Come help celebrate Bistro New Albany's one year anniversary on Monday night.

Bistro New Albany will be celebrating its first year in business on Monday evening, April 30, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Blog readers, NABC patrons and the general public are invited to come celebrate.

Owner and chef Dave Clancy will be providing appetizers, and there'll be a cash bar for beer, wine and BNA's recently acquired and steadily growing selection of top-shelf spirits.

See Dale Moss's Courier-Journal column today for more on the BNA phenomenon and the revival of downtown New Albany that proceeds apace: Downtown New Albany shows signs of vitality.

Here's the current beer list at BNA:

NABC beers
Bob's Old 15-B
Community Dark
Croupier IPA
Elector

Micros/craft
Browning's Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout
Sierra Nevada Brown
Upland Wheat

Imports
Guinness Stout
Stella Artois

Kitchen staff beer
Miller High Life

A few beer travel photos from Benelux.

You’ll recall that in February I made a brief visit to Belgium and Netherlands for my friend Boris’s 50th birthday party.

Upon returning stateside, the looming madness of Gravity Head occupied most available time, followed by shoulder surgery, and the upshot is that I’ve not gotten around to documenting the trip.

In fact, still haven’t ... but here are three random photos.

Belgium’s already known for brewing saints (its Trappist monks) and sinners (Duvel, Lucifer, Satan and a host of devilish concoctions), and now there’s a redemptive option: Tsjeeses, from the Struis brewery.

That's right -- a Christmas beer with the face of ... you know.

Haarlem's Cafe Briljant is Boris's local, and it was the site of the birthday bash. Here's a view of the bar and Rob, the publican, with Bill and Kevin chatting (and imbibing) in the background.

They're apparently not all flaming liberals in Netherlands. The Hotel Amadeus makes it clear:

Nifty Belgian beer tasting tonight at Keg Liquors.

Did Todd Antz request a shameless plug, or have we been paying attention to the announcements that come our way? Only the Curmudgeon knows for sure.

Keg Liquors is offering an excellent Belgian beer tasting tonight:

Join us Thursday, April 26th as we hold a very special beer tasting and run the gamut of Belgian beer styles. From Flemish Sour Ales, to Dubbels and Tripels, every style that we can get in the store will be sampled.

Looks like they're from World Class Beverage, which means that Bob Mack and Tish Deam should be there for expert commentary.

Examine the lineup and details here.

Tish Dean is our new World Class Beverages sales rep.

If you are a resident beer aficionado in Southern Indiana, by which I mean east of New Albany toward Madison and points beyond, and west to Evansville and perhaps even New Harmony, the state’s largest wholesaler of craft beers and imports has very good news for you.

Our part of the state now has a World Class Beverages sales rep whose exclusive job it is to work the Southern Indiana territory, which quite frankly (and WCB would agree) has been neglected in the past.

Her name is Tish Dean, and we’ve known her for years around NABC, Rich O’s and Sportstime. We finally had a chance to touch base in a professional capacity yesterday, and I’m confident in saying that her arrival bodes well for the expansion of good beer availability in our neck of the woods.

The reason? In the past, accounts like my pub and Todd (Keg Liquors) Antz’s certainly have been serviced by WCB, and often quite well, but never by a full-time sales rep who wasn’t spending much of his or her available time in other markets (Bloomington, et al). Or, as has been the case recently, we’ve worked with someone in the office (the inimitable Bob Mack) who is right on target with our needs, but again, has other jobs to do and no time to expand the company’s mandate.

Tish’s responsibility will be to expand the presence of craft beer and imports in locales and establishments that previously had no one to do business with directly. She reports that in her brief travels around the area to date, many bar and package store owners are expressing interest in the idea of broadening the selection. They simply require appropriate information and personal attention of the sort that only a full-time rep can provide to people who don’t come into the game with their own self-motivated good beer skill sets.

Down here in Hickland, the rising tide will be lifting all our boats for years to come, so good luck to Tish – I think it’s going to be a revelatory experience for all of us.

What’s a curmudgeon to do?

I tend to avoid the wasteland of television, but as a selective pro sports fan, watching the big games means witnessing more inanity than any human should be forced to endure.

This year’s NBA playoffs are being marred by what might be the single most vapid playoff jingle ever (“Right now”) run ad nauseam by ABC, leaving the sole option of muting early and often – 100% of the time when Bill Walton is doing “color” commentary …and, of course, during Miller Lite commercials.

In this year’s nominee for most consistently offensive televised beer ad, we’re shown a totalitarian vision of thousands of mass-produced Miller Lite units rolling through one of the company’s sterile beer factories as the immaculately costumed employees gather to celebrate Miller Lite’s first place finish in the World Beer Championships.

The category? American-style Light Lager.

If you’re new to all this, such a triumph looks impressive at first glance, but be aware that such made-for-mass-market-swill categories are among the more surreal in the beer judging pantheon. In essence, the American-style light lager designation as a standard in any competition calls for the judge to consider all the prime aspects of beer – body, flavor, malt, hops – and then to determine whether the light beer being examined has had each component successfully neutered, if not entirely removed.

(Drum roll please): In the end, the un-beer-iest of the contestants wins … and the banners are hoisted for the approbation of the clueless.

A female acquaintance once noted that drinking light beer is indeed comparable to love on the beach, but with no hope of orgasm – something she said was far too common in her life.

The televised world of swillocracy shilling makes the fast food, monster truck and deodorant ads seem sensible and well meaning – and that’s frightening.

Final (!) Gravity Head lineupdate: Monday, April 23.

(Updated Thursday afternoon, April 26)

As of Monday morning, April 23, we’re just shy of 40 days into the Gravity Madness of Gravity Head 2007, and all listed selections that weren't scratched are tapped or floated, with the exception of a handful of "encore" beers, i.e., multiple keg purchases.

“Normalization” of the draft selection is proceeding apace. This will be the final Gravity Head lineupdate for 2007, but take solace: There’s less than eleven months until Gravity Head 2008.

The following beers are on tap now.

USA

Avery Thirteen (Weizen Doppelbock) 9.3% abv (encore keg)

Bluegrass Brewing Co. (St. Matthews) Mephistopheles Metamorphosis circa 10% abv

Clipper City Below Decks Barleywine 11% abv

Great Divide Old Ruffian Barley Wine 10.2% abv

Ringneck Brewing "FOTB” Barley Wine 10% abv

Schlafly Reserve Oak-Aged Barley Wine 10.6% abv

Shmaltz Bittersweet Lenny's RIPA 10% abv

Upland Ard-Ri Imperial Irish-style Red Ale 9% abv (encore keg)

WORLD

Regenboog Guido 8% abv

Ridgeway Criminally Bad Elf (UK) circa 10.5% abv (encore keg)

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These kegs have passed into Gravity Head history:

Aventinus Eisbock (Germany) 12.5% abv

Avery "The Beast" 2006 14.9% abv

Avery “The Maharaja” Imperial India Pale Ale 9.9% abv

Avery Thirteen (Weizen Doppelbock) 9.3% abv

BarrelHouse Belgian Style Winter Ale 8.25% abv

BBC (Main & Clay) Bearded Pat's Barley Wine circa 10% abv

BBC (St. Matthews) Leah's Etrange 9.2% abv

Bell's Expedition Stout (firkin) 11.5% abv

Bell's Expedition Stout (keg) 11.5% abv

Bell's Hopslam Double IPA 9.5% abv

Bell’s Sparkling Ale 8.9% abv

Bell’s Third Coast Old Ale 10.2% abv

Bluegrass Brewing Co. (Main & Clay) Dank IPA (hand pull) 8% abv

Clipper City Holy Sheet 9% abv

Clipper City Peg Leg Imperial Stout 8% abv

Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA 13.6% abv

De Dolle Dulle Teve (Belgium) 10% abv

De Dolle Special Extra Export Stout (Belgium) 9% abv

Ettaler Curator Doppelbock (Germany) 9% abv

Flying Dog Double Dog 10.5% abv

Founders Devil Dancer Triple IPA 2006 13% abv

Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout 9.5% abv

Hoppin’ Frog Boris the Crusher (Bodacious Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout) 9.4% abv

Houblon Chouffe 9% abv

JW Lees Vintage Harvest Ale (2006) 11.5% abv

JW Lees Vintage Harvest Ale (Lagavulin Scotch barrel aged; 2005; pin (UK) 11.5% abv

Kasteelbier Brown (Biere de Chateau) (Belgium) 11% abv

Koningshoeven Quadrupel (Netherlands) 10% abv

Left Hand Imperial Stout 10.4% abv

Left Hand Snow Bound Winter Ale 7.6% abv

Les 3 Fourquets Brooklynette (La Gnomette Part II) (Belgium) 8.5% abv

Mojo Risin' Double IPA (Boulder Beer) 10% abv

NABC Thunderfoot Imperial Stout 2006 11% abv

Regenboog t’Smisje BBBourgondier (Belgium) 12% abv

Regenboog t’Smisje Dubbel (Belgium) 9% abv

Ridgeway Criminally Bad Elf (UK) circa 10.5% abv

Ringneck Brewing Old 21 Imperial IPA 9.1% abv

Rogue Frosty Frog (John’s Locker Stock #12; Rogue Issaquah Brewhouse) 9.5% abv

Rogue Ten Thousand Brew Ale, 10% abv

Rogue XS Old Crustacean Barley Wine 2002 11.3% abv

Samichlaus Bier 2005 (Austria) 14% abv

Shmaltz Genesis 10:10 10% abv

Stone Double Bastard 10% abv

Stone Imperial Russian Stout 10.8% abv

Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine (Vintage 2006) 11.2% abv

Two Brothers Bare Tree Weiss Wine, 10.2% abv

Upland Ard-Ri Imperial Irish-style Red Ale 9% abv

Urthel Hop-It Belgian IPA (Belgium) 9.5% abv

Urthel Samaranth Quadrium (Belgium) 12% abv

Scratches:

De Dolle Stille Nacht 12% abv (stolen by East Coast account)

Delirium Nocturnum 8.5% abv (unknown problems)

EKU 28 11% abv

Gales Prize Old Ale (2005) 9% abv (shipping snafu)

Kulmbacher Reichelbrau Eisbock 9.2% abv

New Holland Pilgrim's Dole 10% abv (shipping snafu)

Ringneck Brewing Im-perle-ial Porter 7.7% abv (unavailable)

Tuscan wine dinner at Stratto's this Tuesday.

Most of the time, we're all about the beer, but there are exceptions.

Stratto's Restaurant (318 W Lewis & Clark Parkway in Clarksville, Indiana) is having a 4-course, Tuscan inspired wine dinner this Tuesday, April 24 at 6:30 p.m. National Wine and Spirits's Michael Pyle, whom the Curmudgeon had the pleasure of meeting earlier this year, will be on hand to guide diners through the evening's wine pairings.

Stratto's GM Linda Stephens reports that "depending on the number of reservations and the weather, we hope to hold this event on our beautiful patio."

We 're hoping to do another beer dinner in that very same spot later this year.

The wine dinner's cost is $50.00 per person, and you can find contact information at the Stratto's website.

The return of Moss the Boss?

Remember Moss the Boss?

In January, I recalled the Namur, Belgium public house run by the inimitable Alain Mossiat and family: A blast from the past: Belgo-Gaelic dazzling.

It was an eclectic place that set the tone for most of the specialty beer bars we would visit in the following days. We were seated in an interior room that was piled full of junk, bottles and beer advertisements, this being done to get us out of the way of the party. Having embarked upon our sampling and finished eating our spaghetti, a spirited argument ensued as to the true nature of craft-brewed beer in America, with Alain interrupting occasionally to explain the next selection. Expatriates abroad. Drinking, talking. Very cool.

Today, out of the blue, I received this e-mail:

“hello roger ,after so many times, i could find you on the net. I'm back in Belgium.”

Back in Namur, in fact. I'm flattered that Moss remembers me, and I’ve written back. There’ll be more if and when there’s more to report.

For at least one day, developing downtown New Albany through craft-brewed beer.

On Wednesday afternoon, Develop New Albany held a member “event” at Treet’s Bakery Café. It wasn’t supposed to be “about” the beer, but in the end, it was, at least partially.

For the uninitiated, and briefly, Develop New Albany is a “non-profit organization composed of businesses and community volunteers. It is committed to the economic revitalization and historic preservation of Downtown New Albany.”

Your correspondent is a first-time DNA board member for 2006-07, and along with this new responsibility, I am continuing to do whatever I can to assist in the regeneration of a functional, living downtown along the general principles of New Urbanism, with a specific caveat all my own: The type of people we need enjoy locally-brewed craft beer, and the more NABC beer pouring downtown, the greater indication that these people are present and accounted for.

They like it – and we need them, both as a brewery and as a city.

Owing to my rotator cuff surgery, I’d missed a couple of DNA meetings, and only belatedly came to the recognition that for Wednesday’s reception, a portable bar would be traveling across the street from its usual licensed home in the Grand Convention Center, but with only mass-market bottled swill available in its ice tub.

Having worked with the Grand’s ownership previously on such matters, and with the assistance of NABC’s brewer, Jesse Williams, an attractively priced (for the Grand’s sake) 5-gallon keg of our Kaiser 2nd Reising (pre-Prohibition) pilsner was conveyed to Treet’s for the event.

I took a few minutes beforehand to brief the bartenders on the merits of the Kaiser so that they’d know how to explain it to customers, and in closing, I asked them how much they’d be charging for 12-ounce bottles of the Bud, Coors and Lite.

“$3.00”

“Okay, how big are the plastic drink cups for the draft pours?”

“12 ounces.”

Jesse and I looked at each other, and simultaneously said, “$2.00” for the Kaiser … and I reminded the bartenders of the big profit margin for draft beer based on the wholesale keg pricing.

In the end, we came quite close to floating the keg, and only a half-dozen or so bottles were spotted being consumed all evening.

Every now and then it’s fun to beat the big brewery boys at their own game, but if their reps had been there to match tactics, they’d probably have been selling nickel swills – and that’s why I detest them so much.

As promised: Delirium Tremens sling art.

I gave the surgeon three weeks of free advertising. This way, it goes back to being about beer.

Soon adding more Wetten imports to the beer list.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of entertaining Pete Larsen, the Midwest sales representative for Wetten Importers, Inc.

The Virginia-based importer has a small but high-powered portfolio of European classics: Samichlaus, Kasteel, the Delirium line and Gouden Carolus, to name just four.

The current Rich O’s/NABC bottled beer list includes Samichlaus, Delirium Tremens and Delirium Nocturnum, and I’ve been meaning to add the Gouden Carolus line for quite some time, along with the two high-octane Kasteelbiers and Eggenberger’s Nessie (a whisky malt lager specialty).

Look for these additions to happen in the coming weeks.

And: Look for a stylishly redecorated sling for my healing left arm, courtesy of Pete's critical donation of a brewery apron for cannibalizing ... a photo will be posted soon.

Gravity Head lineupdate: Monday, April 16.

(Updated on Saturday morning, April 21. All available listed selections have now appeared on tap)

As of Monday morning, April 16, we’re a month and a day into the Gravity Madness of Gravity Head 2007, and only 3 listed selections remain to be brought on line. All the rest are gone or were scratched, although some "encore" gravity beers are beginning to reappear.

Bear in mind that while most of the American selections came to us in a single, standard ½ barrel (15.5 gallon) keg, most of the European ones came kegged in 20-liter or 30-liter sizes – roughly equivalent to 1/6 and ¼ barrels, respectively. Consequently, quite a few of the depleted European, and a handful of American, gravity beers were multiple keg purchases. Some of these remain, and are designated as the “encores.”

The “plan” for tapping these revolves around available cooler space, how it can be arranged for maximum storage, and plotting the minimum number of connector swaps, This is why some “encores” return before untapped listed selections are brought on line.

This week a process of tap “normalization” will begin, with the remaining gravity beer pool shrinking and beers of more conventional nature, i.e., non-gravity, once again pouring. Wean yourself away very, very slowly. There’s less than eleven months until Gravity Head 2008.

The following beers are on tap now.

USA

BarrelHouse Belgian Style Winter Ale 8.25% abv

Bell’s Third Coast Old Ale 10.2% abv

Bluegrass Brewing Co. (St. Matthews) Mephistopheles Metamorphosis circa 10% abv

Clipper City Below Decks Barleywine 11% abv

Great Divide Old Ruffian Barley Wine 10.2% abv

Ringneck Brewing "FOTB” Barley Wine 10% abv

Schlafly Reserve Oak-Aged Barley Wine 10.6% abv

Shmaltz Bittersweet Lenny's RIPA 10% abv

Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine (Vintage 2006) 11.2% abv

Upland Ard-Ri Imperial Irish-style Red Ale 9% abv (encore keg)

WORLD

Regenboog Guido 8% abv

Ridgeway Criminally Bad Elf (UK) circa 10.5% abv (encore keg)

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These kegs have passed into Gravity Head history:

Aventinus Eisbock (Germany) 12.5% abv

Avery "The Beast" 2006 14.9% abv

Avery “The Maharaja” Imperial India Pale Ale 9.9% abv

Avery Thirteen (Weizen Doppelbock) 9.3% abv

BBC (Main & Clay) Bearded Pat's Barley Wine circa 10% abv

BBC (St. Matthews) Leah's Etrange 9.2% abv

Bell's Expedition Stout (firkin) 11.5% abv

Bell's Expedition Stout (keg) 11.5% abv

Bell's Hopslam Double IPA 9.5% abv

Bell’s Sparkling Ale 8.9% abv

Bluegrass Brewing Co. (Main & Clay) Dank IPA (hand pull) 8% abv

Clipper City Holy Sheet 9% abv

Clipper City Peg Leg Imperial Stout 8% abv

Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA 13.6% abv

De Dolle Dulle Teve (Belgium) 10% abv

De Dolle Special Extra Export Stout (Belgium) 9% abv

Ettaler Curator Doppelbock (Germany) 9% abv

Flying Dog Double Dog 10.5% abv

Founders Devil Dancer Triple IPA 2006 13% abv

Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout 9.5% abv

Hoppin’ Frog Boris the Crusher (Bodacious Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout) 9.4% abv

Houblon Chouffe 9% abv

JW Lees Vintage Harvest Ale (2006) 11.5% abv

JW Lees Vintage Harvest Ale (Lagavulin Scotch barrel aged; 2005; pin (UK) 11.5% abv

Kasteelbier Brown (Biere de Chateau) (Belgium) 11% abv

Koningshoeven Quadrupel (Netherlands) 10% abv

Left Hand Imperial Stout 10.4% abv

Left Hand Snow Bound Winter Ale 7.6% abv

Les 3 Fourquets Brooklynette (La Gnomette Part II) (Belgium) 8.5% abv

Mojo Risin' Double IPA (Boulder Beer) 10% abv

NABC Thunderfoot Imperial Stout 2006 11% abv

Regenboog t’Smisje BBBourgondier (Belgium) 12% abv

Regenboog t’Smisje Dubbel (Belgium) 9% abv

Ridgeway Criminally Bad Elf (UK) circa 10.5% abv

Ringneck Brewing Old 21 Imperial IPA 9.1% abv

Rogue Frosty Frog (John’s Locker Stock #12; Rogue Issaquah Brewhouse) 9.5% abv

Rogue Ten Thousand Brew Ale, 10% abv

Rogue XS Old Crustacean Barley Wine 2002 11.3% abv

Samichlaus Bier 2005 (Austria) 14% abv

Shmaltz Genesis 10:10 10% abv

Stone Double Bastard 10% abv

Stone Imperial Russian Stout 10.8% abv

Two Brothers Bare Tree Weiss Wine, 10.2% abv

Upland Ard-Ri Imperial Irish-style Red Ale 9% abv

Urthel Hop-It Belgian IPA (Belgium) 9.5% abv

Urthel Samaranth Quadrium (Belgium) 12% abv

Scratches:

De Dolle Stille Nacht 12% abv (stolen by East Coast account)

Delirium Nocturnum 8.5% abv (unknown problems)

EKU 28 11% abv

Gales Prize Old Ale (2005) 9% abv (shipping snafu)

Kulmbacher Reichelbrau Eisbock 9.2% abv

New Holland Pilgrim's Dole 10% abv (shipping snafu)

Ringneck Brewing Im-perle-ial Porter 7.7% abv (unavailable)

How dry I've been ... coming to an end, soon.

There hasn’t been much for me to say lately about beer in the sense of my drinking it, and that’s because I haven’t been.

Drinking it, that is.

That’s because I’ve been taking two varieties of pain medication, neither of them suitable for use with alcohol. As I’ve said many times before: As a professional beer drinker, alcohol does damage enough to my innards without compounding the problem by mixing it with pills. It is my responsibility to, well, to be responsible and save those cells for Gravity Head sacrifices and biking trips.

The pain medication came about because of my recent rotator cuff repair surgery. Recovery is going well, and the physical therapy regimen has been successful thus far, and so earlier tonight I availed myself of the loophole conceded me by Dr. Moskal, who said that in deference to professional obligations, a bit of beer here and there while still on the meds would be acceptable.

During my first two visits to work after a 12-day post-surgical holiday, I nipped at a wee few ounces of Schlenkerla Fastenbier (now gone); BarrelHouse Belgian Style Winter Ale and Boss Cox Double Dark IPA; and NABC’s recent lineup additions. Mt. Lee (California Common) and Jasmine the Mastiff (Sweet Stout). Seriously, just an ounce or two of each, and followed by perhaps four ounces of Croupier IPA on Friday night during a quick nibble stop at the Bistro New Albany.

Back to tonight.

To celebrate the conclusion of her first year of graduate school, the wife and I dropped in at Maido Essential Japanese on Frankfort Avenue in Louisville. You’ve read me tout Maido on numerous occasions, so I’ll spare you another (go there, damn it) and say merely that as accompaniment to a “spicy Seoul roll” that included kimchee, a draft pint of Dave Pierce’s seasonal BBC Dank IPA was mighty, mighty fine.

Gotta get off the pills. Soon. Just not enough hops …

"Support Your Local Brewery" -- from the Brewers Association.

An interesting idea, and one that could be useful. First we need to wait and see whether the megabreweries sign on; if so, I may wish not to.

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Support Your Local Brewery is a national, grassroots partnership of beer enthusiasts, professional trade associations and brewers dedicated to supporting and protecting the legislative and regulatory interests of small, traditional and independent craft breweries. Beer Activists are the Minutemen and Minutewomen of the brewing community. Just as the patriots of the revolutionary Minute Man Guard answered a fledgling nation's call to action, Beer Activists support their local brewery at a moment's notice. When you become a beer activist you'll be asked to respond to Beer Activist E-Action Alerts sent to your e-mail inbox. Your help will be needed to contact your legislative representatives when state or federal regulatory initiatives threaten the livelihood of your local brewery …

… Support Your Local Brewery was established in 2007 and is supported and funded by the Brewers Association, the national, not-for-profit trade association for professional U.S. craft brewers. To learn more about the Brewers Association visit http://www.beertown.org/.

Another new downtown New Albany beginning: Connor’s Place.

I had intended to cross-post this piece when it first appeared at my NA Confidential blog on March 3, but it somehow slipped through the cracks. Interior remodeling is well along the way, and soon I'll have photos. There'll be at least two NABC beers on tap out of a total of six.
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Former Bistro New Albany partner Dave Himmel tells NA Confidential that his new downtown eatery and watering hole, to be called Connor’s Place – named in honor of his infant son – has a projected opening date of May 1.

Connor’s Place will occupy ground floor space in the historic building that most readers know as the old Maytag Laundry, located adjacent to the Parthenon at 207 E. Main Street. Both buildings are owned by Third Century Services.

Interior remodeling has begun, and part of the lease package is an atmospheric back bar once housed around the corner at the New Albany Inn – now the Bistro New Albany.

Precise details are of course uncertain at this early date, but Dave tells us that he will be acquiring a three-way alcohol sales permit under the auspices of the riverfront development district, and the barroom itself will be on the right side (looking from the front) and separate from a dining area on the left. There is a roomy and shady patio to the rear, which will be accessible from the dining area.

Tentatively, Dave plans a full and varied lunch menu with pub grub in the evenings, and six beers on tap in addition to wine and liquor. He views the warm and historic ambience of the interior as appealing both to non-drinking diners and sports viewers seeking refreshment during prime events.

Connor’s Place stands to occupy another important niche in the growing portfolio of downtown New Albany’s expanding dining, drinking and entertainment options, which include the recently opened Treet’s Bakery Café and the forthcoming Speakeasy on State Street.

These are precisely the sort of developments that attract precisely the sort of people who are needed to fuel and sustain a renaissance, itself something that no longer can be doubted. NA Confidential will continue to chart these trends, and as we do, lift a Progressive Pint to Dave Himmel and these other pioneers downtown, and please support them with your patronage.

Photo credit: Building view courtesy of Third Century Services.

One of A-B's arms atones for the other -- with cash.

Strictly speaking, there’s no A or B in the word “hypocrisy,” but a rich vein of disingenuousness characterizes just about everything else the bloated megabrewer does.

HI: Beer money is OK for paying to combat excessive drinking

Anheuser-Busch claims that the brewery and its 600 wholesalers have spent more than $500 million since 1982 on national and community-based programs to combat alcohol abuse, including underage drinking. The company sends that message in much of its promotional material.

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Beermaker urged to pull Spykes

Alcohol abuse prevention groups nationwide are asking beer company Anheuser-Busch to pull its new flavored alcohol drink, Spykes, off the market.

Spykes, introduced in January, are 24-proof alcohol shots in such flavors as watermelon and mango. They are sold in 2-ounce plastic bottles usually for less than $2. In addition to 12% alcohol, Spykes contain guarana, ginseng and caffeine — ingredients associated with popular energy drinks.

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Thanks to the Brewers Association for the headlines.

Gravity Head lineupdate: Monday, April 9.

(Updated Saturday, April 14 ... Schlenkerla Fastenbier has gone, and Bayrischer Bahnhof "Berliner Style" Weisse has replaced it.)

The end is coming into sight, and the past week's cold snap fueled a second wind for many of you.

As of Monday morning, April 9, 26 business days have been devoted to the Gravity Madness of Gravity Head 2007, and 37 beers are gone. A handful will return later as "encores," owing to multiple keg purchases.

The Schlafly beer and brewing event in Prost, which originally had been scheduled for Saturday, March 24, has been postponed a second time. Currently, it isn't at all clear when we'll be able to reschedule, but I'll be meeting with a brewery rep this week to see if we can't find a secure date. Our problem has been working around the busy life of the St. Louis craft brewery’s owner, Tom Schlafly, so that he can be on hand to discuss his memoir, "A New Religion in Mecca", and sign copies of the book.

If the rescheduled date turns out to be a month or more in the future, we may elect to pour the Schlafly Reserve Oak-Aged Barley Wine now. Or, it may be kept for the rescheduled date, whenever that turns out to be. At this precise moment, I really can't say for sure.

Only 4 listed selections remain to be brought on line, and this means that within the next week or two, non-gravity taps will once again be pouring. Many of them will be of “normal” alcoholic strength, so wean yourself away very slowly.

The following beers are on tap now.

USA

BarrelHouse Belgian Style Winter Ale 8.25% abv

BBC (Main & Clay) Bearded Pat's Barley Wine circa 10% abv

Bell's Expedition Stout (keg) 11.5% abv

Bell’s Third Coast Old Ale 10.2% abv

Bluegrass Brewing Co. (St. Matthews) Mephistopheles Metamorphosis circa 10% abv

Clipper City Below Decks Barleywine 11% abv

Clipper City Holy Sheet 9% abv

Clipper City Peg Leg Imperial Stout 8% abv

Flying Dog Double Dog 10.5% abv

Ringneck Brewing "FOTB” Barley Wine 10% abv

Stone Double Bastard 10% abv

Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine (Vintage 2006) 11.2% abv

Upland Ard-Ri Imperial Irish-style Red Ale 9% abv (encore keg)

WORLD

Regenboog Guido 8% abv

Ridgeway Criminally Bad Elf (UK) circa 10.5% abv (encore keg)

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Now, on to the availability update.

These kegs are in the bullpen – on site and ready for tapping:

USA

Great Divide Old Ruffian Barley Wine 10.2% abv

Schlafly Reserve Oak-Aged Barley Wine 10.6% abv

Shmaltz Bittersweet Lenny's RIPA 10% abv

----

These kegs have passed into Gravity Head history:

Aventinus Eisbock (Germany) 12.5% abv

Avery "The Beast" 2006 14.9% abv

Avery “The Maharaja” Imperial India Pale Ale 9.9% abv

Avery Thirteen (Weizen Doppelbock) 9.3% abv

BBC (St. Matthews) Leah's Etrange 9.2% abv

Bell's Expedition Stout (firkin) 11.5% abv

Bell's Hopslam Double IPA 9.5% abv

Bell’s Sparkling Ale 8.9% abv

Bluegrass Brewing Co. (Main & Clay) Dank IPA (hand pull) 8% abv

Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA 13.6% abv

De Dolle Dulle Teve (Belgium) 10% abv

De Dolle Special Extra Export Stout (Belgium) 9% abv

Ettaler Curator Doppelbock (Germany) 9% abv

Founders Devil Dancer Triple IPA 2006 13% abv

Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout 9.5% abv

Hoppin’ Frog Boris the Crusher (Bodacious Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout) 9.4% abv

Houblon Chouffe 9% abv

JW Lees Vintage Harvest Ale (2006) 11.5% abv

JW Lees Vintage Harvest Ale (Lagavulin Scotch barrel aged; 2005; pin (UK) 11.5% abv

Kasteelbier Brown (Biere de Chateau) (Belgium) 11% abv

Koningshoeven Quadrupel (Netherlands) 10% abv

Left Hand Imperial Stout 10.4% abv

Left Hand Snow Bound Winter Ale 7.6% abv

Les 3 Fourquets Brooklynette (La Gnomette Part II) (Belgium) 8.5% abv

Mojo Risin' Double IPA (Boulder Beer) 10% abv

NABC Thunderfoot Imperial Stout 2006 11% abv

Regenboog t’Smisje BBBourgondier (Belgium) 12% abv

Regenboog t’Smisje Dubbel (Belgium) 9% abv

Ridgeway Criminally Bad Elf (UK) circa 10.5% abv

Ringneck Brewing Old 21 Imperial IPA 9.1% abv

Rogue Frosty Frog (John’s Locker Stock #12; Rogue Issaquah Brewhouse) 9.5% abv

Rogue Ten Thousand Brew Ale, 10% abv

Rogue XS Old Crustacean Barley Wine 2002 11.3% abv

Samichlaus Bier 2005 (Austria) 14% abv

Shmaltz Genesis 10:10 10% abv

Stone Imperial Russian Stout 10.8% abv

Two Brothers Bare Tree Weiss Wine, 10.2% abv

Upland Ard-Ri Imperial Irish-style Red Ale 9% abv

Urthel Hop-It Belgian IPA (Belgium) 9.5% abv

Urthel Samaranth Quadrium (Belgium) 12% abv

Scratches:

De Dolle Stille Nacht 12% abv (stolen by East Coast account)

Delirium Nocturnum 8.5% abv (unknown problems)

EKU 28 11% abv

Gales Prize Old Ale (2005) 9% abv (shipping snafu)

Kulmbacher Reichelbrau Eisbock 9.2% abv

New Holland Pilgrim's Dole 10% abv (shipping snafu)

Ringneck Brewing Im-perle-ial Porter 7.7% abv (unavailable)

FOSSILS club hosts BarrelHouse, beer flows freely.

In the beginning, perhaps a decade ago, BarrelHouse Brewing was a brewpub, restaurant and live music venue located in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Two years ago, as the city commenced a renewed effort to revitalize the area, the brewery itself shuffled management, moved a short distance away, shed the brewpub concept and was born again as a production brewery with distribution by Cavalier Ohio (now available in Indiana through Cavalier Distributing Indiana, Indianapolis).

Brewer Rick DeBar and his tasty recipes stayed on, and last night he visited the monthly FOSSILS homebrew club’s meeting at NABC’s Prost room.

Rick brought bombers of an assortment of BarrelHouse beers, and assisted by our own Richard Atnip, offered samples of these and two stellar drafts: BarrelHouse Belgian Style Winter Ale and Boss Cox Double Dark IPA.

It also was my first day back to work in two weeks following my shoulder surgery, and of course I overdid it, which means that my stay was short and the conversation with Rick brief, but he did say business is good, and RedLegg Ale is back in the ballpark in Cincinnati:

Ale back for Reds games BarrelHouse revives traditions with return to ballpark, Opening Day customer appreciation specials, by Jon Newberry, Cincinnati Enquirer.

After a two-year absence from Great American Ball Park, BarrelHouse Brewing Co.'s RedLegg Ale will once again be on tap during Cincinnati Reds games this season and at the park's Machine Room Grille, according to Rick DeBar, BarrelHouse's brewmaster.

Indiana Beer’s Bob Ostrander was there along with Mat Gerdenich and Chris Branaman from Cavalier. If Bob does a report, I’ll follow up with a link.

Another Gravity Head review hits the Web.

Matt Dunn waxes poetic about this year's Gravity Head at New Albanian.

Some worts swallow light like a black hole. Others gather glasses and brewing implements in a clatter of near-wort orbit. It's hazardous for the brewer. Some get sucked right in. They have to wear special anti-gravity boots. And even then, well, even then it might be safer to stand on the deck of an Alaskan crab boat in a storm.

While you're at Indiana Beer to read Matt's fine piece, take a look around. Note that the ranks of Southern Indiana brewers is increasing, and don't miss Bob's roundup of the recent distilling conference in nearby Starlight:

The Columbus Bar (Power House Brewing).

Bob reports from the American Distilling Instute Conference.

April 7, 1933.

There’s an important date on the horizon. Read more about it in my article this week for the Louisville Eccentric Observer (LEO):

Mug Shots: Good beer isn’t hard to find.

Chances are you didn’t know that in 1933, as the cherished day of Repeal drew ever nearer, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt persuaded Congress to alter the detested Volstead Act and permit low gravity beer to be consumed by a grateful public. It would be another eight months before wine and liquor joined the queue … The date was April 7, 1933, and 74 years later, this important “Brew Years Eve” anniversary of beer’s liberation will be celebrated by America’s resurgent craft breweries.

NABC artwork: Jasmine the Mastiff.

Resident artist Tony Beard label art sets the stage for brewer Jared Williamson's preview of Jasmine the Mastiff, a new NABC beer that's coming very soon:

I want to bring everyone up to speed on a new project called Brewer’s Best Friend Series – basically, three beers made in honor of Jesse Williams's and my canine companions (yes, this idea came from John Maier of Rogue and his dog, the late Brewer).

First up (brewed 2-16-07) is: Jasmine the Mastiff Sweet Stout.

Malt: 2-row, roasted barley, chocolate

Hops: East Kent Goldings and Fuggles (for bittering only)

Spices: Lactose sugar, spiced Mexican chocolate, honey

O.G.: 1073

ABV: Circa 7%

IBUs: 36

The mastiff is the gentle giant of English-bred dogs -- loyal, noble, big and lazy for the most part.

Gravity Head lineupdate: Monday, April 2.

(Updated Saturday, April 7)

For the second time in three years, the Publican has been placed on the DL during Gravity Head. In 2005, the cause was pneumonia. In 2007, it’s rotator cuff repair surgery, which was performed a week ago Tuesday morning. I'm fine, rehab’s going well, and Jared Williamson has taken over the day-to-day organizational tasks. I’m posting updates from the home base.

As of Monday morning, April 2, 20 business days have been devoted to the Gravity Madness of Gravity Head 2007, and 30 beers are gone. A handful will return later as "encores," owing to multiple keg purchases.

Meanwhile, I’m bowing to reality and moving two of the remaining three “in transit” beers to the scratch list: EKU 28 and Kulmbacher Reichelbrau Eisbock.

I’ve amply aired my displeasure at the situation, which in essence involves a current failure in cooperative capability between wholesaler and importer. In short, as they squabble, I’m punished by being deprived of product. Of course, in a genuinely free market … never mind. It's odd how free-market economics gurus are so often also prohibitionists.

Only 9 listed selections remain to be brought on line, and this means that within the next week or two, non-gravity taps will once again be pouring. Many of them will be of “normal” alcoholic strength, so wean yourself away very slowly.

Note: Schlenkerla Fastenbier, a non-Gravity Head selection (5.5% abv) is now on tap. It is the annual Easter release from Bamberg's most famous smoked beer brewery, and has a grain bill of half house smoked malt, half unsmoked pislner malt.

The following beers are on tap now.

USA

Avery Thirteen (Weizen Doppelbock) 9.3% abv

BBC (Main & Clay) Bearded Pat's Barley Wine circa 10% abv

Bell's Expedition Stout (keg) 11.5% abv

Bell’s Third Coast Old Ale 10.2% abv

Bluegrass Brewing Co. (St. Matthews) Mephistopheles Metamorphosis circa 10% abv

Clipper City Holy Sheet 9% abv

Clipper City Peg Leg Imperial Stout 8% abv

Left Hand Snow Bound Winter Ale 7.6% abv

Ringneck Brewing "FOTB” Barley Wine 10% abv

Stone Double Bastard 10% abv

Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine (Vintage 2006) 11.2% abv

Two Brothers Bare Tree Weiss Wine, 10.2% abv

WORLD

Houblon Chouffe 9% abv

Regenboog Guido 8% abv

Here are the beers that already are scheduled to appear at specific times during Gravity Head 2007 (March and April):

Saturday, April 7:

BarrelHouse Belgian Style Winter Ale 8.25% abv

Representatives of BarrelHouse and Cavalier Distributing Indiana, including BH brewer Rick DeBar, will be on hand with other BH beers for sampling (including Boss Cox Double Dark IPA) in conjunction with the FOSSILS homebrew club’s monthly meeting in Prost.

Friday, April 27: SORRY, POSTPONED AGAIN

Schlafly Reserve Oak-Aged Barley Wine 10.6% abv

----

Now, on to the availability update.

These kegs are in the bullpen – on site and ready for tapping:

USA

Clipper City Below Decks Barleywine 11% abv

Flying Dog Double Dog 10.5% abv

Great Divide Old Ruffian Barley Wine 10.2% abv

Shmaltz Bittersweet Lenny's RIPA 10% abv

----

These kegs have passed into Gravity Head history:

Aventinus Eisbock (Germany) 12.5% abv

Avery "The Beast" 2006 14.9% abv

Avery “The Maharaja” Imperial India Pale Ale 9.9% abv

BBC (St. Matthews) Leah's Etrange 9.2% abv

Bell's Expedition Stout (firkin) 11.5% abv

Bell's Hopslam Double IPA 9.5% abv

Bell’s Sparkling Ale 8.9% abv

Bluegrass Brewing Co. (Main & Clay) Dank IPA (hand pull) 8% abv

Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA 13.6% abv

De Dolle Dulle Teve (Belgium) 10% abv

De Dolle Special Extra Export Stout (Belgium) 9% abv

Ettaler Curator Doppelbock (Germany) 9% abv

Founders Devil Dancer Triple IPA 2006 13% abv

Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout 9.5% abv

Hoppin’ Frog Boris the Crusher (Bodacious Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout) 9.4% abv

JW Lees Vintage Harvest Ale (2006) 11.5% abv

JW Lees Vintage Harvest Ale (Lagavulin Scotch barrel aged; 2005; pin (UK) 11.5% abv

Kasteelbier Brown (Biere de Chateau) (Belgium) 11% abv

Koningshoeven Quadrupel (Netherlands) 10% abv

Left Hand Imperial Stout 10.4% abv

Les 3 Fourquets Brooklynette (La Gnomette Part II) (Belgium) 8.5% abv

Mojo Risin' Double IPA (Boulder Beer) 10% abv

NABC Thunderfoot Imperial Stout 2006 11% abv

Regenboog t’Smisje BBBourgondier (Belgium) 12% abv

Regenboog t’Smisje Dubbel (Belgium) 9% abv

Ridgeway Criminally Bad Elf (UK) circa 10.5% abv

Ringneck Brewing Old 21 Imperial IPA 9.1% abv

Rogue Frosty Frog (John’s Locker Stock #12; Rogue Issaquah Brewhouse) 9.5% abv

Rogue Ten Thousand Brew Ale, 10% abv

Rogue XS Old Crustacean Barley Wine 2002 11.3% abv

Samichlaus Bier 2005 (Austria) 14% abv

Shmaltz Genesis 10:10 10% abv

Stone Imperial Russian Stout 10.8% abv

Upland Ard-Ri Imperial Irish-style Red Ale 9% abv

Urthel Hop-It Belgian IPA (Belgium) 9.5% abv

Urthel Samaranth Quadrium (Belgium) 12% abv

Scratches:

De Dolle Stille Nacht 12% abv (stolen by East Coast account)

Delirium Nocturnum 8.5% abv (unknown problems)

EKU 28 11% abv

Gales Prize Old Ale (2005) 9% abv (shipping snafu)

Kulmbacher Reichelbrau Eisbock 9.2% abv

New Holland Pilgrim's Dole 10% abv (shipping snafu)

Ringneck Brewing Im-perle-ial Porter 7.7% abv (unavailable)

But White Castle doesn't serve beer.

My sporadic forays into television viewing are reserved for big ticket sporting events, and because these come along quite seldom, I’m spared the inevitable mind softening that accompanies the tube as universal American babysitter.

Whether it’s been six months or six days between viewings, the seemingly unalterable six-pack advertising mentality of America’s bloated corporate megabrewers never ceases to amaze – apparently owing to a target consumer group’s infinite capacity for self-abnegation – or, put simply, dumbing down.

So it was that last evening I saw SAB Miller’s new High Life blurb, wherein a Miller beer truck hurries to a posh eatery to rescue cases of High Life. In such a manner is swill being duly re-globalized owing to the unpardonable sin of being sold at the kind of joint that would vend an $11.50 hamburger.

I’m so old that I can remember just a few years ago, when Miller’s own supermarket positioning and pricing decisions for High Life came very close to destroying the brand’s value, but attention spans apparently are short in American corporate brewing’s inner sanctums.

Permit me to note (yet again) that many, perhaps even most, of the neo-prohibitionist regulatory difficulties faced by all segments of the beer business stem entirely from megabrewing’s stubborn insistence on low common denominator advertising strategies: Cheap beer as the virtual guarantor of anti-social behavior.

Up market wins; down market loses. The wine people understand it. Can you name a single wine maker at any price range who would poke fun at an up-scale eatery’s decision to include it on the wine list?