Sofia

Is it October yet, dang?!!

On Instagram.

'If your girl has the capabilities of saving a beer in this fashion, think nothing. Just marry her...'

At Stepfather Presents, "Girl Sucks Down Beer Like a Champ."

Old Milwaukee's New Pin-Up Beer Cans

I can't remember the last time I had an Old Milwaukee, heh.

Here's the first look at Old Milwaukee's new pin-up girl beer cans. https://t.co/pD4kFSjPfm pic.twitter.com/fIBsxNft6T

— Maxim (@MaximMag) May 29, 2017

Protest Against New '10 Barrel Brewery' in San Diego (VIDEO)

This is a trip, because I've been drinking Elysian Brewing Company's Space Dust IPA, which come to find out, is really produced by Anheuser-Busch, which bought 10 Barrel Brewing a couple of years ago.

Actually, I'm against the protest. I'm for the free market to determine the winners and losers. If 10 Barrel's beers are no good, people won't drink them.

At the San Diego Union-Tribune, "East Village's 10 Barrel Brewing prepares for a party and a protest."

And at ABC News 10 San Diego:

Belgians Have a Term for People Who Drink Stella Artois — Tourists

I first tried Stella Artois this summer at my sister's. At first I thought it was a light beer, but it's not. I was impressed. It tastes good and goes down smooth. When I visited my mom's over Labor Day weekend my sister was there as well, and again we had Stella Artois. I haven't bought any since, but I like it.

So, now I'm getting a kick out of this piece at the Wall Street Journal. It turns out Stella's a tourist's beer. Belgium locals don't drink it:

BRUSSELS — Michel Sabourin, a 75-year-old bar owner, spends most days here tucked between his counter and a 5-foot pink neon sign touting “Stella Artois,” Belgium’s best-sold beer world-wide.

Don’t ask him for a Stella, though. He stopped selling it months ago. “I had to give up,” he said. “I didn’t have enough demand anymore.”

Stella is ubiquitous in bars and restaurants abroad, where it is increasingly seen as one of the most distinctively Belgian products. In the country of its birth, the pilsner has gone flat.

Laurent Van Der Meeren, manager of La Bécasse, a bar and restaurant in a southeastern Brussels residential neighborhood, stopped selling Stella in 2014. He replaced it with Jupiler—a pilsner owned, as is Stella, by Anheuser-Busch InBev NV—which he said is more popular with younger people. “I think it’s a generational thing,” he said.

“Herbaceous, with a metallically bitter finish” is how Michael Vermeren describes Stella. The southern-Belgium chef and zythologist, as beer sommeliers like to call themselves, said it is the last of Belgium’s mass-produced pilsners he would choose.

“Industrial beer isn’t really my thing,” he said. “Stella is an everyman beer and its taste is designed to be liked by everyone.”

At home, Stella had a 6.5% market share last year, far behind Jupiler’s 35%, according to market-research firm Euromonitor International.

On the bright side, “it’s still the No. 3 lager in Belgium,” said Todd Allen, vice president for Stella, which AB InBev said also trails Heineken NV’s Maes Pils...

More.

Munich Oktoberfest

Heh, looks awesome.

Via EuroNews:

The 181st Oktoberfest is underway in Munich, following its opening amid pouring rain on Saturday.

Long ago, the festival was brought forward to September in the hope of better weather.

But come rain or shine, few care once the beer starts flowing...

Crisis! Calamity! Disaster! Lime Shortage Puts Squeeze on Margaritas!

And Coronas as well!

At the Wall Street Journal, "Lime Shortage Drives Up Prices at Bars and Restaurants in U.S.: As Margarita-Fueled Cinco de Mayo Nears, Mexican Restaurants Ask Customers to Harvest From Home":

FULLERTON, Calif. — When Matador Cantina's general manager Dave Dennis saw recently that a sharp rise in the price of limes was putting the squeeze on this Mexican restaurant, he called his mother.

But the limes on the tree in her yard here weren't ripe. So he asked his staff to hit up their friends for limes. He got just a few. With his cantina in need of 1,000 limes a week to use in cocktails, Corona beer and food, he decided to go public.

"Bring us a bag full of limes and get a crafted cocktail for just 25 cents," Mr. Dennis posted on Facebook and Twitter. He put up a sign in the restaurant: "WE WANT YOUR LIMES."

Bars and restaurants across the country have been affected by what they are calling the "great lime crisis of 2014." And the timing could hardly be worse: It comes just as the fruit's highest-profile day of the year is approaching—the margarita-fueled Cinco de Mayo.

In Mexico, the holiday commemorates the Mexican army's victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. In the U.S., Cinco de Mayo is a big deal, too. Here it has evolved into a celebration of Mexican heritage, cuisine and drink.

Mexico, one of the world's largest lime exporters, supplies the U.S. with 97% of the limes it consumes, nearly 500,000 tons annually. But this past winter, heavy rains hit lime-growing regions such as Veracruz, said Mexican Agriculture Ministry spokesman Francisco Burguete, delaying the usual harvest and driving prices to an all-time high. A 40-pound crate of Mexican limes has been fetching more than $100 wholesale, four times the typical seasonal price.

By weight, Mexican limes are commanding a higher price than Mexican crude oil. Cruz Sandoval of Ingardia Bros. Produce in Santa Ana, Calif., which sells to U.S. restaurants, said, "All our customers want to know is when the lime price is coming down."

Sensing an opportunity, liquor producer Beam Inc., of Deerfield, Ill., has launched a social-media campaign urging consumers this Cinco de Mayo to "ride out the lime shortage with Hornitos Lime Shot," its tequila "with the flavor of refreshing lime."

"The best way to deal with the lime shortage is to sip lime cocktails," said Jared Fix, vice president of Beam's "mixables."

Mexican limes aren't just used in drinks, of course. Ceviche, a dish made of fresh raw seafood, is cured in lime juice. Limes are also de rigueur in guacamole and fish tacos. Thai cuisine, too, makes liberal use of limes.

In response to the shortage, things are changing north of the border. Alaska Airlines has scrapped limes from cocktails in coach. Mexican restaurants, which depend on drinks like the salt-rimmed, tequila-based margarita to drive traffic, can't take such radical measures.

When limes hit $100, "it was kind of def-con for lime juice," said Mike Barrow, beverage director of the Tacolicious restaurant chain in San Francisco, stressing the urgency of the situation.

Well, looks like there solid demand for limes, lol.

More at the link.

Did You Know Guinness Draught in a Bottle is 11.2 Ounces?

I picked up some Guinness last night, and pouring a bottle into my pint glass I noticed that the fill came a ways from the top:

Some #beer to go with my turkey sandwich. @lamblock pic.twitter.com/Lt6NcuSygD

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) December 1, 2013

Compare that to my Black Butte from a couple of weeks ago (a beer I'm just loving, by the way):

.@lamblock This is excellent, Black Butte Porter. #Beer #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/E0JD7Iw87B

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) October 31, 2013

Guinness is excellent. I'm just tripping on this smaller portion deal when you buy the brand in bottles. Smaller portions suck. The beer's the same price. It's not like Oreos or anything, where food companies have been shrinking portions (but not retail prices) for decades.

In any case, with a six-pace of Guinness you're almost down half a beer compared to brands that bottle 12 ounces. That's a big enough difference for me to skip Guinness next time I hit the liquor store.

Is America Ready to End Prohibition?

Kennedy explains how beer sales remain so highly regulated in the U.S.

Mirror Pond Pale Ale

I'm impressed.

My mom brought some Mirror Pond Pale Ale for #FathersDay. Tasty. #Beer. pic.twitter.com/OEvTKlGepZ
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) June 17, 2013

I Picked Up Some Moose Drool

After beer tasting last week, I decided to quit procrastinating on diversifying my repertoire.

Here's the Moose Drool six-pack below. I haven't tried it yet. I also picked up a pack of the Rasputin Stout. Had some with dinner last night. Oh boy, is that good beer!

I'll update when I sample these puppies. The alcohol content much higher than domestic light beers (the Rasputin's at 9% ABV), so it might be next weekend until I have some more. Otherwise, I'll fall asleep too early in the evening.

No Legal Concerns Here...

Not with this Newcastle:

Enjoying a Newcastle. twitter.com/AmPowerBlog/st…
— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) May 11, 2013

But see Blazing Cat Fur, "Iron Maiden beer stopped over skull label concerns."

Beer Tasting!

I joined some of my colleagues yesterday for a "Faculty Guided Beer Tasting & Reading" event, one in the "Know Your College, Know Your Colleagues" series sponsored by my department and the faculty union.

Presenting was Professor Matthew Lawrence, the author of Philosophy on Tap: Pint-Sized Puzzles for the Pub Philosopher. He's got a book page with his biographical information. And he's got an interview at the Huffington Post, "Interview with a Philosopher: On Beer and Thought."

We tasted five beers. Here's Matt's slide for Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier, a German hefeweizen.

Here's the beer list on the host's refrigerator:

In addition to Weihenstephaner, we tasted Boulevard Brewing Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale (Kansas City); Fuller's ESB (London): Alesmith Horny Devil Belgian Strong Ale (San Diego); and Left Coast Brewing Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout (Fort Bragg).

Here's the Rasputin Stout:

Matt recommended Hi-Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa for its wide selection of beers. I asked about picking up some of that Rasputin Stout for myself. Excellent beer. Shoot, they were all good.

Check the links for the beer pages and enjoy.

I'll see you at the pub!

#Angels #Pregame Prep

They're down right now after a tough first inning.

Nice play yesterday, though, at LAT, "Angels power up to defeat Rangers, 8-4."

What? No Beer for the Superbowl? What's Happened to This Country?!!

Well, maybe the numbers are down, but I don't think we've seen the end of beer consumption on Superbowl Sunday.

See the Los Angeles Times, "Beer brewers revise playbooks to win back lost customers":

Super Bowl Sunday promises to be another epic day in the annals of gluttony, with Americans consuming 1.3 billion chicken wings, 2,000 tons of popcorn and enough avocados to cover the floor of the Indianapolis stadium 28 feet deep.

But there will probably be a bit less beer to wash it all down because of changing tastes and the growing appeal of wine and cocktails as alternatives.

Beer sales have been on the decline in the U.S., with shipments dipping 1.4% last year to 210 million barrels, an eight-year low, according to trade publication Beer Marketer's Insights. Anheuser-Busch, whose brands include Budweiser and Bud Light, slipped below the 100 million-barrel benchmark for the first time in a decade.

Brewers are fighting back, introducing craft beers and other spins on the classic beverage in a bid to recapture straying customers. Anheuser-Busch InBev, which is spending at least $30 million on Super Bowl ads, will devote two of its six game-time spots to one of those products, its new higher-alcohol Bud Light Platinum.

That brew's 6% alcohol content reflects Americans' growing thirst for drinks with more kick and perceived sophistication. Sales of both wine and hard liquor such as vodka, bourbon and whiskey are up 4% or more over the last year, helped in part by images in popular media.

Continue reading.

More later.

Government Shutdown in Minnesota Threatens Beer Sales

Distribution and sales of beer aren't allowed under the state's shutdown, since beer licensing was put on hold before June 30th, for budget reasons. At Wall Street Journal, "Minnesota Shutdown Could Dry Up Beer," and Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "Shutdown forcing MillerCoors to pull beer from shelves." (Via Memeorandum.)

Also at Power Line, "NOW IT’S GETTING SERIOUS!"

If renewing liquor licenses isn’t a core function of government, what is?

Professor Gates, Sgt. Crowley to Meet President for Beer Thursday

From Fox News, "Professor, Officer Expected to Meet President for Beer Thursday":

The professor, the policeman and the president are ready to share a beer -- and maybe a few thoughts about race and law enforcement in America.

The gathering set for Thursday evening may help President Barack Obama write a sudsy but happy ending to an arrest that triggered a fierce debate over race relations and briefly knocked him off his stride.

An administration official said Monday that Obama is hosting the two main characters in the unlikely Boston-area drama that dominated several news cycles last week: Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge, Mass., police department. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement was not yet public.

More at the link.

And what will the boys be quaffing? See, "Frothy Diplomacy: What Beer Will Obama Choose for White House Meeting? The President Hopes to Ease Tensions by Drinking Beer with Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Sgt. James Crowley." (Via Memeorandum.)