In the spirit of Tap ‘n’ Run; running and chugging

With the Jacksonville Tap ‘n’ Run coming up this weekend (article at:http://tinyurl.com/cnlppfu), I thought that this article from January 2102 might be of interest to local Tap ‘n’ Runners. Or, at least it might give them something to aspire to. By the way, if you still have not purchased your tickets to the Tap ‘n’ Run taking place Saturday, April 13, you can get them at a discount by using the code “FRIENDOFBEER” when you check out at: http://www.tapnrun.com/Jacksonville/Register.php.

Running and Chugging

Frequently I search the Internet for interesting beer news to relay here on the Springfield Brew Crew Blog. Today, as I searched and aimlessly followed a labyrinth of links into the bowels of the web I came across something that caught my eye. And then, in conjunction with that item, I found another. I’ll detail my second discovery later, but today I am going to tell you about an odd alliance between running and beer.

It has long been known that beer is an excellent source of carbohydrates and many athletes will drink a pint after their event to replenish lost energy. Some will even drink before to carbo-load their muscles with energy. But, until today, I had never heard of drinking beer while running a mile. Not only is this an established sport, there are a surprising number of events known as Beer Miles going on all over the country and the world.

The origination of the beer mile is shrouded in mystery, but it is generally accepted that the sport began right here in Florida on a college campus. Which college campus is not mentioned, but I think we can all figure that one out on our own. The first set of rules emerged from a group of milers in Kingston, Canada. In the U.K, Australia, and New Zealand, the event is called the Chunder Mile. The rules vary slightly in that an Imperial pint – or 20 ounces – of beer must be consumed from any drinking vessel the runner desires. But, in North America, the Kinston Rules have gone on to be adopted by most beer-milers with few modifications.

Website beermile.com publishes an extensive FAQ on the sport along with the more-or-less accepted rules for North America. The idea of the sport is to run a mile while consuming four beers in a specific order – beer, run a quarter-mile, beer, run again, beer, run some more, beer, stumble to the finish line. A runner must drink the first beer before he or she begins to run and must complete each subsequent beer before continuing the run. Should a runner not be able to hold their beer down, they must complete a fifth penalty lap. Beer must be consumed from a standard 12 ounce beer can with no alterations or “Easy Pour” mouths – meaning that “shot-gunning” a beer is strictly prohibited. Beer must be no less than 5% ABV to qualify as a suitable beer for completion. The entire competition is timed and the winner is lauded at the end.

To date, the fastest officially-recorded beer mile was completed in 5:09.0; a seemingly miraculous feat that may never be beaten.

 

Related articles

• Beer + Running (runnersami.wordpress.com)

 

Craft beer and football; a match made in heaven

Football season is upon us and that means there will be plenty of gridiron action to go around on weekends and several other nights of the week. Whether you are a diehard NFL fan or a rabid college football fan, one thing is certain; you will need plenty of cold suds to wash down your football obsession. If the makers of the macro lagers have it their way, you will be drinking tasteless, overly-chilled, fizzy, watery, yellow liquids that they pass off as beer. But, if you are looking for something that packs a flavorful kick to go along with the crushing action on your television, turn to the many craft beer choices you have to refresh you during the gladiatorial combat.

News outlets all over the country are touting craft beers to go along with your Saturday or Sunday afternoon games. And, why not? The craft beer industry is rapidly growing and making inroads to the hearts, minds, and taste buds of football fans from Florida to Alaska and everywhere in between. Esquire Magazine, Men’s Health Magazine, and others have all published their picks for the best craft beer from each NFL city. Some choices are spot on, while others make a craft beer lover scratch their head. Regardless of what you think of the so-called expert choices, craft beer is certainly on the minds of the national media and beginning to get the respect it is due.

Locally, here in Jacksonville, there are myriad choices for beer to go with your football addiction. Men’s Health suggests you try Bold City Brewing’s Fritz’s Hefeweizen along with your gameday brats and hot dogs. They also recommend Bold English Old Ale is you seek a more robust beer. Esquire says to try Engine 15’s Rye of the Tiger pale ale as a companion to your football frenzy – just be careful to not get the Survivor song with a similar name stuck in your head. MSNBC’s Bites segment on the Today show recommends another Bold City brew Mad Manatee for its piney, hop-forward flavor and proximity to Everbank Stadium. And Craftbeer.com suggests taking a cooler full of Intuition Ale Works cans to your tailgating party.

Something else Jaguars fans can enjoy on home game days is tailgating with the crew from Intuition Ale Works. All you have to do is mosey on over to Lot H outside the stadium, look for the Intuition van and enjoy great beer, good food, and all manner of fun. This Sunday, Sept. 16, the guys from Tailgate32 will be joining the bunch from the brewery along with representatives from Big Green Egg.

 

To Cellar or not to Cellar, That is the Question

Belgian Ale (Photo credit: Accidental Hedonist)

Beer in any form, bottled, canned, or kegged, does have a definite shelf life. However, some beers can survive, and even thrive for an extended period of time. Just like wine, beer can be cellared, it just depends on the beer and the conditions in which you keep them.

First, all beers are not created the same: Budweiser, Coors, and the like will not age well. They are meant to be drank immediately and only last 2-3 months. That is why the big brewers have made such a big deal about things like “Born on Date.” The beers that do age well are big IPAs, Barleywines, Strong Belgian Ales, Imperials Stouts, Lambics, and Old Ales. These brews tend to mature and gain complexity as they age. The tannins and hop bite mellows and the malt character takes on a rich caramel character in IPAs and Imperial brews, while Belgian Ales tend to get thicker and more robust. Lambics are a special category all their own, most are not even released for consumption until they have aged for three or more years.

Beer in any form, bottled, canned, or kegged, does have a definite shelf life. However, some beers can survive, and even thrive for an extended period of time. Just like wine, beer can be cellared, it just depends on the beer and the conditions in which you keep them.

First, all beers are not created the same: Budweiser, Coors, and the like will not age well. They are meant to be drank immediately and only last 2-3 months. That is why the big brewers have made such a big deal about things like “Born on Date.” The beers that do age well are big IPAs, Barleywines, Strong Belgian Ales, Imperials Stouts, Lambics, and Old Ales. These brews tend to mature and gain complexity as they age. The tannins and hop bite mellows and the malt character takes on a rich caramel character in IPAs and Imperial brews, while Belgian Ales tend to get thicker and more robust. Lambics are a special category all their own, most are not even released for consumption until they have aged for three or more years.

 

How Do You Carry Your Beer Home?

The beer industry has seen quite an evolution in how beer is packaged for consumption. Beer, after all, has been around for a very long time.

As early as circa 10,000 B.C. early man was packaging beer in jugs for later consumption. Archeologists know this because of jugs that have been found and carbon-dated. As man refined his beer drinking he began looking the jugs and refined how they were shaped. The Egyptians used jugs with lids and even stored beer in the tombs of Royalty for the departed to drink in the after-life. Early Germanics used hollowed-out animal horns and animal skins. Later elaborate beer steins emerged in Bavaria. Covered wooden buckets came into use and later, metal buckets with lids.

In England around the late 16th century, the first beer bottles were used. But, these bottles were hand blown and therefore dangerous because they were prone to explode. In 1615, Gervaise Markham wrote that when bottling ale “you should put it into round bottles with narrow mouths, and then, stopping them close with corks, set them in a cold cellar up to the waist in sand, and be sure that the corks be fast tied with strong pack thread, for fear of rising out and taking vent, which is the utter spoil of the ale.” But, commercial bottling did not occur until the second half of the 17th century.

In 1935, the first canned beer became available to the public from the Gottfried Krueger Brewery of Newark, New Jersey. The practice caught on and soon there were more than 37 breweries canning their beer. Technology advanced and in the early 1960’s the aluminum pull-tap can debuted. Drinking beer from a can had previously involved either a screwed on cap or a sealed can that had to be opened with a can opener.

Modern beers are packaged in a variety of containers. Among these containers are aluminum cans, glass bottles, plastic bottles, aluminum bottles, glass growlers, and flexible plastic pouches. Yes, you read that correctly, a Sarasota, FL company has invented and is producing flexible plastic pouches with screw caps on them. The pouches take up less space than cans or bottles and are easily filled with a special needle-like filler. They also provide a much more hygienic beer experience since there is practically no chance anyone will touch your beer before you unscrew the lid and squeeze it out.

In the future who knows how we will get our brew, but for now it seems that there is no shortage of ways to drink, sip, or squeeze a beer down your gullet.

 

Asheville, Beer City USA for the Third Time

Image by Speed-Light via Flickr

Asheville, NC is beertopia. At least that’s what their local tourism website says — and it is also what this year’s Beer City USA poll says. For the third year in a row, Asheville has garnered the top honors as a beer city to be reckoned with.

A small town of only 80,000 residents, Asheville has been making waves in the craft beer world for a while now. But, though the town may be small, it has big things going for it. Think the Biltmore, Blue Ridge Parkway, beautiful scenery, mountain backdrops, and a thriving craft brew scene.

The Asheville beer you are most familiar with here in Jacksonville is probably Highland. A few months ago I ran an article about this brewery and its founder (Love and Hops with Marc Wisdom: Highland Edition). Well, they started the craft brew trend in Asheville and it really took off!

About 15 years ago Oscar Wong, a retired engineer who lived in Charlotte, moved to the Asheville area to help an award winning brewer get his brewery off the ground. They started in a small basement that was quickly outgrown. Last year Highland Brewing Company brewed over 18,000 barrels of beer.

As other entreprenours entered the craft brew market and began opening breweries in Asheville, the city’s brewing tradition began to take form.

Breweries like Green Man, known as Dirty Jack’s to the locals, opened to the thirsty denizens of Asheville in 1997. This tiny bar, dominated by its big screen television showing soccer matches, specializes in beers with a British bent such as its generously hopped yet balanced IPA.

French Broad Brewery opened its doors in 2001 with a focus on European style beers such as Gateway Kölsch. Kölsch is a German style ale, a departure from the most well-known German style of lager. French Broad’s is faithful to the great German ales found in Köln. Another great brew to be had at Green Man include their 13 Rebels, and interpretation of the United Kingdom’s Extra Special Bitters (ESB) style of brewing with  complex malts and British hops.

In all the Asheville area now sports eleven craft breweries and over 50 local brews to choose from. As beer destinations go, you would be hard-pressed to find a better place to enjoy a few cold ones.

Beers I Am Drinking This Week

Magic Hat Circus Boy

Sitting on the back patio on Mother’s Day as my brother perpared a low-country boil of shrimp, sausage, potatoes, corn was the perfect ambiance for this summery hefeweizen. The bottle claims that this beer is brewed with lemongrass and upon smelling it I certainly concur. The color is coudy, straw yellow with a decent head. The taste is refreshing, lemony, but nicely balanced with malts with a lingering bitterness. As a cit-around-and-shoot-the-bull beer, this one is a winner in my book.

Eku German Pilsner

This one was a surprise, while it was good, I am not sure it was the beer for me. The brew pours a bright, clear yellow with good carbonation and head. The smell is sweet and grainy. On my first sip I immediately wondered if I was drinking wort — it was that grainy and sweet. Not that that is bad, its just not for me.

Swamp Head Brewery Midnight Oil

This is a heavy beer! Pours a deep, dark brown almost black with a thin layer of foam at the top. The smell is of darkly roasted malts, smoke, coffee, and earthyness. The flavor is, as the aroma alludes, rich, dark coffe and roasted grains with a hint of earthy hops. A very good beer from a very good brewery.

Until next time,

Long Live the Brewers!

Cheers!

Marc Wisdom

http://www.examiner.com/beer-in-national/asheville-beercity-usa-2011-makes-it-a-three-pete