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I'm not sure where to post this, but since beer is the primary product, here goes: A friend of my husband just bought a local bar/grill. Casual, to say the least. In fact, a number of bikers and working class people are the clientele. I am looking at an opportunity to become a bartender there. Most drinks and drafts I can handle. What I'm not sure of is what is the general protocol of working with other bartenders and table wait staff? Share tips or not? Any other general bartender duties besides drinks, washing glasses, taking inventory, etc? Any tips, suggestions and sage wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

#1 Mendocino brewing White Hawk IPA #2 Big Sky Crystal ale. Big sky brewing Missoula Montana #3 Rouge Morimoto Hazelnut Signature Ale #4 Rouge Sea Otter Amber Ale I think im going to try the hazelnut when i get home from work tonight. If anybody has had any of these beers i would like to know your opinions of them.

Friday, June 18 was the last day for Bill Madden as head brewer of Capital City - Arlington, VA. Bill was won multiple medals at the GABF and Chicago Real Ale Festival. The former exec chef for the original Capital City brewpub in DC, and a good friend of Bill, recently bought the Founder's brewpub in Alexandria, VA, and promised Bill a stake in the ownership if he came on as head brewer.

Just picked up a case of Yuengling Light Lager, which despite the "light" in its name, used to be a pretty good beer. This stuff that I brought home yesterday would have trouble standing up to seltzer water. The beer used to have both a good hop profile and a bit of malt character. Both are missing in this case... as is some of the carbonation I'd remembered... this is like a two-day-open seltzer bottle. Am I imagining things (like it was ever good), or did this beer really slide over the past year?

Imagine my surprise while flipping through my mother's copy this afternoon when I caught this article: Classy Beer It certainly wasn't a magazine I expected to see such an article in. My only problem with it is the editor's (no doubt) attempt to dumb it down with a slightly condescending headline.

You have to register to read the full text but registration is free. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/16/dining/16BEER.html Mr. Oliver's book won the award in Wine, Beer or Spirits category in the 2004 International Association of Culinary Professional's cookbook competition. IACP website EXCERPT When the Right Wine Is a Beer By MARK BITTMAN Published: June 16, 2004 IT'S not that Garrett Oliver doesn't like wine. In fact, he knows more about it than most people, enjoys it often with food, even sings its praises. It's just that he thinks there are times when beer does a better job. "To me," said Mr. Oliver, the brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery, "beer and wine are both beverages meant to be served with food. And good beer, real beer, often offers things that most wine does not, like carbonation and caramelized and roasted flavors — aspects that sometimes make beer the preferable choice. "And the most wonderful thing about beer is that it has that ability to `reset' your palate. Take cassoulet, for example: Rustic southern French reds are good, but French beer is a much better choice. Cassoulet can be like cement, but beer busts it up and makes it seem so much lighter." CONTINUED....

On Friday a Ukrainian friend named Ludmilla mixed me a drink using Ukrainian stout beer and sour cream. Tasted a little chocolaty. . . but ultimately to me was kind of undrinkable. She claims this concoction has cleansing properties or something. Anybody heard of this?

From an unsolicited email I received today Minimum purchase is a container load - 33,000 bottles thirsty yet?

all of you beer-aficionados probably know about fat tire, boulder colorado's favorite beer. while drinking a glass of it with my lunch yesterday i read the label carefully for the first time, and noticed that in addition to the capsule brewery history, genealogy of the name "fat tire", alcohol content, best-by date etc. they also list the optimum temperature at which to drink. can't remember now what that is (45 degrees f?) but am wondering how common a practice it is among craft-beer makers to put temperature recommendations on their bottles. and do any of you actually get out a thermometer to check?

This makes me indescribably happy. ====================== Bottleworks Newsletter June 2004 Edition 1710 North 45th St. Suite #3, Seattle, WA 98103 Hours: Sun-Mon 12-7, Tue-Wed 11-8, Thu-Sat 11-9 Telephone: (206).633.BIER (2437) Fax: (206).632.1057 Email: newsletter@bottleworks.com It all started with three coolers and a couch . . . Many of you have been coming to Bottleworks for years and remember our humble beginnings. We would like to thank you for your patronage by welcoming you to be our first guest at our new location. It is called Brouwer's Café, a Flemish Grand Café located at the center of the Universe, ( 35th & Phinney in Fremont) a unique restaurant with over forty taps, two hundred bottled beers, wine (yes, I said it) as well as a definitive list of spirits from the house aperitif to the after dinner scotch or grappa. Brouwer’s Café will offer it all, from mid-morning coffee and jazz to late night live music, pomme frites and beer. Brouwer’s menu will offer the regions finest seasonal selections from mussels in hop court bullion to mouth watering kaas croquettes. Due to open by year’s end (Dec.?), Bottleworks will keep you up to speed on the development and e.t.a. In other news, Bottleworks continues to bring in the beers and here they are in no particular order. - De Zwarte Ruiter Mestreechs aajt - an oak aged Dutch sour brown blended with dry pils, is dat weird ? - ‘T Smisje BB Bourgondier - a complex dark Belgian beer, with fruity esters and a crisp hop smaak - Harmon Brewery (Tacoma) Brown’s Point ESB -hint of rye malt, with a pleasant bitterness. - Harmon Brewery Point Defiance IPA - a caramely malt profile with a floral hop character. - Lagunitas XS Ale - gives the finger to low carb fanatics, otherwise, a bitter amber ale. - Dogfish Head Aprihop Ale - 7% IPA brewed with fresh apricots. - Bear Republic from Healdsburg, CA. We’ve waited for years to get these beers! - XP Pale Ale a smooth pale ale with a big hop profile from Cascade and Centennial hops. - Racer 5 IPA . . . Go Go Go a bigger version of the Xceptional Pale Ale - Red Rocket Ale, a bottle conditioned Scottish Amber Ale with an aggressive hop flavor, of course. - Hop Rod Rye, a strong ale with big hops and 18% rye in the malt bill - Big Bear Black Stout, a hearty stout with a caramel sweetness also in stock we have these summer releases. . . - Alaskan Summer Ale - Eel River- Pale, Amber, IPA, Porter - Elk Rock IPA, from Oregon - Sierra Nevada Summerfest Coming Soon. . . - Bison Beers from Ca. - Also J.W. Lees Harvest Ale will be available in a four varieties of oak aged vintages. Bottleworks June Tasting Schedule 6/16 Specialty Beer Services (Brain Child) 6/23 Dick’s Brewery 6/30 Pike Brewery Summer Brewfest Father’s Day weekend at St. Edwards Park will be this June 18th - 20th. Tickets are available at Bottleworks for $18 or $20 at the door. Find out all the details at www.washingtonbrewfest.com See You There ! Seattle International Beer Festival is July 30th at the Seattle Center. Over 100 beers from around the globe- find out more at www.seattlebeerfest.com All About Beer Magazine is hosting a Brew Cruise this Summer. This seven night journey aboard the Hubbard Glacier takes place from July 30th - August 6th. Check it out at www.magichappens.com The Great Canadian Beer Festival is Sept 11th & 12th in Victoria B.C. This is a great, fun festival. Book your rooms early. Tickets will be available at Bottleworks. www.gcbf.com Cheers from Vern, Bonney, Kevin , Tom , Danter, and Bill the dog

When I spent some time in Nepal, one of my favorite evening meals was a plate of momos and a mug of tungba. Tungba is essentially a fermented millet drink, served by combining the fermented millet and hot water in a mug and then sipping it through a straw made to filter out the millet grains. You can generally refill the mug 2 or 3 times before needing to change out the millet. The taste is reminiscent of sake. I've not seen the stuff outside of Nepal and am wondering about trying to make it. The descriptions I've seen have essentially been to soak the millet in water put it in a burlap sack and leave it in the closet for a month. I spoke with the owner of a local Nepali restaraunt who was talking about making some but apparently the millet here is all wrong and I imagine the cost of shipping it out is rather prohibitive (as, I suspect, are Washington's wacky likker laws). I'd love to try my hand at making the stuff but am not really sure where to begin. Any thoughts?

I bought a 6 pack of Lion Stout yesterday and im about ready to crack one open. If you have tried it, what do you think of it? The guy at the liquor store told me it was a light stout and he has had a lot of requests for it.

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/199119p-171805c.html After 30 years and one frosty fight with Mayor Bloomberg, Rheingold Beer will soon be brewing again in Brooklyn. Company officials are set to announce a Brooklyn homecoming for the extra dry brew this morning at the Brooklyn Historical Society, capping another chapter in the beer's storied history.

I've been searching the internet and realized, duh! I could ask here on Egullet. I am a novelist writing about Hawaii while living in Florida. I want my hero to drink the occasional good beer, preferably something local. He used to drink Primo, back before it went out of business. What would he drink today? Are the Ali'i Ales available around the islands, particularly in Honolulu and on the north shore? (locations of the book I'm working on). Thanks for any advice! Neil

For those in Colorado, I just had to report that Descutes Brewery's beers are now available in our fine state. I've always loved their beers and now can get them without getting on a plane and heading to the Pacific NW (not that going there is a bad thing!).

I am not sure if this is the proper forum for this, but does anyone know of any reputable online sites or retail outlets from which I could find an array of beer glasses available for sale? Not the standard pint glasses - looking for glasses to serve different styles of beer in - like a nice belgian ale or perhaps a doppelbock. I've been doing some searches online and have found a couple sites, but was maybe looking for a recommendation from someone who has actually purchased or built up a glassware collection. Thanks!

This summer I am determined to explore the wealth of both summer beers and summer-friendly beers. So far, I've been grooving on: Flying Fish Farmhouse, Cherry Hill, NJ, crisp, bursting with hop and herb notes. Sly Fox IPA Series, Phoenixville, PA, being made with 9 different hop varities; so far the Kent Goldings, Styrian and Cascade varietals have been spectacularly puckery and floral. Pilsner Urquell , Czech Republic, has been popping up all over Philly (and is on tap everywhere in Miami Beach), and on tap you realize what a truly great, tangy beer it is. I'll be on the hunt all summer. Suggestions?

Check out the newest update to Dogfish Head Beers. They've added taste descriptions, food pairings, serving glass suggestions and comparable wine style.

Take note of the nice interactive feature from the NY Times website, where you can listen to some specific reviews from the IPA tasting panel: IPAs, NY Times-style

"Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel shamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn't drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, "It is better that I drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver." ~ Jack Handy "24 hours in a day, 24 bottles in a case. Coincidence? I think not." ~ Stephen Wright "When we drink, we get drunk. When we get drunk, we fall asleep. When we fall asleep, we commit no sin. When we commit no sin, we go to heaven. Sooooo, let's all get drunk and go to heaven!" ~ Brian O'Rourke "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." ~ Benjamin Franklin "Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza." ~ Dave Barry "BEER: HELPING UGLY PEOPLE HAVE SEX SINCE 3000 B.C.!!!" ~ "Unknown" And, as explained by Cliff Clavin, of Cheers... One afternoon Cliff was explaining the Buffalo Theory to his buddy Norm. Here's how it went: "Well ya see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing off the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine! That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers."

So what do people think about Rogue Beers and the Rogue Ale Houses in the Pacific Northwest and San Francisco?

Hello brewers... Just wanted to let you all know about a new feature on Brew-Monkey.com. Over the last few months I have been putting together a database of yeast info and how it works with the different beer styles. If you go to the Yeast Information section of http://www.brew-monkey.com/brewschool/ you can check it out. It has taken quite a bit to compile the data and code the pages - so I hope you find it useful. I haven't seen anything like this on the web before - so maybe I'm the first :) As always, if you have articles, product reviews or other related items that you want posted - please let me know. If you know someone who may be interested - please pass this on. Hope to see you around on Brew-Monkey.com.

QUOTE (Bux @ May 18 2004, 07:08 AM) Here in the PNW, its not at all uncommon to see a pretty decent beer list at the higher end restaurants. Craft beers have had a presence here since the early 80's. There is a culture of beer drinkers here that restauranteurs have recognized and attempt to provide for. Likewise, you can go into the skankiest of shacks here and usually find a micro on tap. Might be old as shit Redhook, but hey I've also noticed that most hardcore beerdrinkers (such as the current Q & A kids) don't "do" wine. How many people are into both? Surely I'm not that much of a rarity. And here's another thing about Beer & Food: I can't do beer after a large meal. I can do dessert wine, or a port (especially if its Prager Aria that stuff is like a drug) till the cows come home, but I just can't do beer after a meal. Foods that go with beer: Spicy foods (thai, indian, mex, szechuan), German food (bockwurst & mustard YES) Foods that demand wine: French, Italian, (ok, so I spose pizza and beer is an exception) Spanish... now this is a toss up. Personally I'd probably be having fino sherry if were having tapas in San Sebastian. so, wine but I can see beer going with this. Anything "haute", or elaborately prepared, no matter the ethnicity, wine, definitely.

I scoured and asked around for some decent location for a quality beer while in Miami Beach last week, and the resounding recommendation was The Abbey Brewing Co., at 16th St. just below Alton Rd. I was also advised not to let the appearance deter me. What a great place. Cozy as a sitting room, knotty pine and old wood, just 4 booths and about a dozen barstools,friendly as all hell, with some terrific beers on tap, 4 of their own (brewed in Melbourne, FL, their IPA and Bock were sensational) and many guest taps, including the only handpump in South Florida, serving up Old Thumper. The inauspicious exterior. The tap selection, including 3 of their own, some Germans and Belgians Lovely stained glass behind the bar Beer bric-a-brac The beer menu, best as I could photograph it, it was physically pretty large Old Thumper, and it was! Clever wood carving above the taps They also had a small food menu, consisting of pizza, wurst, and homemade empanadas, which were quite good. I only wish I could have spent more time here; it was so un-Florida, so relaxed and sure of itself. And the best part: it's open from 11AM-5AM. Bartender said their busiest time is between 4-5AM. A fabulous dump.

King of Beer? Two words: Road Trip.