Rare Beer Tasting and Great American Beer Festival.

The interview started airing internationally today. You can check it out here:

Tuesday Tasting: Prager 2004 Royal Escort Port

2009-10-27T20:50:00.003-04:00

Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we head to Napa Valley to sip a great port.

A few months back a couple of bottles arrived at my door from Prager Winery & Port Works in California. I have to admit that I don't regularly drink port and, in the heat of the North Carolina summer, I decided to place the bottles in a wine rack and wait for cooler weather. The time has come to crack open one of the bottles.

Prager 2004 Royal Escort Port is a dark ruby red 19 percent alcohol by volume wine that is made from 100 percent petite sirah grapes grown in the Napa Valley. If you like port, you will love this wine. There is plenty of body to Royal Escort. Good dark cherry and plum notes open to a nice balancing acidity. Royal Escort is bright and approachable.

This port will clearly stand up well for a number of years of aging, but I really found the fruit-forward nature of the wine at this stage to be very attractive. You may want to buy too bottles, one to try now and one to lay down for a few years for a special occasion.

Beer Tap TV Covers Denver Rare Beer Tasting

2009-10-27T12:20:00.002-04:00

Erik Boles and the fine people at Beer Tap TV have posted an interview they did at the inaugural Denver Rare Beer Tasting last month. Check out this video to see how they are helping the Pints for Prostates campaign reach men through the universal language of beer.

Is Cheap Whisky a Scottish Birthright?

2009-10-25T14:56:00.002-04:00

Living in Scotland means that you can get a decent bottle of Scotch at your local supermarket for under $12. That may all change because of a Scottish government plans to combat binge drinking and it has distillers upset.

A plan would set minimum per drink charges for alcohol sold in supermarkets. That would mean that supermarket-brand Scotch would increase in price to $18 a bottle, effectively raising the price to what some branded Scotch labels sell for at retail.

Whyte and Mackay, a 160-year-old distiller, says the new minimum pricing plan would have a major impact on its volume. Distillers are upset because discussions about minimum pricing have focused on supermarket lost-leader sales of beer, cider and flavored malt beverages.

The Scottish government is expected to finalize a proposal during the next few weeks. Distillers are pointing out that Scotch amounts to around 20 percent of the country's exports and a proposal that damages the industry would harm the overall economy.

Rock Art Brewing Should Send Flowers to Monster's Lawyers

2009-10-14T21:42:00.004-04:00

Be honest. How many of you had heard of Rock Art Brewery in tiny Morrisville, Vermont at this time last week?

This small brewery was plodding along like many of the craft brewers in this country. Making some pretty good beers, building a loyal following of beer geeks and fighting for shelf space against companies that can afford to run ads during weekend football games.

Then some lawyers from Hansen Beverage Co., which markets Monster Energy Drinks, decided to come to the rescue. You see Rock Art has been selling a brew called The Vermonster for the last couple of years. Hansen says that could confuse consumers and Hansen says it has plans to launch an alcoholic drink under the Monster label. They say they have to defend their trademark.

Jackpot. The good folks at Rock Art Brewery are suddenly real life Davids in a battle against a big time Goliath. In addition to Monster, Hansen also markets Hansen Natural Sodas, Energade sports drinks and Rumba juice drinks. In 2006, the company signed a deal for Anheuser-Busch distributors to handle its line up. Manufacturing is handled by a series of independent bottlers under license.

Twitter has been twittering. There is a Facebook boycott against Monster picking up steam. And just about every beer blog in North America is jumping on the story.

It just may be that Rock Art will have to knuckle under because the legal fight would drain resources they just don't have. Hansen literally has more lawyers than the Rock Art folks have employees. That's the way the legal system sometimes works in the U.S.

But the public relations system sometimes works in an opposite and remarkable fashion in this country. Rock Art Brewery has gained more in attention than they could have hoped for in the next 10 years if the Hansen lawyers had just left things alone.

I'm willing to bet that Vermont bars are ordering as much of Vermonster as Rock Art can ship. Can a bigger distribution deal be far behind? God bless the lawyers.

Another Reason to Hate Beer Pong

2009-10-14T21:19:00.002-04:00

I've never been a big fan of drinking games. Even in my younger days I really just did not get the point. I've always considered drinking to be more of a social event than a competition.

I never did the beer funnel thing. I remember being pressured into participating in a couple of games of quarters, but I kept thinking about where that change had been. Pretty gross. And chugging just never did it for me. That's why the current fascination with beer pong just is lost on me.

Now Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., has given me all the reason I ever need to just say no to beer pong. The school has announced that several students have contracted the H1N1 flu after a weekend beer pong competition.

Dr. Leslie Lawrence, medical director at RPI's health center, is asking students not to share drinking cups. That should pretty much end beer pong at RPI, unless the students come up with an endless supply of plastic cups so they can switch them out after each successful shot.

The kids at RPI are pretty smart. The question is are they smart enough to listen to Dr. Lawrence?

Cask Ale Sales Rebound in Great Britain

2009-10-10T07:32:00.002-04:00

It has been more than a quarter century since cask ales sales in Britain enjoyed a year over year increase, but that might change in 2009.

In the first half of 2009, British consumers downed 2.3 million more pints of cask beer than they enjoyed during the same time period in 2008. You have to go all the way back to 1982 to find the last annual rise in real-ale consumption.

The Cask Ale Report, commissioned by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)and some brewers, showed sales reached 825,000 barrels during the January to June 2009 period. The report said 660 breweries now make cask ale, the highest number in 60 years.

The improving picture is good news for the troubled British pub segment. Forty percent of real ale drinkers visit a pub at least once a week, compared with just 23 per cent of non-cask drinkers. The report also pointed out these customers tend to spend more during each pub visit.

Real ale requires careful handling by pub operators. The beer undergoes a second fermentation in the cask and is not injected with carbon dioxide. CAMRA was formed as a consumer movement in reaction to national brewers in England discontinuing traditional cask ale brands in favor of easier to distribute lagers.

GABF: Recap of a Great Fest

2009-10-05T23:12:00.002-04:00

I intended to get to this a bit earlier, but it has been busy in the Lyke2Drink world for the last week or so...The Great American Beer Festival has come and gone for another year. It is sort of like Christmas. You start thinking about it months in advance, you make plans to visit old friends, you pack up and run the travel gauntlet, and then everything happens so quickly that when it is over you are left drained and wishing that you had an extra day or two before going back to work.

A few random thoughts on America's grandest beer bash:

Records Are Made to Be Broken: A ton of records fell at this year's GABF. The most impressive to me are the 3,362 beers entered in the medal competition. That's a 16 percent jump in just a year. A total of 51 breweries were first timers this year.

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More Categories = More Fun: The GABF competition featured 78 categories (+ the Pro Am category) in 2009, up three from the previous year.

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More Elbow Room: The GABF added 46 percent more space to accommodate more brewers and more attendees this year. It was hard to find the additional space of Friday or Saturday night. Still, a good idea.

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Farm to Table Pavilion: The Brewers Association hosted a food and beer matching event in a quiet corner of the Colorado Convention Center on Thursday and Friday evenings. It was a good chance to get away from the noise of the GABF and a reminder of the fact that beer can play an upscale game that trumps wine in many respects.

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What Happened to the Time?: This GABF was a bit more of a blur this year for me because of all of the activity that went into launching the Denver Rare Beer Tasting and having a stand alone Pints for Prostates booth at the event. The Brewers Association graciously donated the space and volunteers Mark Sohasky, Dan Rabin, Darrin Pikarsky, Chad Henderson and Charles Willet helped me staff the booth. We had the chance to talk with a bunch of men about the need to get regular prostate health screenings, while at the same time raising funds for the Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network. The lucky winner of the kegerator drawing was Ben Carlisle of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, a new homebrewer attending his first GABF.

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Big Kick Off: Once again Great Divide Brewing was the place for brewers, media and beer hangers on Thursday afternoon. The traditional kickoff of the GABF marathon was a chance to see old friends and drink some excellent house brews. If you find yourself in Denver, the Great Divide taproom should be on your list. This brewery makes a very solid range of beers that are worth your time.

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American Craft Beer Week: Mark it down, May 17-23, 2010. Check out www.AmericanCraftBeerWeek.org.

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Michelob Tasting: The Anheuser-Busch InBev folks had a nice gathering for the media at Earl's Restaurant. The mix of beer included commercial offerings, some brewery only treats to show flexibility (a very good Doppelbock and a pear brew) and a beer designed by the media. Rye-ter's Block was a beer by committee -- beer writers -- that was very drinkable.

Brewers Celebrate GABF Medal Wins

2009-09-27T06:05:00.002-04:00

The Great American Beer Festival for 2009 is in the books. The activities wrapped up last evening at the Colorado Convention Center, but for the brewers the main event happened during the afternoon session, when medals were handed out.

There were 3,308 beers in the GABF competition entered by 495 brewers in 78 categories and the Pro-Am category. The beers were judged by 132 industry professionals from 10 countries.

Here is the complete list of winners from the Brewers Association.

The top five medal winning states were: Colorado (45), California (39), Oregon (22), Washington (13) and Pennsylvania (12).

Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year is Chuckanut Brewery of Bellingham, Wash., and Will Kemper.

Large Brewpub and Large Brewpub Brewer of the Year is Pizza Port Carlsbad of Carlsbad, Calif. and Pizza Port Brew Guys.

Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year is Dry Dock Brewing Company of Aurora, Colo., and Dry Dock Brewing Team.

Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company Brewer of the Year is Flying Dog Brewery of Frederick, Maryland, and Robert Malone.

Large Brewing Company and Large Brewing Company Brewer of the Year is Coors Brewing Company of Golden, Colo., and Dr. David Ryder.

Samuel Adams LongShot Winners Announced

2009-09-26T13:57:00.004-04:00

One of the highlights of the Great American Beer Festival for the beer journalists at the event is the annual Samuel Adams brunch. It's a chance to have some quiet time with writers you know and respect, plus Jim Koch gets back to his homebrewing roots at the event.

The Samuel Adams American Homebrew Contest selects beers from two homebrewers and a Boston Beer employee's recipe to make up the yearly release of the LongShot variety pack.

This year's six pack is going to be one you need to try. Michael Robinson of New Hampshire has an Old Ale in the pack, Ben Miller of New Mexico contributes a Barleywine, and Jeremy White, an IT employee at Boston Beer, offers a Belgian-style Saison.

The LongShot pack is slated for release in April 2010.

Denver Rare Beer Tasting is in the Books

2009-09-26T11:10:00.002-04:00

I'll leave it up to others to comment on the quality of the inaugural Denver Rare Beer Tasting to benefit the Pints for Prostates campaign, but I figured I'd post a few photos and offer thanks to all of the people who made the event a success.

First of all, 24 great breweries came through with a group of truly unique and exotic beers. You can check out the list of the brews that were served here. Part of the buzz from the event was created by the fact so many legendary brewers were on hand to talk with beer fans about the special beers being poured.

There were the volunteers, many of them home brewers with a real passion for beer, that made it possible to produce the event. The team at the Wynkoop Brewery received the beer over several days as it arrived from around the country and they provided excellent service as beer fans sampled the brews and enjoyed snacks.

Then there were the 450 beer fans who had the faith to buy tickets for a first time event and started lining up for the DRBT about an hour before the doors opened. There is no shortage of beer events in Denver this week, so it was great to have so many people turn out. Several told me they came to Denver from across the country just for this event, which is pretty impressive.

Then there were a host of folks who donated services to get the programs, signs, glassware and other items produced, including eTix, Harperprints, Image Navigators and Eric Mower and Associates. A special thanks also goes out to the Brewers Association, BeerAdvocate.com and Visit Denver for helping to promote the event, which sold out more than a month ago.

The biggest thanks of all go out to Daniel Bradford, publisher of All About Beer Magazine, and the entire team at the publication, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. The amount of energy and expertise they put into the Denver Rare Beer Tasting made the entire event possible. Literally, without Daniel's tireless efforts the DRBT would have never happened.

In the end, the Denver Rare Beer Tasting helped raise the awareness of the brewing community and beer fans about the need for regular prostate health screenings and PSA testing. The funds raised at the event go to help the Us TOO Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network, a group that works with men with prostate cancer and their families. And, while there are plenty of good reasons to have a beer tasting, this is one of the best I can think of and why we are talking about doing it again next year.

Ready or Not: It's Beer Festival Time in Denver

2009-09-23T17:52:00.005-04:00

There is excitement in the rather chilly air of Denver on the eve of the 28th annual Great American Beer Festival. The city is pretty much a giant river of beer for the next few days, with thousands of beer fans paddling through the rapids, outstretched hands holding tasting glasses in search of the next great brew.

To start things off, the first Denver Beer Fest is currently underway. This 10-day event is one of what will become two annual “Beer Weeks” for the Mile High City. The time leading up to and during the GABF has always been packed with beer related events, but the Denver Convention and Visitors Bureau decided to formalize things this year by serving as a hub for all things beer. There are dozens of tastings, dinners, tours and other events focused around beer. There is no possible way to participate in everything, but there is no excuse not to immerse yourself in the celebration.

The GABF is still the focus in Denver this week. The Brewers Association will break records with this year’s event. Paid attendance is expected to reach 49,000 people (plus volunteers, brewers and media) during the four sessions. Organizers say 46 percent more space in the Colorado Convention Center is being utilized to hold a record 457 brewers pouring 2,100 beers. The event is sold out, which is music to the ears of scalpers working the streets near the venue. If you are attending, please stop by the Pints for Prostates booth (D-1), not far from the Pro-Am beers and the GABF t-shirt sales area. We’ll be raffling a kegerator to raise funds to help fight prostate cancer and we will have information available about the disease.

The GABF medal competition will also set records this year. A total of 495 breweries from 48 states have entered 3,362 beers for judging by a team of dedicated industry professionals. Over the years GABF medals have helped establish the brewing credentials of some of America’s top craft brewers. Winning a GABF is a true point of pride for brewers. If you are trying to handicap likely contenders, check out this post from that chronicles the 2,987 medals handed out since the professional judging panels were established in 1987.

One of the happenings in Denver this week that I’m most excited about on several levels is the inaugural Denver Rare Beer Tasting. This event started out a few months back as a simple idea to bring together some of America’s best craft brewers to help fight prostate cancer. With the help of All About Beer Magazine, in cooperation with BeerAdvocate.com, this event brings the Pints for Prostates campaign to Denver in style. We are using the universal language of beer to reach men with an important health message.

The brewing community really stepped up for this event. We have 24 of the country’s most innovative brewers pouring some of the most exotic and hard to find beers on the planet. You can check out the beer list here and you will understand why the 450 tickets for this event sold out weeks in advance. There is even a waiting list of people who want to volunteer. All proceeds from the DRBT benefit the Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network, a 501(c)3 charity that helps men with cancer and their families.

Lyke2Drink will file several reports from Denver this week to keep you up to date on some of the happenings in and around Denver. We hope you will join us for the ride.

Release of 1,001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die Set for March 2010

2009-09-15T23:06:00.003-04:00

Amazon.com has already started promoting advance sales for 1,001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die, which has a scheduled release date of March 23, 2010.

The book, edited by U.K. beer writer Adrian Tierney-Jones, is the result of contributions from beer writers around the globe. I put together the reviews for 24 of the American beers that will be featured in the book -- so just 2.4 percent of the final product, but I got to taste some world class brews in the process. I'm not going to name drop at this point, since part of the fun of getting this book will be to find out which beers were selected and which of your favorites are missing. This is one of those books that will start a few debates in various languages.

The thing about a book like this or any list that attempts to rank the best is that there is always someone left out. Even with the great team of writers for this book, there are certainly more than one or two great beers that did not make the cut. Sometimes it's because the editor feels that a particular beer is the 1,002nd beer to taste before you die. In other cases it might be because the brand is relatively unknown or the brewery is in a remote location. This book will not be out long before the beer message boards buzz with lists of beers that people feel were snubbed. That's half the fun.

According to Amazon, this 960-page hardcover book published by Universe will have a list price of $36.95. The early bird discount on Amazon is 34 percent, so you can get it for just $24.39. That's 2-cents per beer reviewed in the book. I'm certainly not that objective about the project, but I'd say it's certainly worth the price.

Celebrating Oktoberfest in Winston-Salem

2009-09-12T21:29:00.002-04:00

Foothills Brewing in Winston-Salem, N.C., celebrated Oktoberfest today with an event that raised funds for Pints for Prostates and Save the Ta Tas.

I stopped in and had the chance to enjoy a rich Oktoberfest beer produced by the talented Jamie Bartholomaus and the Foothills team. This amber colored beer has a thin tan head and nice sweet aroma. Good light roasted malt notes and plenty of caramel touches to the finish. Perfect for the season.

The event included a number of contests, raffles and German food to go along with the Oktoberfest release. I brought back a growler to enjoy during tailgating tomorrow for the opening game of the NFL season for the Carolina Panthers.

Denver Rare Beer Tasting Brews Announced

2009-09-10T17:41:00.003-04:00

The beer list for the sold out Denver Rare Beer Tasting has been finalized. The brewers donating beer to this event have gone out of their way, dug deep into private cellars and provided some real gems for beer fans to sample.

For those of you lucky enough to have one of the 450 tickets to this inaugural event, here's what you can look forward to enjoying on Sept. 25th:

* Alaskan Smoked Porter 1999 & 2008
* Allagash Fluxus 2009 * Bison Reunion '09 -- A Beer for Hope Double White Ale
* Samuel Adams Utopias 2009
* Brooklyn Wild 1
* Deschutes Double Black Butte Porter XX
* Dogfish Head Raison D’Extra 2006
* Foothills 23-year-old Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Aged Total Eclipse Stout
* Great Divide Old Ruffian Barley Wine 2008
* Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Glacier Harvest ’09 Wet Hop Ale
* Highland Big Butte Smoked Porter
* Jolly Pumpkin Biere de Mars Grand Reserve 2006 & 2007
* Lost Abbey The Angel's Share 2009 Brandy Barrel Finish
* Mich Brett
* New Belgium Trip II
* New Glarus Golden Ale
* Odell Crimson Shenanigans
* Oskar Blues Wet & Whiskeyed Gordon
* Rogue Ales John John Hazelnut
* Saranac Imperial IPA
* Sierra Nevada Barrel Aged Scotch Ale
* Stoudt Old Abominable Barleywine 2007
* Stone 2008 Old Guardian Barley Wine Aged in Red Wine Barrels
* Wynkoop Barrel Aged Berserker Mead

All money raised by the Pints for Prostates campaign goes to help the Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network.

Drinking Reduces Depression in Teenage Girls

2009-09-09T07:06:00.004-04:00

Is beer good for teenage girls?

Just asking the question might earn you a trip to the local jail in some southern states. But, according to a brave researcher in Indiana, drinking might be the key to help teenage girls avoid depression.

Timothy Owens, a sociology professor at Purdue University in Indiana, conducted a study that found high school-aged girls who had drinks once or twice in the past month with their friends were less likely to report feeling depressed than peers who did not drink.

Owens said the reason appears to be having a drink or two gives the the teenage girls a reason to go out with friends to relax, have fun and interact. Building social relationships are extremely important to teenage girls and has a positive impact on how they feel about themselves.

Owens said the study results reflect occasional drinking and not binge-drinking or getting intoxicated on a regular basis.

Owens said the study also found little correlation between drinking by teenage boys and their emotional well-being.

The research looked at more than 1,000 high school students. The results are published in the Journal of Adolescence.

Tuesday Tasting: Great Stuff from Kentucky

2009-09-08T22:41:00.002-04:00

Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we taste four new whiskeys from Kentucky.

They make whiskey in Kentucky. Very good whiskey. There are a precious few distilleries in the Bluegrass State, but they turn out some of the best brown spirits you will find anywhere. This is especially true when the distillers produce a special bottling or dig deep in their rackhouses for aged barrels.

Happily, I occasionally receive samples of these whiskeys for articles I am writing. Recently some samples arrived that were really extra special. In fact, one bottle might be one of the rarest whiskeys in the world.

Let me explain. A bottle of Rittenhouse Very Rare Single Barrel Rye, a 25-year-old rye, arrived for tasting. A 25-year-old rye by itself is a fairly rare whiskey. Then Larry Kass from Heaven Hill Distilleries contacted me to say a mistake had been made. My first thought was they might want the bottle back. Instead Larry told me that the bottle did not contain the contents of a single barrel, as promised on the label, but mistakenly contained a blend of barrel numbers one and three. So what I had instead of a great single barrel rye was an extremely small batch whiskey the distillery had not planned to release. Even better was knowing a second "correct" bottle was on its way.

Rittenhouse Very Rare Single Barrel Rye: Barrel #1, barreled on Oct. 11, 1984. Heaven Hill released 21- and 23-year-old expressions of this whiskey earlier in the decade. Glowing cherry wood color. Wonderful vanilla nose. For a 100 proof whiskey this is extremely smooth.

Rittenhouse Very Rare Blended Barrel Rye: Barreled on Oct. 11, 1984. Barrels #1 & #3. For an "error bottle," this is darn good whiskey. Pretty much the same color as the single barrel #1 whiskey. The vanilla nose is there, too, if slightly muted. This rye is smooth, but has more smoky characteristics.

Woodford Reserve Master’s Collection: This is the fourth release in this series and uses oak that has been seasoned for three to five years. At 100.4 proof you can certainly cut it with a little water, but you will at least take a small sip first. Dark mahogany color with a slightly sweet nose. Nice oak and dark fruit flavors. Finishes with a touch of spice.

Old Forester Birthday Bourbon: Distilled in 1997 and bottled in 2009 this 97 proof whiskey is the latest in the series started by in 2002. Nice glowing amber color and slightly sweet nose. The whiskey has big oak up front. As it opens follow up sips give hints of nuts and toffee, with a lingering cherry note around the edges at the finish.

Pints for Prostates Marks National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month with Nine Events Across the U.S.

2009-08-31T15:47:00.002-04:00

September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and the Pints for Prostates campaign will salute survivors of the disease at nine events taking place across the country.

The events, ranging from fundraisers at taverns to participation in beer festivals, are scheduled to take place in California, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Ohio.

“The mission of Pints for Prostates is to reach men in a friendly and non-threatening way when they may be willing to listen to a message about prostate health screening and PSA testing,” said Rick Lyke, a 48-year-old Charlotte, N.C., marketing executive and drinks journalist who had successful prostate cancer surgery in April 2008. “Pints for Prostates uses the universal language of beer to encourage men to take charge of their health.”

Each week 4,000 men in the U.S. hear the words: “You have prostate cancer.” The key for these men is detecting the disease in the early stages when treatment is nearly 100 percent successful. The grassroots Pints for Prostates campaign is focused on building awareness among men of the importance of regular health screenings and PSA testing.

“All men should start getting screened for prostate cancer when they reach 40 years old,” Lyke said. “The death rate from prostate cancer has declined in the last two decades because of improvements in testing and treatment. Still, thousands of men die needlessly each year because there is a lack of information sharing. Prostate cancer occupies the same social standing as breast cancer did in this country 30 years ago. Thanks to the pink ribbon campaign’s impact on early detection, scores of women have survived breast cancer. Men need to talk to other men and shake off the stigma of prostate cancer.”

As part of National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, Pints for Prostates is participating in the following events around the United States:

• Pints for Prostates at E.B. Flatts at 245 W. Main St., East Brookfield, Mass., from Sept. 1-30. A portion of the proceeds from sales will be donated to the Pints for Prostates campaign.

• North Star Craft Brewery at 3501 Iron Ct. in Shasta Lake, Calif., on Sept. 12 from 3:30-11 p.m. Live bands, food and beer. http://www.northstarbrew.com/homepage/NorthStarBreweryFestivals.html

• Foothills Oktoberfest at 638 W. 4th St., Winston-Salem, N.C., on Sept. 12th from Noon to 2 a.m. German food, a costume contest, games and raffle.

• Rocco’s Café & Pizzeria at 1925 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago, Ill., on Sept. 13 from 2:00-6:00 p.m. celebrating the success of the SEA Blue Walk, a joint venture between two 501(c)3 non-profit organizations, Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network and Wellness Place, Cancer Education and Support. http://www.ustooevents.org/site/PageServer?pagename=2009_Chgo_Splash

• Men’s Night Out for Pints for Prostates at The Pub in Polaris Fashion Place, 1500 Polaris Parkway, Columbus, Ohio, on Sept. 17th from 5:00-9:00 p.m. Beer, Scotch and Bourbon tastings, live music, food, silent auction and raffles. www.pubs4prostates.com.

• Pints for Prostates benefit at the Blind Lady Ale House, 3416 Adams Ave. in San Diego, Calif., on Sept. 20th from 11:30 a.m. to Midnight. A portion of the day’s sales and donations to a raffle for some great prizes will be donated to the Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network.

• Great American Beer Festival at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colo., from Sept. 24-26. http://www.beertown.org/events/gabf/.

• Denver Rare Beer Tasting to benefit Pints for Prostates presented by All About Beer Magazine in cooperation with BeerAdvocate.com at the Wynkoop Brewery at 1634 18th St. in Denver, Colo., on Sept. 25 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. www.allaboutbeer.com/pints.

• Pints for Prostates benefit at the Olde Mecklenburg Brewery at 215 Southside Dr. in Charlotte, N.C. on Sept. 30th from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Beer sampling, brewery tours, food and live music.

About Pints for Prostates

Pints for Prostates, a campaign that uses the universal language of beer to encourage men to take charge of their health, was founded by prostate cancer survivor Rick Lyke in 2008. The grassroots effort raises awareness among men of the importance of regular health screenings and PSA testing by making appearances at beer festivals, social networking and pro bono advertising. All funds generated by Pints for Prostates benefit the Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network, a 501(c)3 charity that works to support, educate and advocate for men with prostate cancer and their families. More information is available at www.ustoo.org/pints. Pints for Prostates also has a presence on Facebook and Twitter.

Pub Crawl in Dublin

2009-08-30T15:32:00.004-04:00

When I arrived in Ireland last Sunday I had a day to fill before the opening reception of the Livestrong Global Cancer Summit, so I decided to meet up with John Duffy, who writes The Beer Nut blog and is a fellow contributor to the upcoming book "1001 Beers to Try Before You Die" due out in the Spring 2010. John was good enough to take me on a pub crawl of some of his favorite spots in Dublin.

Our first stop was the Bull & Castle, located across the street from Christchurch Cathedral. Two fine beers at this stop were a cask conditioned O'Hara's Stout that was rich and Whitewater Brewery's Clotworthy Dobbin, a Belfast porter with a very nice caramel note.

We headed to the Porterhouse, a multiple location Dublin microbrewery founded in 1996. I founded the Wrasslers XXXX Full Stout at the Temple Bar location to be a rich classic dry stout. I then had an Oyster Stout to wash down an order of fish and chips. It was think and creamy with hints of coffee. Later during my time in Dublin I made a stop at Porterhouse Central and enjoyed a rich Chocolate Truffle Stout that gave an immediate hit of 70 percent pure cocoa. Also the Porterhouse Plain Porter looks like a stout at first, but it gives off an amber glow. It has a rich roasted quality. This is a seriously good brewpub that should be on your itinerary if you are lucky to get to Dublin.

At our next stop, the Palace, we had a Franciscan Well Rebel Red, which was one of the better Irish reds I can recall having. Since we were in Ireland, I would kind of expect it to be a great example of the beer style. This Cork brewery did not disappoint.

Over a pint of Galway Hooker Pale Ale John tried to explain to me some of the rules of Gaelic football. I understood some of the rules, but frankly was lost on others. I was amazed that these skilled and fearless players don't get paid for getting smacked around on the weekend. There is certainly enough money flowing through this game between the full stadiums, television rights and jersey sales to pay the players handsomely. The scoring system, 3 points for a ball kicked into the goal and one point for one kicked through the uprights was easy to understand, but the way it is displayed on television is designed to confuse foreigners. The pale ale was fairly straight forward. No flaws, but compared to what you can get from dozens of U.S. micros, nothing outstanding. This brewery is about to expand and I'm sure it will add some interesting brews to its line up.

We hit Messrs. Maguire after a brisk walk and I had a half pint of the Plain. I was kind of amazed that the bar was pretty empty on a Sunday afternoon with both Gaelic football and soccer matches available on television. The beer was good and this place is worth a stop.

I enjoyed having John guide me to some of the better spots in Dublin on my first day. I went back to the Bull & Castle later that night for dinner and found the Guinness stew to be very tasty.

While attending the Livestrong Summit, a dinner one night took place at the Guinness Brewery. The Stout was obviously fresh and it was great to be able to enjoy one at the source. I also tried tastes two ales and a cider at the event, but the Guinness was my favorite, delivering a rich, smooth and roasty flavor.

Livestrong Global Cancer Summit

2009-08-28T07:11:00.003-04:00

I’ve just returned from Ireland where I took part in the Livestrong Global Cancer Summit. Held at the Royal Dublin Society, the event attracted 500 delegates from 65 countries around the global. In attendance were government leaders, the heads of some of the leading cancer fighting organizations, chief executives of major corporations and individuals that are active in everything from early detection to assisting those diagnosed with the disease. There were also a large number of cancer survivors among the delegates.

Sponsored by the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the summit was aimed at creating a clear call for action to address the global epidemic of cancer. By 2010, cancer will be the leading cause of death around the world. People diagnosed with cancer still face stigma and myths about the disease. The drain on personal finances and the broader economy is frightening. In a World Bank study commissioned by Livestrong, the annual economic impact of newly diagnosed cancer cases was pegged at $305 billion. Beyond the dollar impact, in many parts of the world the lack of medical facilities, equipment and health insurance means cancer goes undetected and untreated until it is too late. Then, many of the people with the disease are unable to get medications we all take for granted that can help make their remaining days less painful.

The Livestrong Global Cancer Summit opened on Sunday night with a reception at Dublin Castle that featured a welcome by Irish Minister of Health and Children Mary Harney and remarks by U.S. Ambassador Dan Rooney.

On Monday, the program was focused around the growing cancer burden and what needs to be done to get governments to focus on the issue. Some of the speakers included Dr. John Seffrin, CEO of the American Cancer Society; Lynn Faulds Wood, president of the European Cancer Patient Coalition; Faisal A. Al-Fayez, former Prime Minister of Jordan; Olusegun Obansanjo, former President of Nigeria; Alojz Peterle, former Prime Minister of Slovenia; Dr. Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos, Secretary of Health for Mexico; Professor Jim Bishop, Chief Medical Officer for Australia; Mark Parker, CEO of Nike; Jonathan Thomas, president and CEO of American Century Companies; and Caroline Roan, president of the Pfizer Foundation.

On Tuesday, there were a series of working sessions on leadership, reach and innovation that featured a wide range of interesting work taking place around the world to help people with the disease. The panelists includedSamir Khleif of the King Hussein Cancer Center; Felicia Knaul, chief economist with the Mexican Health Foundation; Brother Charles Anothony of The Ormylia Foundation; Gabriel Madiye of The Shepherd’s Hospice Sierra Leone; Ian Garbett of the University of Papua New Guinea; and Dr. Lawrence Shulman, Chief Medical Officer at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. That evening a reception was held at the Guinness Brewery where the dramatic story of how Lance Armstrong got involved in fighting cancer and Livestrong was formed was told by cycling broadcaster Paul Sherwen, Nike executive Scott MacEachern and Lance Armstrong.

On Wednesday morning Pints for Prostates was featured as part of a breakfast briefing session on overcoming the stigma of cancer. Greg Donaldson, national vice president of corporate communications for the American Cancer Society moderated a panel discussion on cancer stigma featuring Dr. Xishan Hao, president of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association; Dr. M. R. Rajagopal, founder and chairman of Pallium India; Dr. Alejandro Mohar, director of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico; Rick Lyke, cancer survivor and founder of Pints for Prostates; and Molebatsi Pooe-Shongwe, a cancer survivor and founder of BreastSens, a nonprofit breast health and health care rights initiative in South Africa.

Doug Ulman, president and CEO of Livestrong, and the entire Livestrong staff can be congratulated on running an impressive conference that was packed with information and energy. Lance Armstrong’s willingness to go public with his own cancer fight and then show the world that cancer can be defeated is an inspiration for anyone facing the illness.

Now comes the important part. Pressure needs to be applied to world governments to spend money to meet this rising threat. One of the statistics displayed during the meeting is that if the current trends continue that one in two people will face cancer during the next generation. We need research on a cure and more programs that help people diagnosed. In some parts of the world, cancers that can be treated and cured still kill because of the lack of care. This needs to change. We also need to have the courage to spend money to fight cancer at a time when the economy is struggling and there are so many other demands on resources.

The Livestrong Global Cancer Summit created the atmosphere for this to take place. Now the work begins to mobilize this energy.

You can see more about the event in Dublin at http://livestrongblog.org/.

Great American Beer Festival Medals Roll in for California, Colorado and Wisconsin Brewers

2009-08-24T19:41:00.005-04:00

If you are a beer drinker in California, Colorado or Wisconsin there is pretty good chance that there is gold in your glass. Great American Beer Festival gold that is.

The three states have combined for a total of 1,116 medals since the Great American Beer Festival started handing out gold, silver and bronze awards in 1987. That's 37.6 percent of the medals handed out over the years by the professional judging panels.

Mike Wirth has worked with me during the last couple of months to pull together an interesting new infographic that helps paint a clear a picture of where the best beers and breweries are based across the United States. Mike happens to be my son-in-law and creates some interesting infographics that you can check out on his website.

Beer is a $101 billion business in the U.S. and GABF medals have been used as a marketing tool by brewers large and Receiving a GABF medal can help build a brand's reputation among beer fans.

Alaskan Smoked Porter with 17 GABF medals (7 gold, 5 silver and 5 bronze) is the most decorated American beer of all-time at the GABF, followed by New Belgium Abbey Style Ale (10) Genesee Cream Ale (10)and Samuel Adams Double Bock (9). Anheuser-Busch has won the most medals among American brewers.

While some states pile up the medals each year, West Virginia still has not had a brewery win a GABF honor. Oklahoma and North Dakota breweries have received just a single medal over the years.

The 2009 GABF kicks off exactly a month from today. It will be interesting to see if there are any breakout performances or if previous trends hold solid.

Denver Rare Beer Tasting is Sold Out

2009-08-24T18:36:00.007-04:00

The Denver Rare Beer Tasting scheduled for Sept. 25th at the Wynkoop Brewing Co. is sold out more than a month in advance of the event.

Beer fans have gobbled up the 450 tickets to the inaugural event to get the chance to sample some rare and exotic beers. Presented by All About Beer Magazine in cooperation with BeerAdvocate.com, the event will raise money for the Pints for Prostates campaign. The Denver Rare Beer Tasting was announced in June as an addition to beer happenings in the city during the Great American Beer Festival and part of the new Denver Beer Fest observance.

The preliminary beer list for the event includes Allagash Fluxus ’09, Alaskan 1999 Vintage Smoked Porter, Brooklyn Wild 1, Deschutes Black Butte Porter XX, Dogfish Head 2006 Raison D’Extra, Foothills Barrel Aged Total Eclipse Stout, Great Divide 2008 Old Ruffian Barley Wine, Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Glacier Harvest ’09 Wet Hop Ale, Highland Big Butte Smoked Porter, Lost Abbey Angel’s Share 2009 Brandy Barrel Finished, Mich Brett, New Glarus Golden Ale, Odell Brett Barrel Crimson Strong Ale, Reunion – A Beer of Hope, Rogue John-John Hazelnut Dead Guy, Samuel Adams Utopias, Saranac Imperial IPA, Stone 2008 Old Guardian Barley Wine Aged in Red Wine Barrels,
Stoudt 2007 Barrel-Aged Reserve Old Abominable Barleywine and Wynkoop 2008 Barrel Aged Berserker Mead.

Money raised by the Pints for Prostates campaign benefits the Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network.

A Day in Dusseldorf: Altbier and Schweinehaxen

2009-08-22T16:04:00.006-04:00

Today I left Cologne and spent about six hours walking the Altstadt (old town)of Dusseldorf. This cosmopolitan city has been around since 1288 and is a major North Rhine-Westphalia center.

Dusseldorf is also the home of Altbier. Altbier or old beer is Dusseldorf's gift to the beer world. These beers are copper colored, well-hopped with a malty touch. Like Kolsch, Altbier is top fermented. The alt houses of Dusseldorf pour the beer on gravity from kegs into 0.25 glasses that are just a little more hefty than the ones you will find in Cologne.

My first stop was at Zum Uerige, which pretty much owns a block of a street in Altstadt. On a warm August afternoon the place becomes Dusseldorf's backyard. Uerige's Altbier is a deep amber color with a malty nose. Priced at 1.70 Euros for a 0.25 liter glass, it is refreshing and soft.

A short walk away Zum Schlussel serves up a slightly lighter amber colored alt that has a nice solid hop character. This alt was typical in that the head thoroughly laces your glass. Schlussel has a very good kitchen that set what had to be a record for the largest schweinehaxen ever served to a visiting American. This was truly the knuckle of some super pig and could have easily been a meal for two hungry people.

IM Fuchschen serves up an alt that is a tarnished copper color. The flavor is classic alt style, with just a hint more of the roasted grain than some of the others.

Braueri Schumacher is located just a few blocks from the main rail station and outside of the Altstadt. Schumacher was busy from a constant flow of regulars buying small kegs and crates of large bottles. The beer had a nice crisp hop up front to go along with a malty base. Pretty refreshing stuff.

I also sipped two other altbiers before settling in for the night. Auberge Alt was slightly darker and a little sweeter than most of the others I sampled, while Diebels Alt was smooth and mellow. It had a nice warm brown color, but the head on this beer faded faster than the other alts.

No Compassion for the Victims of Pan Am 103

2009-08-21T17:57:00.006-04:00

I try not to let politics enter my blog, but tonight it must.

I am watching CNN International from a hotel in Germany as Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, a Libyan terrorist, is welcomed home as a hero by hundred throwing flower peddles and chanting slogans.

What did this hero do to deserve this welcome? He served eight years for killing 270 people by blowing a jumbo jet out of the sky over Lockerbie, Scotland. The people he killed were not in the military and did not represent any government. All they did was board Pan Am 103 or go to their homes in Lockerbie on Dec. 21, 1988.

This thug ended up serving a year for every 33.75 lives he took. It comes down to cold hard math. While having him in jail cannot bring these people back or grant peace to their families, clearly having him released to spend his final days with his family as a hero in his country is a final insult to the victims' families.

I get upset at gutless thugs when they do these sort of things, but this is a little personal. There were 35 students from Syracuse Univeristy’s London Department of International Programs Abroad on that flight. I had been a part of that program in 1980 and it really changed my life for the better. I know these 35 young people would have made a difference if their communities and the world. Instead, this murdering miscreant planted a bomb in a suitcase in Malta that ended up on Pam Am 103. Now he is a hero in Tripoli.

The Libyans have been playing a long political game. They have paid damages to the families, but don’t admit responsibility. Today, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s son welcomed home the murderer of 270 people and gave him a hug. Later Gaddafi hugged the mass murderer himslef. That says enough for me, but the Libyans are now claiming the release was part of a trade deal with Great Britain.

The Scottish government released this convicted killer of 270 people on what it calls compassionate grounds. He is believed to be dying of prostate cancer. Since when does a mass murder deserve any compassion? He is now a hero in Libya. The Scottish government and the British ministers who must have approved of this release have to be cringing at the video from Tripoli. But what did they expect? This murdering thug is a hero in his country and the dictator Gaddafi gets to laugh at the United States.

I expected this from the Libyans. And I don’t know any possible way of signaling my displeasure to a government that kills innocent people and then treats the killers as heroes. But the Scottish did have the killer and had sentenced him after a just trial. The United Kingdom had this killer in their custody. They decided that a year in jail for every 33.75 lives was enough.

While I don’t believe in letting politics enter my blog, I also don’t believe I’m going to be ordering any Scotch whisky or British ale for a good long period of time. Let’s just say it’s my way of expressing compassion for the victims of this terrorist act.

A Quick Visit to Cologne: Kolsch Anyone?

2009-08-21T17:33:00.010-04:00

Cologne (Koln) is located along the Rhine River in western Germany. It is a major river town that was pretty much leveled in World War II, but has been rebuilt into a great city. I am passing through the region this evening enjoying a couple of nights of relaxation before heading to Dublin for the Livestrong Global Cancer Summit.

I decided tonight to try to hit as many Kolsch breweries as possible. It is a fairly easy thing to do since the brauhaus locations are packed together near the Koln Dom cathedral and the Rhine River. Add to this the fact the beers are served in 0.2 liter sizes and you realize that as long as you keep moving you can hit a bunch of spots.

The Koln Guild of Brewers was established in 1396 and it set standards for beers made in the city. Today's Kolsch first appeared in the 1800s and in 1986 the breweries established an appelation under which only about 20 breweries are allowed to us the term Kolsch. Kolsch is a golden colored top fermenting beer. Unlike other ales, Kolsch is fermented in cold temperatures similar to lager beers. The results are worth the work.

I started off at Fruh au Dom. It took me longer than I expected to find the place because you cannot really see the place from the eastern side, where I was trying to make my approach. After building up a thirst, I had the kolsch, priced at 1.80 Euros per 0.2 liters. It is a light, crisp drink that leaves you wanting more. The bartenders serve the beer via gravity at the tap. I also quickly realized the glassware is as delicate as the beer. I watched three come back to the bar broken after a nearby toast.

My next stop was Brauhau Sion. I watched in near amazement as the bartenders filled kranz after kranz (the name they give to the trays that have twelve slots and can actually accommodate 20 of the kolsch pipes.) Sion at 1.55 Euros was more malty than most of the kolsch beers I had on this visit. I watched after a keg ran dry while a bartender grabbed what looked like a Jiffy Lube filling system to replenish the empty keg.

At Peters Kolsch I was able to talk for a couple of minutes with a waiter who told me they are constantly moving because of the small portion sizes. The restaurant was bustling, which is a great sign for a German beer hall. This beer had a good level of hop bitterness, but like the others the portion sizes meant you beer was always cold and being replenished.

My next stop was at the Dom Kolsch outlet along the Rhine. I was impressed by the amazing continuous flow of raw materials up and down the river. Coal, freight containers, liquid natural gas and dozens of barges with unknown cargo passed by while I had a single beer. Dom is a clean beer, but lacks the crispness of some of the other hoppier brews. It still leaves you wanting more.

Outside I walked by a place called the “Bier Museum” that bragged on an overhead sign at having 18 taps. The place was empty, telling me the locals value freshness over variety.

I had a Gaffel Kolsch at Haxenhaus zum Rheingarten with my dinner. It was served in a 0.4 liter glass and just did not have the same sense of freshness offered by the others. It felt more like a regular beer than a treat.

My next stop was a the Paffgen Bierhaus, which felt like the place most 30+ single office workers in Cologne had decided to try their luck. Still, the service was prompt and the kolsch was crisp and on the hoppy side.

The final stop of the evening was for a taste at Gilden Kolsch. This beer was a subtle and soft kolsch that ended on a dry note. It was more complex than most of the others and I wished I had really tasted it earlier to judge it closely against a couple of my other favorites.

In preparing for the trip I had reads several comments about the waiters in kolsch brauhaus being rude and unfriendly. I have to say that was not my experience as a single traveler. In fact, the service is almost too good if you want to have just a single beer and move on. The efficiency of the operations on a busy Friday was impressive.

This has been a quick stop in Cologne and I hope to get back here again.