Put Me on Your Calendar!

I'm the type of girl... who loves to have something on the calendar to look forward to, something fun on the horizon. I've got two things coming up that are going to be great fun, and I'd love you to join me.

Now, you know how it is: you hear something tragic, you think, "Somebody should..." and then you get on about the business of being you and before you know it, the tragedy is out of your consciousness and you are dealing with your own problems. Or, you hear about somebody doing something about that tragedy and it inspires you to get involved.  That's just how it happened.

Clean water AND an ice ball

The "somebody" is Doc Hendley and the "something" is Wine to Water. According to CNN, countless families worldwide, and me, he's a Hero. CNN named him a Hero of the Year, about six years after he started working on the problem of water-borne illness. Back in 2003, his consciousness was awakened to the problem and by August of the following year, he was living in Darfur, Sudan, helping the locals get clean water.

Seriously? Darfur? I wouldn't even want to visit. To demonstrate my amazing power over understatement, I will say that it is dangerous. How dangerous? His team was there for a year and two of them got killed. Instead of abandoning the project, he continues to this day, to travel to underdeveloped, war-ravaged countries. 

Why? You're probably better off asking me than him. He could tell you things that would break your heart. I can tell you that every 20 seconds, a child dies from water-borne disease. There are 7 billion people living on Earth, and 1 billion of us lack access to clean water. His 501(c)(3) charity, Wine to Water, currently has projects in Haiti, India, Peru, Cambodia, Uganda, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, South Africa and Sudan. There are lots of ways to get involved, and no amount of money is too small to give. 

But if you know me at all, you know I've got something in mind. Next Monday, April 8, I'll be working at the Delafield Brewhaus. I'll be mixing drinks and tapping beer and running food just like always, but here's what's different: I'll be giving all my tips to Doc Hendley's Wine to Water. Every dollar. We're going to save lives together. If even one less family watches their little one die, we will have done something great. Please come out; I'll do my best to show you a good time!

I'm reading it right now...

The other fun thing on my calendar is a book signing at another job, the Great Lakes Distillery. I am not normally so stoked about a book signing, but this particular book is so interesting; I can't turn a page without learning something strange and new and wonderful that opens my mind to the miracles of life all around us. The book is called The Drunken Botanist, and its subject matter is the flora that go into beverage alcohol. I have so far learned which organism was the first to be domesticated by humans, the gift we gave France that ended up wiping out its wine industry (and the resultant impact that decimation had on brandy and absinthe), where Belgian lambic brewers think the best yeast comes from and I could go on and on and on. The author, Amy Stewart, will be at the Distillery on April 10th. The rest of the tour's schedule is here, in case you won't be in Milwaukee on the 10th. If you're anywhere near as geeky as me, you will not be disappointed. 

I love to see you in person, so put me on your calendar and we can change the world or learn new stuff (or both!); you choose. See you soon!

Just One Shift

Everybody loves drinking... especially thirsty people. Right now, in the 21st century, nearly one billion people of Earth's people lack access to clean water. They are families all over the globe. Just about every 20 seconds, like a grim metronome, a child dies from a water-borne illness. Every 20 seconds, a family watches helplessly while a little one struggles for one last breath... the last breath.

Enter a hero. In 2009, CNN selected Doc Hendley as one of its Heroes of the Year for his work to solve this crisis. His charity, Wine to Water, has been raising funds since 2004 to dig wells where clean water can be had, and to distribute filteration systems where it cannot. Doc is one man, but he does not work alone.  He is getting assistance from Gary "Gaz" Regan, who is well-known in mixology circles.

Hendley and Regan are calling on us all to help save the lives of people whose only crime was being born in the wrong place at the wrong time. They are asking us to do a simple thing, a small thing -- for some of you, he is asking only that you go about your business as you normally would with no deviation at all. They are asking bartenders to donate Just One Shift, and I am asking you to join me in answering the call.

Just One Shift is a program where bartenders donate their tips from one night's work to the Wine to Water, a 501(c)(3) organization. The program runs during the second week of April, and I have chosen to donate the first night of the event. Please come to the Delafield Brewhaus after 5p.m. and give generously; 100% of my tips will go to this worthy cause, and 100% of all money donated to Wine to Water will be used to provide clean water worldwide, wherever it is needed most.

If you cannot attend, consider making a donation here. Any amount is welcome, and as little as $30 can provide clean water for a family of ten for up to five years. If you are a bartender and would like to get involved or host an event, click here. People cannot go without water to drink, and we are all so blessed by comparison. Thank your lucky stars that you are on the giving end of this proposition, and please do what you can.

Does This Man Have Your Dream Job?

John Harrison is the kind of guy you could stand behind in the grocery store and never know you're inches away from a beer-making rock star.    Beneath the unassuming exterior is an applied intellect that delights palates both personal and professional, and he has created a devoted fan base in a State that knows beer.

If you want to impress beer drinkers in Wisconsin, you better bring your A-Game.  Harrison began making beer about thirty years ago, but his hobby didn't stay a hobby for long. Something about it took root in him and before long, he says, "I couldn't see myself working a Joe job for the rest of my life.... I wanted to make beer."

I met Harrison at the Delafield Brewhaus last week for the first in a series of conversations about beer. He has come a long way from his home setup, including lots of professional brewing, his graduation from the Siebel Institute of Technology. He has designed more than 250 styles of beer, and won some very prestigious awards along the way.

If you don't know, the Siebel Institute was founded in 1872 as America's first brewing school.  Graduation from its World Brewing Academy is enough to confer "expert" status, but to give you an idea of the seriousness of the subject matter, consider some of its course titles: Bier Sommelier, Raw Materials and Wort Production, Sensory Analysis for Flavor Production and Control. It is a beer geek's paradise.

His experience and education came in handy when the Delafield Brewhaus came calling. Harrison had just experienced a career setback in the form of back-to-back floods at his previous location.  Just when things seemed the bleakest, fate lent a hand with the opportunity of a lifetime.

Imagine, for a moment,  the great passion of your life.  Now imagine that you are free to pursue it, full-time.  In fact, you will be paid to pursue your greatest passion precisely as you wish - the project will be your own, down to the last detail.  "I started this project clearing the land... I was the first one they brought on board," Harrison said. He is the architect of the brewery, from its exterior grain silo that feeds the grist mill in the basement, to the taps behind the bar and everything in between.  He even planted the Cascade hops around the Biergarden outside, which he naturally uses in the course of his work.

Harrison's technical expertise, genuine passion and three decades of experience coalesce to make a brewmaster as skilled as he is humble.  Yes, if you ask him, he will tell you incredible stories about the time his beer beat some very well-known brands at a major competition, and how he took 6 beers to the World Beer Championships and came home with 6 medals. For me, the cool thing about John Harrison is, his numerous accolades are not what drives him to pursue excellence. "The people who come in time after time are a better medal than any you could put on a wall," he says.

I have met some of his fans. The ones who are excited to see a new beer on the line, the Mug Club loyalty members, folks who walk in with empty growlers and walk out with their favorite or excited about a new style.  They are mostly men, but Harrison's products definitely appeal to both genders -- certain beers, particularly those involving fruits and berries are especially girl-friendly (in my observation).   

The Delafield Brewhaus hosts Beer-and-Food pairing dinners, and if you have a taste for great beer and delicious food, matched by experts, this is a great event.  If you're out of range, check back here for the next in this series.