White Collared, Non-Beer Industry Workers Unite!

For WE can exact change!

What is that change, you ask? We demand two things - 1) the ability to drink beers on the job and 2) the ability to become outraged when our morning and afternoon snack beer drinking privileges are restricted.

We've been doing a number of news and non-brew review articles lately, but we felt we had to post and discuss what is quite possibly the largest global news story of the last two months:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/36314745

Just when we think we're the greatest nation in the world, we are forced to gaze to the East to a little beer producing nation named Denmark in order to be rudely awakened. How many jobs in the States can we drink during the work day? "Entrepreneur", artist, un-employed? There is but one professional job named "brewer" which employs roughly .1% of our workforce. Now, how many jobs do you know where you can both drink AND operate heavy machinery? Exactly.

As a nation we've come a long way in our 230 year existence. From democracy to alternating current (thanks Crispin Glover) to legal at home brewing, we've been a nation of invention and progress. Sadly, this article shows us just how much more progress needs to be made.

Imagine a society where we can pound beers from dawn to dusk while being paid for our professional skills. A society where we are left to our own "responsibilities" in order to limit our drinking on the job. A society where drunken markering, sexting, and liquid courage would be just as likely to occur at 10 am as it would at 10 in the evening.

Our demands are simple...our demands are absolute. Unite workers, unite!

Bud Light Lime: Evidence that God Hates Us

My colleagues have invested considerable time and energy into sharing the gems of the craft beer world. I trust you've found their work both enjoyable and highly educational. Sadly, I do not hold similar beer street creds, nor can I express myself in the beer connoisseur vernacular. For example, some of the common words I use to describe my favorite beers include: "really good," "f'n good," "dude, it's rad" and "more."

My intent here is not necessarily to educate, but to occasionally warn the public that all is not magical and delicious in the world of alcoholic beverages. The truth is that some beers significantly decrease your quality of life. As such, let's take a moment to highlight one of these unpleasant beverages, before it ruins your relationships with co-workers, friends and family. And if you have no idea what I'm talking about, well you sir, you have never tried Bud Light Lime.

Let's break it down:

Commercial promise: "Bud Light Lime: The Summer State of Mind"

Glassware: Bottle, can, red cup, vase, novelty plastic coconut, etc. It's 95 degrees out and you're half in the bag already, so anything goes.

Color: Like Bud Light's slightly gay cousin. It appears to glow, but hey it's 2010, you can expand your horizons a bit.

Aroma: Like a lime candle.

Taste: Panic, sheer terror ensues. Quick, you've either just drank a melted, lime candle or have been subjected to a very unfunny practical joke. Chase immediately with Mike's Hard Lemonade or kerosene... whichever is closer.

Grade: 45/100 (F-) . Points awarded solely for its ability to enable practical jokes.

Musical Pairings: Is there a specific audio frequency that induces nausea? Well, until scientists can help you out there, Nickelback or Chipmunks remixes on YouTube will have to do.

Surroundings: May invade the cooler of your upcoming BBQ. The guy in the visor brought it. Also, it's the only possible beer on tap in Dante's Inferno.

Blind Squirrel, Great Success!

Throw in some malt, some hop, a few gallons of water and a touch of faith and you get some damn good brew. Six weeks ago, Yum! Beer, Investor #1, and I spent a nice little Saturday whipping together a concoction of ingenious design (instructions included). Finally, after two weeks of fermentation and four weeks of bottle aging, the Blind Squirrel Nut Brown was ready for unveiling. A good balance of malt and hop, not to heavy and not too light, hint of spice and everything nice...not to toot our own horns, but it rocks! We are pleasantly surprised with our first brew batch and eager to start a second. Have you tasted the Blind Squirrel?

Serving Type: 22 oz Bottle

Glassware: Pint

Color (hue and head): Amber, translucent caramel. Half inch head, sticks around in a lacy fashion.

Clarity: Slightly cloudy.

Aroma: Malts, nuts.

Taste: Malty, nutty, hints of brown sugar and spice. Maybe a bit of vanilla. Simple and exact.

Grade: 86/100 (B)

Musical pairing: The Decemberists - I Was Meant for the Stage

Surroundings: Enjoying a nice spring afternoon with the Yum! Beer and Investor #1

I like Beer + I like Food

No kidding, a serious post. Shocking, I know...

One of our main goals when creating this blog was to provide an easy way for people to relate to and enjoy beer, as well as let them know basic things about beer - including what types of beer to pair with what types of food.

SPOILER ALERT:

Pairing food and beer is not an exact science...it's Picasso, it's Warhol, it's Dali, it's Georgia O'Keefe (she gets props just for painting women's hoo has as flowers) - in a word, it's ART. For us personally, we feel that what makes beer superior to wine is that you can actually sometimes go the complete opposite of what is suggested with a certain type of food and still come out with a masterpiece - recent case in point? Boulevard Dark Truth Stout with Jalapeno's Chicken Fajita Burrito.

For me personally, I've used three good websites to validate my pairings and to determine if I can stretch my love of certain styles of beers to foods that don't traditionally pair well. Check them all out, you won't be disappointed:

http://stoutburgersandbeers.com/

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style_pairings/25 (obvi)

http://www.beertown.org/education/pairing.html

Cheers + Yum!

Wade Boggs - Swinging his way to a beer store near you

OMG, the title doesn't even do this justice.

http://64millerlites.blogspot.com/2008/02/test.html

I've determined that Wade Boggs is not only better at hitting than you but he's also a better person. We've determined that he's willing to grab your shirt, pull you close, and promptly slam 50 brews right in your face...in a row (or at least in a 12 hr period). He'll knock you out of the park; you'll be stranded on first while he's rounding the bases; he'll Usain Bolt you during the Sausage Race at Miller Park. Chuck Norris, you've been Wade Boggs-ed.

We don't usually endorse this level of consumption, especially of macro brews. However, after reading what we now take as gospel, we should all take this opportunity to salute Wade Anthony Boggs as a true American hero.

For Wade Boggs, it's Miller Time all the time

Beer Circus - Uhhh, Awesome

Question - is there anything better than the circus + beer?

Answer - Very doubtful, unless that beer is Lagunitas + that "circus" is a mish mash of burlesque shows, mimes, contortionists, all for a good cause (music festival).

If you're in Petaluma, CA on May 16th, get there...if not for anything but the 10 tokens worth of buzzed deliciousness. If you're not sure if you're in Petaluma, CA, grab a map and look to see if you're kitty corner from Napa and San Fran.

"It's the Lagunitas Beer Circus …Sample beers from 10 local breweries and food from 8 local restaurants!Sunday, May 16 1 – 6 pm Tickets $35Fundraiser for the Petaluma Music Festival (keeping music in our schools) Call for tickets: 707-769-4495 or go to the Lagunitas TapRoom Wed – Sunday "

It's Official - Beers for all!

Well not really, but we're pretty proud of ourselves and our wittiness...May 22nd marks a hallowed day in our beer world, for it is the day that we pop open a few of our OWN beers and promptly name them the greatest beers ever...in the world...of all time!

A triumvirate was able to finally get together, pool our own "angel funding", and come up with a name that we don't totally hate - Sixth Day Brewing Company. The little ditty below pretty much sums up the entire operation:

"On the sixth day, God created man. Man created beer. On the seventh day, He drank a brew, and rested."

I'm sure you've never heard that before, but in case you have, it came from our own pious minds. The beer we're brewing? A very basic nut brown ale called "Blind Squirrel Nut Brown Ale". It has all the makings of awesomeness (based solely on following the directions), but we'll be sure to provide a non-biased review and a glimpse into how the unveiling goes.

Now go forth to thy local beer shoppe and reward thyself with a delicious beer!

Cheers!

Brew Review - El Mole Ocho

Man law = no fruit in beer, but it doesn’t refer to vegetables in any way.  New Holland noticed this loophole in legislation, taking a stab at a brew with flavors of a traditional mole sauce (dried chilies and Mexican chocolate). At first sip, the chili pepper flavor with a malty backbone is interesting and a welcomed deviation from the norm. From smell to mouth feel to aftertaste, chili pepper is the captivating thought. I found myself frantically searching the kitchen for a bag of Lil' Guy's tortilla chips. All that and a bag of chips? Unfortunately not. Halfway through the bomber of brew, the chili flavor wavered from interesting to borderline annoying. Where’s the cocoa? I couldn't locate the mole flavor in the beer at all...only chili peppers and minimal coffee. Like a Michael Scott diversity day seminar, the brew grade quickly headed south in snowball fashion. While I welcome the creativity, I’m left with 22 oz of missed opportunity. That’s what she said! Muahahaha! I'm not going to put the kibosh on vegetables in beer just yet. We’ll just say the jury is still out on the subject, needing more evidence to make a final ruling. I’m hoping for a stronger execution down the road. Meanwhile, I picked up some Lil' Guy's, salsa, and a fine 6 pack of IPA from my favorite brewery in Fort Collins. I’ll take my vegetables beside my beer for now.

Serving Type: Bottle (22 oz)

Glassware: Tulip

Color (hue and head): Pours caramel brown, with minimal to no head. Looks like a beer that should change your life.

Aroma: Chili peppers, smoky, spicy.

Taste: Chili peppers, minimal coffee, chili peppers, maybe a molecule of cocoa, and chili peppers…missed the mark on mole. Spicy finish with chili breath for the rest of the evening.

Grade: 77/100 (C+)

Musical pairing: The Mars Volta – Viscera Eyes (English mixed with Spanish, but rocks your socks off…contrary to review)

Surroundings: Porching it with some ale drinking amigos. Enjoying spring in KC.

Twisted Pine Brewery - Homer Simpson eats a Guatemalan Insanity Pepper

Actually, we're really talking about the the invention of a "Ghost Chili" beer called "Ghost Face Killah" by Twisted Pine Brewing Company, based in Boulder, Colorado. We know absolutely zero about this brewery, but we have to applaud its "balls" in making a beer that seems considerably less friendly than Casper ever was, plus we love the shout out to our favorite of the Wu Tang Clan. "Surprisingly", they have timed the release of this beer to coincide with Cinco de Mayo, the annual rite of passage for American's to celebrate our friendly neighbor to the south. It seems to be available in only Colorado, Texas, and Louisiana, so please let us know if you can get your hands on it and give us a good review:

"Colorado Brewery Brews Hottest Beer on Earth

Twisted Pine releases a Ghost Chili Beer

Boulder, Colorado – April 26th 2010 – Why brew a beer so hot that it melts taste buds and brings tears to drinkers’ eyes? To do something different. In a world full of pilsners, pale ales and porters trying to think a little more outside of the box keeps things exciting. Twisted Pine takes pride in making unique craft beers many of which combine flavors that have never been conceived before. “Ghost Face Killah” ghost chili beer packs the heat of 6 chilies including anaheim, fresno, jalapeño, serrano, habenero and the infamous ghost chili. The beer will be released May 5th at the Twisted Pine Cinco de Mayo party and again at the Snowmass Chili and Beer Festival. While pouring Billy’s Chilies Chili Beer at the Chili and Beer Festival last year, the crowd’s reaction was, “don’t you have anything hotter?” Be careful what you ask for. A little less than a year later brewers stumbled across a chili called Bhut Jolokia, better known as the ghost chili (the hottest chili on earth). The ghost chili is one of those foods you must earn the right to eat. In fact, the bag it arrived in came with a very stern warning label touting one million scoville units, which is five times hotter than a habenero. Needless to say, a little bit of this chili goes a long way. However, “once you get over the initial heat of the chili, you are left with a very flavorful smokiness,” says brewer Jeff Brumley. Chili beer is not a new concept at Twisted Pine who is known for brewing the ever so popular Billy’s Chilies. Billy’s Chilies Beer is a light wheat beer infused with 5 fresh peppers and was initially brewed as somewhat of a novelty. Five years later, sales of the chili beer are soaring. With brewers allowed much freedom in the brewery it was only a matter of time until “Ghost Face Killah” ghost chili beer came to fruition. One of a kind beers are something Twisted Pine is known for with past releases including Poison Fish, a ginger wasabi beer, “The Truffle,” a chocolate raspberry beer infused with coffee, and “Holy Mole,” a chocolate chili beer. While the Guinness Book of World Records is still pending, one taste should be enough to assure you; this is something truly unique."

Salud!

Blanc Burger + Bottles - King of kings

Hey fella, how do you feel about gourmet burgers? Young, respectful lady, do you enjoy many micro brews featured prominently? If you answered coherently, your answers were most likely “I feel good, I tend to like them better than room temperature UV + Pink Lemonade drank at my local house party”. In that case, we are recommending a gathering spot for you – Blanc Burgers + Bottles.

This is the very first of our reviews featuring local watering holes and rightfully so since Blanc has been anointed King over the Burger and Bottle fiefdom (if you don’t believe us, fine…just check the articles below). Sometimes we tend to be a bit biased, but even our non-beer friends love the food, atmosphere, and beers we’ve introduced them to at this glorious place. Here are some highlights:

• 110 beers in bottle (if you can find Hitachino beers you know you’ve hit the sweet spot) featuring such personal favorite breweries as Avery, Lagunitas, Bells, Boulevard, Left Hand, Dogfish Head
• Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout – nothing more needs to be said
• Burgers that include Au Poivre, $100 (think deliciousness + awesomeness), mahi mahi, kobe, bison, kangaroo (had it once, sans boxing gloves and bad attitude)
• A giant black board that details the daily specials
• A fry selection that includes truffle fries, sweet potato fries, and onions rings the size of your best friend’s bulbous head, all in mini shopping carts
• Local ingredients and businesses used for mustard, cheese, etc (extra points for repping their “hood”)
• Manager named Brian, an overall high quality dude who isn’t afraid to kiss babies and dole out free apps to get you to come back, and who mysteriously ends up with cases of awesome beers incorrectly
• Bar Manager named Ryan who is lead singer in a pretty sweet band named “Heroes + Villians”, who indirectly got us not sober with Dallas at the Riot Room

In all seriousness, we’ve drank at some pretty sweet establishments in both KC and Chicago and most lack the rare quadfecta of overall quality, selection, atmosphere, and humility (don’t fret Map Room, Villians Bar and Grill, or Riot Room – we’ve got reviews coming soon and you all graduated at the top of your class). If you enjoy a great bottle beer selection, some very knowledgeable folks in terms of beer and food pairings, manners, and hot skanks (I made up the last part), then please check out Blanc – I’ll bet the deed to Imbibilicious's place that you aren’t disappointed.

Don’t believe me? Why don’t you take a look at some of the hot publicity heaped on this place as of late:

http://tags.draftmag.com/?s=blanc+burger (Draft magazine – also named one of “the best beer and burger spots” in the May/June issue of the mag)

http://www.kctv5.com/video/23068181/index.html

http://www.burgerbusiness.com/?p=4147 (the Duke University of the 2010 Burger Bracket)

Our advice – grab your sack o nickels and order a $100 burger + a Rogue Hazelnut Brown. Wolf it down and then tell Brian and Ryan that we should get free beers for being “right”.

Blanc Burger can be found at two locations, but our favorite is the Country Club Plaza location at:

4710 Jefferson St.
Kansas City, MO 64112
816.931.6200

Overall grade: A