Dec 24, 2013

Merry Christmas from The Beer Czar!

I just wanted to take a moment and wish all of you a happy, and safe holiday, and a very Merry
Christmas! Thank you all for making this a great year for not just me, but this blog as well. Its a ton of fun writing this, and interacting with all of you, and I thank you for it.

This is the time of year of holiday parties and thick, heavy wonderful Christmas brews (they end to
be strong too!). I ask one thing of you this holiday season. If you are at a party, or gathering, and find yourself having more then one or two of these fine beers, PLEASE be smart, and safe, and arrange for alternative transportation. Driving drunk is not only insanely stupid, and selfish, it is also 100% avoidable, so please, get a DD, take a cab, stay where you are, or don't drink. It is really that simple.




Again, I wish all of you a safe and happy Christmas, and wonderful New Year, and I will see you right back here, starting off in 2014.

Until next time
Merry Christmas, and bottoms up my friends!

The Beer Czar

Ghost Stories with Becky, Holiday Edition!

Well, Christmas is almost upon us, so what better time for a new edition of Ghost Stories with Becky!!
Becky writes about her time at the famous paranormal site Eastern State Penitentiary. Fascinating read with some very cool pictures! Check it out!

Happy Holidays!
During this time of family and friends, parties, and being thankful for what we have, I started thinking about someone who touched my heart in a most unlikely place and in a most unlikely way. I'd like to share a story with you that I was saving for Halloween but due to family issues, I never shared it. Though in hindsight, I believe it was suppose to be written now as opposed to then. Its about a man I believe is called Peter. He lives in Philadelphia, PA in the center cell on death row at Eastern State Penitentiary. I met him on my first “official” paranormal investigation with my friend's group centered in Virginia. 

Eastern State Penitentiary
We stopped at Eastern State one warm August afternoon to walk around before our investigation later that night. The place itself is like walking back in time. On the outside, a gorgeous work of architecture in a Gothic style, inside a spider web of hallways to confuse the inmates. Walking down some of the cell blocks you can just imagine the daily routine. Eastern State was born in the home of Benjamin Franklin in 1787 when a group of prominent Philidelphians felt there was a need for a new type of “jail” one that would not punish using corporal punishment and ill treatment but one that would make its inmates reflect upon their sins and repent. Cells were individually sized with a sky light in the roof for them to be able to look to the heavens. Eventually, it was found to be cruel to keep inmates in such solitary confinement all the time without books, contact with the outside of any kind and no letters from home or family. For a bit of perspective, most of the inmates were there for crimes such as thievery, assault, murder, and armed robbery to name a few. These were the worst criminals our young country had to offer. The most famous criminal before it closed its doors in January of 1970 is Chicago gangster Al Capone (1929-1930) whose cell has been reconstructed to look like it did when he was there. For more history visit its site here! A fascinating place, if I do say so. 
Al Capone's cell
 
Walking down the cell blocks during the daylight was a humbling experience not to mention the other strange experiences we had. One hallway or cell block gave me a really creepy feeling. So much so that when I had to place a camera down there for our investigation that night I made someone go with me. Down a different cell block Erin asked me to stop, I did, then she said to move to the left, as I did a shadow bolted to the right and disappeared.  

The "eye"
Finally the time I'd been waiting for; set up is done it is time to Investigate!! We went down a cell block which was super quiet. Scott gave me the recorder and said “go do your first EVP session wherever down this block.” So myself and another investigator walked a little ways when we were drawn to one of the open cell doors, we went in and started taking pictures. At one point I was feeling like something was staring at me. (remember we are in the pitch dark, no light) I turned around and took a picture at the doorway behind me. Well to my surprise, the flash on my camera revealed a HUGE eyeball painted above the door. We giggled (yes I know how childish but it certainly wasn't laughing when that thing caught us off guard) and started our EVP. We didn't get anything on the recorder but we did smell smoke like something was burning. I'm not 100% but I believe there was a fire in that cell block or the one near it. All I know, is there was nothing burning that night.
 
Next we went to the “Klondike” or “The Hole” which was where solitary confinement was later put
when the need arose for some of the more troublesome prisoners. This was a small area where my 5'4” just made it without hitting my head on the ceiling (thank God since there were tons of spiders!) Needless to say anyone taller than 5'6” wouldn't be able to stand up straight. These cells were also made underground and in between the pipes that held the hot water. Not a very comfortable space by any means. Within minutes of entering, one of the women in our group had a headache. We talked to the walls and I picked up on a young man, one of the youngest who had been incarcerated. He was mad, something to do with his girlfriend and he couldn't see her. My guess – he was given permission to have her visit and got himself thrown in Solitary, but I honestly don't know. Later I got a really sharp pain right in my ribs... your guess is as good as mine, only way I can describe it is like being stabbed. 

Once we left the Hole, I was fine. We went down a few other cell blocks but I'm going to go to the heart of my tale: Death Row. It is a short cell block with only 5 cells that are blocked by a big metal gate. Executions didn't take place at Eastern State, they were transported elsewhere to receive this. I stood by the gate and was soon drawn to the middle cell. We started our EVP session and one of the women in our group mentioned how staying there must have really “sucked” I immediately heard a male voice saying she should watch her language. I mentioned it to her and she apologized. (not that you would know this but I literally just searched my house for my disk of that session so I could give you verbatim information – can't find it any where so I'm thinking Peter doesn't want his tale told. Sorry buddy! I will go from memory.) We asked him when he was born and he said 1873 (unfortunately, the recorder didn't pick up on any of this, just my translation of what he told me). He was incarcerated in the 1920's. He doesn't trust anyone because they always disappoint him in some way. He doesn't have any family, I got the impression he was an orphan who grew up on the streets. When we asked him if he would like us to help him cross over, he said 'no he is fine where he is' I asked him why? He said, 'he doesn't know where he would be going, heaven or hell, so he would much rather stay where he knows what

to expect' We then asked if he ever had a dog because pets could receive on the other side as well. Just then everyone heard a dog bark. I wish I had the CD, but I believe he also mentioned that he was an accomplice to a murder which is what added to his not knowing where he would go if he crossed over. He also challenged us as to why we would “try to cross someone over when we couldn't prove it existed” A valid point if I do say so and have kept that with me ever since. He gave me several other details, vague but stuff I would never have come up with. I promised him I'd be back later to say good-bye, he didn't believe me. A little after midnight I did go back with Scott and the “medium” that came with us. (I will restrain from giving my full opinion of her but I will say I didn't like “something” about her from the moment I met her.) Peter was pleasantly surprised I followed through. Our “medium” kept saying there was no one there, that she felt nothing. She continued to talk about crossing him over and it was ok. As she talked he was talking to me making fun of her, saying she talked too much, and that she thought too much of herself. She asked a particular question (I can't remember what now) and I could feel him looking at me asking “is she f-ing serious???” I cracked up then which she didn't appreciate. By the end, I swear he was holding his hand up saying “blah blah blah”
It was tough leaving his cell. I felt like we really made a connection and neither of us wanted me to go. I told him so and he said “go, I'll be ok” I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried as I left him. He is always close to my heart and I do miss him. Sadly I haven't made it back there to see him though I've had people tell me spirits have no concept of time. Whether he does or not, its a promise I made and will eventually keep when the timing is right. Its funny how many opportunities I've “Just” missed to go there again.
So during this holiday season I want to wish all of you a fun filled time with the people you hold most dear. Thoughts to those who miss out on the true spirit of family and friends because they are without. To all those who are serving in the military and are unable to make it home, a huge THANK YOU to you and your loved ones. And to Peter, in the small span of 60 minutes I made a dear friend whom I wish all the best, that you are thought of and not alone any more! Until we meet again!!!
 
 
Check out Becky's paranormal groups blog "Fallen Angels" you can find them on Facebook here as well!
 
Until next time
Bottoms up my friends
 
The Beer Czar

Dec 16, 2013

World of Beer Opens in GIlbert!

 

Today, Dec 16th marked the public opening of the much anticipated World of Beer Gilbert! After a VIP event the night before (I was told it was packed) they opened their doors to the public at 11am this morning. Being as I am only a mile or so from SanTan Village (where WOB is locate) I decided to spend my lunch break checking out the Gilberts newest beer bar.

Locate right out front, facing Williams Field Rd, right next to Kona Grill, WOB has a fairly small, but very recognizable, noticeable store front, you can't miss it! (if you pull into the main entrance off Williams Field Rd, take a right, go passed Barnes and Noble, and it will be right there on your left).





Offering up 60 taps, and over 500 bottles (and not a single Bud Light to be found!!) you are going to find something you like, and even love. They offer a pretty awesome showing of some local beers as well, from breweries throughout the entire state.

Its somewhat small, very comfortable bar, with garage doors facing up front that open to an outdoor bar and patio seating. I didn't have any food, but I hear its awesome, and from what I could see from my bar stool, it looks very good, with generous helpings.


There is a Facebook party tomorrow night (Dec 17, just like their Facebook Page, and your in the door!). There is a series of events later this week, including a SanTan tap take over, and a 12 beers of Christmas event as well.

Check out their website, and Facebook page for the latest on what is going on there, and make sure to down load their app, and join their loyalty program! This is a pretty awesome beer bar, Gilbert should be proud! GO check it out, and please, if you do, let me know what you think of it, and please, share your photos with us, we would love to share them!

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar

Dec 2, 2013

2nd Annual Phoenix Brewers Invitational....

It was just a year ago, that I reported on what, at the time was probably the newest beer festival in
Phoenix. The Phoenix Brewers Invitational was held in beautiful Heritage Square in downtown Phoenix. It was a great festival, with a great collection of beers and brewers, vendors, food and always friendly beer people. My wife, and very new daughter Kelsey made our way to the square, we got there as soon as it opened, and spent the next few hours walking the crowd, saying hello to old friends and making so many more new ones. I met the fine folks from That Brewery in Pine, as well as my now friends from Craft Brewed Clothing, and many more.





My friends from Craft Brewed Clothing at last years festival
Well, its that time again, the 2nd Annual Phoenix Brewers Invitational is this Sat, Dec 7th! Gates open at noon, and goes till 6. There will be 60 brewers there, offering up over 120 beers. Just some of the brewers there will be Abita, Oskar Blues, SanTan, Grand Canyon, Big Sky, Phoenix Ale, Huss, Old World, Fate, North Mountain, Lumberyard, Breckenridge, Marble, Oak Creek, Funwerks, Firestone Walker, Thunder Canyon, Left Hand, Ska, Papago, Uinta, Santa Fe, Full Sail, Left Coast, Mission, Rodeo Cold and many more.




Mrs Czar last year
Admission into the festival grounds is FREE, however in order to consume beer, all 21-and-over patrons must purchase the 2013 souvenir mug which comes with 12- 4oz beer samples. Purchase the mug and samples through online pre-sale to save $10 off of the day of pricing. ($25 pre-sale, $35 day of).






More on the festival from HDE Agency...
"Phoenix Brewers Invitational was the brain child of the late Greg “Fretzy” Fretz. His vision was to create a signature craft beer event in downtown Phoenix that celebrates the vast array of styles and flavors of craft beer. In May, 2013, Fretzy lost his battle with throat cancer. His passing struck the Phoenix beer community as it seemed just about everyone had shared a special fondness for his generous and outgoing personality. Paying tribute to his vision and passion, PBI will continue to celebrate the culture of craft beer in his honor."



Complete list of brewers can be seen here....
Check out the festivals official web page here....
Check out the full press release here for more info on VIP tickets, schedules etc. here.....


Hope to see you all there!

 Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar

Nov 27, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving from The Beer Czar

I just wanted to take the time and wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday! Thank you all for your support and readership! I appreciate it all, and yes, I am very thankful for it!




So crack open the beers, enjoy your families, and remember why it is we do what we do.



Have a great day everyone!









Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar

If you want to read my piece about the history of beer, and thanksgiving, you can check it out here....


Nov 25, 2013

Save the Date! World of Beer GIlbert is opening its doors.......

 
A date has been set! So mark Dec 16th off on your calendars (and you may want to request Dec 17th
off of work....just in case) because The World of Beer at San Tan Village in Gilbert AZ will be opening for business!

World of Beer will bring 500 beers, and 60 tap handles, as well as tavern fare, entertainment and other beer centric events to Gilbert. It will also feature "handcrafted cocktails including fun creations like the Hoti Mojito, MargarIPA and Gin N Jam. Each drink is unique to World of Beer and showcases the WOB culture by including craft beer in the cocktails themselves. In keeping with their founding philosophy, World of Beer is partnering with local distilleries to supply the handcrafted spirits to WOB Gilbert."
 
World of Beer Gilbert hosts happy hour, Monday-Friday from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. offering $1 off all draft beers. In addition to the weekly events, World of Beer hosts monthly brewery nights and spotlights, tap takeovers and beer-centric events celebrating the flavors of the season.
 
WOB Gilbert is planning a week-long grand opening celebration from December 16-22. So, be sure to stay tuned to their Facebook events page for all the details as they are announced: like them on Facebook here.....
 
I will keep you up to date on announcements and anything else when I get them. This is something all us far east valley folks should be REALLY excited about!
 
Until next time
Bottoms up my friends
 
The Beer Czar

Nov 22, 2013

S.L.I.F. Vol. VI


S.L.I.F. Vol. VI
It's that time again (sorry I missed last weeks edition, things got nutty). We made it to the weekend, so here we go, with out further ado.... this weeks version of Sorry Liver it's Friday!
 
 

The Beer Czar on Four Peaks “Brewsletter”!
I was honored to be asked to contribute this month’s segment of Four Peaks “Craft Chat” on their monthly Brewsletter! It was their Thanksgiving edition. Check out the post here, and if you don’t already get it, follow the link to sign up for it!!!

 
 
 

Phoenix Brewers Invitational!!
It’s that time of year again, the Brewers Invitational in downtown Phoenix will take place Dec 7th! I will be writing a lot more about this in the very near future, but wanted to give you a heads up, its only 3 more weeks away! You can check out a list of brewers on their website here….. 

 

 
 
 
Guy time is good for you!
So, tell your wife, you need some more time with the fellas! There is science to back it up now!!
Check out this piece from the fine folks at Kegworks….



 
 
 
Church of Beer??
OK, there is a church that is having a hard time getting folks in the door, so they turned to what else, BEER!!! Amen to that my brothers and sisters!
 





Save the Ales…..
A man runs back into his house to save, what else, his beer!
 

 

 
 
 
Last but not least…..Oberon in 16 oz cans!!!

Can’t wait to grab a few of these 16 oz cans of Oberon (and Two Hearted) and sit by the pool next summer!!! Yes!!! Look for them just in time for summer!!!

 

 

 
 
Until next time
Bottoms up my friends!

The Beer Czar

Giving thanks for (and with) beer....

The following post appeared in the Four Peaks Brewing's monthly "Brewsletter". If you don't get the letter, you can sign up for it here.... (go to the very bottom of their home page and enter your email address). I want to thank Four Peaks for the opportunity to share this with you guys....enjoy.
(you can view the entire "brewsletter" by clicking here.....)


Giving thanks for (and with) Beer!


With Thanksgiving fast approaching, I thought we could take a minute to give thanks for what else, but beer. Beer and Thanksgiving have gone together since, well, since the very beginnings of the holiday. I am sure most of us fans of beer have been asked by more then one friend, on far more then one occasion "did you know the pilgrims stopped in Plymouth because they were out of beer?"' Common knowledge thanks in part to Jim Koch and his Sam Adams TV commercial a few years back. This is, however, at least in part very true. It was pilgrim William Bradford that wrote in his journal ""We could not now take much time for further search, our victuals being much spent, especially our beer," back in 1620, while anchored off Cape Cod Massachusetts, premature of their planned destination of Virginia. While it may not be the only reason they stopped there, it obviously played a role. Beer was a vital component to sea travel back then. It did not spoil as fast as water did, and it was not nearly as intoxicating as rum was, so it was the preferred means of hydration on board sea going vessels of the day.

So, beer did play a part if where the Pilgrims landed, it also played a part in their every day life there as well. In fact, John Alden, one of the founders of the Plymouth colony, and signer of the Mayflower Compact, was in fact a cooper that made beer barrels. British law at the time required that "whosoever shall carry beer beyond the sea," had to bring along someone who could repair and craft replacement beer barrels.


Plymouth Rock
Once setting foot on dry land by Plymouth Rock, where what is now Plymouth Mass, one of the first priorities for the settlers (aside from simply just staying alive) was to establish a brew house where they could make their beer. Using everything from local native corn to pine needles, whatever they could find to make it, I am sure the Pilgrims first few batches weren't very close to what we've come to enjoy today however (and maybe even worse then my first few attempts at home brew). In the first year, the early settlers were not real successful at much of anything, including making beer. Until, as luck would have it, early in their first spring in the new world, their first contact was made with what was left of the native population of the area (most were killed by small pox, courtesy of earlier explorers and fisherman to the area). It was on March 16, 1621, a native  survivor walked out of the woods and into their settlement, and much to their surprise I am sure, said to them "Welcome, English. I am Samoset. Do you have beer?" (coincidently, Samoset learned to speak English from English fisherman that stopped to fish around the banks of Monhegan Island, off the coast of Maine, an island I use to spend my summers on back in college).

Samoset
So you see, beer flows deep in the veins of this American tradition. So it makes sense that we should enjoy beer on it, so why wouldn't we, why shouldn't we? Besides, here in Arizona, us beer lovers certainly have a lot to be thankful for. It wasn't long ago, when I remember Four Peaks being a small pub, and pretty much the only local option for those of us looking for finer beer options. Well, now, Four Peaks isn't exactly "small" anymore and there is a rapidly growing beer scene and culture here in the valley, as well as the entire state that we should all be proud of, and especially this time of year, thankful for. Seems hardly a week goes by these days when we aren't hearing about a new brewery opening here, or another brewery expanding there. It's a great time to be a  fan of beer, so lets not take it for granted. Let us raise a local glass, and toast not only to the wonderful brewers and brewery workers bringing us our favorite beers today, let us toast to those early settlers (and brewers) that helped us get it all started, it couldn't have been easy, they deserve it!

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar

Nov 14, 2013

World of Beer Gilbert is hiring!!!!


Love beer? Need a job, or do you dream of working in the beer industry? World of Beer in Gilbert, slated to open in Dec, is looking for workers! They will be hosting a hiring fair November 15th, 10 am to 2 pm, at their soon to be location in San Tan Village just west of the 202 on Williams Field Rd. For those that aren't familiar with it, the location is up at the front of the complex, facing Williams Field Rd, between AT&T and Chipotle, just down (west) from Kona Grill.

World of Beer Gilbert will bring over 500 beers, and 50 taps, pub grub, live music and other events to the San Tan Village location (less then 2 miles from my house!!!)

They are looking for "hard working, personable people that are passionate about beer and willing to learn the ropes. Must have great customer service skills and be excited to work in a fun environment. All applicants must be at least 18 years of age and available to work flexible hours."

You can get the entire press release here....
You can save some time, and download the application here....
For more info on World of Beer, check out their website here....

If you, or someone you know is looking for work, please pass this info along to them.

Good luck!!!!

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends!

The Beer Czar



Arizona Beer Week 2014

For those of you looking for info on Arizona Beer Week, 2014, here you go!

This year, Arizona Beer Week will be from Feb 15th through the 22nd. Over 250 event planned across the entire state! So there is something for everyone! Tastings, dinners, festivals, pairing events, tours, if it is related to beer, you'll find in during this epic week! As always, the Arizona Strong Beer Festival will be kicking it all off on Feb 15th, (tickets go on sale Dec 1st)!

For more information, check out these additional sites....

On the official AZ Beer Week Website here.....
Arizona Craft Brewers Guild's website here....
On Facebook, here....
You can even find a countdown clock here.....

I'll keep the info updated the closer the time comes.....I'll be highlighting specific events, and hopefully even reporting from a few of them! Stay tuned!

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar




Nov 12, 2013

Photo History of D.G Yuengling & Son, Inc.

The books cover
When you ask most fans of beer and its history "what is the oldest brewery in America?" I am sure most could tell you it is none other than the venerable DG Yuengling & Son, of Pottsville PA. Most of them however, could not give you much more information beyond that. When did they start, how have they survived, are they still family owned, what did they do to survive prohibition? All these questions, and many more are answered in the new book by Robert A Musson MD, simply titled "D.G Yuengling & Son, Inc." from Arcadia Publishing, part of their very popular, "Images of America" series, that I am sure you have seen.



David Gottlied Yuengling
The book, while mainly a photo history, is FULL of wonderful facts, tid bits, and information I am sure most of you have never even thought about. Starting from its origins back in in 1829 when David Gottlied Yuengling immigrated from Wuttemburg Germany, to the small coal mining town of Pottsville, and started a small brewery. Some 180 plus years later, the brewery is going strong, in fact, stronger then ever before.






Ad, c. 1900




This book is a walk through the past 180 years of up, downs, adjustments, and changes to the ever changing world of beer here in the United States of America. All the while, being owned, and run by the same family. Now not just the oldest brewery, but the largest family owned brewery in the states, as well.



Employee group photo, c.1860
It is a story that will appeal to both lovers of beer, as well as Americana in general. Its the story of the real America dream come true, as corny as that may sound. It is full of hundreds of photos, from family portraits, to group shots, photos of the town, the facility, and tons of advertising. Its fun to see how the styles have changed so much through the generations, all while maintaining the same basic principle, to bring good beer to the American people.

Yuengling Ice Cream Truck
One thing I always wanted to know was how did the brewery survived prohibition?  It is  always one of the questions I have whenever I hear of a brewery that made it though it. Yuengling made "near beer" (cleverly called Por-Tor), and sodas, much like a lot of them did, but Yuengling survived mainly by turning to ice cream production, and it was actually quite successful, and in fact, they didn't discontinue production of it until 1985.



The famous "lagering caves" behind the brewery,
still part of the brewery tour today
This book made me not only wanting to drink a nice cold Yuengling, it made me want to learn more brewing in America in general, its roots, history, everything from the pilgrims to the current craft beer explosion.

My thanks to the fine folks at Arcadia Publishing for not only bringing this book to my attention, but for allowing me the opportunity to take a look at it, and share my thoughts. I greatly appropriate it, and loved doing so.

The book is available from Arcadia Publishing here.....

Enjoy my friends, if you get a chance to see this book, by all means, please let me know what you think!

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar

Nov 11, 2013

The Wolfpack rides again!

Over the summer, I was honored to bring to you news of an Epic collaboration of Arizona beer bars ((The Wolfpack Cometh). The Wolfpack Imperial IPA was made under the direction of various beer bar owners, operators and employees at the Sleepy Dog brewing facility in Tempe. Well, yesterday I was lucky enough to sit in on planning session number 2 for the Wolfpack. This go'round, it will be a strong (about 10%) ale, celebrating Arizona and the 5 c's (if you are new to, or not from Arizona, the 5 c's of Arizona are climate, cattle, cotton, copper and citrus). The beer will be brewed using one of all 5 of these c's. The beer will be released on Valentines Day, Feb 14th, 2014, just in time for Arizona Beer Week and the Arizona Strong Beer Festival!!!

Stay tuned for MUCH more information in the coming weeks and months, I will keep you all well informed on this exciting beer!
The Wolfpack

Until Next time
Bottoms up my friends!

The Beer Czar






Oct 29, 2013

Ghost Stories with Becky "Ghost Hunting and History"

Here is one more installment from my good friend Becky, looking at how history plays a part in paranormal research, check this out!


"Ghost Hunting and History"
Wow! What a great response on my last segment. Thank You all for your support
and interest in my stories! I can only hope I can keep up with your expectations as I
sit here trying to figure out what to share next.... How about funeral homes and
religions?
Many people think of the “glamor” aspects of investigating the paranormal; having
the experiences, hearing the evidence and getting to visit some really cool places.
However, there is a lot done behind the scenes as well. History plays a HUGE part
in an investigation for many reasons. For one, it lets us know the previous
occupants and experiences of a building. It can answer if any deaths occurred on
property and possibly how. It gives us a tiny window to see what life was like for
generations. If you don't learn the history behind a case then you could be making
things worse instead of better.
grumpy ghost!
Let me take you on a case. A homeowner calls with concerns about her house, she  has been hearing voices of several people in conversation, a grumpy man and also  children. There have also been unexplained knocks, lights being turned on and off, and items being moved around the house. It is an older house built in . Basically – this is the type of information a home owner gives you to upon request of an investigation. Not a whole lot to go on. We do ask questions such as an address,  how long they have lived there, any known deaths, and if they know anything about the history of the property. (For confidentiality purposes I won't be giving you the name or location) . The answers to these questions give us a starting point.


So this residence was built in a field just about ¼ mile from a Meeting House, either
Quaker or Puritan. History could play a huge roll here and you'll see why shortly.
When we first started to look into the house we were under the impression it was
Puritan land. Puritan's were very steadfast and strict in their beliefs. They came to
the new world for that freedom to follow the Bible. They were not open to other
beliefs and in fact, did NOT like people who did Not believe in God.
Our homeowner was mostly concerned with the Grumpy man that she would hear.

This past spring she planted an herb garden unearthing some old metal nails and
fixtures. She was awoken the next night by a very mean voice accusing her of
something. She was very shaken up. It was never described as evil, which is
important, just grumpy and not nice. When we investigated we got several EVP's
(electronic voice phenomenon) with a grumpy male voice saying “Get Out!”
A possible important fact, our homeowner is a practicing Wiccan, also thought of
as a witch. If the information is correct and this is Puritan land, with its meeting
house just ¼ mile away... How do you think any one still lingering is going to take
the news that a “witch” is practicing on their land?
We go home and diligently go over evidence where to our surprise we get a name.
Quaker Meeting House
We continue to dig deeper, this time looking for names of possible Puritan clergy
and continue our research into the property. It is very important to us to be able to
give the homeowners the most truthful explanation we can, not to mention we would
love to validate the name we got. Much to our surprise, we discover it wasn't Puritan
land but Quaker land. This puts a new spin to our theories. Quakers are quite the
opposite of Puritans, they are peaceful people who are tolerant and open to other's
beliefs. They believe in salvation for all. Hmmmmm doesn't really sound like our Grumpy man. So the theory of it being a difference between religions may not be the answer.
Believe it or not, it was the homeowner who seems to have solved the mystery of
Mr. Grumpy. She was talking to her neighbors and learned there was a man named
__________ who lived and died in the house. In life he was a grumpy, stuck in his
ways man and it appears he doesn't want to share his house even in death. The
homeowner sat down one night and had a little chat with him setting up the ground
rules and how they need to share the house now. It has been pretty quiet ever since,
though now she keeps hearing children so we may just be heading back soon!
Will we ever know all the answers? Probably not but at least history points us in
more accurate directions.

Another home we investigated had undergone many changes throughout its time.
Starting out as a farmhouse built by a young couple, to a funeral home, back to a
private residence. (just to name a few) The currant homeowners contacted us as
activity started to pick up during their remodeling of the home. Disembodied
voices, objects moving, objects being thrown, and their grandson playing hide and
seek for hours with an invisible little boy were a few of the reports. The day we were
to investigate, their grandson had no idea we were coming, he gave the toy found in
the wall to his grandfather telling him to give it to us so we can return it to his
“invisible” friend. (I refer to him as invisible but to the grandson he was as solid as
you or I)
We arrived and took a tour of the house finding the hot spots and hearing the accounts of activity. As we were setting up in the room where the toy was found in  the wall, the whole group heard plain as day, “Mama?” a little girl was calling for her
mama. Throughout the evening it was hit or miss, as it often is during investigations.
I can't stress enough how spirits don't perform on command, they were/are people
and if they don't want to come out and talk, they won't. At the very end of our night we were in what is now the master bedroom but at one  time was the viewing room for the funeral home. The air was heavy feeling and we
were doing an EVP session. One of the other investigators, Chris, and I like placing
our flashlights down to see if spirits can turn them on and off on command to
answer questions. It isn't fool proof by any means, vibrations can set them off as
can rolling.
It is a fun tool to use, however, and tonight it was a show stopper. I was
sitting in a chair by the windows (where the bodies would be displayed) with Chris'
flashlight next to me. She was sitting on the bed with my flashlight on the floor at her
feet. We also had a 3rd flashlight that night in the hand of another investigator in a
direct line from mine and Chris'. We started asking questions and discovered it
was Sylvia, the original homeowner's wife with us. What blew us away, was that
whenever I asked a question she would light up my flashlight on the floor, when Chris asked a question she would light up her flashlight next to me. In fact while she was lighting the flashlight next to me, my leg would be pushed out of the way by
what felt kind of like a hoop skirt. It wouldn't matter who asked the question she
would answer using the correct flashlight. Sylvia was able to light up all 3 lights in a
row and then all at once. It was an amazing display of communication between our
world and theirs.

To come around full circle, if we hadn't done our research on this house, we would
never have asked if it was Sylvia, we wouldn't have been able to put her at ease
and the amazing communication through the flashlights wouldn't have happened.
The fact that we put her at ease enough to light up the flashlight in our other
investigators hand is pretty incredible. I know it is an experience he won't forget
anytime soon.
Stay tuned for my last segment on Halloween Night! I have enjoyed sharing my
stories with you all. Please continue to follow on my team's newest site beginning
Halloween, Fallen Angels. A link will be available next week!



Thank you Becky! We will have one more post from Becky before her and her groups blog goes on line. I will keep you all up to date and let you know when it goes live, and provide the link for it!

Thanks again Becky

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar

Oct 25, 2013

S.L.I.F. (vol V) Video Edition!

Here we go, we made, without further ado, I present to you, this weeks edition of SLIF!! (video edition!)

Brew your own at O.S.H.O.!!!
Check out ABC 15's visit to OSHO Nano Brewery!

San Tan Video
A few weeks ago, I had the plesure of attedning San Tan's grand opening of their new production facilty. I found this little video about the opening, that has a lot more specifics on the brewery.



New Belgium's Tour de Fat visits Tempe!
And my good friend James Swann was there to bring you the action for his new show "Adventures in Brew"



The Beer Czar intro graphic!
For those of you have haven't seen it yet, well, I plan on doing some short video pieces coming up in the very near future. I figured I needed a nice video intro with music for when I start doing this. So I asked my brother in law Mike who works "in the biz" to see if he could come up withe a little video intro. Well, to say he far exceeded my expectations is a bit of an understatement. I've used it a couple times thus far, but expect to see more of it coming up very soon. Check it out...the song is called "Hooray for Beer" by Bowling for Soup


You can check out our You Tube Channel here....


A short edition, but a good one! Have a great weekend...

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar