The Hoppy Nomad

An Urban Quest for Ales & Tales

Monthly Archives: December 2011

As Time Goes By: Part Two

2011 Beer in Review

So where was I?  Oh yes, intention. You always have to have it, whatever your endeavor may be, and take action — scour the web, go to networking events, volunteer, etc. With your efforts and patience, some wonderful things may develop for you. What matters is having the intent. While I intended to create more opportunities this year, the ability to make them so was never a guarantee, regardless of my efforts.

In 2011 I wasn’t able to travel as much as I would have liked to. A true nomadic spirit, I can never stay in one place for a whole year straight. I am constantly on the hunt for new adventures and stories to tell.  I really really wanted to go to Vermont this summer and hit some yummy breweries while eating some cheese and Ben & Jerry’s. No such luck. So while my year in beer was primarily local, I was able to create new situations, meet new people and repeat volunteer as always. When festival goers start to recognize me — whether it’s from pouring for them the year before or reading my blog — I know that there is merit in the consistency of repetition.  Staying local means strengthening relationships with industry folk; supporting the local craft breweries and economy while helping my own budget. So while I could easily complain that I didn’t get too many miles on my (useless) frequent flier cards this year, I’m not. I am truly grateful for the travel and  events I was able to make (e.g. Mondial in Montreal three years in a row; Quebec City; Toronto; New York). Canada and New York will always be old and new since there is so much to see, do, and taste. Brooklyn is numero uno on my list!

As I look forward to 2012, I would like to make it the year of travel. I want to visit unexplored beer territory for me — the Midwest and Northwest, Vermont, or maybe even to England for a beer bloggers conference.  I’ll just have to wait and see what happens. Trust me the intent is there. As long as there are wheels or wings, it’s safe to say that The Hoppy Nomad will be going somewhere.  I have to stay true to my name, and not just the ‘Hoppy’ part!

Back to where it all started, reflections and resolutions:  they should at least remind you of how much can take place and change in just 365 days. You never know what setbacks (which are really just opportunities) will come your way. So take a snapshot of your year, your life, and what you dream of for yourself.  While the quick fix resolutions may grab your attention if only for a moment, the intention to set yourself straight or improve upon something in your life is where the real effort takes place.

I tried to sum up 2011 for me in words, and I leave you a pictorial of The Hoppy Nomad’s year of beer. Just click on Santa’s beard.  Resolutions?  To continue my love of writing, travel, beer and to share more stories and knowledge with you.  I hope that you have enjoyed this blog and will continue with me on this wonderfully hoppy and unpredictable journey.  Cheers to you!

As Time Goes By: Part One

Resolution: a resolve or determination. Reflection: careful or long consideration of thought.

One year ends, so we rub our chins and review our year, our lives, our ups, our downs.  A new one begins and we scratch our heads and (with the help of advertisers) come up with at least one thing we want to change for the next year or perhaps even permanently.

Overheard:  “So what are your new year’s resolutions, dude?” “I think I’m gonna start to go on a beer diet.”  The things we want to change may be self-imposed or conjured up because everyone else is coming up with a shiny new resolution.  Who doesn’t want to lose weight, exercise more, or visit home more often?  You don’t have to answer that.

Since I can only speak for myself about 2011 and take 2012 a day at a time, if I could sum the year up in one word it would be this: OPPORTUNITY. Some hidden, some in my face, some disguised as punishment.  Nonetheless, as opportunities appeared (or if I created them) in 2011, I learned quite a bit about myself and the situations around me.

As a citizen beer blogger, I have had to literally knock on doors since I started The Hoppy Nomad in 2009 — network; convince others that this woman does know a thing or two about beer; pour it to the masses on a sweltering September day; wait in line for almost two hours for a waste of a festival, etc.  I’m not playing for anyone’s sympathy nor am I complaining (ok well a little bit).  Every occurrence is an experience not to be taken for granted.

In my travels, I have met many interesting people from many places. Take Steve for instance, the affable Manxman who I met an Irish pub in Toronto before heading to a U2 concert.  Then there’s the 19 year old metal head in Montreal who looked like he came from 1984. Nice guy. Even in my local life, I have met some cool ladies of beer who appreciate the craft and have a thing or two to teach me (yes, I’m talking to you, O)!  Meeting Garrett Oliver, head brew master at Brooklyn Brewery, was an embarrassing treat.  At a book signing, I was armed with my pimped out camera but forgot the memory card — doh! Good thing for friends and iPhones.

While the most obvious beer places are great for meeting new people and getting the word out, it’s those other times and events where the unexpected becomes a great opportunity. Take for instance, the expansion of my beer blog to writing for a local  newspaper. While I was out one night at a hipster bar in Syracuse for an 80s night party, the bartender handed out free baseball game tickets to everyone like candy at Halloween. I examined the ticket and saw that they were courtesy of the paper Table Hopping.  I didn’t think much of it at that time. I was too busy dancing to Culture Club and singing to Bon Jovi. A few days later I figured that if this newspaper was giving out free tickets, perhaps they would be so kind as to donate a few to me for my university job. I wanted to take about 15 students to the ball game.  With no intention of trying to get a writing gig or market my blog, all it took was a friendly conversation with the newspaper’s owner and it naturally went in that direction.  I wasn’t prepared with my Hoppy Nomad business cards since I was in university mode but I wrote down my information on a ripped piece of paper.

I am now a regular columnist for the paper, one that reaches a broader audience. And that, my friends, is how opportunity turns into something tangible.

Ready for more before the year ends? Part Two coming right up!!

 

Tis the Season (for Beer)…

There’s a reason that every season brewers crank out limited supplies of specialty beer, and this year is no exception.  As the fall selection varies from pumpkin sweet to spicier, heavier ales, the winter varieties continue to linger with some of the spices of the previous season. Mix in a holiday chocolate or vanilla stout, or a strong Belgian ale, and you have all the makings of a wonderful winter of beer.  December 22nd  marks the official beginning of winter and is a month chockfull of celebrations, be it Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, or even Festivus (for the rest of us). With so many local and craft brews to choose from, how it all started might help you decide.

Beer is one of the oldest drinks in the world, approximately 6,000 years old and said to have its beginnings in Mesopotamia, where women were primarily brewing this ancient libation. Revered in Egyptian society 5,000 years ago, beer was a magical drink that treated illnesses and was given as a gift to the pharaohs. Bishop Nikolaos of Myra, a Greek bishop in the fourth century in what is now Turkey, is one of the patron saints of beer and brewing, along with Saint Wenceslas, Saint Brigid, and Gambrinus, King of Flanders. Gambrinus was reputed to have introduced the toast (of the clinking glasses kind, not the bread) and who invented hopped malt beer. Not a true patron saint, Gambrinus is regarded as one by many a brewer and beer lover.

It wasn’t until the rise of Christianity in Europe where the production of beer picked up. Beer was brewed by monks in monasteries, hence the creation of the trappist beer.  Believe it or not, this Middle Ages tradition still lives on in the Trappist abbeys. There are only seven Trappist breweries in the world that are recognized by the International Trappist Association.  How do you know if you are drinking a true Trappist beer? While a bottle of beer may have a rendering of a monk on its label, the only way to know is to look for the Authentic Trappist Product logo.  Otherwise you’re drinking a trappist-style beer, which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s always good to know what is authentic and what is not.  Who wouldn’t love beers from breweries whose profits go to assisting others?  Not one Euro is made to pocket — only for the continuation of brewing ingredients, supplies and to charities.

Remember good old Santa Claus, Kris Kringle, or St. Nick?  Well, the very same Saint Nikolaos of Myra was the inspiration for what would morph into the tradition of Santa Claus whose evolution took shape in the 19th century. Saint Nicholas, St. Nick for short, was known for secretly giving gifts back in the 4th century. He is revered by the Catholic and Orthodox Christian faiths and honored in some Anglican and Lutheran Churches. Saint Nicholas Day occurs every December 6th, a day still celebrated in European countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. In other cultures he is frequently depicted as having a beer in hand, a concept that might seem contradictory and blasphemous to Americans. Imagine the idea of a jolly white bearded man, dressed in red, riding on a sleigh, sliding down a chimney and giving gifts to the good children of the world — with a glass beer in his hand! In this day and age, would he be cited for drinking and flying on a sleigh?  Is that belly really a beer belly and not because he eats so many cookies left for him in one evening? Who’s to know?

While the monks keep brewing in Europe and Santa is now kiddie-friendly, a Jewish craft brewery from California, He’Brew,  started out as a Chanukah ‘experiment’ in 1996 is now gaining notoriety by winning awards and rated as a top 100 brewer by beer magazines and websites. They give their beers witty names like “Messiah Bold,” “Genesis Ale,” “Jewbelation” to name a few. Their beers are kosher and include ingredients such as figs, dates, and pomegranate, fruits drenched in Jewish symbolism. The seasonal beers change based on the barley and hop harvests in the fall, and the new year’s of Jewish tradition.

As we look at the history of beer and its connections to faith, you don’t have to ascribe to any religion to enjoy a delicious glass of a Belgian dubbel, tripel or a an imperial amber ale made with pomegranate juice. You don’t have to believe in anything except the wonderful concoction right in front of your very eyes. If you aren’t sure which kind to choose, go to one of the many local beer stores and you will be guided to the right taste for you.

Alas, another year draws to an end. The month of December tends to be one not only of celebration and tradition, but one of reflection of the past 364 days. So in the historic tradition from the King of Beer himself,  Gambrinus, let’s raise a glass of beer and toast to health, wealth, and hoppiness!  Cheers!

–Adapted from the December issue of Table Hopping