Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
Mother Earth is very important to beer. And now, not only because of the ingredients!
I saw this image on FaceBook a week or so ago…
…and was impressed by not only the cap design (for a can cooler, oh irony) and the simple idea that I find better than fancier tech designs for super quick beer chillers. And I think in a slow food world, this is a much better way to appreciate the beers we have. Because you have to wait.
You can read more about it HERE.
You get a growler of beer and you now know that you are on the clock. Once it is opened, you better make sure to get it in a glass before it goes flat. Or you can get a kegerator and buy in bulk. But then you better like that beer or have frequent parties so that you aren’t stuck with one beer for a month.
But if a new Kickstarter that starts in a little over a week gets funded for the Synek Draft System, then you can get the best of both worlds.
You get a special bag/bladder filled from your local and drop it into a container. You drop that into a machine that will now dispense your beer. Growler size with kegerator tech. My only quibble is that it would be great to be able to re-use the bag instead of having it be one and done.
Check out the site and see if it will fit your needs.
(Maybe version 2.0 will have a randall device attached to it)
Kleen Kanteen has made all sorts of containers. Camping is a focus. As is hiking. But they have also worked craft beer in there as well. Growlers being one item they do.
But for those who hate red plastic cups. Either due to a horrible country song or because they offend your inner beer geek. Now you can go stainless.
Just don’t actually steal them. They are a bit expensive.
I am as guilty as others when it comes to burying my head in the glow of an electric device. Untappd’ing or blogging when I could be conversing about the beer with people. I try to stay aware and live “in the moment” as it were but sometimes you need an outside force to remind you. Something like this….
I saw The Offline Glass on an NPR blog post that brings up a couple other ways to stop Twitting and engage. It is a discussion that I hope gets talked of more in the future. Perhaps as a Session topic?
Have you ever been in a grocery store (most good craft beer shops don’t have this issue) and wondered if the beer in front of you was a “phantom” craft beer? Well help has arrived from app creators Barrett Garese and Rudy Jahchan the folks behind Craft Check, an app whose sole purpose is to warn you if a beer is craft or not.
You can find it in this app store or search engine it.
Once downloaded you just shoot a photo of the barcode and you will either get “Congratulations! What you’re looking at is a genuine craft brew from a genuine craft brewery. This is as good as it gets (when it comes to beer).” or “Careful! What you’ve got there is an imitation craft brew from one of the big guys. It’s got all the soul of a spreadsheet. Crafty, but not Craft.”
This can be helpful if used correctly. If someone uses it as a blanket condemnation and will not buy anything that is painted with the corporate brush, that would be bad. We already have too many people who won’t drink Widmer or Goose Island or (now) Blue Point because of that reason. But if used to educate, this app can be a powerful way to show how deceptive the monolithic brewers are in trying to cash in on craft via labels and brand names.
Kudos to Garese and Jahchan for building an app that will help create transparency in beer buying.
Looking for a beer gift? Want a poster? Hop candy?
Then head to the BEERLoved site to find it.
There is all sorts of beer related gifts here to help with supplying your beer geeks.
…the right glassware.
Beer afficianados, even the ones not into breweriana and collecting end up with pint glasses and tasting glasses and many other branded glasses but I sometimes wish that I had a complete set of craft beer glassware at the ready for every occasion.
And as much as I love promoting local and favorite breweries via their logo on a shaker pint, I do wish that I could have a set that really shows off the beer in color and aroma.
Something like this…..
…from the Red Envelope website and made in Bavaria by Spiegalau.
FOR MY Belgian Strong Monkish ale, Anomaly
FOR MY light and big hopped Lagunitas Sucks
FOR MY Lomaland Saison from Modern Times
FOR MY Fresh Hop (and Salmon Safe) IPA from New Belgium
I know that the word artisanal gets thrown out a lot (and spelled in many different ways) but if done with craft beer and food, it can really MEAN something. Except for beer and porridge. That ain’t gonna work. But this service seems much more logical and I wish I had put it on my Christmas list. I just didn’t know about it until it was too late.
“Beer Dreamer is your guide to maximum enjoyment of craft beer. Every month, we lovingly choose two selections of the best craft beer for the dinner table, carefully pair them with artisanal foods, beautifully package and deliver the whole thing to your doorstep for a magical experience of taste and flavor along with educational and background content. We call this “The Culinary Beer Club.”
With the unlikely selling name of PicoBrew, this automated home brewing system may tempt many a person into the brewing at home game. As they call it, “the espresso machine of beer”. Technology is advancing to the point where even I might be able to brew at home.
I saw this new device on Food Beast and wondered, “Why do people need beer chilled so goddam fast?
I am sure that it works but why do you need another device on your counter for ONE task. A task that a ‘fridge can do if you are organized. Or a bag of ice, if you are desperate.