It’s a little late in the game for a top ten list, but here’s an interesting post from the Brookstone beer bulletin listing some of the top beer stories from last year. As per my earlier post, the biggest news for beer lovers may be the short supply of hops and barley, followed by the loss of Michael Jackson.

In Philadelphia beer news, the possible loss of Yards tied with the opening of Dock Street (which I still haven’t managed to visit, check back next week). Hopefully we’ll keep both.

If you know of another story which deserves to be in the top ten, share it here.

image from www.hillsideliquorstore.com

Post from: EveryJoe

Top beer stories of 2007

Over the years I’ve received any number of beer-related gifts, and I’ve enjoyed most of them. I’ve always had a weakness for books, however, and beer books are always a great gift.

A search for the word “beer” in Amazon.com’s books section returns 189,962 listings, so that may not be the most efficient way to shop for gifts. That said, I was sufficiently intrigued by the books listed first to think to myself “that might be a good present for me.” But then, we’re not talking about me.

The one book I return to again and again when I’m looking for information on a particular style of beer is Michael Jackson’s The New World Guide to Beer. I know, it’s not a particularly inspired choice, but if your favorite beer lover doesn’t have it you should definitely add it to the list. If you really want to know more about beer, you can always check out The Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian. Talk about some serious reading (although not as serious as his book on the Zymurgy of brewing) – I found it to be interesting reading even though I’ve never brewed a beer in my life. More on that later.

In any event, there are a lot of books out there on every aspect of beer and brewing. Check out Amazon, or the similarly named beerbook.com and beerbooks.com. If you’re a Michael Jackson fan, you can also check out The Beerhunter for all of the prolific beer writer’s current publications.

Image from The Beerhunter

Post from: EveryJoe

A good read

On this, the eve of the eve of Thanksgiving, Char over at Weary Parent has listed a host of links of interest to those still considering how best to celebrate Thanksgiving. Not surprisingly, one of the first items on the list is Behind the Vines post on why thanksgiving must include wine.

In fact, as a beer lover who also enjoys wine, I had simply assumed that I would drink wine with my Thanksgiving meal. But that particular post got me thinking, why shouldn’t Thanksgiving include beer instead? In fact, as outlined in this article from Michael Jackson, it’s much more likely that the Pilgrims would have enjoyed a beer with their meal of thanks rather than a wine.

The Michael Jackson article goes into great detail as to which beers one should have with which courses, and provides an interesting historical perspective on the subject:. If you want depth and analysis, read that, but for now here’s my proposed beer list for the Thanksgiving holiday (based on our quasi-traditional Thanksgiving meal and what I happen to have in my basement). No, it doesn’t include Schlitz.

Appetizer/Aperitif – Dog Fish Head 60 Minute Ale
Entree (a.k.a. Turkey) – Samuel Smith Organic Lager
Dessert – Brooklyn Brewery Chocolate Stout

Mmm, I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. Any one else thinking of having beer with their turkey this year? Post your suggested beers in a comment below!

Post from: EveryJoe

A Thanksgiving beer