If you weren’t one of the millions watching MTV’s Jersey Shore every Thursday, then you most certainly missed out. Love it or hate it, if you saw it once, chances are you were hooked.

Each week we saw a house full of 8 "guidos" and "guidettes" (well, 7 once Angelina’s antics got her kicked out of the Shore House) basically just do what they do best; party, fight, tan, workout, dance, drink, rock the hot tub & (for the guys in the house) pick-up girls.

Rather than go into full details about the show, all I can say is if you haven’t seen it, you need to. The DVD set is coming out February 23rd and you can probably catch re-runs on MTV every other hour.

So why are you reading about this on the KegWorks blog? Well, that’s because Iron Hill Brewery is actually naming a beer after Mike "The Situation*" Sorrentino. Yep…"The Situation," now in brew form.

They were calling it "Golden Barleywine," though it’s hardly a barleywine at all, some called it a Double IPA but that didn’t fit either – it was a beer that needed a name. Since it was so tough to categorize, much like "The Situation" himself, calling it "The Situation" seemed to fit perfectly.

Iron Hill’s New Jersey location head brewer, Chris LaPierre, plans on getting himself a fake tan and a "Pauly D Style" blow out for the launch at the brewery’s Maple Shade, NJ location on Feb 20th. "Put it on your calander. It should be a good time. You’re going to be happy with The Situation." LaPierre writes on the brewery’s website.

For those in the area, be sure and stop by for a pint of "The Situation"! For those in OUR area, be sure to stop by PURE Nightclub this Friday night (Jan 29th – W. Chippewa, Buffalo NY) to hang out with "Snooki" from the Jersey Shore cast. She doesnt have her own beer (yet), but I hear she’s working on her own brand of pickles.

* For those who haven’t seen the show, Mike referred to his 6-pack abs as "The Situation," which also became his own self-appointed nickname.

TAGS [ IRON HILL BREWERY | THE SITUATION | JERSEY SHORE | THE SITUATION BEER | JERSEY SHORE BEER ]

I learned something last night that I simply HAD to share. Apparently, the term "malt liquor" does not only apply to crappy beers, typically found in a 40-ounce bottle (think Colt Ice).

No, apparently the difference between beer, malt liquor and barley wine is based on alcohol by volume (ABV) alone. Not kidding.

Here’s the breakdown:

Beer is classified as such with ABVs of up to 5%. That’s it. So if you’re a craft beer drinker, you’re most likely sipping on something that’s classified as malt liquor or barley wine. If you’re drinking Guinness Draught, you are drinking beer, technically speaking.

Malt liquor (which by the way, upon reading on any bottle, traditionally had sent me running the other way) is any brewed beer-type beverage with an ABV of 5% – 8.5%. As it turns out, most of my favorite beers are in fact, malt liquor. That goes for the luscious Hennepin I posted on yesterday, too.

Barley wine, finally, is any beer-type brew with an ABV of 8.5% or more. This means the my beloved Delirium Nocturnum officially qualifies as such.

I had no idea that the classifications were solely based on ABV. Interesting, indeed.

TAGS [ BEER | MALT LIQUOR | BARLEY WINE | ABV | BEER FACTS ]

I know that oysters pair well with beer, especially on a warm summer eve, overlooking water of some sort, breeze wafting through your hair… I think my favorite beer to pair with them is Guinness. There’s just something about a nice, dry Irish stout that mingles well with the salty little buggers.

So yah, oysters paired with beer? I’m with you all the way! But oysters brewed IN beer? I’m a little skeptical.

If Flying Fish Brewing Co., has anything to say about it, I shouldn’t be! They’ve been brewing their Exit 1 Bayshore Oyster Stout for a while now. According to The Exit Series, "The creamy flavor of English chocolate and roasted malts harmonizes with minerals from the oyster shells. Irish ale yeast adds a bit of fruitiness and a dry crispness." …Sounds pretty good to me, but I guess I’ll just have to try it myself and let you know.

As per an article on The Boston Herald.com, Harpoon will be joining Flying Fish Brewery in the oyster beer ranks, whose "Island Creek Oyster Stout…will be bottled in two weeks."

If you’re a lover of stouts like me, I believe these are worth trying. Have you had beer brewed with oysters? Tell me about it!

TAGS [ OYSTER BEER | OYSTER BEER PAIRING | FLYING FISH BREWING CO. | HARPOON BREWERY | EXIT 1 BAYSHORE OYSTER STOUT | ISLAND CREEK OYSTER STOUT ]