• Anheuser-Busch no longer the #1 and #2 beers in America

    It’s not really news that big beer is slowly losing it’s grip on the American consumer, but it’s still interesting to watch things things at the top change.  It turns out that AB just lost the #2 spot to rival Coors and their Coors Light beer.

    This is the first time in nearly two decades that Anheuser-Busch hasn’t controlled the top two beers in the country. The King of Beers is on its way to becoming court jester.

    I wouldn’t read too much into this, but my take it on it is Budweiser customers are finding other beers to drink, whereas Coors customers are still following the pied piper.

    “Anytime you can dethrone the king, it’s special,” a MillerCoors spokesman told Advertising Age. An Anheuser-Busch spokesman was less celebratory, saying the company was on track with a strategy to stabilize Budweiser.

    The No. 1 brand is Bud Light.

    Source: MSN.com

  • Beerporn

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    Hanging out with my brother in post-Christmas celebration and enjoying some good independent beer.  Only 2 of the 11 coolers had independent beers and this is the one we chose, Porkhouse Pale Ale.  I like their 6 pack holders.  They seem to be more environmentally friendly than the normal ones even though they are more difficult to pull off.

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  • Beerporn

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  • Beerporn

  • Email subscriptions to Indy Beers now available.

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  • Tales of Beer – Alone in the City

    Her lips were wet.  There was a small amount of head remaining on her upper lip as she pulled the glass away from her mouth while the dim lights of the bar were playing their magic across her face.  She had just noticed Alex staring at her, and in the even draw of speech women use to show disinterest in all things male she asked, “Can I help you?”

    Alex had been out for a walk.  He didn’t known how far he had come, but he had been walking for well over an hour, and he was getting thirsty.  Being a stranger in this city, the streets were all beginning to look the same, so any street with any bar would do the trick.  As he rounded what seemed an endless array of corners he saw what was about to become the start of a great night.  The bar was on the corner with one of those vertical red neon bar signs calling the moths to the flame.  Not being one to resist temptation, Alex headed for the door.

    As the door swung wide, it was quickly evident this was not your average bar.  There were more tap handles then one could count at first glance, and the music…it pulled him into a trance almost instantly.  The melody was a subtle background pleasure laying the tones for a time of euphoric relaxation.  Walking towards the line of bar stools, Alex realized that the bar was mostly empty, which was to be expected in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week.  He pulled up a bar stool, and began to soak in the environment.

    “Can I help you?”, came the voice a second time.  It was then that Alex realized he had been staring at her drinking her beer.

    “Actually, yes, you can help me.  I’m from out of town, and I’m looking to drink a great beer, can you recommend something?”

    She licked the remaining head from her lips before saying, “What’s your poison?”  With a gesture of her hand she waved towards the taps on display and then continued, “Heavy, light…traditional, unique…they have everything here to suit your needs.”

    Alex followed her hand as it guided him past the taps.  So many choices, so many beers he never seen, and others he had only heard of in passing.  “Unique”, came his reply.  “I think I need something unique.”

    “Well, if it’s unique you’re looking for there are a few beers that will pique your interest”, she said before taking another sip of her own beer.  “But you look like your really in search of something, so for you I’ll recommend the Firestone Anniversary Ale”.

    “Firestone Anniversary Ale?  I can’t say I ever heard of that beer.” Alex murmured as he scanned the taps looking for the beer.

    “Oh, you won’t find that one on tap, dear, that one comes in the bottle here, but you won’t be disappointed.”

    The barkeep had been paying attention to the conversation from the end of the bar, and knew it was time for him to make his entrance.  He walked about halfway down the bar and slid open door to the third cooler from end.  From within he pulled out a large bottle of Firestone Anniversary Ale, popped the top, and slid it down the bar to Alex.  “Would you like a glass with that”, he inquired.

    “Sure.”  And the barkeep slid a tulip glass Alex’s way.  Alex took a moment to study the bottle.  It was 22 ounces (650 ml) with a lion on one side, and and bear on the other.  It seems based on the markings this was a special limited release, the fifteenth in such a series.

    “Are you going to look at it all day or drink it?”, her voice said with a giggle, bringing him back from being lost in his study of the bottle.

    He tilted the glass and began the the process of transferring the dark brown fluid from one vessel to another.  As the beer settled he noticed it had a nice thick head of a tan shade.  Bringing the glass to his nose he found the bouquet to be a complex mix of coffee, caramel, and undertones of fruit or citrus.  Asking about how a beer could have such a a variety of flavor, the bartender informed him it was a blend of 76% Barley Wine style beers, 19% Stout, and 5% Imperial IPA.

    Curious as to the process in the manner of his drink, she moved to the seat next to his.  “That beer’s not going to drink itself, you know.”  Finishing the statement with another pull from her own beer.

    Alex noticed the head was again sticking to her upper lip, this time, however, she rolled her lips inward with a slight sucking sound to remove the frothy nectar.

    Having filled his nose with the smell he took his first sip.  It was pure delight.

    At first the beer felt light, too light for such a dark beer, but as the beer rolled across his tongue, the flavor become more and more heavy until his mouth was enveloped in the full, robust flavor.   All the aromas he was smelling moments before were now pleasantly transferring from smell to taste.  With each sip came more flavors that he had previously not found…chocolate covered cherries, cinnamon, honey, they were all there.

    She drank the final sip of her beer and said, “Well?”

    “I was looking for a beer, but I found heaven instead.”, Alex said to her with a wink.

    She stood up, gave a nod to the barkeep, laid a hand upon his shoulder and said, “Next time we’ll have to enjoy this game a little longer, but I’ve got to run for now.” And with that she walked out the door.

    Alex was left with his beer and his thoughts, which was turning out to be not such a bad thing.

     

    About Firestone Walker Brewing Company:

    Based out of  Paso Robles, CA

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/firestonewalker

    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/firestone.walker

  • Beerporn

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  • Friday Beer Fun – Holiday Gift Edition

    With the holiday shopping in a mad furry, I thought it would be good to post a few beer related items you might want to add to your list or buy for that special someone in your life.

    1. Tell your significant other you think they’re dirty
      http://store.brooklynbrewery.com/beer-soap
    2. Sweeten the look of your home bar
      http://www.alan-courtenay.co.uk/index.html
    3. A bracelet for your beer
      http://fredandfriends.com/products/view/beer-bands-drink-markers
    4. Camouflage your can when you’re in public
      http://www.prankplace.com/shop/Product/Drinking-Stuff/Canouflage-Beer-Can-Wraps-348.aspx
    5. Never be forced to drink from the can or bottle again
      http://www.neatoshop.com/product/Port-A-Pint-Beer-Glass
    6. Keep cousin Ray Ray out of your freshly opened bottle of Antarctic Nail Ale
      http://www.homewetbar.com/combination-bottle-lock-p-2259.html
    7. The next best thing to having a St. Bernard for a dog
      http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VUK2B8/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=blesthisstuf-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=B003VUK2B8
    8. Tell your friends you drank a palette of beer
      http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/13305/designboom-shop-new-product-palette-coasters.html
    9.  For the Simpsons fan in all of us
      http://www.duffbeer.co.uk/
    10.  And lastly, for the person who enjoys more than one type of recreational intoxication
      http://www.cafepress.com/indybeers.602897387
  • Maryland Beer & Wine News

    This is an email I received.  I would have linked directly to the content, but I couldn’t find this information on their site.

    The esteemed Robert Parker’s unassailable reputation came under fire recently when an online blogger, Jim’s Loire, alleged that one of Parker’s wine writers was asking for money in exchange for promoting certain Spanish wines (or not writing about them if no money was forthcoming).  The Baltimore Sun picked up on this situation in “Paid to Sip? Wine Scandal Swirls Around Baltimore Critic.”  Parker’s wine writer resigned which only deepened the suspicion even though his associates disputed the allegations (“Wine Critic’s Representative Defends Deals“).  Parker responded that his critic was only charging for his time and pledged to launch a full investigation.  Stay tuned.

     

    Just in the nick of time, Delegate Sonny Minnick and his brother managed to sell their Dundalk tavern (“State Delegate & Family Leave The Tavern Business”) before his brother goes on trial for paying out on video slot machines, something illegal in Maryland; the bartender alleges that both Minnick’s were aware of the payouts.  While owning Minnick’s Tavern, an establishment with a liquor license, Del. Minnick has served on the House of Delegates’ Alcohol Sub-Committee which regulates liquor licenses.  Some have argued that he is an incredibly informed legislator for holding a license regulated by the very committee on which he serves.  Del. Minnick’s brother has served on the board of the Maryland State Licensed Beverage Association, or MSLBA, the main tavern and packaged goods lobby in Annapolis, for some years.  The MSLBA regularly takes positions on bills like direct wine shipping that come before the General Assembly.  Interestingly, General Assembly ethics rules require the member to self-identify any potential conflict of interest, something rarely done according to the General Assembly’s ethics officer.

     

    Less scandalous, WBAL Radio recently covered the growing number of wineries with the direct shippers permit in Maryland and elsewhere (“Wineries See Boost in Business From Direct Shipping”).  As the holiday season is upon us, many of these wineries are looking to fulfill gift givers’ wishes.  The story can be heard here and was picked up by WJZ and even The Republic of Columbus, IN!

     

    Three recent articles highlighted the resurgence in craft beer in Maryland.  The recent Sun article about the soon-to-open Union Craft Brewing (“Union Craft Brewing Outlines Plan for Woodberry Brewery“) seems to capture the spirit perfectly as it is one of five new breweries expected to open by next spring in Maryland.  The BBJ ran a piece last week (“Beermeisters Have Sights On New Brewery In Baltimore”) on the formation of Charm City Brewing, “a type of co-op that would help some of the city’s smaller beer companies increase their distribution.”  The following week, they chronicled Duclaw Brewing’s massive move into Harford County (“Duclaw Brewing Plots Massive Expansion In Harford County”).  On a side note, National Bohemian is returning to the Mid-Atlantic for the first time in years (“National Premium Starts Brewing in Delaware“).

     

    There’s a lot brewing out there.  Let me know if you hear anything else through the grapevine.  (Sorry, I couldn’t resist).  Happy holidays!

     

    Tastefully yours,

     

    Adam Borden
    President
    Marylanders for Better Beer & Wine Laws
    4315 Underwood Road
    Baltimore, MD 21218
    Tel: (443) 570-8102
    http://www.mbbwl.org
    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MBBWL
    Twitter: http://twitter.com/mbbwl
    Donate: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=2184279

  • Tales of Beer – Tröegs

    I don’t remember  where I got the coaster.  It caught my eye right away, and I’ve never looked at one of their bottle caps the same since then.  I would have loved to had seen the other entrants (I’ll have to look for that later*).  But I had forgotten I had the coaster until I reached for a beer.

    My wife and I have a wine party every year, but it’s really just an excuse to have a Christmas party.  Our tree is up, and the house is decorated in Yuletide spirit.  While it’s our wine party, I always make sure to stock up other alcohols as well, beer included.  This year I headed over to The Perfect Pour and went nuts.  Part of that purchase was the Tröegs Mad Elf Ale.  I picked up a six pack, but no one at the party seemed to want it.

    Tonight I opened my beer fridge to see what was looking good, and the Tröegs was beckoning me.  Lined in neat rows front to back, each unique beer had its own place in the left to right view, and the Tröegs stood out the furthest.  A week ago the guests of my wine party inadvertently chose the beer I am drinking as I retell this tale.  So to those who forwent the Tröegs, thank you.

    -Scott H

    Beer drinker, beer lover.

    * This site lists the link to the finalist, which seems to have been removed:
    http://www.realbeer.com/blog/?p=208