DRAFT Magazine

When we heard that Philadelphia’s Memphis Taproom, is celebrating Boxing Day, the first thing that came to our minds here at DRAFTMag.com was, isn’t that a Canadian holiday?

Although it might be a little strange, Philadelphia’s Memphis Taproom IS hosting the Boxing Day Beer Festival, December 26 in celebration of holiday cheer and beers.

In case you’re wondering — Boxing Day, the day-after-Christmas tradition, originated in England and is predominantly celebrated in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It is a day that historically has been for servants of any kind to receive a Christmas box of gifts from the people they serve.

So to honor the holiday season, Memphis Taproom will be serving some of the best Holiday & Seasonal Ales from around the world, all Boxing Day long.

Expect brews like Brasserie DuPont Avec Les Bon Voeux, Corsendonk Christmas Ale, Troegs Mad Elf Ale, Sly Fox Christmas Ale, Harviestoun’s Old Engine Oil, Young’s Double Chocolate Stout, Great Divide Hibernation Ale, Maredsous 6, and Mahr’s Christmas Bock, to name a few.

In addition to celebrating great beer, Memphis Taproom will also be celebrating the spirit of Boxing Day by collecting canned food and gently used winter coats and warm blankets for donation to Philabundance and Philadelphia-based Mercy Neighborhood Ministries.

Earn $1 off each draft you have by bringing in a coat, a blanket, or 3 cans of food!

For more information visit www.memphistaproom.com.

The Global Brew Tribe, a clan that seeks to provide brewers ’round the world with an organization dedicated to their craft, is now forming. As a member of this worldly brew crew, you will be able to enter the American Homebrewers Association National Homebrew Competition — assuming membership in a AHA registered club — and access to information to help channel your inner guru, such as Tribal Beer University (which helps prepare members to pass the written beer judge certification exam).

The tribe’s beer warriors, under the supervision of the “Tribal Powers That Be” and “Tribal Councils,” will also have access to beer forums, chats, monthly tribal gatherings, two yearly meetings at locations across the globe, a database of all members, and the coveted Beer Formulator (an online beer recipe calculator and database).

Although still in the works, this unique brew club offers its brethren who are interested in broadening their beer expertise a chance to embrace the wisdom of the tribe. For more information, visit http://beertribe.com.

For a quarter of a century, Americans have delighted in Belgium-brewed, Chimay Trappist Ales. To celebrate its initial arrival on to U.S. soil a solid 25 years ago, Belgium’s Bieres de Chimay has designed a special collectors-edition goblet — just for its fans in the U.S. In addition to the commemorative glass, the brewery is releasing an American-only Chimay Anniversary Sampler Pack (complete with the full Trappist beers line, and with a collector’s goblet in tow), an ideal gift for the Belgian beer lover in all of us!

To keep the celebrations going, Chimay-selling bars nationwide will also host 25th Anniversary Celebrations. To find an event in your neck of the woods, visit www.chimay.com for a complete list of events nationwide.

One southern bar chain is creating election frenzy this decision year with its 2008 Presidential Poll. The Flying Saucer, a series of beer venues throughout Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and the Carolinas, recently kicked off its rendition of polling this political season with the re-inauguration of its own constituent poll. The Saucer’s “election tradition” encourages customers to vote for their favorite candidates by purchasing special $5 pint glasses created by the Flying Saucer for each candidate. As of Monday afternoon, Barack Obama leads overall with 6,989 votes to McCain’s 5,982, but the Republican is ahead at a few of the bar’s locations.

You can make your vote count at any of 13 FS locations, any day of the week. Votes are tallied at the end of each business day, and polling lasts until election night, November 4. Could the Saucer’s poll mean there’s trouble brewing for hopeful McCain? Possibly. In 2004, the Saucer accurately predicted the winner of the election — 4,448 Bush to 3,569 Kerry. Guess we will just have to wait and see. For up-to-date poll results, visit www.beerknurd.com. — Stephanie Riel

Celebrate the Holiday(s) with Iron Hill!

September is right around the corner, and other than spending hours bulking up your fantasy football roster, that can only mean one thing: Oktoberfest! This fall, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant will celebrate the beer-laden, 16-day festival by offering patrons a scrumptious Bavarian-influenced menu. The two-course meal complete with traditional German favorites like grilled bratwurst, gold smashed potatoes, homemade applesauce and beer-braised cabbage is available from September 15 through October 31 at all of Iron Hill’s award-winning locations. Paired with one of the brewery’s 10-ounce drafts (we suggest their seasonal Oktoberfest), this feast hard to resist. Prost!

Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant has seven locations: two in Delaware (Newark and Wilmington) and five in Pennsylvania (Media, West Chester, North Wales, Phoenixville and Lancaster). For more information, visit www.ironhillbrewery.com.

Looking for a way to spice up the workday and get out of that cubicle? Well, it just might be your lucky day! German beer giant Beck’s is looking to make one hopeful writer the envy of beer lovers worldwide as the global brand searches for a columnist who is “different by choice” to connect with consumers online. Potential candidates should be Web-savvy, charismatic and eager to engage consumers to share their point of view electronically. Don’t procrastinate—applications are due by June 12. For more information, or to fill out an application, visit www.becks.com.