Season 2, Episode 25

On this episode of Travel by the Pint, we sit down with Dick Stevens, owner and self-proclaimed “elevator operator” of Elevator Brewery & Draught Haus in downtown Columbus Ohio. Later we hike a section of Old Man’s Cave Trail in Hocking Hills State Park.

Elevator Brewery & Draught Haus
161 N. High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215

Hocking Hills State Park
19852 State Route 664 S
Logan, Ohio 43138
http://www.hockinghills.com/

Experience Columbus
277 W. Nationwide Blvd., Ste. 125
Columbus, OH 43215
866-EXP-COLS

Season 2, Episode 20

In this episode of Travel by the Pint, we sit down with brewmaster Marc Gottfried and assistant James Hellmuth of St. Louis’ Morgan Street Brewery, which brews exclusively with lager yeast. Later we visit the historic Laclede’s Landing, the Mississippi riverfront, and Gateway Arch Park.

Morgan Street Brewery & Restaurant
721 North Second Street

St. Louis, Missouri 63102

Laclede’s Landing

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial

Special appearance by:
Brian McEachron, co-founder and marketing director for Steamworks Brewing Company in Durango, Colorado.

St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission
701 Convention Plaza
St. Louis, MO 63101
(800) 916-0040

Season 2, Episode 7

In part two of our interview with Ted Rice at Marble Brewery, we learn more about their IPA’s, and how customers can enjoy Marble’s products at home. Afterward we take flight with Rainbow Ryders.

Marble Brewery
111 Marble NW
Albuquerque, New Mexico
87102

Rainbow Ryders, Inc.
(800) 725-2477

Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum
9201 Balloon Museum Dr NE

Albuquerque, New Mexico
87113
(505) 880-0500

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
October 2-10, 2010

Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau
20 First Plaza NW Suite 601
Albuquerque, New Mexico
87102
(800) 284-2282

Special Appearance by:
Dave Engbers and Mike Stevens, Vice-President/Director of Marketing and President Founders Brewing Company

I’ll wear a plastic cardigan if I can keep my glass pint.

A Pint of Plain
Tradition, Change, and the Fate of the Irish Pub
by Bill Barich

Author Bill Barich takes us on a journey through the Irish countryside in search of the perfect pint of Guinness in a classic village pub as epitomized in the John Ford movie The Quiet Man. Along the way, Barich interweaves the history of brewing in Ireland pre-dating the Norman invasions, and discusses the influences of law and society that created the classic early 20th century pub.

Two themes reappear throughout: drink and drive laws are effectively removing authentic pubs from rural Ireland; while at the same time Diageo-Guinness USA’s Irish Pub Concept is proliferating a facsimile of an authentic pub to an international consumer market.

The government of Ireland has been increasing their intolerance to drink driving, to the point that it is virtually impossible to have a single pint and legally drive home. In rural areas, this effectively shrinks a potential customer base from miles to minutes away.

Barich’s disdain of the Irish Pub Concept is clear. The for-profit model essentially sells the concept of an Irish pub in kit form, from the menu to the name. As a business, this has found global popularity worldwide, resulting in Irish pubs from Amsterdam to Guam. Their very popularity seems to offend Barich to his core.

What Barich doesn’t seem to understand, or chooses to ignore, is that the pub experience is as much about the individual customer as it is the owner, building and décor. His quest to find a classic pub was doomed from the start, because Ireland and its people have changed: There are more opportunities, both in careers and entertainment. It’s no less offensive that pubs of 2009 differ from their 1909 predecessors, than its offensive that the pubs of 1909 are nearly unrecognizable from the tavern equivalents of the 12th century. I suspect that if Barich had been a dockworker trading rounds after his shift a hundred years ago, that he would have been too busy mourning the loss of a favorite pub ritual, to appreciate what was in front of him. Beyond the pint of Guinness, that is.

Barich also seems to be under the impression that patrons of the Irish Pub Concept become patrons out of a misguided belief that are experiencing a true Irish pub. When I travel, I am often drawn to Irish pubs. I do this not because of the décor, or the music, or because I think I will soak up a wee bit of the old country. Rather, Irish pubs are often a reasonable substitute to microbreweries and brewpubs. I can assume that they will offer at least a few imports in bottles or on tap, so I won’t be stuck with the accessible menu of Buds and Millers that eclipse most bars and restaurant menus. And I can also reasonably assume that the food will be more than burgers and fries.

By the end of the book, the quest for the perfect pub and pint seems to exhaust Barich, and he actually loses his taste for beer.

I understand completely. I savored the book’s opening chapters, but as I neared the end, I was ready to be done.

— Sally M. Snell, Travel by the Pint

How I’d love to have a bottle of this for the ol’ collection. I’ve been to South Korea — where Taedonggang is sometimes available — but don’t recall ever seeing it. Hite seemed to be the most popular brand. Fairly mild but quite drinkable and very welcome alongside a slab of kalbi.

Kalbi cooked at the table in Daegu, South Korea (bottle of Hite at top center)

We decided to start small and went with a kit we purchased from Homebrewers Outpost & Mail Order Company. Nothing flashy, just a simple blonde ale. Our thinking is to start with a kit or two to get the basics down and build some confidence. Then, we’ll slowly build on our skills, moving toward brewing from scratch and being able to predict and influence the end product through different ingredients and techniques. But for now… we just need to know how to brew beer.

Down the road, we have big plans. Suffice it to say for now that we’re going to be planting five varieties of hops this Spring. We don’t expect a useable crop until next year at the earliest so we’ll get the basics down while we wait for the vines to mature.

We’ll post progress updates on this blog — successes and failures — so stay tuned.