Michael Jackson

I was at my friend Max’s place to meet a friend and discuss our club’s prep class for the BJCP exam. They were swamped and between all of his running around I had the unenviable task of telling Max that Michael Jackson had died. Michael Jackson, for those who don’t know, was, perhaps, the most influential beer writer of our times. He began writing about beer in the 1970’s and was a tireless advocate of real beer, and was an inspiration to a new generation of beer writers. He writings began at a time when beer was given no respect and at a time when many traditional beer styles were dying out. His writing certainly helped to preserve and save these styles and also helped to lead to the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) in England and the craft brewing revolution in America. He will be sorely missed. I’m sure many a pint of many excellent beers were raised in his honor on Thursday night.

My clubs list serve was filled with Michael Jackson stories, anecdotes, and quotes, but Max isn’t an online kind of guy and had been so busy all day that he didn’t know until I told him. Max had given me a sample of his Gluteus Maximus barley wine and it seemed an excellent choice to use in a toast to Michael Jackson. Max told us the story of having lunch with Jackson in 1995. I had never met him personally and didn’t attend a tasting he held at Rogue’s brewpub here in Portland a few years ago. I was tight on cash and figured I would have another opportunity to meet him, because I didn’t expect him that he would die at such an early age (he had Parkinson’s and other health issues).

I drank through the sample of barley wine and had a pint of Farmer’s Daughter, which is Max’s Belgian Golden Ale, which falls somewhere between a Saison and Golden Ale. Frankly, I don’t care what style people want to place it in. It’s a fantastic beer that’s filled with exotic spice and fruit notes and finishes very dry (far drier than most American made Belgians). It’s become his flagship beer and I’d happily drink a pint of it any time. I also did have his excellent Belgian IPA, which uses the same yeast as the Farmer’s Daughter, but the same grain bill and hopping schedule as his traditional NW beer. It was another good choice for toasting Michael Jackson, who loved the hoppy beers that the NW is famous for and was also an authority on Belgian beers (he literally wrote the book on it).




John Foyston, the beer writer for the Oregonian has a wonderful tribute of Michael Jackson stories on his blog, The Beer Here. It’s a far better tribute than I could write, so I’d encourage you to read it. In any event, the beer world will never be the same with his passing.