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!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

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

Blogged with the Flock Browser

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. :)

Blogged with the Flock Browser

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).

Blogged with the Flock Browser

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.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

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.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

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?

Blogged with the Flock Browser

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.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

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.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Right in my own backyard

What kind of a midwestern beer blogger would I be not to weigh in on this news? I know everyone heard about it already, and everyone has an opinion, from Bull @ the KC Beer Blog, to George Parker over at AdScam

I think big, old, American business institutions, including our friends in STL, have probably created some sort of giant corporate hairball over the years, and I am not above believing they should probably get some sort of a "correction" like this. I am not touching the topics of Unions, American pride, US owned companies, etc. Not with a 10 foot pole. I think anyone trying too hard to fight for US only production of anything is fighting a losing battle. We're global consumers already people. ANYway.

I know no one in STL would like for their big brewer, the supporter of 90% of all their professional sports, the fun cash cow, to be taken over in a hostile bid by a foreign company. So for their local economy, and the feeling of ownership over a monster that holds 48.5% of the national beer sales, I know it is not a fun prospect for them. Did you know that Auggie Busch managed to take home $12.2 million dollars in 2007? Yeah. Article doesn't mention the helicopter...

I think Modelo has to have a very vested interest in all of this, knowing that AB owns a significant share of their company now. What does that mean for Modelo if InBev is successful? Would Modelo really just sit back to see what happens? Would a merger with AB be beneficial for them, or more for AB? No idea. But it is all interesting. If you're more educated on all of this than I am, please, share your thoughts.

In this long, long leap of faith

Friday is my last day as a full time member of the VML media team. Monday marks my first official day as a full time member of Dept Zero, the alternative marketing company my husband Paul & I own. The company is five years old, and does some of the most exciting kind of experiential, street level, real world marketing. To say I am excited is an understatement. This level of commitment is something I have only had the stomach for when I got married. I don't even have any tattoos b/c I can't commit to an image forever. But I am 100% confident to now be a Zero for life.

I plan to be at the Saucer tomorrow afternoon. Hit me up via Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace or this blog if you can come on by.

I love the smell of unleaded in the morning

Boo-hoo, I feel whiny. There are storms a-brewin' in KC again. I could go a whole week without rain/thunder/lightening/hail/tornado news. Really I could. Hail hit my new car, lightening took out my air conditioner at home, and if I don't get a chance to mow the yard soon, the neighborhood might post my picture up at the post office as a criminal. Kind of related, this is what 1.5 million gallons of burning unleaded fuel looks like, as taken from the downtown airport. Neat, huh? Burned for over 24 hours. I was impressed.
I have many things to look forward to, the most immediate is that I will be headed to the Saucer tomorrow afternoon. I heard they have wifi (thanks Bull) and I still have lots of work to do. But work with a fabulous beer selection isn't too shabby. Happy (almost-my-last) Summer Friday.

Beer knurds

I spent some quality time with my bros and their ladies this weekend, and in our typical fashion there was sushi and good beer involved. I dragged them all through the P&L district Sunday evening, which was bumpin and loud and full of line-standers, to get to the Flying Saucer, which while busy, was kind of an oasis for our sort. The 6 of us perched on stools at the bar and set up shop. My youngest bro discovered Delirium Nocturnum and my middle bro split a Boulevard Long Strange Tripel. He and his wife live in NYC, so I did my part to spread the BLVD gospel. I slept very well last night. Now it is Monday evening, and I need to go on a total beer hiatus for a week. ~sigh~

Fit me with an ankle bracelet or something

I think it's just the time of year when I fall off the face of the blog. It seems to be fairly consistent. It's not like I got off the grid entirely. You social media 2.0 peeps know where to find me. It's just spring time. Dusting off the old, prepping for the new, outdoor activities, talk talk talking, whatever. I'll be at the Saucer this weekend, with the broseph. I'll take some new beer inspired pics. He'd kill me if he knew that was posted anywhere. he looks a little - umm - special needs, in that one.

Happy long weekend to you all!

Howling mad

Being a grown up means sometimes you can't do a happy hour in the middle of a Saturday. Now Howling for me, sorry everyone.