With American Craft Beer Week in full effect, let’s remember that with all the styles, collaborations, and macro hate, the most important thing is that we’re in it for the beer. People are quick to say this sucks or that’s terrible, but someone out there thinks it’s good and ]]>

With American Craft Beer Week in full effect, let’s remember that with all the styles, collaborations, and macro hate, the most important thing is that we’re in it for the beer. People are quick to say this sucks or that’s terrible, but someone out there thinks it’s good and enjoys drinking it. That’s what matters. Take a night off from your high horse and just drink for the sake of drinking. Throw back a PBR if that’s what you like or crack open last year’s Dark Lord if you stood in line to get one. It doesn’t matter as long as you’re having a beer.

TBS Beer Snob Featurette [Beer Street Journal]

Cider is on the rise in the U.S., and the newest to market is Anheuser-Busch’s Michelob ULTRA Light Cider. It debuted this week and is available nation wide.

With 120, it’s not as low in calories as Michelob Ultra beer, but they are still positioning it to be ]]>

Cider is on the rise in the U.S., and the newest to market is Anheuser-Busch’s Michelob ULTRA Light Cider. It debuted this week and is available nation wide.

With 120, it’s not as low in calories as Michelob Ultra beer, but they are still positioning it to be a light alternative to the traditional ciders. I don’t drink much cider, so the calorie content really isn’t that big of a concern for me. It’s not because I think I’m too manly like many of you, but rather because there are too many delicious beers to consume. It’s a smart move by A-B to take up position in the growing market though.

“As more people continue to discover cider, we’ve found that many view traditional ciders as either too heavy, too sweet or both,” said Ryan Moore, vice president of premium lights, Anheuser-Busch. “This perception has often times limited ciders to a seasonal beverage during fall and winter, but we saw an untapped potential to expand the category as a year-round option for adult drinkers. Michelob ULTRA Light Cider fills this void with a lower calorie cider with a milder, but distinct, sweetness that can be enjoyed straight or over ice.”

Are any of you cider drinkers? Will you be giving this a shot or are we still too cool for cider, especially a macro variety.

And in case you don’t know how cider is made, he’s a quick lesson…

Touting its health benefits, people have been bathing in beer for the past few years. Leave it to the Czech Republic to come up with such an ingenious idea. I wonder if there is an osmosis effect. Can I get drunk just by sitting there? If that’s the ]]>

Touting its health benefits, people have been bathing in beer for the past few years. Leave it to the Czech Republic to come up with such an ingenious idea. I wonder if there is an osmosis effect. Can I get drunk just by sitting there? If that’s the case, I’m retrofitting my bathroom.

Bruce Springsteen may be getting older, but he’s still the favorite artist of people all over the country. His live show performance is pretty amazing too, as seen in this show in Philadelphia where he chugs a fan’s beer.

And that’s how Bruce Springsteen got roofied and ]]>

Bruce Springsteen may be getting older, but he’s still the favorite artist of people all over the country. His live show performance is pretty amazing too, as seen in this show in Philadelphia where he chugs a fan’s beer.

And that’s how Bruce Springsteen got roofied and ended up like James Caan in Misery. See what being cool gets you, kids?

The Malt Minute is a new YouTube series by Penn Brewery, and the first episode highlights the märzen beer. You may remember from my 7 Oktoberfest Beers series that several of the options I covered were märzens and others Oktoberfests. Admittedly, I thought that it was a ]]>

The Malt Minute is a new YouTube series by Penn Brewery, and the first episode highlights the märzen beer. You may remember from my 7 Oktoberfest Beers series that several of the options I covered were märzens and others Oktoberfests. Admittedly, I thought that it was a square/rectangle situation where all Oktoberfests were märzens but not the other way around. Hey, I’ve never claimed to be an expert on all things beer. That’s what the internet is for…learning!

I shot a message to Penn Brewing to see if we can get some hints about upcoming Malt Minutes, and I will update here if they get back to me. It’s a pretty simple way to gain some beer education and context, so I’ll be bringing you most of their episodes going forward.

Tip of the stein to BeerPulse for introducing me to the new series.

From the same people who brought you the asinine infographic about Super Bowl beer consumption comes NBA beer prices. Unlike the previous post, this one is much more accurate. What can I say, the Detroit Pistons are the best team in the league!

Original data

From the same people who brought you the asinine infographic about Super Bowl beer consumption comes NBA beer prices. Unlike the previous post, this one is much more accurate. What can I say, the Detroit Pistons are the best team in the league!

Original data here.

There are plenty of people who assume breweries come up with a few different recipes, tweak them until they’re perfect, and then just start raking in the dough. While there may be a few out there who do, any that are worth their weight in hops are doing a whole ]]>

There are plenty of people who assume breweries come up with a few different recipes, tweak them until they’re perfect, and then just start raking in the dough. While there may be a few out there who do, any that are worth their weight in hops are doing a whole lot more than that. Take Goose Island for example.

The obnoxious video orientation notwithstanding, this is a pretty interesting talk. That’s John Laffler, the man responsible for managing Goose Island‘s barrel program. As you heard, that program is jumping from about 1000 to 4000+, which is an absurd number.

He pointed out that Goose Island currently has 100 test beers and 285 projects in the works currently. That’s lot of experimenting to get the few new beers they will actually release just right. While I could mention the awesome number of raspberries they’re buying from the great state of Michigan (imported from Detroit), that’s not really the major takeaway from this for me.

When Goose Island was bought out by Anheuser-Busch, some in the craft beer loving community swore to never drink their beer again. How could they possibly consume something that tastes the same but is owned by a major corporation? Blasphemy! Well, this is the result of that sale. Goose Island easily could have just continued using all of their capacity to make 312, Honkers, India Pale Ale, Matilda, and a few others. Those beers are cash cows and could keep the business thriving for years. Instead, they made a move that allowed the brewers to go back to work developing new and interesting beers. They obviously aren’t going to bring 100 new beers to market, but the fact that they are constantly pushing to make the next unique brew seems like the true spirit of the business to me.

If you are so fortunate as to live in Chicago, Goose Island is brewing the Fulton and Wood Series this year. This is a perfect way to make those advantages of AB ownership immediately apparent.

This series is the product of separate, small innovation groups made up of Goose Island brewers. Each team of brewers is given full creative license to brew whatever they dream up and share it with the city of Chicago. Brewed in small batches and served on draft only in Chicago each new release will honor, explore, or bend the traditions of brewing.

Some of you have asked, but no, I won’t be posting a Valentine’s Day drink guide. You and I both know that it’s out of your hands, so it would be a waste of time. Unless you are single, you’ll be drinking overpriced wine, and there’s nothing you can do ]]>

Some of you have asked, but no, I won’t be posting a Valentine’s Day drink guide. You and I both know that it’s out of your hands, so it would be a waste of time. Unless you are single, you’ll be drinking overpriced wine, and there’s nothing you can do about it. If you have a lady friend, but are looking to get rid of her, I suggest showing up with a barley wine and playing dumb instead of bringing the red wine for which she specifically asked. It’s still wine right? How were you supposed to know there was a difference? Stone Brewing Co.’s “Old Guardian Barley Wine” will be released 2/13, just in time for your awkward mid-week celebration.

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

To be honest, I have no idea when this commercial aired, but I knew that Anheuser Busch paid for six spots so I went looking for it. I’m going to guess you missed it as well so here we go.

It’s not a bad commercial, there’s just very little ]]>

To be honest, I have no idea when this commercial aired, but I knew that Anheuser Busch paid for six spots so I went looking for it. I’m going to guess you missed it as well so here we go.

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

This year has been lacking in animals when compared to last year, but thankfully Bud Light came to the rescue in the 4th quarter with their Weego spot.

Initial reactions on Twitter seemed to be that people weren’t feeling the ad. It quickly became apparent that most were just ]]>

This year has been lacking in animals when compared to last year, but thankfully Bud Light came to the rescue in the 4th quarter with their Weego spot.

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

Budweiser used a tried and true gimmick in their Super Bowl spot showing people overjoyed to get their hands on a Bud Heavy as soon as Prohibition (Volstead’s Folly) was lifted.

There is no more ridiculous advertising tag line than “Based on a true story.” That means absolutely nothing. ]]>

Budweiser used a tried and true gimmick in their Super Bowl spot showing people overjoyed to get their hands on a Bud Heavy as soon as Prohibition (Volstead’s Folly) was lifted.

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

I don’t know what is considered the “best” slot for Super Bowl commercials, but it seems like the first one after the kickoff is probably pretty good. That’s where Bud Light Platinum chose to reveal itself to the world.

While I liked the commercial on a general level, someone ]]>

I don’t know what is considered the “best” slot for Super Bowl commercials, but it seems like the first one after the kickoff is probably pretty good. That’s where Bud Light Platinum chose to reveal itself to the world.

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’ve mentioned Bud Light Platinum a couple times before, but most people still have no clue it exists. Apparently not everyone reads Guyism’s daily alcohol coverage… amateurs. With two spots during the first quarter of the Super Bowl, the world will know now about Platinum soon ]]>

I’ve mentioned Bud Light Platinum a couple times before, but most people still have no clue it exists. Apparently not everyone reads Guyism’s daily alcohol coverage… amateurs. With two spots during the first quarter of the Super Bowl, the world will know now about Platinum soon enough.

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

Did you read that title? Look at it again. That’s a lot of beer! I don’t want to suggest that someone’s facts may be off, but I have to call bullshit on this infographic.

I’m aware that “Americans” could mean any country in North or South ]]>

Did you read that title? Look at it again. That’s a lot of beer! I don’t want to suggest that someone’s facts may be off, but I have to call bullshit on this infographic.

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.

Update: The figure of 50 million cases is based on the total number sold in the US in the 2 weeks prior to the Super Bowl. That makes this entire project a ridiculous waste of time. That is unless of course everyone signed a secret pact not to drink any beer for 13 days, and then consume all of it on the 14th. You’d think I would have heard something about that though, right?

Did you know that every time you’ve said the phrase, “the greatest thing since canned beer,” you were referring to this day 77 years ago? Obviously that statement is an exaggeration because there were plenty of incredible inventions between the beer can and your idea of snorting Advil to cure ]]>

Did you know that every time you’ve said the phrase, “the greatest thing since canned beer,” you were referring to this day 77 years ago? Obviously that statement is an exaggeration because there were plenty of incredible inventions between the beer can and your idea of snorting Advil to cure a hangover. Nonetheless, we should still celebrate the sale of the first canned beer on January 24th, 1935.

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.

Right about now, Bell’s Hopslam is getting most of the attention as far as seasonal beers go. But they aren’t the only ones putting out a quality product. Boulevard Brewing has just released their Irish Ale as well.

I’ve yet to try the Irish Ale, but if ]]>

Right about now, Bell’s Hopslam is getting most of the attention as far as seasonal beers go. But they aren’t the only ones putting out a quality product. Boulevard Brewing has just released their Irish Ale as well.

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.

Dogfish Head has never been one to conform to the conventional standards of beer. In fact, part of their mission is to do the exact opposite.

Sam Calagoine created the Ancient Ales series using recipes based on whatever was originally around when people were brewing ]]>

Dogfish Head has never been one to conform to the conventional standards of beer. In fact, part of their mission is to do the exact opposite.

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

We’ve talked about beer quite in the past few months here on Guyism. I’ve reviewed brews, introduced you to real winners like Big Hurt Beer, and we’ve watched people drink in some fairly obscure ways. At the root of it all though is always the actual ]]>

We’ve talked about beer quite in the past few months here on Guyism. I’ve reviewed brews, introduced you to real winners like Big Hurt Beer, and we’ve watched people drink in some fairly obscure ways. At the root of it all though is always the actual beer. It’s come to my attention that many of you think water turns to beer through witchcraft or Tebow simply waving his hand over a vat. The process isn’t actually that complicated; you just need someone to tell you what’s what. That’s what BrewDog is here to do.

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.