An ancient pub and other beer news

SEVERAL NOTEWORthy beer news items have caught my attention recently, so I thought I’d share them today in case you missed them elsewhere.

First up is the news that Bear Republic Brewing was acquired by Drake’s Brewing. The iconic California bear republic brand seems to have had a declining market share over the past decade. According to an email sent to Drake’s employees, the acquisition includes the brand only but not the actual brewery. The email also noted that Bear Republic co-owner Rich Norgrove will remain in his position and “become a team member in the Drake’s organization.” Brewmaster Peter Kruger will also remain with the company and will “continue to brew the beer at the brand’s Cloverdale home base but will begin moving over to San Leandro in the next few months,” the email said.

While this is big news, we can only hope the beer itself remains as good as it has been for almost three decades. Bear Republic’s Racer 5 was an early favorite IPA. But with the brewery pulling out of certain markets over the past few years, it seemed a change was needed. Let’s hope Drake’s Brewing can shore up the iconic brand.

Next up is stunning news that archaeologists in southern Iraq have discovered the ruins of a 5,000-year-old tavern. The team, composed of members from the U.S. and Italy, uncovered the remains in the ruins of the ancient city of Lagash, which was one of the first hubs of the Sumerian civilization of ancient Iraq.

“So we’ve got the refrigerator, we’ve got the hundreds of vessels ready to be served, benches where people would sit ... and behind the refrigerator is an oven that would have been used ... for cooking food,” project director Holly Pittman told the AFP news agency. “What we understand this thing to be is a place where people — regular people — could come to eat and that is not domestic.”

OK, that is a fantastic discov-

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ery, but my question would be: Why assume it’s a tavern or pub and not just an eatery?

“We call it a tavern because beer is by far the most common drink, even more than water, for the Sumerians,” she said, noting that in one of the temples excavated in the area “there was a beer recipe that was found on a cuneiform tablet.”

Now that is cool. Last and probably least is an item from a recent story in the Miami Herald. Just before midnight on Feb. 8, Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies noticed a black Mercedes-Benz parked in the right-hand lane, blocking traffic on that side of Gleason Parkway. Michael Sereda, 40, was sitting alone in the front passenger seat. The police report noted that Sereda had the odor of alcohol “emanating from his facial area,” and “bloodshot, watery eyes and a slurred, delayed, repetitive speech pattern.”

The report went on to note that there were “(m)ultiple open alcohol containers were observed between Sereda’s legs and in the front cup holders. … The suspect was unable to speak based on his level of intoxication.”

OK, so it just seems like another sad and dangerous case of a drunk driver — except Sereda took it up a notch. No, he didn’t get violent or try to drive away: He simply decided to open another beer. According to the report, Sereda reached between his legs to retrieve an unopened beer, and attempted to open it. Fortunately, he was stopped, although not without a a bit of a (nonviolent) struggle. Just another reminder not to drink and drive, folks.