Category Archives: Social Drinking

Craft Breweries, Health, Social Drinking

Craft Breweries and Leisure Time Physical Activity

April 3, 2024 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

I recently spent a couple of days in San Diego, CA. This was my third trip to California since November, and my second to San Diego. The purpose of this particular visit was to give a guest lecture in ‘Craft Breweries and the Urban Economy’, a class taught by my good friend and colleague Julie Wartell at the University of California-San Diego, As per usual when I visit Julie in San Diego, we managed to find time to visit couple of breweries.

At one of our brewery stops, Seek Beer Co., we ran into (excuse the pun) a local running group. The Seek Beer Run Club meet every Monday at 6pm. Those who show up participate in a 5k run (or jog or walk) around the North Park neighborhood. Afterwards they meet back at the brewery and enjoy some conversation and a beer or two. This is a run-for-fun group, with inexperienced runners (and non-runners) encouraged to participate. According to the group’s Instagram account, runners get a complimentary post-run beer and discounted beers for the remainder of the evening. Those completing ten runs receive a club t-shirt.

The Seek Beer Run Club meet every Monday evening

Seek Beer Run Club participants enjoy a post-run beer and conversation

While the Seek Beer Run Club appears to be a rather informal, come-as-you-are, group other initiatives are somewhat more ambitious. Take the BrewRunners of Cincinnati, for example. The Ohio group offers both a15-week half marathon training program and a 17-week full marathon training program. Each training group meets twice a week at local breweries, with the goal of having participants run in the Flying Pig half and full marathons in early May. Having said that, the group emphasizes that while they are a running group, they are “mostly a get together and have fun group”. On its website, the group lists ten Cincinnati breweries as social partners.

The Seek Beer Run Club and BrewRunners of Cincinnati are two examples of the intersection between craft beer and what is known as leisure time physical activity (LTPA). Dirk Steinbach and Christine Graf of the German Sport University define LPTA as “all of the behavior connected with physical activity that people engage in in their freely disposable time”.

Others examples abound. Cycling groups that associate themselves with the craft brewing movement are also common. In my city of Toledo, OH Patron Saints Brewery organize Pedals and Pints. Cyclists meet at Patron Saints and bike to another local brewery or bar, where they enjoy some beer before heading back to Patron Saints. Partnering with a locally-owned bike shop, the bi-weekly meet-up is billed as a “casual ride exploring awesome places in and around West Toledo”. On a larger scale, Bikes & Beers organizes bike rides in cities across the country. Each event has 15, 30, and 50 mile cycling routes and a host brewery where the post-ride after-party takes place. There is a registration fee for participating in Bikes & Beers events, but each one benefits a local cycling charity to improve policies, laws, and infrastructure. Again, the emphasis is on fun and is promoted as “a fun way for cyclists of all levels to get out and enjoy the road”.

Participants in the bi-weekly Pedals and Pints program meet at Patron Saints Brewery and bike to another local brewery or bar

Beer yoga is also a common activity associated with breweries. Within minutes, a brewery taproom or other space within the brewery can be quickly transformed into a temporary yoga studio. The branding associated with beer yoga is particularly clever with names such as Bendy Brewski Yoga, Downward-facing Drafts, and Bottoms Up! Yoga. Then there’s Yoga and a Pint, a name that really cuts to the chase.

So what motivates people to participate in runs, bike rides, and yoga classes that are organized by or in collaboration with breweries? The answer to that question is provided by a recent study conducted by Alana Seaman of the University of North Carolina -Wilmington and her colleagues and published in the journal Leisure Studies. In that study, the researchers interviewed individuals who participated in LTPA associated with breweries in Wilmington, NC, Auburn, VA, and Louisville, KY. Activities that interviewees participated in were frisbee golf, run clubs, ping-pong tournaments, and yoga classes.

For participants, the social aspect of LTPA is important. LTPA provide opportunities to spend time with friends, while also meeting new people. Having a post-activity beer plays a critical role in facilitating socializing. Without it, most people would probably depart once the activity was completed. Some of the interviewees appreciated the laid-back, informal nature of LTPA, and the fact that it is less serious and intense than physical activities carried out in purpose-built buildings. The brewery, and the beer it produces and serves appears to be playing a critical role in bringing people together and socializing with each other. The fact that the craft breweries in the study were locally-owned was also attractive to many LTPA participants.

Leisure time physical activity is good for human health. The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies insufficient physical activity as the fourth leading risk factor for mortality, accounting for approximately 3.2 million deaths per year. Research published in The Lancet suggests that the situation is much more serious, placing the number of deaths attributable to the lack of physical activity at 5.3 million. One estimate suggests that 31.3% of persons aged 15+ are insufficiently active.

A study of over 100,000 men and women between the ages of 20 and 100 living in Copenhagen, Denmark and published in the European Heart Journal found that leisure-time activity promotes cardiovascular health, while job-related physical activity does not. In a paper published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine researchers found that 7.6% of cardiovascular disease deaths globally are attributable to physical inactivity, while another published in the Journal of Yoga & Physical Therapy concluded that “people who participate in leisure activities have lower stress levels, a better mood, a lower heart rate, and more psychological engagement, which means they are less bored, which can help them avoid hazardous habits.”

The combination of craft breweries and LPTA seems to be a particularly beneficial one. LPTA clearly has health benefits. But so does moderate alcohol consumption in a social setting, as demonstrated by the work of evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar and others. As noted by Dunbar et al., in a 2017 paper published in Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology, “our social networks provide us with the single most important buffer against mental and physical illness”. This is because alcohol triggers the endorphin system, which relaxes individuals and promotes social bonding.

I have been studying the craft brewing industry for just over ten years. Over that time, as the result of my own research, as well as that of others, I have arrived at the conclusion that craft breweries are assets to the communities in which they are located. The aforementioned paper by Alana Seaman and her colleagues, which explores the symbiotic relationship between craft breweries and LTPA, is the most recent piece of evidence in support of this.

Further Reading:

Seaman, Alana N, Lindsey Schroeder, Laura Morris, Kayla Hines, and Michele Abee. 2024. “Ten bucks for yoga and a beer in a cool vibey spot”: Exploring motivations for LTPA at craft breweries. Leisure Studies.

History, Scholarship, Social Drinking

Drunk

January 28, 2024 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

Drunk is both an adjective and a noun. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines the former as “having the faculties impaired by alcohol”, and the latter as “one who is drunk”. Drunk is also the name of a book written by Edward Slingerland. The full title is “Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization”. It is a fascinating book and one I have just finished reading. The author, Slingerland, is Distinguished University Scholar and Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia in Canada. While Slingerland is an academic, Drunk is a book that is written for a general audience.

The front cover of “Drunk” by Edward Slingerland

The basic thesis underpinning Slingerland’s treatise is that alcohol has played, and continues to play, an important role in society; a role that is generally beneficial both to the individual and to society as a collective entity. A key characteristic of alcohol is that it triggers the release of endorphins whose effects include enhancing a person’s overall mood, while decreasing anxiety and stress levels. In our transformed, more relaxed state, alcohol helps us “with the communal demands of being human” (p. 106).

Central to Slingerland’s thesis is that part of the human brain called the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which “plays a role in regulating emotions in interpersonal relationships and social situations.” Alcohol, however, temporarily disarms the PFC, the locus of rational thinking and self-control, and make us more playful, creative, emotional, and trusting. As a result, consumption of alcohol facilities social bonding among people who may not otherwise be pre-disposed to bond and work cooperatively. As noted by Slingerland, alcohol “functions to bind together non-related individuals” (p. 257) Indeed it has fulfilled this role for thousands of years.

One of the many examples given by Slingerland is Göbekli Tepe, a Neolithic archaeological site (home to the world’s oldest known megaliths) in eastern Turkey where disparate and otherwise unconnected groups of hunter-gatherers periodically met for the purposes of ritualistic feasting. Brewing vats and images of festivals dating to around 10,000 BC have been discovered at Göbekli Tepe.
The ancient beer that was brewed played a central role in the feasting that took place there. According to the Archaeologist Oliver Dietrich and his colleagues “at the dawn of the Neolithic, hunter-gatherers congregating at Göbekli Tepe created social and ideological cohesion through the carving of decorated pillars, dancing, feasting—and, almost certainly, the drinking of beer made from fermented wild crops.” This pattern of feasting and consuming alcohol was replicated in many ancient pre-agricultural societies throughout the world.

Göbekli Tepe in eastern Turkey, an ancient site of feasting and drinking of beer made from fermented wild crops

Slingerland provides numerous more contemporary examples of the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption. He talks about visiting the Whiskey Room on a Google campus where coders retire with colleagues to have a wee dram and engage in creative back-and-forth of ideas. He also tells of getting together with his graduate students and faculty members, post-seminar, in a pub on the UBC campus. Much of the conversation revolved around research ideas, with the end result being the establishment of a new research center, a multi-million dollar grant, and a slew of high impact research projects.

It should be noted that in addition to the real-world examples of the benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, Slingerland does cite and discuss many laboratory-based scientific studies which provide support for his central thesis. With respect to maximizing creativity, how much alcohol is beneficial? That particular sweet spot is a blood alcohol content of 0.08, or the equivalent of two beers with an an ABV of around 5%.

Slingerland is an advocate of social drinking. Indeed, in his final chapter he warns against the dangers of drinking alone. He cites the work of Robin Dunbar, an evolutionary psychologist. In 2017, Dunbar co-authored a paper in which he explored the functional benefits of moderate alcohol consumption. In particular, he found that people who have a pub they they frequent on a regular basis “tend to be more socially engaged, feel more contented and are more likely to trust other members of their community than those who do not drink at all”. Visiting the same pub on a regular basis often results in engaging in social drinking with other regular customers, thus providing patrons with a strong social network. Summing up Dunbar’s findings, “moderate, social drinking brings people together, keeps them connected to their communities, and lubricates the exchange of information and building of networks (p. 192).

Slingerland also touches on a topic that is close to my heart as a professional academic – the value of attending an academic conference, as opposed to participating via Zoom or a similar communication platform. As he so eloquently states, “a unique intellectual benefit provided by in-person academic or professional conferences is the networking, brainstorming, and idea-honing that goes on over meals, over coffee breaks, and most of all informal venues, as the day draws to an end and the intoxicants come out” (p. 180). Indeed it was at an academic conference in New York City in 2012 that a conversation, over a beer, with a colleague from Kennesaw State University was the catalyst for my first paper on the craft beer industry; thus The Beer Professor was born. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many scientific organizations offer hybrid conferences, whereby participants can choose to participate in-person or virtually. Sadly, those who choose the latter option miss out on the added value that in-person attendance bestows. As Slingerland observes, “even the best videoconference is a poor substitute for the visceral buzz of interpersonal chemistry, catalyzed by chemical intoxicants, that comes from in-person socializing in pubs and cafes” (p. 181).

While Slingerland’s book outlines the benefits of drinking alcohol, it is important to note that he warns against its excessive consumption. Indeed, his final chapter is devoted to the dark side of consuming alcohol, with a discussion of topics such as the negative health consequences, drunk driving, and the role of alcohol in contributing to violence against women. He also discusses the discovery of distillation, by which humans were able to produce spirits whose Alcohol By Volume levels are significantly higher than that of either beer or wine. According to Slingerland, “the many functional benefits of alcohol notwithstanding, distillation radically increases its danger to both individuals and society” (p. 237). During the Industrial Revolution in Europe, beers such as Guinness were considered a temperance drink, while high potency distilled spirits were not. As noted by Mark Schrad , writing in Foreign Policy, the growing availability of distilled spirits in early 19th century Europe meant that “once jovial communal celebrations devolved into drunken riots“, while “murder, other crimes, and arson all increased”. This became a concern for European Socialists who saw the devastating effects of spirits on the working class, while lining the pockets of profit-minded and predatory capitalists. In Germany, the Social Democratic Party called for a nationwide boycott of schnapps but not beer. Emile Vandervelde, leader of the Belgian Labour Party and President of the Second International (a collaborative network of European socialist parties) held the position that there’s “no real difference between the moderate use of fermented beer or wine and the complete abstinence from alcohol.” Spirits, not beer and wine, were the real problem.

Slingerland’s book is a lively read. It is well written and follows a logical flow. Anyone interested in the history of alcohol and its role in societies, ranging from ancient to modern, will find it a worthwhile purchase.

Further Reading:

Dietrich, Oliver Dietrich, Manfred Heun, Jens Notroff, Klaus Schmidt, and Martin Zarnkow. 2012. The role of cult and feasting in the emergence of Neolithic communities. New evidence from Göbekli Tepe, south-eastern Turkey. Antiquity, Volume 86, Issue Number 333, Pages 674–695.

Dunbar, Robin I. M., Jacques Launay, Rafael Wlodarski, Cole Robertson, Eiluned Pearce, James Carney, and Pádraig MacCarron. 2016. Functional Benefits of (Modest) Alcohol Consumption. Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology, Volume 3, Pages 118–133.

Schrad, Mark Lawrence. 2021. How Europe’s Temperance Movement Saved Beer. Foreign Policy, September 26.

Slingerland, Edward. 2021. Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization. Little, Brown Spark Publishers.

Bars, Covid-19, Social Drinking

Covid-19 and the return of the Speakeasy

March 23, 2021 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

Hear the word “speakeasy” and you probably think of Prohibition; that 13 year period (1920-1933) when the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages were prohibited. The term speakeasy, however, predates Prohibition. Defined as “a place where alcoholic beverages are illegally sold”, the origin of the term has been traced to early 19^th century England, where the term “speak softly shop” denoted a place where smugglers could offload goods and avoid taxes. The term “speak easy shop” was used in Selsea, England in 1844 in reference to an unlicensed tavern. It was first used in the United States in 1889, when Kate Hester, a saloonkeeper in McKeesport, PA told some boisterous patrons to “speak easy, boys!” McKee was selling alcohol without a license.

Thankfully, America’s failed experiment with Prohibition ended with the ratification of the 21^st Amendment on December 5, 1933. Saloon owners could now open their doors without the fear of a visit from law enforcement officers in pursuit of those selling illegal alcohol. Alas, as the Book of Ecclesiastes tells us “ What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” And so, here we are, in 2021. The world is in the grip of the Covid-19 pandemic and local and state authorities are circumscribing the gathering of people in bars and craft breweries. The objective is straightforward – to slow down the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Strategies employed by authorities vary from place to place and evolve with the passage of time in response to changing circumstances. When cases of Covid-19 spiked in the spring and summer of 2020, authorities ordered bars and craft breweries to close. When this occurred, curbside pick-up or home delivery were the only ways that impacted establishments could get their product into the hands of consumers. As restrictions eased bars and breweries were able to invite patrons back into their establishments. However, as Covid-19 infections spiked again, some jurisdictions introduced curfews. In my state of Ohio, for example, Governor DeWine introduced a 10pm-5am curfew on November 19, 2020. As Covid-19 numbers improved, Ohio’s curfew was extended to 11pm on January 28, 2021 and then revoked on February 11, 2021. The underlying logic was that by closing bars and breweries during their busiest hours the spread of Covid-19 could be mitigated. Breaking curfew in Ohio was a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $750 fine. During times that bars and breweries were legally open, social distancing rules had to be observed.

The illegal consumption of alcohol has seen an uptick in the use of the term speakeasy among the nation’s media. “Cops Raid 2 Illegal Clubs, Say Speakeasies Cropping up after State Enacted 10 p.m. Curfew” stated one headline on NJ.com. And my favorite – “Lap Dances, Karaoke, Late Hours: The Speakeasies of the Covid Era” read a headline in the New York Times.

So, what should we make of the emergence of 21^st century speakeasies? We certainly should not be surprised that curfew and social distancing laws and guidelines are being flouted. I say “not surprisingly” because if Prohibition taught us one thing it was that any legislation designed to dictate to Americans when and where they can consume alcohol is bound to be met with opposition and disregarded (at least by some members of the population). And so, it has been. Newspapers across the country are filled with stories about bars being visited by law enforcement officers and cited for curfew violations. I should note that breaking curfew to enjoy a beer at the neighborhood bar is not unique to the United States, as this story from South Africa illustrates. South Africa had one of the strictest (if not the strictest) Covid-19-related alcohol legislation – banning its sale and distribution completely. While some of us were content (or at least tolerated) virtual Happy Hours, others clearly wanted the real thing.

Another factor to consider in trying to understand the breaking of alcohol curfews is that visiting a bar or brewery is a key activity in the social life of many individuals. Back in the 1980s, urban sociologist, Ray Oldenburg, introduced us to the concept of the Third Place. Third Places exist in contrast to First Places (home) and Second Places (work) and are those places (bars, coffee shops, bowling alleys, etc.) where we go to gather with friends to unwind. As a result of Covid-19, many Americans have been confined to their First Place (home), with access to Second Places (Work) and Third Places (Social Gathering Places) restricted and denied. Social isolation, forced upon us by Covid-19, has exacerbated loneliness. In an article in the Wall Street Journal, Janet Adamy and Paul Overberg cite research which finds that “loneliness takes a physical toll, and is as closely linked to early mortality as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day or consuming more than six alcoholic drinks a day. Loneliness is even worse for longevity than being obese or physically inactive.” In 2018, The Economist called loneliness a serious public health problem. Today, single person households comprise 28% of all American households.

In his book, The Great Good Place the Urban Sociologist, Ray Oldenburg, wrote about the importance of Third Places in the social life of communities

The highly respected British Anthropologist, Robin Dunbar, has studied the social and mental health benefits of going to a pub. Numerous studies conducted by Dunbar has led him to conclude that “there are social and well being benefits to be derived directly from drinking alcohol, especially in relaxed social environments”. According to Dunbar, hanging out with friends in a bar, drinking beer, telling jokes, exchanging gossip, etc. releases endorphins in the brain. These endorphins “generate a positive feeling in a person, similar to that of morphine. So we feel good. And crucially, alcohol also activates the endorphin system, which in itself will enhance social bonds among those who indulge together.” Dunbar also cites research that shows that the probability of still being alive twelve months after a heart attacks was higher for people with vibrant social networks. To quote Dunbar, “our social networks play a central role in our ability to survive the worst traumas that life can throw at us. And those networks are very clearly enhanced by the use of alcohol”.

Robin Dunbar, the respected British Anthropologist, writes eloquently and convincingly about the social and health benefits of drinking alcohol

For many of us, Covid-19 is the worst trauma that life has thrown at us. Social isolation has taken a huge toll on human society. Within that context it is perhaps understandable why curfews (and even social distancing) laws have been flouted, and why the speakeasy has reappeared, albeit temporarily, as part of the American vernacular.

“Getting Together” During Covid-19

April 23, 2020 The Beer Professor Leave a comment

One of my favorite shows on Netflx is Still Game; a sitcom, set in the fictitious suburb of Craiglang, which is located just outside the city of Glasgow in Scotland. The show follows the everyday lives of two old-age pensioners, Jack Jarvis and Victor McDade. Jack and Victor have been friends since childhood, live in flats right across the hall from each other, and are widowers. Craiglang is not a particularly nice suburb. In fact, on several occasions Jack and Victor refer to Craiglang as a shitehole. Much of Jack and Victor’s social lives center around the local pub – the Clansman. Jack and Victor can be found there most evenings, having a couple of pints of lager and hanging out with Craiglang’s other retirees; these include Tam (a tightwad), Isa (the local gossip), and Winston (a former shipyard worker always looking to beat the system in search of extra money). The Clansman is what urban sociologist, Ray Oldenburg, would call a Third Place – a place where friends gather and enjoy each other’s company; a place where conversation and humor are prized. It is Craiglang’s equivalent of Cheers.

Jack Jarvis and Victor McDade – Still Game’s two main characters (Source: https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/when-will-season-8-of-still-game-be-on-netflix/).

Robin Dunbar, a British anthropologist, has studied the social and mental health benefits of going to a pub. Numerous studies conducted by Dunbar has led him to conclude that “there are social and wellbeing benefits to be derived directly from drinking alcohol, especially in relaxed social environments”. According to Dunbar, hanging out with friends in a bar, drinking beer, telling jokes, exchanging gossip, etc. releases endorphins in the brain. These endorphins “generate a positive feeling in a person, similar to that of morphine. So we feel good. And crucially, alcohol also activates the endorphin system, which in itself will enhance social bonds among those who indulge together.” Dunbar also cites research that shows that the probability of still being alive twelve months after a heart attacks was higher for people with vibrant social networks. To quote Dunbar, yet again, “our social networks play a central role in our ability to survive the worst traumas that life can throw at us. And those networks are very clearly enhanced by the use of alcohol”.

Going to the pub and meeting friends for a drink also helps to combat loneliness. In an article in the Wall Street Journal, Janet Adamy and Paul Overberg cite research which finds that “loneliness takes a physical toll, and is as closely linked to early mortality as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day or consuming more than six alcoholic drinks a day. Loneliness is even worse for longevity than being obese or physically inactive.” In 2018, The Economist called loneliness a serious public health problem. Today, single person households comprise 28% of all American households. Many of these single person households comprise elderly people.

As I write this blog entry, the world is in the grip of the global Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. President Trump had declared a national emergency, while Governors all across the country have declared states of emergency in their states. Citizens are being asked to practice social distancing. To facilitate social distancing, bars and restaurants (as well as many other businesses) have been closed, and restricted to home delivery or curbside pick-up. “Stay-at-Home” orders, or their equivalent, have been imposed across most of the United States. Such orders make it difficult to get together with friends for a beer. And, it exacerbates loneliness., and all its attendant challenges. As astutely observed by Mike Pomranz, in a recent piece on FoodandWine.com, “the coronavirus has stripped beer of half its powers”. For while it can still intoxicate, the inability to gather with friends means that it cannot “socially lubricate”.

A few days after bars and restaurants in Ohio were closed, my wife suggested to me that we contact our oldest daughter who lives in Cincinnati, OH to see if she and her boyfriend would be interested in having a virtual “Happy Hour”. Our daughter is a nurse at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati. She normally works in the heart failure unit. But with Covid-19 she has been temporarily transferred to the cardiac ICU unit to provide extra support for the staff there. While she is not working directly with Covid-19 patients, we still worry about her during this challenging period. Having a virtual Happy Hour would, we thought, be a great way to catch up with her and, as anxious parents, check in with her. She and her boyfriend are also craft beer aficionados so, for me, it would be an opportunity to us to enjoy a few craft beers “together”.

Virtual Happy Hour with our daughter, her boyfriend, and cat

Being a nurse, my daughter does not have a normal 9-5 workday. She does twelve shifts that start at 7am in the morning. She sometimes works weekends and holidays. Despite her schedule, so far, we have been able to get together with her (and her boyfriend and cat) on either a Friday or Saturday evening. We connect via FaceTime. These have turned out to be fun and enjoyable times together. Our happy hours have all lasted well beyond an hour, even creeping close to the four-hour mark on several occasions. They are happy occasions, during which we simply engage in conversation. I am not sure whether we will continue to have them once the the threat of Covid-19 has gone. I suspect we might not – our Friday and Saturday evenings will be filled with other activities, such as visiting friends, and doing our part to support the local restaurant and bar scene. But if, indeed, we do not resume our virtual Happy Hours that will be ok – because it will mean that life is back to normal (or whatever the transitional new normal is like). I am sure that none of us will forget the year 2020. There have been so many negative aspects of the the Covid-19 pandemic. But there have been some positive ones as well – and our Friday/Saturday evening virtual Happy Hours with our daughter, her boyfriend, and Nelson the cat have been delightful and a bright ray of sunshine during these difficult days. The social distancing necessitated by Covid-19 gives me an enhanced appreciation of modern-day communications technology. In an e-mail exchange I had earlier this week with one of our department’s doctoral students we were discussing the use of FaceTime to connect with those from whom we were socially distanced. She made the comment that she was glad that all of this was happening in 2020 and not 1996.

Nelson the cat has been an important participant in our Friday/Saturday evening virtual Happy Hours

We were not the only ones to participate in a virtual Happy Hour as a way to connect with family. Writing in the Grand Fork Herald, Nichole Philips, tells the heartwarming story of Andy Smallman, whose ageing parents live in a retirement community just outside of Seattle, WA. Mr. Smallman created an event which he called “Beer with Grandad“. Using Zoom, Mr. Smallman was able to simultaneously bring together twenty members of his extended family one Saturday evening. The importance of this virtual family reunion to his 80+ year old parents was immeasurable. When they emerge out of the other side of the Covid-19 pandemic, I am quite certain that the Smallman family will look back with joy and happiness on these virtual get-togethers. I know that my wife and I will.

Musings on Beer