KegWorks Blog

English author, television host and noted beer personality Michael Jackson died yesterday at the age of 65. His first book, The World Guide To Beer, was published in 1977 and is still considered to be essential reading for anyone with more than a passing interest in great beer.

In the 30 years since first gaining notoriety he released other popular books including the Great Beer Guide and Ultimate Beer. Jackson’s base of beer enthusiast fans grew with the each subsequent book release and the broadcasting of his television series, The Beer Hunter, solidifying his reputation as the world’s foremost microbrew ambassador.

On top of all that, it turns out he was also a genuinely nice guy. Check out this story from Dave, KegWorks’ founder, resident beer nerd, and a member of Jackson’s “Rare Beer Club” –

“I met him for the first time at The Great American Beer Festival in Denver many years ago. We spotted him walking down the street late one night and called out to him. He came over to us and we started talking for a few minutes. He then sat down on a bench and we talked about all sorts of things for over 30 minutes. He was incredibly friendly and down to earth. He did say that the GABF was (at the time) his favorite beer festival and was amazed at what some of the American brewers were making. I never forgot that night.”

He was also considered to be an authority on Scotch whiskey, writing many tomes dedicated to the spirit.

This Labor Day weekend, pour yourself a pint of your favorite microbrew and raise it in toast to Michael Jackson, a legend in the beer world, kindred spirit to KegWorks, and lover of great brews.

For more information on Michael Jackson and his work, check out this page.

TAGS [ MICHAEL JACKSON | MICROBREWS | WHISKEY | BEER HUNTER ]

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Do you have an amazing home bar? Would you love $500 in KegWorks credit to add some more pizazz? Well, if you are from any part of the Great Lakes Region, here is your chance! KegWorks has teamed up with Brewing News to create “The Great Lakes Ultimate Home Bar Contest.”

How it works:
We are searching for the ultimate home bar in the Great Lakes region. So if you are in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Ontario, Western/Central New York, Western Pennsylvania, Quebec, or Wisconsin, show us what you’ve got!

Prove to us that your bar is the ULTIMATE and Brewing News will select a winner to be featured in their Holiday Issue, and receive some fabulous prizes.

How to enter:
Send three photos to prove that your home bar is the best in the entire Great Lakes region, and include up to 100 words to tell us why your bar rocks!

Send your photos and story to homebarcontest@brewingnews.com, or mail them to:
Great Lakes Brewing News
P.O. Box 650
East Amherst, NY 14051

Entries are due by December 31st, 2007.

What you can win:
1st Place: $500 KegWorks Gift Certificate
2nd Place: $200 Brewing News Gift Certificate for store merchandise
3rd Place: $50 Gift Certificate to the beer-by-mail company of your choice

Eligibility:

• The contest is open to individuals who are 21 and over.
• Individuals must reside in one of the following states and/or providences: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Western and Central New York, Ontario, Western Pennsylvania, Quebec, or Wisconsin. Any person(s) residing outside of these areas are not eligible.
• Employees of KegWorks or Brewing News, its affiliates and subsidiaries, contractors, temporary employees, participating advertising and promotion agencies and prize suppliers, and members of their immediate families (defined as parents, children, siblings and spouse, regardless of where they reside and/or those living in the same household of each) are not eligible to participate in the contest.
• Entries must be received by December 31st, 2007 to be eligible to win.

Time is ticking, so get that camera snapping!

TAGS [ HOME BAR | CONTEST ]

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Ah, yes. We’re heading into my absolute favorite time of year. Preseason football is in full swing, and I’m just counting down til opening day. But, there’s no time to just wait around for September 9th to come. Now is the perfect time to upgrade your bar for the new season, and we have tons of simple and inexpensive ways to do it.

Cool New Additions:
Add this Wall Mount Stainless Steel Drip Tray	Try the Automatic Keg Meter Monitoring System
Replace Old Parts:
Tons of New Branded Tap Handles	Grab a New US Sankey Coupler
Upgrade Existing Parts:
Upgrade to a Perlick Tarnish Free Polished Brass Faucet Head	Or Get a Top Quality Perlick Stainless Steel Draft Beer Faucet Head

With our expanding inventory, KegWorks has got you covered for all of your home bar and draft beer system needs. From kegerators and keg fridge conversion kits to pitchers and pints, we’ve got what you need. Check ‘em out!

TAGS [ HOME BAR | DRAFT BEER ]

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For your next meal, make your own crunchy, edible tortilla bowls. It’s so easy with our new Tortilla Fryer Wire Basket! Place the tortilla in a pan of hot oil and place the wired basket on top. A standard 8-inch corn or flour tortilla will make a 6-inch tortilla basket. While frying, the tortilla will form a bowl around the basket, just like you see in your favorite restaurant. When finished use tongs to pick up the tortilla basket … it’s that easy.

Eat salad, chili, salsa, guacamole or your favorite dish, right out of the bowl. A fun addition next time you’re entertaining guests.

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Wow! We’re finding the Deluxe Travel Bar (here’s a post we wrote back in June) popping up all over the place! Most recently, it was featured as a set that offers enjoyment—anywhere—of a well-mixed cocktail, dubbed “one of life’s little luxuries” in the Louisville Courier-Journal. Check it out!

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As I explained in my last KegWorks cocktail post, as new cocktail inventory comes in, Dave is educating us on obscure and refined spirits, in an attempt to make us better, more knowledgeable employees.

Dave and Tim recently attended a cocktail trade show in New Orleans, and since their return they have had a ton of fabulous drink recipes to share. This week – the Pimm’s Cup, which they had at the Napoleon in the Big Easy.

Its main ingredient, Pimm’s No. 1, is a gin-based beverage that was invented in 1823 as a health drink. Supposedly, the recipe is secret and only known to six people. Since, I am not in that elite group, I can’t tell you exactly what’s in it. What I can tell you - it has a dark tea color with a reddish tint, and has hints of spice and citrus fruit. It is 25% alcohol (50-proof) by volume.

Pimm’s may be hard to find in the United States, and although we always suggest that you use the original ingredients called for, bartenders that can’t find Pimm’s usually mix one part gin with one part red Vermouth and ½ part to 1 part of triple sec or Orange Curacao.

The Pimm’s Cup is, as Dave put it, “What a Mint Julep is to the Kentucky Derby, Pimm’s Cup is to Wimbledon Tennis in England.”

The recipe that we had was fantastic! It’s the exact recipe from Napoleon’s in New Orleans. I could see myself sipping it on a hot summer’s day, and of course, if I ever make it to Wimbledon someday.

Here’s the recipe:

Fill a tall 12 oz glass with ice
Add 1¼ oz Pimm’s No. 1
3 oz lemonade
Top off with 7-up
Garnish with cucumber

Refreshing, sweet and delicious!

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I love beer and drink what of a lot of people would consider high-end, fancy beers and imports, but when people ask what my everyday drinking beer is, they are often surprised by my answer: Miller High Life. This answer is all the more surprising because I live in Buffalo, New York where (with Canada just across the Niagara River) most people prefer to drink Molson or Labatt brands. In fact, Buffalonians drink so much Labatt that the company moved their US headquarters here in 2007. I used to be a Canadian beer only drinker, and no mass-produced US domestic beers would pass my lips unless necessity dictated it.

Well, necessity did dictate it on a trip several years ago to Nashville, Tennessee in the summertime where Canadian brands were considered fancy import beers (although I have heard since that Molson has made major inroads into the market) and mass-produced domestic beers reined supreme in the local bars. Every bar had your standard domestic selection of Budweiser, Coors and Miller products while microbrews and imports were few and far between. So, I settled on Miller High Life, a beer I had tried in the past and thought was OK. Being summer in Nashville it was hot and incredibly humid. I was amazed at how refreshing an ice-cold bottle of Miller High Life was while watching the plentiful live music that starts at two in the afternoon and goes until two in the morning. I came back from that trip down South with newfound appreciation for High Life that has continued through that summer and every summer since.

High Life is a very light straw yellow colored American Pilsner with a alcohol content of 5.0% ABV. The bottles are a distinctive clear glass shaped to mimic champagne bottles, and the beer in it is so light in color you could probably read a newspaper through a full bottle. When poured into a glass (not something I often bother with) the head is white and frothy. Miller High Life should always be consumed ice cold because like most beers from the big 3 US breweries, it is almost unpalatable warm. The taste is watery, with very little hops and finishes clean with a slightly sweet, light malt aftertaste, leaving you ready for another one. Now from that description, you might not imagine a great beer, but time and time again when I have brought a 12 pack of bottles to a summer party or a 30 pack of cans on group camping trip it always seems to be the first beer to disappear from the cooler. Maybe it is the unique clear bottles, the classic Girl in the Moon Logo, or the slogan “The Champagne of Beer,” but something about High Life is irresistible in the summer time.

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