Friday, January 30, 2009

Days of the Beer, January 30

The beer for today is BridgePort Ropewalk Amber Ale.

On January 30, 1962, two members of the high-wire act, the Flying Wallendas, were killed when their seven-person pyramid collapsed during a performance in Detroit, Michigan.

The Flying Wallendas got their name from a performance in Akron, Ohio, when the group all fell off the wire, and none were hurt. The next day, a reporter was quoted in a newspaper as saying "The Wallendas fell so gracefully that it seemed as if they were flying"; and that's how the name The Flying Wallendas came to be. Priot to that, they were known as The Great Wallendas.

In the 1962 incident, the group was performing the seven-person chair pyramid. The front man faltered and the pyramid collapsed. Three men fell to the ground, killing Richard Faughnan (Karl Wallenda's son-in-law) and Karl's nephew Dieter Schepp. Karl injured his pelvis, and his adopted son, Mario, was paralyzed from the waist down.

The Wallendas are famous for performing without a net. Their first performance without was at the Madison Square Garden, in 1928, when their net had been lost during travel.

The Wallendas still perform, with most of the performers being grandchildren of the founder, Karl Wallenda.

As to the beer:

BridgePort Brewing is located in Portland, Oregon.

Ropewalk is a mellow, malt-driven amber that dances a subtly sweet line. The balance of Crystal malt with a subtle dose of Northwest hops delivers a refreshing ale that makes for a great session beer. Originally brewed to mark our 20th anniversary, Ropewalk – which literally means “a long narrow building where rope is made” – is a tribute to our building’s roots as a rope factory, while also celebrating feats of daring everywhere.
The beer comes in at 5.6% ABV. Don't drink too many of these and try to walk a straight line.

So, for the Flying Wallendas who didn't make it off the ropewalk, have a BridgePort Ropewalk.

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