Beer Me (90)

By Jeff Guerrero

Beer Mail
In Dirt Rag #89 we asked readers to contact us with the name of the musical artist referenced five times on page 68. The correct answer was Morris Day, and Nick Broskovich of Norwalk, CT was the first to chime in with not only the answer, but also the album title of each song referenced. For his impressive knowledge of funk, Broskovich scored himself a pair of Dirt Rag pint glasses.

We decided to give an additional pair of glasses to Butch White of Homewood, AL who was only hours behind Broskovich. White writes:

It's Wednesday, October 3rd, at 5:05 PM. I got home from work moments ago and noticed a new DR issue on the kitchen counter. I promptly grabbed a pre-run Sierra Nevada (forget those $2 Red Bulls) and sat down to thumb through my favorite magazine. Having more than just a weakness for fine beers, I read your review of the Real Ales only to wish that I were in Texas so I too could down a few Full Moon Pale Rye Ale.

Anyhow, I noticed the offer for the pint glasses for the first reader to identify the band you referred to five times. This would be MORRIS DAY AND THE TIME! Now, knowing that the mail slows down a bit once it enters the S.E., I doubt I am the first to identify the band. Just know that you are not alone in your appreciation for mountain biking, fine beverages and good solid funk.

Lagunitas IPA
Say "LAH-GOO-KNEE-TUSS." Very good. Now drink a few bottles of Lagunitas Brewing Company's IPA and try to say it again. Having trouble? That's because Lagunitas IPA is 5.7% alcohol by volume.

Our good friend Robert "Two Fish" Studdiford made this hoppy, full-bodied treat available to the Dirt Rag crew during our stay at the Vagabond Inn on the Vegas Strip. As a matter of fact, every year Robert brings a sizable quantity of Lagunitas with him to Vegas. Additionally, every year Dirt Rag produces a hand-made zine called the "Dirtier Daily" which is, as you may have guessed, a daily newsletter that we distribute at Interbike. We like to say it competes with Bicycle Retailer & Industry News' "Show Daily." During production of the Dirtier Daily, we quaffed bottles of Lagunitas and the end result reflects our hoppy inspiration. Robert also treated us to brie, pepperoni and our choice of German hard bread or stoned wheat thins. Needless to say this made a perfect pre-dinner accompaniment to the IPA.

The Lagunitas Brewing Company is making the bottled variety of their beers available all over the country, so keep an eye out for it at your local bar or beer distributor. If you find yourself in the San Francisco area, be sure to try the IPA on draft.

Contact: Lagunitas Brewing Company, 1280 North McDowell Boulevard, Petaluma, CA 94954; 707.769.4495; www.lagunitas.com.

Blue Boar Mead
With all this beer talk you might think the Dirt Rag quaffing crew has something against other brewed delicacies. That, my friend, couldn't be farther from the truth. While at Interbike, Jack Morton of Bicycle X-Change, Wichita, KS was kind enough to deliver a bottle of home made mead to our booth. Mead is an alcoholic beverage whose origins date back to before recorded history. The traditional ingredients are honey, water, yeast and a lot of time (typically three months to two years). When you add fruit to the recipe, the end product is referred to as melomel, and the spiced variety (which is what we sampled) is called a metheglin. For more information on mead, including recipes, history and other online resources, visit www.brewery.org and navigate to the Mead Hall.