If you have five and a half minutes to spare, and have ever thought about what goes into making that delicious brew that you like so much, you could find worse things to do with your time than check out this video. It comes from the PBS series It’s Okay to be Smart, where you can find some great bite-sized information nuggets to fill your brain.  Here they visit Jester King Brewery in Austin, TX to explore the chemical process that goes into making their farmhouse style beers.  They have also linked to some other helpful information in their description including

  • some Beer Chemistry
  • a little Beer History
  • and a few other great resources for a deeper look into, and comes out of beer and alcohol in general

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When the robot uprising occurs, do you think they will be happy or mad that I enjoyed this beer?

Hopcity Hopbot IPAHop City Hopbot IPA.

I have mentioned in the past the rules about buying alcohol based solely on the label.  If you weren’t around for that, or if you have forgotten (I wouldn’t blame you, it was a long time ago, and I don’t usually even listen to me very closely), I will reiterate.  Beer – yes; wine – no.  Now that we have gotten that lesson out of the way let’s move on to the beer review.  This is the reason for that review. A robot themed beer? How can you pass that up? I’ll tell you how.  You can’t.  And it is a good thing you didn’t because if you had you would have missed out on one very solid IPA.  It has a level of sweetness that puts it right on there on the scale of easy to drink IPAs with Two Hearted.  But any beer review can tell you how a beer tastes, I would like to tell you how this beer feels.  check out my cryptic review after the break. Continue reading

Clown Shoes Chocolate Sombrero

Once upon a time, there was a beer. This beer may not be the most prime example of its style.  It is not that it is a bad beer, or even an average beer.  This beer was good.  But this beer had dreams, dreams of becoming great. This beer wanted to be one that would be remembered by everyone who crosses its path.  It didn’t want to be one of those beers that cheated its way to the top by wearing a fancy label and a clever name without trying to actually be great.  It wanted to really be one that could be remembered for the flavor of its character and not the image of its bottle.  This beer felt that the potential of what it had inside was what it should be judged for, and it felt that it could bring itself up to be that beer that would be remembered.  Clown Shoes Chocolate Sombrero, is not this beer.  But it learned all it knows from that beer.  And it decided that a clever label is acceptable to use too. Continue reading

I want to do a beer review, But that raccoon won’t give me back my beer.

Dogfish Head Festina Peche
Seriously, I can’t not mention how brain-bustingly awesome this label is. Dogfish Head really got this one right. It is exactly the type of thing you want to put on your beer to make it shout at someone from the beer shelf, look into their soul, and command them to take it home.  I’m not saying that was my exact experience when I found this one (it was).  They call this beer a neo-Berliner Weisse, and it tastes about as familiar as that style is (it isn’t).  I would say that if you are looking for a new flavor experience the Dogfish Head Festina Peche is certainly one that you should be on the lookout for.  And I’m not just saying that because the raccoon told me to (it did).  Check out my video review after the break. Continue reading

Everyone can celebrate Michigan Craft Beer Month

New Holland Brew
New Holland Brew (Photo credit: lincolnblues)
As we roll into July, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this is the month that we celebrate, not only our countries independence, but our rich culture of Michigan craft beer.  Michigan stands at #5 if the country in number of Breweries (including brewpubs).  We are “The Great Beer State,” and our legislature officially declared July to be Michigan Craft Beer Month. “How do I celebrate?” you may ask.  It is easy, but first I have to point out that there is kind of an obvious answer to that question.  So besides the obvious (drink Michigan Beer), you can check out your local beer bar.  Any proud Michigan bar will be featuring a wide selection of Michigan-made brews.  If you are in the Lansing area, you have plenty of choices.  Crunchy’s, Reno’s, and Hopcat all feature great selections of Michigan Beers.  Soup Spon Cafe is also one of my favorites, and there are so many more.  If you would prefer something closer to the source, Eagle Monk and Bad Brewing Company are a couple of local area brewpubs.  There are so many breweries here in Michigan that you can hardly throw a Stone in this state without hitting a source for Michigan Beer. For more information on Michigan Craft Beer Month, check out the release below

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Short’s Brewing Company implements 2018 minimum wage now.

Short’s Brewing companyShort's Brewing Company Logo in Bellaire Michigan has announced that they will be skipping the gradual increase in the minimum wage that was passed signed into law in Michigan, and instead raise their wages to match the 2018 goals immediately.  Short’s Brewing Company is Michigan’s leader in creative and inspired beer choices, and they appear to also want to be a leader in treating their staff fairly and with respect. Matt Drake, COO and HR Director at Short’s stated, “Along with making high quality, creatively fearless beer, our goal is to take care of our staff.” Continue reading

2014 Traverse City Summer Microbrew & Music Festival

tcmicromusic
Mark your late summer calendars, there is a beer and music festival getting ready for your visit.

The 2014 Traverse City Summer Microbrew & Music festival is scheduled August 22 and 23rd at the Village at Grand Traverse Commons. Your standard admission ticket ($40 for a single day or $70 for the weekend) will get you access to 40 select breweries with over 200 different beers, ciders, meads, and wines.  Included are five 80z pours and a costom tasting glass.  You will also have access to brewery representatives, local food vendors, live music, and a silent disco tent (don’t feel bad if you had to look it up, I did too). There are also VIP tickets that get you into the festival an hour earlier than everyone else and also include side-stage viewing, home brewer’s tasting, private bathrooms (if you have ever been to a large festival, you know that can be a big bonus), seated dining area, lawn games, and more fun extras.

And that is just the beer,  Continue reading

Let’s get right down to it here. This beer is for people who like pain. Are you part Cenobite? This is the beer for you. While drinking this I tried not to think of the words “searing” And “flesh.” but how does it taste? To be honest I’m not sure. As I sit here sipping this glass, all I can taste is the peppers. It is like having a glass of hot sauce. The bottle claims to be a barrel aged Lukcy Basartd, but any hint of that flavor is blown away leaving you with this hot drink of fire. Some people like pepper beers. I admit that I will always want to give it a try when I find a new one. But this one may be too much.

Can-Stamp-mine-designI really can’t not share this because I think I could have used this item last weekend.  What you see here is a simple (good) and fun(better) solution to a common problem.  The ‘is this my beer?’ problem. This is The Can Stamp Now it is true, this product is not for every occasion.  I often find myself drinking something other than what everyone else is drinking, so that makes it unnecessary.  And usually when I am, it is out of a bottle and that would make in unfeasible.  But for those times when we all have a common drink, and that drink is in a can, it is a good idea to find a way to differentiate your own.  I used to do this by only cracking my can partially, but that is too easy to not notice.  What we have here is simply a metal stamp.  Press it into the side of your can to leave a nice little statement that can be seen, and felt by anyone who may be confused about the can’s owner.  Personally, I like the “in Use” one, but there are a number of choices in order to cut down on the, let’s be honest, astronomical chances that you and someone else have brought the same Can Stamp to a party.

I had the pleasure of trying Sam Adams Utopias a number of years ago, and I was rightfully  blown away.  It truely is an experience I would recomend to anyone.  The metal bottle, the strong aroma and the pleasantly palatable flavor all create quite the memory.  And I was content in the fact that I probably would not get another chance to try it.  It is simply a luxury that I could not afford to make a habit of.  Well to my pleasant supprise, only a few years later I was presented with the opportunity again.  And again, it was quite the memory.  But after having two vintages of Utopias pass my lips, I was even more content with having my Utopias experience complete.  But then I had to see this.

utopias cigars

These Sam Adams Utopias seasoned cigars are available for a limited time from Ted’s Cigars.

From their website

The pairing is perfection. Rich nutty and fruit notes in the Utopias play well with the spicy complexity of the cigar, while the Dominican Republican, Nicaraguan and Brazilian tobacco blend provides a smooth, deep caramelized taste that compliments the Utopias’; woody, toffee flavors.

Now I am going to have to buy a set of these and track down another bottle of Utopias, for what I expect to be an extreme beer experience.