BEER WITH A SOCIALIST: Don't forget tomorrow's Bock History lesson at Pints&union with Kevin Gibson and Paulaner Salvator.

As a reminder, Saturday afternoon is the launch of our history & beer "lecture" series.

BOCK of AGES: A GERMAN-AMERICAN BREWING TRADITION

Saturday, March 23 at 2:00 p.m.

Our good friend Kevin Gibson, who you know as a writer, musician and beer, joins us for a refresher course on Bock. In the heyday of pre-Prohibition brewing in Louisville, the annual spring Bock beer release was a beloved seasonal event in the German-American community.

On tap we'll have one of the Old World's greats, Paulaner Salvator from Munich.

Our brewing history begins with this beer. And the history of strong beer in Bavaria – it was the Paulaner monks who invented this bottom-fermenting double bock. We have been brewing the Salvator for over 375 years – always according to the original recipe, which has been continuously refined over the years. The head is the colour of caramel and the beer is chestnut brown, combined with a seductive flavour of chocolate to give a pleasing intensity on the palate. Along with this comes the finest Munich malt, rounded off by a light note of hops in the background. Often imitated but never duplicated: The father of all double bock beers, whose names always end in “-ator”!

INGREDIENTS: Water, hops, malt

HOP VARIETES: Herkules, Hallertauer Tradition

MALT VARIETES: Pilsner malt(light barley malt), Munich Malt (dark barley malt)

I'll be saying a few words about Bock as a beer style, while Kevin will focus on the way Bock's annual springtime arrival in cities like Louisville was a cause for celebration.

As a side note, congratulations to Kevin for his full-time gig at Insider Louisville.

You’ve read his reviews and profiles (and maybe a few of his books), so you are undoubtedly familiar with the work of Kevin Gibson. Insider Louisville is pleased to announce that we have hired him — again.

Kevin first started writing for Insider in late 2013 as a freelancer doing food reviews and random stories and assignments. He became a part-time employee in 2014 for a year. He kept writing as a freelancer continuously afterward, from spring 2015 until this March.

As a full-time reporter, Kevin will tackle the 3Rs — retail, restaurants, real estate — plus, economic development.

Come by tomorrow, have a pint and chat.