I’ve been hearing about opening bottles of beer with all sorts of various objects and in various ways lately, but this one takes the cake: opening beer bottles via helicopter. I kid you not. It’s a totally insane (yet apparently real) video of a contest between Japan and the U.S. … Continue reading

Pumpkins in Central Oregon I’ve got pumpkin beer on the mind… right now, I’m the #1 result on Google for "pumpkin ale recipe", #3 for "pumpkin ale", #7 for "pumpkin beer"… On Yahoo, I’m #2 for "pumpkin ale recipe" and #9 for "pumpkin ale". Does that make me an expert? … Continue reading

When I had picked up the heather ale in Portland last month, I also bought a bottle of Ebulum Elderberry Black Ale, brewed by the same brewery as the Fraoch. How could I not? It was such an unusual-sounding beer. Here’s the description from their website: Introduced to Scotland by … Continue reading

Catching up on more sites generated from my reading list, I found a couple of linkworthy items. First, I’m finding out here that Rogue is releasing their proprietary Pacman yeast with Wyeast, as a seasonal from September through December. I’d love to get my hands on some of this; Rogue … Continue reading

The other day I was contacted by a guy who had just launched a new beer and drink blog, called Lyke 2 Drink. It’s well-written and I’m enjoying it; the description is Lyke 2 Drink is a blog created by Rick Lyke, a veteran drinks journalist, covering beers, wines and … Continue reading

Catching up on my reviews (but not entirely in my beers), tonight’s is Mojo India Pale Ale, from Boulder Beer Company in Colorado (warning: annoying Flash site with popups). Good beer, nothing gimmicky or experimental going on here, just a solid IPA at 6.8% alcohol by volume. Not my favorite … Continue reading

When in Portland at the beginning of August, we stopped by Whole Foods in the Pearl District and I picked up a few specialty beers, Fraoch Heather Ale among them. Fraoch comes from the Craigmill Brewery in Scotland, and is one of the oldest styles of beer in the world; … Continue reading

Beervana points to this old Rainier Beer commercial on YouTube. The motorcycle one. That’s a classic! Although I can’t find what year it came out… some site said something about the late 80s, but it seems to me that it was much earlier. Anyone know? And for that matter, what … Continue reading

RedEnvelope is selling thermos-y double-walled beer glasses for a whopping $75 per six glasses. They’re clever and all—made from "borosilicate glass, used to make scientific lab gear, the heat-resistant glass weighs less than traditional glassware, but is actually stronger"—but myself, I think I’ll just stick to my regular pint glasses … Continue reading

Delirium Nocturnum is a Belgian ale weighing in at 8.5% alcohol by volume, and packaged in a funky faux-ceramic painted bottle. The particular bottle I had was a big one—one pint, 9.4 fluid ounces—and sealed with a cork and cage setup, like a champagne bottle. There’s also a pink elephant … Continue reading