The twelfth annual Madison County Hop Festival takes place this Saturday, September 15, at Cottage Lawn (Madison County Historical Society) in Oneida. The event features displays about hop cultivation and history, vendors of hop- and beer-related products, live music, the naming of the 2007 Hop Queen, and of course a sampling of beers from many quality breweries from around New York State and the USA (and beyond). I've attended about seven of the previous eleven fests, and it's always been fun. I reviewed the 2005 Hop Fest for Maltblog.
Sadly, Michael Jackson - a writer about beer and whisky/whiskey who inspired my own interest in those subjects - died last week at age 65. I have two editions of his Guide to Single Malt Whisky and always enjoyed the way his writing combined literary and historical references with a folksy and quirky style. I will miss his writings and I join the beer community in offering condolences to his family.