"beer week" news and stories

Being a beer writer isn't as fun and easy as it looks. Most weeks I spend more time staring down a computer than a pint. I do say "most weeks," however. This coming week will not be one of those weeks.

From Friday, March 6th through Sunday, March 15th, Philadelphia will be host to Philly Beer Week 2009 -- a 10 day extravaganza featuring over 650 events from well over 100 participants, including dozens of different breweries and brewers crashing the city limits and some points beyond.

They've tagged the event "America's Best Beer-Drinking City," and though that title can certainly be debated, the official Philly Beer Week website lays out some compelling evidence to back their claim. A quick look at the event map makes you wonder if there's anywhere in Philadelphia not involved in Beer Week and the list of events is nothing short of overwhelming.

I'll be in town tomorrow (Friday) until Wednesday, March 11th, blogging about events along the way. My first stop will be the Opening Tap if you want to come follow me around. But better yet, check out phillybeerweek.org and see what strikes your fancy. As a former Philly resident, so many of these amazing bars have a special place in my heart, I wouldn't even know how to start playing favorites. You'll probably see me everywhere, because almost anywhere you can get to is worth the stop.

So, I know I can be a little East Coast centric with my beer posts. That's what living on the East Coast for the past 7 years or so has done to me. But this only makes me all the more excited to be able to promote SF Beer Week which begins in the San Francisco Bay Area tomorrow.

Running from February 6th through to Sunday, February 15th, more than 100 San Francisco breweries and pubs are participating in around 150 events intended to celebrate the early roots of the modern Renaissance in artisan beers.

With the relatively recent explosion of craft beers and microbreweries across the entire country, it's easy to forget that San Francisco was one of the major forefathers of the brewing revival. Legendary beer writer Michael Jackson went so far as to state in his seminal book The World Guide to Beer, "The rediscovery of American beer began in the West...not in trend-addicted Los Angeles...but in and around San Francisco." He often spoke affectionately of the Anchor Brewery and references Fritz Maytag's involvement with the company as a major turning point in American brewing.

When Maytag became involved with Anchor in 1965, no more than a couple hundred active breweries existed in the U.S. -- maybe less. Today, the country boasts over 1,400 craft breweris, and as SF Beer Week reminds us, "Northern California alone has more breweries than most states and enjoys an unrivaled reputation for the quality and diversity of its craft beer."

Additional info and event listings can be found on the SF Beer Week website at www.sfbeerweek.org.

[Photo Credit: SFBEERWEEK.org]

This week, the Inquirer is all about Korean food, especially in Philly's burgeoning "Koreatown" (their moniker, not mine). And in the wake of the 10-day revelry that was Beer Week, it's probably best that we load up on some home cooking to soak up all that alcohol.

• Foods like kimchi, shabu shabu and bibimbap are holding gaining in popularity as the Korean food craze continues
• Echoing the above article, Craig LeBan shares his favorite Korean dishes, especially the marinated beef ribs
  
• Shira Kamm joins the growing number of Pennsylvania's women farmers
• It's official: Philly residents are alkies
• Inquirer Columnist officially runs out of things to write about; goes on weird rant/rave about eggs
• Newbie restaurant Osteria was nominated for a James Beard Best New Restaurant Award
  

We all know that dark, leafy greens are good for us, but they often get a bad rap when it comes to actually getting prepared for the dinner table. However, they are really tasty and can be prepared in a number of ways.

Wine School of Philadelphia instructors taste some Austrian whites and give you the lowdown on what to look for and some sure bets (video content).

Rick Nichols reviews last weekend's Philly Craft Beer Fest, tempts readers with the upcoming Beer Week and offers a remembrance of beer expert Michael Jackson (no, not that Michael Jackson).

Philly Inquirer restaurant critic Craig Laban lists his top taps in town.

In honor of Beer Week, Joseph A. Gambardello gives us the definitive history of local and craft brewing in the city over the last two decades.

Karen Heller profiles Sam Calagione (local brewer of Dogfish beers) and Marnie Old (wine expert) and their book, called He Said Beer, She Said Wine. This article offers the best line of the entire section, when Heller states, "It's a Dogfish and pinot show."

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