Sometimes it seems like winos run the world; they even get better movies, à la Sideways. When you see beer in popular culture, it’s a bunch of frat boys doing keg stands or sad saps in sad bars. I don’t want a wine list longer than the Yellow Pages. Hand me a Surly, Fat Cat or Mothership and bring a few friends. That’s what makes me happy.

I’m from Cudahy, Wis., This little town lies in the shadows of one of the world’s largest breweries: Miller. That certainly isn’t an argument on beer’s side; in fact, it should probably have turned me off. But somehow, the aroma of hops and barley must have permeated my subconscious, because at some point I became a devotee to many a brew, just not Miller.

When I’ve told this story in the past I’ve claimed that God spoke to me, telling me to drink a wheat beer, or Weißbier as it is known in Germany. In reality, it was a good friend from my Milwaukee days whom pointed me to one of the world’s great brews, Weihenstephaner Weißbier. Ironically, I ran into him waiting for a tour while staying in Berlin. Later that day, we decided to head over to Prater Garten, the city’s oldest beer garden.

For the five days I stayed in Berlin, I ended up there. It was part park, part pub with rows of picnic benches under ancient trees, laced with big white Christmas lights. The Weißbier was light and airy, like an Italian soda for big boys.

Looking back, it probably didn’t matter what beer I was drinking, though it didn’t hurt that it was great. It was the atmosphere, the cool spring air and the conversations, not to mention the pretzels, brats and wiener schnitzels. There was no grandstanding or swishing of glasses. You could see and taste the beauty without pretense. We drank mug after mug. The night slowly faded, but I still remember it vividly. So next time you drink a beer, find a friend and start a conversation. That’s what really makes beer great.

Milwaukee beers get a bad rap, but heck don’t most of the Ameircan mega-brews. Schlitz was once at the heart of Milwaukee’s brewing powerhouse. But don’t be worried, there’s plenty of brews still being brewed in my hometown and a lot of them aren’t half bad.

The “Beer that Made Milwaukee Famous” is back and I just happened to have seen a few sightings and tasted the original recipe not to long ago. No, they’re not returning to the 1849 recipe, which would be awesome, but they have returned to the “classic” 1960’s recipe. Now I know we’re going to have detractors from both sides. Some may call the beer utter crap, but I have to say it isn’t half bad. As their other classic catchphrase put it, you get “just a kiss of hops.” It’s in the same category as American style lagers like Premium or Pabst, but I think it might just be better.

As it turns out Schlitz is under the umbrella of the Pabst Brewing Co. The Milwaukee brewer happens to own few other cheapies including Old Milwaukee, Black Label, Old Style, etc. The list just goes on and on. It seems that Pabst is using its newfound hipster cred to expand its other brands and what better beer than Schlitz. The dominance of the lite beer from 1980s onward shifted the playing field. When Schlitz and Pabst didn’t pursue this new market and dismissed mass marketing they fell from top five brands nationally to nonexistant. The emergence of Micro Breweries seems to have been the catalyst for the diversification in the marketplace. The intersting fact that lies at the end of this is that Miller is brewing its former competitors under contract and in a sense preserving “What Made Milwaukee Famous”.

So why did Schlitz fall out of the limelight, maybe this is the answer.

Beer used to be easy: You were a Bud guy or Miller guy, maybe even a Schlitz or Ballantine guy. Not that it mattered much, since they tasted virtually the same.

But the days when American beer was all suds are long gone. In a great example of grass-roots renaissance, the American industry has been completely reborn in the last 30 years with the rise of craft beers. A trip to the deli can now offer some of the greatest beers in the world, characterized by freshness, vibrancy and depth of flavor.

Would you like an ale or lager? Brown ale? Red, golden, amber or pale? India pale? A porter or stout, a bock, pilsner or dunkel, a bitter or Kölsch, a wheat beer, a Trappist, abbey or farmhouse ale, a lambic or gueuze?

How did we get this glorious bounty? The story begins with Prohibition, which devastated the local and regional brewery business. Then came the Depression and World War II; by the middle of the last century the brewing industry was well into its long consolidation. By the early 1970s a few giant corporations were responsible for just about all domestic beers in the United States.

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Beer lovers had few attractive options. They could try imported beers, but few good ones were available and even fewer survived the rigors of travel. So some aficionados began to make their own. These home brewers formed the core of the craft-brewing revolution, which, through the advent of small breweries and brew pubs, brought the lost or forgotten styles back.

The movement was not solely American. Even earlier in Britain, the Campaign for Real Ale protested the brewing industry’s consolidation and spearheaded its rejuvenation. Similar movements occurred in other beer-rich cultures.

The most basic division of beers is into ales and lagers. The two differ by the type of yeast that begins fermentation, which transforms sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Ales, older by far, are generally fermented at ambient temperatures and tend to be rounder, fruitier and more complex.

Lagers were discovered almost by accident. Bavarian brewers who would store their beer starter over the summer in icy Alpine caves found that a different sort of fermentation was taking place. Unlike ales, which were ready to drink shortly after brewing, these cold-brewed beers fermented more slowly and needed time to mature. They came to be called lagers, after the German word for storage, and they were simpler, sharper and livelier. In the 19th century, scientists discovered the role of yeasts in fermentation and found that ales and lagers were products of different strains. The yeasts in ale floated to the top; in lagers the yeasts sank to the bottom.

Malted barley is the preferred grain in most beers, and its preparation can affect flavors. Dark roasts can be used in porters and stouts, while the palest malts are used in lagers. Some beers add different grains, like wheat or even rye. Insipid mass-market beers cut the barley with rice or corn.

Then there are the hops. Brewers use dried cones of the hop plant to impart flavors, aromas and bitterness. Hops also act as a preservative, which is why India pale ale, created to survive the long ocean voyage from Britain to India, is so hoppy. Specialty beers can be created by adding herbs, fruits and spices, by altering quantities of the ingredients, or by otherwise manipulating the brewing process. — Eric Asimov, March 11, 2008

I salute you Eric.

Click on the link below to listen to the story.

Alabama Beer Drinkers Fight for Stronger Brews

Pre-show, the band snacks on seafood curry and jasmine rice while roadies tap a keg of the hard-to-get Wisconsin microbrew New Glarus. (”We discovered it at a venue in Milwaukee,” says Stirratt.) Tweedy, who’s sipping sparkling water and munching chips, drives each night from his nearby home. And he’s saving his fitness routine for the road. “I’ll usually go for a hike or a run before the show,” he says. The tour, which wraps on March 9th, includes a stop at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma, one of Tweedy’s favorite venues. “It’s probably the only place that Bob Wills and the Sex Pistols both played,” he says. “Maybe there’s another place like that, but I don’t know it.” For more behind-the-scenes photos of Wilco, click here.

Spotted Cow has to be one of the best beers on the market. I suggest you go out tonight, pick up a six pack and listen to some Wilco. I couldn’t ask for anything more myself. Here’s some shitty YouTube footage of a classic. I see a DVD in the future.

Red Eyed and Blue/Eye Got You

The Beer-Launching Refrigerator

You may be wondering what I’m getting at, this being a beer blog after all, but its my damn computer and my blog. Why is it that after all these years Microsoft can’t make a decent product. Even a huge brewery like Miller can make a decent beer, all be it a crappy one. Is mass consumption for suckers? I sure think so. Why do I have to watch code go up and down my laptop, while I sit here in front of my girlfriends iBook. Yup, she’s never had a problem with her computer. Her power chord doesn’t require her to bend it five different directions before you can actually get a current going and her battery actually takes a charge. All this headache inducing troubleshooting makes me want to leave the city life behind and live way up north in the Iron Range.

Maybe on my next vacation I should leave behind all the technology or, heck, leave it behind for a week, this week. How the hell did our parents manage to live before all the iPods, PCs and Cell Phones? My mind can’t wrap itself around the notion. Now I just want to forgot about these modern amenities and go outside. Hey you, yeah the one person who reads this lousy blog, put down that cell phone and HAND ME A FAT CAT.

That’s A Lot of Bad Beer, Hand Me a Craft Lite?

Admittedly the big boys are in the business of making money and from time to time selling a decent product. Way back in 1992, Miller, now owned by South African Beer, bought out the beloved Leinenkugel, but that made sense, after all they both reside in the great state of Wisconsin. But the list goes on to include: Black Label, MGD, Old English, Peroni, Pilsner Urquell, and 145 other fine (and some horrible) beverages. They even brew Pabst under contract. These previous moves are fantastic in a business sense, but do the products maintain any sense of quality?

The latest move by the SABMiller’s of the world is craft brews under very non-craft names like Michelob and Miller Lite. In Michelob’s case the new slogan is “Crafting a New Beer,” with products such as Honey Ale, Porter, and Marzen, which are apparently better marketed versions of beers released a few years ago. Their labels also bear a striking resemblance to the ones found at Minnesota’s own microbrew August Schell. I’ll let you be the judge. A few weeks later I noticed advertisements popping up around town for Miller Lite Brewers Collection with the best slogan yet “Craft Beer. Done Lite.” Well I know I’m going to have to try this marketing ploy. It’s on a limited run right now, but do these guys really think they can succeed. I know they somehow marketed into hipster culture with Pabst, but I drink a Fat Tire because its good and it’s not Miller. I drink Pabst because its cheap and truly a “lite” beer that tastes like beer. Unless these “craft beers” can compete with the Bells and Surly’s of the world when it comes to flavor, they aren’t going to make any gains in my backyard. But then again what’s difference between any of these when the little guys get bought out. I guess it’s all marketing and money.

Photo by Colin Tuska

I had always heard good things about Terrence Malick’s 1973 masterpiece, but who knew it was so weird. A strange and wonderful film, something amazing showed up halfway through: Grain Belt’s Premium. I actually ended up drinking a few of these this weekend and I really think its one of the better (cheap) lagers out there. It’s light and fruity, the perfect accompaniment to a bowl of chili. I can’t argue that it’s great, but it definetely is good.

More than anything Premium represents a past when Great Belt was a big name in the business as well as the Twin Cities. It’s changed hands a few times and, locally at least, has seen a surge in popularity since it was taken over by August Schell in 2002 (akin to Pabst’s reemergence under Miller’s helm). If you get up to the Northeast its a most to stop by the old Grain Belt Brewery, a true a piece of history and a magnificent building. For now enjoy this teaser featuring a young Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek roaming the badlands and pick up Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line and The New World. You won’t be sorry, Malick is a great director who just happens to have fine taste (or good research) in Midwestern beers.

Lego Beer Song

In other news I drank a margarita tonight, which in The Blaggers world might be sacrilegious. It was seriously huge and seriously $7. Not bad for a boat load of liquor. The girlfriend and I decided to go out for the greatest holiday of the year, Valentines Day, and we ended up at a Tacos Morelos off of Eat Street. Its down the street from a few other fine establishments including Bad Waitress, right off Nicollet Avenue. Tacos Morelos had a fine list of Mexican cervezas, (Negra Modelo and Dos Equis Ámbar, et al) I was driving home so I decided one massive margarita was enough for this night. Interstingly the Mayans and Aztecs brewed a maize-based beverage similar to beer, prior to the Spanish colonial-era. Beer and tequila, a great country indeed. My regards go to the chef, that was a great plate of chicken mole, it really hit the spot.

Speaking of strong drinks, If you’re in the Northeast any time soon make sure to head to Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge. Located at the intersection of Lowry and Marshall, this one time biker hangout is now part tiki longue, part pizza joint, not to mention a great list of beers on tap. After a beer or two I suggest some of their famous mixed drinks, I can’t remember which one I drank last, but that has to be a good sign. At ten every night they have some great drink specials and $5 personal pizzas or if you’re so inclinded a plate of deviled eggs for a few dollars. Remember to plan your route home carefully, the buses in this don’t run forever.

Cheers,
The Blagger

As my cat licks his tongue across a damp window, I’m reminded of the precious things in life and a simpler time. When was this time you ask?

My answer is sweet and simple: Miller Time™. Yes I am indeed a Milwaukee native, born in the Brew City and bred just outside the city borders. Yes, my hometown, Cudahy, enjoys drinking. And who wouldn’t when you are small industrial town on Lake Michigan. In fact at one point in time, it is said that Cudahy was renowned for having the most bars per capita in the entire world, an honor that put this little city on the map and into the hollowed pages of the Guinness Book of World Records (No more appropriate book could be had).

Beer is in my blood, but in fact I was never a fanatic, just a fan. Yeah, I enjoyed to chug a few early in my college years, oh so long ago. I even did a few keg stands. Frat boy, I am not, but at that point in life I was young, naive and did not understand the complex world of the aforementioned beverage. So here I am three years later, traveling Eastern Europe and I end up in Berlin of all places. Not only is it one the great cities of the world, but it is also home to Prater Garten, the worlds first beer garden (at least thats what they claim). There I was as the light filtered through the new leaves of spring, when God™ spoke to me, as he has so many times before, “Trinken sie das Weihenstephaner Weissbier.” At that moment I found my second true love, beer.

I may have enjoyed beer, but since that divine moment I have been drinking any beer that crosses my path. Dark ones, light ones, wheat ones, Lager ones, Pilsners, EPAs, IPAs, Stouts…it doesn’t matter, I just want to taste them all. So this is my new blog. Hopefully I’ll have a few enlightening stories, introduce you to a beer or two, and make you laugh along the way. My friends, this is the dawn of a great adventure. It may not be Miller Time™, but it is closing time, so lets look back at those crazy days, the 1990s.

(Full Disclosure: God has never spoke to me, as far as I know. In reality I ran into a friend from (South) Milwaukee and we did what any good intentioned Milwaukeean would do, get some beer. I thank my friend Erik, he was my wise man. You can thank him too, or not.)