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August 6, 2013 1:42 PM   Subscribe

"My name really is Michael Jackson. But I don't sing and I don't drink Pepsi. I drink beer. That's what I do for a living." -- This is how the Beer Hunter introduced himself in the first episode of his 1990 television series. In six episode he introduced the viewer not just to the world of Belgian beers or the best of British, but also the then new and quickly growing world of American craft brewing. Early August 2007, only a few weeks before he passed away, Daniel Shelton had the last ever interview with the Beer Hunter, which is now up in its entirety on Youtube. posted by MartinWisse (26 comments total) 43 users marked this as a favorite
 
Thanks for this. I can't wait to get home and crack open an ice cold Bud Light so I can really enjoy this post!
posted by Our Ship Of The Imagination! at 1:46 PM on August 6, 2013 [3 favorites]


I'm glad that Bass isn't really considered 'one of the more complex British ales' any more.

Jackson is also one of the best people to read if you want to learn about Whisky.
posted by pipeski at 2:00 PM on August 6, 2013 [4 favorites]


I didn't realize the episodes were online. Thank you for this.
posted by Think_Long at 2:13 PM on August 6, 2013


Le sigh.

I had his beer guide and it made me happy on numerous occasions.
posted by Samizdata at 2:13 PM on August 6, 2013


TONIGHT! I have a plan for tonight!

Thank you.
posted by Seamus at 2:31 PM on August 6, 2013


Well, now how am I supposed to have time to get anything done? I didn't realize that Mr. Jackson had a TV series...and that it was available online!
posted by asnider at 2:36 PM on August 6, 2013


Does this somehow involve Proust, or is that just onomatopoeia for the sound of a beer can opening?
posted by jeisme at 3:16 PM on August 6, 2013 [1 favorite]


It means "cheers" in Dutch
posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 3:41 PM on August 6, 2013 [1 favorite]


I too was hoping for Proust, but am happy to have learned a new toast.
posted by Flaffigan at 4:20 PM on August 6, 2013 [1 favorite]


It means "cheers" in Dutch

Imagine how disappointed I was! However, I can always console myself with beer. And then think of those afternoons at my grandmother's when I was a child, drinking beer on the warm summer afternoons....
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:22 PM on August 6, 2013 [3 favorites]


Does beer go with madeleines?
posted by IndigoJones at 4:44 PM on August 6, 2013 [1 favorite]


Does beer go with madeleines?

Is there anything that doesn't?
posted by maxim0512 at 5:03 PM on August 6, 2013 [1 favorite]


This is awesome and will get watched at some point in the week or so. It's hard to overstate how big of an influence Michael Jackson had on the craft brew revival in the U.S. Every time you get sick of hearing about the legendary Westvleteren 12, blame him. He also had a big influence on the way we talk and even think about beer. Organizations like the Bjcp and sites like Ratebeer, all use the system of grouping beer by styles based on regional traditions and cultural influences that he introduced in The World Guide To Beer. He is missed.

I do think that Garret Oliver has done a very good job stepping into his shoes though. I highly recommend The Brewmaster's Table, to everyone. Seriously, it's one of the best pieces of writing about either food and beer I've seen and by far the best about both. Plus it's pairing suggestions are dead on. My latest favorite is milk stouts with cheese souffles.

Does beer go with madeleines?

Yes. A Belgian Tripel or Blonde would probably be fantastic.

(I get the joke, but if you're going to ask about food and beer, I'm going to answer)
posted by Gygesringtone at 5:12 PM on August 6, 2013 [5 favorites]


And if you make suggestions about beer, I'm going to investigate. A Belgian Tripel it is!

(Sad to see Jackson in his declining stages. If anyone deserved to be around for the on-going beer renaissance, it was he.)
posted by IndigoJones at 5:28 PM on August 6, 2013 [1 favorite]


Or maybe... a weizenbock.

O.k. somebody needs to bring madeleines, I've got a bottle of Left Hand's tripel, and I could go pick up something from Schneider and sons, we could have us a side by side comparison.
posted by Gygesringtone at 6:57 PM on August 6, 2013


The California series of videos is notably amazing. Jackson goes on a road trip in a big bus with Anchor Steam's head honcho and staff so they can play mandolins and watch the harvest and get drunk with their boss. Undeniably a very cheerful half hour.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 7:01 PM on August 6, 2013


Triples are delicious, but be careful! They tend to have super high ABV that is not always easy to taste.

I had the Vicaris Tripel Goeze recently and it blew my brain out.
posted by lazaruslong at 7:11 PM on August 6, 2013


Great post!

She got a light skinned friend look like Michael Jackson
Got a dark skinned friend look like Michael Jackson

posted by porn in the woods at 8:30 PM on August 6, 2013


This and the other Michael Jackson are much more interesting for me than the pop star.
posted by mrzarquon at 10:06 PM on August 6, 2013


Fritz Maytag, talking about why they take a company trip to the barley harvest for their Christmas Ale: "It's terribly important that in our company we not make the mistake of becoming, of having a factory attitude, of becoming a mass-producing company. I want our whole company to participate in that sense that there is a risk with the harvest, and that the supply of our raw materials doesn't just come from the telephone, it comes from the season, from this season, and this weather, and this situation."

This. I love all the episodes I've watched so far, but this bit made me smile.
posted by Punkey at 11:00 PM on August 6, 2013


And just listening Maytag in general. Man, the discussion between him and Jackson in the California episode is just a delight.
posted by Punkey at 11:06 PM on August 6, 2013


Does beer go with madeleines?

I seem to remember that yes, the right kind of beer goes very well with madeleines.
posted by MartinWisse at 11:52 PM on August 6, 2013


Does beer go with Madeleine's what?
posted by Grangousier at 12:39 AM on August 7, 2013


The king of hop!
posted by mahershalal at 5:39 AM on August 7, 2013


I had the pleasure of attending a beer-tasting Mr. Jackson hosted in conjunction with his 1998 book, Michael Jackson's Great Beers of Belgium, where he signed a great many books. He would ask each person in line first if they were a home brewer, and if not, what their favorite beer was, and for every beer, he had a quick one-liner that he added to his autograph in the book.

My favorite is Anchor Steam, so I got "Don't drop Anchor! Michael Jackson". My brother-in-law, a home brewer, got "Brew Belgian! Michael Jackson".
posted by SubterraneanRedStateBlues at 7:03 AM on August 7, 2013


There's a new documentary out about Michael. Also, previously
posted by sixpack at 8:00 AM on August 7, 2013


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