Beer Wisdom From John Ciardi
"There's nothing wrong with sobriety in moderation."
-John Ciardi
News
How Stupid You Look With Beer Beer Goggles
An excellent rip on craft beer geeks, presented by CollegeHumor:
Some highlights:
"Look what he's got his lips all over!"
"How did this happen? You started this night out with that nice little Hefeweizen."
"That beer is a 2, and everyone is watching you drink it!"
"Now I feel like you're hop-blocking me!"
"Just wanna get my mouth wet!"
"Dude, I've been with literally hundreds of beer like that."
"I don't like blondes, they give me headaches!"
Craft Beer and Movie Pairings: Oscar Edition
Do we need another excuse to drink good beer? Nope. Did we find one anyway? Yep. Cue up one of these Oscar-winning movies of years past and enjoy one (or three) Acadamy-approved pairings.
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2004 Winner) British Pale Ale
Beer was the most popular drink in middle earth, and it was often consumed in large quantities out of metal steins. The British Pale Ale style was originally brewed with very rich, hard water (something that would have likely been available in the shire), and typically has low alcohol content. This noble choice would not impede one's ability to protect the ring.
Million Dollar Baby (2005 Winner) | Porter
The dark, bold, and roasty flavors often found in porter-style beers will be your ringside companion for this edgy drama. Historically an English style, the newer American-style porters are often available in a range of alcohol content, from lightweight (4%) to fairly heavyweight (8%).
Commercial examples: Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald, Founders Porter, Deschutes Black Butte, Sierra Nevada Porter
Crash (2006 Winner) | American IPA
Known for its spicy, citric, and bitter flavors, the American IPA pairs well with the hard-edged grittiness Crash's plot and characters. The film is set in Los Angeles, and California is one of the main stomping grounds for the ever-popular West Coast IPA style, further solidifying these partners in crime.
Commercial examples: Sierra Nevada Torpedo, Russian River Blind Pig, New Belgium Ranger IPA, Harpoon IPA, Surly Furious
The Departed (2007 Winner) | American Rye Ale
American gangsters are synonymous with back room deals and strong drinks. This uniquely American style of beer that often flies under the radar (like a good mobster deal) can have notes of spice, slight sourness, and rye whiskey.
Commercial examples: Founders Red's Rye PA, Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye, Sixpoint Righteous Ale, Boulevard Rye-On-Rye
No Country for Old Men (2008 Winner) | Bock
Set in 1980's Texas, this thriller is deserving of a beer that is is dark like oil but drinkable enough to quench desert-crossing thirst. Also known as a "symbol for better times to come", the bock is a perfect match for this talkie.
Commercial examples: Shiner Bock, Anchor Bock, Samuel Adams Winter Lager, New Glarus Back Forty Bock
Slumdog Millionaire (2009 Winner) | Light Lager
The mild bread and malt flavors of Indian (or Indian-inspired) lagers will serve as an unassuming yet welcome companion to the dramatic trials and triumphs of this spicy, savory, and sweet story. And, you should be able to acquire some for less than one million rupees!
The Hurt Locker (2010 Winner) | American Strong Ale
What could be more American and strong than an American Strong Ale? Pair this intense, forceful military flick with an equally strong liquid comrade.
Commercial examples: Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot, Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale, Great Lakes Nosferatu, Sierra Nevada Life & Limb
The King's Speech (2011 Winner) | English Bitter
English culture and English Bitters can be described using the same three adjectives: dry, clean, and unoffensive. England's staple beer of both past and present, the Bitter is often served with low carbonation and close to room temperature and - leaving more room in the fridge for leftover bangers and mash.
Commercial examples: Fuller's ESB, Redhook ESB, Shipyard Old Thumper, Honker's Ale
The Artist and the Bière de Garde style both exemplify romance, art, and French culture. Known for toasted malt flavors, noble hop aromas, and fruity esters, the Bière de Garde is a complex yet balanced beer that will keep your mouth happy during this silent film.
Commercial examples: Ommegang Bière D'Hougoumont, Jolly Pumpkin Oro De Calabaza, Two Brothers Dumaine DuPage, New Belgium Biere De Mars
New Belgium Brewing: Now 100% Employee-Owned
New Belgium Brewing's Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) has bought out the remainder of the company shares, making it 100% employee-owned. These guys make some of our favorite beers (La Folie, Ranger IPA, and Le Terroir) and have some pretty awesome themes to their organization - bikes, sustainable energy, and umm... beer. Congrats, guys!
Craft Beers of the United States (One Beer Per State!)
First We Feast recently published an article on the best craft beer in each of the 50 United States. Yes, that's right, one beer per state! A daunting task if you ask us.
The authors acknowledge the list is colored by their personal taste, but it sounds like many simply do not feel represented by the beers that were chosen to represent their state (at least that is the sentiment on Reddit). They'd like to see some consideration of "the people's opinion".
Although there are some great choices, it seems a bit unfair to narrow a state's preferences down to one brewery and one style. Sure, hop heads are going to like Russian River's tastebud-scorchingly bitter Pliny the Elder (brewed in California), but what if some Californians are partial to the refreshing crispness of a lager or the meaty depth of an imperial stout?
Okay so we're happy they took the time to write the piece, because it gives us beer geeks something to talk about - whether positive or negative!
And here's a comprehensive map of the breweries in the US that we sell, followed by a map of the US comprised of popular breweries in each state.
A New King Reigns in the World of Monster Beers
Enter Armageddon. The new "biggest beer" in the world of behemoth brews.
Crafted by Scottish Brewery Brewmeister, Armageddon weighs in at a hefty 65% Alcohol By Volume, topping the previous leader by 5%.
According to the brewer, Armageddon is "slightly sweet, hoppy, malty and retains much of the yeast present during fermentation".
Gimmick? Maybe. Impressive? Yes.
The race to 100% is on!
Proof That Ancient (5000 Year-Old) Civilizations Drank Beer!
The
BBC recently reported that the folks at Oxford have been having a difficult
time decoding a written language called proto-Elamit found on ancient tablets.
But the one of the Oxford academics, Dr. Jacob Dahl, seems fairly certain about at
least one thing: they drank beer.
Studying the tablets from around 3000BC, academics were able to deduce that some people of this society consumed a diet largely composed of barley. That’s where the story takes a bit of a gloomy turn.
The reference of beer is in relation to the rations given to the lowest class - farm laborers. These workers were treated poorly; called “cattle with names.” They barely received enough food to stay above the starvation level and with what they did receive in rations, they were only able to prepare things like porridge and weak beer.
To pay respect to these workers who dealt with terrible conditions and undernourishment, we encourage you to enjoy a tasty brew this weekend.
Russia Classifies Beer as Alcoholic
Until recently, any drinks containing less than 10% alcohol were regulated in the same matter as food and soft drinks.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered the new classification be put into effect in order to counter his country's alcohol consumption levels which are "already twice the critical level" according to the World Health Organization.
Beer has been marketed as a healthier alternative to vodka, causing beer sales to rise more than 40% in the past decade.
Here's to your classification, Russia! Будем здоровы!
Source: BBC News
Nuclear Bombs Ain't Got Nothin' On Our Beer
A document that addresses a question that has been eating away at us for decades has recently resurfaced. That question, of course, is,
"Is it okay to drink beer that has been exposed to high levels of radioactivity?"
In short, the answer is yes.
According to a 1957 U.S. government study called "The Effect of Nuclear Explosions on Commercially Packaged Beverages," after being exposed to an actual atomic explosion,
"These beverages could be used as potable water sources for immediate emergency purposes as soon as the storage area is safe to enter after a nuclear explosion."IKEA Beer: No Assembly Required
Ultra-modern furniture, meatballs, and now craft beer! That's the wonderful combination of products you can look forward to enjoying if you live in the UK and shop at IKEA. The furniture-turned beer producer has two new offerings: Öl Ljus Light Lager and Öl Mörk Dark Lager.
If this beer ever makes it to the US, we'd bet our bar tab that plenty of beer geeks would drink it while assembling their Björkudden.
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