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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 23, 2015)
GRAB BAG book shelf • glimpse • wildlife • pop culture • words • q&a • food • fun The beer was absolutely delicious and the color of a fading sunset over the South Jetty. Photo by Matt Love Fort George Brewery brewer Piper Gladwell holds a glass of Booty’s Back Lager, a specialty beer brewed in conjunction with Astoria author Matt Love’s new book, “A Nice Piece of Astoria: A Narrative Guide.” A G LIMPSE I NSIDE An occasional feature by MATT LOVE Fort George Brewery There I sat in Jack Harris’ offi ce inside Astoria’s Fort George Brewery. Vintage Hamm’s Beer memorabilia decorated the walls. Jack, a co-owner, was to my right, and Piper Gladwill, a brew- er, was to my left. We were all tasting Piper’s new beer, Booty’s Back Lager, pro- duced in collaboration for the release of my new book, “A Nice Piece of Astoria: A Narrative Guide.” Months ago, Jack had graciously decided to sup- port my book in novel fashion, by pairing it with a special beer (with a cheeky name), thereby enabling me to leverage Fort George’s stunningly high profi le to promote my book tempo- rarily over the summer. It’s this kind of entrepre- neurial synergy between independent businesses like Fort George and my publishing house, Nestucca Spit Press, that makes living and working in Astoria such an interesting and reward- ing experience. More such collaborations are needed. They only need conjuring. The beer was absolute- ly delicious and the color of a fading sunset over the South Jetty. I couldn’t wait for this golden libation to be available on tap! Jack had invited me up for a preview of the beer and wanted me to write some- thing up for it. I was fl attered and naturally agreed. I took a few more sips and drafted the blurb below right on the spot: Tag line: The Indoor Camping Beer of Summer Return to the halcyon Pacifi c Northwest days be- fore Mount St. Helens blew up, the legendary hazy afternoons of jean cutoff s and shimmering derrières fl oating on inner tubes and air mattresses, down rivers, across lakes. Return to the days of crisp lagers brewed in the Pacifi c Northwest. Enjoy Fort George Brew- ery’s new special beer, Boo- ty’s Back Lager and think Youngs River Falls 1979 all over again. This is the re- freshing taste of Astoria this summer, from the land of sky blue waters and eternal rain. Wow! I thought, That was easy. I would love a job tast- ing Oregon beers and writ- ing creative descriptions of them. What a gig! I’d even do it for trade. NW word nerd By RYAN HUME Maritime >PHUԥW$,P@ adjective 1. of or related to the sea, especially in terms of mili- tary, commercial shipping, fi shing and naviga- tion 2. Columbia River Maritime Museum: sitting harborside off Marine Drive in downtown Astoria, this private nonprofi t boasts a collection of over 30,000 objects related to military, nautical and fi shing history in the Graveyard of the Pacifi c, including the docked Lightship Co- lumbia, a registered National Historic Landmark Origin: First recorded in 1550. Either enters English through the Middle French maritime or comes directly from the same Latin source, maritimus, meaning “of the sea,” by way of the root, mare, for sea (mare in English, as it relates to a horse, comes down a diff er- ent branch from the Germanic families). home sometime next month for the community to behold and possibly board at the 17th Street dock.” —Erick Bengel, “Historic Astoria ferry, Tourist No. 2, may come home soon,” The Daily Astorian, July 13, 2015, P. A1 “Formation of a permanent organization to sponsor a maritime museum here was begun last week with election of offi cers and selection of a name. Columbia River Maritime Museum at Astoria was the name chosen.” — “Name Picked for Museum,” The Sunday Oregonian, April 8, 1962, P. 21 “A 91-year-old piece of Astoria’s maritime history — the Tourist No. 2 ferry — will return Matt Love is the author/editor of 14 books about Oregon. They are available at coastal bookstores and through www.nestuccaspitpress.com July 23, 2015 | coastweekend.com | 23