Fritz Maytag is a craftsman after my heart. In 1965 he revived San Fransisco’s Anchor Brewing by saving them from bankruptcy. He knew very little about brewing, but in the course of ten years expanded the classic “steam beer” out to a lineup of five, now classic, beers.

A few months ago I had a chance to taste Maytag’s “Genevieve” – an old recipe gin, or genever, brewed according to pre-war Dutch recipes. The craftsmanship, experimentation, simplicity of scale and historical accuracy of Anchor Distilling are totally inspirational to me.

Check out this video of a very professorial Fritz explaining the process and history behind their rye whiskey.

Also check out this years 2009 Christmas beer. Another beautiful label by Jim Stitt and another unique recipe.

“It’s a handmade beer, so the label should be hand-drawn.”

“As might be expected, President and Mrs. Kennedy held an elegant affair. The 1961 inaugural luncheon menu in the Capitol’s historic Supreme Court Chamber included delicacies such as cream of tomato soup with crushed popcorn and New England boiled stuffed lobster, and concluded with patisserie bateau blanche [a boat shaped white mousse pastry], mints and coffee.”

Count me in!