The Beer Hall

I’ve been working on my beer novels again. And I’ve been trying to think what I’m going to do with The Beer Hall in my post-craft-beer-reporter life. So what I’m going to do is come back to an idea that I’ve been playing with for the last four years (in various forms) — I’m bringing back Callahan’s and that whole cast of characters (plus a few more).

If you’ve forgotten what Callahan’s is, then read this. Or this for the any mention of Callahan’s in my old beer blog.

Stay tuned.

I’ll probably drop in at the next Firkin Friday at DEKS (Rocky Point, NY) which is coming up on the 3rd of July. Dean told me what the firkin is, but I forgot what he said… no, wait a minute, I just remembered— it Sly Fox’s pale ale. Should be a good one for a hot summer day (do they get those on Long Island). I’m want some sun this week. See you at the beach if there is!

Last night, LIBME had a social at The Lark in East Northport. Because the weather was so nice, I decided to go kayaking instead, but I did manage to put up a page for The Lark in my beer guide. If you are a “follower” of this site, then you’ll be able to post a review (if you wish). Cheers!

It’s not like very many people have noticed that I haven’t been posting to this blog lately, but a few have and it’s for them that I should probably offer some words of explanation. So here are a few of my thoughts that I have had over the past month about how my time is best spent.

I stopped regular updates of this blog several times over the past year out of a sense that only a handful of people even read what I posted here (not that I’m worried about numbers), but more importantly my realization that I cannot possible serve as the point person for all information about craft beer on Long Island. There are many ways to get information about beer festivals, special craft beer events, and so on. The beer world rocks on whether I post anything here or not and that’s how I want it.

This last break in regular updates has its origin in a rather mundane occurrence. My Internet connection went on the blink for about a week. It took me quite a bit of time to figure out what technical issues were making my attempts to connect very frustrating. When I finally figured out what the problem was and got back online, I just didn’t have a burning passion to write about anything beer related, so I decided not to post anything until I felt like I had something to say.

In the meantime, I worked on other projects.

I’m a bit of an anachronism in that I love books. Anyone who’s visited my house will know that I have a ton of books. I’m an indefatigable reader as well. I devour novels by the handfuls. I love stories. If there is one thing that I’m more passionate about than a glass of delicious homebrewed beer, it’s a good story.

My interest in writing books manifested itself in the Long Island beer guide I published last year. Someone asked me why I published the Beer Hall Guide as a paper book, — this is the electronic age after all, who reads books? — and my only answer is that I love having an object made of paper and ink that I can flip through and read even if I’m sitting on the beach.

It’s writing books that I want to focus on now. I’m certainly not giving up on writing about the craft beer movement here on Long Island, but I really don’t have any desire to be Long Island’s beer guru. What I want to be is the voice of the common person, offering some thoughts and considered insights about an aspect of our culture that doesn’t often receive the attention it deserves (or even in the way it deserves).

My approach since I started writing about craft beer in December 2005 has been to tell about my personal experiences in the beer world. I’m not a beer journalist. I’m not a craft beer promoter. I suppose I am a brewing evangelist, but my do-it-yourself approach to beer is rooted in a much larger vision of a society that values craftmanship and small-community-sufficiency over sucking on the corporate/industrial teat.

After three years of writing about beer, I have finally amassed enough material for a big beer novel. I don’t know how long its going to take me to get the novel ready for publication, but right now finishing that novel (and writing other stories) is what is most important.

I will be posting here from time to time. So keep this blog on your list. I hope you’ll want to read the beer novel when it comes out. Cheers!

My telephone rang this morning. It was Bellport Dave wanting to know if I had been kidnapped by Martians. “Yes! Although, technically they are not Martians and I did climb into the star cruiser willingly,” I said. “I’ve used my sonic screwdriver to patch my cell phone into the galactic communications network…” (this is why Dave was able to reach me by phone) “…and I’m currently stranded on a space station with an impenetrable nebula forming around it.”

“That’s too bad,” said Dave.

“Fortunately, the beer is pretty good,” I added to cheer him up.

“There’s beer in outer space?” asked Dave.

“It’s actually my homebrew,” I said. “We’ve rigged up a fab kegerator for the star cruiser by modulating a Metebelis crystal at low frequencies with a stellar manipulator. Beer combined with mind control (!) and, no, this is not something we want to fall into the hands of InBev.”

I’ve been working on my beer novel A Year in Beer and I thought it might be informative to start working in material about how to eat and drink with the seasons. I’ve added a new essay to Drinking Well this morning on pairing asparagus with Belgian Tripel. This is probably the first essay in a series of Drinking With the Seasons.

Also, I posted an item that may be of interest to the craft beer drinker over on The Angler. I give an account of where I’m coming from (think editorial and authorial vision) and where I’m going: the (beer) promised land (hopefully).

Hope to see a few of you at the Captain Lawrence beer dinner tonight at DEKS in Rocky Point.

I turned out to the Long Island Brewers Dinner last night. I and about twenty others were treated to a surfeit of food and drink. The food was great and the beer was decent. My favorite was the Double Cream Ale from the Brickhouse.

It’s American Craft Beer Week and I was a little disappointed that the craft beer crowd didn’t turn out for the dinner, but who can blame them? As a celebration of Long Island beer, the brewers could have done better in presenting their beers. Not that they need to be a slick-polished as Garret Oliver, but when people are plonking down 60 clams for a dinner and beer, they expect a little more than some repetitious, extemporaneous remarks about the beer’s name and it’s physical/sensory characteristics.

The minimum that a brewer should do when introducing their beer is to introduce themselves and their brewery. Give the attendee some history. I’m not suggesting a lecture, but a thumbnail sketch. Say something about the beer, the style, and the context of that beer’s creation. Say something about the ingredients and what the brewers were thinking when designing the beer. Not everyone will get it, but at least the brewer won’t come across like a giggling schoolboy.

We can all have some fun and also communicate effectively with the people who take the time to come out and support our events. If we want to build a strong Long Island Beer Culture, we’re going to need some leaders who can inspire us. Maybe Garret Oliver is doing something right.

In the last half of the twentieth century, the USA lost much of what made her a great nation: her manufacturing capacity. We are a nation of people who know how to build quality items. Since the mega-corporations have deserted us and “out-sourced” manufacturing to other countries where less skilled workers will make crummy imitations of stuff for less money, we need to return the power of manufacturing to the people, to us.

When an American brews a beer, they are making something real, something that makes this country a better place to live in. It’s our commitment to quality and innovation that has fueled the brewing revolution in the US since the mid-70s. Today, the USA is the greatest beer brewing nation in the world with the best beers, the most craft breweries, and the most diverse and daring brewing culture — not to mention the most intelligent and discerning beer drinkers (that’s you).

Starting today, we will be observing American Craft Beer Week. Celebrate this occasion by choosing an American brewed beer, preferably from a small, craft brewery owned and operated by someone in your community. Let’s make America strong by drinking American beer.

Cheers!

It’s coming around again this year; American Craft Beer Week starts next Monday and… drum roll please, it’s another year where the craft beer scene here seems to exhale a collective yawn and go back to their pints of Craft X.

Special events? We’ve got some. For the second year running the Black Forest is doing their Long Island Beer Dinner. The Long Island Beer & Malt Enthusiasts are having two pub nights. Wednesday we’re heading out to T.J. Finley’s for a few rounds of American Craft Beer. On Friday, we’ll be doing our quarterly Home Pub Night.

When I asked my local what they will be doing for American Craft Beer Week, they said they would love to, but business is business. The problem is that the craft beer geek density on Long Island is not yet enough to make even the craft beer retailers to attempt to win our craft beer dollar. The BMC crowd is still paying their bills, so BMC drinkers are first.

I’m a local thinker. I don’t tend to worry about the national craft beer scene too much. What gets me enthusiastic is the local beer scene here on Long Island. I want Long Island to become one of the major craft beer regions in the US. I want Long Island to be dotted with great breweries. When craft beer geeks across the US talk about beer, I want them to speak of Long Island beer in hushed, reverent tones. But first, we have to build it.

Charlie Papazian asks what the greatest beer city is. I don’t expect Long Island to be on his poll; Long Island is not a city. Long Island is really a strange, ranging swath of suburbia. Village after cramped village of people crouching in the shadow of that vast metropolitan center to the west of us.

Go to Papazian’s poll and in the “Other” category, type “Long Island.” Let’s see if we can get 50 votes for Long Island, so he’ll at least add us to the poll.

If you are Facebooking sort of person, you can register your support for American Craft Beer Week by becoming a fan.

Just got an email from the Brewers Association alerting me about the Bottle Bill recently passed in New York. The email claims the bill will “dramatically affect your access to the craft beers made by small breweries.” Smaller out-of-state breweries won’t want to have special labels printed up just for export to the New York market, they say.

I’m still trying to process this issue. I’m thinking that access to beer from out-of-state is not the only concern here. Will local breweries that bottle have to shell out bucks to print new labels? How much of a hardship is that? I’m sure that the single-minded beer geek wants their Three Floyds no matter what, but what about the small New York brewers just starting out that have to compete with these much sought after beers? What about the need to reduce bottle waste? Of course, maybe it’s access to exotic beers that drives interest in craft beer and having less exotics will stifle the growth of the craft beer market in New York?

What do you think?