‘A lodge for real ale lovers in England’

    

Speaking of lodges under the United Grand Lodge of England (see post below), a group of Masons in Worcestershire are starting to organize a lodge for real ale enthusiasts.

I told you about Lodge of St. Peter & Harmony 600 last year, and Cervisia Lodge 10032 and Horus Lodge 3155 and the Masonic Craft Beer Society the year before. The Provincial Grand Lodge of Worcestershire announced on its website Sunday that local brethren are seeking founding members of a Craft lodge for real ale lovers.

What is real ale? We Americans know nothing about it. The mass market diuretics here are pasteurized, homogenized, flavorless, watery frauds. The Beer Connoisseur says:

In traditional pubs in the U.K., patrons stroll up to the bar to select a beer. Along with offerings in bottles and cans, pubs will pour a range of draft lagers and ales. Most fine pubs will also showcase a row of peculiar, elongated, vertical tap handles that resemble billy clubs. These require the bartender to use a bit of muscle to pump the handle a couple of times to suction beer from the cellar up to the pint glass. These “hand-pulled” beers display colorful pump clip labels featuring eccentric names and artwork, and the unfiltered beer pours from a gooseneck spout with a soft, light CO2 sparkle. This quirky, historic English product is known as “real ale” or “cask ale.”

Fizzy draft or keg beer is filtered and pumped full of pressurized carbon dioxide gas, but real ale breweries in the U.K. usually put unfiltered, uncarbonated ale into 10.8-gallon metal casks called “firkins.” A hint of fermentable sugar and live yeast is included in the sealed firkin. Like a bottle of homebrew, the yeast consumes the residual sugar over a few days, producing a natural, subtle carbonation in the cask ale—making real ale a living product.

When the cask arrives at the pub, the cellar person places it in “stillage” position in the cool cellar. A cask in stillage is left horizontal and motionless for a couple of days, allowing the yeast to settle to the bottom and the beer to clarify. English casks are built with a “keystone” serving hole on one end and a larger opening in the center of the cask known as the “shive.” Plastic or wooden shive and keystone bungs get hammered into both openings to seal up the cask ale. Before serving, the cellar person hammers a small wooden peg or “spile” into a depression in the shive bung to monitor the level of CO2 in the ale. Lively casks are allowed to bubble and vent through the wooden spile for a few minutes or hours until the real ale achieves the perfect level of delicate carbonation.

Sounds great to me, and I don’t even drink any more. (I don’t drink any less, but I don’t drink any more!)

I notice mention above of the “keystone” apertures, so maybe a real ale chapter is in the future. Anyway, if you read the graphic above, you know as much as I about this project. To get involved email the brethren here.

     

‘A busy 24 hours!’

    

Bro. Barry Holsten of Flying Fish Brewing.

As you know, the Twenty-Four-Inch Gauge divides a day into equal periods for three essential needs, but did you ever squeeze three Masonic meetings into twenty-four hours?

That was my weekend. (It’s an improvement over how my life looked a couple of decades ago, when, every quarter, I’d have six Masonic functions between Thursday and the following Tuesday nights. No more of that, thank you.) But last Friday, there was an urgent assembly of my Cryptic Rite council, followed by the research lodge the next morning, and my AMD council that evening. Two of the three were satisfying events, so I can’t complain.

The rough spot was the bimonthly meeting of Scott Council 1 of Royal and Select Masters. I probably should have moved my York Rite memberships to New York by now, but I guess I’m sentimental—or some kind of mental. We learned days earlier that our Grand Council expects all ten of the local councils to reorganize and become just four councils. While I don’t doubt some of the Cryptic councils in our jurisdiction are truly dysfunctional and would be wise to amalgamate with a healthier group, I don’t think that’s necessary for Scott—unless, I suppose, we’re considered the stronger party. But what seems to be happening is the Grand Council wants Scott 1, Gebal 3, and Adoniram 9 to form a new Cryptic council, working out the details among ourselves. From what I’m hearing, Gebal wants nothing to do with it, while Adoniram proffered a “draft” of a consolidation plan that in reality looks like a proposal of some permanence.

I hope Scott rejects the idea. I realize not everything is perfect in the Secret Vault, but I’m not sure things at Scott are so dire that a “suggested” consolidation costing us our identity, meeting time/place, etc. is justifiable. We’re only 162 years old!

I also was unhappy to learn how the three-man delegations from each of our councils were most inappropriately staffed with dual members. The teams from both Gebal and Adoniram included members of Scott. I objected, and I think that’s been rectified already, but it makes one skeptical of the process. Also, these delegations are heavy with Grand Council officers, another potential conflict-of-interest red flag. Even worse—to my mind, at least—is the lack of transparency on the part of Grand Council. It disseminates a thirty-page monthly newsletter, but without a heads up about this consolidation plan? Great, thanks.

Bro. Alex Vastola is at labor in Yorktown-Diamond Thistle Lodge 555 in Tarrytown, New York. 

On a far happier note, New Jersey Lodge of Masonic Research and Education 1786 hosted its quarterly Regular Communication Saturday morning. We welcomed Bro. Alexander Vastola, Director of The Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Masonic Library of the Grand Lodge of New York. He presented a concise description of the institution’s history, goals, resources, and role in Masonic education. The Livingston Library is the envy of most grand lodges in the country, as only a few have exhibited the forethought and commitment to create such a monument to learning. More than 60,000 books and 40,000 artifacts! I’m proud to see The American Lodge of Research, my “other” research lodge, has become a partner with the Library on a few initiatives.

And finally, on Saturday night, it was time for a relaxed summertime (almost) gathering of J. William Gronning Council 83 of the Allied Masonic Degrees. We kept to the dining room and enjoyed an engrossing presentation on the art and science of beer brewing from one of our own: Bro. Barry Holsten, founder and proprietor of craft beer’s Flying Fish Brewing Co. Naturally he augmented his talk with samples of four of his products. Temperance was maintained at all times and a great evening was enjoyed by all.

Now I’m “off” for the next two weeks.

     

‘New meaning to Craftsman’s Wages’

    

Founders Brewing Co.

The brethren at the Detroit Masonic Temple have collaborated with their neighbors at Founders Brewing Co. to celebrate our Ancient and Honorable Fraternity.

Craftsman’s Wages is on tap at the bar. It is described as an “old fashioned German-style altbier” with flavors of “caramel, bitter earthy hops and apricot notes” and an alcohol content of 5.7 percent.

Why not take the tour of the Temple tomorrow night before visiting Founders to receive your Wages? Fifty bucks for the two-and-a-half-hour tour, followed by Craftsman’s Wages and some food.

     

‘Lodge of St. Peter & Harmony 600’

   

This just in: Another special interest lodge in England devoted to the brethren’s enjoyment of real ale and craft beer will be launched Wednesday, March 2. But Lodge of St. Peter & Harmony 600 is not a new lodge by any means.

Inspired by how the Masonic Craft Beer Society revivified Horus Lodge 3155 in London, the brethren here are incorporating their Goose & Gridiron social club into their lodge. Harmony Lodge 600 dates to February 4, 1852. Lodge of St. Peter 6509 was warranted May 7, 1947. These lodges amalgamated December 11, 2002, continuing Masonic tradition in Bradford, Yorkshire.

The lodge will meet on the first Wednesdays of March, June, July, and October as a working lodge—making Masons, conducting usual business, and hosting festive boards. It simply will have this focus on the study and appreciation of real ales and craft beers. The lodge’s bar will be stocked accordingly, and the brethren will host speakers from area breweries for their enlightenment.

On one special upcoming day, they will charter a steam train to “socialize, enjoy local beers, and have a fish and chips supper, all whilst traveling up and down the line on a historic steam hauled train.”

Bravo! Vivat!

     

‘Cervisia Lodge for zythophiles’

   

A second (as far as I know) lodge for zythophiles is being organized under the United Grand Lodge of England.

You remember Horus Lodge in London from earlier this year; now, Cervisia Lodge seeks worthy and well qualified brethren for quaffing in the Province of Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire (about seventy miles due north of London).

Details are scant, but for information, feel free to make contact here.

Cervisia of course is Latin for beer. When framing to pronounce it, there is a temptation to rhyme with the Spanish cerveza, but there is no soft C in Latin so speak it as a K, as with collegia. Also, the V is spoken as our English W. (I’m assuming that’s how the lodge intends it.)

I don’t know what they’re having for breakfast over there, but the UGLE is chartering lodges like it’s the ’80s again—the 1780s. Not necessarily a sign of overall membership growth, but a result of Masons already in good standing gathering for the “innocent mirth” (e.g., beer, sport, cars) enshrined in the first Book of Constitutions, while keeping Freemasonry the “Center of Union.”

Best of luck to Cervisia Lodge!

     

‘Raise your glass to Horus Lodge’

     

With all the gods of ancient Egypt that were connected to the brewing and drinking of beer, it’s unexpected how the Masonic Craft Beer Society would inherit Horus Lodge, but that’s how it shook out.

Named, warranted, and consecrated in 1906, the lodge met in various London neighborhoods before settling into Great Queen Street in 1942, according to Lane’s Masonic Records. Numbered 3155, the lodge is among the founders of the Metropolitan Grand Lodge and also is a Hall Stone Lodge.

The MCBS announced yesterday that Horus 3155 is now the official lodge of the society. Two meetings a year, on third Saturdays in May (Installation) and October (Regular Meeting), at Freemason’s Hall.

Membership is open to brethren from outside the United Grand Lodge of England (providing, of course, your grand lodge is in amity). Dues and fees, including dining fees, are stated here.

Every meeting shall feature the wares of a different craft brewery. Maybe they’ll be able to arrange something with these guys in California.

Courtesy MCBS

Best wishes to you, brethren! Vivat!

     

‘A Craft lodge for craft beer lovers?’

     

UPDATE: Click here.

I think it’s safe to say some Freemasons occasionally express some curiosity about beer, yes? There are even those who diligently pursue a practical knowledge! Possibly an atavistic impulse from our tavern days.

Why, in my own understanding of Masonic theory, the talk of the sheaf of grain above the waterfall is an allusion to the alchemy of beer-brewing itself. (I’m still trying to confirm that with the grand lecturer.)

The Masonic Craft Beer Society, located in the United Kingdom, began during the bleakest days of the pandemic last year when five Masons found each other in social media, and bonded over their appreciation for beers and ales. Today, they are joined by thousands more, and there now is talk of possibly establishing a lodge.

Where might such a lodge be set to labor (and called to refreshment)? I don’t know, but the MCBS gives a physical address in Torquay (which is the site of a certain mythical inn).

Read all about it here.

The Brother Junior Warden may have his hands full.

    

‘Fuller’s Past Masters’

     

Courtesy Hospitality and Catering News

I got all excited the other day when a Past Grand Master of New York posted a link on social media concerning Fuller’s line of Past Masters beverages. I had a few minutes just now to poke around the web and see what it’s all about, but am disappointed to see that the name evidently has nothing to do with Masonic past masters, but instead, I guess, brewmasters of yesteryear.

Even worse, there seems to be no distribution in the United States, so I’ll get to sample these only if I make good on my desired vacation to Blighty some day. (I know we can find Fuller’s flagship brew London Pride here, but that may be the only one.)

Fuller’s, dating to 1845, but with a heritage reaching back a couple hundred years prior, is a London brewery that also has hundreds of pubs and dozens of hotels across southern England. It’s a big company, and it was acquired a year and a half ago by the gigantic Asahi conglomerate of Japan.

What they’ve done with these brews is reverted to their archived recipes, and endeavored to recreate the flavors enjoyed so long ago. Being a pipe smoker who favors the Balkan, English, and Oriental varieties of tobacco mixtures, I know that even when an early recipe is immaculately preserved and perfectly understood, the needed ingredients may not be available today. But, with diligence and dedication, the right brewer can approximate.

Fuller’s started this project a decade ago and revisits another recipe every year, and the products are for sale via its website. From the publicity:


People say “they don’t make ’em like they used to,” but at Fuller’s, we certainly do. Since 2010, we’ve been delving back into our age-old brewing books once a year, to faithfully recreate recipes from days gone by.

Every Past Master we bring back is part of a limited run, with older versions already extremely rare. For that reason, the price of our Past Masters ales will increase as the number of remaining bottles reduces—and indeed, the price you see today may be higher tomorrow.

While they are crafted to be enjoyed as soon as they reach you, they continue to condition well beyond their official “best before” date due to the yeast that we include in the bottle. This second fermentation results in a more complex character and a flavor profile that will change over time.

The first in the series, XX is a strong, dark ale. Back in the 1890s, XX denoted a stronger than average brew. This particular recipe dates from September 2, 1891. Matured for three months, then bottle conditioned, it has a rich, round flavor with a distinctive, warming character.

Double Stout is the second in the series, brewed to a recipe from August 4, 1893, a time when ‘stout’ meant strong. Its signature ingredient is Plumage Archer barley, carefully malted and kilned using 19th century methods. Dark brown and creamy, this beer balances a rich fruity aroma with smoky, bittersweet chocolate notes.

Old Burton Extra is the third in series, brewed to the Old Burton Extra recipe from 1931. This ale is wonderfully strong and fruity; balanced with a pronounced hop flavor.

1966 Strong Ale, the fourth in the series, is brewed to a strong ale recipe from 1966 when it was drunk during the celebration of England’s victory in the world cup. This warming, dark ruby ale has a rich, rounded flavor with notes of plum and a velvety, warm caramel finish.

1914 Strong X, the fifth in the series, is brewed to a specially selected recipe that was drunk during the early months of World War I. This warming, strong mild ale has a fruity palate with notes of apricot and orange and a well-balanced malty finish.

1910 Double Stout is the sixth beer in the series. Deliciously dark, it’s characterized by smooth chocolate and rich coffee notes, with hints of Black Forest fruit flavor emerging alongside gentle bitterness from the hops. For any fans of dark ales and stouts, it’s a beer that demands to be tried.

1926 Oatmeal Porter is the seventh beer revived in the Past Masters collection. It’s been brewed to a 90-year old recipe to celebrate the occasion of the Queen’s 90th birthday.

1981 ESB is the ninth beer in the series. We’ve brewed something extra special to celebrate the career of Fuller’s legendary brewer John Keeling, who retired in 2018. This full-bodied, fruity beer uses the Extra Special Bitter recipe from John’s first day at Fuller’s in January 1981.

1909 Pale Ale is the tenth beer in the series and our first re-creation of this popular style. Darker than the pale ales we have come to know, this recipe combined treacle and sugar with malted barley, Goldings hops and the signature Fuller’s yeast for a smooth, well balanced and fruity beer.

     

‘Craft beer for the Craft’

     
“Ah, good ol’ trustworthy beer. My love for you will never die.”

Homer J. Simpson


I will be amid the revelries of Masonic Week in Virginia that day, but there’s no reason why you can’t get to Cooperstown to enjoy this charity event. From the publicity:

Craft from the Craft

Saturday, February 8

4 to 6 p.m.

Otsego Lodge 138

77 Main Street

Cooperstown, New York

Join the members of Otsego Lodge 138 of Free and Accepted Masons in a tasting of quality craft beer (some even brewed by our members!) for a nominal, and to be determined, cost. Gross proceeds will go to Masonic charities in New York State.

Tours of the building will also be given. Celebrate our 100th year in our current building!

2020 is the 225th year of Otsego Lodge serving Cooperstown. Come learn about our history in the village, as well as information on Freemasonry as a whole.

Must be 21+ to be served.
     

‘George Washington’s beer brewed anew’

     

Courtesy Anheuser-Busch

George Washington was on many Masonic minds yesterday, the anniversary of his first presidential inauguration. There was a day of celebration at Federal Hall, including the annual re-enactment of the swearing in by a group of New York Masons. Not to eclipse any of that bonhomie, but Anheuser-Busch, which isn’t even an American company any longer, announced this morning it is brewing a beer based on Washington’s own handwritten recipe from 1757. From the publicity:

Budweiser Celebrates Summer

with Freedom Reserve Red Lager

The new beer will continue Budweiser’s

support of Folds of Honor

Today, Budweiser unveiled the newest addition to its Reserve Collection: Budweiser Freedom Reserve Red Lager. The new beer was specially brewed by Budweiser’s own veterans and builds on Budweiser’s long-standing support of American veterans with a portion of proceeds sold this summer benefiting Folds of Honor, a non-profit organization providing educational scholarships to military families. As of this year, the company has raised $14 million in support of Folds of Honor.

Courtesy Anheuser-Busch

Freedom Reserve Red Lager is the second specialty lager to appear in Budweiser’s Reserve Collection, and is inspired by George Washington’s hand-penned recipe from his personal military journal dating to 1757. Packaged both in a vintage stubby bottle and also available in a one-pint can, the Red Lager is brewed with toasted barley grains for a slightly sweet aroma with a touch of hops, a rich caramel malt taste, and a smooth finish with a hint of molasses.

Freedom Reserve will be available beginning in May through September 30, or while limited supplies last.

Courtesy Anheuser-Busch

Marking the seventh consecutive year Budweiser is teaming up with Folds of Honor, the brand brought together a select group of Budweiser brewers who are also proud veterans to brew Freedom Reserve and their signatures are prominently featured on each bottle and can.

Budweiser, an American-style lager, was introduced in 1876 when company founder Adolphus Busch set out to create the United States’ first truly national beer brand-brewed to be universally popular and transcend regional tastes. Each batch of Budweiser stays true to the same family recipe used by five generations of Busch family brewmasters. Budweiser is a medium-bodied, flavorful, crisp and pure beer with blended layers of premium American and European hop aromas, brewed for the perfect balance of flavor and refreshment. Budweiser is made using time-honored methods including kraeusening for natural carbonation and Beechwood aging, which results in unparalleled balance and character.


I was a beer snob by the time I reached high school, and I wrote off Budweiser when I was 14, but I definitely will try this brew.
     

‘Traubenfest in six weeks!’

     
It’s hard to think of October right now, but October 1 is only six weeks away, and that’s the date of Traubenfest 2017.

Traubenfest is the annual German culture outdoor party hosted by the Freemasons of the Ninth Manhattan District, the organization under the Grand Lodge of New York that unites historically German lodges. It takes place at German Masonic Park (89 Western Highway) in Tappan. German food, German beer, German music, and a host of attractions await us. It’s a rain or shine event.

Traubenfest has a new website here. Admission is just five bucks, but kids under 14 get in free.

Traditionally, Traubenfest and Grand Master’s Day coincide on the same day in Tappan, but this year Grand Master’s Day will be hosted on October 15.
     

‘Traubenfest 2014’

     

Revelers at a past Traubenfest at German Masonic Park in Tappan, NY.

The Noble Ninth Manhattan District, home to a number of exotic Masonic lodges in New York, will host its approximately annual (long story) Traubenfest next month!

Traubenfest 2014

Sunday, October 5

1 to 5 p.m.

German Masonic Park

120 Western Highway

Tappan, New York

German foods, beers, music, and more. Always a good time.
     

‘Rites of death, afterlife and beer in ancient Egypt’

     
Two more great events coming to Observatory on two Thursdays next month that I can’t resist. On March 13 and March 27, Ms. Ava Forte Vitali, of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, will present illustrated lectures discussing the ancient Egyptians’ myths and rituals built around death, the afterlife—and beer. These are part of Morbid Anatomy’s Death and the Occult in the Ancient World Series.

From the publicity:

The Ancient Egyptian End of the World

and the Mythology of Beer

Illustrated lecture with Ava Forte Vitali

with free beer provided

by sponsor Brooklyn Brewery

Thursday, March 13 at 8 p.m.

Admission: $12

Observatory

543 Union Street

Brooklyn

Join us for a pre-St. Patrick’s Day celebration of one of the world’s oldest and most beloved drinks—beer! Ava Forte Vitali, from our Death and the Occult in the Ancient World Series, will give us a quick glimpse into a few of the gods, goddesses, myths, and ancient festivals associated with the drink, paying close attention to the “Ancient Egyptian Legend of the End of the World,” celebrated March 12.

Then stay and mingle with other like-minded enthusiasts and enjoy a few bottles on us, provided by our sponsor Brooklyn Brewery!

The ‘After’ Life: Death in Ancient Egypt

Illustrated lecture with Ava Forte Vitali

Thursday, March 27
at 8 p.m.

(Rescheduled from February 13)

Admission: $8

Observatory

543 Union Street

Brooklyn

When one considers “Death and the Occult in the Ancient World,” often the first culture that comes to mind is that of the ancient Egyptians. Known for their elaborate tombs, complicated religious texts, and captivating mummies, the ancient Egyptians’ fascination with death has captivated public interest for centuries. This lecture in our monthly series will introduce the mortuary beliefs, traditions, and archaeology of the ancient Egyptians, and will examine whether they were as morbidly focused as they traditionally have been portrayed.

Ava Forte Vitali completed her Master’s Degree in Art History and Archaeology, with a specialization in the Egyptian and Classical World, at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. Her research interests include the interaction of the physical and spirit worlds in ancient Egypt, archaeology of the household, and ancient Egyptian domestic and ancestor cults, on which her Master’s focused. She has excavated at sites in Egypt and Turkey, and is a Collections Manager for Greek and Roman Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She is currently writing a contribution on the arts and archaeology of ancient Egypt for an upcoming introduction to art history textbook.

Death and the Occult

in the Ancient World Series

This is a new series of monthly lectures, workshops, and tours that aim to examine the way people along the ancient Mediterranean interacted with the unseen forces in the world. Many basic ancient myths and mortuary traditions are known, but often this barely scrapes the top of a rich wealth of information and long history of interesting, engaging, and surprisingly weird traditions and beliefs. Through illustrated lectures, guided tours, and occasional workshops, we will strive to understand the different approaches that the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans employed to explain the world around them, and to challenge popular misconceptions held by the public today.

Through this series we hope to bridge the gap that often exists between academic disciplines and the public audience, bringing the two together in an approachable forum. Led by Vitali, this series will expand on topics including religion, art, archaeology, and texts, to further our understanding of both our world and theirs.