Sharing is Caring

Too often I see people starting a business with intentions to make a lot of money and what normally happens is they don't get very far out of the starting gate. I believe passion for your work/craft truly makes your business successful. Passion is defined by those who put sweat and blood in it like it is going to save the world. I feel this is reflected in a lot of local businesses in the beer industry around Tulsa, OK be it a brewery or liquor store. Passion for crafting drinkable beer is truly an art just like cooking.

Another great thing about passion for craft beer is that those who create it and love it want to share it with everyone. Don't drink craft beer? I know so many people that can start you off in the right path and break the 30 pack hum drum. So with this passion of sharing be it online through Facebook/Twitter, at R Bar & Grill sampling flights or hopefully sampling at your local brewery if HB 1341 is passed, I wanted to share some advice and images.

Photo by: Prairie Artisan Ales

Just recently Prairie Artisan Ales released a Kickstarter project to help fund their 100% oak barrel aged brewing house. This is a unique and inspiring way to help out a local brewery that has already established themselves in the market and spreading the "Made in Oklahoma" message.

Chase and Colin share quite a bit on Facebook from label concepts to ingredients in their recipes. I encourage you to follow along if you have any general interest in creating your own brand of beers.

Another passion of mine personally is volunteering and charities. Just yesterday I found an event called Okie Brews for CureResearch 2013. This is a beer tasting event with local Oklahoma breweries like COOP Ale Works and Mustang Brewing Co. taking place April 18th in Tulsa. Here is the description from there event site:



"CureSearch for Children’s Cancer is a national non-profit (501(c)(3)) foundation whose mission is to fund and support children’s cancer research and provide information and resources to all those affected by children’s cancer. CureSearch raises funds for promising research conducted at more than 180 hospitals in the United States, including Saint Francis Children’s Hospital in Tulsa and the OU Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City. For more information, please call 800-458-6223 or visit us online at www.curesearch.org "

Image by: OkieBrews 2013

We plan on attending and encourage our members as well to come out. While I am in the sharing mood I have come up with a contest for those who want to join us but may need a little more incentive. 

Anyone that signs up with Beer Is OK from now until April 15th will be entered into a drawing for tickets to the 2013 Okie Brews for CureResearch event. We will select two lucky people to represent Beer Is OK and hob nob with Oklahoma brewers and sample their craft beers. Please head over to www.beerisok.com and sign up today on our home page.

In closing make sure to include sharing everyday whether it be a home brew tip or a few dollars to a local charity, sharing makes everything more successful. 

Prost!

Brian W.

Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher: A book report

An unexpected Christmas present from my youngest brother turned into a book I will refer to through the rest of my beer snob career. Randy Mosher is a well known author for book, 'Radical Brewing' and digging deep into the history and revealing why so many are passionate for this liquid libation. 'Tasting Beer' takes you on a journey of beer's inception and it's rise to fame through the centuries. Randy breaks down the anatomy of beer to style, color, taste, history for you to have a more memorable experience with your beer and appreciate the art form of crafting a good beer. As a member of the AHA and Chicago Beer Society, Randy is the ultimate enthusiast that can inspire and bring out the true beer lover in anybody.

I really couldn't put this book down and almost found myself drinking a beer each time I picked it up to try and deconstruct what was in it and solve the mysteries of craft beer along with Randy. You will learn more than you can retain and I have a feeling I will be reading this again and using the dictionary provided as well or the multitude of charts for SRM (Standard Reference Method), IBU's, proper glassware, food and cheese pairings and so much more.

Probably the most enticing reading lies in chapters 9 and beyond where Randy breaks down every beer style  with complete history, profile and suggested beers to try from British ales to lagers to American craft beer. Recently I went back to reference Belgian strong dark ales while drinking a Dogfish Head Raison D'etre and gained a better appreciation for the complexity of the malts and rich finish of the beer. Now if that doesn't scream beer geek...

I encourage you to put this book on your reading list if you ever wanted to gain a fuller appreciation for the beer you drink or if you are an avid cook and want to start pairing with beer. Randy breaks it all down in simple language and great layout for you to go back and reference with ease. You can find it online for sale almost anywhere and as I write this there is a copy sitting in Martin Regional Library in Tulsa, OK.

So what are you waiting for, go grab a copy, crack open an Oklahoma craft beer and enjoy!