Octoberfest Seasonals, Back Again!
Posted on October 5, 2008 by Derrick Schommer
Filed Under Beer, Oktoberfest, Sam Adams, Seasonals | Leave a Comment
It’s that time of year again. We’re heading back into the Octoberfest season with some great seasonal brews. Last year we covered a bit about Oktoberfest so we won’t rehash the obvious, today. It’s just important to remember to go out and try a few octoberfest seasonal beers this year.
We’re not saying you’ve got to experience pumpkin spiced aromas in all shapes and sizes, but at least hit up a few unique seaonal beers for octoberfest and see what you think. Samual Adams has a great octoberfest brew, nothing but the best from the Boston Beer Company it seems.
This copper colored beverage does not overpower the scenses with crazy spicy aromas, it hints at a cold fall day without pushing you over a cliff. With an ever so slight caramel taste and well carbonated medium bodied feel Sam Adams Octoberfest is a worthwhile october beverage. It won’t blow your socks off but it will prepare you for the long cold nights ahead.
These toasty malts go above and beyond a summer beverage without going as chocolaty deep as some winter beers. You’ll be hard up to find an october beer domestic to the United States to top this in the microbeer genre of brews. Although some homecrafted october beers will top the Sam Adams seasonal, they’re not as easy to find.
When it comes to a beer you can find anywhere in the US, Sam Adams Octoberfest is an easy to access beer with a festive taste that doesn’t go overboard into sickly pumpkin spiced bursts.
Everyday Drinkers Podcast 17: Sake
Posted on October 4, 2008 by Derrick Schommer
Filed Under Podcast, Sake | 1 Comment
This episode we’re taking a look at an age old beverage, Sake. We look into what makes a Sake, what type of styles one can experience and our impressions on the Japanese beverage.
While Sake has been around for thousands of years, a few of us on the drinking podcast have never had it. First time impressions and opinions make the corner stone of this episode.
Averna Cocktail Competition Names Don Lee Winner
Posted on September 24, 2008 by Derrick Schommer
Filed Under Alcohol, Averna, Press Release | Leave a Comment
After a grueling competition in picturesque Taormina, Sicily, wounded New
York based mixologist takes home the grand prize with ‘La Cola Nostra’
Sept. 16, NEW YORK, NY - After months of anticipation, meticulous planning
and stiff competition amongst some of the best bartenders in the nation, Don
Lee was named the winner of the first-ever Averna HAVE A NEW LOOK Cocktail
Competition.
“On the day that I was scheduled to fly to Sicily, I got into a severe
bicycle accident and was rushed to a local emergency room. Doctors
confirmed that I had fractured my left wrist. Unfazed I boarded the last
flight to Sicily on standby and arrived in Taormina just hours before the
faceoff,” said Don Lee who emerged victorious with only one good hand. Lee
took home the winning title and the grand prize of $1,500, courtesy of
Averna.
On Friday, September 12th, five mixologists from around the United States
battled for the grand prize on the beautiful terrace of Hotel Capo Taormina,
overlooking the Sicilian Ionian Sea. The contestants’ recipes were all
original, with the only requirement being that the cocktail HAVE Averna
Amaro as the base ingredient. Each contestant was given five minutes to
create his or her cocktail. Points were awarded based on presentation,
technique, originality, taste and ease of preparation. The judges came from
Italy and England and included Charles Venexat, Izzie Knolles, Steve
Manketelow, Giles Looker, Umberto Caselli, and Francesco Rosario Averna.
October 10: Brewery Hosts Flying Dog, Brats and Gonzo Party
Posted on September 24, 2008 by Derrick Schommer
Filed Under Flying Dog, Press Release | Leave a Comment
Denver, CO – September 9, 2008 – Flying Dog Brewery announces the Flying Dog, Brats and Gonzo, or “FBAG” Party to occur on October 10 at the Flying Dog Brewery Warehouse in Denver, Colorado from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The FBAG event will be the first opportunity for beer connoisseurs to sample some of Flying Dog’s latest releases including “Dog Schwarz,” a Smoked Double Lager. Flying Dog’s highly anticipated, new Canis Major Mixed 8-Pack of seven ounce bottles will also be unveiled. The event is open to the public and admission is FREE.
“Although the brewing operations for Flying Dog have moved to Maryland, our corporate offices are still in the heart of Denver and we see the Great American Beer Festival as a hometown event,” said Neal Stewart, director of marketing for Flying Dog. “To support the event and its attendees, we are inviting all of our friends and those interested in Flying Dog and craft beer to come by our warehouse and sample some of our new and experimental beers.”
The FBAG Party at Flying Dog’s warehouse will be a meeting point for the Beer Advocate’s Pub Crawl on Friday during the beer festival. Beer Advocate founders Jason and Todd Alstrom will be at the event to meet with attendees and enjoy the famous “Gonzo Brats” and live music. Party goers will also have the opportunity to meet the Beer Utopia crew who will be onsite conducting interviews for their emerging beer enthusiast web show and streaming event news through a live Twitter feed.
Everyday Drinkers Podcast 16: Brewing Beer
Posted on September 14, 2008 by Derrick Schommer
Filed Under Beer, Podcast | Leave a Comment
This episode we tap into Doug’s knowledge and experiences from brewing beers; we’ll cover boiling wort, carbonation, top and bottom fermenting and all the ins and outs about beer brewing.
If you’ve always wondered what it’s like to brew your own beer or how long it takes to prepare and get the job done, this is the episode for you!
Worlds Largest Flip Cup Tournament Updates
Posted on September 11, 2008 by Derrick Schommer
Filed Under Beer, News, Press Release, flip cup | Leave a Comment
It’s almost time for the worlds largest flip cup tournament! As we’ve mentioned before, you can never say you’ve mastered all the skills in flip cup until you’ve won a tournament or at least seen where you stand amongst your drinking peers.
Now that the Olympics have been folded into the record books, it’s time to see what new gold records we can set for our country and beyond. Flip Cup Guys are on a mission to create the worlds largest flip cup tournament and you might just be needed to make it happen.
Press Release
The Flip Cup Guys Aim for the Record Books
Teams From 10 States & Canada To Take Part in Flippin’’ History
New York, NY - - There is a new pair of guys setting their sights on a World Record, and neither one goes by the name of Phelps. The Flip Cup Guys, based out of Hoboken, have steadily increased and expanded their empire to include tournaments in New York and Philadelphia. Based on the extreme popularity of the sport and tournaments, Flip Cup Guys plan to host the “World’s Largest Flip Cup Tournament” in New York City on October 11, 2008. The event will have 64 teams, which easily surpasses the current world record of 44 teams from a tournament in Baltimore.
Teams have already signed up from all over the U.S., including New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Virginia, Washington D.C., Nevada, Louisiana, California, Connecticut, West Virginia, and Delaware. Even Canada will be represented!
The champions will win a VIP party package and seven night vacation stay in fabulous Negril, Jamaica, sponsored by Sun Splash Tours (www.sunsplashtours.com), where Flip Cup Guys members receive discounts on Spring Break Trips to the Caribbean, Mexico or Amsterdam. The winner of the WLFCT Survivor Tournament will win a cruise to the Bahamas on the World Famous Rock Boat (www.rockboat.com).
Teams can register for all of these tournaments at www.FlipCupGuys.com. Flip Cup Guys will expand their Flip Cup empire to Philadelphia, Boston, and other cities in late 2008.
Averna Cocktail Contestants Prepare for Sicilian Competition
Posted on September 10, 2008 by Derrick Schommer
Filed Under Alcohol, Averna, Beer, Cocktails | Leave a Comment
Imagine the pressures of being a top five finalist in a cocktail competition. Years of lifes experiences have finally paid off, probably much of those experiences were at the wrong end of a cocktail - drinking, not mixing. With experience comes power and with power comes the pressures of battling for the number one spot.
Averna setup one such competition amongst some of the best mixologists around; it’s almost time to see how they stack up against each other. We’re starting to receive a few updates from Sicily…
Duggan McDonnell, owner of Cantina in San Francisco said:
“We touched down in Catania, the plane packed more than full, bumping its way down the runway. It was so hot, we thought the tires might pop. The September Sicily air swelled, then scorched our skin.
Outside, a bus we drove us north to Messina, where we went to catch a ferry to the Isle of Lipari for a brief respite before the touring and cocktail competition begins. Looking out at the hills and at Mt. Etna herself, it appeared that the colors and fauna of Sicily had more in common with Morocco and Mexico than Europe.
Sicily is lionùs hide brown in color and rocky in texture, born from a volcano and sundried over thousands of years. It is this soil, and the Mediterranean that surrounds, that births the flavors of its food and drink: savory, bitter bright citrus and herbs, all salt and sea. It is fitting that Amari was born here. Even the soft drinks are bitter. Now, it is less than twenty four hours before all descend upon the Isle and the tour begins, and then competition to decide who the Averna Champion will be.
I cannot wait.”
You ever have one of those time you wish you were somewhere else? I wish I was in Sicily…
Brand Loyalties: Buying Your Favorite Beverage Brands
Posted on September 5, 2008 by Derrick Schommer
Filed Under Accessories, Anheuser-Bush, Beer, Glasses, Mixed Drinks | Leave a Comment
When it comes to gift giving and buying accessories for your beer, wine and general drinking needs, do you find you’ll purchase brands you know and love? Or, do you tend to buy brands that you want people to think you know and love.
For instance, I’m a big tequila fan but there are very few good branded tequila shot glasses and accessories. If you’re into Corona, Budweiser and other brands you’ll find it’s fairly easy to purchase something online that will satisfy your branding desires. One such site, awesomedeals911, is a great example of a low-cost online store where you can buy cool gifts for family members or as suggestions to others for your own birthday or holiday.
I have four Corona shot glasses from awesomedeal911 that I can integrate into drinking parties with a mexican theme. They’re not some cheap rip off, but real branded glasses using standardized shot sizes as you’d see in any store. I’m also interested pint glasses and tall pilsner style glasses with a wide array of different brands to help build out a collection for parties, allowing everyone to have a unique glass and remember which is theirs.
This holiday many shoppers will be buying products for their beverage drinking fans and it’s best to buy them something they love. Don’t cheap out and go with a branding store that’s not using official logos and products, you may find they wash off in the dishwasher or, in general, look awful.
I highly suggest starting your gift giving searches early this year, get out on the Net and avoid the lines!
What is Sake?
Posted on August 31, 2008 by Derrick Schommer
Filed Under Alcohol, Beer, Budweiser, Rice, Sake | Leave a Comment
Sake is a Japanese word which means “alcoholic beverage,” but here in the US we use it to represent their alcoholic beverage made from rice. Imagine if a country used “Beer” to represent Budweiser and you’re on the right track as to how we’re using “Sake” in our language.
But, Sake represents more than just an alcoholic beverage to us here in the States. It’s something different, something usually unknown and something many of us would consider a “dangerous” drink. We, as humans, tend to find our familiar niche and stick with it but a few of us strive for something different, living dangerously if you will, and will search for new alcoholic beverages to try.
Sake may be that beverage. Some think of Sake as a “rice wine,” which is incorrect as Sake is not made like wine. There are many phases of fermentation when creating Sake from its rice and thus, it’s actually more akin to a beer than a wine. To be even more specific, Sake is probably closer to Budweiser than any other beer as Bud uses a combination of rice and barley malt to create the lighter “sweeter” taste.
Where did Sake originate? The history of the beverage may be lost to time as both Japan, China and heavy rice consuming areas have rich deep histories going back thousands of years. While the United States can recall most of what it has done in the last 200 years, China, where rice is prominant, has buildings that are several thousand years old!
“One theory suggests that the brewing of rice started in China, along the Yangtze River and was subsequently exported to Japan” (wikipedia)
“It comes in several different varieties, and was first made at least 2,000 years ago. Since then, sake has played an important role in Japanese culture and history. From its origins as the “drink of the Gods” to its current status as one of the most popular drinks in the country, the history of sake is steeped in tradition, innovation, and custom.” (asianartmall)
Although history seems to suggest China was the first to really invent Sake around 4,000 B.C it was Japan that learned how to mass produce the alcoholic beverage around 300 B.C. In the 1300s, Sake went full mainstream and was considered a beverage of choice over other potential drinks.
From a historic standpoint, Sake has changed Japan in many ways. It has created a need for more agriculture when dealing with Sake rices, has produced a beverage thought highly by the poorest to the richest and has marked some of the biggest occasions in history.
There are varieties of Sake, serving standards and processes to which Sake is produced, but that’s a history of another kind!
You like Dry Vermooth?
Posted on August 28, 2008 by Derrick Schommer
Filed Under Vermooth | Leave a Comment
If you’ve heard the Everyday Drinkers Podcast about the Martini, you’ll understand why Kate shot us an e-mail with this photo:
The trick to remember, only line your glass with dry vermooth to avoid the face of UGH!
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