My first beer...

It's summertime, 1978, and I've flown out to Port Austin, Michigan (it's in the thumb) to spend some quality time with my Michigan relatives at 'the cottage.' There are perch to be caught (Lake Huron was loaded with yellow perch back then), s'mores to be eaten by the campfire, Putt-Putt golf to be played, and, thanks to my Uncle Chuck, an 8 oz. can of Pabst Blue Ribbon with my name on it to be imbibed. "Sure, go ahead, and keep the can for your new hobby" he'd said to me. Heck, I was almost 14, why not? I'm not sure how much I enjoyed the taste, but I happily bottom-opened the can and tucked the collectible into my suitcase a few days later for the return flight to Connecticut. That can sits in the museum to this day and I proudly point it out when giving tours.

In honor of the curator's first beer, which was appropriately enjoyed from a small can on the shores of Lake Huron, here's a small piece of breweriana from the museum bar. This PBR glass was a gift from my lovely wife Maryellen a few years ago. Some guys get ties, shirts, and new boxer briefs for Christmas. I get breweriana and I couldn't be happier.

Photo by museum photographer Jim Cannizzaro