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Tuesday, 20 May 2008

Challenge everything

Standing on the shoulders of midgets. That's what modern beer writers are doing. We need a year zero.

I was lucky enough to be young during the punk period. Suddenly all my ideas about music were challenged. Relistening to my records, I found many wanting. About half went in the bin. Looking at the current state of beer writing, I can't help thinking a similar process is long overdue. If I took a critical look at the books I own, how many would survive the cull?

I've been doing my own research into beer history for about five years. What I've learned is at odds with almost everything published. Mild, Porter, Stout, IPA, Brown Ale: the history of all these styles is at best distorted. In some cases, it appears totally fabricated. And that's just British styles. Don't get me started on lagers. Or German Ales, sorry, top-fermenting beers. Anyone know the story behind Düsseldorf Alt? I certainly don't.

Much of the work on beer history is so misguided and misleading, it would be better to start afresh. Just forget everything we thought we knew and do a Michael Finnegan - begin again.

Why not make 2008 year zero?

6 comments:

  1. Alan20 May 2008 at 09:52

    Can we have a parade to mark this day, then? I'll follow any plan that comes with a parade...or a plate of decent sandwiches.

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  2. Stonch20 May 2008 at 11:15

    The funny thing about you, Von Ron, is that despite being a big geek who carries a cordouroy shopping bag, you're actually very cool.

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  3. Ron Pattinson20 May 2008 at 11:29

    I thought the corduroy - DDR-style - shopping bag was what made me cool.

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  4. Kristen England20 May 2008 at 12:29

    You are both wrong. Leather sleeves make you cool. Note the difference between the guy wearing a leather jacket (cool) and the guy wearing a leather vest (douche). Who would have thought.

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  5. Stonch20 May 2008 at 17:09

    I've long been of the view that leather jackets aren't on at all, but the new Indiana Jones movie might change that.

    Ron, why were your shoes in such a state the morning after in Josef Schneider's? I will never understand that.

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  6. Ron Pattinson20 May 2008 at 22:34

    Stonch, nore to the point is why weren't Andy's? We both stood around in the same car park at Schneider junior's graduation party.

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