Lager

Like a big scoop of your favorite ice cream, the subtitle of this book is a real mouthful.It's also misleading.This isn't so much Ben & Jerry's story as it is Ben & Fred's. Fred would be Fred "Chico" Lager, the book's author and former chief executive officer of the ice cream company. Ben would be Ben Cohen, co-founder with Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc.The conflict between Ben and Fred makes for interesting reading. It turns out that things weren't all sweetness and super chunks up in Vermont in the late 1980s.

It's 1:15 on a warm and sunny fall afternoon in Canton, and the downstairs bar and lounge area of the Fork & Wrench is packed with about 30 people. No, it's not an office party or a surge of late lunchgoers waiting for a table upstairs at the Boston Street hotspot. There's a TV commercial being made, and instead of the usual cool, dark ambience, the scene is one of lights, cables, clutter and a large camera standing in the center of the room locked down and focused on a bottle of beer in the middle of a spectacular wooden bar. Standing alongside the camera is Jim Bartolomeo, the camerman/director whose resume includes working on the first season of HBO's “The Sopranos” and Barry Levinson's feature film “Sleepers.” Scattered throughout the room in blue jeans, T-shirts, work shirts and baseball caps are crew members who have earned their stripes on Baltimore-based series such as NBC's “Homicide: Life on the Street” and HBO's “The Wire.” But all that matters here is the beer.

RESULTS are in from this year's Great American Beer Festival, and they are a little disheartening for lovers of the brew on the East Coast. Of 94 medals awarded in 32 types of beers and ales, only 14 went to brewers east of the Mississippi River.No doubt one reason was the site of the competition, Denver, Colo. Many of the craft brewers who would enter contests like this are small operations with little time or money to fly a couple of cases and a keg or two that far. Also, the micro-brewery business started and flourishes the most on the West Coast.

For a couple of months, it's been known that Frederick-based Flying Dog would release its first canned beer this year. Now, we know the date: the first beer, the hoppy light lager Underdog Atlantic, will be in stores in April, confirmed spokeswoman Erin Biles. The cans will hit Frederick first, with Baltimore as the second targeted market. The launch comes as the brewer, the state's largest, plans its most ambitious rollout since it purchased its Maryland base in 2006. This year, it will debut 20 new beers . Biles said they see cans as an additional platform for their beer, one that's now possible thanks to improvements in bottling technology.

On Wednesday, September 7, 2005, THELMA R. BROWN, of Salisbury, Md., formerly of Baltimore. Beloved wife of the late John Richard Brown. Mother of Nancy Marie Welsh and her husband Dennis of Ocean Pines, Md. Also surviving is Elizabeth R. Mc Lean of Virginia and Eric Richelson of Germany. She was predeceased by her brothers Melvin and Charles Hoxter and her devoted friend and companion of many years Thomas A. Loudens Lager. She was an operator for many years with AT&T and was a lifetime member of the Telephone Pioneers.

Ah yes, Oktoberfest - this glorious time of year when the afternoons are golden and the beers are exceptionally flavorful. Following the example of Bavaria's Crown Prince Ludwig, who rolled barrels of Marzen out of the lagering caves to celebrate his 1810 marriage to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen, brewers roll out new beers each autumn. Many of us don't need much of an excuse to try a new beer, and the opportunity to be a part of a tradition and to sip something wonderful is too good to pass up. So from the beer halls in Munich to festivals in the 5th Regiment Armory and backyard get-togethers in Catonsville, Oktoberfest fans gather and drink the seasonal suds.

Anyone who has ever tried to win an online contest could learn something from Adrian Piccardi. Piccardi, a 20-year-old freelance movie editor, has netted $23,000 in the past eight months by taking first place in three best-video competitions, campaigning by giving away beer and reaching out to more than 100,000 "friends" on MySpace for votes. He is a marketer's dream. By going to extraordinary lengths to persuade people to cast ballots in online contests, Piccardi has sent hundreds, even thousands, of users to Web sites that are trying to sell something.

I SIPPED THE PAST the other afternoon, and it tasted pretty good. National Premium -- a locally made beer once considered among the classiest lagers in the land, only to drop out of production in 1996 -- is making a comeback.The reborn beer was served last week at the Baltimore Waterfront Festival by its new owner, Frederick Brewing Co., the Maryland craft brewery known for its variety of small-batch beers, including one made with hemp seed.Judging by the glass of National Premium I downed, the old favorite is off to a promising second start.

Things have come to a head between brewmaster Greg Schirf and the Mormon teetotalers who run Utah. At noon today our time, Schirf plans to walk to the edge of Great Salt Lake and pour several kegs of his newest creation - First Amendment Lager - into the brine in a sudsy re-enactment of the Boston Tea Party. "It's give me liberty or give me a cold one," declares Schirf, who will be dressed as Benjamin Franklin for his lakeside happy hour. The impish businessman is protesting a $1.80-per-keg increase in the beer tax that he suspects is punishment for his activities on behalf of the elbow-bending public and those who serve them.

I have tasted the beverages of May, and can report there are happy days ahead.Two local brewers, Baltimore Brewing Company on Albermarle Street and Sisson's on Cross Street, have turned out "Maibock" beers in honor of the lusty month.The name Maibock means a strong lager served in May. I am told that over in Bavaria the arrival of these beers is part of a general hoo-ha celebrating spring, flowers and flirting. I support the spread of such hoo-ha.The Maibock is loaded with malt, and a fair of amount of alcohol, 6.8 percent by volume compared to the 5.3 percent in most everyday brews.

FREDERICK -- Nestled in an industrial park near Interstate 270, the honey-brown big-box factory is easily overlooked. It's a huge space for an independent microbrewery, but small when compared to an Anheuser-Busch plant. Though the Wild Goose Brewery has tried to market itself with Saturday tours, manager Ryan Fox said, "You'd be shocked how many people have lived in Frederick all their lives and have no idea there's a brewery in town." That may be changing as the former Frederick Brewing Co. plant adds products and beefs up its output.

Anyone who has ever tried to win an online contest could learn something from Adrian Piccardi. Piccardi, a 20-year-old freelance movie editor, has netted $23,000 in the past eight months by taking first place in three best-video competitions, campaigning by giving away beer and reaching out to more than 100,000 "friends" on MySpace for votes. He is a marketer's dream. By going to extraordinary lengths to persuade people to cast ballots in online contests, Piccardi has sent hundreds, even thousands, of users to Web sites that are trying to sell something.

Ah yes, Oktoberfest - this glorious time of year when the afternoons are golden and the beers are exceptionally flavorful. Following the example of Bavaria's Crown Prince Ludwig, who rolled barrels of Marzen out of the lagering caves to celebrate his 1810 marriage to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen, brewers roll out new beers each autumn. Many of us don't need much of an excuse to try a new beer, and the opportunity to be a part of a tradition and to sip something wonderful is too good to pass up. So from the beer halls in Munich to festivals in the 5th Regiment Armory and backyard get-togethers in Catonsville, Oktoberfest fans gather and drink the seasonal suds.

I'm back by popular demand. I got a grand total of four emails begging me not to retire, which - out of a total readership that has to number in the twos of hundreds - was enough to convince me that there still are people out there who love great sports commentary. That and the fact that Human Resources informed me I can't start collecting my huge Baltimore Sun pension for another 15 years. Apparently, there are some kind of service time rules that don't allow you to live without working until you're too old to really enjoy it - information that would have been nice to know when I was hired in 1990.

On Wednesday, September 7, 2005, THELMA R. BROWN, of Salisbury, Md., formerly of Baltimore. Beloved wife of the late John Richard Brown. Mother of Nancy Marie Welsh and her husband Dennis of Ocean Pines, Md. Also surviving is Elizabeth R. Mc Lean of Virginia and Eric Richelson of Germany. She was predeceased by her brothers Melvin and Charles Hoxter and her devoted friend and companion of many years Thomas A. Loudens Lager. She was an operator for many years with AT&T and was a lifetime member of the Telephone Pioneers.

Things have come to a head between brewmaster Greg Schirf and the Mormon teetotalers who run Utah. At noon today our time, Schirf plans to walk to the edge of Great Salt Lake and pour several kegs of his newest creation - First Amendment Lager - into the brine in a sudsy re-enactment of the Boston Tea Party. "It's give me liberty or give me a cold one," declares Schirf, who will be dressed as Benjamin Franklin for his lakeside happy hour. The impish businessman is protesting a $1.80-per-keg increase in the beer tax that he suspects is punishment for his activities on behalf of the elbow-bending public and those who serve them.

A Gold-en notionThere's a shoe for every sport, why not a beer? Let's start with Lax Lager, the creation of local lacrosse aficionado Joe Gold. Mr. Gold, who was raised in Brooklyn Park and helped UMBC win its lacrosse division championship in 1980, developed a taste for English-style beers while working for the British government to promote lacrosse and, later, for Young & Co. brewers of London.Back in the United States and involved once again with lacrosse, Mr. Gold thought it would be fun to develop a beer lacrosse players -- and others -- could love.

I'm back by popular demand. I got a grand total of four emails begging me not to retire, which - out of a total readership that has to number in the twos of hundreds - was enough to convince me that there still are people out there who love great sports commentary. That and the fact that Human Resources informed me I can't start collecting my huge Baltimore Sun pension for another 15 years. Apparently, there are some kind of service time rules that don't allow you to live without working until you're too old to really enjoy it - information that would have been nice to know when I was hired in 1990.

The specialty is a crab pretzel, a soft pretzel covered with crab dip. You gotta love it. But Lagers, a Canton pub that opened recently at 2522 Fait Ave., is getting serious about its food. Besides sandwiches, pizzas and the usual bar food, the bar-restaurant is now serving seafood, steaks and pasta. Not a chain Those who remember the now-closed Lighthouse on Park Avenue might be interested to know that the owners, brothers Thomas and John Dellis, have opened Dellis Bar & Restaurant at 8776 Philadelphia Road in White Marsh.

Herb Shaffer lifts his beer mug and admires its contents -- a dark, chocolate-brown stout topped with a good inch of creamy white mousse. He inhales to take in the full aroma. Then, after taking a long, deep swallow, he slowly places the mug on the table in front of him. After a moment of silence, he exclaims with great satisfaction in his voice: "This is real beer!"Seated across from Shaffer, Dan Sadler prepares to take a ceremonial first sip from his mug, only his choice of beer is lighter in color -- an India Pale Ale.Both men belong to a growing number of beer geeks -- connoisseurs of hearty, flavorful crafted suds.