P A G E 6 B O R D E R B A T C H B R E W I N G S
Here’ s the way I see it thru beer goggles on sunny, but cold, very early spring morning. Or is it really, really late winter? By the time this article reaches you the death throws of winter will be over but right now its fighting tooth & nail to remain. I’ m thinking that this is about the twelfth installment of this article now. Apparently my muse is less than amused at celebrating that milestone of sharing a little glimpse into the quagmire of a thinking man’ s beer drinking mind. After several attempts at coaxing this article out with a combination of winter beers & the quintessential beer of spring dawning- Schell ' s Maifest- I’ ve decided there just isn’ t a singularly themed piece coming out for this edition. Instead in no particular order, I’ m going to pop out a bunch of beery thoughts and ideas that have been rolling around in my head lately. So off we go: on the sales floor is the same as the regular price currently marked in the cooler. Some sale, huh? Coincidence or accident?- probably not.
On a happier note, I recently ran into Schell’ s Rep., Steve Holm, shopping at Mills Fleet Farm here in Owatonna. We had a nice little chat & Steve assured me that the Schell’ s, & especially Grain Belt, lines were showing healthy sales despite the fact that we may in fact be in a R &+$$$! 0 #. [ author’ s note: I tried to use the“ R” word & people from the Bush administration showed up & stated we are not in fact experiencing that phenomenon & that I would not be allowed to mislead others by typing that word above.] Steve did mention that most of the industry is pretty flat right now. I’ m personally looking forward to Schell’ s Stout which he said was out on tap & should be in bottles before you get this newsletter in hand.
The following quote from the co-founder of Brooklyn Brewing Co., Steve Hindy, really sums up my passion for beer Hindy writes,“ Money people make money. Money is different from art & beer. Art & beer enrich your life; they can arouse your senses; they can inspire & liberate. Money is not by itself enjoyable. [ U ] ltimately money is enjoyable only when you use it to buy something real- such as art or beer.” I sure wish I penned that. It’ s a powerful statement. As Border Batchers & Outlaws we are at the pinnacle of truth behind this quote. Not only do we wisely spend our money on the life enriching nectar of malted barley & hops but we are also investing in the highest form of art- breweriana. For what is our hobby in reality, but the collecting of beer art!
One the great beer highlights for this seemingly endless winter season was the opportunity to enjoy a fresh keg of Schell ' s 1867 Einbecker Dopplebock with fellow Border Batchers here at my house during our chapter meeting. This was a rather special treat considering the limited production size. Also the fact that the beer is intended for draft accounts, as opposed to“ off sale” retail. It was certainly hard to focus on our meeting agenda with this fantastic beer being shared. Neverthe-less we did accomplish a lot & the bock got plenty of rave reviews. I hope we can continue to grow our chapter meetings & produce some great ideas for the future of our club. My big regret of the bock season was failing to sample a wider variety of bocks, but even had I sought out a dozen I think this special Schell ' s brew would have stood above the whole lot of them.
It’ s depressing to go to the liquor store & find that the“ promotional” sales price for a twelver of Schell ' s specialty brew has reached $ 12.99. Less than eighteen months ago that sale price was $ 9.99 and the regular price a buck less than the current promo price. Maybe they really do believe its“ Slowatonna” here because the“ sale” price on the POS advertising on the big stack
The bible is apparently silent on beer. One evening I was bored and started looking at my wife’ s bible concordance and can find nothing in regards to it. Sure it weighs in on booze & wine, but not our beloved brewski. I find this a bit strange considering the number of other things it does weigh in on in great detail. In fact, I have even read a nutrition book based on eating in accordance with biblical teachings. Anyway, I’ m guessing this was because beer was such a staple of daily life that it didn’ t even get a mention. Maybe like the Russians, the biblical peoples didn’ t consider beer an intoxicant. For Vance, I do need to throw in this biblical reference for cider.“ Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples...”( Solomon 2:5)
I couldn’ t get through this article without saying a little something about Bock Fest. Vance, I need to give you one last giant THANK YOU for the opportunity to hunt with New Ulm’ s bock hunting legend. While the hunt does keep one away from the fest itself( especially the source of brew & the general camaraderie of festing in a big group setting) the sheer joy of finding one of those bocks hidden in the pristine winter landscape around the brewery is a true thing of beauty. And the opportunity of witnessing Vance slip, fall, & toss a glass of bock beer a dozen feet in the air only to have it return to earth and soak him just moments before capturing the King Bock- PRICELESS.
I sure hope to see all you fellow Border Batchers at our Day at August Schell Event. While Stubie Fest may be the chapter’ s party of the year, this is our big breweriana trade show event of the year. You just can’ t beat sharing a good beer with good friends & trading breweriana on the lot parking lot at Schell’ s surrounded by all that gorgeous & history filled scenery. With a little luck we can enjoy another warm spring day as we have during the past few years. I hear there may be a few surprises in store this year as well. SEE YOU THERE!