Loss of a prophet & Pink Killer controversy

Mood // give me another pour, please.

Northwest beer prophet is gone

Noted publican, Don Younger, of Beervana’s Horse Brass Pub passed just after midnight Monday, January 31. Though I would have loved to have met Don after meeting so many of his disciples (“beerciples”), I’ve only known Don only through images and words— pictures and articles in beer magazines and blogs; YouTube videos of a 60-something hippie historian beer-loving legend; and through his beerciples as they share Don’s principles in quips and tales. Things like:

Don’s business establishment was his home, his hangout where anyone could pull up a stool and start a conversation and travel back in time listening to stories of craft beer. And folks knew this about him and his place.

In this life I’ll not share a pint with him, except as told by those he touched:
Jay Brooks// Brookston Beer Bulletin: R.I.P. Don Younger 1941-2011
Lisa Morrison// The Hop Press: Remembering Don Younger 1941-2011
Folks of Beervana & John Foyston// OregonLive: Don Younger, July 11 1941- January 31 2011

Busy times – Did you realize I was a juggler?

The week started with four brewerania baskets. I’m not sure why it takes me so long to put these together, but I’m going to blame it on simultaneous juggling of tasks.

Multiple projects came to roost, which meant working long hours. At the store I was The Mad Stocker (that’s like The Mad Hatter; not angrily so) stocking behind Super Bowl party shoppers, assisting with all kinds of requests and answering typical questions about beer availability by fairweather drinkers. And I was sure to get the newsletter out so everyone would know about the tastings, especially the weekend’s family night and Wednesday’s Meet & Sip Double-Shot: Jim Woods of MateVeza and Kurt Widmer of the popular Widmer Brothers Brewing. I’m super excited that we were able to book both Woods and Widmer to meet our customers! (If only I could figure out how to convey the “coolness” and “rarity” factor of this to get more folks in to meet the brewers. Folks get busy with life and forget about fun stuff like this.)

Last night was our first family-friendly tasting. It was with Erik Carels of Snoqualmie Falls Brewing. We offered adults 3 samples for $1, and everyone got free draught rootbeer floats. I’ve never seen so many families in the store at one time and the noise level was amplified about five-fold. It was fun seeing all the smiling faces. I tried a sip of the rootbeer, then a cup, then another cup, and a float. The sugar crash came later when cleaning after the party. Though it’ll take a bit of scrubbing to get all the sticky sweetness out of the floor grooves, it was a fun idea that we’ll likely do again.

This week’s pours

Monday

Three French Hens. I really enjoy everything I’ve sampled from The Bruery. This is their 2010 winter seasonal; if you look around you might still be able to find a bottle at your local beer store. The richness and volume of this strong dark ale warrants sharing with a friend. Shared the bottle; enjoyed the brew. Colorado Native Lager. I first tried this during Speed Blogging at #BBC10. It’s nice to try it without first having a dozen other beers! Crisp and refreshing like a lager should be. And yes, it’s true, this is brewed by one of those little MillerCoors small-focus breweries. (Thanks to Chad for bringing this to us from Colorado. It’s not distributed in Wash.)

Tuesday

I have no recollection of Tuesday. Perhaps I should check my tab on untappd? Nah.

Wednesday

Pink Killer by Brasserie de Silly of Belgium. It’s a commercialized witbier with grapefruit juice, and a perfectly pink-themed dog label, complete with neck collar and a bone on the cap. I enjoyed the beer; it’s “girlie.” I was surprised by the uproar under its photo on my personal facebook page.

Thursday

Orval. I forgot how heady this beer can be. The beer stands out in its bowling-pin-like bottle. It’s from one of the seven Trappist monasteries in the world. It’s unusual. I have never had another beer like Orval. I love it, I love it not, I love it, I love it not. Perhaps I should pluck petals off a daisy next time I drink it.

Friday

Split a bottle of La Trappe Oak Aged #3, their Quad aged on French Oak. I was wishing the bottle were bigger, less spendy and more available. We were only able to attain one case for the store, so put a strict one-per-household limit. By end-of-day yesterday just three bottles remained. It was smoother and a little sweeter than the regular La Trappe Quad, which is a favorite. Had a small glass of Silver City’s Fat Woody a little later.

Saturday

Had a sip of the Snoqualmie Falls Triska……; it wasn’t enough to get a good feel for this Tripel, but I didn’t want to crack open a bottle. (The sip was leftover from the day’s tasting event.) Split a bottle of New Belgium Lips of Faith Dunkelweiss 30°. The malts were roastier than I’d expected, but I like it. Also enjoyed its banana notes. Later enjoyed a small glass of Fat Woody.

Sunday

Today is a glass of ice water in the morning. We’ll see what comes later. Though Sunday is my weekend, I’m heading in to stock those import doors and glasses, then to help with the pre-Super Bowl rush. This looks to be another 13-day workweek marathon.

I need another pour. 😉