Remembering Ron Jeffries (And Beer Labels Too)
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Before we jump into our usual Wednesday roundup of labels, a bit of sad news: If you’ve ever enjoyed an American-made sour beer, you owe a debt of gratitude to Ron Jeffries, who passed away this week.
Ron was the pioneer behind Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales and their revolutionary barrel-aged wild ale program. Sour beer was unfathomably weird to the American palate back then, but his Bam Biere and other unique concoctions helped pave the way for a flood of spontaneous wild and kettle soured beers in the future.
Those beers that Ron was making at Jolly Pumpkin in my early days of drinking went beyond mythic, from the artwork to the specialty bottles to the mindblowing liquid inside. Even as I was battering the boundaries of my palate in directions hoppy, adjuncted and barrel-aged, those first sour beers were just another level of different and new and wonderful.
I will most certainly be raising a Bam Biere a Bam Noire, a La Parcela, or hopefully even a Madrugada Obscura again sometime soon in his honor. I’d encourage you to share a toast with a wild or sour beer that you love as well.
The New Illinois Beer Label of the Week:
I know that the news at the top of this email was a little dark, so … here’s a new dark lager from Maplewood! I love the way they tucked a tiny little “doppelbock” in the upper left-hand corner. A sneaky little nod to people who want a touch more info than just a color and a classification.
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