Musical Cheers

Beer Revolution

Photo by Craig Lee

(The New York Times)

Eric Smillie has titled his NYT article "Tastings With Craft Beers" (May 30, 2010), but the headline could just as well read "Musical Beers Play Taps":

You could be forgiven a bit of indecision when ordering a drink at Beer Revolution in Oakland, California. While its coolers glisten with bottles of the world's choice beers, the bar offers a list of exquisite and rare brews that changes daily -- it could take an enthusiast months (or a visit to a potentially far-flung brewery) to catch some of them again.

Good God, it's like musical chairs! I'm in beer heaven. Or would be if I weren't in beer hell. Not only am I not in Oakland partaking of a brew from that revolving beer bar, I'm in my Seoul apartment, where my dear wife has recently persuaded me that a big beer after my daily exercise might not be such a sound notion. I offered to drink a daily pint of whisky instead, citing the example of the great James Madison, but she nixed that as well.

Now, I've agreed to drink beer only once a week. I suppose that there are advantages to this scheme, but I'd need a few drinks to consider what they might be. I trust that most readers can understand why I found myself briefly if rebelliously wishing that I were still living in Berkeley on Alcatraz Avenue, the border to Oakland, so that I'd be within biking distance of Beer Revolution:

Painted a deep red appropriate to its name, Beer Revolution (464 Third Street; 510-452-2337), which opened earlier this year, is the latest in a growing number of tasting bars in northern California and Oregon that combine a hyperactive tap list with an exhaustive selection of bottled craft beers that patrons can sample in-house or take away. "There’s a huge craft brewing movement -- every month there's a new small craft brewery opening," said Rebecca Boyles, a co-owner of the shop with her husband, Mark Martone, who is known as Fraggle. "There's literally a beer revolution going on," Mr. Martone said.

That's Ms. Boyles in the photo above, in case you were wondering who this friendly woman might be, and I can well imagine drinking a few beers at her bar and humming a few bars of some drinking ditty as I enjoy the atmosphere.

Well . . . I can dream of rebellion, can't I?