BEER WITH A SOCIALIST: A great idea, this "Old School Beer Tasting" at The Keg Liquors (Clarksville) on February 7.

Yes indeed, I'm delighted to see this trend broaden. It's the same point we're trying to make with the beer list at Pints&union, and so far it's working. Specialties are even more special when they're actually ... special, and not the norm.

I'm planning on attending this tasting. The Keg Liquors is located at 617 E Lewis and Clark Parkway in Clarksville, and big thanks to Todd Antz for staging this tasting.

Old School Beer Tasting

Back in the dark ages of beerdom, choices for good beer were few and far between. If you were looking for something other than a cheap pale lager, you typically had to look for an imported beer that hopefully did not come in a green bottle, or find the few American microbreweries that were still in existence. Names such as Samuel Smith, Rochefort, Orval, Rogue, Weihenstephaner, Anchor, Dogfish Head, Unibroue and more were all we had to choose from, but the choices were always good.

Join us as we go back in time to celebrate the forefathers of the craft beer movement. There won't be anything barrel aged, no haze, no fruit bombs. What there will be is some fantastic beers that are still available today that get glanced at and passed by.

We will publish the list of beers as we get closer to the event.

This is a free tasting and open to the public (21 and older)

THE BEER BEAT: Remembering Michael Jackson and revising the beer tasting syllabus.

On August 23, I conducted a beer tasting (with yummy appetizers) at Mesa: A Collaborative Kitchen in New Albany.

THE BEER BEAT: Thanks to Mesa (A Collaborative Kitchen) for a great inaugural beer night.

It had been a while since I led a sampling that wasn't filled with NABC beers, these occasions having devolved somewhat into urgent (futile?) salesmanship as much as balanced education, so it seemed prudent to rethink the approaching evening in thematic terms.

Given the bewildering complexity of the beer world these days, what are the essential points, apart from information about the specific beer being sampled?

The brewing process, of course. Just the basics about ingredients and their use in the brewhouse, as would be offered on any brewery tour, without going into mind-numbing detail.

As a corollary, the difference between ales and lagers. Why the yeast and fermentation temperature matter, and how this played out over the history of brewing, especially in Central Europe when "lager" as we know it originated.

Local brewing history, or in our specific case, how those German lager brewers came here and recreated their world, with similarities and differences.

How these factors and so many more come together in terms of beer style, reflecting my fundamental belief that in a majority of cases, human beings must know the rules before they break them -- and, moreover, that familiarity with styles makes one a happier consumer.

In short, it's back to basics, both for me and anyone else who is interested in thinking a bit about where we've been, so as better to see where we're going, and toward this end I took my archival copy of Michael Jackson's original book The World Guide to Beer to the tasting and passed it around.

Most attendees hadn't ever seen it, and accordingly the book will be a staple at all future tastings.

The Mesa gig was on August 23. I knew the 10th anniversary of Jackson's passing was coming soon, but wasn't sure exactly when; while eating lunch at Brugge Brasserie on Wednesday, I glanced at my e-mail and saw the notification of Tom Acitelli's letter perfect tribute in All About Beer, linked here.

In fact, Acitelli's essay is a "must read" for anyone seeking the rounded, "whole beer" experience. Jackson was a memorable prose stylist, but moreover, he systematized a language of style that beer people speak every day without once reflecting about its origins. I think we need to know these origins.

You are commanded to click this link, now. Read first, drink beer later. I'm hoping to do another Mesa tasting in October, and I'll keep you posted.

REMEMBERING THE BARD OF BEER: WHY THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER MICHAEL JACKSON

 ... “If a brewer specifically has the intention of reproducing a classical beer, then he is working within a style.” That was Jackson toward the start of World Guide.

With a generation’s hindsight, it’s an unremarkable statement. But in 1977, it was positively revolutionary. Jackson was the first critic to write for a consumer audience about beer styles in much the same way that wine critics had long written of wine styles. Before Jackson, beers were fitted into “divisions,” “species,” “types,” “varieties” and “classes,” but never styles.

That etymological flourish by itself would have made his contribution to the beery canon memorable. But he spent the next three decades refining and expanding it, putting on quite an intellectual performance for a subject not used to the scrutiny.

The painter Bruegel might come up in a discussion of lambic, or topography in an examination of the origin of lager, or immigration in the rise of beer in the U.S. Throughout, too, Jackson dove into the technical nitty-gritty of Plato, IBU, ABV, etc., as well as the back stories of breweries and brewers, hop farmers and beer merchants.

THE BEER BEAT: Thanks to Mesa (A Collaborative Kitchen) for a great inaugural beer night.

Photo credit: Jonathan Morones.

Already there was a palpable nervousness (in me, not the paying customers) -- and then Jeff Gillenwater showed up.

THE BEER BEAT: Read about my "Beer Night" at Mesa next Wednesday (August 23) with Chef Ruben Freibert's appetizers.

I was a tad rusty, and a few synapses failed to fire, but overall last evening's gingerly dipped toe of a first-time-in-two-years beer sampling went fairly well. Thanks to everyone who turned out; to Chef Ruben Freibert for his nibbles (and our borrowed server Brett); and to the whole crew at Mesa.

We briefly surveyed the basics of the brewing process, local brewing history and the meaning of beer styles. There were great questions, and most importantly, it seemed that the attending samplers had a good time.

As I've written previously, lately I'm choosing to emulate the timeless wisdom of the hedgehog as I inch down the comeback trail, confining myself to one big idea rather than an array of smaller ones.

This big idea goes something like this: “In terms of better beer, there still is a market for what I know how to do – and correspondingly, what I know how to do is undervalued in today’s beer marketplace.”

This pertains to the future pub project in development, and also to my talk last night. What I know how to do is educate and entertain in comfortable confines, and what I’ve learned not to do is try conquering the world. I’m hoping that accumulated insights will help me avoid previous missteps. Wednesday evening was important to me as an opening experiment to test the hypothesis, which goes something like this:

What we were doing at the Public House 25 years ago was a process of deep acclimatization borne of incessant education – and such efforts seem to have gone completely by the wayside. Hardly anyone has the patience for it these days, and our collective shrinkage of attention spans has led to marketing by electronic flash card. Everyone knows a little bit, but their knowledge is a mile wide and a hop pellet deep. 

I think many beer drinkers would still appreciate the facts, and this is something I can do. We're way past the point of being able to know all of the beers. Better, perhaps, to have a more intimate and rewarding relationship with just a few of them -- at a time.

I'll probably be doing another tasting at Mesa in October, and someone from World Class Beverage will be there in September. Mesa's a comfy spot for a beer tasting, so I'll try to keep readers posted.

Finally, Jeff and I stopped at Match (147 E. Main) for a beer afterward. Be advised that Match is keeping the excellent Founders Porter on tap, among others. It really hit the spot on a comfortable, old-fashioned August night.

THE BEER BEAT: Read about my "Beer Night" at Mesa next Wednesday (August 23) with Chef Ruben Freibert's appetizers.

And they say it's just a stage in life
But I know by now the problem is a stage
And they say just take your time and it'll go away
But I know by now I'm never gonna change
-- Daily Records, by The Who

As most readers know, I stepped away from NABC in 2015 after 25 years of full frontal immersion in beer.

(Know that the deal hasn't yet closed, and as of this precise moment, I retain 1/3 ownership of both entities. However, we seem to be drawing closer to a settlement.)

While awaiting the outcome, I've been hovering around the periphery of the beer world, looking for loopholes and sniffing both hops and opportunities. The thing that impresses me most are the opportunities right here in New Albany, within easy walking distance of my house.

Consider Mesa: A Collaborative Kitchen, which opened earlier this year in a former retail space called -- well, it doesn't matter what it was called before, because you wouldn't recognize it now.

MESA is a state-of-the-art collaborative kitchen-classroom, featuring demonstrations by Southern Indiana’s and Louisville established and aspiring chefs. The collaborative space offers cooking classes and demonstration and also houses a bookstore, to-go cooking dinners, and kitchen essential boutique. With the emerging and dynamic restaurant scene, MESA will become the culinary hub for Kentuckiana’s highly talented chef population to come and share their love for food with the public and each other.

I've mentioned Mesa two times previously in this space (soft opening media night and Chef Peng Looi), both of which were a kick. From the start, Mesa's owners Bobby and Ysha Bass have been eager to offer a broad range of events, and in this vein, Mesa is offering ...

Beer Night with Roger Baylor (that's me) and Appetizers with Chef Ruben Freibert

 ... on Wednesday, August 23.

First, meet Ruben. He's from the "Seeds and Greens" Freiberts and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. Currently Ruben is employed at River House Restaurant and Raw Bar in Louisville, and had I known he was a sushi instructor ... maybe next time. If you've ever accompanied a spicy roll with IPA, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Ruben's appetizers will be paired with the middle two beers from this list. Big thanks go to Dauntless Distributing and Starlight Distribution for making these beers happen.

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Aperitif/Welcome
De la Senne Taras Boulba … 4.5% abv
“Taras Boulba” refers to a story by the 19th-century Russian writer Nikolai Gogol, but the brewery is located in the Brussels suburb of Molenbeek, and named for the Senne (or Zenne) River. The alcohol content is session-strength, and the hopping firm, not unlike a Saison (farmhouse ale). The drier palate aptly functions as an aperitif, stimulating the appetite.

First course (with Ruben's appetizer)
Mönchshof Kellerbier … 5.4% abv
Kellerbier (“cellar” beer) typically is an unfiltered lager, as with this textbook example from the Bavarian city of Kulmbach. It is amber in hue and malt-forward, with just enough noble hop character for balance without yielding an overly bitter palate. Kellerbier is among the quintessential beer styles consumed as accompaniment to German cuisine.

Second course (with Ruben's appetizer)
Evil Twin Falco IPA … 7% abv
India Pale Ale (IPA) originated in England 150 years ago as a strong, well-hopped tipple, and since has been adapted and enhanced by craft brewers the world over. For most of its existence, Evil Twin has been a “gypsy,” brewing small batches at existing breweries, but the company’s Danish owner now is building a permanent brewery in New York City. The Falco refers to Falconer’s Flight, a blend of hops from the Pacific Northwest that contribute tropical, citrus, floral, lemon and grapefruit notes.

Dessert/Parting Glass:
Big Bunny … 9% abv
Two American breweries (Stillwater Artisanal and Arizona Wilderness) collaborated on this “Imperial Chocolate Milk Stout.” It is an amalgam of tasty styles, with “imperial” indicating heightened alcoholic heft; brownish-black and creamy, using dark and roasted malts that convey flavors of chocolate and espresso.

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Most of you know the drill. There'll be 2-3 ounce samples, accompanied by my comments and polemics, and your questions. Chef Ruben will tell us about his appetizers, his work and himself.

The time frame is 6:30 - 7:45, a compact one hour and 15 minutes, which means that I have some editing and remixing to do, but the idea remains that this is a tasting, leaving participants free to have a meal afterward if desired at one of downtown New Albany's eateries.

Tickets are $30 in advance, available here.

For me, this tasting feels like my first solo gig after leaving the band, and as such, it's potentially liberating. NABC tastings eventually became necessarily restricted to our own beers, rather than the world's, and while NABC's house beers were good, it's nice to contemplate events ranging a bit farther afield. If this one goes well, hopefully there'll be more.

Them there's the pub project in development; more on that in a separate posting.