Mar 25, 2013

Pitcher of Nector Rare Beer Festival!!

Just wanted to make a quick note, anyone planning on hitting up the Pitcher of Nectar Rare Beer Festival this upcoming weekend at Whole Foods in Chandler will want to see this. The host, James Swann just posted the official beer list for the event, that list is as follows.....



The List of Breweries & Beers are AS FOLLOWS:
KEGS:
MARIN BREWING
Brass Knuckle Double IPA, Tiburon Blonde
ASS KISSER
Bourbon Smoked Porter
RUBICON
Nitro Stout
ALE INDUSTRIES
Ryed Piper & IPA
BORDERLANDS
Noche Dulce, Prickly Pear Wheat
JOSEPH JAMES
Red Fox Imperial Stout
AGAINST THE GRAIN
Shit Jeans, 35 K, 2 Wheel Death Machine, Bo & Luke
BEER HERE
Hop Fix and Kama Citra
NOGNE O
Citrus Histrix, Tiger Triple
MIKKELLER
Walk on Water, Columbus Single Hop IPA
YEASTIE BOYS
Pot Kettle Black
BAD ATTITUDE
The Dude will Abide
TO 01
Final Frontier
CASK REAL ALE:
SUDWERKDry Hopped Maibock & Three Best Friends Vanilla Coffee Stout
BOTTLES:
MARINStinson Beach Peach, Raspberry Trail Ale, Old Dipsey Barrel Aged Barleywine
ASS KISSER

Double IPA, Vanilla Pale, Hefeweizen
RUBICON
Rosebud & IPA
ALE INDUSTRIES
Golden State of Mind Wit
JOSEPH JAMES
Hop Box, Fox Tail Pail GLUTEN FREE, J.J. Craft Lager
EL TORO
Negro Oatmeal Stout, Poppy Jasper Amber, IPA, The Deuce Imperial IPA
ANCHORAGE BREWING
Galaxy White IPA, Tide & It’s Takers Triple
DRIE FONTEINE
Oude Gueuze
PANIL
Barriquee Sour Red
JOLLY PUMPKIN
Oro De Calabaza, Bam Noir, Fuego del Otono – Autumn Fire, Luciernaga – Fire Fly, La Parcela – Sour
8 WIRED
Hop Wired IPA, Super Conductor Double IPA, Saison Sauvin
X BEERIMENT
Black Force One, Hoppen Heimer Double IPA
SUDWERK
Marzen, Hefeweizen and Premium Pilsner
UPRIGHT BREWING
Small Batches #4, #5, #6 and #7
TIMOTHY TAYLOR
The Landlord
CIDERS:
J.K. CIDERS
Scrumpy, Northern Neighbor and Solstice
THISTLEY CROSS
Scottish Cider


The Festival is this Sat, March 30th, from 3pm to 7pm at the Whole Foods Market in Chandler. This should be one epic festival!!



Mar 20, 2013

Arizona Beer is expanding, outside of Arizona!!!!

Arizona has a rapidly expanding, and improving beer scene. Seems like hardly a week goes buy when I am not reading about a brewery in our state expanding, opening a new facility or pub, or both, or a brand new brewery opening its doors. Recently Chandler's own San Tan Brewing company expanded its production, and will almost triple its output! Their intent, to expand not only their reach within the state, but outside our boarders as well.

Surprising as it may seem, no brewery in Arizona offers its beers outside our state, and San Tan made mention of being the first in Arizona to do so.
Well, some good news bad news, San Tan will not be the first beer available in another state. The good news, Grand Canyon Brewing will be!



I will be honest, this does come as a bit of a shock to me. I would have thought the first to do this would have been San Tan, or Four Peaks. Grand Canyon Brewing is not the largest, or most well known Arizona Brewery, and one I am not all too familiar with. However, thanks to a quick visit to their pub on historic Rt 66 in Williams ( located about 40 miles west of Flagstaff), and tasting a few of their beers at various festivals, I have had a few of their brews, and think this brewery will be a fine representative of Arizona beer outside of our state.

Currently the brewery has established about 30 accounts in Clark County Nevada (home of Las Vegas) at such Vegas staples as Lee's Discount Liquors, Speedy Mart, and Whole Foods. There you will find their flagships, Sunset Amber, and American Pilsner, as well as Coffee Bean Stout, Hop Bomber IPA, and Shaggy Bock. They also plan on distributing some more of their seasonal offerings later this year.
The company plans future expansion to S California, New Mexico and Colorado as well, although no date for this is set yet.

Trust me, as someone that goes to Las Vegas quite a bit (we have family there) finding good beer isn't always easy (although getting easier), especially on the strip. It is there, but you really have to work to seek it out. This will give us one more option while there, and maybe give me a little taste of home as well!




If you ever get a chance to go to Williams ( where the Grand Canyon Rail Road leave from) by all means, check out their pub there, called Cruisers Cafe 66. Its friendly  and comfortable, and they offer up some pretty good food, and even finer Arizona craft brew!!




Grand Canyon Brewing is located at
233 W Route 66
Williams, AZ

check out their website here....
or check them out on Facebook

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends!
The Beer Czar



Mar 19, 2013

Salvaged beer to be be made again!!

HMS Victory at Battle of Trafalgar
OK, we all know I love beer, however, I am not completely one dimensional. I have a lot of interests, along with beer, I also love music, camping/hiking and history (among other things). Specifically, I love nautical history. I am fascinated with the age of sail, and British Navel history from around the War of 1812.






While we normally associate the old navy stories with rum, beer was a huge part of daily life on board these vessels. So, it would stand to reason,  that over the coarse of history, thousands of gallons of rum and beer sank to the bottom of the ocean. Never to been seen again, until now!

Bottle of Salvaged Beer





Back in 2010, a wreck from about the 1840's was salvaged off the coast of Finland. The wreck contained 5 bottles of completely intact beer (as well as champagne)!!! Well, all things salvaged off the coast of Finland belong to the Government. What has the government decided to do with these beers? Give them to VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland to analyze the recipe, then give that recipe to a local brewery ( Stallhagen Brewery ), an allow them to recreate this almost 175 year old beer. The beer is set to go into production later this year, and be available to the public by June of 2014.

Part of the profits from the sale of this beer will go to charities that deal with ocean and environmental issues. No word yet if we will be able to get our hands on this brew here in the states, but I will certainly be keeping an eye out!

You can check out the story in gizmag here...

Until next time my friends
Bottoms Up
The Beer zar

Mar 14, 2013

St Patrick's Day Interactive Map

OK, for you Arizona readers, here is a link to an interactive map of all the goings on for St Patrick's Day here in the Valley. Pretty cool, and helpful!


So, there it is. So, whatever you decide, you have plenty of choices!

Just remember, no matter what you decide, BE SMART, and stay safe, arrange for a cab, or other ride home, please, don't be a douche bag and drink and drive.....

Also, remember, I would love to post some pic's of you celebrating St Paddy's Day, so, after the party, send me some pic's so I can share!

Slainte!
The Beer Czar

San Tan's Mr Pineapple, is it the perfect summer beer?

a tad warm
OK, I am sitting here, its March 14th, 10 am, all the windows and doors open, and sun is already warming up to a comfortable 71, on its way to around 93 today. Yup, this is what we call "spring" in Arizona. In just a few short months, the temp will be climbing an additional 20 degrees or so from today's forecasted high (last summer, we hit 118 I believe, officially, my car thermometer read 122!). So, while most of the country is still butt deep in the chilly white stuff, longing for temps that don't start with "minus", we here in Arizona are already in shorts and flip flops, and contemplating turning on the A/C. This is exactly why I moved here!

Bells Oberon


This brings about thoughts of beers for summer, at least it does for me. Now, for the last 5 years, my standard, go to summer beer has been Bell's Oberon Ale, from Kalamazoo, MI (I first had it at my wedding reception, where we had a keg of it). Well, I may have found a beer that will compete for my fridge space this summer! Who could possible take the place of that golden beer with the smiling sun on the label? Well, Mr Pineapple, that's who! The best part, its brewed less then 10 miles from my house!!

I was lucky enough to receive a couple of can's of San Tan Brewing Company's Mr Pineapple the other day. Now, if anyone has been to their pub during the summer months you may have tried this already. They started making it for their annual Luau celebrations. Well, I guess it received such deserved praise, they decided to make it a staple summer seasonal beer in their pub. Now, since San Tan has decided to launch Arizona's first seasonal canned beer campaign, we will now be lucky enough to grab a six pack of this treasure to enjoy anywhere!

This award winning beer (Silver Medalist at the 2011 Great American Beer Festival) is a traditional German Wheat beer using white wheat, two row and Munich malt. They add fresh pineapple ( I read 130 oz per barrel) during the primary fermentation  then crushed, and cooled to infuse those pineapple flavors with the traditional flavors of the German Wheat beer. Its a very session-able 5% ABV, with a light 20 IBU's.





It pours a cloudy, dark golden, almost orange color. With a fluffy white head, that looks almost like frosting on a cupcake! The aroma is fresh, wheat/bread, typical of a wheat beer, but also with a fruity character, and not just pineapple, more like a fruit salad. You can pull the pineapple aromas out of it however. The aroma is very refreshing on this beer!
Now, when you take a sip, the pineapple is much more pronounced then in the aroma, but there is still that hint of other fruit (apple mostly), but again, you mainly get the pineapple, that mixes well with the fresh wheat flavors. Now, this isn't one of those over the top, sickening sweet fruit beers. While the fruit flavors are pronounced, they don't over power and take over the taste of the beer, which I just love! The pineapple flavor is more then a hint, but still subtle enough for you folks that like beer that still tastes like beer. Over all, this is a very drinkable, smoothly pleasant beer to drink. It just seems like all the aspects of this beer are so very well balanced  Not one aspect over powers and takes over, they all seem to mingle, and work perfectly together to produce a near perfect summer/poolside beer!

Will Mr Pineapple take its place in my fridge as my go to summer beer? That remains to be seen, but I will say this, there will be plenty of it, along side my beloved Oberon in my fridge this summer!

Mr Pineapple will be available in stores starting after the BBQ and Beer festival in Chandler next weekend (March 23rd). Find it where every you find San Tan beers.

Thank you Jennifer P and folks at HDE for the "sneak peak"!

Learn more about San Tan on their website here..
Follow them on Facebook 
Follow them on Twitter

San Tan Brewing is located at 
8 S. San Marcos Place
Chandler, AZ 

Opened 
Sun - Thur 11 am to 1 am
Fri and Sat 11 am to 2 am

Until Next Time
Bottoms Up My Friends
The Beer Czar

Mar 13, 2013

"Talking Beer" with KTAR's Pamela Hughes


OK, I'll admit it, I am a news junkie,  I have been for most of my life. I think it started as a kid, in the car with my dad, making us listen to NPR and later on to Rush (the talk radio guy, not the group) anytime we went anywhere (and where I grew up, going somewhere meant you were going to be in the car for quite a while!). Even in college, I loved to sit and watch the news, listen to talk radio or read the paper.

Rob, Pamela and Bruce
Having moved to Arizona back in 95, and working at a little boarding school outside of Sedona, one of my first questions to my boss upon moving to campus was "what is the local NPR station?" Not much changed since moving down to the valley a couple of years later, when I immediately looked for a good talk/news radio station.Well, I found one! At the time, it was KTAR 620 AM, now its KTAR (92.3 FM). My favorite show on KTAR is "The Bruce St James Show" (aka 'The Libertarian Power Hour"). The show, on Monday to Friday, 9 am -Noon consists of 3 people. Obviously, Bruce St James is at the wheel, with his co-hosts, Rob Hunter (a fellow New Englander and Red Sox fan!!) and the lovely Pamela Hughes.

Now I work from home most of the time these days, as a result I listen to radio pretty much all day (its far less distracting then TV) and these guys are on right in the middle of my work day, so I rarely miss a day. As a result, I have learned a great deal about the hosts of the show. You could imagine my surprise (and delight), when I heard Bruce mention one day not too long ago that Pamela and her husband Chris brewed their own beer. Well, I thought, how cool would it be to chat with her about beer! I've read a lot of "interviews" on other beer blogs with beer industry folks, but I realized you don't often read interviews with people not in the industry, but who are still what I would consider "beer people". So, I figured I could start "chatting" with local, well known valley personalities about their love of beer, and I decided to start with Pamela, (hopefully). So, I went on KTAR's website, found Pamela's email address, and while trying to sound as un-stalker like as possible  asked her if she would be willing to sit down and chat with me about beer, or at least answer a few questions via email for me.

Well, I was thrilled to get a very enthusiastic response back, agreeing to meet! So, after a series of emails back and forth to hammer out a time, place and to assure there were no HR policies about to be violated, we nailed it down. We decided to meet at the very newly opened Sleepy Dog Pub and Bistro, located almost exactly in between our place, and hers (she lives in the same town as we do, so it made it a lot easier).  My wife and I got there a little early, and decided to get a sampler of Sleepy Dog beers, so that I would be in a good position to recommend something to them when they got there. Well, I guess we weren't quite as early as I thought we were, as they arrived soon after we got our beers. So, we made our introductions, and had a seat at the table.

The Sleepy Dog Pub and Bistro
OK, I will admit, I didn't really know what to expect with this meeting. I remember telling my wife on the way over "man, what if she is just a huge bitch?" We had a good (nervous) chuckle about it, as we both sort of realized at that point, we didn't really have a plan at all. I just sort of figured, we would sit down, order some beers, and start chatting and see where that takes us. Which is exactly what we did.

I did have a series of questions I had in mind, so that at the very least, I would have a structured interview I could write about, however, I didn't really want this to be an interview, but rather a conversation, and hoped that was the direction it would go.

The Sampler
Like I mentioned earlier, Pamela is a co-host of the Bruce St James Show on KTAR, she is also the Managing Editor there. She is from a small town in Western PA, and moved to Arizona to attend ASU to study journalism. After a brief stint in the upper Midwest  she returned to us here in the valley to join the news team at KTAR. She has since gotten married to Chris, and given birth to a daughter, now 3 (and a half), lovingly referred to on the show as "Baby Riley" (despite pushing 4 years of age).
OK, back to beer. We started off talking about the beer we had in front of us. We both ordered the 6 beer sampler of Sleepy Dogs beers, and spent the first few minutes trading notes on each of the beers (pretty good too, I must say, I'll write more about Sleep Dog at a later date!). That morphed into conversations about our favorite styles of beers, and the inevitable college war stories about beer, and how bad the beer was we drank in college, and yet we still managed to drink WAY too much of it despite of that fact. This lead me to one of my few actual "interview" style questions. "What was the beer that changed your mind about what beer could be? Your "game changer" as I like to call it. Her husband Chris didn't have to think about it, and answered immediately, for him, it was Saranac IPA. Pamela and I actually had the same one, that is New Belgian's Sunshine Wheat (this was one of 3 beers that did it for me actually)! This still is among her favorite styles of beers to this day. She is a big fan of the White/Wit's, and hefeweizens. Although she did admit to loving a Sculpin IPA (Ballest Point) clone her husband brews up on occasion, since Chris is more of a hop head, favoring IPA's and other hop bombs.


As the night wore on, the conversation seem to move away from beer more and more often. We found ourselves talking a lot about growing up in rural/small town, almost Norman Rockwell/ Main Street America. Something all four of us experienced as kids (Chris is also from PA). Pamela dished some dirt and told some stories about her coworkers (mostly good, don't worry guys). We talked about music. We literally exchanged hunting stories. We talked about raising our kids, and told funny and/or embarrassing stories about their behavior in public, as well as commiserated a bit about how hard it is to find baby sitters and go out once and a while after you have kids.

Pamela Hughes
We learned, as the night went on, that our family's, and upbringings were very similar, and talked about how it shaped our views on everything from family, to food, and of coarse beer. Although, we all had very difference "favorite" styles, we still shared that common denominator, and all had the same attitude towards beer. Near the end of our time together (some 3+ hours), Pamela said something, that seemed to fit the moment. She said, one of the reasons she loves beer, is because "beer brings people together", and I totally agree! More so then a lot of things. Beer allows that door to open, and conversations to start. It always gives you something to chat about, thus avoiding that dreaded awkward silence. It gives you something to have in common, and gives you something to share, and something fun to debate. I think this evening was a perfect example of that. Had it not been for beer, we never would have had the opportunity to sit, and share this time with each other. While we started off talking about beer, we ended up talking about so much more. We learned so much, (and I like to think had a lot of fun) and as a result, we all left there a little more "informed" then we did walking in, which is always a good thing.

While I know beer is "just" a drink, it can be, and should be so much more. I always seem to get back to the fact that, beer should be fun. Beer IS fun. So many people don't give it the respect it has earned, and I feel it deserves. While others still take it to the other extreme and become far to serious about it, most of us haven't lost sight of why it is we started experimenting with beer in the first place. Beer is that stress reliever after a long day at work, yet its also a drink to celebrate with.  Its a social lubricate, its the means to bond with old friends or to make new ones. Every now and then, you need something like this evening that we had, to remind yourself of this, and sort of drive home why it is we love this simple, yet so very complex beverage.

Now I am not saying that beer is going to cure the world of all it's ills, but it certainly could help, if we allow it to, don't you think?

I want to thank Pamela, and Chris for taking time out of their busy day, away from their family, to spend a few hours of their time with Kristin and I, so I can pursue this humble little hobby of mine. I also want to sort apologize, as I thought this was going to be more of an interview, or a profile, rather then just a chat over a few beers. However, I think it turned out to be a pretty fun evening, so I hope you don't mind too much!

The Valleys News Radio!!
As for the rest of you, I encourage you to check out "The Bruce St James Show", Mondays through Fridays, 9am to Noon. If you are working at that time, you can check out the pod casts here.

One more favor, if you know someone here in the valley, or anywhere in Arizona, that is a well known member of media, sports, business or government, that happens to be a big fan of beer, please, let me know, I would love to include them in this series!



Also, stay tuned for my "review" of Sleepy Dog Pub and Bistro coming soon. I will tell you, its a pretty cool place, with good beer, and good food!! Check it out!

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends!
The Beer Czar

San Tan Expansion Photos!

I just ran across this brief slide show from the Phoenix Business Journal's blog. Its shows a series of photos from the on going expansion of San Tan Brewery at their new production facility near Warner Rd and Arizona Ave in Chandler. Check it out, its pretty impressive. This is what it looks like when a brewery triples its output capability!


Can't wait to check it out myself! 

Until Next Time
Bottoms Up my Friends!

The Beer Czar

Mar 11, 2013

How to make your own Corned Beef

A few days ago, I posted a recipe for a Corned Beef Grilled Cheese with Guinness Caramelized Onions. I had a few folks ask me about where to get good corned beef? Well, here you go, check out my older brother Don, on local Maine TV Show "207" giving up our family secrets!!!!



For a copy of the recipe, go here...

Don is the Dir. of Operations at Wayside Food Programs in Maine.Click here to find out what they do, or how you can help.

Hope this helps!

Until next time my friends
Bottoms up!
The Beer Czar

Red Solo Cup gets a remake....

We have all heard that incessantly annoying Toby Keith Song "Red Solo Cup" by now, and I am sure we can all relate to it, at least anyone that has been to a frat party, or back yard BBQ can. The ubiquitous "red solo cup", faithful companion to NASCAR tail gators, and sorority sisters a like, is getting a face lift. A number of them in fact. Until now, it only came in a few different sizes, all the same shape. Now, they are coming out (April 10th ) with a number of different shaped solo cups. Such as;
Love the "stems"!


  • 14 oz Wine Cup 
  • 15 oz Margarita Cup
  • 12 oz Cocktail Cup
  • 12 oz coffee cup (for the previously mentioned hangover I guess?)



From what I read, these cups are thicker then their older cousin, so, technically, they are reusable! I am however, sad to see they don't have a nice Belgian Tulip cup (yet!), maybe we can start a letter writing campaign?

Please let me know if you see these anywhere, I would love to check them out!
In the mean time, if you want to order some of these lovely cups, or some other solo cup swag, go here...

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends
The Beer Czar

Hangover Cure???

A cure for the common hangover? We have all heard, and maybe even tried the old wives's tales for curing a hang over. Gallons of coffee, greasy food, a bowl of manudo, drinking pickle juice, there are tons. None of which really work all that well, I've found.
Well, that could all change! Researchers at UCLA are working on a cure for a hangover!! Too good to be true? Probably, but it sounds interesting, and makes sense, check this out (the following taken from Kegworks )

"Researchers at UCLA have begun testing packaged enzymes inside a nontoxic, nanoscale polymer shell that mimic the body’s natural alcohol-processing activities. For those of you, like me, who aren't exactly hip to scientific vernacular, let me translate this for you: we’re talking about drunk to sober in a matter of mere moments.
The enzymes, called biomimetic enzyme nanocomplexes, were tested on intoxicated mice, and successfully reduced blood alcohol levels quite quickly and dramatically. The research states that these enzymes show promise as "antidotes and preventive measures for alcohol intoxication," and the researchers believe that there may be a way for people to take the antidote orally in the future.
UCLA’s Biomolecular Engineer and head researcher, Yunfeng Lu, says that "since alcohol metabolism occurs naturally in the liver, it would almost be like having millions of liver cell units inside your stomach or in your intestine, helping you to digest alcohol."
I’m having a hard time forming a solid opinion on all of this. On the one hand, I think it could be a great thing, as some people believe that those classic myths actually work, so they splash a little water on their face after a long night of drinking, then take off in their vehicles. With a sober pill, we might see a reduction in drunk driving accidents.
On the other hand, it may encourage binge drinking among minors, as they’ll have a quick cure when going to school, work, and so forth. The same goes for adults – this pill may present itself as a sort of pseudo-solution to alcohol abuse.
Either way, this news is pretty amazing. I don’t over-indulge all that frequently, but it does happen now and then, and I have to admit, I wouldn't hate having a few sober pills on hand for when the time does come."


Well, I'm interested  I will have to follow this story very closely!

In the mean time, what is your favorite, or most effective cure for a hangover? What is the craziest cure you've tried or heard of? Let me know, email me at thebeerczar@gmail.com


Until next time
Bottoms up my friends!

The Beer Czar

Mar 10, 2013

Send me your St Patricks Day pictures!

What are you doing for St Patrick's Day? How are you celebrating? With beer I hope! Send me your pic's of how you and your friends and family celebrated St Patrick's Day this year, so I can share them! Whatever you do, however you do it, just snap a pic, and send it my way!

Send your pictures to me at thebeerczar@gmail.com

Thank you!

Slainte!
The Beer Czar

St Patrick's Day Recipe....

Well, the day is fast approaching folks! One of the greatest eating/beer drinking holidays on the calendar! That's right, Saint Patrick's Day! OK, so, I know its not a major holiday, but it is an excuse to eat some great food, and drink some "decent" beer (OK, I know, I have some Irish blood in me, but that doesn't mean I have to LOVE Irish beer, its OK, but there are far great beer nations out there, in my opinion). While I don't plan on going all out crazy for the day, I will recognize my Irish roots. I like to plan a simple "Irish inspired" meal, and wash it down with a Guinness or two. I take some time in searching out something different (at least something I've never had before) but also fairly quick and easy. This year, I found what seems to be the perfect fit for the day. How does "Grilled Corned Beef and Cheese with Guinness Caramelized Onions" sound? Yeah, sounded awesome to me, so this is what I'll be eating March 17th!


Here is how you make it.....

"Grilled Corned Beef and Cheese with Guinness Caramelized Onions" 

  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 1 cup Guinness
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons grainy mustard
  • 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
  • 2 slices rye, lightly toasted
  • 1/2 cup cheddar, shredded, room temperature
  • 2 ounces cooked corned beef, sliced or shredded, warm
Directions
  1. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat.
  2. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
  3. Add 1/4 cup Guinness , cover and simmer until the liquid has mostly evaporated, about 15 minutes and repeat three more times.
  4. Remove from heat and mix in the Worcestershire sauce and grainy mustard.
  5. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.
  6. Butter the outside of each slice of bread, sprinkle half of the cheese on the inside of one slice of bread, top with half of the onions, the corned beef, the remaining onions, cheese and finally the other slice of bread.
  7. Add the sandwich to the pan and grill until golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2-4 minutes per side.

Oh, and if you want to make your own Corned Beef, let my older brother show you how, when he appeared on an episode of local Maine TV show "207", check it out here.......

Seems easy enough for me!!! 


What are your plans this St Patrick's Day? Share them with me if you'd like, and if you have a favorite Irish recipe, please, by all means, share it with me, and I just might pass it along!


So, until next time

Slainte!

The Beer Czar

Mar 7, 2013

Beer and BBQ? Um, Yes please!!!

OK, I think there is little argument that one thing that goes well with beer, is BBQ. Anyone care to disagree? Good, that's what I thought. Well, in just a few short weeks, on March 23rd to be exact, you can feed your love for both! The Great American Beer and BBQ Festival is coming back to downtown Chandler! 

How does 100 exhibitors, 30 nation wide BBQ Vendors, serving up up 20,000 lbs of fresh BBQ, with some  200 kegs of fresh, local brewed craft beer to wash it down with? Um, I am not sure I can think of anyway to make it any more perfect? Oh, not to mention, its outdoors, so you can enjoy the warm Arizona sun while you enjoy your mouth-watering pork ribs, pulled pork, brisket, brats and chicken and craft beer. Can it get better? 


Um, yeah, there is also live music! Headlines by Hoobastank and Smashmouth, along with a dozen local bands on two stages, and even Radio Disney will be there hosting the expanded "Kids Zone"!



General Admission is just $10, gates open at Noon, close at 10 pm.

Check out the event website here...
You can buy tickets in advance here...

Check the event site for a list of vendors, restaurants, directions of for hotel info.

Don't miss this event! It was voted "Outstanding Event of the Year"!!! Its a great time!

Mar 5, 2013

Are Larger Bottles really a problem?

Bombers!
I came across this story on Facebook this morning, take a look at it, then I'll give you my opinion...


Are larger bottles a problem?


OK, so, let me just ask this? Is this really a problem? For one, beer is a social drink. I don't think I have ever opened a bomber by myself. If I want to drink alone, there are plenty of great beers out there in 12 oz cans or bottles. Two, even if I did want a bomber on my own, it is only 2 beers (2 11 oz beers at that). Unless you are drinking a crazy high ABV beer, 2 beers is pretty manageable for most "beer people" I would hope/ think.

Sam Caligione, founder Dogfish Head Brewery
The thing that strikes me is, the two completely different directions the beer world seems to be taking. One, the Sam Calagiones of the world, feel the future is in higher end, larger format bottles. While the other side, is rushing to fill the craft can market. The two lines of thought, would seem in direct opposition to one another.

I find this interesting, I don't think it means trouble, or that its a problem or anything, just interesting. I think its like the DH or no DH argument in baseball. The two can live quite well harmony, it just seems to be a matter of who your home team is that determines weather or not you like the rule. I guess with beer, it just depends on what your "home town" brewery is that may determine how you feel about beer in cans, or bombers.

What are your thoughts????


Until next my friends
Bottoms up!

The Beer Czar