If we are to believe many within the modern evangelical church today, beer and Christianity are wholly antithetical notions. Citing the many abuses of alcohol, these "neo-prohibitionists," as they've been described, are quick to assert that Christians ought not drink alcohol, even in moderation, as it can too easily lead to overindulgence, drunkenness and sin. Furthermore, drinking in front of other Christians, weaker in the faith, can cause them to stumble in their faith making the imbiber all the more culpable. It's better, they say, to just stay away from the stuff all together.

I have dedicated some space in past articles, like this one and this one, to the topic of Christians and the consumption of alcohol, but I've never undertaken an exhaustive treatment of the subject here - In part because I haven't had or been willing to allocate the time, and partly because I seriously doubt that the vast majority of my audience on BP are in need of convincing that the moderate use of alcohol is in no way antithetical to the Christian life. I'd be preaching to the choir, I think.

As I dwell on the subject more, however, I am increasingly convinced that a cogent, thoughtful analysis of the subject is warranted. Particularly for the folks in a region like southern Illinois, where Christian Fundamentalism runs rampant, a well-reasoned defense of the moderationist view can certainly not hurt. In fact, it can probably only help those who have found themselves on the defensive when self-righteous and woefully uninformed Christians condemn a well-meaning believer who enjoys a good beer or two at the local restaurant. I'd have said the local pub, but if the critic is in the pub, save for the purpose of evangelism I suppose, we'd be looking at an entirely different brand of hypocrisy!

I bring all of this up now because the subject is coming up quite frequently as of late on a couple of other beer blogs I enjoy reading. Jay Brooks' Brookston Beer Bulletin has revisited a subject he wrote about a year or so ago concerning a poll that was taken on an Evangelical website that asked the reader whether or not Christians ought to drink beer or not ... I appreciate Jay's response and think you might as well. Read it here.

Wilson over at Brewvana has not only embarked on a terrific series he's calling "The Gospel According to St. Arnold - The Role of Beer in a Christian Life," but he's done it with such thoroughness and eloquence that I am absolutely indebted to him for his work - you see, this means I don't need to write about it myself! After all, why attempt to re-invent the wheel and why try to improve on something that already bears the hallmark of excellence. Wilson's analysis ought to be mandatory reading for anyone who has struggled with this issue or searched for answers to give that Fundamentalist friend who just won't leave you alone about that occasional beer. Please read his series in order to get the full impact.

The preface is here. Part 1 is here. Part 2 is here. And Part 3 is here. Look for Part 4 next Wednesday, as this is a weekly series. I'd also encourage you to read the comments left by readers after each installment ... these are, like the articles themselves, quite well-written and insightful. Once you've read Wilson's series, don't hesitate to drop him a line and let him know you've enjoyed the discussion.

Why am I writing about Religion on a beer blog? Several reasons, really. I'll sum up just a few to end this post:

1. Religion (read: Christianity) has a rich tradition of brewing. To deny the place of the Church in the history of beer is to deny much of beer's best and most productive legacy.

2. Religion is spiritual; religion is intellectual; religion is about both the here and now and the transcendent. Beer, in many ways, shares a commonality with these traits. As a Christian, I believe that God gave us beverage alcohol as a gift to celebrate life, love and faith. This doesn't mean I am gonna thump anyone over the head with a King James Bible, but I don't intend to shy away from the reality of a "lived faith" - a life lived "Coram Deo" (before the face of God). One of my passions in life is good beer ... God gave that to me. Period.

3. I am, maybe to the surprise of some, an ordained man. I am not an active Minister, Pastor, or Priest, but I do have the "credentials" as it were. I also carry academic degrees in both Philosophy and Theology, so it's like breathing to me to see the parallels between the enjoyment of world-class beer and the enjoyment of the Christian life - often times they run in tandem.

There you have it. Please read`Jay and Wilson's pieces, as both are worthwhile. If you find you still have questions, or just want to share your story, feel free to leave a comment here anytime!

I am just not one to listen to local radio. I generally stick with CDs or tune in something on XM. I frankly can't tolerate the local advertising. I'm all about supporting local business, but so many of the local ad spots in this market are just agonizingly bad (poorly read copy, bad jingles and silly taglines/catch phrases). All of these elements conspire to nearly drive me crazy when I try to listen, so I avoid it as often as I can.

The one time I do listen in is when my SIU Salukis are playing away and the game isn't televised. Thankfully, this doesn't happen too often. I will also typically tune into the postgame radio show to hear the interview with the coaches and players. On these occasions, I try my best to keep my hand on the volume control so that I can tune out the commercials. I'm usually pretty adept at this technique, but during a recent post game wrap-up after a basketball game, I failed to crank down the volume control in time ... what do you suppose I heard right off the bat?

No, I didn't hear a local car dealer making a fool of himself as usual ... I didn't even hear a radio sales rep reading ad copy (badly) as I typically would ...

Instead, I head an ad for Budweiser (touted as "The Great American Lager" these days) that catches my ear. The spot basically is meant to extol the virtues of Bud over all these "trendy" craft beers in the market these days. I can't remember the exact copy, and I can't find the spot on the net anywhere, but essentially it's a narrator describing a few craft beer styles (in a somewhat disdainful voice), while positing that Budweiser isn't one of these silly, trendy beers. The spot even goes so far as to say something like " ... and it doesn't taste like chocolate" in an obvious ploy to make craft beer seem trivial and silly.

I'm not upset about the ad, because I think it really betrays the fact that A-B is nervous about the impact that true craft beer is having on the beer world writ-large. Heck, they even produce their own pseudo-craft beers in order to cash in on the popularity of craft beer. The spot just struck me as a bit odd, coming from A-B's corporate office ... if indeed it did?

Has anyone else heard this spot? If so, what's your take on it? I guess it's not beyond the scope of possibility that the local distributor paid for this ad, but I seriously doubt it was produced locally. I've heard local spots and this one ain't local! It sounded professional, the background music was nice, and the voice was clearly well-trained. No one from our local radio entities created this ad. I guess what I'm saying is that I finally heard an ad on local radio that I dislike for what it says rather that how it's said ... ...

Thoughts?

Okay, I realize I've been on a video kick lately but I just had to share this one ... this is a clip of a robotic arm pouring a hefeweizen into a weizen glass. The impressive thing is that it even swirled the bottle at the end of the pour so the yeast sediment is added while topping off the head. Possibly more impressive than this, though, is the fact that the robot didn't add a lemon wedge to the beer at the end of the pour. Proof that robots are indeed smarter than humans? Perhaps.

Enjoy!

Check out the latest edition to the beerphilosopher.com shoppe - the "Trappistenbier" tee-shirt, hoodie and cap. A simple design that shows your love for Trappist beers ... nice.

These new items, and a ton of other cool designs, are available now in the shoppe. Order in time for Christmas delivery and show the beer lover who you love that you love them !!!

Click here to shop now!

Once again, I am compelled to offer my most sincere apologies for the recent lack of new content on beerphilosopher.com. I don't know if it can be attributed to writer's block, or if life just always has a way of getting in the way of the things you intend to do, but don't get around to doing. Sadly, I don't do this gig for living (yet), so I'm forced to concentrate my time on those things that tend to generate income. Most of these things don't involve beer.

It's the sad truth.

I do have the best intentions, however, of devoting some time to new topics in the coming days and weeks. I still owe everyone the Beer Fundamentals article on lagers. I haven't forgotten!

In the meantime, who says I have to provide all of the subject matter! What would you like to talk about? Had any particularly good beers lately? Share them with everyone by commenting on this post. The best comment (regardless of subject matter) might just get a little something special for their trouble ... ...

Let's see if anyone really reads this stuff. Haha.

Have friends or family that love better beer? Maybe you're the beer freak? Either way, I'm happy to announce a very limited time sale on beer-inspired merchandise in The Beer Philosopher Shoppe just in time for that early Christmas gift shopping. Best of all, avoid the crowds and get cooler beer gear than you could ever hope to find in stores!

Remember to use coupon code: FRFAM2007 when ordering! This special sale is only available through November 27th, 2007 so hurry and take advantage of this great discount on the most unique beer apparel and merchandise online.

It was a little over a year ago that a dispute between National Wine & Spirits, Inc., a distributor, and Bell's Brewing Company, a craft brewer out of Kalamazoo Michigan, lead to Larry Bell pulling his beers from Illinois entirely rather than seeing the distribution rights to his beers change hands without his control or consent. Thanks to the restrictive beer distribution laws in the state of Illinois, those of us in the Land of Lincoln have had to cross state lines just to get our hands on some of the fine offerings from Bell's like Two Hearted Ale, Oberon, and Kalamazoo Stout.

Sometimes it appears that even true craft beer brewers feel the pressure to combine forces and take up a united front against the increasing "craft-like," or "craft-lite" interests of the big macro brewers. In the case of the Woodinville, New Hampshire brewer, Redhook, and the Portland-based Widmer Brothers, however, I don't know that we have a classic case of two brewing equivalents of David taking on the industry's Goliath ...

I always keep my eyes open for new research on beer's impact on health, pro or con. I'm happy to report that, generally, the research is in favor of moderate beer drinking for a number of healthful benefiits. Obviously, excessive drinking has the opposite effect, so this is just another reason to drink better ... not more. My friend Bryce over at About:Beer just posted a piece about another potential benefit of beer that I found interesting. Beer for hydration? Hmmm ... find it here.

I've posted a small slideshow of random Belgian beers on my content page here. There are only about 30 different beers in this particular slideshow, but I plan to post others in the near future ( I have well over 400 photos, so it takes a while to sort, resize and categorize them). If you have wondered what a particular Belgian beer's packaging looked like, perhaps you'll see it here! If not, suggest it for a future slideshow. I hope you enjoy!

Every once in a while you come across a product that makes you think, “man, I wish I had thought of that.” Sometimes these products are brand new inventions, never seen before, but more often than not they’re merely modifications or innovations based on an existing product or idea. The inspiration being that there’s always room to make a good thing better. This is precisely what a company out of Los Angeles, called Spirited Concepts, Inc., has done with the lowly bar coaster. I’d like to introduce you to the Seat Saver.

Once only a mundane cardboard disk that served little purpose aside from collecting condensation and preventing the occasional unsightly ring on the bar top, the humble coaster has undergone an upgrade of sorts. In addition to saving you from a wet sleeve and the bar top from a blemish, the new Seat Saver coaster can literally save your seat for you! The Seat Saver is an innovation born of practical experience – the birthplace of most good ideas – L.A. bartenders Eric Tecosky and Danny Lane simply got tired of bar patrons asking them to watch their seats while they visited the bathroom or stepped outside for a smoke.

The Seat Saver is a conventional coaster, apart from one qualitative difference – a strategically placed hole about the size of the neck of a beer bottle. For something that is nothing … a hole … this little innovation gets some serious mileage. Place the coaster under your drink and you have the practical and effective little items we’re all accustomed to using, but take that same little disk and place it atop (or on, in the case of a beer bottle) your beverage and you’ve got a nifty means by which to save your spot at the bar while you step away. It’s not only stylish; it’s a lot safer than leaving a purse, jacket or set of keys on the bar by your drink.

Yep, I wish I had thought of it.

The advantages don’t stop there, though. Eric and Danny also saw the obvious potential for their innovation to serve a dual purpose while it’s serving as a placeholder for you – several well-known brands have already jumped on board (or on cardboard as the case may be) and placed their branding messages on the coaster. This isn’t anything new, of course, in and of itself but consider the fact that the Seat Saver is considerably more prominent when placed over a drink than under it and all of a sudden you have a powerful new marketing tool. Patron, Bacardi, Starr and He’ Brew Beer have already recognized the branding potential of this little coaster with a hole in it. In the case of He’ Brew, their playful “God-Sanctioned” marketing approach is only enhanced when coupled with a message on the coaster that reads “Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor’s Seat.” A hole-y coaster for a holy brew, indeed.

Whether you’re just an interested bar fly, or a bar owner or brewer interested in getting your hands on these new coasters, you can find out the “hole” story at www.theseatsaver.com

Recently I wrote about a friend of mine who has begun to discover the wonders of better beer. We’ll call this friend David, since that's his name. I received an email from David a couple of days ago and I thought I’d share it here (with David’s permission, of course). It appears that David has discovered one of the axioms of the Beer Philosopher – sometimes less is more. Basically, I laughed my head off at this message and deemed it worth sharing. I have interjected a couple of comments for the sake of clarification, but other wise this is the exact email I received. Enjoy!


Ok so tonight I chose Schlafly Pumpkin Ale [here], mainly because it was the only Schlafly brew I had not had that Lakeside [a small local package liquor store] offers! First, let me say the Henry David Thoreau quote on the bottle is a nice touch.....especially for a beer philosopher!

Here is a constant drinker’s [a term that we’ve affectionately applied to David, meant to qualitatively differentiate him from an alcoholic – a “constant drinker” doesn’t drink all the time, but when he drinks he likes to constantly have a beer in hand] review...plain and simple... and a good tip for any constant drinker who steps out of the box and begins to try different brews...craft brews....REAL brews...

The only comment I have on taste is that it is in fact better than Jack's Pumpkin Spice. Why?? I am not sure yet...but I do like it more. I will comment on the 8.0% Alc/Vol! By memory most "American light lagers" are about 5.5%. I had two bud lights (left over from James’ on Friday) [a mutual friend’s house], three Keystones (left over because we had Carterville Homecoming and SIU homecoming all at once and I had to budget) [ football]. As is common with the constant drinker, those 5 had little effect. I am half way finished with my third Schlafly Pumpkin Ale....and well....let's just say you can't constant drink beers with 8.0 % Alc/Vol or higher! I am having a lesson in quantity vs. quality tonight! No wonder you and Erin [my wife] always just "have a few" and laugh as much as everyone else! Your 4 quality beers equal 12 of my ........beers! Your secret is blown! You f*&^in "moderate drinkers!"

..."Oh ... Dave... he will drink a 12 pack like it is water...we only have a few!" Yep...I am on to you guys! Wait till the next get together and I show up with my six pack dammit! I am on to your game! I knew "Whoppers" [a story David recently told about a co-worker of his that was immensely funny, beer or no beer] was not funny enough for folks that had only had a few.....now I know! What??? Were you drinking 11.5% Alc/Vol beer that night?? You two should be ashamed with your "moderate" drinking status.....meanwhile I have achieved "constant drinking” status just because I was ignorant! And you knew all along!

Post that on your damn site! There is a review for ya! "Beer Bloggers Exposed!" You are nothing short of closet constant drinkers! You have created a monster! In all seriousness, the Schlafly Pumpkin is not bad at all! :)

[signed] Dave the "ignorant drinker who did not realize that along with taste comes higher alcohol content."


So there you have it … a glimpse into one man’s journey to find better beer. The road has its twists and turns, and occasionally it also has its roadside liquor stores, wherein you can find high gravity seasonals from regional brewers that can make you a little loopy ... apparently.

Dave, did you just “drunk dial” …err, uh …drunk email me?

As David found out, moderation really is the key to true beer nirvana … and you won’t have the headache that those cheap, rice-infused beer will surely give ya.

Drink wisely.

Now here's a book the Beer Philosopher can get behind! Bloomsburg University Professor of Philosophy Steven D. Hales is about to release a brand new 248 page book entitled "Beer & Philosophy: The Unexamined Beer Isn't Worth Drinking." This new work explores four main philosophical disciplines: The Art of Beer (aesthetics); The Ethics of Beer: Pleasures, Freedom, and Character; The Metaphysics and Epistemology of Beer; and Beer in the History of Philosophy. Clearly, then, beer is a necessary but not sufficient condition for intelligibility ... or at least for making reality a little more fun, huh? If you're keen to integrate your favorite libation into your worldview, this is clearly the book for you.

This new release, which publishes in November 2007, also testifies to the fact that we are on to something when we encourage the Beer Philosopher readers to always "drink wisely." We just love validation.

An interesting collegial conversation is going on right now over on London beer blogger Stonch's site. As regular readers know, I recently posted a piece about a well-known international brewer's new cinematic website because I found it to be impressive. The company will go unnamed here, as I've given them all the coverage that I planned to give them, but if you don't know who I mean you can easily find the previous post. This particular brewer is owned by the world's largest commercial beer giant, InBev.

Stonch's point is that beer bloggers ought not spend their time and energy covering the release of this company's new website, since they clearly have the wherewithal to pay for their own marketing to their target audience without enlisting the help of beer writers. Further, Stonch rightly asserts that we beer bloggers aren't, by and large, fans of this company's product, so why give them the free publicity they clearly seek ... or as Stonch puts it, "Don't get taken for a ride."

All of this is really inconsequential to most readers, but some of you may find the dialogue interesting. I think it's a great study in the varying attitudes and philosophies among beer writers and bloggers. Rather than elaborating on my position on the issue here, feel free to check out the comments on stonch's post. Mine are written, in brief, there.

At the end of the day, those of us who write about beer are clearly passionate about it and though we may disagree on fine points, we are all clearly of the mind that better beer always and in every way needs it's proponents. We need to be careful not to wantonly fall into every marketing scheme that the world's macro beer companies throw our way. Even though I disagree with Stonch on this one, I admire and respect his position.

Cheers to better beer!

Occasionally I'm reminded why I love to tell people about "better" beer and why I spend a great deal of time writing about it right here on BP. Watching people discover the wide world of beer, as if stepping out of Plato's cave of bad beer, is a very rewarding experience. I find myself living vicariously through those who are turned on by a truly good beer for the first time. I remember that feeling and I reallty enjoy seeing it happen to others.

I had the distinct privilege of previewing the brand new Stella Artois cinematic website this morning, before it is released to the public as I mentioned in a previous post. The fully-emersive website is nothing short of breathtaking in terms of animation, sound, and it's sheer ability to capture your attention ...and keep it.

The folks at Stella Artois are launching a new fully cinematic website on Tuesday, September 18th 2007. What I've seen it terms of previews, to this point, seem very impressive. Clearly a lot of time and money were put into this project. I am not a big fan of the beer, but I do appreciate good marketing and a good story. The new Stella Artois website clearly has both.

So the CEO of the second largest beer brewer in the world, SABMiller, thinks that the growth and popularity of craft beer in America is going to fade. In fact, according to a recent interview with Fortune Magazine’s Matthew Boyle, “…it’s inevitable.”

Does Mr. Mackay know something that we, the craft beer drinkers of America, don’t know? Or could it be that this “inevitability” is really something more of a worried hand-wringing, will it into existence wish designed to ignore the clear facts and hope that Americans all of a sudden stop thirsting for better tasting, higher quality beers?

I’m thinking it is the latter.

After all, this comes from a man whose company just launched a new product called Miller Chill. Quite frankly, if you haven’t tried it, let me spare you the effort. Chill is a typical pale American-style light lager with flavor additives. Supposedly, these additives are supposed to consist of lime and salt. I get neither from this beer. In fact, I get … you guessed it … pale light lager with … what is that … maybe a splash of Hawaiian Punch? Yikes.

And this is supposed to endure while craft beer fades into oblivion? Almost laughable.

Mackay and his company seem to be oblivious to what even their prime competition is coming to realize. Craft beer is here to stay. In fact, year over year, craft beers like the very successful Samuel Adams beers of The Boston Beer Company, are gaining market share rather rapidly. The largest beer-maker in the world, Anheuser-Busch, has even come to realize that craft brewers are no longer just a nuisance or upstarts to be treated as mere ankle-biters, A-B has decided to launch its own line of “craft-inspired” beers to try to capture some of this growing market. Oh, and Molson-Coors is doing the same thing.

So what is the deal with SABMiller and their refusal to realize that American’s palates are changing for the better? More and more people are demanding beer with actual flavor and they’re turning to the only source where it can readily be found – the craft beer industry. I believe the day will come when this gamble will backfire and SABMiller will watch as their rivals gain market share by diversifying their product line and all Miller will be left with is truckloads of Miller Chill to drown their sorrows.

No one else is gonna want it.

A special note of thanks to everyone who attended this last weekend's MS benefit concert at Vic's - 4titude '07. The bands were terrific, I got to meet a lot of cool people (and some I hadn't seen in a long while), and best of all, money was raised for the MS Society and Dave Kirk's upcoming fundraiser bike ride taking place in Columbia, Mo. A great day and a great cause. You can visit the 4titude '07 website for a recap of the event, including photos. If you didn't attend, and would still like to help, it's definitely not too late to do so ...

As a corollary, I want to personally thank Tim Ansell of another Team Saluki - a desert rally team in Dubai, United Arab Emirates of all places, who stumbled across my coverage of the MS benefit, and Dave and Tara's story, whilst searching the web and took it upon himself to place a prominent link to the donation page on the front page of his fine team website. Tim is co-driver for the team and tells me that he has a friend in Iran who also suffers from MS. Despite the MS, Tim's friend is a homebrewer, too ... very cool. Good taste knows no geographical bounds, it seems. So, we share team names and an appreciation for good beer! The internet makes this a small, small world, huh?

If you get a chance, visit Tim's site and read about his rally team's exploits ... sounds like truly fascinating stuff. People like this are really the driving force behind increasing awareness of conditions like MS - it's amazing to see people step up and do things like this out of the kindness of their hearts. Thank you again, Tim, for the kind gesture! I wish your Team Saluki the very best of luck ... and , oh yeah, I really like the new paint job! Can I drive that thing, if I come out for a visit?