It is American Craft Beer Week, and if you didn’t know this, you should stop reading this for a moment so you can grab an American brewed craft beer. If you already knew this, enjoy the one in your hand.
I must admit, in the midst of my life taking a few crazy turns, I almost passed it by, but then a little post on Facebook brought me back home. In this episode of Al The Brewer, I give you 6 ways to celebrate this brew-blessed week.
Watch – A couple of great movies to catch on Netflix, How Beer Saved the World and Beer Wars. HBSTW provides endless ammo for when your friends ask, “What’s so important about beer?” Lighthearted and filled with beer facts they didn’t teach you in Western History 101, this flick is great for any craft beer lover. Beer Wars is a more direct documentary about the craft beer/brewing industry in America. It has some great interviews and if you are new to the craft beer world, think of it as a Craft Beer 101 video course. New Brew Thursday is a video podcast that came onto the scene a few years ago and is one of the best of what so many other have tried to do – sit around, drink a beer and make it sound interesting. Great hosts and their Master Pairings with Dr. Bill of Stone Brewing are always fun to watch.
Listen – The Brewing Network– Where to start with this!? If you are a home brewer or thinking about getting into home brewing check out Brew Strong, with Jamil Zainasheff and John Palmer. Both are accomplished writers in the craft beer community, Jamil literally wrote the book on yeast and Palmer shows us How to Brew. Their podcast has some of the best information on how to be a better brewer and how to better enjoy your brew.
Read – Tasting Beer (Mosher) This is a book I recommend to anyone wanting to more fully appreciate the beer in their hand. It is well written, full of colorful info graphics, and goes deep enough to satisfy some of the most ardent of beer snobs. If you are really ready to dig your teeth into something, try out The Oxford Companion to Beer. Garrett Oliver is an overall beer guru and was charged with compiling this encyclopedic book that covers everything you can think of when it comes to beer.
Write – your name on the Declaration of Beer Independence. I found this on craftbeer.com and I have to say I love what it stands for. Appreciating beer for the art form that it is, rather than for the marketing that is pushed at us, is something I can stand behind. Take a look, and I hope you sign it as well.
Attend – Check out this map and find some event to attend. I will personally be going to Ladyface Ale Company’s release of their Chaparral Saison on Tuesday night, as well as hosting my own beer tasting a little later on in the week. There are events all over the US and more than a few in the Long Beach area. If you are having trouble deciding, try hanging out with the Long Beach Hop Heads on Thursday for a bit of craft beer camaraderie at The Factory.
Drink – Ok, enough of this post. Go to your nearest craft beer store and grab something to appreciate. May I suggest to you California Heights Marketor The Wine Country for a few good brews.
How will you be celebrating American Craft Beer Week?
Al the Brewer
Twitter @AltheBrewer