Piperworks Lives in the Past with Lebowski Beer

It's hard to know how many who follow this blog are fans of The Big Lebowski. The movie was released to mostly lackluster reviews and theater attendance in 1998. It has since become a cult classic that has spawned Lebowski fests all over the place. Say what you will about the movie...it has created an ethos.

If you look around the internet you'll find all sorts of Lebowski schwag. Some urban achievers in a Chicago brewery, Piperworks, took this to heart and brewed a beer that pays homage to the movie.
This is pretty recent and, frankly, I'm surprised no one did it earlier. A beer connected to The Big Lebowski could really tie a brewery together.

The name of the beer is Hey, Careful Man, There's a Beverage Here! That is, of course, a famous line from the movie. The beer was brewed a few months ago and apparently released in October. Availability is limited...bottles only sold in Illinois liquor stores. They didn't want to get out of their element.

What do I know about the beer? Next to nothing...haven't tasted or seen it. It's officially a White Russian Imperial Milk Stout. At 10.5% ABV this is not a beer for lightweights. You might not ask for a refill even if Jackie Treehorn offered.

We aren't likely to see Hey, Careful Man in Oregon anytime soon, if ever. However, I have come across certain information, alright...new shit has come to light regarding this beer. All it took was a bit of web searching...in the parlance of our times.

It turns out this beer is lighter than your typical stout...most reviews describe it as dark amber. Not much head, apparently. Mildly sweet. The urban achiever brewers added lacto sugar to mimic the milk that would be present in a White Russian. Opinions are mixed.

As I say, you likely aren't going to find Hey, Careful Man, There's a Beverage Here! anywhere outside of Illinois. It was brewed once and there's no indication if it will be brewed again. The folks at Piperworks are apparently into the whole brevity thing. And that's cool.

But if you do happen to stumble across a bottle of this stuff, be sure to give notes on it. A lot of fans would like to close the file on this one.

Bowling and Craft Beer Fit Right in There

It occurred to me the other day that we (the Royal we, if you must) who attempt to follow what's happening on the craft beer front sometimes lose our way. We pay plenty of attention to the newest eclectic beers and breweries and we're forever blathering on about special events and festivals. And that's cool...that's cool.

As a result, we sometimes forget about the people who drive around and bowl for recreation. You may be surprised to hear it, but more men and women worldwide participate in bowling than any other sport. Softball? Forget it. Golf? No chance. Any schmo can bowl...and they do in great numbers.

Obviously you're not a golfer

 There's more. First of all, the bowling industry generates more money for airlines, restaurants (bars), hotels and rental cars than any sport worldwide. There's also the fact that you can do virtually everything in a bowling alley that you do in a bar. White Russian?

Bowling alleys have changed a lot in recent times. To compete with other entertainment and gaming options, bowling alley have gotten bigger and they've introduced new activities. Modern bowling alleys are apt to have gaming rooms, restaurants, night clubs, even movie theaters.

Famous bowling buddies

Which brings me around to craft beer. I had to get there at some point. Back in the day, the only beer you were likely to find in a bowling alley was American lager. If you've ever watched a movie with bowling as the backdrop, you probably saw the main characters drinking light beer. Does the Pope shit in the woods?

To check on the current status of beer and bowling, I made a stop at the Hollywood Bowl in Northeast Portland the other day. They've got 48 lanes. It wasn't very busy on a Friday afternoon, but I'm informed the place gets pretty well packed during league play, which runs Monday through Thursday evenings. In general, the place tends to be busier in the winter than in the summer. The bah's over there.

Nine of out of 12 ain't bad

They've got 12 tap handles at Hollywood Bowl. I was impressed to discover nine of those taps pouring respectable beers. The choices included Widmer Rotator IPA, Bridgeport Kingpin, HUB IPA, Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA and several more. Not exactly the Horse Brass, but not bad.

It gets better. The barkeep told me the different breweries take turns sponsoring some of the leagues they have at the Hollywood Bowl. Taps rotate according to who is sponsoring a particular league. It's plain to see out on the lanes, where I saw banners from Laurelwood and Widmer.

It isn't just about good sarsaparilla these days

It doesn't take great eyesight to see that they go through a lot of beer here...and craft has clearly earned a bigger piece of the pie than would have been the case historically. This is not your father's bowling alley beer selection, not by a long-shot. 

I'm not saying your nearest bowling alley is a substitute for the finer brewpubs or ale houses in town. Far from it. What I am saying is craft beer has come a long way when you can find it dominating the beer selection in a place where the patrons didn't always care about good beer. 

I don't know about you, but I take comfort in that.