Four Peaks Beer Cruise

OK, its not often you get to have a good dinner while cruising open water here in Arizona. I can honestly say, I've only done it once in the more then 15 years I've lived here (my little brother got married on the Dolly Steamboat on Canyon Lake). Well, here is your chance to do just that!
Four Peaks is teaming up with Saguro Lake's Desert Belle for a 5 course (including dessert!) meal, paired with some Four Peak favorites! Here is the menu.....

For more info, or to reserve your tickets, head to the Desert Belle's website here, for all the info.

The Dinner is Thursday, May 9th, and cost $65 a person.
This should be awesome! I mean, how often do you get this chance in our lovely state?

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar

The Budweiser Buddy Cup

The Old Way....

OK, I've talked at length on this blog about all the stupid shit Budweiser and the other big breweries have done in hopes of regaining some of their lost market share. Well, every now and then, the millions of dollars spent pays off. I present to you, The Budweiser Buddy Cup! I think this idea actually has the potential of being VERY cool. Each "Buddy Cup" has a chip, and a QR code on it. You scan the QR code to connect your "Buddy Cup" to your Facebook profile. Then, when you are chatting with other folks, and you want to "connect", all you have to do is a little "cheers", clink you cups, you see the little lights "light up" and that means you are now friends via social media.

Check this out....

To me, this is a nice blend of "social" media, and actually BEING social. I think this sort of technology can

The New Way!

go far, and have a lot of great applications in the craft beer community. Think about this at Beer Festivals? Instantly connecting with other beer lovers, or brewers, beer buyers, or yes, even bloggers! I am sure, at this point, the cost would prohibit smaller, or even the average of larger sized breweries from adopting this sort of tech, but give it a few years, the cost will come down, and the usable applications will increase.

OK, so, every now and then, Budweiser gets it right, and this, I think has some awesome potential, lets hope I am right. I guess however, at this point, we will just have to wait and see.

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar

Beer Pong Arcade Game!

The Beer Pong Master

OK, I admit, I am not a big fan of drinking games. Sure, in college we would spend all night playing "Asshole" or "Quarters", or whatever, but since then, well, I guess I just like drinking at my own pace. Beside, my sole purpose in drinking these days isn't to get hammered, or get those around me hammered, I drink for different reasons now. That being said, I don't have anything against them, and occasionally, I will partake in a friendly, low stress game of beer pong, or what have you.




Well, then, I saw this little video, and though, well, I guess I need to finally mention beer pong on this blog (not sure I have before....). Check it out....ladies and gentleman, The Beer Pong Master!

Now, this machine doesn't actually dispense beer, however, I am sure, if you had this gem in your bar, or restaurant  or on your back patio, it would be easy enough to include your favorite brew into the game. Look at this more as just the facilitator of the game, and your host can be the bartender.

Made by the good people at Bay Tek Games, folks more familiar with Chuck E Cheese style games then drinking games, this machine is currently set for distribution, just waiting for some brave takers on it! Bay Tek games also makes Beer Ball, what looks to be a combo of beer pong, and good old fashion Skee ball.

There are still a lot of reasons to play the old way!

Do I think this will this take the place of your classic back yard beer pong, I am sure it will not, I sure hope it doesn't. This just  gives you one more way to play some beer pong while out with your friends, and another revenue stream for bar owners. Or an awesome addition to your man cave, rec room or back patio.

Until Next Time
Bottoms Up my friends!

The Beer Czar

Sam in a Can coming soon!

The Perfect Pint

Well, it only took 2 years, and a million bucks, but its finally coming to a beer store near you. That's right, come May, 2013, you can drink your beloved Boston Lager right out of, the can?

That's right. Boston Beer Company spent the last two years, and considerable amount of cash to develop a new can that will help you get the most out of you Boston Lager. A few of the things you may find different about this new can;

The lid is wider, allowing more airflow

The new Sam Can!

The lid has been moved away from the lip, to help promote and accentuate the hop aromas by moving it    closer to your nose.

The hourglass ridge creates more turbulence which pushes flavor out of the beer

Extended lip places the beer at the front of your palette.

Everything is better topless!

I guess all this is very cool, I just don't know how necessary it all is. I mean, after all, bottles don't afford us any of these "advantages" yet, they have no issue putting them in bottles. I mean, don't most "beer people" pour the beer into a glass before drinking it anyway? I would argue, if you are drinking beer right out of a can or bottle, you aren't going to get the most out of the beer no matter what the shape or design of the vessel. I can see this being an advantage to tailgating, or the beach, when bringing you Sam Adams Perfect Pint Glass isn't always an option. Not sure if the cost is worth the benefit in this case, but knows, I guess I will just have to wait and see! I think the topless can makes a little more sense to me.



Until next time
Bottoms up my friends!

The Beer Czar

Sh!t Beer Geeks (snobs) say...

OK, now this is funny! Sadly, I can honestly say, I have actually heard some of these things being said at beer bars, and tastings I've attending!

I do think, the one they left out was "this year's batch isn't NEARLY as good as last years" I hear that every year, regarding just about every annual release on the market. I don't recall ever hearing "wow, this years batch is SO much better" I think we remember beers (and most things for that matter) as being better then they actually were.

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends
The Beer Czar

Zak Brown Band on 16oz Landshark Lager Cans!!

Zac and Jimmy

OK, you hear me talk a lot on here about "Drinking in Context", selecting the right beer for the right situation.

The beer I drink at a beer bar here in Arizona is a lot different then the beer I would be drinking while sitting poolside, or on tropical beach somewhere. One of my "go-to" beers for the beach, or poolside, is Landshark Lager. Its crisp, easy to drink, and low in ABV so I can down a few of them while sitting around the pool in the Arizona summer heat. I am sure the fact that I am a huge Jimmy Buffett fan has a little something to do with my love this beer as well. Another of my favorite bands is the Zac Brown Band. Well, you can imagine my excitement when Landshark announced it would be releasing 16 oz cans this summer, featuring pictures and lyrics from the Zac Brown Band!

The labels will feature different Zac Brown Band artwork and lyrics (beer related of coarse). Here are a few examples.

Landshark Lager is a subsidiary of A-B InBev, and is brewed at the AB Brewery in Jacksonville Fl. The brew started as the house beer for Jimmy's Margaritaville Restaurants.

On another note, no matter where you enjoy your beer this summer, beach, pool, back yard, BBQ, hiking, where, I want to see your summer beer drinking photos! Send me your pictures, of you, enjoying you beer this summer, send them to me at thebeerczar@gmail.com, or check out the post here....

I'll be looking for them this summer!! Now, enjoy a little Jimmy and Zac, together!

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar

Join Me at the Streets of Mexico Beer Dinner!

I think I have mentioned on here at least once or twice before, one my favorite foods in the world, is a good fish taco. A very close second to that, are Mexican "street" tacos. So, you could imagine my delight when I was invited to attend a "Streets of Mexico Beer Dinner", hosted by El Palacio Restaurant in Chandler, that includes beers from Colorado's Breckenridge Brewing! The dinner is Wednesday, May 1st at 7 pm.  It is $30 a person, and from the looks of the menu, promises to be a pretty awesome dinner.


The menu, which is 5 course, is each paired with a different beer from Breckenridge.

The menu will be;

1. Ceviche with Summer Bright Ale
2. Elote with Agave Wheat
3. Carne Asada Street Tacos with 471 IPA
4. Fish Tacos! With Avalanche Ale
5. Dessert Tamalas with Vanilla Porter

I can't wait! To reserve your spot, just call
480-802-5770, or go to their Facebook page and comment on the Dinner Announcement to RSVP.


El Palacio's Website
El Palacio's Facebook Page
Breckenridge Brewing's Website


Want to see a few AWESOME commercials for Breckenridge brewing? Check them out here and here

I hope to see you there!

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar

Friday Funny....a great beer commercial

OK, like many of you, I've been glued to my TV watching, events transpire in Boston. So, to lighten things up, I thought I would post something fun. Check out this great ad for Australian Beer company Carlton. (hat tip to Angels Trumpet Ale House for bring this to my attention). So enjoy a little escape for a minute or two...

Now back to the real world. Please continue to pray for those in and around Boston, lets hope Boston's finest wraps this up soon!

Until next time

Bottoms up my friends!

The Beer Czar

Dressing up a turd.....

There, it is now cold enough to not taste it!

You hear similar references to this in the beer community every time a mega brewer comes out with a new bottle, or marketing gimmick (i.e. Vortex bottles, or cold blue mountains on your bottle). It seems to be happening a lot more these days, as the mega brewers see their strangle hold on the beer market slipping away. Now, let me say up front, I don't believe for a second American Macro brew is in any danger of going the way of the Dodo bird. They are obviously  a little nervous about the surge in craft beer sales however. Not a month seems to pass, where we don't see what the big boys are doing to try and lure away craft drinkers away from their beloved craft brews, back to the watery macros of the big boys. A while back, the furor was over mega brewers packaging their beers to "appear" to be craft, without printing their names on the package. I don't agree with them doing this, but I can understand why they do, and in many cases, it was/is effective for them. And maybe even a smart, albeit dishonest thing to do.

Everything you ever wanted in a beer, and less???

The area that seems to be their favorite area to lure people back to big beer is packaging and marketing. Dressing up their watery suds in pretty bottles, limited edition cans, fancy case wrappings etc. All over beer threads and blogs all over the internet, you will read the question asked over and over "why don't they just talk about whats in the can, not about the can itself?" Well, its pretty simple, because they can't. They can not compete with craft beer when it comes to complexity of taste. Miller can say their beer "tastes great", but to me, "great" doesn't really describe how it tastes at all. You don't hear the makers of economy cars bragging about how fast their cars are, and how they can go toe to toe with exotic sports cars, because they can't. Its not what makes their cars attractive to car buyers. When you can't compete on taste, what else is there? Marketing and packaging and creating an image of the beer drinker. Now I don't begrudge the big boys for doing this, but it seems to be a weak attempt to reignite sales. I mean, if you are in a failing marriage, you can't stand your wife, she hates you, and all you do is fight. How would you fix it? Go to marriage counseling and fix whats broken right? Not if you are a big brewer. What would they do? They would just go out and buy a new wardrobe, and pray that makes everything all better! Then wonder why it doesn't.

Just looks like a can wearing a belt to me

The latest examples I've seen of these gimmicks are pretty interesting actually. First off. on May 6th, Budweiser is going to start selling 8 packs (that's right, 8 packs) of its flagship brew, in 11.3 oz, bow tie shaped cans! That's right, how cool is that? Um, really, I mean, is this really that cool? According to AB InBev, they are pretty excited about it, and say this about it "Its a conversation starter, eye catching, easy to grip (really?), trendy, and according to our research, appealing to young adults" Trendy? Easy to grip? I can see it now, the only conversation I see this starting is "what the hell is wrong with your can?" So there you go, if you stopped drinking Budweiser because the can was just too boring or difficult to grip, well, come May 6th, you can go back to drinking it with ease and excitement!


This next one is just bizarre. Heineken creates a bottle that lights up? The bottle has built in LED lights that seem to be sound and/or motion activated. check out the video.....

OK, so it might be kind of cool, but why? The only place I see this working is at night clubs, where folks are more concerned with looking good, and spending money they don't have in a pathetic attempt to appeal to club chicks that I guess are impressed by just such a thing. You could probably charge $20 a bottle for this, and in clubs, after folks get a few drinks in them, will probably start snatching these beer trinkets up left and right. Luckily  this is just a concept, and as far as I can find, there are no plans to release this to the general public (for now), but still, the fact that there is a lot of money being spent on crap like this, just makes me shake my head and ask why?

Now, don't get me wrong, I love a cool label, or a clever ad as much as anyone, but still, if the product behind the ad or label is just not good, then all you have in the end is just a cool label, or funny ad. You put a quality product behind that, and you have a real money maker on your hands!

Until next time
Bottoms Up my friends!
The Beer Czar

Beer, made from Elephant sh**???

Why???

So, instead of hop pellets??

Japanese Brewery Create Beer Made from Elephant Dung!

All I can say is, I bet this tastes like shit!

The Beer Czar

Scientific Proof That Beer is Delicious....

All I can say is, um, DUH?

Like we needed a study for this?

In all seriousness, there is some pretty cool aspects to this study. Nice work!

Until Next time
Bottoms up my friends!

The Beer Czar

Save the Date...3rd Annual Ameri-CAN Canned Craft Beer Festival!!!!

OK, its still a ways away, but I want to give you guys plenty of heads up on this one. One of the best beer festivals in the state of Arizona (I feel), this year, the 3rd Annual Ameri-Can Canned Craft Beer Festival is coming to Scottsdale on May 18th, noon to 6 pm! Held at the Scottsdale Civic Center, this year more the 60 breweries, from over 20 states, will be serving up over 150 beers, some never before seen in the state! Pre-sale tickets are $25, VIP tickets for $100. Day of tickets are $35.

Purchase tickets here...


There will be judging, and an awards ceremony, live music (I'll post a list as soon as its available) , food truck court, VIP tent, Beer Science Garden, and even some Beer Olympic games! Oh, and just an FYI, this is a 21 and over event (no exceptions), so don't plan on bringing the kiddos.

Some of the brewers listed, not normally seen in Arizona are Cigar City, from FL, Hop City  and Two Brothers from IL, Blue Mountain Barrel House from VA, Nola from LA and many many others! (complete (so far) list here).

So, if you are one of those folks that believes beer just isn't as good in a can (like I wrote about here), well, do yourself a favor, attend this festival, and have your mind changed!!!! I really hope to see you there!

A portion of the proceeds for this event will go to benefit the Scottsdale Cultural Council. To learn more about them, visit www.sccarts.org.

I will update you all when I have more info, so check back!

Festival Website here
Facebook Site here

Event Location

Scottsdale Civic Center
3939 N Drinkwater Blvd
Scottsdale, AZ 85251


Until next time,
Bottoms up my friends!
The Beer Czar

Beer and Taxes

So, today being tax day, I was lucky enough to stumble across this rather depressing piece on beer and

taxes. Some of it is interesting  some of it is infuriating! Makes me think how much more affordable our beer would be if the Government didn't feel the need to tax the shit out of us...... props to the good folks at Kegworks for putting this together.



1. Taxes are the single most expensive ingredient in beer, costing more than the labor and raw materials combined

2. If all the taxes levied on the production, distribution and retailing of beer are added up, they amount to more than 40% of the retail price

3. When you factor in sales and excise taxes, state and federal income taxes, payroll taxes, and all of the other taxes imposed on beer – the tax burden is nearly 70% higher than it is for the average purchase made in the U.S.

4. An analysis by the Beer Institute found that households earning less than $50,000 per year pay half of all beer taxes, while accounting for less than one-fourth of all income earned in the U.S.

5. Beer taxes are actually 6.5 times higher as a percent of income for lower-income households (those earning less than $20,000 per year) compared to higher-income households (earning $70,000+ per year) making the tax on beer one of the most discriminatory of all taxes in the federal and states’ tax codes

6. First, the excise tax on beer is levied, by law, at the brewery and becomes an indistinguishable part of
the product cost as it moves through the distribution system – like other costs, it is marked up by wholesalers and again by retailers – it is also included in the price used to compute state and local sales taxes, thus causing consumers to pay a tax on a tax – as a result, beer drinkers actually end up paying about $2.00 out-of-pocket for each $1.00 of tax levied by government

7. The U.S. Beer industry directly employs more than 1,043,000 people in brewing, wholesaling, and retailing and the industry contributes more than 1.8 million jobs to the U.S. economy (*bright spot*)

8. In 1991, federal government doubled the beer tax from $9.00 to $18.00 per barrel, at that time the largest single increase in the federal beer tax in American history – as a result, it is              estimated that some 60,000 hardworking Americans lost their jobs

9. Hiking a state’s beer tax can cause some consumers to buy their beer in a neighboring state, shifting the tax collections and business activity across state borders – often, the loss is even worse, as other goods and services are purchased on these trips

10. Some government agencies and advocacy organizations suggest that regardless of their negative impacts on consumers and the American
economy, beer taxes should be raised even higher in order to pay for the problems caused by abusive drinkers, claiming that individuals who abuse alcohol create a “social cost” and that all beer drinkers should pay society back for these costs in the form of higher taxes



So, Happy Tax Day Everyone!

Until next time
Bottoms up my friends!
The Beer Czar

Mr Pineapple is everywhere!

Just wanted to drop a few props to San Tan Brewing. Mr Pineapple seems to be popping up everywhere
these days! This is probably the 3rd or 4th such list I have seen it appear on, this is by far on the largest publication however, so I wanted to share it with you. Check it out.....


       10 Craft beers now in cans and why you should drink them


Seems Mr Pineapple is getting quite popular  No doubt helped by the wonderful review I gave it!!! (OK, totally joking, I can dream.....)

Congrats again to San Tan, this can only help the beer community here in the east valley, as well as Arizona, keep it up guys!

Until Next time
Bottoms up my friends

The Beer Czar

Olympia Beer is looking for........Bigfoot???

There are a few things that are just synonymous with the Pacific Northwest, rain, coffee, hipsters, Microsoft, grunge music and my personal favorite, Bigfoot! Now, I make no secret of the fact that Bigfoot fascinates me. Not because I believe there is a big hairy ape running around the NW, avoiding capture and only occasionally allowing a grainy, fuzzy photo be taken of him every 6 months or so. No, I am fascinated by the people that devote their lives to searching out this allusive, questionably real animal. Much like some people are fascinated with and study serial killers, the "Bigfoot Community" fascinates me in much the same (no, I am not comparing the two, don't worry). How they can take a piece of completely subjective, unidentifiable piece of "evidence" and pass it off as hardcore, indisputable proof of the hairy fellow is amazing to me. All logic and common sense goes out the window, and passion and bias takes over all their senses. It is incredible to me. Now, let me be clear, I am not saying that I do not believe in Bigfoot, I am not however, convinced they do in fact exist. These people are seeing something, what is it? I have no idea, but I am pretty sure it isn't a 9 foot tall, bipedel gorilla, but I do think that it could be something, as to what it is? Who knows.

The Beer Community often embraces the large allusive primate as well. Mostly tongue in check hat tips to the the big guy, Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot, Great Davide's Yeti, and even locally, Four Peaks Hop-squatch all pay homage to America's most famous Cryptid. Well, now it seems the NW's own Olympia Beer is jumping into the Cryptozoological fry with a new contest! Offering $1,000,000 for the safe capture of the biped (paid in an annuity, $25,000 a year over 40 years). Check out the company's post, and to enter the contest, and get the rules, click the link below.

$1,000,000 Reward for Safe Return of Bigfoot!

OK, now the thought of an extra $25,000 a year for the next 40 years is pretty attractive! Maybe there should be a "Beer Czar Bigfoot Expedition"! I wonder if we catch the Mogollon Monster (Arizona's "version" of Bigfoot) if that would count? Who's with me? Pack up your camping gear, we got a "squatch" to catch!!!!

Until next time

Bottoms Up my Friends!

The Beer Czar

The American Dream in a Pint Glass....

Very soon, my town, Gilbert Arizona will have its very first Brewery! Arizona Wilderness Brewing is in the final stages of developing and opening their brewery!!! Last I heard they were shooting for an early May opening, (I will try and get a more concrete date very soon). To say its been a rough road for AWB would be a gross understatement  Luckily, someone is filming it all for prosperity! "The American Dream in a Pint Glass" is a documentary that chronicles the guys from Arizona Wilderness Brewing on their quest to be become Gilbert Arizona's first brewery! Here is the trailer for the documentary.

I have been following their progress for over a year now, and i have to tell you, I am VERY excited to walk into this place for the first time, and have a glass or two of their beer! Check it out, and when the time comes, throw a little support their way, they have certainly earned it!!! Good luck guys, can't wait to see your place!!

"The Americian Dream in a Pint Glass" Facebook Page
Arizona Wilderness Brewing's Blog
Arizona Wilderness Brewing's Facebook Page

Arizona Wilderness Brewing will be located on the SE Corner of Arizona Ave and Guadalupe Rd. in Gilbert.

Until Next Time
Bottoms up my friends!
The Beer Czar

10 Must See Brewery Tours in America

Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown NY

I came across this list while online this morning, and thought I would share them with you. Sadly, I haven't toured any of the ones on this list, but I am certainly putting them on my To-Do list for sure!

Check them out!

Americans 10 Best Brewery Visits

Have you been to any of these places?? If so, which ones, what did you think? I would love to hear about them!! Drop me a line..

Until Next time
Bottoms Up my friends!
The Beer Czar

Time to play a little catch up.....this passed weeks events.

First off, let me start by apologizing to my readers. Nothing makes you realize how many people enjoy reading your blog then when you fail to update it for over a week! I thank you all that reached out to me to make sure all was "OK". Have no fear, I am just fine, albeit a tad busy. Between various beer events, my oldest daughters basketball schedule, and a job that seems to be expanding weekly, I have found myself with  very little time to write any updates, till now!!! So, here we go...

Great American BBQ and Beer Festival...

So good!!!

Let me start with the Great American BBQ and Beer Festival. Held back on March 23 in Historic Downtown Chandler. This event, put on by San Tan Brewery, was, shall I say, fairly awesome. To be clear, it was much more a BBQ festival then a beer festival, but that really isn't an issue here at all. San Tan was providing the beer, and just a TON of BBQ vendors took part in providing the food. My wife, and my oldest daughter and I made our way down there, had some AWESOME brisket from Up in Smoke BBQ. Enjoyed a Mr Pineapple and Sex Panther, and walked around, enjoyed the beautiful weather, checking out the sites and sounds and smells,

The weather was perfect!

 and even got to say hello to my friends from Craft Brewed Clothing!! We went early, soon after the gates opened, so it wasn't too busy, but from some of the pictures I saw, it was packed later that evening, and for good reason. The sights, and smells of this festival were just amazing. Everyone was having fun, and were friendly, and polite. There was plenty to eat and drink (even for the kids) and lots to learn, and even some free swag to collect (I scored 3 free t-shirts!) A hat tip to San Tan Brewery and HDE Agency for putting on a spectacular event! Can't wait till next year!



Pitcher of Nectar Distributors Rare Beer Festival

Up next, was the Pitcher of Nectar Distributors Rare Beer Festival, held at Whole Foods. This festival, although small, had an amazing line up of beers! I got 15 tickets, and used each one on a beer I had never tried before, and in many cases, never even heard of! We spent a good 3+ hours making our way through the crowd, visiting with friends, making some new ones, and just having a great time doing it. Now, if I had one knock on this festival, is that it was a little starved for space.

Lots of beer lovers!

If you have ever been to The Watering Hole at Whole Foods, you know its not a huge place, and it seemed every beer lover in the east valley was filling the place up for this event. That being said, it didn't really detract from the event at all. I normally hate tight crowds. I get grumpy, and short tempered normally. Not this time. Maybe it was because of all the amazing beers to be had, or all the friendly beer lovers enjoying themselves, or our gracious host King James Swann, making the rounds making sure everyone was happy. Maybe it was all these things. It was a great event, and hope next year, you can procure a little more floor space (maybe even in the parking lot?), as I am sure there will be an even larger crowd next year.

Play Ball!!!!
This brings me to one of my favorite days of the year, Opening Day! As is my tradition, I attended the D-backs Opening Day with my mother, and her friend Andrea, and her husband Rich, as we have done for the last half dozen years or so.Growing up a huge fan of the sport, watching my beloved Red Sox every chance I could get, or playing in as many leagues as our short Maine summers would allowed, I have always loved the game of baseball. The fact that beer and baseball go hand in hand is just a glorious coincidence. Now, craft beer and baseball, well that is still a young relationship, but one that is maturing with each passing season. Currently, a majority of the beer available at most ballparks is comprised mainly of macro American lagers. However, if you know where to look, Chase Field, and other ballparks do offer a few tasty brews. A few Sam Adams seasonal are available, as is a few of Phoenix Ale Brewery's offerings. I enjoyed an $11 Cambleback IPA, while I watched as the D-backs raked up 15 hits, and 6 runs to win their 5th (?) straight opening day, this time against the Cardinals of St Louis.
On a side note, I was just reading that our beloved local brewery Four Peaks is in discussion with the D-Backs currently to provide their brews at Chase Field for next season, which would be WONDERFUL news if you ask me! I can see myself enjoying a Hop Knot while taking in a ball game!!!



OK, I promise, I will not take so long before I post again, as I have a list of things I want to write about, or share with you. Again, I appreciate those that showed concern in my absences, nice to know I have some faithful readers out there!

Thanks again, and until next time
Bottoms up my friends!

The Beer Czar