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Monthly Archives: November 2008
Beer survival: open a beer bottle with a ring
Here’s a skill that would come in handy in an emergency. That emergency being, of course, lacking a beer bottle opener.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T3QC95D8wE
Of course, I don’t think my wife would appreciate me using my wedding band in such a way. Unless I was opening a beer for her.
(via Lifehacker)
Call to Action: Help find Bargain Craft Beer
Jess wrote to me recently:
I need advice, and hope. The price of IPAs are just too high. What is the best beer for the value, or is it possible to find a six-pack of quality beer for $6.99 anymore?
Boy, that’s a good question. Beer prices were already going up before this latest financial nightmare. The hop shortage made sure of that. Plus increased transportation costs. Believe me, I’ve had some sticker-shock myself lately.
Unfortunately there’s not a simple answer. What’s a bargain near me may not even be carried near you, and may be a wildly different price. The distributor’s got to get their cut in our three-tier distribution system, and of course federal, state, and local governments each got to get their pound of flesh.
One option is to go for the more flavorful offerings of the large, industrial brewers. They’re each trying to get a piece of craft beer’s impressive growth and offer some craft-y selections. I haven’t seen any of them offer up an IPA, but I did have the Budweiser American Ale, and it’s not too bad. (Damning with faint praise, I know.)
A better solution might be to think more local. I have found that six-packs from the brewery closest to me (Flying Dog in Frederick, Maryland) run a dollar to two dollars less than comparable beers from other craft brewers. (Well, the Wild Goose label does. An awful lot of Flying Dog’s portfolio is pretty extreme and priced accordingly.) If you can go to the brewery to buy your six-packs so much the better: no middle man.
A third option might be to visit your local brewery or brewpub and get yourself a growler. That’s a gallon of beer that you can have refilled and gives you some economy of scale.
So, how about it Hop Talk readers? Can you offer advice and/or hope to Jess? What does a basic IPA sell for in your neck of the woods?
‘Bailout Bitter’ launched
Howe Sound Brewery in British Columbia, Canada, has launched ‘Bailout Bitter’ in “honour of the government bailouts of the financial sector”.
Winnipeg Free Press: Howe Sound Brewery toasts tough times by launching ‘Bailout Bitter’ beer
Calling it “bitter ale for bitter times,” the brewery said the new beer will cost less than its other brands.
For instance, a pint of Bailout Bitter will sell for $5.50, or about $1 less per glass, at the company’s restaurant and brew pub, located in Squamish, B.C., about an hour drive north of Vancouver.
…
“We are trying to inject a little bit of humour into this dire economic situation, while still responding in a serious way to these tough times,” the brewery’s co-owner Leslie Fenn said of the new brand.
Beer Blog Search eclipses 200 blogs
It seems every time I turn around, I find another site to add to the Beer Blog Search Engine. There are now over 200 blogs focused primarily on beer that are indexed for searching. How fast can we get to 300 do you think?
Anyway, here are some recently added blogs (in no particular order):
- www.drinkapint.com
- impymalting.wordpress.com
- stlhops.com
- www.mlive.com
- www.beerutopia.com
- brewskiguide.wordpress.com
- hoistthemainales.blogspot.com
- beercritic.wordpress.com
- lifelongpubrun.blogspot.com
- papastonch.blogspot.com
- sybeeritic.blogspot.com
- blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/beer/
- herebebeer.blogspot.com
For more information on the Beer Blog Search Engine, see:
- Beer Blog Search Engine
- Beer Blog Search Engine growing
- Beer Blog Search Engine growing and growing
- Beer Blog Search expansion continues
As always, if you know of any others that would be good additions, don’t hesitate to drop us a line.
So close…German women fails to set record for carrying beer mugs
- Beer Mug World Record…Anita Schwarz from Eichenau tries to set a new world record carrying 21 beer mugs at once across a distance of 40 metres in a tent near Zeltingen, Germany, 09 November 2008. However, Eichenau fails to transport the mugs in one piece. Photo: UPPA/Photoshot
Telegraph: German woman fails in Beer Mug World Record attempt
Session #21 wrap-up: Favorite beer
Real life kept me from participating in this latest version of The Session. Even if I’d had time to write something, it would have been extraordinarily difficult. The charge was to write about one’s favorite beer, but my philosophy is very much like Captain Hops’:
My favorite beer
Depends on the day, place, and
Cash in my pocket
I mean, depending on my mood, the ambient temperature, the environment I find myself in, or a thousand other possible factors, how could I possibly settle on a single choice? Matt, the sponsor at A World of Brews, suggests going with one’s “go to” beer. Trouble is that I have half-a-dozen of those.
Others didn’t have the same problem, though, and waxed poetical about a variety of brews.
Twenty-one is a very important number, of course. It’s the legal drinking age in the United States. The Twenty-First Amendment to the Constitution repealed Prohibition. It’s also the best one can get in Blackjack.
Alright, so that last isn’t really beer related. Unless you’re drinking beer while you’re playing.
Appropriately enough, the next Session is sponsored by Twenty-First Amendment Brewery on Prohibition: Invitation to The Session #22
What recession? A-B posts third-quarter gains
In case you hadn’t noticed, the American economy is in a world of hurt. Ford just announced a huge quarterly loss and thousands of job cuts. GM and Chrysler are expected to do the same.
Anheuser-Busch, in the midst of being acquired by InBev, is doing just fine though. In the third quarter:
- U.S. beer volume up 2.3%
- U.S. revenue per barrel up 3.7%
- U.S. sales to retailers up 3.6%
International sales were even better.
A look at Anheuser-Busch’s 3Q business
I’ve heard that beer is mostly recession-proof.
How about you? Have your beer purchasing patterns changed lately?
Vote!
We studiously avoid political topics around here. Mostly because politics are divisive and we’re all about togetherness.
However, today is Election Day in the United States, and I encourage every American to do his or her civic duty.
Then, later, as the results come in, drink a beer to celebrate. Or, if things don’t go your way, at least you’ll have a beer to cry in.
