Beer here! — Snappy Marty

I drank my first beer in college, Colt 45. In the summer of 1967 I traveled to Europe & encountered warm beer & cask conditioned ale in England. In Amsterdam Frommer’s Europe On $5/Day sent us to the Heineken Brewery for a breakfast of freshly brewed draught beer & cheese. Immediately afterwards we visited the Van Gogh Museum. Needless to say, they were probably not happy to clean the bathrooms after our visit. Then on to Munich where we discovered German beer. The rest is history.

Along the way I discovered in addition to crafty names for & a long history of brews that beer is eminently photographable. There is a lot of beer related art on labels, buildings, apparel, bar pulls & glassware. Beer can be paired with food, music, friends, bicycles, relaxation, books & of course, blogs. Beer has spawned many collectibles, a culture & many happy bartenders, brewmasters, servers & aficionados.

Even if you are a teetotaler, there will be things in this blog to catch your attention.

Aston Mahana Condos/Resort, Maui, Hawai'i.

Four Seasons, Maui, Hawai'i

Yes, think location of White Lotus season 1.

Bali, Indonesia

Punga Cove Lodge, Endeavor Inlet, Queen Charlotte Sound, NZ

“Aged with French oak, this beer not

only displays coffee, mocha and smoked cedar characters but

also some sweet and savoury notes unique to Moa Imperial Stout.”

Federation Sq., Melbourne, Australia

A Mountain Goat Brewery Brew @ Beer DeLuxe

Nelson, New Zealand.

Sometimes the brewmasters wax poetic:

“In a world that's up to here with me-too lagers BLACK MAC chooses to swim upstream as you will soon discover that stream is dark & rich & it carries mellow hints of caramel. You'll also be aware of velvety chocolate floating by on the current. Frankly, writing this is making me thirsty." Mac's Brewbar, Nelson, NZ.

Not to mention humor.

I won't get into the sundry styles of beer. Suffice it to say, my favorites will become clear. (Marty’s mantra: “Don’t waste the calories” so non-alcoholic is out & the higher the alcohol content is in).

“For Better Or Worse” by Lynn Johnston

From the worldwideweb.

Lots of reading materials on beer to enjoy.

The Acme Brewery of San Francisco was established in 1907. In 1996 the North Coast Brewing Company of Fort Bragg, CA obtained the rights to the Acme brand, & it is still being produced.

The first book I got on beer was the one on the far left, Michael Jackson’s 1988 The New World Guide to Beer. Besides describing beers, it provided names of breweries & pubs in the U.K. We visited many of them in 1993.

Innerleithen, Peeblesshire, Scotland.

Including the Traquair Brewery, which has on its grounds Scotland’s Oldest Inhabited House.

You should have seen that peacock before he had his beer.

I bought a few bottles here & had one on the airplane during our return trip to the U.S. Imagine doing that now! I have found it available at Bev Mo.

"Recent Stanford graduate, Fritz Maytag, sat enjoying his favorite beer in a local pub. In a conversation with the bartender Maytag was told, ‘You better enjoy that Anchor. It may be your last.’ Anchor Brewery was on the verge of going out of business. Maytag visited the brewery the next day and, for a modest investment, bought a controlling interest in the ailing business. Maytag was soon brewing authentic, artful beers and reintroducing lost styles. He proved that Americans were ready for a different kind of beer; beer with flavor, diversity and history. Anchor Brewery became the first ‘craft’ brewery since prohibition & was the inspiration that sparked a revolution in brewing."

We served their Old Foghorn Barleywine Style Ale, on tap, at Elliot’s bar mitzvah reception. I had to warn folks about its high alcohol content.

California Craft Brewers Association

Hops, growing in New Zealand. All beer is made from grain, hops, yeast, and water.

New Zealand had beer tasting tours like the wine tasting tours we have here in Napa Valley.

Friends ask me why I don’t make beer. Why would I if I have…

…a friend who…

...takes those ingrediants...

….& brews wonderful beers!

And, there are many local craft breweries to visit.

“1980: In Chico, ‘Home Brew Shop’ owner, Ken Grossman, was inspired by both Anchor and New Albion. Grossman took welding lessons at the local community college so he could build his own brewery and equipment. He opened Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in 1980, and their Sierra Nevada Pale Ale created a brand new beer style, the American-style Pale Ale.”

California Craft Brewers Association.

Sebastopol, CA.

“California is home to more craft breweries than any state in the nation, with more than 900 breweries operating across the state of California.”

Petaluma, CA.

The Lagunitas Brewing Company was founded in 1993 by Tony Magee in Lagunitas, California, & moved a year later to nearby Petaluma, California. Before Heineken bought it in 2015 it was the fastest growing craft brewery in the US. It’s current production no longer qualifies it as a craft brewery. This photo is c. 2008.

And of course beer is an art form.

These characters were created in 1953 for a TV ad campaign... Bob Elliot and Ray Goulding provided the voices. The commercial appeared on the evening news in NYC. Who cared about the news? I stayed up to hear Bob & Ray.

“Piels with meals” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHroxyoCwV4

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Madrid, Spain.

FDR - Hyde Park, NY

Kentfield, CA.

Kentfield, CA

Beer coasters are collectables for some folks. I’ve stopped collecting.

Kentfield, CA

Beers & bicycles; a theme that will reoccur.

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Kentfield, CA.

For a while, I put up labels of beers that I had enjoyed. No more room.

And I often asked servers to save the cap for me.

San Francisco, CA.

Crown Hts., Brooklyn, NY.

The National Landmarked Nassau Brewing Company, also known as the Budweiser Brewing Company of Brooklyn & Bedford Brewery, is being repurposed for homes & retail shops. Dating from the 1860’s it had ceased operations in 1916.

Portland, Oregon.

Jackson Creek Junction, Oregon.

New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale.

There is a strong connection between beer & bicycling.

Tokyo, Japan.

Look carefully…

Near Beilstein, Germany while biking along the Mosel River.

Radler style beers are infused with lemon & are very low in alcohol. They’re made for bicycling!

Gastalt Haus, Fairfax, CA where you can roll in on your bike & hang it up on a wall.

Gestalt Haus, Fairfax, CA.

Then there’s beer-inspired apparel.

Kentfield, CA.

Biketoberfest, Fairfax, CA.

Mittenwald, Germany.

At an elevation of 3,000’, it’s supposedly the highest brewery in Germany & was worth the climb by bicycle. After lunch, the downhill return was spectacular!

Four Seasons Hotel, Austin, Texas.

Beer can accompany relaxation.

By 11:00 AM is was too hot to ride any more.

Malvern, England.

It’s also a nice way to make new friends. This fellow was driving a Panther Westwinds auto, made in Surrey, England.

Beer with friends, old & new.

On the approach to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

Those were klein (small) beers! We were about to climb to 708 m (2,323 ft). Phil, who took the photo, fell off his bike as he tried to get on it. He did make it to the hotel.

San Anselmo, CA.

Cheers!

But who’s counting?

Frankfurt am Main Süd, Germany.

Drink with friends but…

…drink responsibly.

A town somewhere along the Mosel River, Germany.

Barcelona, Spain.

You can travel far but American beers, in this case Rogue Brewery on the beer mats, may appear.

Andechs, Germany.

Klosterbrauerei Andechs.

Andechs, Germany.

We had a late breakfast, see above, (beer, pretzels & cheese) here. On the return to Munich, we really got lost getting into the city.

I bought some bottles of beer & everyone helped me carry them in their bicycle panniers.

Munich, Germany.

In return, fortunately, they didn’t make me do their laundry. A brew helped make the job easier.

Austin, Texas.

Brewers have come up with clever label art for & names of brews.

Tybee Island, Georgia.

Tiburon, CA.

Kentfield, CA.

Rogue Brewery, Newport, OR.

Stow-on-the-Wold, Cotswalds, England.

More beer pulls.

Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville, Tennessee.

Kentfield, CA.

The label reads:

“Old & In The Way is a celebration of all those decadent things we love in beer. Complex layers of malt and hops intertwine with flavor nuances produced by barrel aging to create a truly memorable palette experience Enjoy this beer slightly warmer to fully appreciate its complexity.

Share one with a good friend or two.

‘Too much of everything is just enough.’”

J.Barlow and B.Weit - San Leandro, CA

10.5% Alcohol By Volume

Kialua-Kona, Big Island, Hawai'i.

Biketoberfest, Fairfax, CA.

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Kentifeld, CA.

Of course, beer paired with food. This is my favorite summer brew.

Oslo, Norway.

Kyoto, Japan.

We had freshly delivered, draught beers, with almost every meal.

Beers are served in a myriad styles of containers. Some are for a particular style of brew, some are from the brewery & some are what’s on hand.

Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, NY.

Pacific Grove, CA.

Paris, France.

Aldelscott is a Scotch Ale like Traquair. So good. It’s now owned by Heinekin.

Kentfield, CA

That’s one delicious & powerful beer. The mug is a perfect size for me & purchased on one of my bicycle adventures in Germany.

Manhattan, NY.

McSorley's Old Ale House, c. the mid 1800’s, is the oldest Irish saloon in New York City.

These mugs are perfect for the brew within.

Saoû, France.

I was gifted this mug & use it at home for the appropriate brew.

La Pergola, Lago di Lecco, Italy. Around the bend the name changes to Lago di Como.

Nathan's, Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY.

Sometimes the container is plastic…

Saoû, France.

This frothy, local, stout belongs in this glass. It was as good as it looks.

Lost Coast, CA.

The glass was in the cabin that we had rented.

“1983: Mendocino Brewing opened in Hopland, the first brewpub in the state and the second in America.” We had stopped by the brewery to pick up some bottles.