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Archive for August, 2009

Poll: Be a Better Beer Host

Monday, August 17th, 2009

You’re hosting a summer gathering and you know you’ll be serving beer – but how? You could always pick up a case of Bud Light and throw it into the garage cooler but I’ve got a feeling you’re not that kind of host. So what IS the best way to serve beer when guests will be mingling outside?

Outdoor Gathering with Beer

Do you fill growlers at your local brewpub? Do you use a pump or picnic tap to serve a keg? Both options cut down on bottles and cans but the variety of beer for guests to choose from is lacking. Is it better to buy bottled sampler packs? What’s the most cost-effective way to serve great stuff and keep everyone happy?

I’m not sure there’s a definite answer here, to be honest. I have my own approach but others might have a better way. Personally, for smaller parties I like to combine the growler option and the sampler packs. I usually buy a sampler of something more standard—like Sam Adams—and then get some fun stuff in the growlers for the serious beer snobs. Throw in a case of something cheap for the people who don’t care and you’re all set.

When I’ve got a big group coming over however, I’ll grab a keg of something that most everyone would like. Yuengling always goes over well with my friends. Someday I’ll have an outdoor kegerator.

What’s your beer host game plan? Take the poll and leave some comments to let me know!

What's the best way to serve beer for summer gatherings?

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TAGS [ BEER OUTDOORS | KEG BEER | GROWLERS | BEER SURVEY | BEER POLL | SUMMER PARTIES | LABOR DAY | BEER TIPS ]

14 Random, Little Known Beer Facts

Monday, August 17th, 2009

I stumbled across these "14 Funky Facts about Beer" on beerchurch.com. Enjoy!

1. It was the accepted practice in Babylon, 4,000 years ago, that for a month after the wedding, the bride’s father would supply his son-in law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer, and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the "honey month," or what we know today as the "honeymoon."

2. There are 19 different versions of Guinness (5 or 6 main types in 19 variations, according to the late Michael Jackson).

3. According to a diary entry from a passenger on the Mayflower, the pilgrims made their landing at Plymouth Rock, rather than continue to their destination in Virginia, due to lack of beer.

4. A barrel contains 31 gallons of beer. What Americans commonly refer to as a keg is actually 15.5 gallons, or a half-barrel. Learn about other keg volumes and dimensions.
1935 Been Can
5. The first beer cans were produced in 1935. Here’s one of the first, a Krueger’s Special can.

6. Before thermometers were invented, brewers would dip a thumb or finger into the mix to find the right temperature for adding yeast. Too cold, and the yeast wouldn’t grow. Too hot, and the yeast would die. This thumb in the beer is where the phrase "rule of thumb" comes from.

7. In 1788, Ale was proclaimed "the proper drink for Americans" at a parade in New York City.

8. In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. It’s where we get the phrase "mind your P’s and Q’s."

9. The original text of the Reinheitsgebot (Germany’s Beer Purity Law) only had three ingredients: barley, hops and water. Yeast wasn’t mentioned for another 35 years.

10. George Washington had his own brewhouse on the grounds of Mount Vernon. On another note, we recently learned his wife, Martha, had a fantastic Rum Punch recipe.

11. After consuming a bucket or two of vibrant brew they called aul, or ale, the Vikings would head fearlessly into battle, often without armor or even shirts. In fact, "berserk" means "bare shirt" in Norse, and eventually took on the meaning of their wild battles.

12. The Budweiser Clydesdales weigh up to 2,300-pounds and stand nearly 6-feet at the shoulder.

13. 12-ounces of a typical American pale lager actually has fewer calories than 2 percent milk or apple juice.

14. In 1963, Jim Whitaker became the first American to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. A can of Seattle’s own Rainier Beer made the ascent with him.

Mike

TAGS [ BEER FACTS | BEER HISTORY ]

Planter’s Punch: Another Great Way to Celebrate National Rum Day

Friday, August 14th, 2009

As we mentioned yesterday, this Sunday, August 16th is National Rum Day. Planter’s Punch is a classic rum cocktail that has been around for some time. It was first recognized in print in the New York Times in 1908. There are many different versions of this traditional summer drink. If you like rum and orange juice together, this is the drink for you!

Planters Punch Rum CocktailPlanter’s Punch
1 oz orange juice
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz lime juice (substitute sour mix if necessary)
3 oz dark rum
4 oz club soda
Splash of grenadine
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Slice of orange, for garnish
Maraschino cherry, for garnish

Put all ingredients, except club soda into a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a Collins glass filled with ice. Add club soda and a dash of grenadine. Garnish with an orange slice and a maraschino cherry.

I recently made a Planter’s Punch cocktail with the recipe above. This was the first time I made a cocktail with aromatic bitters and it added a unique taste element to the cocktail. I’m a big fan of drinks that have any kind of pineapple flavor, too. It’s a strong cocktail I might add! I would definitely drink this at a bar. Check out other recipes featured on the blog for more cocktail ideas.

Next time I make cocktails, chocolate bitters is top on my list.

TAGS [ PLANTER'S PUNCH | PLANTER'S PUNCH RECIPE | RUM COCKTAILS | COCKTAIL RECIPES | DRINK RECIPES | NATIONAL RUM DAY ]

KegWorks: Your One-Stop-Shop!

Friday, August 14th, 2009

Working in customer service at KegWorks, I get to see a lot of different products before they even make it to our website. I have to say that nothing has made me as excited as the 23-Piece College Kitchen Starter Cookware Set.

Cookware Set

When I moved into a new place on my own it took forever to go shopping and pick out every single item that I need for my kitchen. I wish I had had this option. It comes with everything you need! This normally retails for $325, but at KegWorks, without any travel or time and effort, you can purchase it all for $189.95 plus shipping! It truly is an incredible deal and everyone needs these items in their kitchen. Plus, these make a great gift for the single person or someone heading off to college!

TAGS [ COOKWARE SET | KITCHEN SET | KITCHEN COOKWARE | KITCHEN SUPPLIES ]

National Rum Day is August 16th

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

This Sunday, August 16th is National Rum Day. I hadn’t been privy to this holiday before but it’s one I will definitely celebrate.

What better way to commemorate America’s rum holiday than with Martha Washington’s own rum punch recipe? Yep, I mean the Martha Washington, the very first First Lady our country ever had. Not only did her husband, George, make his own whiskey, but it seems our dear Martha had a bit of a wild side herself. Here’s her recipe for rum punch, straight from her private journals (at least according to Distilled Spirits Council).

Martha Washingtons Rum PunchMartha Washington’s Rum Punch
3 oz white rum
3 oz dark rum
3 oz orange curacao
4 oz simple syrup
4 oz lemon juice
4 oz fresh orange juice
3 lemons, sliced into wheels
1 orange, sliced into wheels
½ tsp grated nutmeg
3 cinnamon sticks, broken
6 cloves
12 oz boiling water

In a container, mash the orange, lemons, cinnamon sticks, cloves and nutmeg. Add simple syrup, lemon and orange juice. Pour the boiling water over the mixture in a container. Let it cool for a few minutes then add the white rum, dark rum and orange curacao. Strain well into a pitcher or punch bowl and serve over ice in goblets. Decorate with wheels of lemon and orange. Dust with a little nutmeg and cinnamon.

Cheers!

TAGS [ NATIONAL RUM DAY | US RUM HOLIDAY | RUM PUNCH RECIPE | RUM PUNCH RECIPES | MARTHA WASHINGTON'S RUM PUNCH | COCKTAIL RECIPES | DRINK RECIPES ]

In the Waiting Line

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

When I first heard and thought of the phrase "crowd control," the first image conjured in my mind was something like what you see in the picture below – security forces pumping teargas into a crowd or perhaps hosing them down with high pressure water.

Hose Water Crowd ControlFortunately, there’s more than one way to control the crowds lining up at your front door – and while "Tiny," your bouncer does an excellent job checking IDs, you need to keep the patrons waiting to get in to your über-chic, well-oiled machine of a club from spilling out into the streets.

Even though we all have conjured ideas of trendy young adults waiting in lines behind velvet ropes to get into your fine establishment, crowd control doesn’t strictly apply to the bar scene. In fact, not a day goes by without us being controlled in one way or another…

You see them in airports – those infamous tape-style zigzagging lines that snake you to the next available agent. You’ve seen them on parade routes – those utilitarian-bike-rack-looking doodads that make little kids look like they’re in jail. You’ve been kept in line by them while waiting to buy tickets – or, as even on TV, to keep the paparazzi at bay during countless red carpet events and award ceremonies.

Crowd Control Barriers

And we’ve got it all! Whatever your crowd control needs might be*, whatever type of crowd you need to keep in line, we are here to help you out. Just give our friendly customer service agents a call and we can hook you up.

Call us: 877-636-3673
Email us: Submit Contact Form
Browse the site: Visit Crowd Control


*teargas sold separately**

**btw, we don’t really sell teargas, but its use is entirely up to you. I mean, if your place of business is that popular (or that rowdy) that you need to use teargas, more power to ya! I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it because, as you well know or guessed, spraying people in the face isn’t exactly the way to go about getting repeat business. Still, use of teargas for the purpose of this blog—for effect—is kinda funny, huh? Honestly though, we want you to feel like you have to beat the crowds back and to be prepared for when you do!

Cheers!

TAGS [ CROWD CONTROL | PUBLIC GUIDANCE | STANCHION AND TAPE | POST AND ROPE | COMMERCIAL EQUIPMENT ]

Customer Kegerator: Check Out this Wicked Beer Fridge!

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

One of our customers shot us a link to his Heineken kegerator on youtube. Check it out!

This is form and function at its best – a beer fridge that spits out his favorite brew and looks rad, too. Want to make your own kegerator out of an old fridge? Pick up a conversion kit, get acquainted with our easy-as-pie beer fridge instructions (complete with how-to video) and get to it!

Thanks to @wood559 for passing along the video link. Does anyone else out there have a rad kegerator to share? Tell us about it!

Cheers!

TAGS [ KEGERATOR | KEGERATORS | BEER FRIDGE | BEER REFRIGERATORS | REFRIGERATOR CONVERSION KIT | DRAFT BEER EQUIPMENT ]

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