Our New Years glass is up to those who see the value of having WEB at their events and festivals. A few of those individuals include: Chris Crabb, Chewie Burgess, Steve Bahr, Patti Araas, Tasha Butz, Gayle Chisholm, Mary Ridderbusch, Hilary Kemmling, Stevie Caldarola, Nancy Johnson, Eriel Hoffmeier, James Book, Kristen Muraro, Ken McMullin, Lucy Saunders, Bradley Latham. I am most likely forgetting some. Know we’re grateful for everyone who’s in this arena.

Thanks!

They see WEB as a contributor, as the educators we are, as the researchers that we are – all feeding the beer community. And they’d be right. Thank you to them.

Educated consumers are good consumers for everyone. We’re your specialists to call for all kinds of crowds: female, male, mixed.

As marketing specialists as well, we can help advise and guide, augment and make your efforts go further with many previous successful past events to drawn on.

Even if you have staff members that do this planning, bringing in a fresh perspective and burst of energy can help them refresh, rethink and plan for an even more successful event.

For those who are looking to enhance their beer focused events, WEB is an excellent choice. We’ll speak, teach, conduct crowd pleasing tastings & pairings, and further enlighten the world about the incredible and simply amazing beverage we know as beer. The enthusiasm we bring and positive energy, diplomacy and good humor is worth every penny.

Find out what some have said about having WEB involved.

One Festival at a time.

When you’re interested in talking to us about how we can enhance your success, call soon – 2012 is filling up fast!

If I had a Santa like allowance, I’d get lots and lots of books to feed my brain….

Maureen Ogle, Historian and Writer of Ambitious Brew

Here are a few of my favorite beer oriented books, all coincidentally by people I know and like and respect. A great gift this season indeed!

• Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer, Maureen Ogle
• Brewing Up A Business, Sam Calagione
• Tasting Beer, Randy Mosher
• The Best of American Food & Beer, Lucy Saunders

The books the Brewers Association puts out are all good - chock full of helpful information and insight. Michael Jackson’s books are also useful and well done too.

Let us know what your favorite beer oriented book is. You can pick more than one too.And we’d love to hear from consumers and professionals alike – fun to share who reads what and we’ll post the responses we get.

Many Thanks to Scott, Justin, Kristen, and Tom for Thursday night’s success.

Southern Oregon Brewing was our host location for May’s monthly meet up – with resounding success.

Women Enjoying Beer and Cheese

We had 24+ women show up just for the event – most had reserved a spot and we had some more fabulous women come join us to the groups benefit. More truly is merrier! Thanks to everyone who came to enjoy the SOB beer and cheese pairing.

To the patrons who were in the taproom already enjoying beer, wondering what was happening when Anna and I began setting up – cheers! Thanks for being game to let us (unknowingly) interrupt your Thursday night.

Cheese is a classic to pair with beer. Why?

Because like cheese, beer has many complexities that, since it’s a living thing (yeast and all), has infinite possibilities of what flavors may develop. Yes, you can plan some, yet since yeasts and molds are rather independently spirited organisms, in the end it can be a surprise.

The SOB beers and cheeses we paired:

• 1. Gold Ale with Monterrey Jack
• 2. Pale Ale with medium Cheddar
• 3. IPA with Camembert
• 4. Porter with Caved Aged Swiss Gruyere
• 5. Black IPA with Gorgonzola

How’s that sound?

Good beer and food references:

• Randy Mosher’s Tasting Beer
• Lucy Saunder’s The Best of American Beer & Food

p.s. Happy American Craft Beer Week – May 17th – 23rd – we’ll be at SSBC celebrating tonight from 6 – 8

My hat goes off this morning to Lucy Saunders as I continue to read about her spearheading efforts to bring water usage

Water, water...

to the forefront of the conversation.

Water is after all the highest percentage of the ingredients in beer. We must not and cannot afford to ever take it for granted.

The great thing about the beer community is that – by and large – they are all progressive conscientious people, engaged in creating a high quality product and aware and concerned about the impact of what they are doing.

Lucy has been writing about beer for a long time, sharp, and helping further progressive thought.