There are a lot of beer related gadgets but this one looks like a lifesaver and preventer of spills.
Growler on Board sells a black and a yellow version that will help in beer transport. Or as they call it, BTUs: Beer Transport Units.
Brew Caddy
I talked with the fine people at Brew Caddy whilst at CanFest this year and I thought that I should pass on their information to the rest of the craft beer drinking world.
They have two sizes of holders that fits around your neck so you can take notes or take more animatedly about the beer you are drinking. And the pint version can even pop open a bottle too.
Brewed Awakening
I know. Another craft beer book! There can never be too many, in my opinion.
I have been reading articles in Imbibe magazine by Joshua Bernstein and now he has taken the knowledge gained in talking to brewers to create Brewed Awakening. Best to let him explain the book (in words and video)
“Why Brewed Awakening? Concerning beer, the last decade has witnessed more seismic changes than any time since Prohibition. There are more than 1,700 craft breweries in America, from community-based nanobreweries to the new breed of national brands such as Dogfish Head and Stone. Untethered from stodgy tradition, and driven by unbridled creativity, American and international brewers are leading a boundary-less charge into the global future of beer.
The bitter India pale ale has birthed the burly, super-aromatic double IPA. Alcohol percentages have climbed above ten percent, on par with wine—and now join Pinot noir at dinner tables and on tony restaurants’ drink lists. Wild yeasts have been harnessed and are used to inoculate beers that, in the best way possible, taste like a barnyard. Naturally carbonated cask ales have now achieved cult status. And brewmasters have begun aging their creations in wooden casks that once contained bourbon, brandy, chardonnay, and even tequila, reviving techniques last seen more than a century earlier.
I’ve spent the last six years covering the craft beer industry, traveling from Asheville to Austin, San Francisco to Chicago, Portland to Portland. I’ve hit breweries. Interviewed brewers. And spelunked deep into the people and the trends driving the craft beer revolution. There’s a story in every pint glass. I give voice to them.”
You can order the book HERE and on December 7th there will be a Brewed Awakening event at Eagle Rock Brewery.
Eco Keg
I am pretty geeky about craft beer, but I am also geeky about the industry that surrounds it. From specially crafted glasses with nucleation, to mobile canning, I am fascinated by the tech that goes with the beer.
That is why EcoKegs are an interesting development. Coming from Australia, they are plastic kegs that cut down on shipping weight and can also be sent one way and recycled when the last drop of beer has been drained.
I don’t think that they will take over the industry, but I do see this as a great way to import beers to other countries and to maybe cut keg costs (both the initial purchase and replacement of lost kegs).
Sounds like an interesting advance in beer technology.
Duvel Collection
Do you have a talent for design?
Do you love Duvel?
Then maybe this contest is for you.
If you just love drinking Duvel. Check that same link to see what designs you think work best with the beer.
Coast to Coast Toast
Who doesn’t like a well done toast. Well, for that matter, even a bad toast creates some comedy. So how about today, going out and toasting somebody new!
The folks behind Vanberg-Dewulf would like us to raise a glass on 11.15.11. Why? Let them explain, “we are throwing what we believe will be the largest celebration of Belgian beer held on one day in the USA in this century. No kidding. Hundreds of bars, restaurants and stores – the places that have made beer culture in America so stupendous – are hosting Coast to Coast Toasts to mark the 30th anniversary of the founding of our company. Thirty of our beers from independent family run breweries will be the stars of the show (Saison Dupont, Scaldis, Lambrucha, Witkap anyone?).”
What is your favorite beer to toast with? Is it the one that is front of you or do you have a go-to brew?
The Great American Beer Festival – The Results Show
I wish that more people would pay attention to the results of the Great American Beer Festival but alas the other 95% as I call them seem more interested in people (who are purported to be stars dancing) or people who can’t sing singing.
The best place to check out a digestible set of results for me has been the Brookston Beer Bulletin. So check out his summary HERE.
Suffice it say that I am glad that California (adopted home is # 1) and that my ancestral home of Oregon was 3rd.
Ken Burn’s Prohibition
One of my favorite books of the last couple year’s was Daniel Okrent’s Last Call. And that is the jumping off point for the new Ken Burns series with the name of Prohibition.
Premieres October 2nd, 3rd & 4th, 2011 at 8 PM on PBS. But check your local PBS station for more information.
Hop Sauce
I usually don’t pay much attention to Dean & Deluca catalogs. But this product from Primitivizia caught my eye….
I don’t think that I will spend the $16 plus shipping for this but I am certainly intrigued by what it might taste like.
Trim Cans
This tidbit from last month on the All About Beer website that caught my eye.
“Ball Corporation the leader in the specialty aluminum beverage can and bottle market, has announced its newest can size – the 8-oz. “trim” can. The small, lightweight can is ideal for juices and other beverages for portion-conscious consumers, and is unbreakable, quick-chilling and 100 percent recyclable.”
I can see why an imaginative craft brewery who has no beer boundary would not want to be bound in just two types of can. Perchance a big imperial stout in this smaller container, or a big ABV DIPA.
I can see these becoming a cool marketing tool as well for smaller samples of specialty one off beers too.