Archive for the ‘Books’ Category

AB people move on; Expedition Stout has 400 calories

Posted Apr 16, 2009 in Beer, Beer Humor, Books, Breweries, In the news, Movies, People, Weird/Odd

Interview with Anat Baron, director of BeerWars
US News & World Report has a good interview with Anat Baron about the process of making the film, BeerWars. (Showing tonight at Carolina Cinemas on Hendersonville Road. Get your tix.) Interesting stuff that the “big guys” from MillerCoors and A-B denied participating in the film. This quote from Baron is pretty funny, when she was asked about her style of directing:  “The film is a “hybrid” of styles. Some have compared me to Michael Moore but I’m better dressed, less angry and use humor instead of confrontation.”

The Brewers Association Top 50 List
It’s that time of year again when the Brewers Association reports on the Top 50 Craft Brewers and the Top 50 Overall Brewers. All numbers are based on sales volume from 2008.

Life after Anheuser-Busch
The St. Louis Business Journal sheds some light on the happenings on some former top execs at A-B. Since InBev took over, many have left and moved on to other things while some are planning their next moves. “Other former brewery employees are taking more time before making their next move. Nearly all of Anheuser-Busch’s 17 former strategy committee members have left the company. Roughly 2,400 salaried employees, or about 40 percent of Anheuser-Busch’s local workforce, took early retirement buyouts or pink slips in December and January.” The report claims that the departure of these folks are spurring “a wave of entrepreneurship” in St. Louis. Maybe there is gold at the end of the rainbow? In other news at AB-InBev, the Rolling Rock brand is being shopped around and could possibly end-up right where it started: Latrobe, Pa. Production of the beer has dropped by nearly 50% since 2003. [via Appellation Beer]

“Does my butt look big in this beer?”
One of the things that’s been on the horizon in the beer industry is nutritional information like those found on nearly every food product bought in your local supermarket. Since beer is food, this only makes sense. Joe Sixpack writes a great article about calories in beer, highlighting a new book by beer writer Bob Skilnik, “Does My Butt Look Big In This Beer?” Check these (somewhat alarming) stats: “Pull a bottle of Victory Prima Pils from the fridge, and you’re enjoying a hoppy, full-flavored lager for just 171 calories. Reach for Victory Golden Monkey instead, and you’re looking at 281. Care for a stout? A bottle of Guinness is just 125 calories. You could drink three of them before you reach the 400 calories in a single bottle of Bell’s Expedition Stout.” Ack! 400 calories in Expedition Stout? The book itself catalogs over 2,000 different beers worldwide and their caloric content.

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In related news of the anterior…
The UK is riled-up over an “advert” for Courage beer (above), which portrays a man sitting on a couch and a woman standing in a too-tight purple dress, presumably asking the above mentioned question “Does my butt look big?” And the statement, “Take courage, my friend.”  THREE people complained and the ad was pulled. Do you find this funny? Offensive? We file this one in the “Who Cares?” drawer. After all, the dude isn’t much to look at either. Hell, the couch is sagging! [via blogs.news.com.au]

Meet the Brewer: Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head

Posted Apr 15, 2009 in Beer, Beer Pairings, Books, Breweries, Events, Goings on, People

sam_and_randall.jpg

THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT.

On Friday, May 15, Bruisin’ Ales will hold TWO private tasting sessions with Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head—5-7pm and 7-9pm.* We’re capping the number of people to 30 for each session. Hopefully, by doing this, everyone will have the opportunity to meet Sam. (Anyone who’s been to a busy tasting, knows it can get a little crammed in the humble storefront.) We’ll have his books available, as well as other merchandise you might want signed. You also get a FREE Dogfish Head Glass!

Five-flight o’ beer: 60 Minute IPA | Indian Brown Ale | Raison D’Etre | Aprihop | Black & Blue

Each two-hour session is $10/pp, with a portion of proceeds going towards our charity, FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Tickets can be purchased at Bruisin’ Ales or by calling the store (828) 252-8999. Please specify which session you prefer.

(*Bruisin’ Ales will closed for business during these hours for this special event.)

Dogfish Head Mountain Weekend with Sam Calagione

Posted Mar 13, 2009 in Beer, Beer Pairings, Beer Places, Books, Breweries, Coming Soon, Cooking with Beer, Coolness, Events, People, TV

THE PAID EVENTS FOR THIS WEEKEND ARE SOLD OUT.

Happy Friday the 13th!

Finally, we get to announce our “big news” we’ve been hinting about for a few months now. Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head is coming to Asheville! And not just for a dinner, we snagged him for an entire weekend. There will be three events planned, giving you plenty of chances to meet the man behind the “off-centered ales.” The full press release is below with more details to follow next week!

March 13, 2009

ASHEVILLE, NC—Bruisin’ Ales (www.bruisin-ales.com), the third top beer retailer worldwide by RateBeerBest 2009, is pleased to host Sam Calagione, founder and President of Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales in Milton, Del., for a “Dogfish Head Mountain Weekend” in Asheville, May 15-17.

Well-known in the Brewniverse, Sam is one of America’s most vocal supporters of the craft beer movement-which is booming in Asheville-creating what he calls “off-centered ales for off-centered people.” He is also the author of three books: Brewing Up A Business, Extreme Brewing, and He Said Beer, She Said Wine, co-authored by Marnie Old. He has most recently been featured in The New Yorker and seen on NBC’s “The Today Show.”

The weekend will begin on Friday evening with a private tasting, talk, and book signing with Sam at Bruisin’ Ales. Saturday evening is Pint Night at The Thirsty Monk (www.monkpub.com) with a special “Brewer’s Choice” line-up on draft. The weekend will culminate on Sunday with the off-centered “Dogfish Head Beer Brunch” at Zambra (www.zambratapas.com), featuring a gastronomic six-course menu with Dogfish Head’s 90 Minute IPA, Red & White, Immort Ale, Midas Touch, Palo Santo Marron, and another super-secret brew.

The Friday private tasting and Sunday brunch will be ticketed events. The Pint Night is free to attend. All information, including times, full brunch menu, and ticket information will be posted at the Bruisin’ Blog, www.bruisin-ales.com/beerblog.

Well, hello!

Posted Mar 04, 2009 in Beer, Books, Breweries, Coolness, Miscellany, Travel

Bet you thought we’d just gone and disappeared! Well, we did, actually—to Belize for an awesome, much-needed vacation of unplugging completely. But we’re back and going to attempt cramming in a bunch of posts in today. There are news bits, events and other industry stuff we’ve been catching up on.

We’re still trying to figure out what crashed the blog the last few days. Sorry about that. WordPress froze our account due to “extensive site traffic.” That’s not a bad thing at all, but considering we weren’t even posting new content, who knows what was causing all that.

Also, apologies to everyone who came to the Smuttynose tasting in anticipation of meeting someone from the brewery. Kevin Love, VP of Sales/Marketing, was indeed in town, but had to catch an earlier flight, so he missed the tasting. We regret the unintentional false advertising.

Beating the blues for Brewgrass weekend

Posted Sep 18, 2008 in Beer, Books, Breweries, Goings on, New this week, People, Seasonals, Unrelated to Beer

May the beer gods bless us with the kind of weather that’s been hanging around the last few days, because it’s Brewgrass Weekend! Whoo! Last year was so very hot with a slight hint of brutal. (Please note that Bruisin’ Ales is closed this coming Saturday.)

And, thank goodness it’s beer time, too, because we’ve been mourning both Rick Wright and David Foster Wallace all week long. “Great Gig in the Sky” and Infinite Jest are two things we treasure deeply in life. ”Great Gig in the Sky,” with the amazing vocals of Clare Torry, showed that you didn’t need words to speak. And finishing the 1000+ page Infinite Jest with Wallace’s trademark footnotes was an empowering moment. It’s witty and intricate, though devilishly long with constant flipping. It was an awesome reading challenge and there’s been nothing quite like it before or since. It’s been a sad week. So, we need a little bit o’ fun. (Thanks to Dave for cheering us up, as usual.)

Already some friendly faces from out of town have begun to make their appearances. And some bring us beer from lands far away, which is always a nifty thing. (You know who you are.)

More new brews arrive this week, including the Stone Brewing line-up. See you at the Dogfish Head tasting tomorrow!

BROOKLYN BREWERY Post Road Pumpkin Ale*
BROOKLYN BREWERY Oktoberfest*
CATAWBA VALLEY King Don’s Pumpkin Ale* (Friday)
DUCK RABBIT Wee Heavy*
LAGUNITAS Cappucino Stout*
LAGUNITAS Imperial Red*
LAGUNITAS New Dogtown Pale Ale*
LEFT HAND Octoberfest*
VICTORY Festbier*
WEYERBACHER Imperial Pumpkin*

RIP, DFW