Bottoms Up

Odd Bits…Mea culpa. Let this be a warning, do not drink and do research. I don’t think I was drinking when I researched the background of one of the best beers I’ve tasted in years: De Glazen Toren Saison d’Erpe-Mere****. It’s a fine, dusky gold, 8 pecent ale and it’s magificent.

Somehow, I got the idea that the two brewers were Dutch and the brewery in Erpe-Mere was in Holland. Not. It’s in West Flanders, about 30 miles east of Brugge and and 15 miles from Brussels. You can read my report on this very, very fine beer here. But ignore the part about Holland. I’ll change it later.

The beer is imported to the U.S. and damned hard to find. They have it at The Trappist in bottles. Cost $20 yesterday and my daughter and I split it. (She’s just 21). We both agreed, stupendous beer. Has anyone seen it in a beer store? Let us know. Post a comment here or e-mail me at whatsonttap@sbcglobal.net.

Ahh Father’s Day. My wife had to work, so my daughter and I set out on a quest for a glass of Berliner Weisse and raspberry syrup. This is a sour, pale beer that once was extremely popular in Berlin, It’s served in a large, wide-mouthed, stemmed glass. Germans add the syrup to take the edge off the tart flavor and produce that sour/sweet taste that Europeans loved before they were drowned in waves of uber-sweet Coca-Cola.

Actually, I love the beer without the sweetening. It’s similar to a Belgian Lambic. Quite tasty.

But I digress. We went to Suppenkuche, 525 Laguna St. in Hayes Valley in San Francisco. Bad news. One. This place, which is decked out like a mini-German beer hall and serves a rotating range of excellent German beers, was closed.

But the door was open and we talked to the manager, Aaron Hulme. He said they simply can’t get it right now, even the importer is out. So we consoled ourself with glasses of Reisdorf Kolsch***, from Koln (Cologne, Germany) served in the proper, cylindrical Kolsch glasses.

Excellent beer: softly malty, long dry finish, touch of aromatic hops in the follow. I’d love to pair this with Alaskan Summer Ale, the Kolsch-style beeer from Alaskan in Juneau. They’re pretty close.

We closed our little session with a taste of Allgäuer Brauhaus St. Magnus Heller Bock, a gold-orange, pale, 7 percent, Bavarian bock with an interesting nose, almost like a distilled spirit. But the taste was fairly full and malty with a long, lager finish – clean and mildly hoppy.

Moving on, we repaired to The Trappist in Oakland, where I humbly learned that De Glazen Toren is in Belgium. Thanks to Nicole, the most excellent barkeep.

Final note: More cannon fire in InBev’s attempted takeover of Anhuerser Busch. This today from InBev CEO Carlos Brito…

As we indicated in our letter, we are committed to entering into a constructive dialogue with you to achieve a friendly combination of our two companies. We also stated that we have the greatest respect for Grupo Modelo and its management and look forward to the opportunity to work with them to explore possible ways to expand the availability of the Grupo Modelo brands outside of North America.
We have read the recent press reports suggesting that you may have approached Grupo Modelo regarding a possible transaction between Anheuser- Busch and Grupo Modelo or affiliated entities. In light of the reports, we believe it is important for you and your Board to understand that our proposal to combine with Anheuser-Busch by means of acquiring all Anheuser-Busch outstanding shares for $65 per share in cash is made on the basis of Anheuser- Busch’s current assets, business and capital structure. Accordingly, we would expect that prior to proceeding with any alternative transaction, especially if your shareholders will not be given the opportunity to vote on it, you would first fully explore our offer and the potential adverse consequences any such transaction could have on the ability of your shareholders to receive our premium offer.
We should also add that, having carefully considered the merits of our proposed combination, it is our strong belief that no alternative transaction that you could effectuate would create more value for your shareholders than the $65 per share in cash that we are offering. We are convinced that your shareholders would reach the same conclusion…”

Did you read all that? I didn’t. I just cut and pasted it. For much knashing of teeth, check out the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

And, if you haven’t read enough about beer…I highly recommend a visit to Pacific Coast Brewing in downtown Oakland. Order the Columbus on the hanpump. This is a smooth, malty, delciious beer with a serious hoppy follow. A truly mellow beer. Wonder what all the fuss is about real ale on handpump? Try this baby and you’ll begin to understand.