My boss of several years, back in the 1980s, often said:

“I’ll see you there if I don’t get run over by the proverbial beer truck.”

Dennis Corson

I had heard the expression often enough before. It had particular meaning for me. When I was a teenager, my father bought a retired Wiedemann’s Beer truck. Wiedemann’s was a Kentucky brewery, and we lived in Lima, Ohio, at the time. Our truck had the same configuarion as the one shown here. The cab and chassis, though, were not of a 1957 GMC in the photo but a 1952 Dodge.

With the truck repainted a medium blue, Dad then converted it to a camper to sleep six or so, so we could use it on our annual summertime trip to Maine to see his mother and grandmother. (We were a family of eight, but those who preferred not to sleep in the truck could pitch a tent.) We used the truck as a moving van when we left Ohio for good in 1967 and replanted ourselves in Farmington, Maine.

Before we moved, I drove the truck to high school off and on as a tenth-grader at Lima Senior High School, alternating with my 1939 Chrysler New Yorker. (See the article, Johnny Monroe’s Junkyard.)

So, with the Wiedemann’s truck in mind, our emblem is the Proverbial Beer truck, and hence our name.

Proverbial Beer has been produced in tiny batches (48-50 bottles) at random intervals since 2006 at a somewhat fictional home brewery in Lincoln, Maine. The brand (trademark pending) is named in recognition of the proverbial beer truck in the once-common expression.

Proverbial Beer is not a commercial brewery or brew pub. It is a brand name. And it’s a brand you can use! See ‘The Proposition’ below to learn more.

We don’t have a license to make beer to sell. The laws are too complicated for that and are certainly designed to exclude us from the market. We don’t want to make thousands of barrels a year, anyway. Then we’d have to hire lawyers and accountants, buy workers’ comp and liability insurance, pay estimated quarterly taxes, advertise, submit “compliance” reports in violation of the Fifth Amendment, standardize our process, certify our alcohol content… Too much work that has nothing to do with enjoying the craft of brewing and consuming the results.

We want to make enough to remain reasonably supplied with beer for home consumption and sharing. That’s all. And we do know how to make beer, or more accurately, ale, in the usual home-brew batch. (Lager is not our thing.)

The Proposition

If you don’t know how or have tried and found it too messy or scary, but you would still like to enjoy some great home brew — and it definitely is as good as or better than most commercially-made brew — we have a proposition.

You shop for, select, and buy a Brewer’s Best kit that makes five gallons of home brew and arrange to get it to us. There are two stores in Bangor, Maine, which stock these kits: the Natural Living Center and Central Street Farm House.

Then allow a week for us to start the brew, another seven to ten days to ferment, and two to four weeks to age in the bottles — four weeks minimum altogether. For the cost of the kit you will receive at least 24 bottles of expertly-made home brew.

You can participate in the brewing as much as you want to — not at all or, if you want to learn how to do it, I’ll be your consultant as you do it all yourself or as much as you want to using my equipment (and my home site).

While you wait for 30 days or so, you can consume a bottle a day of commercially-produced beer (not screw caps) and bring me the empties to replace the ones that you will take home.

For about 20 cents extra per bottle we can arrange to include custom labels (not homemade labels).

contact us at proverbialbeer@gmail.com, find us at https://www.facebook.com/ProverbialBeer

January 1, 2023: The Proverbial Beer brand is available for purchase by/transfer to an interested party. While we still may brew from time to time, our “proposition” is no longer available. This page is left open for its unique perspective. (The Facebook page has been hijacked and Facebook ignores pleas for its return.) Contact: DamnYankee.com@gmail.com with inquiries.