Recently I had a beer trade with a USMC Sergeant. Not only did we each send brews that the other has never had but also I received a rad selection of USMC stuff (my daddy was a Marine and I always wished I could’ve been too) and I sent out a few things from KegWorks that I thought he would love, including an IITYWIMWYBMAD? hat.

Sgt. Tony just sent me a guest blog post (below) about his experience wearing the hat in New Orleans. Enjoy!

IITYWIMWYBMAD?

A couple days ago I received a beer trade / care package from Hannah (KegWorks.com). Included in said package were some awesome beer selections, kegworks schwag and a tan hat with the following phrase:

IITYWIM
WYBMAD?

At first I didn’t know what to think of the phrase and just couldn’t figure it out so I did a little bit of research, and it equates to:

If I tell you what it means
will you buy me a drink?

Ohhhhh….really? In that case, this hat possibly becomes a great free drink tool, as people drunkenly contemplate what the heck your head says, and upon getting their verbal okay to buy said drink, it sets in. Friend duped = free drinks for you!!

Perfect!! I thought to myself. I’ll be in New Orleans next week and I’ll be able to test this hat thing out and see where it gets me.

The first night I put said hat on and went down to the hotel bar to have a round with my boss, but no takers on trying to decode the cryptic message, however the night is still young and people are still coherent, not to worry!!

After our sazeracs we got a call from some fellow co-workers inviting us out to the waterfront bar "The Crazy Lobster" and from their tone were already audibly drunk. Maybe this is the perfect opportunity to score?

Me and the boss arrived and were getting ready to order drinks with our already inebriated com padres, when the largest of the four of us (a large burly man), asked: "So what the heck does that mean?" he said. "Oh the hat? It’s a riddle, come on and figure it out!!" I said. And so it begins!! They each took turns and somehow ended up with: It something something "my bad" something. I finally replied with the key phrase, I took off the hat and pointed out the letters and they quickly caught on. Clever Fu!%er!!

This is where the free drinks come in right? Yes. Burly man agreed, but since he’s buying, he was feeling generous and decided to order me up a "Category 5 Hurricane." A great start to a great night. Taking my big sippy cup of hurricane to go - we continued hopping bar to bar and people everywhere were dumbfounded while I continued to score shots and drinks. I drank for free the entire night.

Thanks to Hannah for the great gift, and if you don’t have one of these hats yet, you’re probably paying too much for your drinks ;)

Kam Pai

Tony K.

——

I can’t thank Tony enough for sending this along. If you have a story about wearing your IITYWIMWYBMAD? gear out, please pass it along!

Cheers!

TAGS [ FREE DRINKS | BAR GEAR | IITYWIMWYBMAD? ]

Beer Advocate recently released their Top Beers on Planet Earth list and from those that I’ve had, I’ve got to agree with their chosen brews.

100 beers made the list, coming from 44 breweries. 71 of the beers on the list came from the United States (cheers to the US craft beer revolution!), followed by Belgium (11), Germany (7), UK (5), Canada (4), Czech Republic (1) and Ireland (1).

I was happy to see so many stouts on the list, not that I don’t love most styles of beer… it’s just nice sometimes to see notice taken of the maltier side of brews, instead of always only the ultra hoppy.

Take notice that Budweiser, Coors or Coors’ macro-brew-in-craft’s-clothing Blue Moon, are not on the list. Just wanted to point that out there.

Some of my favorites listed that I’ve reviewed include Goose Island Bourbon County Stout (22nd place), Oskar Blues Ten Fidy (45th place) and Victory Storm King Stout (64th place).

Check out the list and see if the brews you love most measure up in Beer Advocate’s eyes.

Cheers!

TAGS [ BEER ADVOCATE | TOP BEERS | TOP 100 BEERS ]

Brian passed me an article this morning and urges us all to "drink up, in moderation and enjoy a healthier life!" Now, I love beer and, like Brian, doubt we need any more reason to enjoy it, but here goes:

Beer may prevent osteoporosis
Research done at the University of California found, through analyzing 100 beers, that most contained enough silicon to benefit bone health. This coincides with previous research findings which show that women who drink beer moderately have a higher bone density than those who do not drink beer at all.

Beer may lower heart disease risks
Apparently quite a few studies have shown that moderate alcohol consumption, like drinking beer, is linked to a 40 - 60% lower incidence of heart attack.

Hops may lower bad cholesterol
IPA drinkers, listen up: hops are an incredible source of polyphenols. These super antioxidants lower bad cholesterol, give your immune system a huge boost and even fight cancer!

Beer boosts brain function
Believe it or not, moderate beer drinking (about 2 beers per day) has shown higher cognitive scores in tests versus those who have less than one drink per day.

Beer keeps you hydrated
As we noted in a blog post before, beer hydrates better than water. Just read the post if you don’t believe us!

Now, more reasons than ever to enjoy that tasty brew… or two. Thanks again to Brian for passing the article along.

Cheers!

TAGS [ BEER | HEALTH | OSTEOPOROSIS | CHOLESTEROL | HEART DISEASE | HYDRATION ]

If you’ve been reading for a while, you may have happened upon my post about the Mexican Craft Beer Revolution, lead by Rodolfo and Jaime Andreu of Primus Cervezas. Rodolfo has not only been lobbying for more craft breweries in Mexico, but also to import more craft beers from around the world.

Photo courtesy of BrewDog’s Hop Propaganda

Enter BrewDog, Scotland’s largest independent brewery and pushers of all boundaries. I received their monthly newsletter, Hop Propaganda, from James Watt (Emperor Penguin) today and was happily surprised to find out that BrewDog and Primus have collaborated to bring Hardcore Ales into Mexico!

Cheers to BrewDog and Primus - keep on pushing the limit and extending reach around the globe!

Want to receive BrewDog’s monthly newsletter yourself? Sign up for Hop Propaganda today.

TAGS [ BREWDOG | PRIMUS | CRAFT BEER ]

A few days ago Hannah informed me of an awesome sale that was going on at one of Buffalo’s craft beer outlets, The Village Beer Merchant. I thought that was awesome until she told me the reason for the sale. They need to make room for fall beers! Geez Louise, I feel like summer just started! I never even got around to working on my beach body like I intended. I thought I’d have more time!

Then there’s the fact that the entire Twitterverse (should that even be capitalized?) is buzzing with brewers talking about the production of their pumpkin ales. To top it all off, I’m currently working on getting our new tailgating products up on the site before football season starts.

Once I got over my initial shock, realized that summer is indeed on its way out and realized that the best thing to do is embrace the change, I actually got really excited. Some of my favorite seasonal beers come out in the fall! Great Divide’s Fresh Hop Pale Ale is inspired by the annual September hop harvest and it’s a once a year specialty brewed with freshly picked hop flowers instead of the standard dried or pelletized stuff. I suggest everyone try to find some.

Then there’s Oktoberfest beers (mmm… Spaten) and awesome pumpkin ales. I haven’t tried the Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale my colleagues have raved about yet, but I’ll definitely get my hands on some this season! If this fall is anything like last fall, Southern Tier’s Pumpking Ale will become a staple in my diet. If you’re looking for more great pumpkin ales to check out, just read this
blast from the past blog post and take notes.

Bring on the apple pies, crunchy leaves and that warm, cozy feeling that comes with wearing your favorite sweatshirt on a regular basis. The beers are almost ready and I’m with them!

TAGS [ FALL BEER | AUTUMN BEER | PUMPKIN BEER | OKTOBERFEST | MARZEN ]

This past weekend was the 8th annual Belgium Comes To Cooperstown Beer Festival held at Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, NY, not only one of the best beer events in the Northeast, but in the entire country. A gathering of beer aficionados pretty much unlike any other, this year the powers that be that organize the event, the importers and distributors that make the beer available to us, and most importantly the brewers that create these delicious specimens, seemed to yet again raise the measuring stick for how it’s really supposed to be done when it comes to appreciating craft beer.

This was the third year for our "contingent" for going, which included 2 fellow KegWorkers, and an unbelievable time was had by all. I think for me, what made it extra special is according to veterans that have been coming since 2003, this was the first time it didn’t actually rain for a period of time from noon Friday to everyone’s departure on Sunday. Lots of beer festivals are outdoor events in the summer months, but what makes this one unique is that participants have the opportunity to camp on the beautiful, serene grounds of the brewery which used to be a former hop farm. The result is one huge party, a tent city, a community of fellowship and camaraderie among beer geeks unlike anything else I experience all year. Obviously people attend this event for the tasting of hundreds of beers that drip creativity, with multiple one-off brews created specifically for the event as well as classic examples that are the benchmarks for what Belgian beers are all about. But I, as well as many others, look forward to seeing people from around the region that I have made friends with over the past three years, and that is what makes this gathering so very unique.

Clearly it’s easy to lose track of all the beers one has at this event, but I wanted to share a few of my personal highlights that really struck a chord, four of which were sampled at the tasting, and 2 which were brought by friends:

Stillwater Stateside Saison – Overall, the biggest surprise of the festival for me were the grocery list of beers that this undiscovered gem of a brewer from Baltimore offered. One of the girls pouring their beers was nice enough to serve me the entire flight of 8-10 beers they had, in her order of preference. Everything I had was very well done, and I hope to see their beers make it to the Upstate New York Region soon; they currently have distribution in New York City. Read more about them at the Stillwater Ales Blog.

Keegan Ales Four Philosophers – Tripel is one of my favorite styles; I don’t care if one is released by Trailer Park Brewing Company, if it exists, I have to try it. The fine folks at Keegan Ales, whom already are an A+ in my book, provided this dynamite barrel-aged Tripel, with a name created obviously as a nod to Ommegang’s own Three Philosophers.

White Birch Brewing Barrel Aged Tripel - Looky here, another Tripel! Until this weekend, I only knew White Birch by name, and while their entire line they offered was great, this was something special. Thanks to Jim for the full pour of this nectar.

Ommegang Cup O Kyndness Belgian Style Scotch Ale - Not yet available commercially until September, but on tap at the festival, this beer is as good as you will expect it to be. Scotch ale is one of my favorite styles outside of all things Belgian and English, and I love it when breweries focusing on Belgian styles take on a Scotch ale. Rich, balanced, and malty, it will easily find a place in my fridge as well as my cellar once it hits the shelves.

Alesmith Decadence 10th Anniversary Ale - Out of all the treats Murph brought back from a recent trip to San Diego, this was the second bottle of Decadence that we had (the other being the 2009 Weizenbock) and it was a grand slam. It redefined for me how an Old Ale is done properly. Retired by the brewery and no longer made, it will obviously be tough to find, but if you see any bottles in any stores, grab it and run.

Williamantic Brewing Company Flower Infusion – Jim brought many a beer that made me sit down and take notice, but this one almost stopped time for me. A Cuvee De Fleurs style farmhouse ale, it is brewed with European malts, wildflower honey, hopped with Marynka, and infused with Lavender, Calendula, Chamomile, Rose Buds, and Hibiscus. Couldn’t they have come up with something a bit more original?

So, in a sea of an overdose of everything that’s good, these beers were special, and surprising. I always say to people, like the Great American Beer Festival, TAPNY, and the Beer Advocate Festivals in Boston, this is one event that every fan of craft beer MUST attend at least once, to see what it’s all about. In the past, tickets have gone on sale for the event April 1st, and they’re gone in the blink of an eye. Do yourself a favor and pencil this one in for next year – I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Cheers!

Photo credit: Sarah Ryder

TAGS [ BELGIUM COMES TO COOPERSTOWN | OMMEGANG | BEER FEST | BEER EVENTS ]

Almost everyone has enjoyed a clever Budweiser commercial or indulged in 30 seconds of mindless entertainment courtesy of the folks at Miller-Coors. If you’re anything like me though, you probably enjoy their expensive advertising more than you enjoy their products.

What you probably haven’t seen is a good craft beer ad. That’s because good craft breweries spend most of their money on making beer and not on television commercials. They do however do some advertising in the Beer Advocate magazine (if you don’t already subscribe, you definitely should) and their print ads are usually pretty clever. Here are a few of my favorites, taken from the issue sitting on my desk.

Enjoy!

TAGS [ CRAFT BEER | ADS ]