March 4, 2000 -- Last night at the University of Pennsylvania Museum, a full house that included many of the brewing industry's foremost luminaries gathered to honour and poke a little fun at the dean of beer writing, Michael Jackson. But as a roast goes, it was a bit more of a gentle chiding than the whole-hearted ribbing that fans of the old televised Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts will remember.

Gathered roasters included Fritz Maytag, owner of San Francisco's Anchor Brewing Company; brewpub pioneer and American Brewer publisher Bill Owens; Anthony Fuller of London's legendary Fuller, Smith and Turner brewery in London; John Hansell, publisher of the Malt Advocate magazine; Merchant du Vin and Pike Brewing founder Charles Finkel; a still slightly jet-lagged Oliver Hughes of the Dublin brewpub, The Porter House; and your humble reporter. Master of Ceremonies was Tom Dalldorf, editor and publisher of The Celebrator Beer News.

While some of the roasters stepped up with amusing jabs at the expense of Jackson, most of the speakers spent their time praising the man who defined beer journalism some twenty-five years ago. Daniel Bradford of All About Beer Magazine, in particular, was most effusive in his glorification of Jackson's many accomplishments. (Traditionally, participants in a roast poke fun at the honouree and save their more heartfelt remarks for the end.)

The consensus star of the show was Sam Caligione, owner of the Dogfish Head Brewery, who composed a short story about Jackson in the style of the Beer Bard's favourite American writer, Raymond Carver. The tale, skilfully crafted so as to have a little fun at Jackson's expense while at the same time demonstrating great affection for the man, brought the house down. World of Beer will attempt to obtain a copy of Caligione's epistle and, if successful, will post it within the next week or so in Bright Beer.

The charity event was held as a fund-raiser for the University Museum's Sumerian Dictionary Project.

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