You can never have too much of a good thing: Diageo is planning a new Guinness factory in Dublin. Moreover, the brewery will sit on a plot purchased in part from the Guinness family. Click here for the full story.
Link and article courtesy Reuters 2008.
For all the joy beer bottles bring to the masses, there is a major quality they lack: the ability to be hoisted in the air and collided with your buddy’s bottle, Oktoberfest-style. Any attempt at aerial suds-knocking is met with bruised knuckles or that awkward “bottle-neck cheers.” Well, leave it to the Germans to solve that problem: Behold, the Beck’s Stein Bottle Holder. It’s a simple silver device that gives your favorite bottle of brew steinlike style. Buy yours at your local grocery store or at www.budshop.com.
Beck's Beer Holder
Of course, you can toss any ol’ brew in the holder, but it’s meant for a Beck’s Oktoberfest, a pilsner brewed in Bremen according to the German Purity Law. The 5.2% ABV-brew pours a copper-caramel color with a tinge of ruby and a full, creamy head. It has a sweet, malty, hearty flavor-all the requisite characteristics of an Oktoberfest-but without the overwhelming, sticky taste some versions of the style tend to take on. The flavor is full-bodied, but the mouthfeel is especially crisp and light-which means our Oktoberfest celebrations will last well into the night.
Find Beck’s Oktoberfest draft at your local haunt or in bottles through October. For more information, visit www.becksbeer.com.
Historic Coney Island may be downsizing, as seen by the recent close of Astroland, but Shmaltz Brewing Company’s Coney Island Lagers are about to welcome a new member to the lineup: Freaktoberfest, a blood-red lager that clocks in at 6.66% ABV should prove to be a frighteningly fun side-show attraction this Halloween. The new brew is available now in 22-ounce bombers through the end of October, and limited supplies of kegs are slated for delivery to specialty shops and bars throughout the country.
For an up-close look at the new beer in an apropos environment, head on over to the Coney Island Boutique Beerfest, which debuts Friday, Oct. 3 at the Coney Island Sideshow in Brooklyn, N.Y. and features Shmaltz Brewing, as well as a number of local breweries and live music.
Shmaltz fanatics should also mark the beginning of 2009 in their calendars. The brewery plans to unveil its next installment in its carnival-inspired lagers: Human Blockhead, an 8.8%-ABV strong lager.
For more about Shmaltz Brewing or its line of Coney Island Lagers, visit www.shmaltz.com or www.coneyislandlager.com.
Today, Smuttynose Brewing withdrew its plans to release Granite Ghost Ale, a limited-release beer to commemorate the commissioning of the USS New Hampshire. Click here for the full story.
Link courtesy Seacoast Online
St. Pauli Girl Finalists
It was just another boring Tuesday at the office when, suddenly, we were perked up by an email from St. Pauli Girl:
“So, your candidate for President probably won’t win this year, your fantasy football team picked Brady as the QB, and you’ve never picked a winning lottery number in your life. So pick something that really matters: the 2009 St. Pauli Girl Spokesmodel!”
True, true and true. We’re sold!
For the first time in its 31-year history, St. Pauli Girl is granting sovereignty to its fans across the nation, allowing them to vote for the 2009 St. Pauli Girl spokesmodel, a blonde bombshell who will represent the beer’s iconic barmaid. Online voting begins just days before Oktoberfest on September 15, and runs through Nov. 10. Click here to cast your ballot.
The four finalists are:
Tara Rice (Valencia, Calif)
Rice, a former Miss Teen California All American, is an actress and model who has appeared in magazines such as Maxim and films including “Austin Powers in Goldmember.”
Brooke Long (Chino Hills, Calif)
A model on the hit show “Deal or No Deal,” Long has appeared in films including “The Comebacks,” “Orange County,” “Gigli” and “Little Nikki,” on TV on “Entourage” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and in, FHM, Muscle and Fitness, Teen and ESPN Magazine.
Katrina Van Derham (Slovakia)
An actress and model with an international flair, Van Derham has an extensive portfolio that includes appearances in Vogue, Marie Claire, Muscle and Fitness and FHM as well as on TV in “CSI” and “Monk.”
Jessica Hall (Quartz Hill, Calif.)
An actress and model, fans might recognize Hall as a model on NBC’s “Deal or No Deal.” She has also appeared on TV on “Two and a Half Men,” “Fear Factor” and as a host on MTV, Playboy TV, Fox Sports Net and the TV Guide Channel as well as in the Adam Sandler movie “Click.”
Flip Cup Guys
Every respectable college party has at least one table for beer games. Around it, spectators watch impatiently to see which of two teams has the drinking skills needed for victory.
Now, picture that party on a massive scale.
That’s what Flip Cup Guys founders Mike and Scott envisioned when they created the World’s Largest Flip Cup Tournament (WLFCT). With space for 64 six-player teams, this will be the largest game of flip cup ever played in the U.S.. The tournament will be held Oct. 11, 1 p.m. at the M1-5 Bar in New York City. Registration is a $30 per player. Participants have access to an open beer bar, as well as a chance at creative prizes like Best Team Name. You could even win a cruise to the Bahamas while competing for flip cup glory. The Flip Cup Guys will donate a portion of the tournament proceeds to the winning team’s charity of choice.
The Flip Cup Guys organize tournaments in a number of cities nationwide. They’ve been featured on Maxim Radio and SportsIllustrated.com. For more information, or to register your team, visit www.FlipCupGuys.com.
Mark your calendar, break out your lederhosen and give your calorie counter the day off: the German-American Steuben Parade returns to the streets of New York City, Saturday, Sept. 20 at noon and, oh my, how the beer will flow.
But before indulging your inner-biermeister, don’t miss what makes this festival the go-to, catchall event for all things Germany. Get a visual lesson of Germanic culture from the 33-float parade along 5th Avenue (between 63rd and 86th streets), featuring hallmarks like Mercedes-Benz, the Brothers Grimm, Old World castles and Elvis Presley (he was of German descent). With more than 20 organizations from Germany participating, the festivities are guaranteed to be authentic and boisterous.
After your history lesson, join the party in Central Park. This Oktoberfest-type brew-ha-ha squeezes 3,000 to 4,000 attendees under
one very large tent and is an opportunistic time to chase down an autograph from German actor and parade Grand Marshall Ralf Moeller, who appeared in “Gladiator,” “Batman & Robin” and “Beerfest.”
So, grab a stein, practice your “Prost!” and get ready for polka. www.germanparadenyc.org.
Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale
Heading back to the office after a long weekend is always a drag. On the upside, the end of Labor Day means the start of fall beer season, and suds lovers can kick theirs off with with Anheuser-Busch’s annual seasonal, Jack’s Pumpkin Spice Ale. First introduced in 2005, the all-malt ale is brewed with Golden Delicious pumpkins, plus nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and clove, yielding a copper-color brew that oozes autumn with every sip. Check out this video by brewmaster Florian Kuplent; he describes the beer’s nuances in greater detail.
Watch for Jack’s on shelves now through November. For more
information, visit www.anheuserbusch.com.
