Now, I don’t often find myself putting away an open bottle of beer, but I am still surprised that I have never seen a product like this before.  Beersavers are bottlecap-shaped silicone covers for your beet bottles.  They are discribed as a way to keep your beer “fresh and safe,” not sure what they mean by safe, I suppose from falling beer-seeking debris or something.  I guess i could see myself using these when I am serving from a bomber or wine bottle, though.  There are a number of other tips on the website, but I am not so sure i would ever use these to “help keep your beer safely identified when in clubs, bars and restaurants.”

I feel like I’m taking crazy pills.  I swear that just last week we learned about BrewDog’s magical concoction The End of History, and that at 55% alcohol it had claimed the title of the worlds most alcoholic beer.  and now I am stunned to see that is already old news. Koelschip is the name of the brewery, “Start the Future” is the name of the beer. The beer that is 60% alcohol.  It is now technically the strongest beer in the world, but I feel like we are not going to have to wait long to see a new king be crowned.  It truly makes my head spin.

[Reuters]

The End of History from BrewDog on Vimeo.

Those crazy Scottish bastards have done it again.  The fine folks at Brew Dog have gone and Brewed the strongest beer in the world, again. You may remember Tactical Nuclear Penguin (32%), and Sink the Bismark (41%).  Well those are sissy beers now. The mad scientists have outdone themselves with The End of History, a fine blond Belgian ale tipping the scales at 55%.  Unfortunately, this bone-shaking beer was an extremely limited batch of only 12 bottles, each of which is stuffed into a fine work taxidermy, either a Stoat or a Grey squirrel.  Seriously, it has to be seen to believed.

More bad news friends, it looks like they have already sold out of this mind bender.

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Correction to the article “Home (State) Brew” that was in Michigan Beverage Journal July 2010 issue.

In the article there was a misstatement and another brewery in Michigan was said to have won the “Small Brewer of the Year” award at the Great American Beer Festival.  It was in fact Redwood Lodge Flint, MI.  Redwood Brewing is the most decorated brewery in the state of Michigan.  With over 30 metals from 4 different competitions and 7 of those going to their Cream Stout this brewery is a treasure to Michigan’s beer culture. And we hope that Bill Wamby (Small Brewer of the Year 2008) and the brewery team will accept our apologies. Check out all of Redwood Lodge’s awards here: http://www.theredwoodlodge.com/rwawards.htm

Are you a beer lover or a beer snob?  All beer has it’s own place and time; and yes some are better than others.  But I for one choose to enjoy them all for what they are.  A beer isn’t bad because of its style or purpose.  A beer is bad only because of how it’s handled, stored or if it is infected.

Some will put forth that a beer is bad because it doesn’t meet their own idea of what the beer in front of them should taste like.  That becomes personal preference and has nothing to do with how good or bad the beer itself is.  The reason why we are lucky to have so many different breweries to choose from is directly related to the choices the brewer makes when writing a recipe.  If all beers were made the same we’d have one brewery. That takes all the fun out of it.

The classification of an IPA holds a wide spectrum of individual differences. Wheat beers also have so many differences that the style is mind-boggling. The amount of hops and what kind(s) are used greatly changes the taste and aroma.  As well as the type of malt and Ph balance of the water have taste and mouth feel effects.  Even when a home brewer is trying to create a clone, the beer comes out close but never exact.  Those differences should be enjoyed not scoffed at.

Mass-market beers also have their spot for the beer lover.  A pilsner of any kind is a great way to refresh or even switch to as you drink more then one beer.  Porter is a personal favorite, but can be a little much on a hot day.  Barely wines should be savored and depending on the alcohol content you may only want one, or two.

The beers you’ll find in a craft brewer’s man cave fridge may surprise you.  Even the most prolific brewer will crack a can of a Pabst or bottle of Czechvar. Being critical of all beer that is yellow and fizzy steals away one of the most painstakingly made styles on earth.  A well-made lager takes longer to make and shows it’s impurities more so then ales.

The next time you want to show off to your friends that aren’t big craft beer drinks don’t be so quick to put down what they lift up.  Instead learn more about the lager styles and bring some well-crafted lagers that they might not have tried.  Some of the older brands of American pilsners have more flavor then their commercial counterparts.   Most of the “Big Name” beers have been lightened up throughout the years to appeal to a wider base.  There are also craft breweries that make excellent lagers as well.

Detroit Beer Company and Atwater Block Brewery, both out of Detroit make wonderful lagers.  But don’t just stop there; check out what your local beer store or beer bar has in the cooler.  You might be amazed at what the lighter side of beer has to offer.  Above all else never stop trying new beers from different breweries and remember that each beer has a spot for the true beer lover.

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House Chamber, Michigan State Capitol
Image via Wikipedia

June 2007 Lansing, MI House of Representatives State Capital building. That was when a great thing for Michigan’s growing beer industry happened. House Resolution No. 301 was introduced by State Representative Rebekah Warren of district 53 out of Ann Arbor. Resolution 301 declares the month of July to be Michigan Craft Beer Month. One of the best things the state government has ever done; honoring the independent business owners and the glorious beer that they make. This has become an annual event and now coincides with the Michigan Brewer’s Guild (MBG) legislative day.

MBG legislative day, June 2010; Rep. Warren again gets the honor to introduce Resolution 301. Even though it wasn’t announced until the very last moment of the House session, it was worth the wait. Not only did the House of Representatives make me happy to be a Michigander, but the Senate made the wise choice to present a concurrent resolution. Senate Resolution No. 164 is the first time that the Senate jumped on board.
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No update this week, I am afraid my vacation has interrupted my normal This Week in Beer plans, but rest assured, I will be coming back to you next week with some exciting new interviews and maybe even some fun vacation videos. No I am not going to tell you where I am, you will just follow me and make me drink and talk about beer with you.  Come to think of it, that is what I’ll be doing anyway. But no, you still can’t come, you’ll have to wait for the pictures.  Yes, that means I am going to make you look at my boring slideshow, now get the popcorn ready.

You may have noticed a slight change of the site over the past few weeks.  We have begun putting our videos behind the fold in our posts.  If you have been linking directly to each new post, then you wouldn’t have noticed, but if you are coming from the homepage then you haven’t been seeing the videos when all of the posts are listed.  In order to clean up the look of the site and speed up loading times, we have moved all of the videos behind the fold so you will have to click on the title of the post, or the “more” link in order to see them.  I think this will end up making everyone’s thisweekinbeer experience a little better.  Thanks.