Needed or Not – The Dive Bar

Cut to the chase.  Not needed.  A light flavorless seen better days beer simply ain’t gonna add much of anything to chocolate or ice cream.  I bet that if blindfolded, you could not taste the difference between plain and “High Life”. 

But if a craft brewery added a stout or a fruited sour to an ice cream treat, then I would be 100% on board.  But adding water beer, nah.

Needed or Not? – Heineken Beer Shoes

I guess walking on water is passe when you can walk on beer? But man these sneakers ain’t pretty to my eyes so I would hope to sink.

Here is the snippet from Adweek, “The company used a specialized surgical injection method to inject Heineken Silver into the soles, aiming to create a ‘smooth’ sensation when walking in the shoes that supposedly mirrors the taste profile of the beer.”

Needed ? – No on the beer inside which is probably skunked and no on the generic Italian flag color scheme.

Too Early to Put Coal in the Stocking?

Who in the actual f..k would seriously use this…

… I nearly did a spit take with this PR copy, “To bring real beer taste to the grill, actual Miller Lite is reduced down into a concentrated form which then coats Miller Lite Beercoal with the iconic taste of the original light beer. When burned, this special charcoal releases the taste of Miller Lite wrapping whatever you’re grilling in a smokey beer blanket suitable for summer.”

So, the taste of water? Why not douse your pit BBQ with a pitcher of H2O then.

I wish there was video of the pitch meeting for this.

Needed or Not? – Beer Deer

Right off the bat, NO!

It is gaudy. You can’t tell the breweries very easily. And if you did, it is mostly the industrial lager boys.

Then, where would this go? Maybe a garage where one wouldn’t have to look at it. Maybe a dorm room if you want to declare how uncultured you are.

Needed or Not? – Heineken B.O.T.

Summer is prime time for this feature of the blog. Every week seems to bring some wacky new beer idea. Heineken is next with their B.O.T.

The Beer Outdoor Transporter. Obviously the B.O.T. was thought of first. Basically a tiny cooler on wheels that follows you to your party like the Mars Rover.

Now there are plain, old, boring coolers that you have to lift with your actual arms and there are wheeled versions that you have to drag or push but who wants to work.

Verdict – Not Needed. It’s 2021, I want a combination jet pack and cooler.

Needed or Not? – The Shoezie

I can just picture this pitch meeting. Some marketing and swag VP cracks a joke about shoes being the first iteration of can coozy. A higher up laughs and then barks for a lackey to call his counterpart over at New Balance and thus….

A) It looks like something you would put on a horse for a Disney kids movie

B) I know Lite MUST be drunk cold so that you can freeze your taste buds but do I want the aroma of shoe leather?

Verdict – So not needed

Needed or Not – Backyard Bar Wars

Except for March Madness time of year, I don’t know what is on TruTV…

…but that might change with Backyard Bar Wars which will hit screens in July of this year. Hosted by Chris Distefano the show pits two backyards vs each other to see which has the best home bar. I assume the usual invisible handymen will do the constructing.

Is it Needed or Not – Well that depends on the comedian host. If Distefano is fun and not in the way, then this could be escapist fun with the occasional good idea for our own bars (outside or in). I don’t expect to see taps of craft beer but maybe a LA local might appear. So, the verdict is smack dab in the Needed.

Needed or Not ? – Kona Hot Tub

This luxury item from Kona Brewing has been on offer since December of last year and though the price is 2k, I would say that it is one of the better swag ideas that I have seen. It is a natural fit with beer, especially Kona beers.

It doesn’t land in the Not column and is not really needed but is at least useful and fun.

Needed or Not? – Non-Tipping Can Cooler

Maybe I am not active enough.  Why am I not multi-tasking?  No place would be off limits to the latest hazy IPA if I had the Toadfish Non-Tipping Can Cooler. Labeled as the “un-spillable beverage cooler” it uses that modern suction cup technology to stick a can anywhere there is a smooth surface.  Oh and it will keep that beer cold too.

Now in the video it is mostly water based activities.  So salt water is getting into your Gose while you surf or boat and at one point the koozie is on the roof of a car.  Gotta think the police would love that idea. 

Needed?  Not.  You can wait until you reach a non-rocking place to have your Bourbon Barrel Aged pastry stout or you can hold the can until you are finished.  What percentage of beer is actually being lost to slippery surfaces?  Gotta be a real niche inside a Russian Nesting Doll of niches.