Thursday, October 23, 2008

Days of the Beer, October 24

The beer for today is Barley Island Beastie Barrel Stout.

On October 24, 1901, Annie Edison Taylor, became the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Taylor was born in 1838, and was originally a school teacher. She later became a dancing instructor, but as she grew older, she stopped having as many students. She wanted fame and fortune, so she decided she'd be the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel.

She used a custom made barrel for the trip, made of oak and iron and padded with a mattress. There were several delays before she actually went over, mostly because, people didn't want to help her commit suicide. On October 19, she had sent a cat over to test the barrel. The cat survived unharmed.

On October 24, 1901, the barrel was put over the side of a rowboat, and Annie climbed in. After the lid was screwed on, her friends pumped air into the barrel with a bicycle tire pump, and plugged the hole with a cork.

Current carried the barrel toward the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. Rescuers reached her barrel shortly after it went over, and she was found alive and mostly uninjured, except for a small cut on her head. The trip took less than twenty minutes.

If it was with my dying breath, I would caution anyone against attempting the feat... I would sooner walk up to the mouth of a cannon, knowing it was going to blow me to pieces than make another trip over the Fall.
She earned some money from it, but not the fortune she wanted.


About the beer:

Barley Island is located in Noblesville, Indiana. Beastie Barrel Stout is a newer beer that they are releasing.
On Tap: October 6, 2008 (Fall/Winter)
Off Premise: New Fall 2008 4/12 oz Bottles

Awards: 2008 GABF Bronze Medalist, Wood and Barrel Aged Category, Gold Medal 2007 Indiana State Fair - Wood Aged Style

Our Oatmeal Stout is aged in bourbon whiskey barrels from Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. 6% ABV
So, for the first person to go over in a barrel, have one of the newer barrel aged beers.

No comments:

Post a Comment