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 Rachael Juzeler |
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A man who doesn't care about the beer he drinks may as well not care about the bread he eats. Beer may have been man's staple diet before bread was invented, and these two staffs of life are as comparable as they are closely related. Each can offer an everyday experience or a rare pleasure. In each case, what we seek is a measure of what we deserve."
- Michael Jackson, author of "World Guide to Beer"
By the time you read this, I will be in day two of beer bliss and probably trying to figure out a creative way to get rid of, or just plain nursing, a hangover.
I will be one of the masses in attendance at the Great American Beer Festival, the premier beer festival in the states. About 41,000 people attended last year.
This mother of all beer festivals will be held Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 11-13, at the Denver Convention Center. This year, the center will house more than 400 breweries with close to 2,000 beers flowing on the festival floor (well, the floor gets sticky, but most of the beer stays in the glasses).
In the midst of the massive crowds of people at the festival, I will be raising a glass to beer expert Michael Jackson, who died on Aug. 30 at age 65.
Jackson was one of the greatest advocates of beer literacy and an inspiration. Known as "The Beer Hunter" (also the title of his documentary series), Jackson was one of the most prolific and famed beer writers in the world. No one did more to develop and educate the public on the craft-beer movement in the 1980s, and his efforts are partly reflected in festivals such as the Great American Beer Festival.
I urge you to look up some of his writings. His last article, "Did I Cheat Mort Subite?" brought chills when I read it, but was a perfect example of the humor and pathos found in his writing. He will be missed.
Not only is the Great American Beer Festival a great place to taste beers and visit with friends, it is a competition. Almost 3,000 beers from more than 470 breweries across the nation will be competing in 75 different categories.
This year, the awards will be announced during a live podcast at 11:30 a.m. Alaska Standard Time, Saturday, Oct. 13. It can be found at www.thebrewingnetwork.com.
Hopefully, Alaska breweries will bring home some medals. We usually fare pretty well.
But Juneau residents don't have to travel to Denver to attend great beer events. Opportunities still abound.
If you are an experienced or novice home brewer, I encourage you to enter your home brews in the eighth annual Autumn Pour Homebrew Competition, which takes place Saturday, Oct. 20.
The Autumn Pour Homebrew Competition is a grassroots event brought about by the need to keep all of our Beer Judge Certification Program judges in shape. I'm pretty sure we have more professional judges per capita in our town than any other. The judges are trained to provide valuable feedback to improve the craft.
Homebrew entries need to be dropped off by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17, at the Alaskan Brewing Co. business office. The judging will take place Saturday, followed by an awards ceremony starting at 8 p.m. at the Alaskan Hotel & Bar downtown.
Come out and support your local beer!
• Rachael Juzeler can be contacted at rachale101@hotmail.com.
