Buckbean Brewing

I received my free cans of Buckbean's Orange Blossom Ale and Black Noddy Lager (2 of each) on Monday. I was so excited, you would think that I would have tried them that night, right? No. I left them in my office overnight. Du'oh! I took them home yesterday & refrigerated them for a bit. The Husband & I both sampled each type of beer last night, and I am saving the last 2 for tonight. Unfortunately, I left my camera with beer pics at home today. (Why yes, there is a theme to this post, and it is forgetfulness. I also drop stuff often, if it makes you feel better to know that too. Awkward turtle, right here. ) So I am going to save any further review/unveiling until I am sitting down with another pint of each all to myself tonight. Stay tuned...

75th Street Brewery

So the 75th St. Brewery is turning 15 years old this week. And there are specials galore. The little blurb below should give you plans for the week. I'd especially like to point out the Home Brew contest on Saturday and 2 for $15 growlers all week long!

Schlitz is making a comeback

It has been all over the papers this month, especially in the Mid-West. This snippet is ripped from an Associated Press article from August 1. Leaning heavily on nostalgia in packaging and marketing messages, I think this could make a splash.

It's the beer that made Milwaukee famous. Now Schlitz is making the city nostalgic.

That beer with the old-time mystique is back on shelves in bottles of its original formula in the city where it was first brewed more than a century and a half ago.

Schlitz was the top-selling beer for much of the first half of the 20th century. But recipe changes and a series of snafus made the beer — in many a drinkers' opinion — undrinkable, turning what was once the world's most popular brews into little more than a joke.

But after decades of dormancy, the beer is back.

Schlitz' owner, Pabst Brewing Co., is recreating the old formula, using notes and interviews with old brew masters to concoct the pilsner again. The maker of another nostalgic favorite, Pabst Blue Ribbon, it hopes baby boomers will reach for the drink of their youth, otherwise known as "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous." They also want to create a following among younger drinkers who want to know what grandma and grandpa drank.

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Saturday in Denver

I ripped everything below from Home Brew Beer, who received an email from Flying Dog directly.

"I just got this message from Steph at Flying Dog...

Hey,

I don't know if you have heard, but our longest standing employee and brewery manager, Mike Freeman, was recently diagnosed with a very serious brain tumor and the most aggressive of its kind! Due to Mike not being able to work and to offset some medical expenses, Mike’s friends and family are hosting a fundraiser. The fundraiser, Rock the Mike: The Freeman Brainefit, is on Saturday, August 23^rd at the old Flying Dog warehouse (24^th and Blake) from 7-2am. We are going to have several bands, free beer from Breckenridge, Great Divide and Flying Dog, free food and a raffle with a $20 cost at the door. All of the proceeds from this event are going to Mike and his fiancée Jennifer.

I was hoping you could help me spread the word in your blog, paper, to your friends, etc. The more people we get in the door, the more money Mike gets!

Please check out the website we set up for him at mikesupport.com.

Thanks for your support!

Cheers,

Stephanie Kerchner

PR and Event Coordinator

www.flyingdogales.com

www.flyingdognews.com

Great Taste, Less Filling

MillerCoors is bringing back the classic “Great Taste, Less Filling” advertising tagline for Miller Lite. “Research has shown the two factors that matter the most to mainstream light beer drinkers are taste and refreshment,” MillerCoors said on Tuesday in a message to distributors.

-- ripped directly from MillerCoors' BrewBlog

The quiz question for you, dear readers, is this.

If Miller Lite = Great Taste, then Coors Light = ___________?

Lunch

I had a BLT and a Fat Tire. What?

I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it

My blog traffic is back up to the levels I had in 2005. Who says blogging is dead? It is just now part of a family of things like twitter, plurk, brightkite and the ever present spaces & books. My little beer blog even appears on AllTop's site, under BEER. Which is why we got the glassware giveaway. Yay. This week I was contacted by a PR person, on behalf of the Buckbean Brewing Company, located in Reno, NV. Right now their beers are really only available in Nevada, and not even widely available at that. But they are beating their drums well, and getting good reviews, so who knows what will happen in the future. The best part is that they are going to SEND ME SOME BEER! Whee! I've been at this for 4 years now. This is my first freebie. I'm so excited.

Part of the email I received from Constance, on behalf of the brewer:

Buckbean Brewing Company
We specialize in microbrews, two in particular, The Original Orange Blossom Ale and Black Noddy Larger. Our company prides themselves in being environmentally friendly by packing the beer only in cans. Beer in cans brings a positive spin on the environment because:

• Cans aren’t packed in cardboard, so they don’t have to be rinsed of packing dust, which cuts back on water use
• Cans are lighter than bottles, so they require less fuel to ship. When bottled beer is shipped a truck cannot be completely filled because of weight issues.
• Unlike bottles, cans don’t require energy to be expended on producing and applying glue and labels.
• A case of cans uses about 70% less paper and cardboard than a case of bottles
• Cans are the most easily recyclable material

Locally, we're featured in over a hundred bars and stores, and we're quickly expanding into other regions.

Winner winner chicken dinner

The free glassware contest, sponsored by AwesomeDeals911.com, is closed. All entries were written on scraps of paper, by me.
Then they were folded in half.
Put into this very classy plastic pink hurricane glass left over from the DZ Summer Party.
I stuck my hand in there, and pulled out ONE entry.
Ta da!
sCrockett, you are now the lucky winner of two Piels pilsner glasses! Just shoot me an email with your address, and I will send it on to our lovely giveaway sponsor, AwesomeDeals911.com.

Guaranteed we bring the brouhaha

The American Royal thinks that many Kansas Citians will pay $22 in advance and $27 on the day of to attend a wine & beer tasting event. The first annual “Wine and Brew Ha-Ha” on Saturday, August 9 from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm will take place in the Hale Arena on the grounds of the American Royal.

So for $22 you can taste as many as 100 different wines & beers? Interesting. Something for the weekend!

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Free Beer

I was contacted by someone from Awesomedeals911.com, and they'd really like to give something away to the readers of this blog. They offered up a lanyard, two choices of bottle openers, and glassware. I thought the glassware might be the most popular, so that's what I chose.
That means one of you, readers, will get to win some glassware. A set of 2 Tall Pilsner Glasses, 22 oz each, with the Piels brand name emblazoned on the side.

So we need to have a contest. I thought of resuscitating the old name-that-tune game we used to play here, but any mistakes I make in correctly awarding the winner would be a bigger deal now that there really is a prize. So instead, I say leave your answer to my question below in the comments. In one week, on Wednesday, August 6th, I will write down the names of everyone who had the correct answer on pieces of paper and put them into a hat, and pull one winner. We'll document the process. Whoever wins just needs to supply name and shipping address to the people at Awesomedeals911.com, and they'll ship the glasses to you!

Cool?

OK, here's the question:

Piel Bros Beer was founded in what year, and in what city?

ALL ENTRIES ARE NOW CLOSED 8/6 1:36PM

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Dream Vacation - Beer Town USA

So, who wants to go to Colorado with me before it gets snowy? The "Napa Valley" of beer is Colorado. Denver ranks first in the nation in beer production per capita and second in the number of breweries. There are more than 100 breweries statewide. Breweries include Coors, Anheuser-Busch, Rockies Brewing Co, Bristol, Breckenridge, New Belgium, Aspen, Avery, Great Divide, Odell, and more.

The Great American Beer Festival, in Denver hosts thousands of people every September for tastings, live music and entertainment. **correction - it is Oct 9th-11th, per Lee**Brewmasters compete for coveted medals in more than 58 categories. Farther north, visitors can enjoy the Annual Colorado Brewers' Festival, June, in Fort Collins. Enjoy music, food, games, entertainment and beer sampling. Don't miss the Annual Telluride Blues and Brews Festival, every September. This Colorado favorite combines the best brews with the finest in traditional blues music.

Happy Hour Tonight

I won ANOTHER happy hour at Howl at the Moon in the Power & Light. Sadly, I don't really have 100 friends. Maybe acquaintances. Maybe blog readers. So I will be there, with a small contingent of friends, but with room for many more. If you are interested in free admission, first 2 drinks for $1 each, a complimentary hors d'oeuvres buffet, and live entertainment, please c'mon by! Drink Specials after the first 2 $1 drinks include: $2 Margaritas, Long Islands, Domestics, and $3 House Wine!

Just say you are there for the happy hour with me. :)

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InBev could bring variety to US

There was a story in the Wall Street Journal over the weekend about how InBev's deal with A-B might actually improve the offerings on US store beer shelves. Much like how microbrew fans in the US do not love mega brewers, Europeans who enjoy small local brews also resent InBev for bringing watered down beverages.

At any rate, entertaining read about taste-testing several InBev offerings that could, maybe, someday, make their way to a shelf near you.

MillerCoors keeps a beer blog

And it all about beer industry news. It can be found here.

Today's news is that Bud Light Lime is the top growth brand in supermarkets during the first half of the year, according to beer sales statistics from Nielsen. (Yes, that says supermarkets, meaning that this doesn't necessarily account for TOTAL sales. In some states, you can ONLY buy beer at supermarkets, while in others you cannot at all. SO the kind of people that pick up beer at the grocery store, tend to like Bud Light Lime. I don't buy beer at the grocery store, but I AM a fan of Bud Light Lime.)

The new lime line extension -- (which follows MillerCoors is quick to note debuted WELL after Miller Chill) -- moved nearly 1 million cases in the period ended June 28, according to beer market analysis from Nielsen. What makes that more impressive is that Bud Light Lime didn’t hit the market until late April.

Overall, A-B placed nine brands among the fastest growing brands in the first half of the year. Besides Bud Light Lime they were: Michelob Ultra (5), Busch Light (6), Land Shark Lager (7), Bud Light Clamato (8), Michelob Golden Draft Light (12), Bacardi Silver (16), Bud Clamato (17) and Busch (19).

MillerCoors placed seven brands on the list, including three of the top five. They are: Coors Light (2), Keystone Light (3), Miller Chill (4), Blue Moon seasonals (5), Blue Moon Belgian White Ale (13), Coors Banquet (14) and Miller Genuine Draft Light (24).

Mexican imports had a strong showing: Tecate Light (18), Tecate (20), Modelo Especial (22), Coronita Extra (23) and Dos Equis (25).

Other brands on the top 25 include: Yuengling (10), Stella Artois (11), Heineken Premium Light (15) and Samuel Adams seasonal (21).

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Blondes in Prairie Village

Prairie Village Beer Tasting Thursday, July 17th

THE BLONDES OF SUMMER Rimann Liquors of Prairie Village
3917 Prairie Lane Thursday July 17, 2008 6:00 - 9:00 PM Come meet the "Blondes of Summer"... the Belgian Blondes... along with other light, summer ales to quench your thirst during the Dog Days of Summer. Join us in the Party Shop for a tasting of these refreshing brews: Brigand Blonde, Kastel Rouge, K-O Blonde and Kastel Blonde Tripel. We will also be tasting Unibroue Ephemere, an apple ale reminiscent of Granny Smith and McIntosh Apples. And since it's the Dog Days, man's best friend is invited also! Mark your calendars in the weeks to come for the following fun "Third Thursday" events in Prairie Village: "Class Act on Tomahawk" on Thursday August 21, "Girls' Night Out" on September 18 and "Harvestfest" on October 16.

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Alcoholism is not funny

Summer Beer Cocktail

Part shandy, part bug-juice, part WT answer to sangria, and always a good time, below is the recipe for summer fun in a big pitcher, ripped directly from Thomas Lin's Facebook note:

12oz can of frozen lemonade
12oz Vodka
6 cans of beer

Stir together the lemonade and vodka to dissolve the lemonade well. Pour in 6 cans of beer and give it a light stir to mix.

Feel free to use cheap vodka and cheap beer. You can't tell with the lemonade in there. It's tasty and has a kick.

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Summer beers

The deck is open for the season at the Casa de Soseman. Which means you're welcome anytime, just bring a sixer of something interesting with ya! I have a stockpile of beer koozies, and a yard that dogs love to play in.

To date, our backyard tastings have included the following fluffy beers:

Bud Light Lime - Domestically produced, sweeter Corona, good with Tex Mex
Coors/Blue Moon Honey Moon Summer Ale - Sweet, lightly carbonated, good with spicy BBQ
Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy - Totally tastes like lemonade & beer. Dangerously easy to drink. Light and not too sweet.

Most of these are borderline beer cocktails. Light, girly, sometimes fruity or sweet, but always refreshing and kept well chilled. They all seem to go well with KC humidity and fresh off the grill eats. They also make good use of the limited hops available this year.

Here are all the beers I still want to consume before this deck season gets much later:
Boulevard's Zon
Pyramid's Curve Ball
Sam Adams Summer
Sierra Nevada Harvest Fresh Hop Ale

So what have you seen lately you want to try? What have you tried and want to share with the class?

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Beer for the weekend?

Matt Gardner was on the local KC Fox morning news show, talking about pairing the right beer with your weekend munchies. Catch the video here


My recommendation is to BBQ, and to drink some ice cold beer. Put it in a koozie, enjoy the sunshine, and say Happy Birthday America by blowing something up.

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On your knees

Waldo Crawldo is this Saturday. It is in Waldo (duh), and includes all of the Waldo bars - 75th Street Brewery, Lew's, Kennedy's, Bobby Bakers, Tanner's, Waldo Pizza, & the Waldo Bar. It starts at 6 pm and goes on as long as you can remain standing. Tickets are on sale now at any of these locations for $5, and will go up to $10 on the day of the event. The bars will have drink specials all crawl-long, and there will be many chances to enter to win gift cards, limo services, spa days, pub crawls for friends, etc.

If you haven't been back to Kennedy's since the fire, now would be a good time to go! It'll be fun, there will be lots of your friends there, and no shortage of taxis to get you home. Or someone else's home. Whatever.

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