It appears that collaborative beers are all the rage in the craft beer scene right now. However, brewers have been sharing knowledge since for many decades. As a homebrewer, the amount of knowledge shared on the Internet, by homebrewing clubs, and amongst friends is truly impressive. Have a question during a brew day? Just hop on to a MoreBeer forum and someone may answer your question within minutes. On a professional level, I understand that brewers share everything from techniques to lessons learned.

Jay Brooks wrote in a 2009 issue of All About Beer:

When all the small breweries combined brewed such a tiny fraction of the total beer sold, nobody worried about market share, competition or trade secrets. Brewers in the craft industry were simply very open with one another, freely offering each other help, and freely asking for it, too, in a way that earlier generations and larger businesses wouldn’t dream of doing.

Last month’s Beer Blogging Friday event, The Session #39, focused on the recent phenomenon of collaboration. If you missed it, we checked in with a collaborative post. If you are interested in more than lame rhymes, I encourage you to check out some of our peers’ takes on the topic.

Day 4
May 20, 2010
Brooklyner-Schneider Hopfen-Weisse, Brooklyn version (Brooklyn, NY)

Website/Bottle Information:
“This brew is the result of the long friendship of Brooklyn brewmaster Garrett Oliver and Schneider brewmaster Hans-Peter Drexler. Garrett had always admired the delicate balance of flavors in Schneider Weisse, while Hans-Peter had long enjoyed the effusive hop character of Brooklyn East India Pale Ale and BLAST! Garrett's concept for the collaboration was that each brewmaster would brew essentially the same pale, hoppy weissbock in the other's brewery, but with different hopping to reflect the local hop flavor.

Dry-hopped with American Amarillo and Palisade.”

Serving: 1 Pint, 9.4 fl.oz. (750 mL) Bottle
Style: Weizenbock
ABV: 8.5%

He Said:
I approached this beer without prejudice. I had not read much about it or researched the history. In fact, before I opened it was the first I had heard the story told on the label. This is a very good looking bottle, by the way. It was heavy and even had a small punt. It is highly carbonated and pours like champagne with a huge fluffy head. The aroma was fruity with citrus notes from the hops. This was a little unexpected for a wheat beer. The flavor was a little sweet with fruity and slightly floral esters present. I love the hop aroma of the beer. The dry hopping gave the beer a wonderful aroma without making the finish too bitter. This Hopfen-Weisse is one of Brooklyn’s best offerings. Nice collaboration!

She Said:
My first whiff and sip resulted in the same experience: Citrus. The beer was reminiscent of that citrusy-orange Mr. Clean smell after cleaning the kitchen, but you know, in a good way. Hopfen-Weisse is like orange rind meets hops in a bottle of golden deliciousness. I would order another round of this one, but SirRon tells me there is only one more in storage. I preferred this beer cold when the carbonation was present. The warmer the beer gets, the more of a bite you get at the back of your tongue from the hoppiness. I'm giving this 3½ hops out of 5.

American Craft Beer Week Day 3, He said/She said:

He said: "Can I go to Petrol Station with Mr. Smokeypants? Rob of Independence Brewing is in town and I want to show my support."
She said: "OK"

Aaaaannnnd, scene.

I don't often drink beer at bars, but when I do, I prefer bars those that appreciate craft beer. The metrics for determining great beer bars are mostly subjective, but that is not to say there are not specific criteria for consideration.

• Environment. If the place is too loud, too stuffy, too corporate, or too chochy then I'll pass. I'm not picky about seating types, but let's agree that there has to be something available. I don't care if it is a rock, a beat up resale store wooden chair, or an L-shaped bench; I'm going to need something. Memo to lounge chair and couch bars, if I have to hold my sweating pint glass the entire night because there is no place within arm's reach to set my drink, I'm a little less comfortable. Call me lazy, but I don't want to be doing crunches all night during my session.
  
  
• B-M-C-U-L8R. If the draft or bottle list is chock full of Bud/Miller/Coors produced or distributed products, then I'm not impressed with your beverage "management." I'm going to assume that you are also slacking off on proper storage and serving too. It is probably worth mentioning that even though a ginormous draft wall is impressive, a bar with three unique and/or local drafts with a beer engine is many times more attractive to me. I'll argue that even your average curious beer drinker will find my second scenario more appealing.
  
  
• Provisions. Food has to be available, or now I need to plan on going to two places instead of one. Your ability to nail the first two items on this list will determine how good your food needs to be in order to still be a great beer bar (in this person's mind). Bars that are comfortable and have great beer can get away with a cheese tray and pretzels on the menu. Bars with uncomfortable seating layouts need to have Asian-fusion eggrolls or something. Anyone in between should have burgers or sandwiches. Menus full of frozen foods that are re-warmed in the microwave or tossed in the fryer are noticeable to the customer and generally not appreciated.
  

Petrol Station is in the top tier of beer bars using any credible set of measures. Owner Ben Fullelove has created what may be the best neighborhood bar in the Houston area. I even think Petrol Station would be a great place even if they didn't serve beer (but that is not a suggestion). Sure Ben may be a brownie eating, godless, hippy that acts like he owns every place he walks into, but Petrol Station is great nonetheless. Tonight wasn't my first time to Petrol, but it just reminded me again of how much better this place is than (for example) a BW3.

(For those of you offended or confused by the comments above, I kid Ben. We were talking and I found out he reads reviews and comments about his place. My words above were stolen from random bits taken from our discussion. For anyone offended by my opinions on beer bars, my comment section isn't moderated... so go for it.)

Day 3
May 19, 2010
Sierra Nevada 30^th Anniversary – Fritz & Ken's Ale (Chico, CA)

Website/Bottle Information:
"Fritz Maytag, owner of San Francisco's Anchor Brewing Company, is regarded as the godfather of the craft brewing movement. Fritz agreed to guest brew this very special ale with us in honor of our 30^th anniversary. As a nod to the robust black ales that seduced both Fritz and Ken in the early years, we bring you this Pioneers Stout, a rich and roasted ale, perfect for aging, and worthy of your finest snifter. Enjoy!"

Serving: 1 Pint, 9.4 fl.oz. (750 mL) Bottle
Style: American Imperial Stout
ABV: 9.20%

He Said:
Serving the beer, it is impossible not to notice it is thick, very black, and has a huge brown head. I instantly knew this beer would be wasted on my "She Said" partner. Getting dangerously close to a foamy clown nose, I could smell only burnt chocolate and roastiness, which masked any hop aroma for me. I was surprised on my first few sips at the significant amount of hop flavor that I managed to detect in this roast bomb. The beer goes down relatively easy, but leaves the palette with a roasty/burnt flavor that doesn't go away until it's washed out. I expected the beer to have malty sweet taste and aroma due to its high gravity, but very little sweetness was detectable. As the beer warmed, more chocolaty tones were noticeable. The roastiness never mellowed. I have a 2^nd bottle of this that I will save for quite a while with the expectation that this will improve as the flavors mellow and profile becomes more complex. Sierra Nevada: Cheers to 30 years!

She Said:
This beer reminds of when my Mom used to cook bread when I was a child. Burnt. My homebrewing "He Said" partner may have an appreciation for this type of stout, but I've never ate something that was all burnt and thought, "hey, this would make a good beer!" I'll probably pass on any future offers of this iteration of Sierra Nevada's 30^th Anniversary Ales in the future. My enjoyment of stouts is limited to tastings with chocolate and Independence Convict Hill Imperial Oatmeal Stout (yum!). As an Independence investor, if 25 years from now they served me this beer, I'd be pretty disappointed. Just saying.

My thoughts on the flavor profile: Burnt roasted malts, hint of hops, and smooth foamy head. If you limit your drinking on a "school night," skip this bottle. I give it a 1½ hops out of 5.

American Craft Beer Week can be a good excuse to:

1. Share a beer with a friend
   
2. Open up something that has spent way too much time in the back of the refrigerator
   
3. Visit your local brewery
   
4. Support pubs serving craft beers
   
5. Put those beer mug boxers back in the rotation
   
6. Start blogging every day
   
7. Drink at lunch

... Or remember what “Craft Beer” actually means. The Brewer’s Association defines a craft brewer as small, independent, and traditional:

Small: Annual production of beer less than 2 million barrels. Independent: Less than 25% of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer.

More importantly, a craft brewer is a small business owner. Craft brewers have been reshaping American beer culture. The Brewer's Association goes on to define several concepts that represent American craft brewers.

• The hallmark of craft beer and craft brewers is innovation. Craft brewers interpret historic styles with unique twists and develop new styles that have no precedent.
  
• Craft beer is generally made with traditional ingredients like malted barley; interesting and sometimes non-traditional ingredients are often added for distinctiveness.
  
• Craft Brewers tend to be very involved in their communities through philanthropy, product donations, volunteerism, and sponsorship of events.
  
• Craft Brewers have distinctive, individualistic approaches to connecting with their customers.
  
• Craft Brewers maintain integrity by what they brew and their general independence, free from a substantial interest by a non-craft brewer.
  
• The majority of Americans live within ten miles of a craft brewer.
  

We opened another special craft beer today... I'm also sporting my beer mug boxers.

Day 2
May 18, 2010
Independence Brewing Company Jasperilla Old Ale (Austin, TX)
2009 Vintage

Website/Bottle Information:
"Brilliantly golden, Jasperilla is a unique take on an old ale. Biscuity malt flavors meld with subtle plum and berry notes, produced by a special blend of English Old Ale and Chico yeasts. Brewed once a year, and aged for six months prior to release, the Jasperilla is smooth despite its 9% ABV.

We named this beer after our dog Jasper because he has brought so much joy to our lives. We got Jasper from a local dog rescue group called Mixed Breed Rescue. He has been a constant source of smiles and kept our spirits high through many late nights and long hours at the brewery.

Jasperilla is so good and smooth that you'll beg like a dog for more, roll over for a belly rub, howl at the moon... you get the picture."

Serving: 22 oz bottle
Style: Old Ale
ABV: 9.30%

He Said:
If you haven't tried Independence's beers in a while, I kindly suggest you go get some*. Accomplished brewer Rob Cartwright and crew have taken their already solid lineup of beer and made each even better. 2009 Jasperilla exemplifies Indy's success. This particular vintage is probably the best Old Ale that I have ever tasted. It is fantastic. Traditionally English Old Ales were dark, malty beers in the 5%-6% ABV range. The beers were usually aged at the brewery and then released. American versions are of higher strength, which is represented by Indy's version topping 9% ABV.

Beers of this strength are almost always better as they warm. I impulsively grabbed wine glasses while opening this beer, which functioned well to highlight Jasperilla. The nose is sweet and malty with dark fruit flavors leading the way. While cold, the flavor was mild and very drinkable. The beer was sweet with a mellow aftertaste. As it warmed, the beer really woke up, with much more fruit and alcohol taste. A hoppier finish could be detected in the warmed version.

I'm glad I bought a few extra bottles when I picked this 2009 Jasperilla up. The hard part will be trying to keep them hidden.

She Said:
Jasperilla has the aroma of sweet hard liquor. The taste is deep, dark, and almost foreboding. The first few sips of Jasperilla are dangerous in an "I'm going to stalk you" kind of way. After a few more sips, you think: "stalking isn't so bad, right?" For a 9% ABV beer, the flavor is soft, yet deep.

One of my favorite things about this beer is that it is named for Indy's first brew dog. I love Jasper... he's sweet... like this beer. Also like Jasper, you'll need to drink plenty of water with your Jasperilla.

Amazing. Excuse me while I finish the rest. I give it a 4½ hops out of 5.

* TwoPints and I should mention that (FACT:) in 2005 we handed a moderate amount of money to Independence Brewing Company in return for a fancy certificate, but (PRESUMPTION:) I'm pretty sure we would love these guys just as much even if we hadn't.

Four years ago the U.S. Congress established American Craft Beer Week (ACBW) with the passage of House Resolution 753. "The Mother of All Beer Weeks" takes place this year from May 17-23 and is a celebration of all the 1400+ small and independent craft brewers in the nation.

Three years ago I visited one of my favorite craft breweries, Russian River Brewing Company during a family wine vacation. Having brewed clone versions of a few of their beers in the past, this was a bucket list type of visit. Owner and brewmaster Vinnie Cilurzo exemplifies craft brewing. Despite now brewing world class beers as a professional, Vinnie embraces the homebrewing community that he once was a part of and readily shares scaled down versions of his recipes. He also responded back to me personally by email before our visit and ensured my family and I received a private tour of their Santa Rosa facility.

Two years ago The Ferm only existed in the minds of our humble motley crew of beverage enthusiasts. Now we are like the greatest source for adult beverage talk on the entire Interwebs… in our minds.

One year ago Two Pints and I celebrated American Craft Beer Week on this blog by opening up a bottle of beer we had been saving for some undetermined occasion. We shared our thoughts in a celebratory rather than pedantic fashion with a little He said/She said.

Please join us in celebrating by supporting American Craft Beer Week by enjoying a craft beer or attending some of the special events being held in your city. You can also show your support by "liking" ACBW on Facebook and signing the Declaration of Beer Independence. Cheers!

Day 1
May 17, 2010
Russian River Blind Pig (Santa Rosa, CA)
Bottled 07/23/09

Website/Bottle Information:
Ask for a "blind pig" in a saloon during prohibition and you might just get a beer… During prohibition, using the term "blind pig" discretely meant many different things. Sometimes it was the secret code given to a bartender to receive a beer. In other places, it meant that you paid a small fee to see a "blind pig," and along with the viewing you'd get a beer, or something else... And what type of glassware would your "blind pig" be served in? An unmarked mason jar of course. In those days, a mason jar was known as a pig, and an unmarked mason jar was known as a Blind Pig.

Use the term discretely today and you'll get Russian River's Blind Pig IPA, a bold IPA packed full of hop aroma, flavor, and bitterness. Please keep Blind Pig IPA refrigerated and consume fresh to experience the immense hop character. Unlike many of our other beers, Blind Pig IPA is not meant to be aged.

Serving: 1 Pint, 0.9 fl.oz. (500 mL) Bottle
Style: American IPA
ABV: 6.10%
72 BUs

He Said:
Blind Pig is a perfect way to kick off ACBW '10. When we visited Russian River three years back, this beer was not available by bottle. Since, the brewery has acquired an additional brewing facility that they utilized to increase their production and to begin bottling Pliny the Elder and Blind Pig. We acquired this bottle as a gift from my parents during one of their California wine excursions last year. For those of you that haven't experienced Blind Pig IPA, the aroma and flavor is pure hop heaven. The nose almost exactly matches the taste, with citrus and pine flavors dominating, but not destroying your palate. Like any good story, this beer has a beginning, middle, and an end... but they are hops, hops, and hops. Not so surprisingly for those familiar with Vinnie's work, Blind Pig is incredibly drinkable and a beer even my wine drinking mother loves.

She Said:
Oh the aroma! It is like I've died and been buried in the freshest and most pleasant hop bed any craft beer drinker could imagine. The carbonation is light to medium. The taste is crisp, and not sweet. Blind Pig is down and dirty hoppy! Delicious – I give it a 4½ hops out of 5.

Collaboration.
Session taps the ferm dot org.
Collaboration.

---

Main Entry: col·lab·o·rate
Pronunciation: \kə-'la-bə-,rāt\
Function: intransitive verb
Inflected Form(s): col·lab·o·rat·ed; col·lab·o·rat·ing

Etymology: Late Latin collaboratus, past participle of collaborare to labor together, from Latin com- + laborare to labor — more at labor

Date: 1871

1: to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor
2: to cooperate with or willingly assist an enemy of one's country and especially an occupying force
3: to cooperate with an agency or instrumentality with which one is not immediately connected

via Merriam-Webster

---

Collaboration.
Please put that in a sentence.
Collaboration.

---

Top 10 collaborations of drinking and movies.

10) Dazed and Confused ("All right, all right, all right.")
9) Swingers ("you're so money and you don't even know it")
8) Desperado ("this beer tastes like piss")
7) Three Amigos ("What's Tequila, uh, it's like beer")
6) Beerfest ("I'm better when I'm drunk!")
5) Fandango (on a mission to find "Dom")
4) Casablanca ("Of all the gin joints in all the world...")
3) The Hangover ("Why don't we remember a G. D. thing from last night?")
2) Animal House (Bluto downs a fifth of JD)
1) Strange Brew ("hoser")

---

Why haven't beer cocktails really taken off? Beaver's Ice House in Houston, TX has dabbled. Hey "mixologists," how about mixing an Independence Bootlegger Brown and Mount Gay Extra Old Rum with *insert your magic here* for an interesting beverage. We'll be there to help critique.

---

Collaboration.
A Flaming Dr. Pepper.
Collaboration.

---

Flaming Dr. Peppers don't count. They are not a tasty drink, only a tolerable shot.

---

Tenacious D, now
that's collaboration, Holmes.
JB & KG!

---

Collaborate

All right stop, collaborate
and listen, We'll elaborate
like long division. No wait.
Don't hate. We assassinate.
Just relax and meditate.
Check it, our style lacks much weight.
Collab'ing can fascinate,
This we can appreciate,
Think about, deliberate,
and without any debate,
or any need to mediate,
The way to go on any date,
Is to collaborate, yes
Collaborate. Peace.

---

Collaboration.
Irish Car Bomb, Saki Bomb.
Collaboration.

---

So why don't more distilleries and breweries get together and make something magical? Why doesn't Dogfish, Rogue, and the like collaborate internally between their production facilities and their pubs with their own brewed and distilled beverages? Surely there is some collaboration that will bring the two together like a Yin and Yang, but also like peas in a pod... or like peanut butter and jelly… or like coffee and creamer… or like white and Labor day… or like the French and rolling over.

Do you know what we are saying?

---

Collaboration.
Sounds like fun, then you do it.
Collaboration.

---

This post was a collaborative effort by J.R. Ewing, K Dub, Mr. Smokeypants, and SirRon inspired by this month's The Session topic: Collaborations. More information about The Session and links to other participating blogs can be found on Brookston Beer Bulletin or on the host site for this month's topic, The Hop Press. Links to other participating blogs can be found in The Session #39 roundup post.

The sports world is at fever pitch every NFL Draft season, and if the aftermath of the draft conjures feelings of the day after Christmas for you, we can relate. To provide further proof that football is king, consider that the NBA and NHL playoffs (yes, playoffs) are treated like runners-up in a beauty pageant by the media in the weeks preceding and following the draft. They are hot, but who even remembers the participants?

The NFL Draft is made up of a finite number of eligible participants and an even smaller subset of players that are considered future stars. However, the average fan can become saturated with the skinny on prospects at the close of the NCAA bowl season and/or during the NFL combine. The only thing left to ponder is who is going where. This guessing game combined with the ability to effortlessly publish media online these days has triggered an explosion of posers giving the people what they want: Predictions of what player is going to what team.

We here at The Ferm certainly do not have a problem with posers. Our virtue and our vice is the culture of drinking, and more specifically beer related topics. But to those familiar with mock drafts, most are downright worthless. 95% of the mock drafts published are like jigsaw puzzles made entirely of square pieces. Perfect! Everything fits! These mocks are the muse for our draft – a derision of the whole idea of mythical drafts: The Anything Mock Draught.

For our draft, we do our best to stay within our wheelhouse (that being the drinking universe) and to make it fun. The list of rules is small.

1. The draft consists of three rounds (format is top to bottom, top to bottom -- not snake).
   
2. The pick (or description) must be drinking related in some way.
   
3. Picks from previous drafts are off the board.

Relive the 2009 Inaugural 'The Ferm' Anything Mock Draught

We are not an exclusive "league." Guest drafters are encouraged. Anyone wanting a pick can leave a comment on this post, drop us an email, or tweet at us and you'll be slotted in the draft. Over the next few days we will start an open thread, which will be used for announcements and comments on the current and previous draft.

It is time to meet with your front office, call some prospects in for private workouts, and get your big boards ready. This thing is going to get started early next week!

No, not talking about a swimming pool here. One has to wonder, when and how many astronauts/cosmonauts nipped a little bourbon, vodka, sake, beer, wine, etc. between space walks, exercise, and running science experiments?

It's rumored back in the Soviet days, that vodka was part of the USSR's standard allotment of provisions for MIRs inhabitants. It was also rumored that a cigarette or two were allowed, although that remains largely unconfirmed.

There's also been a history of astronauts using their very limited personal allotment of space/weight to take things meaningful to them. Alan Shepard brought a golf club head and ball, Buzz Aldrin brought consecrated bread and wine and celebrated the first Eucharist on a heavenly body in our Solar System other than Earth. It remains to be seen if other civilizations in other systems and galaxies have done the same, but pretty sure for our Solar System that is true. So there is concrete (okay, anecdotal since they wouldn't broadcast it) evidence that wine (in sacramental form) has traveled all the way to the moon.

Hollywood reenactment of Buzz Aldrin (or he looked really different and cameras were more advanced than I thought in 1969). Subtitled in English in case you don't understand their thick American accents.

You have to wonder if Alan Shepard enjoyed the "19th hole" with a refreshing beverage?

I'd have to think a number of astronauts have brought a little something something to celebrate their trip of a lifetime. Think how many times you went somewhere and the trip was made all the more meaningful by breaking out a beverage of choice to commemorate?

There is probably a non-trivial stash of alcoholic provisions on board. Having been permanently occupied since October 2000, there have been many a birthday celebration, space milestone (see video below), even new fatherhood worthy of a cultural tip of the glass.

Yuri's Night 2008

In fact, The Ukraine appears to have featured a vodka drinking "experiment" on a local TV news show. I don't speak Ukrainian, but the tags at the host site imply that indeed this is how to drink vodka in space (skip to the 2 minute mark unless you know Ukrainian and can follow the dialogue). The crewmember is Yuri Malenchenko.

How to slam a shot in space

There are PR reasons against a government space agency making this public. In the era of people being hypersensitive to government's every dollar spent, and NASA (in particular, as compared to ESA, FSA, JAXA) in need of nothing but positive publicity, it doesn't make sense. I even recall that briefly on Twitter/Twitpic, a St. Arnold floating bottle cap on ISS was posted, it seemed to be taken down within minutes as I sent the link out to friends and many were too late and I've never found it again (presumably didn't pass muster for the public affairs office of NASA)

I submit this censorship of sorts is the wrong approach. As the space shuttle winds down, NASA and its international partners are missing out on a golden opportunity. The beer and liquor industry are heavy hitters in the advertising world. How much would they chip in to "sponsor" a happy hour event on the station? These days, when upwards of 6 residents permanently float around in the ISS, with over a dozen there during Shuttle Missions, the idea that European, Russian, American, and Japanese astronauts could sit down, each holding up a beverage of their home nation (beer, wine, sake, vodka, etc.), and toasting to human space exploration (with ad banners in the background) would be worth way more than a 30 second spot on the Super Bowl. Well, that is debatable, but the agencies could use this money in a way that would be socially acceptable, too. Funding scholarships for science and engineering, funding outreach programs in schools, facilitating trips and tours of facilities to those who couldn't otherwise afford it.

I certainly would not pass up an opportunity to have a swig of something in space and I'm sure other astronauts haven't passed it up either. One has to wonder to what extent or whether or not it will ever become more mainstream, as ISS will be utilized for upwards of another decade.

Dear A. Rafanelli,

We hope this letter finds you well. More importantly, we regret that in recent years we haven't spent as much time together.

We opened a bottle of wine tonight and thought of you. Your Zinfandels are absolutely fantastic.

It is inexcusable, but the last time we visited Dry Creek Valley was the summer of 2006. Several months before our visit, the itinerary started taking form. This process consisted of choosing our favorite stops, making some appointments, and positioning the subsequent visits to line up efficiently from a driving perspective. A. Rafanelli was certainly a must stop.

Our itinerary will filling quickly, but you told us when we called that you do not take advanced appointments – something we could respect – and to call back closer to the visit date.

Persistence is often essential to success, and we were persistent. Having previously enjoyed your wines, usually opened up on only the most special of occasions, all our unanswered calls were not a bother. You may want to check on your answering machine though, because it very rarely picks up. Fixing the answering machine is not imperative, since we both know you don't return calls anyway. Who of us isn't the same at our work!

We flew from Texas to California with you penciled in to the itinerary… not exactly penned in, but maybe erasable-penned in. Your wine making is brilliant. It is easy to look past the high cost and very limited distribution of your wines. Each sip is a reminder that it is all worth the trouble. Having previously visited and being on your "list" (wine clubs are for wineries of the pedestrian sort), we feel visiting wineries is as much about soaking in the experience as it is getting access to limited releases, so this was a stop we did not want to scratch off the itinerary. The day before we were to visit, we still had not made contact.

It was the fourth of our four day stay. We began the morning with breakfast at our Healdsburg, CA hotel and a phone call to you. No answer. Ferrari-Carano served as our breakfast stop that day and Quivera our brunch stop. By noon, we were still unsuccessful making contact with you; nevertheless we headed to your property. Surely as previous visitors, customers, and passionate admirers we would not be stood up at the gate.

But there we were, parked at the gate to your winery and still no answer.

We thought of that moment at the gate while we began writing this letter. We understand a certain level of pretentiousness when you produce the kind of wines you do with a small and family owned business. As we mentioned, your Zinfandels are truly fantastic, but you are a**holes.

Today is not a special occasion. We are casually enjoying a glass of Lambert Bridge Viognier (Dry Creek Valley Bevill Vineyard, 2008). After being snubbed at your gate, we needed to go somewhere to settle the disappointment from your indifference to us. With Gary Farrell scheduled for later in the afternoon and now a hole in our itinerary, we headed south and pulled in to the next closest winery. This winery was Lambert Bridge.

What a find. Similar to your business, they too make wines that are not widely distributed because of their limited production. Their wine tasting was not free, but we were impressed enough to move to the Reserve Tasting Room. We were served by an unforgettable wine steward named Dean. His Boston accent was contradictory to Lambert Bridge's elegant tasting. We immediately nicknamed him Boston Dean, which I understand stuck based on conversations with the winery in recent years.

After several outstanding wines and possibly as a rebound from your "visit," we joined Lambert Bridge's Liquid Assets Club. Only seconds after merely vocalizing our intent to join the club, Boston Dean reached under the desk and brought out additional glasses and wines that were not even available for purchase. In a moment etched in all our minds, Boston Dean said "you are family now" as he set the new glasses down on the bar. We are family now. Nice.

As we finish off this bottle, we just wanted to thank you for introducing us to Lambert Bridge. You indirectly made a love connection that summer of 2006. While we never connected that trip, we still have one thing between us. You may be a**holes, but you make fantastic Zins.

Cheers!

The Ferm

This April marks the one year anniversary of TheFerm.org. When we opened the proverbial doors a year ago, we began with the bar set so low that failure was not an option. At our core, we are a drinking related blog. However, if you are looking for savvy wine reviews (then you probably won't ever find your way to this post) you'll probably need a subscription to some premium content site. If you want expert beer reviews, go to Beer Advocate or Rate Beer. (Seriously people, 95% of all beer blogs are just regurgitated versions of what already exists in one of these awesome online resources. And if you were offended by the previous statement, then you are probably one of the 5%. Look, I subscribe and read beer bloggers that give reviews; I just don't write beer reviews… much. OK, enough parenthetical text.)

We are who we are, and I am who we be… or something. While I am but one of the motley crew of professionals interloping in the online writing world, if there was one thing I'd like improve in Year Two (no, not avoiding the occasional and inadvertent ticking off of Cathy Matusow), it would be writing some shorter posts. "Tasting Flight" is my first attempt at this resolution.

The idea behind the posts will be to present a few random notes about things I've seen, read, or tasted recently. I'll keep it semi-brief and just make a few comments before presenting you with links to other people's work. Think of it as a scratch and sniff version of stuff on my brain at the moment.

1. Beer Taxes
   Taxes on beer have been a hot topic over the past year in several states. On the national scene, Charlie Papazian and the Brewers Association have been supporting H.R. 4278, which would half the excise tax for small brewers from $7.00 to $3.50 per barrel for the first 60K barrels and from $18.00 to $16.00 on barrel 60,001 to 2,000,000. More recently, I've been reading about states also scrounging for more things to tax to cover budget deficits. While cigarettes and gasoline are easy, but already heavily taxed items, fat taxes are picking up momentum with lawmakers. A recent proposal in the state of Washington to add a huge tax on mass-market beers is getting a lot of attention. Is taxing Bud-Miller-Coors beers (~$0.43 more per 6-pack) the magic bullet for states scrambling for cash? Does it surprise you that it is Democrats, who win elections by representing the little guy, are the party behind the beer tax?
   
   
2. The Wine Purse
   Let's face it, box wine will never be fashionable because it has the word "box" in it. But a wine purse… this could catch on. If that spigot pops off for travel, this thing would be great for sporting events! Especially filled with bourbon.
   
   
3. "Home" Brewing
   Ronald Walcher and wife Jackie Jenkins are small brewery owners in Arlington, WA who have run into a small problem lately: They are too popular. Skookum Brewery, which the two run out of their home on a small 10 barrel system, opens their tasting room Friday from 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM and Saturday from 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM. Their neighbors (at least 47 of them) have asked the County for help to force Skookum to move its tasting room because of the traffic it brings to the neighborhood. But if you guys are picturing a neighborhood getting slammed by hundreds of beer drinkers, think again. This is a farm town. Neighbor please! Cheers Skookum.
   
   
4. Hot, Hot, Hot!
   I've read about two universities planning breweries in the last few weeks. Where was this idea when I was in school? In March, the LSU chancellor announced the intentions to open a microbrewery on campus. Appalachian State University has also given the go-ahead to faculty to start a microbrewery. According to the article, The University of California at Davis and the University of Denver are also leading this trend of educational breweries. My only suggestion for the App State brewery is that they somehow incorporate their promotional song in the tasting area. Hot.
   
   
   
   
5. 140 Character Review – Real Ale Devil's Backbone
   (because I drink and have thoughts on beer, but I'd rather write about App State's promotional video)
   Real Ale Devil's Backbone. 1st time in bottles this yr. Belgian tripel w/ in-house candy sugar. 8.1%ABV. Fruity&Strong. Love it. #craftbeer
   
   
6. Dr. Analytics, Web M.D. – "centennial hops odor pee cat"
   (helping the lost Googlers who mistakenly land on our site)
   I'm going to assume this Googler was drinking a Stone Ruination IPA with his friend and this conversation happened:
   Dude 1 – Wow! The hops in this beer coat your entire throat. It practically ruins your taste buds. Says here it is loaded with centennial hops.
   Dude 2 - *cough* This is going to take me a while to drink.
   Lady Friend – Greg Koch is like soooo dreamy.
   Dude 2 – This beer smells like cat pee. Didn't a Golden Girl or Designing Woman pass away today? I might have to pour some or all of this out for my homegirl.
   Dude 1 – Cat pee!? Are you high? And how do you know what cat pee smells like anyway?
   Dude 2 – Dude. Cat pee city up in this.
   Dude 1 – I'm Googling Centennial hops from my Andriod phone right now.
   Dude 2 – And… what is taking so long
   Dude 1 – I found this great blog called The Ferm. Who wants kolaches?
   Lady Friend – Me!
   aaaaannnnnd scene…
   
   For what it is worth, in my experience cat pee is an aroma I've seen in a few white wine reviews (and it is a good thing, not a bad thing). I suppose some citrusy hops, such as centennial, may have the essence of feline urine, but I wouldn't know… mostly because I'm not a litter box connoisseur.
   
   
7. BONUS TASTE: A Horrible Turn
   Some of you may have read my homage to the amazing online musical Horrible Turn, which is a prequel to Joss Whedon's Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog that starred Neil Patrick Harris. Chance McLain's movie was recently nominated for a Streamy Award (the Academy Awards for web television) and Chance wrote a great post recapping the whole experience. I highly recommend you check it out.
   

OK Stop. Before you guys say anything, I just want to remind you that Rome was *not* built in a day. Maybe next Tasting Flight post will be shorter.

Last week an unexpected email showed up in The Ferm’s Inbox. Eating Our Words, The Houston Press’ foodie blog, was hiring again and I apparently caught the interest of one Catherine Matusow, who ended our last exchange with “we are looking for people with a more general interest in food.”

Hopefully I’m not ruining it for the reader, but this story doesn’t have a happy ending either. Thus, I considered naming this post after its predecessor. But my first Houston Press failure post gets so many hits (mostly from Googlers), that I decided to not sponge off its success. Sequels are usually not as good anyway. Plus, this post does not have the levity of the first. Absent in this post is the harebrained self interview, and only bitterness and scolding based on false impressions are to be found. Who is pumped for the story now?!

For a generally shy individual such as me, the Internet opens doors that I would never even dream of turning the doorknob in real life. When Cathy posted yet another job opening to write for Eating Our Words, I fired off an email without hesitation. I had nothing to lose. Two days later, Cathy responded.

Could you give me a more concrete idea of what you'd like to write for us? You may be aware of this, but we have a blogger named Mike Morris doing beer coverage. How about a list of ideas?

I was aware of Mike. In fact, Mike seemed to appear mere weeks after Cathy blew off my first offer to contribute to Eating Our Words (was he the other candidate?). Despite Mike providing the same content I had previously offered for the blog, I found it great to see Mike’s posts on Eating Our Words. Mike is someone who has taken an interest in beer and is a journalist. Make no mistake, in my mind regular beer topics on Eating Our Words is a huge step for thirsty craft beer enthusiasts in the city of Houston, no matter who is providing the coverage.

It would probably be an exaggeration to call Mike and I friends, but we have conversed back and forth through the comment section of his posts and through various personal emails. After his first post, I sent a few emails with ideas and some details on beer styles. More recently, we have tried to organize a get together to discuss determining esters in beer flavors (esters are the by-product of yeast during fermentation detectable in many ales). We still haven’t had that beer together, but I still have a folder of things I printed for him in my car.

Imagine for a moment if I had proposed to write a series on molecular gastronomy and a blogger with personal experience with the craft came along. Could both of us not exist harmoniously on a single blog? Does the Houston Press’ Eating Our Words not have more than one blogger covering the bar beat? Cocktails? Maybe beer itself carries a stigma that it is not worthy of standing with the foodie counterculture. This is one reason I am grateful for local beeros Kevin Floyd and Ben Fullelove, who are doing more to advance craft beer awareness in Houston than those of us that only write (beer+hero, I may have made up another word! If so, beero™). But I digress…

So the answer is yes Cathy, I’m aware of Mike. I’m a beer and wine enthusiast that enjoys writing, and I am passionate about sharing what I have learned through homebrewing and my beer travels. I don’t think I would be stepping on Mike’s toes at Eating Our Words (neither does he, but I won't speak for Mike here), and I expressed that in my response. We would have no doubt written posts on different topics or with different approaches. I mentioned my “relationship” with Mike in my response, as well as delivering a bunch of post ideas consisting of food, wine, and beer topics. I won’t copy my 774 word response in this post (yet), but apparently mentioning Mike was my big faux pas.

Cathy responded the next day.

Greg, I am going to say no. We've never presented Mike as an expert but a curious beer drinker who is experimenting. I don't like the way you've spoken of him here, and neither does my boss. So good luck to you.

Whoa! Well at least she wished me luck. I pointlessly replied:

These things are something I would say to him too, and I don't think he'd take offense. Like I said, we are friends. You probably misunderstood my tone. I figured we should have met first, but such is the nature of the Internet.

Let me be very honest here: I don’t let a lot of things in life bother me. My wife often mistakes this attitude as carelessness and has told me it bothers her, but she has learned to live with it, mostly because I’m so awesome. But Cathy’s response did bother me. I reread my email to her. To me it still read the same. No regrets. What really went wrong?

Am I an a-hole?

I emailed Mike, “Just checking... you don't think I'm an a-hole right?”

Mike promptly responded, “Absolutely not, I do not think you’re an a-hole at all whatsoever. On a related note, I am still interested in having that beer.”

I checked with my wife, “Yeah, you come off as an a-hole. And don’t think you are just going to leave me with the kids while you go have a beer with this Mike fellow.”

But I still love her, and I still love you Houston Press too. Eating Our Words luminary Katharine Shilcutt is arguably one of the best bloggers of any kind on the Houston scene. But while I will not be contributing with Mike or Katharine, you can bet that I’ll be filing another one of these next time a job opens up at Eating Our Words. Stay tuned...