KegWorks Blog

Every time I think of pussy willows I’m reminded of the John Waters film Serial Mom and snicker to myself. I can still hear Kathleen Turner’s husky voice taunting her neighbor, “Are those pussy willows?!”

That aside, the word has additional meaning to me - apart from Serial Mom’s trashy corruption of an otherwise innocent plant. Pussy willow is also connected to the not-so-well-known, outside these parts, celebration of Dyngus Day.

For our readers who may not be familiar with Dyngus Day, it is a huge holiday here in Buffalo, rivaling even St. Patrick’s Day. It is a celebration marking the end of the Lenten season steeped in Eastern European tradition, particularly amongst Polish people.

Dyngus Day (or Smigus Dyngus as it’s known in Poland) falls on Easter Monday. The day is rich in many distinct traditional rituals, some predating the adoption of Christianity, including being doused with water and swatted with pussy willow (or birch) branches. In cold, early spring. Ouch.

I’m told it’s all good fun, but even I have my reservations about getting soaked or swatted. Other less-intimidating traditions such as polka music, drinking, dancing, drinking would be more to my liking. Did I mention drinking? Enjoying pints of my first Polish beer without the threat of impending pneumonia or hypothermia sounds like a good time to me.

Traditions of water fights and switching people might seem quite odd to outsiders and first-timers such as me, but these are rites of the season and are a part of Polish culture. “Everyone’s Polish on Dyngus Day,” I’m told. That said, if I’m willing to embrace the food, the mood, the drink and the dance, I’m certainly up to taking it all in stride – wet, dry, or even lashed.

Today, Dyngus Day is a misnomer of sorts. Prior to the mid-19th century, Smigus Dyngus festivities lasted several days. Recently, Buffalo, NY has extended the celebration back to its full-week glory, hosting events throughout the city and surrounding areas, centered around fantastic foods, drink, live polka bands, games, a parade and other related fanfare.

For more information, check out Buffalo’s foremost source on all things Dyngus Day, dyngusdaybuffalo.com. There you can a wealth of information, ranging from history and traditions to a complete schedule of events. One of the highlights of the week is the Dyngus Day Kick-Off Party at the Central Terminal on March 24th. In the meantime, we here are KegWorks are ready to help you out with your own Dyngus Day celebration needs. Just tell us what you need. Sorry, we don’t sell pussy willows and unfortunately there’s a shortage this year.

If you are unable to celebrate Dyngus Day the official Buffalo way, stay home, have a cold one and rent Serial Mom.

Na zdrowie!

TAGS [ DYNGUS DAY | SMIGUS DAY | EASTER MONDAY ]

The Brewers Association recently released their 2008 Beer Style Guidelines. The beer industry’s focus on developing craft beer was evident in the new categories that were added to the guidelines this year. Five of the 11 new categories introduced into the guidelines were added just for barrel-aged beers!

The Brewers Association President, Charlie Papazian, explained the guiding principles and their importance by saying, “These guidelines help to illustrate the growth of craft brewers in the United States and also offer insight and a foundation for helping appreciate the hundreds of beer types brewed for the beer lover.”

I’m all for appreciating each and every type of beer out there, so I’m all for Charlie’s rationale. Bring on the beer! The more types of brew, the better!

Upon conducting some research, I realized that the guidelines have actually been around longer than I have. The Brewers Association has provided these beer style descriptions since 1979. Since then, brewers and beer competition organizers have used the guidelines as an important reference point. There is a method for developing the official guidelines. Each year, the Brewers Association looks to the commercial brewing industry, beer analyses and consultations with beer industry experts and experienced beer enthusiasts for information while developing the style guidelines.

The following are the newest categories, added for 2008:

Fresh Hop Ale
Ales which are hopped exclusively with fresh and un-dried (”wet”) hops.

American-Belgo Styles Ales
These beers portray the unique characters imparted by yeasts typically used in fruity and big Belgian-style ales.

Leipzig-Style Göse
The original versions of this style of beer were spontaneously fermented German ales, similarly to Belgian-style gueuze/lambic beers.

Belgian-Style Blonde Ale
Belgian-style blonde ales are characterized by low yet evident hop bitterness, flavor and sometimes aroma.

Australasian-Style Pale Ale
This style is a mild, pale, light-bodied ale with a color varying from light to amber. Hop bitterness and flavor range from very low to low.

Out of Category - Traditionally Brewed Beers
There are many excellent and popular beers that are brewed with traditional ingredients and processes, yet their character may vary from styles currently defined or included in these guidelines.

Barrel Aged Beer categories:

Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer
Any lager, ale, or hybrid beer, either a traditional style or a unique experimental beer that has been aged for a period of time in a wooden barrel or in contact with wood.

Wood- and Barrel-Aged Pale to Amber Beer
Any classic style or unique experimental beer that has been aged for a period of time in a wooden barrel or in contact with wood.

Wood- and Barrel-Aged Dark Beer
Any classic style or unique experimental style of dark beer beer can be wood or barrel-aged for a period of time in a wooden barrel or in contact with wood.

Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer
Any strong classic style or unique, experimental style of beer can bee wood or barrel-aged for a period of time in a wooden barrel or in contact with wood.

Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer
A wood- or barrel- aged beer is any lager, ale, or hybrid beer, either a traditional style or a unique experimental beer that has been aged for a period of time in a wooden barrel or in contact with wood and has developed a bacterial induced natural acidity.

For more information and the full version, visit 2008 Brewers Association Beer Styles Guidelines.

No matter what style you’re into, we’ve got the couplers, faucets and glassware to get it on draft. One of the best ways to stay up on new types of beer is to make regular trips to your local breweries. I suggest grabbing a growler or a bunch of growlers, choosing a few different types and emailing KegWorks whenever you find something delicious!

TAGS [ BEER | DRAFT BEER | BEER STYLE | BEER STYLE GUIDELINES | BARREL AGED BEER ]

Looking for a new cocktail recipe? The Zombie is a mouthful of deliciousness! I know that in this cold weather, just the thought of a beach drink warms me up. So, for all of you Tiki-lovers, Tiki-wannabes and Tiki-hopetobes, this drink is for you!

Check out Small Screen Network’s how to make a zombie cocktail recipe.

Top it off with some of our fabulous tiki bar supplies, and show your friends what a real tiki party is all about.

Check out these favorite accompaniments:

Flamingo Party Picks	Beachbum Berry’s Sippin’ Safari Cocktail Book	Drew’s Famous Original Tiki Bar Party Music CD

And get sippin’!

TAGS [ TIKI | COCKTAIL RECIPES | ZOMBIE | ZOMBIE COCKTAIL | ROBERT HESS | TIKI PARTY ]

One of the most famous sites in history for our hometown Buffalo’s Irish population, McBride’s Pub, was given a final farewell by ForgottenBuffalo yesterday, with a ceremonial Irish toast.

Once known as Quinn’s Pub, the three-story former hotel and tavern was where the first ever Buffalo St. Patrick’s Day Parade was organized, way back in 1913. Sadly, it was demolished on Monday after having been beaten down by two major January snowstorms.

photograph from BuffaloRising.com

Thanks to ForgottenBuffalo for reminding us of our rich history and for taking the time to bid McBride’s adieu.

TAGS [ PUB | IRISH PUB | BUFFALO ]

When we originally posted our St. Patrick’s Day Countdown banner, the big day still seemed very far away. As it gets closer, I am becoming increasingly more excited. Last year my friends and I braved a huge nor’easter that slammed the East coast to travel from Buffalo, New York to Boston, Massachusetts for some serious St. Pat’s celebrating. This year, I’m staying home. I have plans to attend the legendary Buffalo St. Patrick’s Day Parade for the first time, which is awesome and I know that it will be an incredible time (and quite a bit cheaper). I’m thinking that I’ll grab some flashy beads, sweet St. Patrick’s Day hats and one of our sweet new Guinness hoodies for the parade and then have an after-party at my place.

There is one beer that is obviously essential to any proper St. Patrick’s Day festivities and the good news is that it’s easy to serve Guinness at home. Cans and bottles of everyone’s favorite Irish stout can be pricey, especially when you’re having a party. Save your money for shots of Jameson at the pub and serve Guinness Draught on tap this St. Patty’s Day and all year round. With one of our Partial Guinness Conversion Kits it’s simple to convert your existing draft system into a Guinness dispensing machine. Yum! The conversion kit comes with the European specialty faucet that you’ll need for that famous Guinness pour, the Guinness keg coupler and a CO2 regulator to nitrogen air tank adapter.

So if you’re like me and you’re looking for ways to make St. Patrick proud, do something legendary this March 17th and get Guinness on tap. The luck of the Irish is always good, but their beer is even better.

Slainte!

TAGS [ GUINNESS | DRAFT BEER | GUINNESS DRAUGHT | ST PATRICKS DAY ]

The big guys are getting in the craft brew and import market. Some of the new micro brews you see on the shelves at your local beer store might be made by one of the big 3 brewers: Anheuser-Busch, Molson Coors Brewing, and SABMiller. Check out the brand portfolios for each of the American big three. You might be surprised to see who is making and importing what you are drinking.

One note: to enter the websites you might have to input an age of over 21 years when prompted by the site. I know this is supposed to protect children and all, but what 10-year-old can’t figure out how to enter an age over 21?

TAGS [ CRAFT BREWS | MICRO BREWS | ANHEUSER-BUSCH | MOLSON | COORS | MILLER ]

With St. Patrick’s Day coming up, I found myself brushing up on the Gaelic word for “cheers” - if only to start getting myself into the spirit of things (even if there might be a hint of a slur in my speech when I finally do get around to using it). The phrase “Sláinte” is now firmly in mind and ready for use.

My family history is nearly equally divided between Irish and German, so my doing this small bit of research is also about getting back in touch the Irish side of my ancestral roots. After all, everyone else considers themselves Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, so why not separate myself from the pack a little by speaking some Gaelic, right? I just hope I’m not murdering their otherwise beautiful, melodic sounding language in the process.

Actually, I plan on making a trip to Ireland at some point, so my research will come in handy even outside of the St. Patrick’s Day venue. So, as I was considering destinations for my trip to Ireland, I began thinking about (and tallying) the number of countries I’ve visited and toured.

I’ve learned quite a few things from many years of international travel that I’d like to share with you. There are basic words and phrases that any good tourist worth his or her salt should learn when traveling abroad. Usually those phrases are “hello,” “goodbye,” “please,” “thank you” and “toilet.” For those of you planning on taking a break from work or school in the upcoming warmer months, I would like to offer that the word “cheers” be added to your list of handy words and phrases to learn while touring or visiting the country of your choice. Nothing help builds mutual respect and a sense of friendship faster with non-English speakers like the languages of politeness and well-wishing, especially if you get the chance to pull up a bar stool with them. If you’re an “off-the-beaten-path” type tourist, like myself, who enjoys experiencing everyday life (instead of just the major tourist attractions) this sort of information will help to ease yourself into their culture, their way of life, and their good graces. Not to mention that this will help break the stereotype of Americans as “ugly tourists.”

Regardless of your language skills, nothing says “I’m interested in your country and your culture” more than an attempt to speak the language – despite what the ominous, ever-present “They” say. So, if you find yourself hanging out and drinking with the people of the country you’re visiting, be sure to learn “cheers” along with all the swear words you might pick up.

Call me a geek, but even if you’re not planning any trips abroad, it’s kinda neat to use a different language’s version of “cheers” even when you hang with buds – if only to see who can come up with the most obscurely known version of “cheers.”

Here’s a list of “cheers” in a few of the planet’s many languages:

Sláinte!

TAGS [ CHEERS | ST PATRICKS DAY | LANGUAGE ]