Joe Stange – the genius behind Thirsty Pilgrim – and I struck up a correspondence early in the summer. We both love Belgium and Belgian beer – but come at them from different optics – since he is a writer and I am an importer. Here is the latest in the back and forth. Oh…and if you are going to Belgium with beer in mind you might want to pick up a copy of his book, Around Brussels in 80 Beers. It is selling like hotcakes and is available on his site. Oh, and I will incur Don’s wrath if I do not invite you to read his essay on Beer and Terroir aka “Why We Root for Rocky”. If you want to weigh in on the topic, we suggest you do so on the Thirsty Pilgrim site.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Lots More on Beer and Terroir.
Just to catch you up: Remember that Washington Post article on “Belgium’s upstart innovators”? I know, this is the third time I’ve brought it up. But it’s where the conversation started, thanks to the quote from Wendy Littlefield of Vanberg & Dewulf.
She said that brewers like Alvinne and Struise are “really, arguably, are hurting the very culture that they claim to be arising out of.”
Hang on, I thought. Now that is interesting. Not sure if I agree — and it’s worth noting that Littlefield says the quote was out of context — but it’s interesting nonetheless. So Littlefield and I struck up an email exchange on things like tradition and sense of place in light of brewers like Alvinne, Struise, Mikkeller, and others. I referred to them as part of a postmodern, transnational craft beer scene. (Insert “absolute elite” jab here.)… read more
