Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone!

 If you’re traveling and encounter any interesting celebrations, put a comment here and let us know.

It’s SuperBowl Sunday, so of course any red-blooded American’s thoughts turn to … beer.

In Kim’s blog last week, she wrote about beer-related jobs, including beer sommeliers. That wasn’t a title I’d run into before, but of course the way things always go is that now I’m seeing it in all sorts of places.

Taking it to the ultimate level, I think, is this item from that beer-drinker’s mecca, London. It came from the just-out Visit London press briefing for the month of February:

Pearl, one of London’s most glamorous fine dining restaurants, has developed an exquisite new Tasting Menu designed specifically for beer-loving gastronomes. Guests at Pearl can now enjoy a sommelier’s selection of gourmet beers, which have been expertly paired to each individual dish on the Beer and Food Tasting Menu. The five-course tasting menu costs £75 per person and includes a specially selected beer with each course.

I happen to know Pearl, and it is indeed a great place. It’s on High Holborn in WC1, and its chef Jun Tanaka presents modern French food with a Japanese flair. It also has one of London’s top wine lists.

Being SuperBowl Sunday, of course I’m having a hard time imagining Americans in London saying, “Must find a French restaurant with a gourmet beer-tasting menu.” I mean, there are a lot of great British beers from small breweries, and my idea of a “beer tasting” is a pub crawl.

In the liquor store and supermarket today, I didn’t see a lot of people saying, “Hmm, which beer will go nicely with nachos.” It was more like, how many cases can I get for 20 bucks? At least, that seemed to be the mindset of the folks I saw.

I’m actually going to a British pub to watch the game; they have a good sportsbar setup (the better to watch “football,” i.e. soccer, don’t you know), and a nice beer selection. I learned to drink beer in London, so I tend to prefer it dark and not cold.

The moral of this story is, I guess, that after you’ve watched your 11th Budweiser commercial tonight, remember–you can do better. Somewhere there’s a beer sommelier rolling over in his grave.

(Oh, and PS, pardon this long-time New Englander’s bias but … Go Pats!)

–Mary Hunt, editor, eFlyer

I originally had an entirely different idea of what I was going to write about for today’s blog, but then as I logged onto the Internet to start blogging, an article on my homepage struck me. And for all you beer lovers out there, this blog could lead to a career change for you.

Four Points by Sheraton Hotels, a division of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, has just created a new position within the corporation - CBO. What does that stand for? Chief Beer Officer. That’s right - an executive of beer. Scott Kerkmans beat out 8,000 applicants to become the hotel chain’s first CBO. The position was created during a publicity stunt that began with an advertisement in The Wall Street Journal. And getting hired was not easy task - applicants had to pass a beer test, submit an essay and application, create a video and be voted the winner by the general public. So, I am sure you are wondering, as I was, the duties associated with the job: annual trips to beer conferences (including Oktoberfest in Germany), educating Sheraton bartenders on beers, hosting hotel happy hours and touring breweries. Another perk - he receives at least one free case of beer a month! So, maybe there is something to be said for those who claimed to have “majored” in beer during their college years.

While Sheraton is the first hotel chain to create this position, restaurants and bars across the country are hiring “beer sommeliers”. While these beer specialists seem to be popping up here and there, most places still use beverage managers.

While I would not consider myself a beer drinker, there is a lot to know about how beer is made, where it comes from, the flavors throughout the drink, just as there is with wines. It might be nice to learn about the beer you are drinking during your next trip to your favorite restaurant. And maybe this position will inspire restaurants, bars and hotels around the country to consult a “beer sommelier” and expand their beer selections.

-Kimberly Krol, circulation and public relations executive