Candy store: Bier-Spezialitäten-Laden

Norwegian Knut Albert is traveling in Germany and writes on his eponymous blog about a specialty shop in Berlin.

Bier-Spezialitäten-Laden

Sind sie eine Etikettensammler or ein Biergenisser, asks the man behind the counter. Are you a label collector or do you enjoy a good beer? Ein Biergenisser, I reply. When I start picking a few bottles, the other customers enthusiastically suggest others, and there is a brief discussion on whether a certain porter is sweet or not.

(We want to profile your “candy store”. Send us your enthusiastic comments and we’ll feature it here. Photos a plus.)

Tragedy: truck loses beer on Autobahn

The Local: Truck loses 350 cases of beer on Autobahn

A few football fans could go thirsty after a beer transport truck from Munich lost some 350 cases of beer on the A8 Autobahn while traveling to Austria for a Euro 2008 delivery late on Monday evening.

Around 600 poorly secured cases of beer tipped over as the 51-year-old semi truck driver hit a curve, destroying the holding fixtures inside the trailer walls. More than half of the shipment landed on the motorway, police said on Tuesday.

Clean up efforts took more than three hours.

The Polish driver was able to bring the vehicle to a stop at a nearby parking lot and secured the remainder of his shipment. Damages are estimated at €15,000.

No one was injured during the accident.

No one, that is, except the 8,400 bottles of beer tragically lost.

The scene of the crime

Beer News Sampler

Call for weak Euro beer
Austrian officials are pushing for a special “Euro 2008″ beer (read: low alcohol) and branded plastic “Euro 2008″ mugs (read: that can’t be used as projectiles) to be served when Austria and Switzerland host the 2008 European Championship. All in an effort to cut down on hooliganism.

Ale’s Well with the World
This article in Scientific American describes the findings of Charlie Bamforth, Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Brewing Science at the University of California, Davis. Specifically, it was the discovery of how to store and ferment grain is what caused people to live together. Thus was born civilization, villages became cities, and technology advanced in leaps and bounds.

Workers Threaten Heineken
Workers at Heineken’s plant in St. Petersburg, Russia, have threatened a “slowdown” unless they get a 30 percent raise, a year-end bonus, extra pay for hazardous conditions and other concessions. It is unclear whether they’ll still be required to drink the beer.

Expert offers tips for pouring a perfect glass of beer
“Though it seems easiest to drink beer straight from the bottle or can, experts recommend pouring it into a clear glass for maximum enjoyment. Different varieties of beer should be served in different types of glasses.” Well, duh! It’s nice to see traditional media with a positive article about beer, however.

Thief betrays himself for beer
A German phone thief led police right to his front door when they called the stolen mobile to say he had won some free beer and he willingly gave his address. Stupid thief or entrapment? You be the judge. (Sorry.)

Go figure: Use math to get the perfect head of beer
U.S. researchers have found a mathematical formula that predicts how beer bubbles change over time. OK, maybe it won’t change the taste of beer that much—but, it has other valuable applications.