Four Day Weekend

I love summer holiday weekends. BBQs, things exploding, bug spray and sunscreen. And beer. Frosty beer bottles plucked from the big metal ice bucket that lives on a deck. That sounds like it is a beer tree or something. Hmm, beer tree.

So anyway, I am actually making a list of beers I want to drink this weekend. Beers that go with hamburgers, spicy BBQ, lots of friends, and that are perfect for kicking back in a screened porch, doing the Sunday crossword puzzle with a ceiling fan lazily spinning overhead. (I don't do soduku.)

So without much further ado, here is the 2006 Fourth of July Weekend Beer Girl List:

Sam Adams Light
Spaten Premium Lager
Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat (with a lemon wedge, please)
Hefeweizen
Shiner Summer Stock

Not Enough

I would link to this, but I lost my password for my online subscription, so for being difficult, the WSJ doesn't get a link.

Anheuser-Busch Considers Expanding Beyond Beer
The Wall Street Journal
Market forces are leading giant beer marketer Anheuser-Busch to consider moving beyond its core product offerings and into other alcoholic beverages. Earlier this month, A-B president August Busch IV acknowledged beer's sliding market share and said, "If this trend continues, we at Anheuser-Busch will have to re-evaluate our business model going forward in terms of expanding beyond beer and broadening our position within the total alcohol industry." His words caught many experts off guard, even though the company has already taken several small steps and formed alliances geared toward expanding its product portfolio. "I think a lot of people were surprised by it," said Lynn M. Walding, president of the National Conference of State Liquor Administrators and administrator of the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division, who was present at Mr. Busch's speech. "While [Anheuser] has been testing the mixed-drink market as of late, Mr. Busch's remarks suggest that greater inroads into the spirits category can be expected in the not-too-distant future." It is unknown what form Anheuser's interest in the liquor industry could take. One possibility is a joint venture or partnership. Anheuser already has its relationship with Bacardi, which recently acquired the upscale Grey Goose vodka line. Another frequently mentioned possibility is Louisville-based Brown-Forman Corp., maker of Jack Daniel's whiskey.

There's more there, but I can't get to it right now. But I did find this little nugget on Sacbee.com 's Food section in May, stating that beer sales are at half of their peak. I'm saddened by this. I can't help it.

Brewing

So, some dudes here are starting a brew club. They are committing to brewing their own beer, and sharing. Amongst each other. They get boxes in the mail of tempting and delicious items like chocolate malts and whole hops. And I feel like someone's little sister for a minute, whining "me toooooo, meee tooooo!" in my head. Because I LOVE beer. I love hops. I love malts. I love cloudy batches of dark brews made with, "something new we tried." I loved the grainy, earthy smells of barley and hops and malts, wafting from a giant kettle behind the bar when Dave's Brewpub still existed. I could totally get into brewing my own beer. But then I'd have to go out & buy all the goodies & spend time obsessing & obsessing. And then I thought that it might cut into the 40+ hours I put in at work, the un-counted hours I put into my Husband's company, the remodeling projects & parades of contractors that I have going on at home, et cetera. Nevermind all the time I like to set aside to enjoy drinking beer. So I just hope they let me be a taste tester.

For Father's Day, Have a Beer with Dad

From Brandweek

Dads Saluted in Beer Industry Promo Effort
June 09, 2006 NEW YORK – The Anheuser-Busch-backed beer support group, "Here's to Beer," has rolled out another series of promotional spots, this time saluting the bond between fathers and their children. The new TV spot features award-winning broadcaster Joe Buck reminiscing about his father, legendary Hall-of-Fame broadcaster Jack Buck. The ad combines commentary from Joe Buck interspersed with historical footage and Buck family photos. Creative is by St. Louis-based Waylon, and the spot was produced by Park Productions. The ad will air throughout June on both broadcast and cable during high-profile sporting events including the World Cup, U.S. Open, Stanley Cup finals, NBA Finals and select MLB games. The trade group will also run a special print version of the ad in USA Today on Friday, June 16, in honor of Father's Day. "Getting together for a beer is a great way for fathers and their adult sons and daughters to celebrate the day, share stories and create new memories that will last a lifetime," Bob Lachky, evp-global industry development, Anheuser-Busch, said in a statement. "These new ads are a unique way to honor fathers and convey beer's place in family celebrations." In conjunction with the ads, "Here's To Beer" is hosting a consumer contest called "Who Would You Have a Beer With?" at HeresToBeer.com. In the first phase of the contest, entrants nominated anyone—famous or unknown—and provided 50 words or less to make their case. Five finalists will be selected to receive a video camera to record their stories, which will be posted on the Web site. Beginning July 24, consumers can visit HeresToBeer.com to vote on their favorite video. The creator of the winning video will receive a trip for four to the ultimate destination for beer lovers, Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany.

Stick it in the fridge

The Husband's company open house is this Thursday. We went shopping this weekend for the stuff that doesn't require constant refrigeration, including wine & beer. It was a case of "two for the party, one for home." On pretty much everything. Good times. But even after all of those purchases, what did I end up drinking last night? Bacardi and cola. Because they get the job done.

Drinking & Driving

Not together, mind you. It's just the 2 topics of this post.

I was the last car to get hit in a multi-car wreck that took place on a residential street less than 1 mile away from my house. The back of my car is toast, but everything else is fine. Waiting for a check from the insurance company to fix my car....

Last night I went a-drinking, and I made a conscious decision to drink shit beer. Because I knew that I was going to have more than one (see above) and the Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale that I wanted has at least 250 calories in it. Miller Light has less than 100. I had 4. That's 400 calories versus the potential for 1,000. It doesn't taste great, but it is less filling. *sigh*