Alan D. Eames, 59, Scholar of Beers Around the World, Dies

Alan D. Eames, who cultivated his reputation as “the Indiana Jones of beer” by crawling into Egyptian tombs to read hieroglyphics about beer and voyaging along the Amazon in search of a mysterious lost black brew, died on Feb. 10 at his home in Dummerston, Vt. He was 59.

His wife, Sheila, said he died after suffering respiratory failure while he slept.

Mr. Eames called himself a beer anthropologist, a role that allowed him to expound on subjects like what he put forward as the world’s oldest beer advertisement, dating to roughly 4000 B.C. . . .

. . . Alan Eames, who never learned to drive or use a computer, wrote his last article about witchcraft and beer. He himself stopped drinking the stuff eight years ago.

Cherry Beer

Sam Adams Cherry Wheat was absolutely horrible. I bought a six pack of that stuff and had it for about a year before I finally pawned it all off on unsuspecting friends.

The matching of food with the beer does sound intriguing.

Buy bring that I live in the boonies of North East Ohio I am not likely to find a restaurant that has that much creativity.

Belgian beer

I had a Belgian ale that was very unusual, kind of fruity and aromatic.

My favorite:

"Ahhh ... Beer! The cause and cure for most all of life's problems." .... Homer Simpson

Beer Wisdom!

Courtesy of The Alice Foundation (a Key West Drinking Club)

"Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn't drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered." Then I say to myself, "It is better that I drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver."
Jack Handy

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day."
Frank Sinatra

"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools."
Ernest Hemingway

"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."
Henny Youngman

"24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not."
Stephen Wright

"When we drink, we get drunk.
When we get drunk, we fall asleep.
When we fall asleep, we commit no sin.
When we commit no sin, we go to heaven.
Sooooo, let's all get drunk and go to heaven!"
Brian O'Rourke

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
Benjamin Franklin

"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."
Dave Barry

Remember "I" before "E", except in Budweiser.

And saving the best for last, as explained by Cliff Clavin, of Cheers. One afternoon at Cheers, Cliff Clavin was explaining the Buffalo Theory to his buddy Norm. Here's how it went:

"Well ya see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers."

I had a Belgian ale that was very unusual, kind of fruity and aromatic.

The Dutch pride themselves with their beer and each Dutch pub serves at least three types of beers, two of which are Dutch, the third is almost always Belgian.

The Dutch beers are generally served in small 10 oz. glasses (this applies to Limburg and other southern Dutch areas, it may differ in other regions). The Belgian beers though are always served in a special glass, often more like a wine or brandy glass and they are always more expensive. When the Dutch want a special beer, they drink Belgian.

Belgium probably has the widest variety, and some of the best, of beer styles compared to any other country in Europe.

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