Great ad from Guinness in celebration of the holiday. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

TAGS [ GUINNESS | GUINNESS AD | ST PATRICKS DAY ]

Remember TV’s Cheers? I recently stumbled across one of their classic dialogues where Cliff (the postman) explains to Norm (barfly extraordinaire) the benefits of drinking beer. I hope you enjoy it and feel smarter in the end.

"Well you see, Normy, it’s like this . . . A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members."

"In much the same way," he continues to explain "the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. And that, Normy, is why you naturally feel smarter after a few beers."

I’ll drink to that!

TAGS [ BEER BENEFITS | CHEERS | NORM | CLIFF ]

St. Patrick’s Day is just over a week away, so if you’re going to gussy up with Guinness, it’s now or never. Below, a sampling of great Guinness gear to get your Irish juices flowing.

Going to a parade? Bring this shamrock-clad Guinness koozie. You’ll keep your stout cold and your hands dry… unless you spill, but that wouldn’t be any fault of the koozie.

Often misplace your home bottle opener? Screw this into the wall and never wonder where your Guinness opener is again. Heck, you could even install the Guinness cap catcher under it and make clean-up that much easier.

Have a draft beer system at home but want to drink Guinness on tap for St. Pat’s? I don’t blame you. So do I. Pick up the partial Guinness conversion kit and you’re set. European specialty faucet, Guinness coupler and CO2 to nitrogen adapter. It’s that easy.

Want to add some Guinness flair to your home bar, rec room, den or… anywhere? We’ve got a number of great Guinness signs, including this new Raised Guinness Extra Stout sign, which I positively love.

We’ve got lots more Guinness and St. Patrick’s Day gear too; check it out.

TAGS [ GUINNESS | ST. PATRICK'S DAY ]

I’ve jokingly talked about Pennsylvania having a "Prohibition hangover" before but the latest news out of Philly is downright ridiculous. More than a dozen armed State Troopers raided three popular Philadelphia bars known for their wide beer selections last week. Police confiscated hundreds of bottles of expensive lagers and ales and apparently they’re still in their custody, being held at an undisclosed location.

Why you ask? Well basically Pennsylvania needs to get a grip.

Even though the bar owners legally purchased the beer from licensed Pennsylvania distributors and paid taxes on them, the police claim that no one had registered the precise names of the beers with the state Liquor Control Board. According to the authorities, brewers or their importers are required to pay a $75 registration fee for each product they sell in Pennsylvania.

The raids were conducted after a complaint from someone the State Police refuse to identify. Leigh Maida and her husband Brendan Hartranft operate all three of the bars targeted. After checking their inventory against the state’s official list of registered beers (which contains more than 2,800 brands) the officers seized four kegs and 317 bottles. Police calculations indicate that they now possess about 60.9 gallons of beer with an estimated value of $7,200.

Maida claims that more than half of the beer taken was actually properly registered but the cops couldn’t find it on their lists because of "clerical errors" and "blatant ineptitude" between the police and Liquor Control Board (with whom he officers were deliberating with via phone.)

Case in point; Monk’s Café Sour Flemish Red Ale. The beer has been sold across PA at dozens of restaurants and distributors for more than seven years. The brand appears on the state’s online list as "Monk’s Café Ale" and because the names did’’t match up, troopers seized 20 bottles and three kegs of the "illegal" ale from the three bars.

Police also took Duvel Belgian Golden Ale because it only appears on the list as "Duvel Beer". Wow.

According to the Philadelphia Daily News State Police Sgt. William N. La Torre said that the beer would be kept in a secured location, as evidence, until the case is resolved, probably in six to eight months.

Clearly the State Police officers aren’t up on their beer knowledge but many of those beers will be sour before they’re released. What a shame.

To say that this is ludicrous would be an understatement. Whether or not someone had it out for these people, the fact that these laws are in place and the Liquor Board didn’t even conduct a proper investigation is absurd. Poor Pennsylvania needs reform now more than ever. Hang in there guys, one day you’ll be able to enjoy beer like the rest of us.

TAGS [ PHILLY BEER RAID | CONFISCATED BEER | PENNSYLVANIA BEER LAWS | BEER NEWS | PHILADELPHIA BEER RAID ]

This week (March 8th – 14th) is Local Restaurant Week. Basically, it’s an effort (and a successful one at that) to get people to dine local, dine often and dine well. Because the year is 2010, participating restaurants will offer special menus that give you an incredible meal for just $20.10.

Here in Western NY, it’s a pretty big deal. It’s only Monday and I have plans to dine out 4 nights this week. The deals never cease to amaze me (a glass of wine or beer, a salad and filet mignon for $20.10 is unbelievable!) but when I saw the "Breweries" tab on the event website I was even more excited.

This year’s participating breweries include Blue Point Brewing Company, Brewery Ommegang, Brooklyn Brewery, Great Lakes Brewing Company, Long Trail Brewing Company, Sam Adams and Saranac Brewery. Each brewery has designated beers to be offered with the restaurant’s specials at lower cost. I might be the only one searching through menus and choosing my restaurants based on their beer specials but I’m ok with that.

TAGS [ LOCAL RESTAURANT WEEK | BUFFALO | BEER SPECIALS ]

Showcasing Buffalo definitely comes with its challenges as we make it through the winter months. Most recently, a twist to the annual Labatt pond hockey tournament brought on the Powder Keg Festival, adding an ice maze, snow tubing, beverage tents and music performances.

The Powder Keg Festival attracted a hefty crowd, causing long wait time for activities but it was exciting to have so many people eager to participate in the event. Looking forward to more of this winter festival next year. Checking out the pond hockey tournament was entertaining as well. As spectators enjoyed the games, you couldn’t help but watch with some anxiety as the hockey players skated through the slush and ice rescue teams stood by as it was a "warmer" winter weekend.

The second day of the tournament was canceled due to the warm conditions. The ice was literally melting under the players. Overall it was an amazing experience and seems very appropriate for Buffalo and I can’t wait for next year!

TAGS [ BUFFALO | WINTER FESTIVAL | POWDER KEG FEST | BUFFALO POWDER KEG | LABATT POND HOCKEY | POND HOCKEY TOURNAMENT ]

Last week, USA Beer Trends and I decided to have a beer swap. They’re based in Texas and I’m in New York, so there’s plenty of brews that we could share with one another; ones we simply can’t get close to our respective homes.

As you probably read in the post title (unless you’re not into that kind of thing) I was indeed a beer-swap-virgin, until this week, when I lovingly chose and packed up 3 huge bottles of delicious brews that I thought the boys would love. They are Nøgne Ø Winter Ale (an English Porter), Southern Tier Cuvée 1 (ale aged in French oak barrels, instead of American ones like the Cuvée 2) and Southern Tier Iniquity, an Imperial India Black Ale. I can hardly wait to see how USA Beer Trends dig ‘em!

Gerg documented my excitement when my package arrived :)

Being careful not to cut myself, at least too deeply.

I really do move this quickly. Nauseating, I know.

Check out the RAD Mad House sticker!

LOVE the T shirt - great design, Larry!

Plus 4 brews to try - can’t wait!

Holy cow. I’m so looking forward to tasting and reviewing these beers. I cannot thank Larry at USA Beer Trends enough!

Cheers!

TAGS [ BEER TRADE | TRADING BEERS | BEER SWAP | SWAPPING BEERS | CRAFT BEER ]