Beervana 2010 to Feature in Discovery Channel’s New Show 'Brew Masters' Debut 9pm Sunday 21st November

The craft beer explosion has been accompanied by a few shows delving into the profession. The latest is "Brew Masters," which debuts at 9 p.m. CST Sunday on Discovery Channel.

The show is hosted by Sam Calagione, founder and president of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery of Milton, Del. With a slogan of "Off-centered ales for off-centered people," the brewery is known for unusual beers that include Immort Ale, Raison d'etre, Midas Touch and 120-Minute IPA.
 
Usually beer is an occasional subject of shows that deal with all alcoholic beverages, so "Brew Masters" is one of the few that focuses on the foam. Based on what I saw of an advance screener of the first episode, I have not seen a better show on the subject.
 
Episode 1 deals with the brewery creating a beer to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Miles Davis' jazz classic "Bitches Brew." Calagione and crew devise an ale that is a mix of an imperial stout and tej, an Ethiopian beverage.
 
Calagione is a genial and knowledgeable host, explaining brewery processes without going techno-nerd on the viewer. The main lesson in the show is that there is much more to running a brewery than a bunch of scruffy guys sitting around drinking beer.
 
The advantage of the show focusing on one brewery is that it provides more detail of the day-to-day operations. For instance, the brewery is faced with destroying $7,000 worth of beer after a four-inch vent tube disappears during bottling.
 
"Most reality shows celebrate mistakes and feature people at each others' throats," Calagione told me during a recent interview. "Our beer is the drama."
 
The initial seven episodes of the show include visits to Peru, Rome and New Zealand, with subjects ranging from brewing with tamarillos to using cedar shavings from retired surfboards to flavor a beer.
 
Calagione said the scientific, technical and historical aspects of the beer business, such as culturing yeast, maintaining complicated equipment and recreating ancient recipes, make a beer show a perfect fit for Discovery.
 
"We want to make the technical side of the brewing process as approachable as the creative side," he said.
 
Many beers are available only regionally. Check the brewer's website, which often contains information on product availability by mail. Contact Todd Haefer at beerman@postcrescent.com.
 
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