The End Is Important In All Things

Last night I went to the Laurelhurst theater to see Ghost Dog: The Way of The Samurai with a friend. I've probably seen it a dozen times, but the final scene seems to lodge in my brain and affect my actions for a few days after every viewing. I won't go into the details and spoil it for those who haven't seen the movie (it's amazing), but it centers on a modern day samurai, brilliantly portrayed by Forest Whittaker. At several points during the movie he's shown reading from the Japanese tome Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai. The following quote is the final excerpt from the book to be shown in the movie:

"In the Kamigata area, they have a sort of tiered lunchbox they use for a single day when flower viewing. Upon returning, they throw them away, trampling them underfoot. The end is important in all things."

To bring this back around to beer, I got home after the movie and saw an empty 4 year old bottle of Fantome Printemps that we'd consumed a couple nights earlier. I wasn't sure why the bottle was still sitting on the counter, and not with the rest of it's brethren in the recycle bin, and it struck me that perhaps there was some subconscious attachment to the bottle based on my fond memories of the beer that was preventing me from letting go of something I'd never get to experience again. That final quote was still rolling around in the back of my mind, and I made a conscious decision to "let go" and dispose of it. Was it a monumental, life-changing realization? Certainly not, but it brought to mind other things, both physical and mental, that I should have let go of a long time ago.

Anyways, its something to ponder next time you're looking in your cellar and trying to decide whether or not you should drink that last bottle of something special. Sooner or later you'll have to drink it, and when you do it should be consumed with the joyful realization that all things must end. That, and you've just created an empty spot in the cellar which can now be filled with a new bottle that will have a story and journey all it's own.

As one final beer tie-in, the Laurehurst features several tasty things on tap; last nights' list included Caldera Porter, Lucky Lab's No Pity Pale and ESB, and some "Oregon Classics" like Full Sail Amber and Widmer Hefe. Where else can you get a pint of tasty brew, a bag of popcorn, and admission to one of the greatest movies ever made, all for under $10?

Lemon Your Widmer?

Alright, I'm going to put aside whatever feelings I may have about extraneous fruit slices garnishing my beer because this is pretty darn cool.




You can check out more videos, or submit your own, at the Lemon Your Widmer homepage.

Beer List For FredFest 2007

You may recall my previous post about FredFest 2007, and I promised an update when I knew which beers were pouring, so without further ado I present the initial list of beers scheduled to make an appearance during the fest.


1- BridgePort Brewing - Cask Old Knucklehead
2- Deschutes - Coffee infused 20K Imperial Bourbon Porter
3- Full Sail - TBA
4- Hair Of The Dog - Cask Fred
5- Laurelwood - TBA
6- Lucky Lab - Russian Imperial Stout
7- New Old Lompoc - Oak aged LSD
8- Max's Fanno Creek - Belgian Dubbel
9- Pelican Brewing - Gran Cru
10- Racoon Lodge - Sour Wild Blackberry aged in oak
11- Rock Bottom - Ned Flanders Red. ( the original!)
12- Rogue - Dad's Little Helper Malt liquor
13- Roots Organic - Pinot-barrel aged Epic
14- Widmer - Collaborator Continuum Brown

Whoa. Seriously, if that list doesn't get you excited enough to drop $20 I don't know what would. Remember, all the proceeds from the event go to help longtime craft-beer supporter Merle Gilmore, who has been battling leukemia and faces astronomical medical and prescription bills. Gilmore has been an inexhaustible volunteer at beer fests and often assisted Hair of the Dog owner Alan Sprints in bottling and other duties around the brewery.

Cost for the event is $20 in advance or $25 at the door and includes a souvenir glass. To get on the list for advance-purchase tickets, e-mail fredfest@comcast.net.

Go. Buy tickets. Now.

Special Thanks to John Foyston for the great picture of Fred!

EDIT Tuesday, May 8, 2007: Just Announced! Laurelwood is featuring Green Elephant Organic IPA (2006, I believe) and Full Sail will be pouring the 2006 GABF silver-medal winning Black Gold Imperial Stout.

Quick Note: Widmer W'07 and Copperhook

I just got a heads up from the fine folks at the Craft Brand Alliance (Widmer/Redhook/Kona) informing me about upcoming specials for the spring. There were a couple interesting tidbits to be gleaned from the marketing materials:

~This years' addition to the Brewmaster Collection, simply called W'07, is a Summit-hopped Pale Ale. Look for it to hit shelves in late January or early February. It will most likely be included in the variety packs later in the spring as well, but that's speculative...

~Redhook is releasing (you could say re-releasing) Copperhook, a re-branding of the popular Chinook Copper Ale. Look for it to be included in the variety pack and in 6 packs beginning in February.

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