We’ll bet there are quite a few folks out there not feeling on top of their game today. Being iced-in via our steep driveway (and poor planning) made for a quiet Inauguration Day at the homestead. There was an Avery’s Ale to the Chief during the swearing-in. A little chess playing. But how could you avoid the excitement of the football-like crowd singing the “Na-Na-Na-Nah/Hey-Hey-Hey/Goodbye” song to W; Cheney on a wheelchair, injured from moving boxes (and can we also assume, on Vicodin, because he’s never smiled that much, like ever?); the drama of the flubbing Chief Justice; the FOX commentator who proclaimed perhaps Obama was not actually president (because of said flubbing and, btw, FOX was the only network to cover the Bush homecoming); that THING on Aretha’s head; the inspiring Inaugural speech which was actually (mostly) written by our President, who can both read and write; the close-up camera shot of Malia taking photos of her dad’s speech; the launch of the new White House site at exactly 12:01pm; the masses of people in freezing temps without enough Porta-Potties; the lifting-off of the helicopter carrying Bush back to Texas; the excruciatingly slow parade route; the rumored “bullet-proof” clothes; Michelle waving and smiling sans pantyhose; Beyoncé kickin’ it old school with “At Last” for the first dance; and the dress, the dress! Even Chris Matthews was “let loose” and seemed not so Hard Ball. What a day it was.

But, back to work! And here are some juicy, beery newsbits for your palate.

Bell’s HopSlam is (almost) here
You been asking and tomorrow comes the long awaited Bell’s HopSlam. The fav of the hophead set is sure to go as quickly as last year’s did. (Two days.) We’re not for properly endorsing products, but this stuff is like a flavor bomb went off in your nose and mouth. *If you want to hold some, you must call to pay with a credit card and show valid ID upon pick-up.

MountainXPress cover story talks about The LAB
Edgy Mama, writes the story for this week’s issue, covering the growing properites of Echo Mountain Studios. We have to say that The LAB sounds like it’s going to be pretty bad ass. Not to mention, just around the corner.

Brewgrass tickets
The newest, latest most popular question at Bruisin’ Ales is “When do Brewgrass tickets go on sale?” Well, the date is Sept. 19 this year, so plan accordingly. Beer spies tell us that tickets will be available starting Feb. 15. Don’t wait. They sell out quickly.

Who’s brewing? Wait, what?
Different beer spies tell us that The Lobster Trap is brewing on a small set-up similar to what DFH started out on. Rumors are they’re trying to get label approval for two brews already. Cheers to that! We love The Lobster Trap.

Beer on PBS?
Yup, BeerAmerica.tv produced a little snippet on Dogfish Head Craft Brewery which aired on PBS. Titled “Extreme Brewing,” this covers Sam’s ways and gives a nice overview of the beer process.