KegWorks Blog

Yesterday, between attending my first high school graduation in 9 years (the last one I attended was my own) and subsequent graduation parties, I stopped by Swiston’s Beef and Keg for a classic Buffalo beef on weck and a pint of the good stuff. There was a Guinness sign glaring at me upon entering the pub, so I automatically assumed (wrong) that Guinness was on tap. Usually, when I find out that advertised Guinness is not actually on tap, I choose a different brew. But, when the bartender pulled out a can of Guinness with the word “Surger” on the can, I became a bit excited - I’ve never seen the Guinness Surger up close, in action, with my own two eyes. This would be my first surger experience.

Questions started filling my mind. How exactly does it work? Would it taste and feel like a freshly poured pint of my favorite beer? I watched as the bartender filled a tulip Guinness pint glass with my precious brew, and poured some water over the platform on the surger. She then placed the pint onto the platform, set the surger to the “on” position, and the magic began.

Within seconds, the pint filled with tan, creamy goodness, swirling around, dancing with my dark stout. The result? A near-perfectly poured pint of Guinness. Not exactly like having it on tap, but certainly not like drinking it out of the bottle, and better than pouring a pint from a can with a widget (although, you won’t hear me complaining about the widget - it’s a great solution for Guinness on the go).

Perhaps I should look into picking up a surger for home…

TAGS [ GUINNESS | GUINNESS SURGER | GUINNESS STOUT ]

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On a recent trip to Hawaii, as much as I was trying to block out work to enjoy the sunshine, it was hard to do with all of the drinking that I was doing at hotel bars.

There were KegWorks references with every turn! Whether it was the bar rails that kept me comfortably bellied up, the floor mats that kept my favorite pool bartender on his feet, or the glassracks that kept my wine glass waiting for me – KegWorks was everywhere!

One of the more notable instances of KegWorks’ invasion on my vacation was on my first visit to what became at my favorite poolside bar at the Moana Surfrider in Honolulu (where I stayed on the second leg of my trip). After my first few sips of my very first Oahu brewed beer, Big Wave, I realized that my tall, perfectly poured beer glass was not glass at all. Instead, the “glass” was made of a heavy plastic. Makes sense, as glass is not typically allowed poolside. But, I, who prides myself knowing each of the products that we carry, didn’t even notice when it was set in front of me.

Seriously, these glasses look and feel just like the real thing (I was genuinely fooled, and stone sober at this point).

I had to finish my beer (the things I do for KegWorks) and check the bottom to be sure that they were plastic, and confirm my suspicion that they were in fact the glasses that we sell. After seeing these is action, I would recommend them 110% to bars, restaurants and home entertainers, especially for outdoor parties. No more broken glass, and I swear these can pass for the real thing.

The next time you hit your favorite outside bar or restaurant, check out the glassware. It’s OK for you to think about KegWorks at the bar or on vacation – You don’t work here.

For more selection of these seriously high quality glasses check these out:

Martini Glasses
Beer Mugs
Wine Glasses

TAGS [ GLASSWARE | BEER GLASSES | PILSNER | GLASSRACKS | BEER MUGS | WINE GLASSES ]

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We’ve recently passed the 34th anniversary of one of the craziest games ever played in MLB history.

On June 4th, 1974 the Cleveland Indians offered Stroh’s 12 ounce beers for 10 cents each, with a limit of six purchased per time visiting the beer tents. The team was doing poorly on the field and attendance was down, so this seemed like a good idea at the time. Cleveland was averaging 8000 fans per game, but 25,000 turned out for the beer night to watch the Tribe play the Texas Rangers. As the night wore on, the crowd became more rowdy, culminating in a ninth inning fiasco that cost the Indians the game.

Down 5-3 entering the ninth, the Indians managed to tie the game 5-5 with 2 outs in the Ninth; As slugger Leron Lee came to bat, Cleveland fans pelted the field with golf balls, rocks and batteries and general chaos ensued. Manager Billy Martin led his team off the field dodging flying chairs, wielding a baseball bat to clear a way to the bullpen exit in right field.

Umpires called the game and gave Cleveland a loss due to forfeit as the fans made the game unplayable.

Amazingly, Cleveland was to continue the “10-cent beer night” promotion until AL President Lee McPhail ruled against it in mid-June of 1974.

TAGS [ STROHS | CLEVELAND INDIANS | BASEBALL | BASEBALL HISTORY ]

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Every summer I like to come up with a new drink recipe for the hot weather. This time around I have been experimenting with New Amsterdam Gin and fresh fruit, and I think I have come up with a winning recipe that is mix of own experimentation and some help from my bartending friends.

Here’s the recipe:

Juice from half a fresh grapefruit
3-4 fresh mint leaves
3 oz New Amsterdam gin

Muddle fresh mint into the bottom of a 12-ounce rocks or juice glass. Fill glass with crushed ice. Pour in 3 ounces of New Amsterdam gin. Add the juice of half a fresh grapefruit. I like to put my glass right under the out spout of a juice press or electric juicer and let the freshness flow in. Stir and serve. Careful, this drink is very refreshing, but can pack a punch.

TAGS [ GIN | NEW AMSTERDAM GIN | GIN AND JUICE | COCKTAIL | COCKTAIL RECIPES | SUMMER COCKTAILS ]

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There are plenty of uses for beer that extend beyond the obvious enjoyment and consumption of it. Although it is hard to imagine having beer and not drinking it, you might want to consider trying some of these other ideas:

• Marinate meat in it- it tastes better than wine and makes your meat really tender. Delicious. You can even take your beer meat to the game with this awesome tailgating grill.
• Help the grass grow- seriously, when you pour beer on those annoying brown spots on your lawn, the grass absorbs the nutrients, sugar and energy it needs to sprout faster.
• Kill slugs and snails – fill containers or wide-mouthed bottles about a quarter of the way up with beer then bury them in your garden. The slugs and snails will be attracted to them, then drown.
• Kill mice – fill a bucket or pail a third of the way and leave a board or something propped on the bucket, leading to the rim. The mice will smell the beer, jump in and not be able to climb out.
• Calm a stomachache- when your belly hurts, just sit down and drink a beer. The carbonation will settle your stomach and the alcohol helps to reduce the pain as well. It won’t work if you have an ulcer or gastritis and if you have too many beers, you could end up with a worse stomachache. Remember, moderation is key.
• Polish gold- wet a piece of cloth with some beer and rub your gold (but not the stones) to get the shine back. Use a second cloth to dry it.
• Bathe in it- add a few cans of beer into your bath. The yeast is good for softening and soothing your skin.
• Polish wooden furniture- let some beer sit until it goes flat and then dampen a washcloth with it and use that to polish your wooden furniture. You’ll love the shiny and healthy look it leaves.
• Cook with it- when boiling shrimp, try using beer instead of water. Season to your liking; just make sure you don’t overcook.
• Drink it to celebrate your resourcefulness.

TAGS [ BEER | BEER USES | BEERS | BEER RECIPES | USES FOR BEER ]

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I was snooping around the interweb this morning, and came upon some quite bizarre photos. According to the site, the guy who lived in this house did so for 8 years, and was thought to be the best tenant ever, since he never bothered landlords for fixes or random problems in the house. Obviously, he was keeping himself busy with other activities…

Now, that’s a LOT of Coors Light. I mean, whoa. I imagine that whoever ended up bringing all of those back got a hefty deposit return. I guess that’s one way to put money away until you really need it - that is, if you don’t mind wading through smelly aluminum cans in the interim.

TAGS [ BEER | COORS | COORS LIGHT | BEER CANS | BEER CAN HOUSE | BEER NEWS ]

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So I’m a self-proclaimed advertising nerd and I’m not afraid to admit it. In my quest to view and critique ads from all eras, I came across this print ad, published during prohibition. It seems to me that the ad is aiming to persuade the men who came across it not to drink liquor and it is implying that if they do, the ladies won’t love them anymore.

Not for anything, but I’m not sure I’d be so convinced. Maybe I’m just used to the modern day miracle worker I like to call Photoshop. Or maybe, just maybe, the ads supporting prohibition were just as terrible as the initial idea to ban drinking.

Too bad we couldn’t have offered the men of prohibition one of these Rum Runner Plastic Drink Flasks. Then they could have had the liquor and the “babes.”

TAGS [ PROHIBITION | LIQUOR FLASK | FLASK ]

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