The Beer Book

 

   I don't know about you, but frankly, I'm getting really tired about hearing about Covid 19, or the Corona Virus every time I turn on the TV. Please don't get me wrong, I understand how serious it is or can be. I've never experienced anything in my life that has come even remotely close to changing life as this has. It has impacted everything from when I can buy groceries to how many people I can be in the store with at the same time. My retirement may never recover to the heights that it once was, although to be fair, I'm retired now, so it has less time to grow. We've been wanting to sell the house, but I don't think there are many buyers in this market, so even though we had planned on spending the winter elsewhere next year, that may not be the case.  I've never had more appreciation for the first-responders or the folks who work on the front lines in the hospitals. I pray for them all daily, but with all that said, there is little I can do about the virus. I follow all the guidelines and try to support those organizations that are helping those in need, but I need a break from the constant flood of bad news that I'm assaulted with daily. So, for better or worse, I'm going to do a blog about a book. A beer book. Hoonah has a library at the school which at one time also served as the public library. For reasons I can't recall or perhaps never understood to begin with, we no longer have one. I tried to go through the Juneau library to order some books through the inter-library loan program, but the first book they sent me was so offensive that I was turned off and asked them to take my name off their list. We're blessed with a post master that is civic minded and has taken it upon himself to provide a counter for the display of books that folks no longer want. I've found several classics there that I'll cherish and pass on in time. Today I found an outstanding book on the counter, which I promptly scarfed up. It is a copy of The Illustrated Directory of Beer, and I was smitten when I saw it. Personally I'm not a big beer drinker. Once in a while in the summer I'll have one if it's really hot outside, or if I'm eating a pizza I might drink one, although I'd much rather have a Pepsi. I do however happen to like good art work, and I found this particular book outstanding. The pages inside are well illustrated too, with a good description of the various beers that are mentioned. I never knew there were so many different beers on the market, and quite a few of them have the most colorful labels. As I was thumbing through the book I came across a beer that I haven't heard of for years. The commercials for Schlitz beer used to be on TV all the time when I was growing up in Ohio. They had some great advertising too.  They became known as the beer that made Milwaukee famous. Their slogan was "When you're out of Schlitz, you're out of beer." One of the more original breweries that I saw was the Smuttynose Brewing Company out of New Hampshire. This book illustrates and describes beers from around the world and would be a great gift for any serious beer lover, or art lover for that matter. It's put out by Pepperbox Press which I believe is in England. I looked the book up on Amazon and couldn't believe that the price was less than $10.00 . What a bargain! This is a serious coffee table book with a hard cover and it's sure to start a conversation at a party. Pepperbox Press also puts out several other books of interest- The Illustrated Directory of North American Locomotives, The Illustrated Directory of Muscle Cars and The Illustrated Directory of Greatest American Cars. If those other books are anything like the one on beer, they're bound to be a treasured possession.