Seen Through a Glass

ANOTHER Leigh and Brendan operation!

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:49:00 +0000

That's right...a third operation from Leigh Maida and Brendan Hartranft after Memphis and Local 44: Resurrection Taproom, at the current location of Yello! Bar. Here's the story, from Leigh, earlier today:

Brendan and I are poised to sign a lease on the space known as (up until last night) Yello Bar, at Grays Ferry Ave and Catharine Street. (The fry oil might not even be cooled down yet... This is new for us, no years of decay to wade through. Well, I hope!)
We'll be renovating and redecorating the innards and (if all goes right) plan to be open by the first week of September. This is kind of break neck speed, even for us, but I think we've got the team assembled that can pull it off.
The name will be Resurrection Ale House, and we're hammering out a menu now that we think fills a gap in the neighborhood, casual, beer-centric, someplace you can feel like a grown up, and be catered to with care, but not have to spend a ton of money to feel like you got some real value out of your experience. We're focused (as always) on a stellar craft beer list, but we're equally focused this time on the dining side of things too. For now we're sort of working under the term "beer bistro" as a guiding principle, for the menu, the decor, the over all vibe of the place. We're hoping for the same kinds of laid back, food and beer savvy, mixed-bag of cool guests that we get to meet at Memphis and Local 44.
Brendan's planning a drive down to Baltimore to (hopefully) pick up a keg of Resurrection Ale from Brewers Art for the opening. (yay!)
There's a website (naturellement) and people can sign up for the mailing list to check up on the status of the opening and get invited to the big opening night bash.

Well...some people are thriving in the economy. Craft beer continues to rock. Rock on!

Joe Under Glass

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:54:00 +0000

Just got news from Philadelphia Brewing Company: their Joe Porter, laced with coffee, is going to make a short appearance in bottles, sometime in September, in their assortment cases. This is excellent news; PBC's everyday year-round beers -- Kenzinger, Newbold, Rowhouse, and Walt Wit -- are good, but their limited release beers like Joe, Fleur de Lehigh, and Shackamaximum Imperial Stout have been outstanding. Getting more Joe is a good, good thing. Thanks, PBC!

American whiskey for July 4th

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:07:00 +0000

I just got this on Facebook from Eric Gregory, president of the Kentucky Distillers' Association. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail will be open for the holiday weekend: a great chance to tour the places where Americans make America's whiskey. (Er, the workers are American, that is...some of the owners of the companies are not: Wild Turkey's owned by Italians, Four Roses is owned by Japanese. But the distilleries are right there in Kentucky.)

Anyway, here are the schedules for tours; all times are Eastern.

Buffalo Trace, Frankfort – open Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., closed Sunday.

Four Roses, Lawrenceburg – open Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., last tour at 3:00 p.m., closed Sunday.

Heaven Hill, Bardstown – open Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday noon to 4 p.m.

Jim Beam, Clermont – open Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Maker’s Mark, Loretto – open Friday and Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Sunday tours 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m.

Wild Turkey, Lawrenceburg – Tours Friday at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Gift shop will be open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed on Saturday and Sunday.

Woodford Reserve, Versailles – Tours Friday at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Closed Saturday. Tours on Sunday at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Visit www.kybourbontrail.com for more information on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

Founders KBS

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:01:00 +0000

I got a sample of Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout two months ago, and finally got to it last night. It was one of those "on the deck in the dark" nights, and the KBS made it a good one.

Black as the night around me, and densely opaque as a good heavy pumpernickel.

Richly aromatic, even when cold, and almost explosive as it warms up: dark, oily coffee; roughly sensual chocolate/cocoa; oaky-sweet bourbon.

Rolling heavy in the mouth, full but easily teased into separate chocolate/vanilla/coffee notes, the bourbon/wood rolling around everything. Surprisingly light finish, didn't hang unctuously in the mouth.

Drank so easy I was shocked to see I'd finished it.

I Love You Too, Wawa

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:53:00 +0000

Check the awesome power of Seen Through A Glass.

Last October I publicly dissed Wawa's disappointing treatment of their coffee. I urged them to dump the Bunn Coffee Burners and put their otherwise decent coffee in thermal carafes. There seemed to be some motion in that direction in January.

Then last night, Yards Brewing's Steven J. Mashington sent me this picture of fellow Yardser Steve Welsh tapping himself a fresh cuppa thermally-coddled Wawa Coffeetopia, at the 21st & Hamilton Wawa (where, by the way, they'll be celebrating the Wawaversary on September 21, which includes...free coffee all day!). That's looking like success, baby.

So, Wawa. A couple things. First, thanks for listening. Second, no charge. Really. Third, Trevose, dammit, Trevose!

Oh. And I'm still waiting for diesel. Cuz I got two of 'em now. Good coffee, and diesel. I know you can do it.

Vote in PLCB poll, Sunday only!

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:32:00 +0000

Just saw a poll in the Lehigh Valley Express-Times:

Should Pennsylvania sell the state liquor control system to balance the budget?

Can I get a big Hell Yeah!

Go register your opinion right now!

Can't find the results today...but late last night "Sell it!" was running over 80%. Like to see a real statewide poll done by an impartial agent.

Brauhaus Schmitz soft opening

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 02:24:00 +0000

Cathy and I went down to the soft opening at Brauhaus Schmitz tonight...ah, Germanness. Teutonicity. It's a nice space, and yes, that's wood at the entrance, right on South Street (there's a nice little concrete fresco on the sidewalk as you enter, too).

We were greeted by Doug Hager, clearly overjoyed to finally be open. He welcomed us, told us to sit anywhere, but we took the opportunity to walk around a bit: the bar, the taps, the interesting 2nd floor with its low ceiling (like a rathskellar on the 2nd floor) and balcony overlooking the bar. Then we sat in the front, and Jess and Amy, our dirndl'd waitresses, took care of us.

I had a Schlenkerla Helles (draft, beautiful), Cathy a crisp glass of Jever. (The beers are not cheap, the 0.5 liter helles was $7.50, but look, you're on South Street, and Philly's not cheap any more; besides, at least it's an honest half liter instead of a 13 oz. shaker "pint.") We got obatzda (cheese butter with caraway and rye bread, done quite well and with enough bread for the spread) and potato pancakes (crisp, light, not oily).

There was also a bread plate, and God bless Doug and Kelly for that: I think it is one of the Crimes of Food that German bread is not fawned over like French bread. Germans have almost as many breads as they have sausages, and it's great. Go, get bread (remember: soft pretzels are bread, and every city's pretzels are different).

Entrees: Cathy got the Gemüsespatzele, spatzele with asparagus and cheese (and other stuff, don't press me), simply delicious. I had the Zigeuenerschnitzel, a crisp yet tender schnitzel with a pepper and onion sauce; sides were rotkohl (maybe a bit too flavorful) and potato salad (where was the speck?). Very good, even better with our second round of beers: a bottle of Augustiner Maximator for Cathy and a liter of Brauhaus Hausbrau (Stoudt's Gold) for me. We split an apple strudel, and groaned as we left.

Overall? 8 out of 10. A couple of small things could be improved, and we told Doug about them. But the space? Great. The menu? True German. The beers? Excellent, draft and bottle. The location? A bit weird when we left, like walking out of Munich into South Street.

I'd suggest doing what we did: toddling around the corner and down 7th St. to Chick's. Walked right into the bar, and said to Phoebe: we have time for one cocktail, what should it be? She rose to the occasion, asked a few questions, and made one, right on the spot, with Laird's Apple Brandy, Grand Marnier, Canton ginger liqueur, and her own Phoebe's Heart of Darkness bitters (strawberries, cacao nibs, and orange peel). Very nice, not sweet (which was one of the things we determined in the cocktail interview), and for a bespoke cocktail...very reasonably priced.

But...it was also quite hefty, and it quickly became apparent to me that it would be best if Cathy drove home.

Brauhaus Schmitz (and Chick's) are going to be on My List. Schmitz won't be open tomorrow, but keep an ear out; they'll be open for good soon, Monday or Tuesday. Go. Drink. Eat. Enjoy.

Highball!

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:10:00 +0000

I put in about four and a half hours with the new pressure washer today, and it was surprisingly tiring. I've never really used a powerful one before, and being two stories up a ladder with that bucking thing trying to push you over backwards...damn! But the house looks much better -- the mold/moss build-up on white siding is nasty -- and I trimmed the shrubs away from the house to get at the siding, too. But I'm bushed.

So...I made a highball. Took my Sly Fox Pikeland Pils willibecker glass, filled it with ice, poured in about an inch of Rittenhouse Rye, and topped it up with Stewart's Ginger Beer. Damn me, that was good. The ginger beer is so spicy my lips were tingling a bit (Stewart's isn't Blenheim, but it's good), the rye punched it up good, and it was cold and refreshing. I love a rye and ginger in the summer -- and it's finally summer, sunlight for a change!

Ah...a little bit of cheese and bread, a little writing (blogging for a friend's magazine site on Bill Gates' patent app for an amazing new cooler device; I'll link when it's up), and tonight Cathy and I are going to drop by the eagerly awaited soft opening at Brauhaus Schmitz. Mmmm, German beers. Dirndls. Cathy. And I've gotta cantor at the 7:45 mass tomorrow morning. Yeesh.

KegWorks and Mr. Fizz continue to please me

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:04:00 +0000

I told you that I finally gave in and ordered a CO2 tap, the Mr. Fizz from Leland, after years of fiddling with a handpump picnic tap. It was a huge and fantastic difference: almost zero wasted beer, no frustration with juggling pressure -- it's a set-and-forget beauty -- and maybe best of all, we didn't have to drink a whole keg in one day or have the remainder go flat. I love the thing.

But we've got a party coming up: the first of eight nephews/nieces/son & daughter graduated from high school (congratulations, Matt! GREAT job, and accepted an Echols Scholar at UVA!) and I offered to bring the tap. And then realized I had no gas. Yikes! Scramble, and find that KegWorks has the best price/shipping combo...but can't guarantee delivery before we have to leave. Gamble, order six cartridges (about $10 each, and worth it).

Lo and behold, they showed up today, three days before the earliest estimated delivery date. Bravo KegWorks! We'll have perfect beer for the party.

Folks, I get no freebies and no remuneration from either of these two companies; they don't know me from Adam. I just love the products and service, and cheerfully recommend them to you. Now, if you'll excuse me...it's Beer O'Clock.

"FSA 2/09"? Update: mystery solved!

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:24:00 +0000

Someone -- I'm not sure who -- gave me two unlabeled bottles of beer a while back. The plain bottlecaps bear the only clue to what's in them: black marker, spelling out "FSA 2/09". I wasn't even sure what "FSA" was, until I opened one last night: Flemish Sour Ale! And a good one, too. Pale gold, lots of white foam, and a clean tart flavor, not touched by heavy acetone or solvent aromas or overdone with body. In short, a very nice beer...if only I could remember who gave it to me. I'm thinking it might have been one of the Iron Hill brewers, but I'm not sure. Anyone know?

(6/26: mystery solved. Greg Ouellette, the brewer at Martha's Exchange, gave them to me back in May when we met for drinks in Philly. Here's what he said on Facebook:

Lew. That's mine. Gave it to you at Triumph when I saw you in early May. Glad to see you enjoyed it. Not homebrew. but brewpub brew. 2 years in the making. Blended with a golden ale cuz the straight sour was waaay too sour. Cheers.)

Very low blogging rate this week, I know. I've been working on a story for Mass Beverage Biz, doing Malt Advocate editing, and setting up Thomas's first college visit trip. Busy week. I'll try to squeeze a few more in before the end of the month.

More Saints at the Grey Lodge

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:11:00 +0000

I whimpered a bit to Scoats that while he was celebrating saint's days -- St. Patrick's Day (of course), St. George's Day, and St. Andrew's Day -- he was missing -- in this very Welsh region -- St. David's Day. There are Welsh beers available, after all, and the Welsh whisky -- excuse me, wisgi -- Penderyn. (Which is an excuse to run a picture of my good Welsh boy.)

Well, not only did Scoats agree that March 1 of next year would see a St. David's Day celebration at the Grey Lodge, he one-upped me. This Wednesday, June 24th, will be St. Jean-Baptiste Day (hell, I didn't know there was a Grey Lodge blog!) at the Grey Lodge, a celebration of the patron saint of Quebec.

There will be a bunch of Unibroue beers -- always cause for a celebration -- and authentic poutine: 'authentic' meaning the fries are the G-Lodge's fresh-cut double-cooked fries, the cheese curds are real cheese curds, and -- again, that one-upmanship! -- the brown gravy is made with Unibroue Don de Dieu. French-speaking gravy! If you thought the whole "freedom fries" thing was absolutely ridiculous, this is your chance to get some seriously French fries. No Montreal smoked meat, unfortunately -- next year, Scoats says -- but they will have smoked pork with maple onions, and pork and beans: homeboy Quebecois food, I guess.

Je me souviens! I will remember this, Scoats: see you in March, and maybe on Wednesday, too. Sante!

Last Day for Pittsburgh-brewed Iron City

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:59:00 +0000

The last Lawrenceville-brewed batch of Iron City beer will be made today. Production will be moved to the City Brewing (no connection) facility 40 miles away in Latrobe, the brewery that once made Rolling Rock...before that iconic Pennsylvania brand was bought by Anheuser-Busch and production was moved to Newark, NJ.

I don't see any way for Iron City to win this. They can't afford to keep brewing in Lawrenceville -- the brewery needs more improvements than sales will allow -- they won't do well as a contracted brew in Latrobe -- the only mainstream beer I know of that ever pulled that off is Pabst, and Pabst was already a national brand, and had to go through the fire before emerging as an unlikely success.

We've lost another pre-Prohibition brewery.

Yuengling boycott? What?

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:37:00 +0000

My Google Alert on Yuengling has suddenly started spitting out pieces about Yuengling "illegally" busting the Teamsters out of their plant, and a bunch of folks saying "Man, I gotta stop drinking Yuengling!" Huh?

So I read the stuff, mostly coming out of a Mike Elk post on Huffington, and wow, that Dick Yuengling, he's huffing and puffing and blowing the union down! Elk claims Dick "said that if they didn't vote to kick the union out, he would close the plant, and ship the work to a non-union facility in the South." Which sounds like total bullshit to me right there: if he closes the Pottsville plant, they're no longer America's Oldest Brewery, and the facility they have in the "South" is the old Stroh brewery in Tampa, which is where Yuengling got unionized in the first place. There is no "ship it south" option for Yuengling; which is when I got my first inkling that Elk might be rabble-rousing.

I'm getting a lot more skeptical these days, so I looked deeper into this. The first thing I see is that according the AP story on the issue, the National Labor Relations Board "could find no evidence that management pressured employees to leave Philadelphia-based Local 830 of the Teamsters." The NLRB ruled for the brewery. So where's Elk get his "Yuengling had illegally busted their union" line? If the NLRB rules for the brewery, and the last appeal by the union is denied -- which it was -- then it's not illegal. And it's not like the workers are being oppressed. Yuengling pays 100% of their employees' health care, and brewery workers make $20 an hour. Not so bad.

Then I took another look at the story: it's from May of 2007. What da hell? This is a two year old story! Why is it suddenly coming up now?

Keep looking in Elk's piece...and you find that what Elk is really doing is trying to put pressure on Arlen Specter to vote for the Employee Free Choice Act. Boycotting Yuengling, the all-too-obvious hope is, will cause Dick Yuengling to cry uncle to Arlen. Wow. To paraphrase Bugs Bunny, if this guy thinks he's going to get Dick Yuengling to cry uncle, he don't know him very well, do he?

Look, I'm not a big fan of the EFCA because of the no-secret-ballot provision. I am not anti-union -- used to be, but no longer -- but I think the EFCA, as written, needs work. What I'm really not a fan of is using, manipulating union workers for political reasons. And suddenly stirring the shit two years after the fact (particularly when the "fact" ain't even in your favor) for political gain all too clearly shows that you never gave a rat's ass about the union workers in the first place.

This is stupidly transparent. Think for yourself -- don't just blindly follow what I'm saying, go look at this stuff yourself -- but my advice? Keep drinking Lager if you feel like it.

No, no comments on this one. Just because.

Beer art in the new age

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:12:00 +0000

I'm sure you've seen the great beer posters from yesteryear; the iconic rushing Belgian waiter (with steel soles!), the contemplative Moretti man, the Miller Girl in the Moon.

But you've also seen what the craft beer movement has been doing with art, on their labels, their posters, their taphandles, their websites. This popular art is being celebrated -- again! -- at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts in Reading, PA in the month of June, an exhibit they call Design, Drink and Be Merry. You should get your butt up there and take a look at it (the schedule is at the show website). There's a fund-raiser beer tasting on June 27, starting at 5:00, and there are more pix (and a list of breweries that contributed artwork) here.

Balance the Budget? End the War on Drugs

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:25:00 +0000

Talking to a beer industry person yesterday -- I'm going to skip their name for obvious reasons -- who dropped this bomb: instead of raising taxes on booze -- which historically results in lower tax revenues, not higher -- why not balance the budget by legalizing recreational drugs? Here's his thinking:

Tax them and sell them in 'drug stores': source of revenue, safer purchase, safer drugs (meaning more money and less costs and no financial reward for drug dealers)
Release all non-violent drug offense prisoners immediately; stop arresting new ones (huge savings in prisons, and more attention paid to violent and property crime...which decriminalizing drugs will also lower)
Eliminate the DEA and drug enforcement arms of police forces, end Coast Guard search and seizure (huge savings, greater personal liberty, return focus to protecting the nation from terrorism)
End the huge flow of money to criminal producers and suppliers (ends huge flow of money to destabilizing groups and terrorists and the Taliban...)

Talk about your win-win. Before you start to scream...think about how much the War on Drugs looks exactly like Prohibition enforcement, and how futile, expensive, and corrupt that was, and what a great thing it was for organized crime, and how that eventually wound up. And then think about how relatively harmless smoking weed is: the most dangerous part is growing it, selling it, or buying it! And think about the main reason we got Repeal: jobs.

Food for thought. At least for discussion. As Rahm Emanuel said, "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste." Let's talk seriously about legalizing drugs. And while we're at it, let's abolish the PLCB.

More exaggerated anti-alcohol numbers? NO WAY!!

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:03:00 +0000

http://www.just-drinks.com/ is reporting that a New Zealand government study on the "social costs of illegal drug and alcohol abuse" grossly exaggerated those costs, according to an independent study by two researchers at the University of Canterbury.

Social costs of excess alcohol consumption cost New Zealand's economy NZ$662 million (US$421m) annually, not the $4.8 billion cited in a report commissioned by the Ministry of Health, according to a study published this week by two researchers at the country's University of Canterbury. The Government study, completed by Business and Economic Research Ltd (BERL) and published in March 2009, found that social costs of illegal drug and alcohol abuse were a combined $6.8 billion.

"We find substantial flaws in BERL's method that together account for well over 90% of BERL's calculated costs of alcohol use," said researchers Eric Crampton and Matt Burgess, of the University's Department of Economics and Finance."The BERL report is wholly inadequate for use in assisting policy development," they said, adding that New Zealand recoups $516 million annually in alcohol duty taxes.

The researchers claimed that the BERL study contained "serious deficiencies" in methodology, including double-counting the cost of insurance and insured losses and not accounting for differences between alcoholics and the rest of the drinking population. Several differences between the BERL and Canterbury studies rest on what can be counted as a cost directly related to alcohol consumption.

I am shocked -- shocked! -- to find misrepresentation of numbers going on here! Now...would some U.S. researchers please do the same kind of analysis for the bizarrely huge numbers always thrown around by New Dry groups like CASA, PIRE, and NIAAA? And learn how to put out a decent press release when you get the results? Might be interesting to take the "cost of" numbers put out by various groups -- cost of alcohol, drugs, back pain, improper office furniture -- add them all together, and see if it's true that we're not actually producing anything in this country because it's all being eaten up by lost productivity and healthcare expenses.

To Think I Once Said Congress Wastes Too Much Time

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:09:00 +0000

From Business First of Louisville:

U.S. Reps. John Yarmuth and Brett Guthrie have formed the Congressional Bourbon Caucus, an officially recognized Congressional Member Organization. They will serve as co-chairman of the caucus. Yarmuth, Kentucky's Third District representative, and Guthrie, the state's Second District representative, formed the bipartisan caucus to organize a group of representatives "dedicated to maintaining and strengthening the bourbon industry in the United States and educating other members on the legislative and regulatory issues impacting the industry," the representatives said in a news release.

To date, 17 members of Congress have joined the caucus and more are expected to join in the coming weeks, according to the release. More than 95 percent of the world's bourbon is distilled and aged in Kentucky by distillers that employ more than 43,000 people. More than $3 billion of Kentucky's gross state product is generated by distilled spirits and more than 500,000 people visit the state's distilleries annually, the release said. "This caucus offers a solid base of bipartisan support for one of Kentucky's most important industries and largest employers," Yarmuth said in the release. "Congressman Guthrie and I both agreed that it was important to create a working group that would advocate for this critical part of the Commonwealth's economy."

You know, Congress is doing important work. Maybe Yarmuth and Guthrie could teach the other reps something about making a good cocktail, too.

It's official: I'm one of those people

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:09:00 +0000

Finally broke down and got a Bluetooth headset (and I have to admit that I also broke down and got an iPhone). It's great for doing phone interviews, especially when I'm waiting for a call and I need to start cooking dinner.

But...I can't help feeling that I've let down the side by becoming one of those Bluetoothing idiots, roaring down the road, ranting and raving at folks as I drive, wandering around the house as I talk in front of people I'm not even remotely talking to (while I am talking remotely to other people)...

I'm fighting it.

Eerie Rise in College-age Drinking Deaths

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:22:00 +0000

This just out:

"Using figures from government databases and national surveys on alcohol use, researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) found that drinking-related accidental deaths among 18- to 24-year-old students have been creeping upward -- from 1,440 in 1998 to 1,825 in 2005."

Before you shriek in horror, consider this truly frightening fact: 1,825 deaths is exactly five a day. What are the odds? Probably exactly the same that the number given for 1998, 1,440 deaths, is exactly one hundred and twenty a month.

Someone needs to say it, and I will: The NIAAA's Ralph Hingson* is pulling these numbers right out of his ass. College drinking deaths are an excruciatingly painful loss -- as the parent of two teenagers, it's starting to prey on my mind -- but this kind of ridiculous exaggeration is an offensive travesty. Take a look at this fact-based perspective on the issue.

* Heard of this guy? Here's some info from Behind the Neo-Prohibition Campaign: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, by Dan Mindus, an analyst at the Center for Consumer Freedom**

Boston University sociologist Ralph Hingson runs the RWJF-funded “Join Together Online” program, which serves as a clearinghouse of information for the anti-alcohol movement. He is also one of the most careless--and frequently cited— researchers around. Hingson produced a study declaring that a national .08 BAC law would save “500 to 600 lives a year.” But to come up with that number, Hingson went cherry-picking, carefully selecting only certain .08 states so that the results would align with his prejudices. Perhaps the most highly respected auditor in the world, the GAO, calls Hingson’s study “unfounded.” Nevertheless, it is still cited by MADD and other neo-prohibitionist groups.
• In 2002, Hingson authored a headline-grabbing study that blamed alcohol for 1,400 fatalities among college students each year. Aside from stretching the definition of “alcohol-related fatality” to ridiculous lengths, Hingson did no research whatsoever with college students. Instead, he simply took statistics about alcohol-related fatalities among 18 to 24 year-olds and multiplied by their percentage of the general population. Unfortunately, this blunder didn’t stop The New York Times from beginning its coverage by reporting: “On an average day, according to a new study, four college students die in accidents involving alcohol.”

**Who are hardly lily-white themselves...though please note that this source, "Sourcewatch," practically gives the ridiculously anti-alcohol-biased Robert Wood Johnson Foundation a free pass...so I question their impartiality, as should you. Far as that goes, you should question mine. Hell, I do.

More Montreal: firsts for me

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 09:38:00 +0000

I tried a lot of things in Montreal that I'd never tried before. It was a good trip.

Wednesday I got up and went to the press breakfast, heard the opening statements, then went out in the bright morning light and drank witbiers with Tony Forder, Carolyn Smagalski, and...other people. We also tried beers from À l’Abri de la Tempête, a brewery out on the Magdalene Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Very nice stuff, including a wee heavy/barleywine called Corne de Brume ("Horn of Fog", Tony kept calling it, until I finally realized it was "Foghorn") and Corp Mort ("Dead Body"), a smoked barleywine, both of which were in my top 10 beers of the trip (yeah, I know: not session beers).

I can't recall what I did for lunch -- might have skipped it -- but I went back and judged in the afternoon -- more on that in a separate post. I went back to the room, worked some more, quite a bit, really, then decided I didn't want to go out again...but I was hungry. So I thought, why not walk to Schwartz's? I'd passed it on the way home the night before, and had I not been tired and already full, I'd have stopped; it's an icon. So I hiked out to Ave. St. Laurent and got in line at the door, waiting for a seat.

I'd been waiting about five minutes when a cab pulled up and Josh Rubin hopped out. What a surprise! I know maybe 8 people in Montreal, and one of them shows up on the street where I am! Well, maybe not such a surprise. It was Schwartz's. Josh led me through the whole thing ("Don't get the lean, get medium fat"), pointed out that Montreal's famed "smoked meat" was not, in fact, smoked at all, but more like pastrami...only not. It was delish, medium fat and mustard, like pastrami only differently spiced, and the counter service was quick and just friendly enough. But...Josh wanted to get a beer, and I wanted more sleep. Back to the hotel.

The next day I met Warren "Beer Sensei" Monteiro, a column colleague from Ale Street News. Warren was a trip, a constant patter of interesting stuff, and I tagged along with him to a dim sum place he knew...because I'd never had dim sum. True. I got a good intro. Shark fin dumplings, pork paste and tofu, scallop dumplings, shrimp dumplings (Warren likes fish), a great variety, and very filling. Nothing was overly spicy, nothing was bland, everything was fresh and quick. Gotta get more of this stuff.

Hmmm...Got things to do. I'll cut this short for now. More beers and food to come.

The new ride

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 05:11:00 +0000

We are now a 2-diesel family. We picked up a Jetta Sportwagen TDI today, the Corgmobile. It's a 6-speed manual, 2 liter diesel engine beauty, and we already got 39 mpg in the first 100 miles (3rd most efficient car on the US market, right behind the Prius and Civic Hybrids...which don't come in wagons). It's a sweet ride, and the wagon body -- to us -- even looks better than the Jetta sedans. Quiet, speedy, and if you haven't noticed...diesel's down to the price of regular gas. Feels good.

Better beer in PHL!

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:02:00 +0000

Steve Beaumont makes a very good point in a comment to an earlier post: the Phillies are great, as is the the food and beer in Citizens Bank Park...but our airport still sucks!

Who's going to do something about that? I don't mean the damned terminals or parking or baggage handling (which has gotten a LOT better in the past year, thank you!). I mean, why is it that PHL has nothing to compare to PDX in terms of BEER? What the hell kind of greeting to America's Best Beer-Drinking City™ is that?

Someone in the Philly Beer Bar Mafia (you KNOW who you are) has to step up to the plate and make this happen. We need a real beer spot at the airport, it's got to have a top-notch draft system, and all local beers. I can't do it, because I'm poor and stupid. Feather in the cap, guys, feather in the cap (and a great way to steer incoming biz your way...).

Weyerbacher Zotten

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 20:24:00 +0000

I'm late with this review (and other things...), but Friday afternoon needs a beer, so I'm taking that opportunity. Weyerbacher Zotten is their new Belgian Pale Ale. Well, not completely new. Zotten was Alpha, the first in their Brewer's Choice beer releases. I didn't get any Alpha (or any of the others, except the rather nice, quiet Echo), so A to Z: I got Zotten.

I was expecting something along the lines of a De Koninck or an Ommegang Rare Vos: lightly malty, some yeast character, easy and laid back. Nope. Zotten's got some kick to it (6% ABV), some serious hop backbone, a crackling shot of spice, and a little fruit. A lot going on in this glass, in fact, it's got more flavor than beers in the 7-8% range (and I'm not talking Olde English 800, either). No disappointments. Maybe a touch too much hop, but I suspect if it was a bit warmer in the house (having a problem with the AC, just keeps going too cold), I would have a different opinion. Nice work, Weyerbacher. I'll have an eye out for this one.

More Fun at Sprague Farm

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:05:00 +0000

The latest from Sprague Farm and Brew Works: their brewpub is open! (got this from Sam Komlenic; thanks, Sam!)

Hello Everyone!
We just wanted to inform everybody that the Brew Pub (BIERHALLA) is now officially OPEN!!!! We want to thank everyone for their hard work and support to help us get this up and running.
Our current hours are now: Thursdays 2-8, Friday/Saturday 12-9.
The Grand Opening bash for the new Bierhalla will be on July 25 with more details to come on that as it approaches.
Thanks so much again and we hope to see all of you very soon!
Approach Your Day The Sprague Way, Sprague Farms and Brew Works

Looking forward to my PAB4 visit to Sprague!

Great Team, Great Beer, Great...Veggie Fare?

Lew@LewBryson.com (Lew Bryson) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:24:00 +0000

What a great time to be living in Philly. Not only are the Phillies the world champions, not only do we have the best selection of local beers at any damned ballpark in the major leagues (and not just at one piddley little "craftbrau" kiosk on the fifth level behind 3rd base, either, all over the place and at a -- God help me -- reasonable $6.75), but according to PETA (speaking of God help me), Citizens Bank also has the best vegetarian fare of any major league park.

The Phillies are the first-ever dynasty when it comes to delicious vegetarian fare. Now that they've added Southwestern black bean burgers and faux "crab cake" salads to an already stacked lineup that included veggie "steak" and veggie "chicken" sandwiches, veggie dogs, vegetable wraps, and various salads, we've noticed a connection between CBP's vegetarian rankings and the team's on-field success that tells us the Phils may well be on their way to another World Series crown.

Yeah, whatever. I'll stick to roast pork. But I'm still proud to see that the folks at Citizens don't see us as cattle to be fed whatever they feel like feeding us, and I'm glad they don't have a stupid exclusivity contract on beer or food. We the people, baby!

Thanks to Tom Cizauskas for the tip on this!