Here we go again! New beer brand tap handles are in!
Tons of tap handles! Mountains of tap handles!
For the love of God, get them off my desk!
TAGS [ TAP HANDLES | BRANDED TAP HANDLES | BEER TAP HANDLES | BEER BRAND TAP HANDLES ]
Archive for February, 2010
I Went to See King Tut and All I Got Was This Picture
Thursday, February 18th, 2010
At the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in Toronto is an exhibit of King Tutankhamen and some of the other great pharaohs of ancient Egypt – rather, their stuff. After having waited in a long, winding line in the AGO’s brightly lit, 3-story atrium of stone and wood for nearly an hour, I have to admit I was initially disappointed to learn that I wasn’t going to see any mummies or the famed death mask of the young pharaoh Tut. Those, apparently, are on permanent display in Cairo, Egypt. Not that it matters because photos are strictly verboten and I intend to plan a trip to Cairo at some point in my future anyway.
My disappointment quickly retreated as my eyes set upon massive, bas-relief stone tablets, dozens of statues in every conceivable size and material alongside busts of the great rulers of the Nile – the gods and goddesses themselves. They were exquisite, lavish artifacts wrought from gold, stone, wood and reed from thousands of years ago, stowed away to serve each ruler in the afterlife. (Apparently you can take it with you!)
Adorned with spells from the Book of the Dead to protect their living gods from manual labor in the life after, each handcrafted piece – whether painted, wrought, or chiseled – spoke of each artist’s mastery of their skill and trade as they forged an eternal record of their pharaohs’ legacies.
It was easy to forget the slow moving, almost claustrophobic line of other patrons vying to see each item in the exhibit – hell, the it was downright forgivable once we got past first couple turns of the exhibit. At each bend we were treated to even greater examples of the divinely-inspired ingenuity and the sheer master craftsmanship of these ancients. At one turn, massive calcite and granite statues, at another, a casket for a dead cat –equally beautiful in its extravagant detail. At the next turn, an ornately bejeweled necklace and sandals made of pure gold.
When taken out of our modern context of smartphones, wifi, or bad driving habits, I am filled with a sense of wonder at our extensive human history and, when put into perspective, it’s really hard to believe that beer (at least in one form) has been with us since the time of these great and powerful pharaohs.
The exhibit is on display until April 2010. All the information you could need to see the exhibit can be found here on AGO’s site.
Cheers.
TAGS [ ANCIENT EGYPT | KING TUT EXHIBIT ]
Southern Tier Imperial Choklat Stout
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010It’s like fermented chocolate syrup. I mean that in a good way.
I had a hankering for something wicked sweet, but wasn’t in the mood to chew. I wanted a beer. I wanted a chocolate beer. I’m not gonna lie, beer doesn’t get more chocolaty than this. It really hit the spot.
I poured my first glass and shot Deron (of KegWorks Top 5 Beers fame) a picture message. 
He replied, "Can you drink a whole bottle of that?"
I wasn’t sure, but was willing to try.
Not only is this beer quite sweet, but the alcohol content is rather high (9.5%) so not only would I be testing how much saccharine I could stomach, but also how much of the 22-ounce bottle I could handle before getting positively silly. Of course, I’ve had my fair share of beers, so I didn’t think the latter would be a problem.
Southern Tier Choklat poured deep black—onyx, even—which I expected being that it’s featured as one of their "Blackwater Series Imperial Stouts." Its thick, light tan, creamy head lasted almost as long as there was beer in my glass, leaving a fair amount of lacing with every swirl. Maybe I was drinking it more quickly than I should’ve but either way, what a treat.
Strong aromas of dark, rich chocolate filled my nose in ways that made me taste it, even before I had my first sip. Although the brew was nearly opaque, it didn’t look to be super syrupy; my first sip proved me right. It offered a full-bodied mouthfeel with enough carbonation to keep it drinkable, instead of having the consistency of sundae topping, which I would have thought if I had gone by smell alone.
Southern Tier Choklat Stout tastes of rich milk and dark chocolates, with a hint of oat, but really chocolate is everything to this brew. Not only do they concoct it with chocolate and caramel malts, but they actually put pure, bittersweet Belgian chocolate in the beer as well. If you haven’t tried it yet, and you love chocolate, I really recommend it. I wouldn’t consider it as a session beer, or one that I’d drink all the time, but for extreme chocolate cravings it certainly hits the spot.
Cheers!
TAGS [ SOUTHERN TIER CHOKLAT | CHOCOLATE STOUTS | BEER REVIEW | SOUTHERN TIER BEER REVIEW | IMPERIAL STOUTS ]
Your Milkshake’s Best Friend
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
Aren’t you ready for summer yet? I could at least go for a frigid spring. Sometimes when the cold gets unbearable, you’re brain starts freezing and you get ideas… How about an ice cold smoothie? Even though it was about 10 degrees the other day, the best thing for about 30 seconds of defying the weather is an iced cappuccino from home.
Ahhh… the refreshing feeling of being in a warmer climate and enjoying an owwwww. Brain freeze. Just stick your tongue up to the roof of your mouth and press hard, (I promise it will work). Then return to sip again, defying the weather and getting you one step closer to the mild weather you’ve been craving.
Also if you want to enjoy the cold beverage faster, use a stainless spoon straw. You can keep pounding down the frosty even after you’ve sipped enough for a massive ice cream headache! Plus, I love the chilling effect that the steel straw has on the drink. It just tastes better cold. There you have it. One ironic way to rid you of the winter doldrums.
TAGS [ SPOON STRAWS | STAINLESS STEEL STRAWS | MILKSHAKE STRAWS ]
The 2-Tap Converted Keg Fridge, Continued
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010Yesterday I posted a piece on Jason Wood’s newest addition to his family, a double tap keg fridge he created with a KegWorks conversion kit. This morning, he followed up with an email and some more pictures of the beauty, all tapped and ready to go. I was so happy to read what he had to say:
"I tapped the kegs last night and all is right in the world. Everything worked perfectly and better. I am so impressed with how easy it was to do everything. The few minute video on the site had all the info really needed. I think I spent more time being worried about screwing it up then I did doing it…. It was VERY easy and took me 20mins, most of which was measuring where to drill the holes so I could still use the inside shelves on the door."
Here’s some pictures of Jason’s finished project. Sure wish we were close enough to stop by and join him for a pint!
Jason, I cannot thank you enough for passing along all these photos and for giving a customer’s point of view of how EASY converting a fridge to a kegerator can be!
To the rest of you out there who are back and forth on the idea – if you’re worried about whether or not you can actually do it, listen to Jason; 20 minutes and BAM! Cold, delicious beer on tap, in his very own home.
Cheers!
TAGS [ CONVERTED KEG FRIDGE | KEGERATOR CONVERSION | 2-TAP KEGERATOR | HOME BEER SYSTEM ]
Save Ample Space in Your Home Bar or Kitchen
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010I’ve lived on my own for nearly 11 years and my many apartments have ranged in size from shoebox to 2-story monstrosity. No matter what type of place I lived, one thing remained the same; I am always lacking cabinet space.
My kitchen cabinets, instead of being filled with food, are typically overflowing with glassware – beer glasses, wine glasses, martini glasses – you name it, I’ve got enough to fill 4 standard cabinets. Where does that leave my pantry items and baking equipment? Good question.
I’m between apartments for the next few months, living out of a few bags, but I’ve decided that, in the next place I call home, I will take it upon myself to quickly, easily and cost-effectively solve this decade-long problem of mine. I’m buying under counter glass racks. That way, any glass with a stem and a base can be moved from my collection in my cabinets, and I’ll have more room for food, my Kitchen Aid mixer, cake pans, bowls and whatever else I deem worthy of the newfound space.
Not only will I have more room to work with, but my glassware will be better protected and add to the décor of my kitchen as well… not to mention be ready and waiting for use, at any given moment.
Damn. How did it take me so long to come to this conclusion, anyway? Sometimes the simplest and most effective solutions are right under our noses.
TAGS [ HOME BAR | KITCHEN | GLASS RACKS | STEMWARE RACKS | SPACE SAVERS ]
New Addition to the Family: A 2-Tap Converted Fridge
Monday, February 15th, 2010One of our customers and Facebook fans, Jason Wood, sent us some photos of the newest addition to his family; a freshly converted double tap keg fridge that he created just this weekend!
We get so psyched so see the beauties our customers create with parts from KegWorks that we just have to share. Here’s some of the very first pics Jason took of his brand new baby. Once he taps the two pony kegs, he said he’d pass along more.
According to Jason, "on the left is Haverhill Brewery Homerun APA and on the right is Haverhill Brewery Munich Dunkel Lager." Great starting selection, Jason, if I do say so myself! Thanks for passing along your photos, too.
Cheers!
TAGS [ KEGERATOR | CONVERTED KEG FRIDGE | 2-TAP KEG FRIDGE | DOUBLE TAP KEGERATOR | DRAFT BEER | HOME BEER SYSTEM ]
