Archive for January, 2009

Tomorrow’s the biggest game in football—Superbowl XLIII. Who are you cheering for? We’ll be rooting for the Steelers, since we lived in Pennsylvania. And, because of that we’re offering 5% off all PA breweries this weekend (Sat/Sun)!

What goodies can you get with that?

STOUDTS American Pale Ale
STOUDTS Double IPA
STOUDTS Fat Dog Stout
STOUDTS Gold Lager
STOUDTS Pils
STOUDTS Scarlet Lady ESB
STOUDTS Triple
STOUDTS Winter Ale*
VICTORY Baltic Thunder
VICTORY Golden Monkey (750ml’s)
VICTORY Hop Devil
VICTORY Hop Wallop*
VICTORY Old Horizontal*
VICTORY Prima Pils
VICTORY Storm King
VICTORY V-Saison (750ml’s)
VICTORY V-12
WEYERBACHER Blasphemy*
WEYERBACHER Blithering Idiot
WEYERBACHER Double Simcoe I.P.A.
WEYERBACHER Heresy*
WEYERBACHER Hops Infusion
WEYERBACHER Insanity*
WEYERBACHER Merry Monks Ale (750ml’s)
WEYERBACHER Muse*
WEYERBACHER Old Heathen Imperial Stout
WEYERBACHER QUAD*
WEYERBACHER Slam Dunkel*
WEYERBACHER “12″*
WEYERBACHER “13″*

The votes are in with 2009′s RateBeer Best Awards and … *drumroll* … Bruisin’ Ales is the #3 Best Beer Retailer Worldwide!

We dropped a spot from last year, but we’re very, very happy to stay where we are. And what is up with the #1 store in Denmark? Their website is in Danish, and there is cool Rogue coaster art in what we can guess is Danish, as well as a listing of several top-rated American craft ales that we don’t even see: Southern Tier, The Lost Abbey, Alesmith, and even Three Floyds. What the hell? You just can’t compete with that. No way. (Dear beer gods, we would like those brands, too, please.)

And give a big round of applause to The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery! Their Baltic Porter is the #5 beer in its style category. Very impressive! But our fair city, Asheville, is all over the Best Beer Restaurants with Barley’s Taproom at #11 and Mellow Mushroom at #21. Sweet!

We expect to get some heat for this, but why would you camp outside the Civic Center overnight in freezing temps for Phish tickets? Driving by there last night, after having Allagash Interlude ON TAP at The Thirsty Monk, folks were just kinda hanging out, huddled up from the cold and partying a bit. This we do not understand. We do not care for Phish. (*gasp* Did she just say that?) It’s not for lack of talent on their part—Phish is an incredibly talented group—it’s just that the whole “jam band” thing eludes us. We like a song structure. And we like songs to end in, let’s say, under 5 minutes. Guided by Voices is one of our favorite bands and some of their older ditties run about 30 seconds, which makes them sort-of the anti-Phish. But people go absolutely bonkers (including our friends) and we don’t know why. And, no, we have never been to a Phish show and, regardless, we don’t think it would change our opinion. That being said, we hope everyone got their tickets! It sold out in 6 minutes.

In completely unrelated business, Jason was on WLOS last night and this morning in the Absolute Le segment, “Do you have a second?”, featuring local businesses doing one-second commercials, a la Miller’s big advertising plan for the Super Bowl. Very clever! (And some free WLOS lovin’.) He’s wearing one of our boxing gloves and “punching” the camera while saying “Bruisin’ Ales.” Then, he got an extra spot in which he laments the end of football season. We believe the complete quote was: “It’s sad.” Man, that is great television right there. We hope WLOS posts a video of the spot! Jason can’t live without his football. This half would just like to see the TV room without the Fat Head.

And just in time for the Big Game Weekend, here are your new beers. (Go Steelers!)

ABITA Abbey Ale
ABITA Andygator
ALLAGASH Interlude ’08
FOUNDERS Double Trouble IPA
FOUNDERS Imperial Stout
SHIPYARD Imperial Porter
SHIPYARD Barleywine
SIERRA NEVADA Bigfoot*
SIERRA NEVADA Early Spring Beer
SIERRA NEVADA Torpedo Extra IPA

Obama hosts Happy Hours and apparently enjoys beer
We spotted this beauty on the Huffington Post earlier and now the BA’s are picking up the discussion in a forum. We confess to not reading the article, because we’ve had enough “stimulus” for today, but look at the picture. Just look. It’s wonderful. *tear* (We really hope no one writes us to take the photo down, because we’re so damn happy just looking at it. We’re hoping for the “fair use” rights on this one.)

It’s up; It’s down
You just never really know what’s going on in beer, the alleged “recession-proof” business, but the UK sure is having a rough time. The BBC reports that sales of beer are down 8.3% compared to this time last year. The Times UK and Financial Times UK put the drop even higher at closer to 10.0%. Ouch.

“Fetch Me a Beer”
Oh, no. Please no. Animal Planet is introducing a series with “Internet Sensation and Extreme Pet Trainer Zak George” that will teach your pets to do insanely stupid things. No. Just no. Oh, and we’ve never even heard of this guy and believe me, we spend A LOT of time on the Internet.

Another blow to Alabamians
Last year, one of the state’s few breweries burned down in Huntsville. Now, Auburn’s Olde Auburn Ale House has ceased brewing, citing rising expenses. The beers, however, will not disappear, but will rather be brewed off-premise.

Possibly the saddest, most useless blind-taste testing ever
The Georgetown Independent went and did a blind-taste test of the “cheapest beers in D.C.” Bud Light won. *golf claps* (And we’re not that happy that they used Iron Chef‘s episode-end question as the headline either. “Whose cuisine will reign supreme?”)

A nice little list of newbies are in-store now, including some sexy 1L flip-top bottles from local brewery, The Wedge. (The Super Saison is super awesome.)

MOYLAN’S Imperial Stout*
WEDGE BREWING Abbey Ale
WEDGE BREWING Golem
WEDGE BREWING Super Saison
WEYERBACHER Fireside Ale*