Firestone Walker‘s Double Jack was chosen best in show at the 11th annual Double IPA Festival today at the Bistro in Hayward, California. The full winner’s list is below.
Friday’s ad is another Schlitz ad, from 1959. From the last years when square was still cool, sort of, before the sixties changed all that. The happy couple is up in the mountains, overlooking a lake. The head-banded woman leans against a tree, holding a sandwich, while her beau pours a can of Schlitz into a pilsner glass.
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.”
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.
Don Younger, owner of the Horse Brass in Portland, passed away at the end of January. On Sunday, friends are gathering at his pub for a final send-off worthy of the man himself. My good friend Lisa Morrison — a.k.a. The Beer Goddess — has organized a worldwide toast to Don’s memory for 3:00 p.m. (regardless of time zone, your 3 o’clock) this Sunday, February 13. The details are below:
Whatever you are doing, and wherever you are at 3 p.m. your time on Sunday, Feb. 13, make sure to hoist a glass to Don Younger, the venerable publican of the world-famous Horse Brass Pub, who died Jan. 31.
“In his hometown of Portland, a wake will be in full swing by 3 p.m. at the Horse Brass Pub. Attendees at the time will be raising their glasses to Don. But hundreds, if not thousands, of people around the world who knew Don and loved Don aren’t able to be there in person,” says organizer Lisa Morrison. “So we are having a worldwide toast — a virtual wake, if you will — to help bring us all together, at least in spirit.”
The toast will travel around the world, because it will happen at 3 p.m. in all time zones.
“So, at 3 p.m. your time on Sunday, organize a gathering of your own or just stop what you’re doing. Pour a glass of something you think Don would appreciate. And raise a toast to one of craft beer’s biggest champions and most colorful characters,” Morrison says.
Younger, a true beer pioneer, took the Horse Brass from a one-tap tavern to a beer mecca, consistently named among best beer bars in the world. It is a favorite hangout for brewers, beer geeks, neighbors and visitors alike.
So this Sunday, stop what your doing at three o’clock, and drink a toast to Don Younger.
A self-portrait of Don and me at the Falling Rock during GABF a number of years ago. Here’s to you Don.
This just struck me as odd. The now neo-prohibitionist MADD is urging people to give the gift of being a designated driver for Valentine’s Day. I certainly think it’s always a good idea to have a DD, but associating this idea with Valentine’s Day, one of the few remaining non-drinking holidays, seems opportunistic in the way that they incessantly accuse the alcohol companies of exploiting holidays. See, it’s all about the love. Uh, huh.
In fact, it’s so much about the love that they’ve even trademarked the phrases “Give the Gift of a Designated Driver™” and “Tonight, I’m DD”™ lest they fall into the wrong hands. So be careful, if you actually use the phrase “Tonight, I’m DD”™ you may have to send them a quarter.
Thursday’s ad is for Schlitz, one of their “I was curious” series from the 1950s. This was features some dandy cowboys that look like they could have been the inspiration for Brokeback Mountain.
The Anti-Alcohol wingnuts of the world tend to go apoplectic anytime it’s suggested that alcohol might have any health benefits. It just doesn’t fit their world view. I’ve seen it happen. Oh, some of the comments I’ve gotten. But, of course, myriad studies have shown just that and even our government acknowledged that fact in the recent dietary recommendations. That didn’t stop the wingnuts from a letter writing campaign because they just couldn’t stand the idea of the Fed’s recommendation that it’s safe to drink more than two drinks a day, even on occasion. Oh, the horror! Believe it or not, it’s illegal for beer labels to make health claims, even if they’re true.
So I took great pleasure when I saw the American Dietetic Association today sent out a press release about an article that was published in their ADA Times extolling the benefits of beer, and its numerous nutrition and health benefits for American Heart Month, which is February.
From the press release:
While red wine is often touted as the heart-healthy libation, more evidence is showing beer has a great deal of nutrition and health-promoting qualities as well, according to an article published in the Winter 2011 issue of the American Dietetic Association’s member publication, ADA Times.
“Red wine enjoys a reputation for sophistication and health benefits, but as interest in artisan brewing gains momentum and emerging research reveals unique nutrition properties, beer is finding redemption not only as a classy libation with deep roots in many cultures, but as a beverage with benefits,” writes registered dietitian and ADA Spokesperson Andrea Giancoli.
February is American Heart Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness of the leading cause of death in the U.S. — cardiovascular disease. One in three adults has some form of heart/cardiovascular disease. Many of these deaths and risk factors are preventable and food choices have a big impact on your heart’s health, even if you have other risk factors.
Moderate consumption of any alcoholic beverage, including beer, has been shown to increase HDL cholesterol, lower LDL cholesterol and reduce the risk of blood clotting, Giancoli writes in ADA Times. Moderate alcohol consumption has also been associated with a lower incidence of gallstones, decreased risk of type 2 diabetes and improved cognitive function in older adults.
“Beer specifically has been associated with additional health outcomes, including lowering the risk of kidney stones in men compared to other alcoholic beverages, possibly due to its high water content and diuretic effect,” Giancoli writes. “Compounds in hops may also slow the release of calcium from bone that is implicated in kidney stones. Additionally, beer drinkers seem to have a more protective effect towards greater bone mineral density due to the high content of silicone in beer.”
Like wine, beer is fat free. Carbohydrates, which make up about one-third of the calories in beer, mostly come from partially broken down starch. Protein, which is nearly non-existent in wine, is present in small amounts in beer — about 4 percent of the total calories.
Most beers are between 3 percent and 6 percent alcohol by volume, although some beers can contain as much as 10 percent alcohol, “and some are much higher.” Giancoli writes. “Wines are between 12 percent and 14 percent ABV. Because the average beer has a lower ABV and more than two and half times as much water, it contributes to fluid intake more so than wine.”
Although the USDA Nutrient Database lists beer’s fiber content as zero grams recent studies have shown lager contains up to 2 grams of soluble fiber per liter, while dark beers can contain up to 3.5 grams. “Although wine and beer are neck-and-neck when it comes to mineral composition, each providing some potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and fluoride (the latter presumably contributed through the water source), beer is the winner when it comes to selenium and silicon,” Giancoli writes.
Here’s a chart from the article comparing what’s in beer and wine.
And here’s some more from the article itself:
A recent report from global research group Mintel shows that 33 percent of all beer drinkers in the U.S. are consuming less imported beer because they’re opting for domestic craft beer instead. in addition, nearly 60 percent of beer drinkers say they like to try craft or microbrew beers, and 51 percent would try more if they knew more about them, suggesting consumer education is the key to cultivating growth in the artisan beer market.
And about micronutrients:
Beer Outshines Wine with Many Micronutrients
One 12-ounce regular beer contributes folate, vitamin B6, niacin, pantothenic acid and riboflavin. Beer is also a plant source of vitamin B12, supplying about 3 percent of the recommended daily amount for adults, according to the USDA Nutrient database (although other sources claim higher B12 contents in beer).
So drink a toast to a healthy heart this month. And make sure it’s beer.
Wednesday’s ad is for Hamm’s, showing two bottles with one of them having the label peel off to reveal a pristine stream. The tagline is “Hamm’s inside story: The better the water … the better the beer.”
You’ll no doubt recall the Interwebs were lit up last week with the idea of an Anheuser-Busch InBev merger with SABMiller, which was started by Credit Suisse analysts engaging in speculation. While there were some reports to the contrary, the two mega-beer companies were not in talks.
Yesterday, apparently Credit Suisse followed-up their report by saying, after fueling such a flurry of speculation, that “nobody in our diverse pool of responders indicated that we are off the mark.” They further suggest that ABI “could come knocking” on SABMiller’s door before the end of this year.
As usual, there’s more to it, such as stakes in Grupo Modelo are part of the equation. You can read more about those at Beer Business Daily, which again I heartily recommend that everyone get a subscription to Harry’s newsletter.
Tuesday’s ad is for Tuborg, which used to have a much larger market share. It’s sold in over 30 countries, but according to their website not in the U.S. any longer. It’s an old brand, but has been owned by Carlsberg since 1970. I’m not sure when the ad is from, but 70s feels right. I actually have one of the ceramic horn cups, given to me by a old friend and co-worker from a previous job. Now I know where he got it.
