Beer Tap TV News:

Beer Buzz is the weekly show that will keep you informed and updated on all the things going on in the beer world, from the noteworthy to the nutty.  Know something we don’t (which is highly likely)?  Email us at AlwaysHoppy@BeerTapTV.com and share the news… we just might use it.

Show Notes:

BEER NEWS

Super Bowl not a super beer holiday

The Super Bowl rates a lowly eighth on the nation’s “big beer holidays” list.

Our nation’s top beer holidays are: 1. July 4th, 2. Labor Day, 3. Memorial Day, 4. Father’s Day, 5. Christmas, 6. Thanksgiving, 7. Easter, 8. Super Bowl.

According to the Nielsen Co., consumers bought a mere 51.7 million cases of beer in the two weeks around last year’s Super Bowl. People bought 68.1 million cases at the 4th of July. (Note: DRAFT magazine figured this out to be “four beers for every person in the country”)

Another tidbits of interest for Super Bowl:  Beer sales go up in the city that plays host to Super Bowl and in the cities that have teams participating.

We want to know what you’ll be drinking for the Super Bowl and do you plan on having more than 4 beers.  I know I will!

Beer-Flavored Doritos on the F Train

New Yorkers Pete Holmes and Oren Brimer write television commercials while riding the trains.

In November, the two stand-up comics rushed to meet the deadline for Frito-Lay’s “Crash the Super Bowl” contest, which involved submitting a 30-second commercial about Doritos. The winners are chosen by viewers online from among five finalists, and get to have their commercial broadcast during the game on Feb.1.  They’ll also win a cool $1 million if it turns out to be the most popular commercial played during the Super Bowl.

Their commercial, called “New Flavor Pitch,” shows an executive pitching Frito-Lay on the idea for a new beer-flavored Dorito.

They’ve already won $25,000 as finalists, and they hope to win the big prize, but they need to win the online vote.  “We don’t need everyone in New York to vote for us,” Mr. Holmes said. “But everyone in Brooklyn would be good.”

Check out (and vote for) their video –>  http://crashthesuperbowl.com/#/gallery/video/2274/

LET’S VOTE FOR THESE GUYS!!

MillerCoors gets creative for a second to battle A-B

Did you know that Anheuser-Busch will have the only beer ads in the 1 Super Bowl?  MillerCoors doesn’t’ care though, as they plan a counterattack that includes TV and Web ads that make fun of A-B’s free spending. Their pregame ads start running Jan. 26 and  tweak A-BInBev’s paying NBC $3 million ($100,000 a second) for a 30-second in game ad.

The one-second game-day stunt ad — known as a “blink” — will air on 25 local NBC stations reaching about 60% of the TV audience. The ad promotes Miller website 1secondad.com.

“If we want people to drink our beer watching the big game, then we have to advertise before the big game,” says Andy England, chief marketing officer at MillerCoors.

Have dinner with Oskar Blues at Empire Restaurant & Lounge

On Saturday, January 31 at 6 PM, Oskar Blues will be hosting a special beer dinner at the Empire Restaurant & Loungein Louisville, CO.

The dinner will feature a one-night-only menu – four courses of luscious Empire food matched with five courses of Oskar Blues’ liquid art (including a very special OB beer). The fun-filled night will also include beery edutainment from the one and only Marty Jones, as he offers up yet more proof as to why beer is the ultimate beverage with a great meal. Plus, he’ll regale you with a dose of live “beer music” as well.

Empire specializes in what it calls “serious campfire cuisine,” regional-minded cooking focusing on local ingredients and elegant-but-simple flavors.

Seats for this very limited-seating affair are $50, and can be obtained by calling the Empire at 303-665-2521. Learn more about the Empire at http://theempirerestaurant.com .

Redhook Brewery targets more of the craft-beer market

On July 1 of last year Redhook Ale Brewery merged with Widmer Brothers Brewing Company to form the Craft Brewers Alliance, Inc.  They sold a quarter of its shares to kingpin A-B InBev. Anheuser has purchased 10 percent more of its stock since the merger.

Alex Kopf, a brewer with Redhook, said Anheuser-InBev has no authority to make changes in the brewing process, and said its purchase of Craft Brewers stock had incentives in the shared use of distribution systems.

“This bolsters our brand family and makes us a stronger player in the craft beer markets,” Redhook plant manager Amanda Telford said. “It gives us something for everyone.”

Kona Brewing Company of Kailua Kona, Hawaii, and Goose Island Beer Company of Chicago, Ill., subsidiaries of Widmer, were also included in the deal, enabling Redhook to introduce beers from these lines into New England markets.

Rogue Beer Bible Blessed as Best

Tasting Panel Magazine picked Rogue’s Beer Bible for an Award of Distinction for Best Beer List in the inaugural Crystal Beverage Awards competition sponsored by Waterford Crystal.

The Rogue Beer Bible is a leather-bound listing all of Rogue’s ales, stouts, porters and lagers, including technical and flavor profiles, awards, history of each beer, suggested food pairings and reviews. The Beer Bible is available at each of Rogue’s pubs to enlighten and entertain beer drinkers.

In the San Francisco POP Show awards, Rogue went head-to-head with Paramount Pictures, SKYY Vodka, Adidas and Walt Disney Studios and came away with a third place award for Yellow Snow IPA 5-liter can in the Specialty Packaging Direct Print category and a third place for Rogue Farms Work Shirt in the Specialty Ad category. Rogue has won 11 awards in the five years it has participated in the SF Pop Show.

BEER RELEASES

Spring Fever 12-pack – Magic Hat Brewing Co. – Burlington, Vermont

• #9 – A sort of dry, crisp, refreshing, not-quite pale ale.
• Circus Boy – a unique and refreshing American-style Hefeweizen.
• hI.P.A. -  a highly dry-hopped India Pale Ale; their Spring SeasonAle.
• Odd Notion Spring 2009 -  Poppy Agave Pilsner, a classic European pilsner given a new springtime spin with wild sour accents of organic agave and natural blue poppy seeds planting a sweet, nutty balance.  two-row Pilsner malt and Noble hops, 30 IBUs and an ABV of 5%

Old Bawdy Barley Wine – Pike Brewing Co. – Seattle, Washington

Pike’s most extreme beer at 10% alcohol by volume.  The grist blend is made with enormous quantities of the finest biscuity malts. Balancing this liquid bread are incredible quantities of an herbal blend of Columbus, Magnum, Chinook and Centennial hops, all from the Yakima Valley. On the palate Old Bawdy is powerful, rich and complex with a smooth, full round mouth-feel and a fine balance of sweet and bitter, drinking as if it were much lighter in alcohol. The finish is long and satisfying with a slight essence of grapefruit.

Red Poppy Ale – Port Brewing/ The Lost Abbey – San Marcos, California

Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey will issue the 2009 release of Red Poppy Ale on January 31, 2009. A Flanders-style red ale made with sour cherries and aged in French Oak barrels for one year, the 375 case limited edition release will only be available directly from the brewery. A medium-bodied ale, Red Poppy has a reddish-brown hue, rich fruit aroma, and a complex mélange sour cherry, plum and red wine flavors accented with notes of chocolate and vanilla.

BEER GADGET OF THE WEEK

The Beer Handle

Designed and developed by Bob Ptak, Founder and President of USA TAILGATERS, Inc. in 1997.  It’s available in blue, silver, gold and red (look for more colors soon). In addition, the BeerHandle can have a custom design containing company names, company logos, fraternity letters, sorority letters and much, much more. Each handle is $3.95 plus shipping. Bulk discounts are available for orders of 50 or more.

BEER BLOG OF THE WEEK

Bradford on Beer (aka BOB) by Daniel Bradford, editor of All About Beer

Get in on the ground floor of a blog that promises to be totally awesome.  Daniel Bradford has forgotten more about the beer business than most people will ever know. Daniel is an expert on the beer business, spending decades creating, expanding, and building products to help grow the beer industry.  But he’s not an expert on beer itself, having left that to the editors and writers of All About Beer Magazine.

He’s vowed to change that. This year he is going to focus on expanding his expertise to the point where he can be a judge at the Great American Beer Festival.  Over the next year he plans on doing whatever it takes to get him to that next level, and the BOB blog will be the public record of that journey.
Make sure you follow us on twitter:

@ErikBoles
@EliShayotovich

And here at Beer Tap TV:

Eli Shayotovich
Erik Boles

Beer Tap TV News:

Beer Buzz is the weekly show that will keep you informed and updated on all the things going on in the beer world, from the noteworthy to the nutty.  Know something we don’t (which is highly likely)?  Email us at AlwaysHoppy@BeerTapTV.com and share the news… we just might use it.

Show Notes:

SABMiller Reports Unexpected Drop in Beer Shipments

SABMiller, the world’s second- largest brewer, reported an unexpected decline in third-quarter beer shipments as the global economic slowdown dented demand from Latin America to eastern Europe. The quantity of lager sold fell 1% in the three months through December. It missed the median estimate of nine analysts for a 1.5% gain. SABMiller slid to a six-week low in London trading.

Third-quarter shipments rose 2% in Latin America, but was weighed down by a 6% decline in Colombia, which is SAB’s biggest market in the region. Business in Colombia was hurt by slowing economic growth and rising joblessness, as well as by “excessive rainfall”. In Europe, lager volumes fell 1 percent, led by a 22 percent decline in Russia and 1 percent drop in the Czech Republic.

New Belgium Releases its First-Ever Sustainability Report

We’ve talked about New Belgium’s environmentally friendly footprint on Beer Tap TV many times in the past. Well, they’re serious about being environmental stewards and have just released a comprehensive document that defines the brewery’s commitment to operating a sustainable business. Check out the Press Release, which only scratches the surface. Be sure to check out their website, which is loaded with tons of other facts (like the”Life Cycle Assessment of a Fat Tire 6-pack), figures and suggestions on how you can help.

Ft. Collins, CO, January 15, 2009—New Belgium Brewing, the nation’s third largest craft brewer, recently unveiled its first-ever corporate sustainability report—a revealing look at the progress and challenges of operating a sustainable business.

The 2007-2008 report outlines New Belgium’s “Triple Bottom Line” approach to business, measuring the environmental, economic and social effects of the brewery. It also highlights several of the brewer’s unique environmental initiatives—from a decade-long commitment to using wind energy to a greenhouse gas life cycle assessment (LCA) of a six-pack of Fat Tire beer. The full report is available at http://www.newbelgium.com/sustainability .

The Sustainability report will be produced regularly, with the next report to be released in May.

$5.2 million expansion moves ahead at Bell’s Brewery

Expansion plans at the headquarters of Bell’s Brewery Inc. are moving ahead. The brewery plans to add 15,000 square feet of office space onto its 60,000-square-foot production operation. The $5.2 million expansion will start in late March/early April and should be finished by the end of 2010.

The expansion continues the growth of the company, which over the last two years added a new warehouse, completed a $3.2 million expansion of its fermentation cellar, & added a new kegging line.

The brewery’s fermentation capacity has grown to 280,000 barrels per years, versus 140,000, Bell said. Beer production grew by more than 22% in 2008, to more than 111,000 barrels. It’s the 7th consecutive year of double-digit growth. The business anticipates an additional 20% growth this year.

In a related story…
Beer Therapy on RealBeer.com

Magic Hat enjoyed a 26% growth in sales in 2008, with December sales up 40% from the previous year. Debuts in several new territories, including Chicago, Milwaukee and Atlanta, as well as continued double-digit sales growth in mature markets, helped Magic Hat’s flagship beer, #9, enjoy a 14th consecutive year of double-digit growth. Sales for the not quite pale ale were up 33% in 2008.

Wisconsin beer drinkers: a new Old Style is coming

Old Style returns to its roots with a complete brand overhaul featuring a return to the German brewing tradition of authentic kraeusening, new package graphics that dramatically showcase the iconic 1902 tavern

Award-winning brewmaster Bob Newman: “Bringing back the extra step of kraeusening will provide more body, flavor and a cleaner finish to Old Style — things we believe our loyal drinkers and our new beer drinkers will both appreciate and enjoy.”

The new Old Style will hit the stores and bars in February.

Iron City Beer Laying Off Workers

Pittsburgh Brewing Company, makers of Iron City Beer, have announced temporary layoffs. But it as nothing to with the current state of the economy. Iron City reports that sales are up 20%, and sales of Augustiner are up 250%. There’s a problem with the actual production line.

On March 1st 20 – 30 of the brewery’s 81-person work force will be on a week-on, week-off work schedule. They hope to have the problem fixed within 1 -3 months.

For those of you who love Iron City Beer, don’t worry… they’re making it somewhere else. It’s also not unusual for us to take their recipes and brewmaster and go to a contract facility to temporarily brew.

Speaking of Iron City…

Over the weekend we found out from Flying Dog Brewing about a little wager that they had going on with Iron City.   See, FDB is based in Maryland… home of the Ravens.   Iron City is based in Pittsburgh, home of the Steelers.  The bet – the brewery whose home team loses on Sunday must toast the victors with their opponent’s beer… while clad in their opponent’s gear. And as I predicted on my Southern Colorado Beer Examiner column, Flying Dog will be doing some cheering with Iron City brew… in Steeler uniforms. Dusty is happy that Pitt laid the smack down on the Ravens.

BEER RELEASES

Red Ale – Odell Brewing Company – Ft. Collins, CO

On February 2nd, 2009 beer lovers can climb to new heights with the release of Odell Brewing Company’s Red Ale, an American-style red with generous hops for an extra kick.

Red Ale follows Odell Brewing’s winter release, Isolation ale, as part of the brewery’s new rotating seasonal lineup that will replace its Single Batch Series. The rotating seasonal lineup will also include a new summer brew currently in development on the brewery’s Pilot Brewing System.

Red Ale is available through May. Six-packs will retail for approximately $9.49 – $9.99.

Otter Creek Brewing – Middleburry, Vermont

Otter Creek Brewing has rolled out three new beers:

Russian Imperial Stout – 10% ABV -  plenty of big malt flavors- chocolate and roasted- and high alcohol with lower carbonation and mild hops.

Mud Bock — Otter Creek’s spring seasonal offering from years back, is a hearty amber beer, with a perfect balance of malts and hops and herbal and floral notes.

Spring Ale Kölsch – bright golden ale originating in Cologne, Germany. Craft brewed with 2-row malt and malted wheat, and hopped with Tettnang and Liberty hops — crisp and refreshing with a dry finish.

NEW BREWERIES

Metropolitan Brewing – Chicago, Illinois

Metropolitan Brewing, owned by Doug & Tracy Hurst, is located on the north side of Chicago. It’s the first new brewery in Chicago in over six years. Hurst earned his Diploma in Brewing Technology from the Siebel Institute/Doemens Academy in 2004

You won’t find any imperial stouts or double IPAs though because Metropolitan is doing something a bit different — the beers will build off traditional German lagers.

• Dynamo Copper Lager — their ‘flagship’ beer — features a hop mix of German Perle and Hallertau, and a malt bill of Vienna and Munich
• Flywheel Bright Lager – slightly more bitter at 45 IBU, using a mix of Noble hops
• Krankshaft –  Kolsch-style beer featuring wheat malt and Tettnang hops

Metro Brewing has already received approvals for kegs and has plans to bottle both Dynamo Copper and Flywheel Bright. The best way to keep tabs on them is follow them on their Twitter account – http://twitter.com/metrobrewing

Lonerider Brewing – Raleigh, North Carolina

North Carolina’s newest brewery launches this week. Its first event today (Tuesday, Jan. 20) at Brixx in Chapel Hill introducing their beer Shotgun Betty Hefeweizen. They are using 15 barrel brewing system, won’t have a taproom, but will be offering keg and growler sales from the brewery.

• Shotgun Betty – Hefeweizen – wheat beer with a banana-clove nose and dry finish – ABV 5.3 %
• DeadEye Jack – seasonal porter consisting of a strong, malty background with hints of roasted chocolate, subtle sweetness and low hop bitterness – ABV 6.3 %

BEER GADGET OF THE WEEK

The Beer Gauge (only $2.00)

When your local pubs say they are selling you a pint of beer, you should get a pint (i.e., 16 oz). Not 12 oz or even 14 oz, but 16 oz of beer.

This “carefully engineered” gauge is designed to be placed on the side of a standard US pint glass in order to determine the amount of beer that is missing from the glass. The precisely designed gauge fits along the side of the pint glass and the easy-to-read beer level indicators are used to determine the amount of beer that is GONE.

BEER BLOG OF THE WEEK

Pfiff!  By Rob DeNunzio

“A beer blog, about tasting, brewing, history, culture, and general fermented grain goodness.”

Rob is a crazy cool cat who’s hard to explain. I guess “eclectic” is a good word for him.  I met him and his family last summer during a trip to Northern California.  Rob is one of the founding members of Shawn Connelly’s ALEuminati, and an exceptional writer. You really need to check out his blog to understand what he’s all about.

BEER DOUCHE OF THE WEEK

Man accused of selling daughter for cash, beer (submitted by Chipper Dave)

A Greenfield, California (a farming community on California’s central coast) man was arrested after arranging for his 14-year-old daughter to marry a neighbor in exchange for $16,000, several cases of meat, and 100 cases of Corona beer, 50 cases of Modelo, six bottles of wine, 50 cases of soft drinks and 50 cases of Gatorade.

Martinez is a member of an indigenous Mexican Trique community where arranged marriages with girls as young as 12 are not uncommon. The money was intended as a dowry and the beer and meat were for the wedding.

Martinez was arrested Sunday and is scheduled to be arraigned on felony charges of procuring a child under age 16 for lewd and lascivious acts, statutory rape and cruelty to a child by endangering health, according to the prosecutor. The intended groom, 18-year-old Margarito de Jesus Galindo, was also arrested on suspicion of statutory rape, but prosecutors have not decided whether to charge him.

Members of the Trique community protested the news reports and public discussion of the case, saying they were painted in a very negative light.

“No one put a ‘for sale’ sign on this girl, and that’s how it sounds,” said Rufino Dominguez, head of the Greenfield office of the Binational Center for the Development of the Indigenous Communities. Arranging marriages and exchanging goods that will contribute to the wedding party are common, but money is not usually part of the transaction. When that does happen, it’s not seen well within the community.”

Martinez could face at least a year in prison if convicted. As an undocumented immigrant he’s under an immigration hold and is not eligible for bail.

A new President has been sworn into office… what are you drinking today to celebrate!?

Make sure you follow us on twitter:

@ErikBoles
@EliShayotovich

And here at Beer Tap TV:

Eli Shayotovich
Erik Boles

Beer Tap TV News:

Beer Buzz is the weekly show that will keep you informed and updated on all the things going on in the beer world, from the noteworthy to the nutty.  Know something we don’t (which is highly likely)?  Email us at AlwaysHoppy@BeerTapTV.com and share the news… we just might use it.

Show Notes:

World’s biggest beer maker to shut ancient brewery

In 2010 the beer conglomerate Anheuser-Busch InBev plans to close the 600-year-old Stag Brewery in west London, one of the oldest brewing sites in all of Britain. It currently employs 182 workers.

One of the reasons for the closure… “to save on costs.”

A-B InBev will restructure its operations in Britain in response to weak economic conditions and sharp increases in beer taxes.

Anheuser-Busch InBev Stops Flow Of Free Beer At Parks

Budweiser beer at Busch Gardens and other Busch Entertainment Corp. hospitality centers (including SeaWorld Orlando) will no longer be free.

Furthermore, Busch Gardens employees (of legal drinking age) will no longer receive two free cases of beer per month.

A-B InBev is expected to sell the theme park division’s 10 parks and focus on making and selling beer.  The poor economy is slowing those plans.

“The Belgian brewer has a reputation for thriftiness.”  Or in layman’s terms… they’re stingy Belgian bastards.

Additionally, on December 26 the annual admission price to Busch Gardens was raised $2 to $69.95.

InBev Belgium to hike beer prices

On March 15 InBev Belgium, the Belgian arm of Anheuser-Busch InBev (INTB.BR), will raise beer prices by 3.5%.

“In light of the increasing operational costs, Inbev Belgium sees a need to raise the price of its beers.”

Stella Artois, Hoegaarden, and Leffe will certainly be affected, but no word on what, if anything, will be affected in the United States. But expect it to eventually.

InBev restarts S Korean brewery sale

InBev has restarted the sale process of Oriental Brewery located in South Korea. They decided that the Korean business was no longer considered core to its future strategy.

InBev explored a sale of Oriental last autumn but shelved the process because of the financial crisis. InBev has owned Oriental for a decade, and it’s sale is expected to fetch $1.5bn-$2bn.

InBev is also looking at the sale of a range of other assets, including the US entertainment and packaging businesses formerly owned by Anheuser.

Ben Franklin wasn’t talking about beer

Benjamin Franklin did a lot of things in his long life. He helped start a new country, wrote books, flew kites, and invented a lot of stuff (glass harmonica, bifocal glasses, flexible urinary catheter, etc.). But he did not say: “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Sorry… he didn’t.

But don’t take my word for it. Bob Skilnik is the man who cracked this urban beer myth while doing research for his book Beer & Food: An American History. Skilnik’s rabid passion for beer history is legendary, and according to his very convincing finds, Franklin wasn’t talking about beer… he was talking about wine.

Skilnik offers up a letter from Franklin to French economist André Morellet as the most convincing proof that ole Ben never uttered these words – at least not about beer. Here’s one small part:

Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards; there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.

Sounds awfully familiar now doesn’t it?

BEER RELEASES

New World Porter – Avery Brewing Company – Boulder, CO
ABV: 6.7%      OG: 1.065     IBU’s: 45

A traditional black porter, with a surprise twist – it’s dry-hopped!! We’ve expanded the porter category a bit, adding a delightful, dry hop aroma to blend with the sweet caramel and chocolate characteristics of a Robust Porter.

BridgePort Beertown Brown – BridgePort Brewing – Portland, OR
ABV: 5.2%    OG: 13   IBUs: 20

Northern English style brown ale. Beertown Brown brings together roasted chocolate and caramel malts. Hops add a little crisp spice to the mix for the perfectly balanced pint. Gold medal winner at the 2008 World Beer Championships in Portland, Oregon.

BEER GADGET OF THE WEEK – NEW FEATURE!

Beer Goggles by Urban Spectacles

Made by reusing empty beer bottles, these goggles are a playful take on eyewear. Pick out your favorite beer, or even make the selection based upon and interesting glass (think Delirium), then either drink it down or send it to me and I’ll take care of it, and the construction of Beer Goggles will begin. Then I will fit any prescription or tint of lenses into the frames and they will be ready to wear out to your local pub.

BEER BLOG OF THE WEEK

Appellation Beer by Stan Hieronymus

This is the first “professional” beer writer we’ve pimped on this show.  If you don’t know who Stan is, you don’t know beer.  Stan is one of the most prolific professional beer writers in the game today.  He’s also one of the longest tenured. Stan writes on his blog “Appellation Beer” when he’s not writing one of his books or articles. Or globe trotting around the world tasting beers.  Open up any of the beer magazines we’ve talked about here on the show and you will find at least one article from him in every issue.  One of my faves is entitled “Everything your mother told you about Monks & Beer is Wrong.”  It’s in the  May/June 2008 issue of DRAFT Magazine. Stan actually went to Belgium to get the scoop.

Brewer for a Day Contest

Enter to win the opportunity to craft a batch of world class beer under the guidance of a Fort Collins Brewery Master Brewer. Get your hands in the mash, heave the hops, grind the grain, this is your opportunity to live the life of a brewer for a day.

Grand Prize
Grand prize winner will receive a full day of hands on brewing with an FCB master brewer complete with a down and dirty tour of the Fort Collins Brewery and the opportunity to ask all those questions you’ve been dying to ask. You’ll go home with a Brewer’s Lunchbox, and a pile of FCB swag to prove it!

Entries taken until the end of January
Entrants must be 21 years old
Entrants must be available to brew on Sat Feb. 7th from 8am to 5pm

Where to enter:
-Liquor Mart-
1750 15th St. Boulder, CO 80302
-Twin Peaks Liquor-
999 S. Hover Rd. Longmont, CO 80501
-Tipsy’s Liquor-
5869 S. Alkire St. Littleton, CO 80127
-Total Beverage-
9359 Sheridan Blvd. Westminster, CO 80031
-Colorado Liquor Mart-
865 S. Colorado Blvd. Denver, CO 80246

Make sure you follow us on twitter:

@ErikBoles
@EliShayotovich

And here at Beer Tap TV:

Eli Shayotovich
Erik Boles

Beer Tap TV News:

Beer Buzz is the weekly show that will keep you informed and updated on all the things going on in the beer world, from the noteworthy to the nutty.  Know something we don’t (which is highly likely)?  Email us at AlwaysHoppy@BeerTapTV.com and share the news… we just might use it.

Eli has once again gathered some of the hardest hitting news that the soft, pillowy beer world has to offer, and he and Erik share it with you, our beer loving audience.

Show Notes:

15,569 Beers on the Wall, and Counting…

John Bird, AKA ‘Birdweiser,’ of Denver pays homage to Budweiser in every room. He’s used 15,569 empty beer cans in their cases to decorate his home. He’s built a nightstand out of them, a computer desk, even lined his walls.

Birdweiser cleans out every can by sticking them in the dishwasher. He then packs them back in their cases to build more furniture and begin his interior decorating in another space.

“It’s gotten to the point I’m out of space here. Two weeks ago yesterday, I opened up Bud Central Annex One,” says Bird about his car garage–which already has 60 cases of empty Bud. He anticipates filling Bud Central Annex One. Then, he’ll open Bud Central Annex two–a storage unit in another garage.

Marinating steak in beer or wine ‘cuts cancer risk’
According to a report in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry researchers have found that marinating steak in alcohol cuts the high levels of carcinogenic compounds triggered by frying it. Grilling and frying cause sugar and protein in meat to convert into cancer-causing heterocyclic amines – or HAs.

In the test beer was more effective than wine at lowering the cancer-forming chemicals, and also made for a better-looking and tastier meal as tasters preferred the smell, taste and appearance of beer-marinated steak over meat soaked in wine.

The study found that HAs are cut by up to 90% in meat that has been left to marinade in beer or red wine for six hours. For a third type of HA, beer works better than wine – slashing levels in just four hours. Previous research has revealed that grilled chicken marinated in olive oil, lemon juice or garlic has 90 percent fewer HAs. Also, red wine was found to reduce the chemicals in fried chicken.

Mumbai’s notorious ‘Beer Killer’ gets life term
Ravindra Kantrole was recently sentenced to life imprisonment. Kantrole is the notorious serial killer who had earned the nickname “Beer Man” for leaving an empty beer can beside all his roadside victims, whom he killed by clubbing and stabbing.

He had been arrested by Mumbai Police for three of the seven murders that took place at close intervals in different parts of Mumbai during 2006-07. Kantrole was charged in three cases but acquitted in two by the trial court last year. All the victims were homeless, in their 20s or 30s, and repeatedly stabbed to death. After each murder, the killer left his ’signature’ – an empty can of beer next to the victim’s body.

In his confessional, he said that he “loved” to see blood and hammer his victims with heavy sticks. When they fell unconscious, he would stab them. Kantrole also said that he targeted the homeless and nameless pavement dwellers as they did not attract much public attention.

UCD Professor Offers Beer For A Butterfly

Professor Arthur Shapiro will buy a pitcher of beer for the first person who brings him a Cabbage White Butterfly. The butterfly is said to be one of the best long term subjects to study to impact of climate change on biology, and usually comes out between January 1st and February 22nd.  If you catch one, make sure it’s alive and bring it to the receptionist at the UC Davis Ecology Department.  This is the 38th year in a row Shapiro has made this offer.

Get your beer pong on
400 beer pong teams flocked to the Flamingo hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip over the weekend to compete in the World Series of Beer Pong IV.  The winner of the event, sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon,  took home $50k.  Team Smashing Time is made up of Ron Hamilton and Michael Popielarski, both 25 from New York. Hamilton prefers liquor to beer, and said he got ready for Sunday’s match by drinking a bottle of Jack Daniels. Hamilton said he and his partner met three years ago at a bar in Long Island. “We’ve been unstoppable ever since,” he said. Hamilton said he planned to eliminate his personal debt and pay part of his mother’s mortgage with the winnings.

Beer and pokies off Qld breakfast menu
The days of having a beer with breakfast in Queensland, Australia are over.  At midnight last Wednesday, the state’s liquor and gambling laws changed.

Pubs and clubs can no longer serve alcohol at 9am, now they have to wait until 10am.  No venue will be able to turn on the poker machines before 10am.

“It was never intended for gambling or drinking at breakfast time,” Premier Anna Bligh said.

Beer Releases

Drifter Pale Ale – Widmer Brothers Brewing – Portland, Oregon

Drifter is brewed with Summit hops, a new variety known for its intense and abundant citrus aroma and flavors. Drifter’s taste is unique to the category.  “We crafted Drifter to make waves in the category and provide beer lovers with a new pale ale experience,” said Kurt Widmer, co-founder of Widmer Brothers Brewing. “Most pale ales are brewed with Cascade hops. Ours is truly an original, made with Summit hops known for their delicate flavor and undertones of tangerine, mandarin orange and grapefruit.”

Drifter was a Silver Medal winner in the Pale Ale category at the 2006 Great American Beer Festival (GABF); the beer sails in at an ABV of 5.7% and 32 IBUs. Drifter will be available on tap in 20 select states* beginning January 5th, with six-packs on shelves in early February. The beer will launch nationwide in mid-April and will be offered year-round. A Drifter six-pack retails for approximately $8.99.

Commemorator Ale – Shiner Beer, Spoetzl Brewery – Shiner, Texas

To celebrate the centennial of Shiner Beers and the Spoetzl Brewery they have released Shiner 100 Commemorator. Commemorator is brewed in that Old-World tradition  of brewing strong beer or starkbier, developed by monks as “liquid bread” to sustain them through the Lenten season.

This 17 % original extract dark lager is a blend of two row Munich and Caramel 60 malt mildly spiced with Bavarian Hallertau Tradition and Spalter Select hops to allow the toasted caramel flavor to predominate. Shiner 100 Commemorator will be available in select markets on January 1.

Specifications: ABV: 6.8%, Original Gravity: 17.0%, Bitterness: 17 IBU

Beer Blog of the Week:

Beer for Chicks by Christina Perozzi

Christina Perozzi is considered by many to be one of the top female beer experts on the West Coast. She managed Father’s Office in Santa Monica, CA, an establishment that is hailed as the Best Beer Bar in California and is currently Beer Sommelier in residence at Rustic Canyon Winebar & Seasonal Kitchen in Santa Monica.

Her mission is to dispel many misconceptions that women have about beer, and bring beer to the modern women’s dining experience.

Beer Douche of the Week:

Man fatally stabbed over six-pack of beer
A 59-year-old Houston man has been charged with fatally stabbing another man on New Year’s Day during an argument over a six-pack of beer, police said.

Michael Cisneros is accused of killing Serapio Chavez, 39, of Houston.  Chavez and two of his friends were drinking beer at Cisneros’ house in the 8000 block of Tuffly about 5:40 p.m. when Chavez told Cisneros he was leaving and decided to take a six-pack of beer Cisneros had purchased. An argument turned into a physical fight and Cisneros picked up a knife from the coffee table, stabbed Chavez in the chest and threw him out of the house, investigators said.

Chavez died at Ben Taub General Hospital.

Germans get beer lake
A delivery truck lost its load of the frothy brew in an intersection in the town of Kassel. About 1,600 bottles smashed to the pavement. About 800 liters of beer flew off the truck and quickly froze in the four below temperature. The driver faced a fine for not securing his load properly.  Now, I know Germans and their love of beer.  No wonder the guy’s name or who he works for wasn’t included in the news story.

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