Hey look — A couple brainiacs have come up with a mathematical formula that can accurately predict how the bubbles in the head of that beer in front of you will change over time.

W00t!

According to the report published today in the journal Nature, Robert MacPherson of Princeton University in New Jersey and David Srolovitz of Yeshiva University in New York, have developed a formula that explains how the tiny bubbles that make up beer foam grow.

From the Reuters article:

The formula explains how the tiny bubbles that make up foam grow — an explanation that could lead to the development of products such as metal shrink wrap… The possibilities include “the heat treatment of metals or even controlling (the) head on a pint of beer…”

Well, I don’t know about metal shrink wrap (I have enough trouble with the plastic kind), but I can tell you that you don’t need a room full of math geeks to control the head on a pint of beer — good hand / eye coordination is more than enough.

Still, you have to admire the guys who developed the formula. I mean, most of us just sit on a barstool and pay someone else for beer. Those guys figured out a way to get someone to pay them. (I’m sure it took years of “study”.)

Ain’t science great?

» Read the article (via Reuters)

The gang at The Lost Abbey (aka Port Brewing Company) is celebrating the brewery’s first anniversary in a couple of weeks with a big first birthday party loading with special tastings and a couple of (very) limited releases of new additions to their already impressive beer lineup. (I swear they’ve got more medals than a Latin American general).

Master Brewer Tomme Arthur is so busy “…pushing more envelopes than a mailman on crytal meth” (to quote Ben McFarland in the new April/May 2007 issue of Celebrator), that he hasn’t had a chance to update with website with the good news.

So as a public service to all you beer lovers, here’s the details of what promises to be an epic (yes, epic) event:

The Vitals

• What: Lost Abbey / Port Brewing Co. 1st Anniversary Celebration
• When: May 5, 2007 – 12pm to 9 pm
• Where: Lost Abbey / Port Brewing Co. (the old Stone Brewing facility), San Marcos, San Diego County, CA
• How Much: $15 at the door. Gets you 8 tasting tickets and entre to the taco bar featuring the food of Port’s own Vincent Marsaglia.

So what’s going to be there? Check this out:

On Draft
All of the following “house” beers throughout the day, plus special appearances beers from the past year that were specially stashed for the party.

• Amigo Lager
• Sharkbite Red Ale | Beer Advocate | Ratebeer.com
• Wipeout IPA | Beer Advocate | Ratebeer.com
• Hop 15 | Beer Advocate | Ratebeer.com
• Red Barn Belgian Farmhouse Ale (including a keg from the very first batch) | Beer Advocate | Ratebeer.com
• Old Viscosity Stout | Beer Advocate | Ratebeer.com
• Judgment Day Belgian Dark Ale (newly released) | Beer Advocate | Ratebeer.com

Plus a preview of a new beer

Devotion: This six percent ABV Belgian Style Blonde ale is dry hopping right now. It won’t be available in bottles until mid-May, so attendees will be the first to try it.

From the archives of the barrel room

• En Garde - Barrel Aged Avant Garde
• Amazing Grace - Barrel Aged Lost and Found
• Older Viscosity 2006
• The Angel’s Share - Aged in Bourbon Barrels (not Brandy)
• High Tide IPA - the last keg in existence
• Santa’s Little Helper 2006 Imperial Stout

But wait there’s more!

There’s going to be two new bottle releases that day as well.

• Cuvee de Tomme - This is the first release of CdT to be barrel blended. Only 420 bottles will be sold. There will be a maximum of 4 bottles per person. $15 per 375ml cork finished bottle.
• Ten Commandments - Lost Abbey’s once a year Anniversary beer. (A new generation of Dark Farmhouse Style Beer many of you knew in an earlier incarnation as Pizza Port’s SPF 8.) This year’s release saw Brettanomyces added at bottling, so it’s guranteed to be something special. It will be $12 per 750 ml cork finished bottle and no limit on the number of purchases (plus 10% off on a case), but there’s only 280 cases, so wide distribution of this one is unlikely.

And as if all that weren’t enough, Tomme has also hinted strongly that there’ll be a few other surprises at the event. (And Tomme’s surprises are always good!)

If you want more information, you can call them but you may have to leave a message since they don’t have a dedicated phone answering person. Better yet, if you drop me an email at “beerbuddy (at) mybeerpix (dot) com”, and I’ll get you the answers you need ASAP.

Here’s the Brewery address:

155 Mata Way
Suite 104
San Marcos, CA
Tel: (760) 891-0272

» Map & directions to the brewery

– Cheers (and see you there!)

Quick update
Yes, it’s OK to re-publish this info on your own website. You don’t need to ask. (A linkback would be nice though.)

The Brewers Association is reporting that craft brewing is the fastest growing segment of the alcohol industry. With 17.8% growth in 2006, it eclipse’s big beer’s 2.4%, and it’s darn close to double wine’s growth.

Check out the chart below.

Admittedly craft brewing is a tiny fraction of the overall alcohol market, and even among craft brewers there’s just a handful that produce the lion’s share of the beer (78% of the craft beer sold is produced by just 50 of the 1400 craft breweries in the country), but still, 18% growth is nothing to shake a stick at.

Additionally, it’s important to note that the data for this chart is based on supermarket receipts and not liquor store, specialty store and restaurant receipts — all of which are more likely to carry and sell craft brews (especially locally produced craft brews) than the local megamarket. But nonetheless, I think it’s a positive sign.

The one thing I wouldn’t want to see come out of this is some sort of market collapse like we saw with the “dot bomb” bust in 2000. Back then there were too many mediocre companies fueled by speculative money chasing a fickle market with a short attention span. Same could happen here. We’ve got a lot of people brewing beer all chasing limited shelf space and a target market that may well get tired of beer and move on to… I don’t know… fermented carrot juice.

Then again, we may just be returning to a period when all your best beers are brewed locally for local tastes.

I hope that’s the case.

» Read the full story (also includes data on the 50 largest breweries)

As many of our fellow brew loving sites are noting, today is “Brew Years Day”. On this day in 1933 it became legal once again to manufacture, transport, sell and consume beer that was no more than 3.2% alcohol.

There are a couple of misconceptions about today, however.

“Brew Years Day” does not mark the day in which the 18th Amendment (aka the Volstead Act) was partially repealed.

Congress voted to repeal the act by affirming the 21st Amendment on February 20, 1933, but 2/3rds of the state legislatures had to ratify it before it could take effect.

In anticipation of the ratification (only a few states were unlikely not to ratify), Congress actually Amended the Volstead Act with the Cullen-Harrison bill to exclude beer that was 3.2% alcohol or less by weight (essentially declaring that 3.2 beer was not an “intoxicating” beverage). Beers with higher ABWs were still prohibited.

The 21st Amendment was ratified on December 5th, 1993 and repealed the Volstead Act.

Interestingly, the 36th state to ratify the amendment and give it the 2/3rds approval needed to become official was Utah. So make sure that you raise a glass and toast the Beehive State today.

– Cheers!

I don’t know how widely distributed ReaperAle’s beers are, so it may be that a lot of you have never had the opportunity to try some truly kick-ass ales. (And by “kick-ass” I mean “club you like a baby seal and leave you for dead.”)

Unfortunately, if you haven’t been able to sample these tasty brews, you may never get the opportunity, as ReaperAle is now on a “brewing hiatus“.

You see, Reaper’s goods were contract brewed for them by Green Flash Brewing (see Molly’s weekend round-up for more about them). But because Green Flash is going gang-busters, they just don’t have the capacity to keep brewing Reaper’s as well. So Reaper is out looking for new digs (and an investor or two), meaning what Reaper product is already out there is going to be the last for a while (a short while, I hope).

From the statement on ReaperAle’s website:

We regret that there will be an outage of product, but we feel these steps are necessary for ReaperAle to continue long term. At its height ReaperAle was distributed in 8 states, with 4 additional states waiting to sign up. We received regular inquiries from military bases, movie studios, broadcast radio, and numerous social and charitable establishments wishing to obtain our beer. Because we could not guarantee availability our commitments and options became limited. Having our own facility will give us needed control over our product and our business so that we may finally realize our full potential. Thank you for your understanding and support during this transitional time.

Sure enough, the supply of ReaperAle’s goods, including my favs — Deathly Pale Ale, Sleighor and Ritual — has slowly dwindled and disappeared from the shelves of my local retailers.

Lucky for me, however, the lovely Beer Molly was rifling through the back of a cooler in one of our better stocked adult beverage outlets (they let her do that if her skirt is short enough) and came up with a couple of bottles of Ritual; one of which I am enjoying at this moment.

Hopefully the Brewing Duo (Erik Taylor & Todd Kendrick) at ReaperAle will land somewhere quickly and get back to brewing what I think are some of the best big, bold, ballsy beers out there right now.

In the meantime, let’s all lift our glasses and offer a toast to ReaperAle. (And don’t forget to spill a little for the gods &mdahs; it’s good luck.)

» Read the full ReaperAle Hiatus Statement

» Visit the ReaperAle Website (warning: Spooky Flash site)

Fellow beer lovers, I have opened a Mybeerpix.com. Beer Gear shop.

When you purchase beer gear from this shop you’re not only going to look great in your new clothing, you’re helping a good cause — Namely me, Beer Molly, and my love of drinking fine craft brews!

So, come on over and take a look and I’m sure you will find something that you like. You’ll need to pick up a couple of shirts for your friends too. You know they will all want one too.

Cheers!

Beer Molly

» My Beer Pix T-Shirts

Jason and Todd Alström, founders of beeradvocate.com
photo courtesy of New York Times

Guess what? Even the New York Times has figured out that there’s way way more to beer than the fizzy yellow stuff you get in the 24 packs at the gas station (which I pick up occasionally because it’s a cheap and effective snail and slug killer).

From the article:

The Web site [beeradvocate.com] is just one of the gathering spots for beer lovers — not the guys sitting in front of the tube with a six-pack of mass-market brew, but a rapidly growing body of connoisseurs who are as devoted to their chosen beverage as wine lovers are to theirs.

The article, which is focused on the Alström boys who run beeradvocate, is good but a tad inaccurate:

“As far as the vocal component on the Internet, it’s all men,” Todd Alström said. “But at beer festivals and on the social end, it’s more even.”

I believe Beer Molly would disagree with that. This is her site.

» Read: Overcoming a Frat Party Reputation (via The New York Times)