Beer

Stepped out onto my front porch this morning to find a dripping wet box. Good thing that wasn't the Monet I just bought or UPS would have some answering to do. Really, why can't they ring the doorbell or at least put my package where it has a chance against Florida monsoons? Anyway, Magic Hat was the culprit, sending me a few beers including HiCü, a beer brewed with cucumbers and Hibiscus. I would have probably guessed this a gimmick for almost every other brewery, but this is what Magic Hat does, so let's see how it tastes. The art work is pretty cool, with a pair of fish swimming around the name of the beer. 4.2% alcohol. Smells like cucumber body wash, and the aroma was powerful even outside on a windy day. Flavors are VERY vegetal and full of flower petals. I know I should have known to expect that, but this really tastes like a glass of ground up garden. Kinda blech, not that pleasant. Add some weird and aggressive metallic bitterness along with an ugly tang and bad aftertaste and what you get is a first class example of a drain pour. This beer arrived just as Magic Hat sued West Sixth Brewing for trademark infringement. If I thought West Sixth had any case at all (like when Monster Energy sued over the Vermonster), I'd have chimed in my support to their social media case. But seriously, West Sixth is going to lose hard and should not waste any more money kidding themselves. I'm no lawyer but obvious is obvious. So, no, I won't stop drinking Magic Hat beers in protest. Well, except this one. West Sixth, I will not drink HiCu to support your cause! And in case you didn't get the joke of the beer's name, Magic Hat spelled it out for you on the neck of the bottle.

I long ago lost the ability to keep up with even half the beer news out there in the wild and wacky world of craft beer. There was a time I attempted daily (or even more frequent) updates with interesting tidbits from around the brewniverse along with small contributions of my own thoughts. That has yielded to my weekly updates that you'll find here every Saturday morning with some of what I

So, could the menu offer a Woman Wine? I would have preferred that the mug was manly as opposed to simply masculine. I had no idea mugs were, in fact, gendered. What do they get up to in the dishwasher? I also didn't know that while their masculinity was superior when not in frosted form - something many males might agree upon - that they were inferior to pitchers. Makes one want to work on that two fingered fastball a bit more... if you know what I mean.

Sponsored Post: Craftshack just completed a much-needed spring cleaning of the big cooler in the back of the shop. Some of the beers they found… Top finds: 1. The Lost Abbey Cuvee de Tomme – only 3 in stock / 1pp (will sell out basically as soon as this post goes up) SOLD OUT 2. The Lost Abbey Red Poppy – only 7 in stock / 1pp 3. North Coast Barrel-Aged Old Rasputin Imperial Stout XV – only 3 in stock / 1pp 4. Firestone Walker Double DBA 2012 – only 11 in stock 5. Samuel Adams Infinium 2010 – only 4 in stock 6. Double Bastard Ale 2006 – only 4 in stock Top online sellers for the week of 5/20: 1. AleSmith Speedway Stout 2. The Lost Abbey Red Poppy 3. AleSmith Nut Brown Ale 4. 3 Fonteinen Oude Geuze Golden Blend 2012 5. Port Older Viscosity 6. Great Divide Chocolate Oak-Aged Yeti Imperial Stout 7. Port Hop-15 Double IPA 8. Avery Twenty XX IPA 9. New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale 10. Great Divide 19th Anniversary Wood Aged Ale 11. Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA 12. Ballast Point Sculpin IPA 13. AleSmith IPA 14. Ballast Point Homework Series #1 15. BrewDog Three Floyds Bitch Please Buy them here! Craftshack weekly email newsletter signup (some issues of which will contain exclusive coupon codes). Follow Craftshack social media updates: .ig-b- { display: inline-block; } .ig-b- img { visibility: hidden; } .ig-b-:hover { background-position: 0 -60px; } .ig-b-:active { background-position: 0 -120px; } .ig-b-v-24 { width: 137px; height: 24px; background: url(//badges.instagram.com/static/images/ig-badge-view-sprite-24.png) no-repeat 0 0; } @media only screen and (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and (min--moz-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and (-o-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2 / 1), only screen and (min-device-pixel-ratio: 2), only screen and (min-resolution: 192dpi), only screen and (min-resolution: 2dppx) { .ig-b-v-24 { background-image: url(//badges.instagram.com/static/images/ig-badge-view-sprite-24@2x.png); background-size: 160px 178px; } } Follow @craftshackbeer Follow @windycityliquor Obligatory disclaimer: BeerPulse only acts as a conduit of information and carries no responsibility in the fulfillment of the order. You must be at least 21 years of age to order alcohol in the U.S.. Supporting stores like Craftshack helps support BeerPulse as well so we would encourage you to do business with them.

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German Brewers Say Fracking Will Mess Up the Country's Beer

Tories want beer, wine sold in grocery, corner stores

(Tampa, FL) – As some of you may be aware, we’ve been steadily trickling out bottles of Brandy Barrel-aged Hunahpu…The post Cigar City Sets up Voucher System for Brandy Barrel Aged Hunahpu’s appeared first on thefullpint.com.

[Credit: Devils Backbone Brewing] Press Release: (Lexington, VA) – Fresh from their record-setting performance at the major brewing competitions in 2012, Devils Backbone Brewing Company is embarking on a $3.25M expansion project to increase production capacities at both the Basecamp Brewpub in Nelson County, VA and the Outpost Brewery in Lexington, VA. In 2012, Devils Backbone took home a remarkable eight medals at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) and won the overall award for Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year. This recognition for the company’s world-class beers, coupled with a national shift by consumers towards craft beer, has maxed out Devils Backbone’s current capacity and fueled the need for expansion. According to Founder Steven Crandall, the brewery is expanding well ahead of schedule: “Just an year and half in, we’re already exceeding our original ten year projection and we haven’t even ventured far outside the Virginia Heartland!” At the Outpost, the Company will be breaking ground on a new 13,000 square foot building that will serve as a packaging hall, warehouse and administrative space. The brewery is also adding new fermentation and filtration equipment, which will nearly double the annual capacity of the brewery to 40,000 barrels per year. Crandall notes that the brewery just completed an expansion from 12,000 to 21,000 barrels last November. A 300% increase in cooler space will allow the brewery to maintain the quality of stored inventory and new workspace will accommodate the additional personnel require to support the growing business. The project at the Basecamp Brewpub, the brewery’s birthplace in Nelson County, will increase fermentation and cooler space in the brewery to allow for greater production of small batch specialty brews. The kitchen will also benefit from the expansion, gaining operational and storage space. This space is critical for the growth of festivals, camping, plays and events on Basecamp’s 100-acre property. As for the future, Crandall is optimistic: “The craft beer industry in the United States has seen tremendous growth over the last few years led by some outstanding craft breweries and it is expected to continue its rapid growth for the foreseeable future. We are excited to be a small part of this creative industry. Most of all, we are happy to play a role in putting Virginia on the brewing map, to provide fun and fulfilling careers for our employees, and most importantly to continue creating unique, award winning craft beer locally for our loyal fans.”

We’re taking a week off of ranking the most buzz worthy craft beers this week to bring you a very special edition of Craft Beer P…The post Craft Beer Power Rankings Memorial Day Weekend 2013 Edition appeared first on thefullpint.com.