Each year, the recipe is tweaked ever so slightly, to allow the brewers to play with different malt and hop varieties. “For 2012, we made a deliberate effort to move away from the English hop influence of the past few years,” explains Brewmaster Mitch Steele. “We took out the East Kent Golding hops and used a blend of American Chinook, Calypso and Cascade, which gave strong hints of grapefruit and pine to the aroma and flavor.”

Stone Old Guardian Barley WineStats: 11% abv, 85 IBUs
Availability: Limited 22oz bottles & draft, beginning February 13th
Malt bill: Pale Malt, Maris Otter Crystal Malt
Hops bill: Warrior for bittering, Chinook, Calypso, and Cascade for aroma and flavor
Distribution: AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA

Tasting notes, provided by Brewmaster Mitch SteeleAppearance: Deep amber, with a slight haze and a creamy tan head.

Aroma: A blend of bready yeast esters, toffee malt flavors and citrusy hops. Allowing the beer to warm to ~50°-55°F really allows the malt and hop character to come through.

Taste: Flavor is rich and malty, with a pronounced yeasty ester profile and tropical fruit hop flavors. Rich and smooth up front, at mid-palate the beer transitions to a pleasant dryness and lingering hop bitterness on the finish.

Overall: We make small adjustments to the recipe every year, just a little bit…as it provides an opportunity to try some different hops or malts. For the 2012 release, we used a blend of American Chinook, Calypso and Cascade hops, which marked the first use of Cascade in one of our special release beers. We also bumped up the Maris Otter crystal malt by a mere 0.5%, and it’s amazing how much of a difference it made in the color and the upfront body. All in all, it’s resulted in a well-rounded beer that is ready to drink now, or can be aged at cellar temperatures for many years. (If you can wait that long.)

Suggested pairings, provided by “Dr.” Bill SysakMain Course: Beef carbonnade, braised lamb and wild game, cassoulet, portobello burgers
Dessert: Apple pie, pecan shortbread, sticky toffee pudding, Fig Newtons
Cheeses: Aged English Cheddar, Stilton, Gorgonzola
Cigars: Dunhill Signed Range Toro, Don Pepín Garcia Lancero, Illusione #888 Churchill

via Stone

It’s not a bad commercial, there’s just very little that’s memorable about it. It’s nice to highlight American achievements throughout history, but it’s a commercial, not a special on the History Channel. You can tell because they don’t blame anything on aliens. Budweiser is not so subtly suggesting that they are a great achievement, and they may be right, but it all seems sort of self congratulatory. They probably should have just stuck to playing with their ponies.

I’d check out any of the other 5 spots before I’d watch this one for a third time. And if you noticed that there is one missing from the collection, it’s because I left out the pre-halftime Bud Light ad.  I got so sick of Shazam during this Super Bowl that I refuse to contribute to their campaign.

Super Breezy commercials: Weego Rules, GE makes a Bud, Prohibition sucked, Platinum Factory, and Platinum Avicii

Initial reactions on Twitter seemed to be that people weren’t feeling the ad. It quickly became apparent that most were just horrible people that didn’t like it because the dog was ugly. Well, I’m ugly, so I’m siding with the canine.

I think we all wish we could train our dog to bring us a beer. I’m perfectly capable of walking the eleven steps (yes I measured) from my couch to my refrigerator, but that doesn’t mean I should have to. If I could only work out how to train him to use the toilet and take himself for walks, I’d be at the rescue clinic right now picking up Bo Schembarkler.

That ad will certainly pop into people’s head every time someone says “Here we go!” It’s also nice to see a company using their $3 million time slot to do more than just sell beer, so Bud Light gets bonus points for try to help other rescue rats.

Other Super spots: Platinum Party, Platinum Factory, Volstead’s Folly, GE Powers Bud, Budweiser Eternal Optimism

There is no more ridiculous advertising tag line than “Based on a true story.” That means absolutely nothing. Scientists once experimented on apes, so Rise of the Planet of the Apes could conceivably claim to be based on true story. To their credit, at least Budweiser came up with a better use for their classic clydesdales than just having them parade prancing down the street like pretty ponies.

The commercial did absolutely nothing to make me more likely to buy Bud. I’d like to think that I, and everyone with whom I associate, would have been regulars at the local speakeasy during prohibition. Law or no law, you aren’t going to convince me to stop drinking, so there would be no reason to celebrate the repeal of that law with one case of beer divided amongst 50 people.

More Super Bowl spots: Bud Light Platinum office party, Turing Gold into Platinum, Combo Beer, Weego for beers, Decades of Budweiser

While I liked the commercial on a general level, someone should have told them that gold currently costs about $100/ounce more than platinum. They really didn’t think that one through. I’ve been looking to get into commercial writing for a while now, so maybe they should give me a call. At a minimum they should bring me in as a consultant to let them know if their concept is retarded or not.

Other Super Bowl ads: Bud Light Platinum: Avicii, Budweiser Prohibition, GE makes beer, Rescue Dog, Bud loves Bud

I’m not sure if they meant for this to leak in advance because it’s not on an AB channel, but Avicii’s facebook page linked to the video, and the rest is history. It’s clear, with lines like “top shelf taste” that they are trying to place it as an upscale beer. Apparently it’s also meant for office parties that are full of beautiful people and a Swedish house DJ. At least Pitbull wasn’t there wearing his sunglasses at night.

Has anyone tried Platinum yet, and more importantly, are any of you going to?

More Super Booze Ads - Bud Light Platinum vs Gold, Budweiser Prohibition, GE/Budweiser killer crossover, Here Weego!, Eternal Optimism

Not only does that banner immediately make me laugh, it also goes to show me that the brewery has a sack. This is the sort of comment that you’d expect to see on The Flint Skinny, not from a publicly traded company. While Miller is busy lying about High Life being the Champagne of Beers, Redhook is out there cracking jokes like, “Redhook always goes for two. Points, twins, whatever.”

Upon further investigation, the brewery seems to cruise the median between macro and craft beers. The first thing that came to mind was Maker’s Mark. It’s the first bourbon that everyone moves on to when they want to upgrade from Jack or Jim. It’s a perfect holding ground for those who aren’t ready to fully start experimenting with big boy bourbons, but are done with the sweet stuff. Not costing a fortune is also a big selling point.

Redhook has more flavor than most macro beers you’ll find, but it doesn’t quite get to the huge flavor bombs of many of the craft breweries. They’ve carved out an ideal niche and stayed there. It’s light bodied and refreshing, but you still feel like you’re drinking a solid beer. If that doesn’t make you at least want to try it, what I said they sponsor go karts?

No, you can’t actually call them up and ask for them to sponsor your amateur Mario Kart 64 team (as far as I know). But they are down in Indianapolis for the Super Bowl with the Dan Patrick Show. You can see the their banners lining the track outside Lucas Oil Stadium as well as a couple branded karts.

Check out more of their attention grabbing ads in the pictures below. You can also visit their website to learn more, find their beers, or even check out the Pandora playlist, which I imagine is just the Reel Big Fish song “Beer” on loop.

I’m aware that “Americans” could mean any country in North or South America, but it’s likely that the infographic is meant to represent the United States.

U.S. Population = 312 million
< 15 years old = 62.5 million1.
Teetotalers > 18 = 33%

So the potential # of beer consumers is approximately 167,500,000 (minus anyone between 15 and 18 that doesn’t drink).

That means that every single alcohol drinking American over the age of 15 will drink 7 beers on Sunday. The figure doesn’t include beers served in restaurants or bars either, so to keep the number as low as 7, every single person must watch from home. Also, no ditching the beer for wine, or you’ll screw your neighbor. Look around you. Are all of the people you see going to be drinking at least 7 beers at home for the Super Bowl? Doubt it. Blame for this claim theoretically falls on Neilsen, assuming that SaveOnBrew took the numbers straight from them.

Then you have the 10.8 billion dollar price for this fictional 50 million cases. Accept for a second that we magically go through that many cases. According to the inforgraph’s math, that means that each case costs $216. I don’t know about you, but even with all the craft beer I’ve been drinking, I’ve still yet to come across the $54 sixer. Hell the guy price gouging on Craigslist was only charging $31. If 94.1% of the beer is BMC, and we price them very sketchily at $20 per case, then add in the craft beers at $40/case, you are looking at just over $1 billion. Blame for this is clear on SaveOnBrew, most likely because they are trying to show off how much money they can save.

Finally, the piss count. Since they are saying it’s a result of the beer, we will only account for those we’ve established are drinking the absurd amount of beer. That’s more than 8 trips to the john for every single person drinking beer and watching the game. That also only accounts for trips after drinking has commenced. I go to the bathroom way more than most humans should, and even that’s a lofty goal for me. I don’t know or care whose fault this is. People just don’t piss that often.

Look, I love any website that is going to offer me savings on beer, but let’s not do it at the expense of common sense.

Testing of the idea started in 1909, but there were problems with both sealing the can as well as ensuring that the metal didn’t react with the beer. Throw in Volstead’s Folly (Prohibition) and you end up having the technology delayed until ’35. The rest, as only cliche idiots say, is history.

While the macro world is obviously filled with beer cans, craft still remains almost entirely in glass bottles. A few are starting to see the light of the aluminum can though. The trend is certainly turning in that direction, albeit very slowly and quietly. To celebrate Beer Can Appreciation Day, here are a couple notable beer can posts to check out.

Craft Brewers: Yes We Can!
Velvet Rooster gets cocky.
6 extreme canned beers you should know.
Beer Can Chicken recipe

And finally, here’s a perfect sumnation of the benifits of beer cans. It’s the “Canifesto” from Tallgrass Brewing.

Ask a Midwestern craft beer drinker what they think of craft beer in a can and more often than not you will hear, “Bottled beer tastes better.” I thought the same thing for a long time, but in recent years I’ve experienced some great-tasting canned craft beer from other parts of the country. I didn’t think much more about it, until a phone call last fall that got me to do a little research on the subject.

The call was from a Tallgrass drinker in western Kansas. He had about 20 empty cases of IPA bottles and boxes stacked in his garage. I guess he really likes it. He wanted to return the boxes for us to reuse, but since he was so far away, picking them up was not an option. I asked him to recycle the glass and cardboard, but he did not have a local recycler. It would all have to go to the local landfill. This seemed like a huge waste, but what could we do? As a recovering environmental geologist, I still love to solve problems, so I thought about this one.

After a little research, I found out that bottles with paper boxes are just about the most wasteful, energy intensive, and hard-to-recycle things that can hold beer. On top of that, they are not even the best choice for the quality of the beer!

It turns out that the humble aluminum can is the best choice for a whole lot of reasons. Cans are better for the beer. Cans seal better than bottles and totally block sunlight, which keeps our beer tasting fresher, longer. Cans are more fun. You can take cans to the pool, concerts, lakes, stadiums, hot tubs, golf courses, and anywhere else you can’t take glass. Last, but not least, the aluminum can is WAY better for the environment than bottles.

Cans are 12x lighter than glass, which means it takes less energy to ship the same amount of beer. But the biggest advantage is how easy it is to recycle cans. A recycled aluminum can will be made into another can and back on the shelf in about 60 days. Recycling is an easy, efficient thing for can manufacturers to do. 50% of all cans are now recycled and that is expected to increase in the future.

After learning all of this, I have decided to change Tallgrass packaging from bottles to really cool cans that hold 1 full pint of beer. Think of them as little recyclable kegs that can fit in a backpack. Go ahead and enjoy Tallgrass with your friends. Drink assured that we will always walk the walk when it comes to doing the right thing, for our beer, our beer drinkers, and our little corner of the planet.

I’ve yet to try the Irish Ale, but if it’s anything like their other offerings, I have very little doubt that it’s good. Boulevard used 6 different pale and roasted barley malts, so it should bring a complex flavor to the table. Most of the hop varieties used are for aromatics as opposed to bittering, so for those of you who want something that’s a far cry from the previously mentioned Hopslam this should be right up your alley. Don’t take that to mean they’re similar aside from bitterness though, the only thing the two have in common are that they are beers.

The fact that this “spring seasonal” is around right up until St. Patty’s day seems appropriate. While all the amateurs are dying their Bud Selects green in a effort to be Irish, just pull a six pack of these out of your fridge at 7am on the 17th and enjoy the chaos. There’s no reason you have to shit green for a week when sipping Irish Ale will make you at least slightly more authentic.

Sam Calagoine created the Ancient Ales series using recipes based on whatever was originally around when people were brewing beer as opposed to the common notion that it should only contain hops, malt, yeast, and water. If you haven’t tried it, definitely go out and try Midas Touch. Brewed with white Muscat grapes, honey and saffron, it’s a perfect example of their “off-centered ales.” Their newest norm-breaker is Tweason’ale.

You asked for gluten-free, we delivered! For Tweason’ale, our first new 12-ounce 4-packs in nearly half a decade, we replaced the classic barley foundation of beer with a mild sorghum base. The hints of molasses and pit-fruit are balanced by vibrant strawberry notes and a unique complexity that comes with the addition of a malty buckwheat honey.

While most guys shy away from beers with fruit in them because they don’t want to appear un-manly. In the summer, I’ll drink a shandy quietly by myself in a dark corner, but Tweason’ale looks to be something fine for public consumption. My system is a well oil machine and has no aversion to gluten, but I also can’t think of a reason not to try it anyway. I used to love honey on my chicken McNuggets, so it seems fitting that my beer should put it to use as well. It’s slated to hit shelves late January, so keep an eyes open for it.

Image via BeerStreetJournal

See, it’s not that big of a mystery! For some of you that might make some of the reviews that reference hops and malt a little bit clearer. And if you keep thinking that Brew Dog sounds familiar but you can’t quite place it, they are the awesome group that fermented beer on the floor of the North Sea amongst other clever ideas.

While I have several stories to tell, a brewery to discuss, and St. Martin’s favorite booze to share, I would be shirking my duties if I didn’t post this video. It’s a few days old now, so you might have come across it, but if not you are in for a fratastic treat.

Way to represent for America good sir! That would be impressive with any beer, but doing it with Bud Heavy it’s downright astounding. My only problem with this guy, and it’s a big problem, is that he’s wearing a baby blue Yankees hat. I don’t mind that he’s a Yankees fan, but I f’ing hate non-standard hats. If you want to be even more impressed, check out Pat Bertoletti chugging 1.5 gallons of Miller Lite.

via Reddit

You know what? God bless America. Sure, the American spirit is quickly going the way of the dodo, but I’m pretty sure there’s one occupation that you won’t find anywhere in China is of custom beer pong table manufacturer.

But what makes the River Falls Pong Table Company, located in River Falls, Wisconsin, is how it’s a family run business! One, and how they make video game themed tables if you’ll let them…

Plus, as highlighted by Destructoid, this Tetris design…

And finally, for gamer dorks who have an affinity for Japan, that too can be taken care off…

Piraat is actual from Van Steenberge brewery in Belgium. I didn’t realize that there were many swashbucklers in the North Sea, but then again I’ve never researched such things. What I do know is that they make amazing beer over in Belgium, and this is one of the best that I’ve had.

This light ambercoloured Piraat with full foam head overwhelms with an aroma of bitter, spicy, malty and alcoholic scents. What follows is a perfect combination of malty, sweet and hopbitter tastes, after which you are drowned in a very long, semi-sweet after taste with bitter undertone.

Not surprisingly, the brewery’s description is pretty spot on. When you make a beer this good, you don’t need a spinster to weave in filler. The facts will suffice. It’s smooth and malty and feels almost creamy in the mouth. You wouldn’t know from tasting it that it’s a whopping 10.5% ABV, but it definitely packs a punch once you’re done.

Because there is a secondary fermentation in the bottle, this is a prime candidate to age. Unfortunately, I drank the only two that I had. What can I say, I’m impulsive. Beer can only last so long in my refrigerator, and I don’t have a garage in which to hide it away. I’ll have to get my hands on an aged bottle through other means.

BeerAdvocate gives it a 95, good for one of the highest year-round beers, and RateBeer gives it a 96. Van Steenberge certainly did Belgium proud with this one. Don’t skip the video; this guy is just too funny.

It actually doesn’t look as bad as I thought it would. It still has a very “Pros vs Joes” feel to it, but it might actually be watchable. I did have to laugh though when the showed “THEY ARE TALENTED” as the three models(?) were walking towards the camera. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying modeling doesn’t take talent, but when you are comparing it to people driving race cars or playing football, it’s a bit humorous.

This did make it apparently how Budweiser plans to utilize this as an advertisement. You saw their logo slapped in the background of every arena and on jerseys. They showed the women sitting around cheersing, if I may use that fake word, with Bud Heavies. And then of course you have the Tyler Perryesque “Budweseir Presents…” I actually hope this works out. I’m all for content in advertising instead of just your standard commercial. Entertain me and I might just buy your product.

Tip of the drinking hat to BeerStreetJournal

Sorry, I’m still salivating over all that Bourbon County Stout you see from 2:45-2:55. Anyways, so you’re ready to go out and start brewing/selling beer right? Maybe you should just start with a home brewing kit, but you never know what that could grow into!

Tip of the drinking hat to BeerNews

Both parts alone are well worth consideration, but it’s the total package that piqued my interest. The challenge is to win the Black Star Beer Barter, which is exactly what it sounds like. People offer up something they think might be worth 52 cases of beer, and the winner is chosen by a panel of judges. The barter takes place in Whitefish, Montana as part of a their winter carnival. It started in the 90s with a whimsical ad in the paper. Last year, it turned into more of an event, and this year it grows even more,  getting their Facebook page in on the action. People have until Jan. 8th to submit their bartering item on Facebook and then a voting begins on the 9th.

Don’t think you’ve got it in the bag though because you have a lot of friends that you can pay to like your bartering item. That’s only half, and it’s not even the good half. The winner of the Facebook contest wins a free trip to Whitefish to participate in the actual beer barter. There you will compete with 50 or so Montanians(?) to take home the 15,000 ounces of Black Star Beer.

Thankfully for those of you will skills or creativity but not cash, monetary value isn’t the key factor. Offerings can be anything from your old cassette collection (probably won’t win) to abstaining from sex for 12 months (probably not possible) and everything in between. Some of the things offered up thus far are another tour in Iraq (he must hate his wife), getting a Black Star neck tattoo, 100 pictures of a drunk guy, letting someone cattle prod a guy 10 times, and a women even offered to drive to the judge’s house and pour beer in whatever outfit they want.

Regardless of whether you win the beer or not, the weekend sounds like a blast. At first I was very skeptical. I had forgotten Montana even existed, and I couldn’t see myself heading there for a weekend. Then I actually started to think about how fun a few days in a seldom seen part of the country would be. Plus, it’s not like you get there and there is nothing to do. It’s a festival weekend! There’s the barter, a pub crawl, and even a penguin plunge (which most people know as a polar plunge).

I’m sure many of you hadn’t heard of Black Star Beer before this post. That’s because it’s only distributed in Montana and westward. I have had the pleasure of trying it though, and it’s not too shabby. It’s an American Lager, which isn’t my favorite style, but it’s certainly better than most. Picture if MGD or Bud Heavy actually tasted decent, and that’s about what you’re working with.

There you have it. Now put on your drinking thinking cap and come up with something with which to barter. Feel free to leave a comment here once you do and I promise to come like your offering, unless it’s giving up reading my alcohol coverage here on Guyism. Even if you aren’t man enough to enter, it’s worth heading to the contest page to look at more of the ridiculous things people are trying to barter.

Black Star Beer Barter Facebook page

“The Castle,” as it’s not known in any circles, will begin selling beer ($3) and wine ($4.50) in it’s Lafayette, IN location.

The companies see alcoholic beverages as a growth opportunity after years of flat sales, said David Henkes, a vice president with the Chicago-based food research firm Technomic. “Alcohol is one of those things that is extremely profitable to the operator,” he said.
…
Customers have had a “very positive” reaction to the alcoholic beverages offered in Indiana, but for now, White Castle is considering only whether to expand them to the two other co-branded restaurants, Richardson said.

White Castle would face challenges trying to roll out beer and wine on a wider scale, Henkes said.

“What we find with fast-food places is, there’s very strict regulations around training. Typically, a lot of the employees in fast food are under 21, so you get into some service issues,” he said. “You get into some inventory issues. You get into whether distributors are willing to deliver to you because you’re generally not doing a whole lot of volume in these categories.”

And there you have it. While a full scale roll out is still very far away, the seed has been planted for alcohol in everyone’s favorite chateau. Pardon my French, but soon you’ll be able to fulfill that lifelong goal of having the beer shits and the White Castle shits simultaneously.

Full story here

Macallan 12 – Nick Veasey collection
I’m big on packaging. I am well aware that it does nothing to change the taste of the scotch inside, but it certainly gives me a reason to re-purchase something that I already know that I like. Nick Veasey, a British photographer famous for shooting x-ray photos of unusual objects, has teamed up with Macallan for this limited holiday line. The different versions each represent one of the 6 pillars that are the foundation of the brand. Even if you don’t care much for awesome art, the scotch is delicious and would make for an awesome gift on its own. Add in the collectors box and you’ve got yourself a goddamn deal. $48