American travelers in the 60s and 70s ventured to the homeland of Beer, particularly England. While there they discovered that English beer was darker, warmer and much better than the watered down, over marketed lagers back home. But they also discovered something else, a beer culture brewed into the tradition of the Third Place. After home and work, a pub often served as the Third Place in a community.
It is where people gathered to share news and discuss ideas. Our forefathers discussed independence in a pub. C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien formed a literary group called the Inklings, that met in a pub. Those intrepid travelers came home to reintroduce the concept of the Third Place and build the foundation of our modern craft beer movement. Today the focus seems to be on boundary crushing innovation.
If you enjoy having a good craic getting squiffy drinking a beer that is the dog’s bollocks, then I hope you enjoy episode 10 of Good Beer Matters with Ted Sobel of Brewer’s Union Local 180 in Oakridge, Oregon.