Have A Beer For Ben Franklin

We were surprised to learn recently that January 17 was Ben Franklin's 300th birthday - if you'd asked us we would've said he doesn't look a day over 275. But apparently the old coot...err...famous patriot...is having his theoretical tercentenary, and while we wouldn't want to light the candles for his cake, someone has come up with a great way to celebrate. Introducing Poor Richard's Ale, a recipe chosen in a national contest to represent this famous beer lover. The recipe was distributed to brew houses all over the country, so you can get a taste of history pretty much wherever you live.

During January 2006, breweries all over America will honor Benjamin Franklin’s 300th birthday by serving a beer specially brewed for the occasion. Formulated to resemble a quaff that Franklin himself might have enjoyed and brewed in small batches by independent breweries nationwide, Poor Richard’s Ale offers the perfect beverage for toasting a man some call “The First American.”

“Franklin is widely quoted as saying: ‘Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy,’” said Ray Daniels, Director of Craft Beer Marketing for the Brewers Association. “So when the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary asked us to help create a beer to celebrate this milestone we were happy to become involved.”

In October, the Association held a competition to identify a suitable recipe and then began enlisting brewers from across the country to brew batches of Poor Richard’s Ale. As a result, scores of breweries and other pubs will serve the celebratory beer in January. It will even be on tap at official birthday celebrations to be held in Philadelphia on January 17th.

The recipe for Poor Richard’s Ale was chosen by a panel of award-winning brewers and others with an eye toward history. It included two distinguishing ingredients: molasses and corn. Both were common in ale during colonial times and each would have helped to reduce the colonists’ dependence on imported British ingredients—a fact that would surely have pleased Franklin.

via BenFranklin300.org

Find out where you can get your hands on a pint of Poor Richard's Ale, and commemorate him in your own way. Before you know it you'll be Farting Proudlyand flying kites in thunderstorms.

January 23, 2006

Have A Beer For Ben Franklin