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Liking Beer Equals Liking Sex?

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humor
I’m not sure what to think about this one. An alert reader (thanks Dave) sent me this curious bit of advice from OK Trends, offering dating advice including the Best Questions to Ask On a First Date, to wit:

If you want to know if your date will sleep with you on the first date, the question to ask apparently is “do you like the taste of beer?” That’s because, according to their research, “whether someone likes the taste of beer is the single best predictor of if he or she has sex on the first date.”
BeerGoggles

They continue. “No matter their gender or orientation, beer-lovers are 60% more likely to be okay with sleeping with someone they’ve just met.” I wish I’d known that before I was married.

Brookston Football Pool Winners

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football
With a most satisfying conclusion to the Super Bowl yesterday, the winners of the Brookston Football Pools 2010 have been decided. Congratulations to everyone who played this year, the winners are:

Pick ‘Em League

  1. nighthops (174)
  2. Austin Hopheads (165)
  3. TIE: Beerguy101, HoldFastBrewery (160)
  4. TIE: The Beer Runners, bbbilly, GreenMachine-MWA, OakshireMatt (158)
  5. Piranha Pale Riders (157)
  6. Mr. Nuts (156)
  7. Bakersfield Bills (155)
  8. TIE: Beerman49, Hopstain (154)
  9. Little Guy (152)
  10. TIE: Fort Braggers, Pour Curator (151)

Congratulations to Lucas (a.k.a. nighthops). He took an early lead and never let go.

This was the first year they kept the picks going through the playoffs. It looks like next year, we’ll be able to assign more points for correct playoff picks which could keep thinks lively down to the end. I’m thinking it would make sense for Wildcard week to be worth 2, then 3, then 4 and finally 5 (or more?) for picking the Super Bowl winner.

Survivor League

It took 16 weeks before a winner emerged. In fact, two of the remaining three were both knocked out that week — GreenMachina-WMA and Hopstain. That allowed DOZEer to become the winner, having only one miss for the entire season.

Congratulations to Paul (a.k.a. DOZEer) for the being the lone survivor.

Thanks to everybody who played. See you next year.

Wikio Beer Blog Rankings For February 2011

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wikio
The February 2011 standings are out for Wikio’s Beer Blogs. For a third straight month, I’m still hanging on to the top spot. Here’s what happened to the Top 20 over last month:

Wikio February 2011 Beer Blog Rankings

1Brookston Beer Bulletin (+/-0)
2Beervana (+/-0)
3Brewpublic (+1)
4The New School (-1)
5Appellation Beer: Beer From a Good Home (+/-0)
6Washington Beer Blog (+5)
7A Good Beer Blog (-1)
8The Not So Professional Beer Blog (Not in Top 20 for Jan.)
9It’s Pub Night (+11)
10Seattle Beer News (+8)
11Drink With The Wench (-3)
12BetterBeerBlog (-3)
13Beer 47 (Not in Top 20 for Jan.)
14Brewed For Thought (+1)
15KC Beer Blog (+4)
16The Session Beer Project (Not in Top 20 for Jan.)
17Seen Through a Glass (-4)
18Burgers & Brews (-8)
19I Love Beer (Not in Top 20 for Jan.)
20An Ear For Beer (Not in Top 20 for Jan.)

Ranking made by Wikio

I again added the relative movements of each blog from last month. This month, four new blogs cracked the Top 20, and four dropped off. Again, I’ll keep stressing that it’s just a bit of fun so long as we don’t take it too seriously.

Wisconsin Food Pyramid

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nfl-gb
I imagine the “Wisconsin Food Pyramid” was originally meant to be derogatory, but what could be a better meal for a football game than sausages (cooked in beer), cheese and beer? That’s what I’m having at my Super Bowl party, along with chips, pretzels and more cheese. And Sean Paxton, the Homebrew Chef, has promised to bring Shepherd’s Pie. Yum. Go Packers!

wis-food-pyramid

Stephen Colbert Tastes Walgreen’s New Private Label Beer “Big Flats”

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colbert-report
Last month, you may recall, the drug store chain Walgreen’s debuted a private label beer brewed by Genesee, which they call Big Flats 1901. On last night’s Colbert Show, during his regular Tip of the Hat/Wag of My Finger segment, Stephen talked about the new Walgreen’s beer, and even tried a can of the beer. Wait through the British Superman story for the hilarious Big Flats piece.

The Colbert ReportMon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Tip/Wag – British Superman & Big Flats Beer
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical Humor & Satire BlogVideo Archive

Barley’s Angels Goes Worldwide

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pink-boots-society
If you haven’t heard of the Pink Boots Society, it’s an organization by and for women in the brewing industry. It’s open not just to brewers, but to women in any position throughout the industry, whether owners, salespeople, servers or writers. Founded by Oregon brewer Teri Fahrendorf in 2008, today there are over 500 members of the society.

Last week, Portland beer writer Lisa Morrison — a.k.a. the Beer Goddess — started a consumer division of the society known as “Barley’s Angels.” The idea is inspire chapters all over the country and the world, and the first chapter in Portland met for the first time January 23. The worldwide launch is now scheduled for February 20. There will be a meeting in the Pacific Northwest, at Fort George Brewing in Astoria, Oregon. (Sunday, Feb. 20, 2-5 p.m.; $35 per person.) At the “Beer O’Clock Chapter” meeting, founder Lisa Morrison will lead a tasting comparing “at least six beers, pairing them with some fantastic snacks, learning a bit about recent developments regarding beer as a healthy addition to your diet.”

At the same time, new chapters will hold meetings in London, England; Toronto, Canada and Sydney, Australia. And if you want to start a chapter in your town, now’s the time. Information about how to start your own chapter can be found at the Barley’s Angels website.

barleys-angels

My only question is who gets to be Bosley … and is there a Barley?

The Barley’s Angels website also has information about the aims of the group and the answer to the question you know were asking, why Barley’s Angels?

Here’s the basics from the homepage:

What we are:

Mission Statement: As the consumer leg of the Pink Boots Society, Barley’s Angels is committed to involving women in the enjoyment of craft beer by creating environments where women can learn more about beer in a friendly, educational and supportive atmosphere, thus creating more women beer enthusiasts, and, ultimately, involving more women in beer- and brewery-related careers.

Purpose: Barley’s Angels is a growing collection of individual chapters around the world that work with craft-beer focused breweries, brewpubs, restaurants, alehouses and other public beer establishments to advance the female consumer craft beer enthusiast, resulting in increased patronage and revenue from women, while encouraging education and interest in beer among this often under-recognized demographic group.

What we are not:

Barley’s Angels is not just a social, beer-drinking club for women. Barley’s Angels respect beer and brewing, have a thirst for education, enjoy beer responsibly and act appropriately at all times.

Casting Call: Homebrewing Meets Reality TV

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bn
It was bound to happen, but at least it’s being done by someone we know and trust to treat beer and homebrewing with the proper respect. The Brewing Network has partnered with KOFY Channel 20 to create a new reality TV show about … homebrewing. The show, to be called Brew Your Own Beer TV, will take the form of a “game show-reality style program pitting teams of homebrewers and craft beer lovers against one another for some really great prizes. It will be shot all across the greater Bay Area in parking lots and bars and breweries.”

Here’s what they’re looking for:

We are looking for beer lovers of all types, men and women, couples, teams, bikini models — as long as they have a general understanding of how beer is made and a flexible schedule, they will be considered for the show.

Do you love beer? Are you a home brewer or craft beer enthusiast? Are you interested in learning more about the brewing process while competing with other brewers for great prizes?

We are casting for a reality show that centers around home brewers and craft beer lovers in the greater San Fransisco Bay Area.

Applicants must have a LOVE for beer, a desire to learn more about the brewing process, and a flexible schedule between February 20th and June 15th. A basic knowledge of how beer is made is required but home brewing experience is not a must — we want beer lovers of all knowledge levels.

21 and older only!

To apply: e-mail your name, recent photo, brewing experience (if any), an explanation or example of your passion for beer, and a reason why you should be a part of this TV show. If possible, you may also submit a link to a short video that further explains why we should select you and to help us get to know you better.

Deadline for submissions is February 15th!

The casting call is also on Craigslist and that’s where the e-mail address to use for applying can be found. Or you can simply e-mail the Brewing Network.

My understanding is that there will be ten teams of homebrewers competing, so not every team has to consist entirely of expert homebrewers. You’d need at least one, of course, but enthusiastic assistants that work well together would most likely make for the best team, rather than all homebrewers who might have trouble agreeing on how to proceed. There will be contests and competitions along the way to eliminate teams until one emerges victorious. Sounds like it could be great fun.

Good luck to everybody, and good brewing. But hurry up and apply, there’s less than two weeks to go.

Brewhog Determines No More Winter Ales, Bring On The Spring Beers

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groundhog-day
Over in Gobbler’s Knob, in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Phil the Groundhog — a.k.a. Brewhog — raised up his head this morning and looked around, but could not see his shadow anywhere. You know what that means. It’s out with the winter beers and in with the spring beers early this year. Or something about an early spring, I can’t keep it straight. You can see a video of Punxsutawney Phil here. And there’s more information about Groundhog Day at the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.

groundhog-beer

The United States Of Beer?

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us-outline
This is a weird one. The Houston Press’ Brew Blog did a map showing soft drinks from each state in a post last week called the United States of Soft Drinks. Due to popular demand, they did a new one this week, tackling beer in another post entitled the United States of Beer. After a decidedly unfunny “alcoholics” joke, they apparently “hunkered down all weekend, doing the kind of brutal and difficult work that it takes to determine a fitting beer for every last one of our 50 states.” They’re not all bad choices. I might have chosen Anchor (for its history) or Sierra Nevada (for its size) in California, but Stone Brewing isn’t a bad pick. I imagine many could quibble with the choices of at least some of the other states, too.

map

But a few others are just embarrassing. Four Loko for Nevada? First of all, it’s not much of a beer, though technically a malt-based beverage and taxed as a beer, certainly it’s not marketed as a beer, and it was recently banned anyway. At any rate, Four Loko was made by Phusion Projects of Chicago, Illinois d.b.a. Drink Four Brewing Company. Then there’s the Epic Pale Ale they show for Utah. That Epic is a beer from … New Zealand. There is an Epic Brewing from Salt Lake City, but their Pale Ale is called Capt’n Crompton’s Pale Ale.

While Budweiser is certainly appropriate for Missouri, there’s an Anheuser-Busch family beer for Kentucky, South Dakota and West Virginia. And while ABI does operate a dozen breweries around the country, none are in those three states. Similarly Miller makes sense in Wisconsin, but there are also MillerCoors beers for Alabama, Florida and North Dakota. And again, MillerCoors does have ten breweries in as many states, but none are located in the three states listed on the map. Pabst Blue Ribbon is listed for Virginia. Pabst, of course, owns no breweries and, as far as I know, doesn’t brew their beer in Virginia. Their headquarters are in Illinois, although the Pabst website lists their home at the bottom of the page as Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the contact page takes you to San Antonio, Texas.

The post details some of what they refer to as the “logic” employed for some of their choices, but I’m not entirely certain logic was in fact used. What do you think of their choices?

You can see the map full size here, and it’s easier to read the key on the bigger map.

The Clydesdales in California

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a-b
The iconic Budweiser Clydesdales debuted on April 7, 1933 and have a big promotional part of Anheuser-Busch ever since. Most come from Grant’s Farm in St. Louis. Today there are six teams of Clydesdales. One is headquartered in St. Louis and the other five travel the country. On Saturday, one team — or “hitch” — visited the A-B brewery in Fairfield, which is the smallest of the twelve ABI breweries in the U.S.

Believe it or not, I’d never been to the Fairfield brewery (I have visited at least three others, however). But my six-year old daughter’s love of horses made this weekend the perfect time to finally correct that oversight. So I responded to the press release I got, and arranged to come a little early so I could still make the Brewing Network’s Winter Brews Festival in Berkeley the same day.

But back to the horses. Clydesdales are Scottish in origin. They’re large draft horses, often six-feet high (18 hands) at the shoulder, weighing as much as 2,000 or more pounds, and are thought to be at least 300 years old. After a quick tour of the facilities, Alice and I arrived in the parking lot just in time to watch the horses being taken off their tractor trailers and hitched up to the wagon.

Two at a time they are off-loaded

Each hitch consists of ten Clydesdales that travel in three tractor trailers, along with the ceremonial beer wagon. Horse-drawn wagons were quite common for beer deliveries before the invention of the automobile, and continue to be used for ceremonial purposes throughout the world. The Radeberger brewery near Dresden, Germany still makes local beer deliveries on a horse-drawn wagon. It was a cool sight when I visited the brewery several years ago.

My daughter Alice in front of the wagon
My daughter Alice, with her stuffed Clydesdale, in front of the Budweiser beer wagon.

The first two hitched to the wagon
The first two hitched to the wagon.

Eventually, eight Budweiser Clydesdales were hitched to the wagon. Then, for about an hour, they paraded around the parking lot to the delight of a few hundred people, who showed up even in the drizzling rain. And especially my daughter, who was thrilled to see the horses up close. You can see a short video of the parade’s start below.

Below is a slideshow of the Clydesdales’ visit. This Flickr gallery is best viewed in full screen. To view it that way, after clicking on the arrow in the center to start the slideshow, click on the button on the bottom right with the four arrows pointing outward on it, to see the photos in glorious full screen. Once in full screen slideshow mode, click on “Show Info” to identify each photo.