Fairly Obvious Blog Post

So this is an obvious cop-out blog post (at least in my opinion)… but I’m the blogger and I want to post this, so if you have decided to click on the link you clicked on to reach this page, and you’re still reading, and then you click on the play button below, watch this video and you’re STILL complaining about the obviousness of this post, you have nobody to blame but yourself. I feel I have done enough here to take responsibility for the obviousness of this post, so the rest is on you.

Now down to business. This is a video (not sure if it’s the official music video) of the best song by one of my favorite ska bands from way back in the day when I was an angsty teen and ska music was cool. I grant you it was a while ago, but the song is still a cool song… and it’s about beer! Enjoy.

I think I’ll have myself a beer.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!

The White Whale

Call me Ishmael.

Herman Melville’s classic “Moby Dick” serves as a literary example of a man (Captain Ahab) who is driven to madness by the pursuit of an elusive target (the white whale). In my real-life pursuit of rare and hard-to-find beers, there are several white whales that elude me - perhaps none more frustrating than Dogfish Head Craft Brewery’s 120 Minute India Pale Ale.

They got me Wyatt... don't let 'em get you too brother

Today, this particular white whale has been crossed off my list; rubber-stamped onto the starboard side of the hull of the Pequod (Ahab’s ship) as it were. 120 Minute has been discovered.

There are two very useful tips for acquiring rare beer that were put into practice during the discovery of the 120. The first is persistence. The search for this particular batch of 120 began after our local Wegmans (premium grocery store) was reported to have some in stock. But after weeks of failed attempts to procure some, things looked grim. Like many elusive beers, the key to finding 120 is to know the guy next to the guy, as only those with the proverbial “hook-up” usually find themselves with the prize.  But just as all hope would seem lost, suddenly, there they were. My scouts were at the Wegmans, asked the dudes in the beer section and low and behold, the white whale was trapped.

Another useful tip to pass on to fellow rare beer hunters is team work (or using an elaborate network of informants). It is impossible to be in two places at once, unless you’re Doc Brown or have access to a time turner. But if you utilize scouts, friends or a network of informants, as I did in this instance, it increases the size of the dragnet that you can stretch out in order to ensnare the white whale. Instrumental in today’s successful hunt was, in addition to my informant network, my partner in crime and lovely wife. Without whom (like most aspects of my life) none of this would have been possible.

But enough about shout outs… here’s to the hunt! And to the thrill of victory. 120 Minute will look great stuffed and hung on the wall of my study.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!

The Winds of Change

The best part of a beer war is the beer war after party

For those like me who are firmly entrenched on the crafty side of the Great War of Beer Liberation, it should come as no surprise to learn that Big Beer is losing. We already know this. But thanks to the public relations efforts of our corn-based opponents, the average American beer drinker may not. Quite honestly, it’s easy to imagine that if I weren’t as “plugged in” to the beer world as I am, I would have no information to go off of other than the dumb yellow beer commercial that inundate my nightly television screen.

Thanks to one of my fellow hop-headed craft warriors, I have been shown a main-stream media article that gives proof that the alleged giants of American beer are, in fact, conceding ground to the little guys at a fever pitch. This article, entitled “8 beers Americans no longer drink,” and written by something called 24/7WallSt.com, appeared on msnbc.com back on September 9^th, 2011 and gave a list of beers that have lost over 30% of their market share over the last five years. The article attributes the loss in share to a shift in American beer drinking towards imports, CRAFT BEERS and lower-calorie beers.

For those who aren’t inclined towards clicking on links, but still want to see the list (and the staggering percentages of lost market shares), here it is:

1.  Michelob: down 72% from 2006 to 2010

2.  Michelob Light: down 64% for the same period

3.  Bud Select: down 60%, same period

4. Milwaukee’s Best: down 53%, same period

5.  Old Milwaukee: down 52%, same period

6.  Miller Genuine Draft: down 51%, same period

7.  Milwaukee’s Best Light: down 34%, same period

8.  BUDWEISER(!): down 30% for the same period

Yeah… that’s right. The so-called King of Beers has lost 30% of its market share in the last five years! There are two ways to look at this. First, given the sheer amount of sales that Budweiser does, losing 30% is probably not Earth-shattering to AB-InBev, particularly since their other labels are also contributing to their overall bottom line. Second, 30% of the obscenely large amount of sales that Budweiser used to do is still a very significant acquisition of the total market by good beer. Either way you want to look at this number, it’s good news for those of us who have graduated to premium beer.

Another interesting blog that references this very same article is called “Why I Don’t Drink Budweiser… and Why I’m Not Alone” by a blogger who calls himself The Pour Fool. If you’re looking for more anti-big-beer facts and knowledge bombs, like why the founder of Anheuser Busch referred to his own product (Budweiser) as “that slop,” you’ll definitely find this blog post a good read.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!

Beer to Go

Standard-issue 2L flip-top
style growler

Today we’re talking about one of the greatest inventions in beer history… the growler. Growlers are glass or ceramic jugs that are commonly sold at breweries and brewpubs as a means to sell take-out beer. They generally feature either a screw-on cap or a hinged porcelain gasket cap, which can provide freshness for a week or more. While 64 oz (0.5 gallons) is the most popular growler size, growlers are commonly found in 32 oz, 128 oz, 1 Liter, and 2 Liter sizes as well.

History of the growler:

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, fresh beer was carried from the local pub to one's home by means of a small-galvanized pail. Rumor has it that when the beer sloshed around the pail, it created a rumbling sound as the CO₂ escaped through the lid, thus the term "growler" was coined.

Before World War II, city kids used to bring covered buckets of draft beer from a local bar or brewery to workers at lunchtime or to their parents at dinnertime, a practice called "rushing the growler."

In the 50s and 60s, waxed cardboard containers with lids were used to take home beer. It's said that they were round and resembled take-out Chinese soup containers. And in many US states, it used to be (and still is) illegal for "liquor stores" to be open on Sunday. So if you wanted beer on Sunday you went to a bar and bought some of these "containers" of draft beer. However by the late 60s many bars had switched to plastic and eventually they were allowed to sell packaged beer after hours. Soon after, many states allowed Sunday sales at liquor stores and the concept of the growler soon died.

With the revival of craft brewing during the 1980s, many brewers rejuvenated the practice of offering growlers to their patrons as a means to take beer-to-go home with them.

Growlers today:

Half gallon screw-top style growler

Growlers are filled straight from the tap, sealed with a twist-cap, often with a plastic wrap over this if filled ahead of time, and are sometimes labeled. Fill prices range anywhere from around $4 to $15 or more. A deposit must be paid, often included in the price, and chances are if you bring back your washed growler, you can get a refill for a cheaper price. Just note that you must always refrigerate growlers. Doing so will give them a shelf-life of 7-10 days, or around 2-3 days once opened (if you’re lucky).

Almost all brewpubs sell growlers these days, as do many breweries. And regardless of its true origin the growler is a great way to take home some fresh brew from a local brewery or brewpub.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!

Wanna live a healthy life? Go have a beer.

We’ve all heard that drinking wine in moderation is good for you. What you probably didn’t know is that it’s been proven that beer can provide the same health benefits as wine. Studies now show that drinking beer in moderation will reduce your chances of strokes, as well as heart and vascular disease. Interestingly enough, the health value of beer has been known, documented and applied for centuries, but there are folks out there who don't want you to know about it (conspiracy alert).

Let's get ready to rumble!!!

When you compare the ingredients that go into wine and beer, you'll find that wine is made purely from grapes, water and yeast. Grapes are a fine source of sugars, fiber and chromium, but few of those things survive the fermentation and filtering process. Yeast has loads of complex B vitamins, but again, they do not appear in the final product due to filtering.

Beer, on the other hand, is made from grains, water and yeast. Grains commonly used are barley and wheat, both of which are loaded with a variety of vitamins that survive the fermentation and filtering process. And the vitamin value of the yeast is conserved in the hundreds of unfiltered beers that are on the market -- both on tap and in bottles.

Here are some interesting health-related facts about beer:

In November of 1999, The New England Journal of Medicine stated that light to moderate beer drinkers would decrease their chances of suffering a stroke by 20%. They also stated that those who drink one beer a day compared to those who drink one beer a week experience no difference in reducing stroke risks.

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas (May 1999) reported that consuming moderate amounts of beer would lower one's chances of coronary heart disease by 30-40%, compared to those who don't drink at all. (Beer contains a similar amount of 'polyphenols' -- antioxidants -- as red wine and 4-5 times as many polyphenols as white wine).

Alcohol has also been attributed to increasing the amount of good cholesterol (HDL) in the bloodstream, as well as helping to decrease blood clots.

Beer contains vitamin B6, which prevents the build-up of the amino acid homocysteine, which has been linked to heart disease. Those of us who have high levels of homocysteine are usually more prone to an early onset of heart and vascular disease.

A new study performed at the TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute in Utrecht indicates that those who drink beer had no increase in their homocysteine level, but those who drank wine or liquor had an increase of up to 10%.

Beer provides a 30% increase in vitamin B6 into the blood plasma -- something that neither wine nor any other liquor can do.

Beer is both fat-free and cholesterol-free.

Beer has a relaxing effect on the body thereby reducing stress and helping you sleep better.

Beer has proven to have positive effects on elderly people, promoting blood vessel dilation, sleep and urination.

Happy beer drinkers

Here’s what you’ll find in your average single-serving of beer:

-        0 mg cholesterol

-        0 g fat

-        13 g carbohydrate

-        25 mg sodium

-        protein, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamins B, B2, and B6

-        alcohol

It should be pointed out that beer is also linked to several negative health conditions, such as liver disease, obesity and alcoholism. The key to all of this is moderation. All of the adverse reactions of beer occur when people drink too much of it. Another way to offset the negative effects of beer is to exercise and eat right (which are good ideas towards living a healthy life anyways).

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!

Great Beer Thinkers in History: Homer Simpson

One of the greatest philosophers in the history of beer is none other than Homer Simpson. Here is a collection of great beer quotes from the man himself:

“All right, brain, I don't like you and you don't like me - so let's just do this and I'll get back to killing you with beer.”

“Alcohol, the cause and solution to all of life's problems.”

“Bart, a woman is like beer. They look good, they smell good, and you'd step over your own mother just to get one!”

“I've figured out an alternative to giving up my beer. Basically, we become a family of traveling acrobats.”

“Now son, you don't want to drink beer. That's for Daddies, and kids with fake IDs.”

“Beer: So much more than just a breakfast drink.”

“Beer... Now there's a temporary solution.”

“Apu I need a keg and a six pack to hold me until I tap the keg.”

“Homer no function beer well without.”

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!

Fine Beer meets Fine Art

Craft beer draws its inspiration from many places; nature, history and music just to name a few. Conversely, life can draw inspiration from craft beer. Generally speaking, when craft beer reaches out to touch another discipline, the results are not just crafty… they’re tremendous! Here’s an example of what can happen to fine art when craftiness is allowed to be its muse.

Make sure your caps-lock is off

Now I’m no art critic, but I know what I like. This painting speaks to my soul. It makes me thirsty. Excellent use of colors. Etc, etc, etc. I could stare at this for hours and do a little cap recognition. Dogfish Head, Stone, Duvel, Heavy Seas, Sierra Nevada, Guinness, North Coast, Weyerbacher, Founders, Bell’s, Avery, Troeggs, The Bruery… simply beautiful.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!