Learn Local Beer History and Get Great Christmas Gifts

Two beer guys.

Christmas season is upon us, and that means you're probably starting to think, "Oh, crap. What am I going to get for [insert name of friend or relative here]?"

Allow me to make a splendid suggestion. The perfect gift is within reach when you join Steve Johnson, proprietor of Motor City Brew Tours, and me this Thursday, November 30 (tomorrow), at Liberty Street Brewing in Plymouth for a tour-de-force talk about the beer histories of Detroit and Ann Arbor. Then, just about the time we've bored you to sleep piqued your curiosity to an extreme, you can pick up copies of "Ann Arbor Beer: A Hoppy History of Tree Town Brewing" and "Detroit Beer: A History of Brewing in the Motor City" for that special someone (or someones) who deserves the best. We'll also sign them, making them priceless. The awesomeness begins at 7 p.m., and you can register for free here or, most likely, just show up. We're easy that way.

On Monday, December 4, Steve and I take our beer-and-pony show to the Chelsea Alehouse for another 7 p.m. chat and signing. Register for that one here.

Still on the fence? You can get an idea of how amazingly entertaining we are by listening to this podcast.

This Christmas, give the gift of local beer history books written by a pair of desperate alcoholics acclaimed authors, all while broadening your own horizons, or at least drinking some good beer.

Craft Beer Culture: Has It Jumped the Shark Or Do You People Just Need to Get Off My Lawn?

In a 2011 interview, Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione famously referred to the craft beer industry as being “99 percent asshole-free.” At the time, it sounded about right. Maybe it still is. But craft beer’s exponentially increasing popularity has brought a host of new people into the fold, and when one takes a look at the larger beer community these days, one has reason to suspect that Calagione’s estimate may need to be adjusted downward.

I confess: It’s going to be difficult to make what I want to say sound like anything other than the gripings of an aging curmudgeon – or even one of Calagione’s assholes. But hear me out.

Lately I’m finding that I’m just not excited by the same things that so many more recent “beer converts” get worked up over. At Literature & Libation, Oliver Gray noted he was feeling something akin to a “beer midlife crisis.” If there is such a thing, I can think of many symptoms of this malaise.

Curmudgeon's Corner: Beer Experts vs. Beer "Experts"

The following is a guest column from the Craft Beer Curmudgeon, a crusty old dude who has forgotten more about beer than you can ever hope to know. Read his archive of wisdom on MittenBrew.

The Craft Beer Curmudgeon

In Randall Munro's excellent comic "xkcd" one panel shows a lone figure feverishly typing away at a computer. From out of frame, a voice asks if he's coming to bed. "I can't... someone is wrong on the Internet."

Well, of course. Every basement-dwelling misfit with an internet connection and time to waste can position him or herself as an expert in anything from politics to beer. One guess as to which most annoys your faithful correspondent.

Here's my beef: If you prefer cheap mass market cider and heavily flavored gimmick beers chock full of hazelnut or tangerine or raccoon or whatever, that's fine. Your taste is yours alone and not up for a vote. However, your opinion on a particular pale ale is then suspect at best; you've tipped your hand to show that you prefer your beer flavors to be disguised with things even Faygo might reject.

The Week in Beer: Ann Arbor for BeerCity USA 2013

L to R: Larry Bell toasts 30 years of Ashley's and Bell's with help from Jeff More, Laura Bell, and Roy More. Photo: Erik Smith.

"I've always thought Ann Arbor had a great beer scene."

So one-time Ann Arbor resident Larry Bell (that guy who founded a little brewery in West Michigan) told me in a recent interview for my forthcoming book. "It's been our No. 1 market; we sold more beer in Ann Arbor and Detroit than we were selling in Kalamazoo," he said of the early days.

Why do I bring this up? Because Michigan has three cities in the 2013 BeerCity USA poll — last year's co-winner Grand Rapids plus Kalamazoo and Ann Arbor — and some people seem to think Tree Town is not a worthy contender compared to its western brethren. Maricat Eggenberger helps dispel that notion in a Pure Michigan blog post today (with an assist from yours truly), plus if time and space allowed, I would add another couple dozen reasons why Ann Arbor is a great place for beer, and has been for a long time!

So vote Ann Arbor for BeerCity USA 2013, and then check out just why you made the right choice in your latest Week in Beer.

Craft Beer: I Hate That Crap

An example, uncovered by my brother, of how not to enjoy (or speak and blog about) good beer.