What day of the year would you guess sees the highest beer sales?

One of the many great benefits of this thing we call the internet is that if you look around a bit you will find a wealth of fascinating, if perhaps somewhat less then earth shattering, nuggets of information.  And you don’t even have to look that hard. 

Take for example this little piece from Tampa Bay Online, the city hosting this year’s Super Bowl.  Did you know what yearly event brings the highest beer sales?  No, it is not football’s championship game with its parties full of salty snacks and aluminum cans of beer.  It’s not New Years Eve or even my guess, Saint Patrick’s Day with its day long drink fest full of corned beef, whiskey and lots of Guinness.

Actually, according to the Nielsen Company, it is Easter Week?  Now, can anyone reading tell me how this could be?  Do you drink lots of beer on Easter?  Do you know anyone who makes Easter into a holiday filled with drunken fun?  Well, the source of this statistic has obviously looked into this more than I have so I won’t dispute it too much, but it does make me wonder what other people are doing on Easter???

Rare Canadian Floppy Ear

Posted by: David McBride

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Creating my own maritime superstition

Sailing the salt seas has always been one of mankind’s most dangerous missions.  Despite dizzying advancements in technology over the centuries, it still remains a difficult and at times deadly occupation.  For the men who fish for crab in Alaska’s Bering Sea, it can often seem downright nutty.  Huge seas, dangerous condition on deck, and unconscionable working hours can make even the hardiest of men weary of his surroundings and of the supernatural forces that seem to control them.

That is why you will find no place more full of superstition than on the deck of a working ocean vessel.  Years and years of experience make the fisherman certain of one thing; these superstitions are not to be taken lightly.

For instance bananas are terribly bad luck on board a ship, as are women and black suitcases.  No sailor would ever be comfortable knowing that a priest or even some flowers are on board, as on a ship both seem to only be useful for funerals.  If you think it’s a good idea to whistle while you work, you’ll soon find that you have whistled up a storm.  You must, under all circumstances, step on board with your right foot first.  And don’t ever, EVER, leave port on a Friday.

But not all superstitions bring about certain nautical doom.  Some bring good luck.  For instance, dolphins following in the wake of a ship are terrific good luck.  Even though I mentioned before that women are seen as bad luck, a naked woman is good luck.  (That’s right!  Those figures on the bow of old sailing ships are not naked just because the guys have been at sea with a boat full of men for months and months.)  And thankfully pouring wine on the deck is also good luck.

Well, I think I have found a new omen that can bring good luck to those at sea.  Captain Sig Hansen of the F/V Northwestern, seen on the Discovery Channel’s immensely watchable reality television series about crab fishing on Alaska’s Bering Sea called The Deadliest Catch, has teamed up with the Rogue Brewery in Oregon to produce Captain Sig’s Deadliest Ale.  Now the name may not sound like it brings good luck, after all the word “deadliest” doesn’t exactly inspire good feelings.  But I am fairly certain that if you toast a glass of this beer to the health and well being of the fleet, it couldn’t hurt.  And while you’re at it, toast to everyone else at sea.  Again it can only help!

Posted by: David McBride 

The Second Crossing

Washington Crossing The Delaware by Peter Fiore

I watched the President’s  stirring  inaugural address from the quiet of a quaint Italian cafe in my hometown of  Frenchtown, New Jersey. Myself, a local artist and the owner watched the historic proceedings huddled around a small rather conventional television set. Outside the streets were mostly devoid of human and vehicular traffic, due to the day’s events and the constant chilling wind that swept up from the icy waters of the Delaware River.

I was pleased that amongst the President’s profound rhetoric was a reference  to George Washington and the words that  he spoke prior to his fateful crossing of the Delaware to attack the Hessian position at Trenton.

“Let it be told to the future world…that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive … that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it].”

The entire staff of American Public House Review hold our first Commander-in-Chief in the highest regard, hence the abundance of references to His Excellency in past articles:

• The Power of One
• A Revolutionary St. Patrick’s Day In 1780
• Merci Beaucoup Bon Marquis
• An Historic Pint In The Old Port
• A Nightcap In Newport
• Arsenals Into Ale Houses
• Grand Illuminations
• A Favorite Haunt In New Hope
• Contemplations At McConkeys
• A Lovefeast For The Holiday
• The Quintessential Colonial Tavern
• A Respite On Rogue’s Island
• A Tavern Most Genteel 

There is also a past post, “Setting Sail With The Obamas” which equated his potential presidency with those events that transpired on the shores of the Delaware on Christmas Day of 1776. 

Normally I tend to cringe when our elected officials hitch their political fortunes to those that founded, nutured and secured this Republic; but in this case I trust that this man’s intent and inspiration are true! So as we embark on this journey to renew the spirit and promise of 76, we at American Public House Review raise our glasses to our President, his family and the people of this great nation! 

Period Dinner at The White Horse Tavern in Newport, RI

Posted by: Chris Poh, Editor-in-Chief 

 

 

“Never Trust a Man That Doesn’t Drink”

William Claude Dunkenfield

Earlier this evening President George Bush delivered his farewell address to the citizens of  the United States of America. He does not drink…but his father does.

A well placed source at Federal Jack’s Brewpub in Kennebunkport, Maine assured me that whenever George Herbert Walker Bush stopped  in for an IPA during his term in office, he made  it a point to buy those around him a pint to offset any inconvenience his presence, along with the cadre of Secret Service, might cause the other customers.

In a recent article published in American Public House Review, we learn about President Elect Barack Obama’s appreciation of America’s brewing tradition. Associate Editor David McBride recounts the candidate’s swing through Pennsylvania during the Democratic Primary, and his session at the Bethlehem Brew Works. Apparently our next president appreciates a good ESB.

While a predisposition to hops does not speak to  Barack Obama’s ability to lead a troubled nation, I prefer presidents that glean inspiration and intelligence from the IPA or ESB as opposed to the CIA.

Posted by: Chris Poh

One For My Baby…

Bull Shot – P. J. Clarke’s

There are just too many days as of  late when I find myself feeling a level of post meridiem melancholy that would normally be  reserved for those wee small hours after midnight. But this extended period of  pensiveness does justify my singing the first few lines of that Mercer/Arlen classic at least twice a day now.

One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)

It’s quarter to three,
There’s no one in the place except you and me
So set ’em up Joe
I got a little story I think you ought to know

We’re drinking my friend
to the end of a brief episode
So make it one for my baby
And one more for the road…

The talk around Tin Pan Alley was that Johnny Mercer worked out the lyrics to Harold Arlen’s unconventional 48 bar,  key changing melody while sitting at the bar at New York’s P. J. Clarke’s. Another famous patron would  fan the flame of this American torch standard with a version that would ultimately define tears in your beer and late night laments. And this is only fitting, since Frank Sinatra, who is more often associated with Sardi’s and Jilly’s when it comes to prominent city saloons, would always raise his last glass of the evening at P. J. Clarke’s when  socializing in Manhattan.

In the current issue of American Public House Review there is an effective recipe for a Bull Shot which this editor first discovered while sitting at the aforementioned landmark tavern on a similarly cold gray afternoon  many years ago. It occurs to me that there is just enough vodka left to make two.

So I think I’ll throw on a little Sinatra, and have one for my baby… and one more for the road. (Click the last two links to hear Francis Albert Sinatra do it as only he can)

Posted by: Chris Poh

How would we ever call free beer a bad thing?

When Anheuser-Busch was taken over by the Belgian company In-Bev people across the drinking world showered the deal with criticisms of all kinds.  In-Bev’s marketing department certainly had a challenge on its hands.  But they don’t seem to be doing themselves much good these days.  In a move that has angered tourists, In-Bev has decided to end the practice of giving out free beer samples to customers of its Busch Gardens and SeaWorld theme parks.

According to a story in the Washington Business Journal, In-Bev decided to do this because the hospitality centers that offered the free brew did not have a broad enough appeal to customers?

Visitors of legal age will be able to buy beer at the parks, which will convert their beer sampling hospitality centers into cafes and restaurants, said Fred Jacobs, a spokesman for Busch Entertainment.

“The hospitality centers had pretty limited appeal because it was for patrons who were of legal drinking age who wanted beer,” he said. “We were looking for something that had a broader age appeal.”

Now it’s bad enough to stop such an age old wonderful tradition, but do you really need to compound the anger by coming up with such a transparently silly reason?  I mean, really…

No, having a broader appeal has nothing to do with it.  Perhaps the economy is hurting attendance at the parks.  But more likely, In-Bev is preparing to sell off its theme parks division.  It has been rumored since the sale that In-Bev wanted to unload them.  Time will tell…