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I just wanted to write a quick congratulatory note to fellow Maine Beer Writers’ Guild founder Russ Philips on getting his first print byline with his inaugural The Maine Beer Guy piece for local paper The Bollard. Many of you will recognize Russ as the prolific beer reviewer on Beer, Maine & Me. Congrats, Russ, on getting into print media as well. Just don’t forget all of us little people on your way to the top!

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For thousands of years, these men and women have toiled to create beverage that we love. Beer may very well be the impetus for civilization. But they’ve never had a day in which all of their “customers” could stop and say thank you (every Friday happy hour not withstanding).

Until now, that is.

The brainchild of Jay Brooks, International Brewers Day is a day to “honor the great men and women who make the beer we love.”

Brewers have given so many of us the pleasure of their artistry and enriched our lives with their beer since civilization began. So I think it’s time we recognized their efforts by celebrating their lives, their commitment and their craft. We’re all beer people, but without the brewers what would we be drinking?

July 18 was chosen because that is the feast day of St. Anou of Metz (a.k.a. St. Arnold), the best known patron saint of brewers.

How to celebrate? Well, drink beer for one. Profile your favorite brewmaster. Hold an event. Hug your favorite brewer. Petition Hallmark to create greeting cards for the occasion. Whatever you do, tell the world about it.

For more information, please check out the official International Brewers Day website. And get ready to Hug a Brewmaster on July 18, 2008.

Thanks to Al at Hop Talk for bringing this event to our attention.

Having just spent the week in New Jersey, I was sorely tempted to head across the bridge into NYC for some beer exploration. Had Beer Menus, a very useful little beer guide to the City, launched last Thursday instead of yesterday, I think I probably would have done so. This site, while quite new, already features 150 bars and 1200 beers in its database. I’ve got it bookmarked in preparation for my next business trip down that way. If you’re in search of beer in the city that never sleeps, take a look at this site. Or, of course, you could just head to Blind Tiger or reBar…the beer is great at either.

While surfing the web for stories about beer and Maine, I came across a nice write up on my new hometown on a site called beerfestivals.org. As I’ve said before, when I moved here I was not expecting Portland to be the beer city that it is. BF.org offers a little history lesson in just how it got to be the beer destination it is today:

If you love beer, you’re probably familiar with Portland, Oregon. But it may surprise you that America’s original Portland, in Maine, is a top beer destination in its own right. This old port city of 60,000 turns out an amazing quantity, and variety, of good beer.

Portland’s evolution into a beer Mecca began in 1980, when Alan Eames, who later won fame as a beer historian, opened Three Dollar Dewey’s (241 Commercial Street). While its name comes from the favors offered by Klondike prostitutes, its atmosphere is reminiscent of Britain, not the Yukon. According to a Portland beer writer, Eames’s pub “educated an entire generation of beer drinkers.” Having discovered a world beyond mass-market lagers, they were ready when craft brewing came to Maine.

The pub is large and roomy, with brick walls, wooden floors, and low ceilings. It’s full of long wooden tables where locals meet and visitors relax after shopping or a harbor cruise. The three-sided bar in back is perfect for reading the paper and munching popcorn while enjoying one of the three dozen beers on tap. Most are brewed by New England micros, but there’s also a good selection from the British Isles, including an “Irish Blacklist” of combination drinks made with stout.

I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve never actually been in Three Dollar Dewey’s. For some reason I’ve always just walked by on my way to other Old Port destinations. I will have to correct that oversight the next time I’m downtown. The article goes on to mention such other Portland beer stalwarts as Gritty McDuff’s and the Stone Coast Brewing. And, of course, what description of Portland Maine would be complete without a mention of our nationally acclaimed beer destination, The Great Lost Bear?

Overall, this was a very nice little write up. I might have added mention of the Sebago Brew Pub as well, it certainly hits most of the highlights. Plan your own trip up here and see for yourself. And if you’re looking for a beer festival near you, be sure to browse over to BeerFestivals.org.