Chances are if you don’t know the name, you do know the face: Mike Lovullo is the Union Beer rep who brings lots of great craft beer to lots of bars in the city, and he is the “man behind the curtain” during Jimmy No. 43’s weekly $10 Tuesday Tasting (often mimicked, but we’re the original thanks to Mike’s efforts). Today, he’s celebrating his birthday with us (are ya one, are ya two…) with some of his very favorite beers. We sat down with Mike to ask him about beer, Jimmy’s No. 43, the $10 Tuesday Tastings, and growing older.
How did you become involved with Jimmy’s No. 43 and where did the idea for the $10 Tuesday Tastings come from?
Even before I started at Union Beer back in August of 2007, I was a regular at Jimmy’s No. 43. During this time I was a part-time photographer at Ale Street News. After I assumed the territory for Union Beer that included Jimmy’s No. 43, Jimmy actually approached me about doing small tastings for a cheap price. I forget how we settled on $10, but I have to give Jimmy credit for the idea.
What do you plan on having for your birthday beverages at the $10 Tuesday Tasting?
Jimmy has generously allowed me to raid his beer cellar for some rare gems (discounting the fresh-as-ever Oskar Blues Gubna). Here’s the list:
- Professor Fritz Briem Grodziskie (4% Sour Smoked Wheat Ale) bottles
- Vicaris Triple (8.5% Belgian Triple) bottles
- Fantome Noel (You got words for this one? Cause I don’t! 10% Belgian Strong Dark Ale reportedly spiced with honey, caramel, coriander, black pepper, and other secret ingredients) bottles [Editor’s Note: Our words are, “Sounds like a great beer to toast a great guy on his birthday!”]
- Olvisholt Lava (9.4% Smoked Imperial Stout from Iceland! Just in time for the new Sigur Ros album! Word!) bottles
- Firestone Walker Sucaba (13% Barley Wine, was called Abacus in years past) bottles
- Oskar Blues Gubna (10% Imperial IPA) draft
What’s your desert island beer (i.e. if you could drink only one beer for the rest of your life, what would it be)?
That is a really really tough one. Most people know I don’t have a favorite beer (only brewery…starts with an A & ends with a GASH!), but it would probably be one of the following: Allagash Interlude with 2-3 years on it, The Alchemist Heady-Topper, CAntillon Fou Fonne or—very possibly—Orval.
What do you hope the $10 Tuesday Tasting participants gain from the experience (e.g. better beer knowledge, new beer friends, a chance to try beers they might otherwise eschew, etc.)?
For this particular tasting, I want them to be absolutely blown away by beers we haven’t featured yet. As always, I hope the participants come away with more knowledge of styles and the breweries featured and have a great time.
I’ve been doing these tasting for the past 3 years & just love the community around Jimmy’s and am grateful that I can “hold court” in one of my favorite watering holes in this great city.