Fake Outrage over Jersey Beer
Friday July 10, 2009
New Jersey is a state that happens between exits. Anytime I've spoken to someone from that state the conversation is filled with highway exit numbers. The entire geography of New Jersey seems to hinge on which exit a person takes to get to wherever she is headed.
So it just makes sense that New Jersey based brewer,
Flying Fish Brewing Co., would name a line of specialty beers after the exits. It’s a creative and eye-catching concept. Good for Flying Fish.
But someone had to complain. Joe Orlando of the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and Mindy Lazar of the local Mothers Against Drunk Driving chapter have a problem. It seems that they think that their fellow citizens are stupid enough to believe that this is an endorsement of knocking back a few brewskies will roaring down the turnpike.
Stop complaining about creative names. Folks drinking this craft beer designed for flavor are not the ones causing the societal problems associated with drinking. The focus should be on cheap swill not high-end craft brewers if your goal is to reduce drinking and driving. When is the last time you complained about a fine wine with a quirky name?
Drinking Songs
Friday July 10, 2009
I've been meaning to collect some beer songs for this site for a while now. And I'll get to it eventually. For now, though, check out
Rob Kasper's list of lists of beer songs. He's been trolling the blogosphere and gathered some interesting stuff - best hip-hop beer drinking songs, best beer drinking songs for hell-raisers, and Irish drinking songs for cat lovers.
Ohio Beer Week
Friday July 10, 2009
Have you noticed the rise of the beer week? Apparently festivals that only last a day or two are so ten years ago. States and cities all across the US have been organizing beer weeks where they take a leisurely five to ten days to explore everything their local beer scene has to offer. These events are a great alternative to a frantic festival where many days' worth of entertainment and information are crammed into five hours.
The Ohio Beer Week kicks off in Athens on Sunday and it looks like it's going to be a great time. It will feature 125 craft beers from 29 Ohio microbreweries. Events will include a craft beer cooking competition and the Brewer's Gourmet Feast, a foodie and beer lover's delight. The organizers have lined up some great speakers -
Steve Hindy,
Chris O'Brien and
Lucy Saunders will be lecturing and presenting some demonstrations.
Guinness and Space
Friday July 3, 2009
You are probably aware by now that this year marks the 250th anniversary of Guinness’s famous 9,000 year lease on the Dublin Brewery. (By the way, I really wish I could be around when the lease is up. I’d like to see if Guinness gets the security deposit back.)
The brewery has been celebrating all year –
earlier a special anniversary stout was released. As part of the celebration
Guinness is offering a seat on Virgin’s suborbital ‘spaceliner.’ Other prizes include a visit to a submarine bar and a Black Eyed Peas concert.
Check out
Guinness.com for more info.
