Many young men and women have set out to prove their dominance in the playing fields of dorm rooms and garages alike, facing off against one another in what is best known as "Beer Sports". These events include typically the following:
1) Beer Pong--it's ping pong, but with one or two cups of beer on the table as obstacles. The object is to win at a traditional game of pong, but each time you hit the ball against an opponent's cup the opponent must take a sip, and if you get the ball into the cup itself they have to drink the whole thing. If you knock over your own cup then you're an idiot.
2) Beirut. This involves the triangle of beer-filled cups, and teams of two trying to toss ping pong balls into the opponents' cups at which point they must drink the beer in the cup and the object is to finish all the opponents' cups before they finish yours.
3) Flip cup. This involves each team having to relay, one at a time drinking their cup then setting it on the edge of the table, and tapping the bottom of the cup in such a way as to cause it to flip over and land on its lip. The first team to each finish (not starting until the player next to you has done) wins.
4) Quarters. Bounce a quarter into the glass.
5) Drunken horseshoes. Try not to kill someone with the horseshoes.
6) Drive to store and back with more ice. This is highly dangerous.
7) Polish Horseshoes. Two stakes twenty feet apart, each with a beer bottle balanced on it. Each team has to knock the bottle off with a frisbee.
Of course, these rules can always be modified and new games can be invented, but in every Beerlympics it's a good idea to have some prizes and a general understanding of the rules so that douchebags don't get into a screaming match with each other over such misunderstandings. Also a good idea is to have "surrogate beers"--not drink out of the cups used in the competition (as these cups will have fingers and ping pong balls in them) but drink out of beers set to the side.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Summer Quaffs
Every now and again, some beer-lover will put in a list of top beers you must try--here is someone suggesting 10 "summer" beers. I can't say I agree with this list--they included PBR, which I find to be rather headache inducing--but what I do like about lists like this is they invariable include a beer or two I haven't tried and will make me notice them when I see them in the store or in a bar.
Good summer beers tend to be lighter and smoother (or even fruitier) than cold-weather quaffs, which is why hefe-weissens are popular at this time. Think of a hot day on a patio or in a park, with burgers or sandwiches and cracking open a cold refreshing brew--that's a summer beer! Of course it's also acceptable to go low-rent with something like a Miller Lite (or PBR, if that's your bag, baby) at times like this. My own suggestions:
1) Corona. Corona is just so associated with warm weather--part of it's their marketing, part of it the fact that it's a Mexican beer, and tends to be light and goes well with a slice of lime.
2) Red Stripe. This Jamaican beer always goes well with vacation.
3) The light stuff. Coors Light is one of the wateriest beers out there, and the silver bullet can (ha, yes, can! We're talking low rent here, friends) even reflects sunlight so can stay colder longer. After mowing a lawn on a hot day, this goes well when on a hammock.
4) Light ales and summer wheat beers. Breweries like Sam Adams, Saranac, Dominion and Sierra Nevada (not to mention smaller breweries around the country) will often produce seasonal beers worth trying, and the summer beers will go great here.
5) Belgian fruity ales. Many of these tend to be a bit sweet, and might be an acquired taste for someone who is used to the more bitter taste of beer, but can be worth a try.
Good summer beers tend to be lighter and smoother (or even fruitier) than cold-weather quaffs, which is why hefe-weissens are popular at this time. Think of a hot day on a patio or in a park, with burgers or sandwiches and cracking open a cold refreshing brew--that's a summer beer! Of course it's also acceptable to go low-rent with something like a Miller Lite (or PBR, if that's your bag, baby) at times like this. My own suggestions:
1) Corona. Corona is just so associated with warm weather--part of it's their marketing, part of it the fact that it's a Mexican beer, and tends to be light and goes well with a slice of lime.
2) Red Stripe. This Jamaican beer always goes well with vacation.
3) The light stuff. Coors Light is one of the wateriest beers out there, and the silver bullet can (ha, yes, can! We're talking low rent here, friends) even reflects sunlight so can stay colder longer. After mowing a lawn on a hot day, this goes well when on a hammock.
4) Light ales and summer wheat beers. Breweries like Sam Adams, Saranac, Dominion and Sierra Nevada (not to mention smaller breweries around the country) will often produce seasonal beers worth trying, and the summer beers will go great here.
5) Belgian fruity ales. Many of these tend to be a bit sweet, and might be an acquired taste for someone who is used to the more bitter taste of beer, but can be worth a try.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Speaking of tastings...
Maine Governor, John Baldacci, signed legislation on Monday which allows agency liquor stores to have up to 12 pre-planned tastings a year. This allows consumers the chance to sample different liquors before purchasing. Maine is, not surprisingly, the final New England state to pass such a law. It is limited to 1.5 ounces per person, but can be a great selling tool. Once, while lost in upstate New York or our way to a brewery tour, we turned around at a liquor store because it had a sign up that encouraged people to come in and try a variety of new flavored vodkas they were selling inside. Worked for us! We actually bought a bottle for that evening!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Billy Beer
Older readers--and I suppose so far we don't have older readers!--might remember the flop "Billy Beer" which was introduced in the late '70s by the Falls City Brewing Company and endorsed by then-President Jimmy Carter's no goodnik brother, Billy Carter. Billy was an alcoholic, and was rather popular in the late-'70s (keep in mind, this era was culturally a wasteland, probably caused by that "malaise" that Jimmy Carter was fretting about--it was a horrible time to be alive, and I'm just glad I was a toddler then!). His popularity was due to his humorous homespun sayings and "aw shucks" persona, so the beermaker figured his endorsement would be a great promotion for a new beer.
The whole thing turned into a disaster for a few reasons. First, the beer itself was low quality even by the standards of the time where Coors was considered top notch in the American market. The brewing company cut costs by using lesser ingredients and shorter brewing times, leading to a type of swill that even the least discriminating beer drinkers didn't like. Also, they paid Billy Carter very little to promote the beer, so he of course did a lousy job, skipping appearances and at several points admitting that he himself didn't like the beer much! The fad wore off quickly, sales plummeted, and Billy Beer went bust. Apparently, a gimmick will get you publicity, but you have to have some sort of staying power.
Postscript--in a great Simpsons episode, Homer was cleaning out his attic and found a long forgotten can of Billy Beer. After taking a sip, he proudly exclaims "we elected the wrong Carter!"
The whole thing turned into a disaster for a few reasons. First, the beer itself was low quality even by the standards of the time where Coors was considered top notch in the American market. The brewing company cut costs by using lesser ingredients and shorter brewing times, leading to a type of swill that even the least discriminating beer drinkers didn't like. Also, they paid Billy Carter very little to promote the beer, so he of course did a lousy job, skipping appearances and at several points admitting that he himself didn't like the beer much! The fad wore off quickly, sales plummeted, and Billy Beer went bust. Apparently, a gimmick will get you publicity, but you have to have some sort of staying power.
Postscript--in a great Simpsons episode, Homer was cleaning out his attic and found a long forgotten can of Billy Beer. After taking a sip, he proudly exclaims "we elected the wrong Carter!"
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Party Etiquette, Part 2
Proper party etiquette is mostly a matter of common sense, though you often see violations at every party. For those that need a refresher course, here are some:
1) If you bring beer/food, it's in bad taste to take any remaining beer/food with you when you leave--what you brought needs to stay at the party. If you brought way more than you thought you or others would eat/drink, then just plan better next time--it's just not right to walk out with it and looks petty. The exception to this is if the host insists, by saying "please, take some, I'm going to have way too many leftovers".
2) If you bring beer/food, don't freak out if other guests have some of yours. The idea of a party is to share, and of course you should feel free to sample some of what they brought (of course if they show up empty handed, then that's lousy--but not worth fighting over). The exception is if you only drink Zima because you're a tool and so you really can't have anything else and if others take it you'll be stuck drinking tap water.
3) If you're waiting to use the bathroom, don't bang on the door--it'll only make whoever's in there take longer. In turn, if you're the one in there, try and be quick. DON'T bring your friends in there to chat/have sex with. Others may need to pee! Go have sex or talk in your car. No one will be trying to get in there, believe me.
4) Don't fuck around with the host's electronic equipment or appliances without asking first.
5) If the host says "come at 8" then feel free to show up any time after that (though make sure if it's going to be after midnight that's fine with the host). You can show up earlier if you're close buddies and are helping set up. The exception is for dinner parties or other things where showing up late will disrupt--then show up on time or let the host know. You know what sucks more than waiting for someone who didn't let you know they'd be late? Being hungry while waiting.
6) Campground rule--don't break anything or leave trash around.
7) NEVER have the TV on at a party, that's total lameass loser behavior. There are of course two exceptions to this--(a) if the party is related to something TV, such as Superbowl, or last episode of Seinfeld, or karaoke; and (b) if the TV is used solely for background effect (like playing colors). When you get to a standard party and some dorks are sitting around a TV it is at about the same level as getting to a party and they're doing crossword puzzles.
8) Be nice and friendly to everyone there, no exceptions. If you're not feeling friendly feel free to stay home.
1) If you bring beer/food, it's in bad taste to take any remaining beer/food with you when you leave--what you brought needs to stay at the party. If you brought way more than you thought you or others would eat/drink, then just plan better next time--it's just not right to walk out with it and looks petty. The exception to this is if the host insists, by saying "please, take some, I'm going to have way too many leftovers".
2) If you bring beer/food, don't freak out if other guests have some of yours. The idea of a party is to share, and of course you should feel free to sample some of what they brought (of course if they show up empty handed, then that's lousy--but not worth fighting over). The exception is if you only drink Zima because you're a tool and so you really can't have anything else and if others take it you'll be stuck drinking tap water.
3) If you're waiting to use the bathroom, don't bang on the door--it'll only make whoever's in there take longer. In turn, if you're the one in there, try and be quick. DON'T bring your friends in there to chat/have sex with. Others may need to pee! Go have sex or talk in your car. No one will be trying to get in there, believe me.
4) Don't fuck around with the host's electronic equipment or appliances without asking first.
5) If the host says "come at 8" then feel free to show up any time after that (though make sure if it's going to be after midnight that's fine with the host). You can show up earlier if you're close buddies and are helping set up. The exception is for dinner parties or other things where showing up late will disrupt--then show up on time or let the host know. You know what sucks more than waiting for someone who didn't let you know they'd be late? Being hungry while waiting.
6) Campground rule--don't break anything or leave trash around.
7) NEVER have the TV on at a party, that's total lameass loser behavior. There are of course two exceptions to this--(a) if the party is related to something TV, such as Superbowl, or last episode of Seinfeld, or karaoke; and (b) if the TV is used solely for background effect (like playing colors). When you get to a standard party and some dorks are sitting around a TV it is at about the same level as getting to a party and they're doing crossword puzzles.
8) Be nice and friendly to everyone there, no exceptions. If you're not feeling friendly feel free to stay home.
Beer = Wealth?
As a student of history, I can't help but notice the great role that beer has played in the development of civilization. After all, the most advanced civilizations have been beerdrinking civilizations, as it comes to light that the ancient Egyptians, Assyrians and Romans--each respectively the leading culture of their respective times--discovering beermaking and leading the way in brewing compared to their surrounding barbarian neighbors. (No wonder the barbarians wanted in!) Of course, one could say the same about wine, which was popular in all the Mediterranean cultures and in large part still is--grapes can grow quite well in the temperate climates of southern Europe and North Africa.
Every few years we hear a new story that archaeologists have found an ancient beer recipe, and some brewer decides to try and replicate it. We hear little followup as to whether the recipe was any good though, and I'd be curious if any of our readers have had the opportunity to sample such beverages.
Why would a richer civilization require the production of alcoholic beverages? The best theory is that industrious minds need their leisure, and an intoxicant will do the trick. A poorer society cannot devote precious grain or fruits to making alcoholic beverages instead of food--this was the original reason why Mohammed banned alcohol in the sparse desert communities where Islam took hold, and also why you might have a hard time finding a terrific African beer. Alcohol is a luxury, to be sure, and we can probably measure the wealth of a society based on its consumption of such beverages.
Every few years we hear a new story that archaeologists have found an ancient beer recipe, and some brewer decides to try and replicate it. We hear little followup as to whether the recipe was any good though, and I'd be curious if any of our readers have had the opportunity to sample such beverages.
Why would a richer civilization require the production of alcoholic beverages? The best theory is that industrious minds need their leisure, and an intoxicant will do the trick. A poorer society cannot devote precious grain or fruits to making alcoholic beverages instead of food--this was the original reason why Mohammed banned alcohol in the sparse desert communities where Islam took hold, and also why you might have a hard time finding a terrific African beer. Alcohol is a luxury, to be sure, and we can probably measure the wealth of a society based on its consumption of such beverages.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Why the German Domination?
Many have wondered why for so many years the U.S. has had so many "tasteless" mass brewed beers while imports--particularly German imports--were of such high quality and in so many varieities. After all, Germany is a far more homogenous country than the U.S. (true, Bavarians who hate Prussians might quibble with that, but they have far more in common with one another than say Minnesotans of Scandanavian ancestry versus New Yorkers of Jamaican extraction), and the U.S. is a much larger country with far more beer drinkers (if arguably these beer drinkers consume less per person than the Germans). One would think that Americans would have far greater variety of beer, and the increased competition would favor much higher quality beers, than the Germans enjoy. (Plus, German-Americans are the largest single ethnic group in the U.S., so it's not as though these immigrants would have no idea that good beer exists).
One possible reason for this is articulated in Tim Harford's book "The Undercover Economist" where he discusses scarcity value and explains that German law not only upholds strict, ancient beer-purity standards, but also prevents combination of the breweries located in each of the small regions of Germany, giving each local brewery a lot of monopoly power in its domain. The result is many small breweries that have to compete with one another in the national marketplace, and an inability to create a larger monopoly that could wipe out small upstarts going against the big guys. No single German brewer has the power of say Budweiser (the larger German breweries like Becks have a much smaller percentage of the overall German market compared to Bud or Miller here), and so between that and the purity laws, the quality has to be maintained over a long time.
Contrast that with the U.S. By the late 1800s and early 1900s, large breweries like Miller, Pabst, and Budweiser had been able to monopolize and crowd out the smaller ones, and the mass-brewing process meant that the lighter pilsener-style lagers that the Northern and Eastern European immigrants often prefered could be sold in mass quantities at a good profit. Then, with Prohibition, the less profitable breweries--which didn't have the means to shift to non-alcoholic beverages like Bud did for a while--had to go under, and with its repeal, the big guys got rolling again. At this point, there were still regional monopolies--like for instance Yeungling in PA, Coors in the West and Genessee in upstate NY--but after WWII Budweiser used mass marketing and near dominance of the South (being a St. Louis brewer, the Bud folks realized that the South didn't have major breweries, as many counties down there were still "dry", which meant that they were really the nearest brewer and could control the distribution networks there) to their advantage. GI's who were stationed in southern bases away from home found they could not get their beers from home, but that Bud was available, and so they developed a loyalty to the "King of Beers" which they maintained after the war. Also, Bud marketed in a big way at sporting events, and as televised sports took off, this cemented their market share. The remaining regional breweries became second bit players, and American beer drinkers had mostly a taste for the big mass brews--all as a result of what was available for decades. Imports didn't really take off here, because beer drinking was seen as more of a working class thing at that time, and the types of people who would pay more to drink a quality alcoholic drink were more likely to have wine or whisky.
So essentially, different laws and economic developments explain the main difference between German and American breweries. But things have been changing--in the late '70s, the laws in the U.S. changed to allow limited home brewing, which enabled a lot of Americans to try ales and quality lagers that they or their friends would make, and before long new upstarts would create microbreweries to capitalize on these new tastes. Today a lot of smaller American breweries can compete with the quality imports, and the wider availability of good beers at bars and supermarkets have enabled even old Bud drinkers to try the new stuff--and even Bud is coming out with "premium" beers (haven't tried them yet) which are meant to appeal to the more discriminating crowd. All of this is a welcome development--whether you like the lighter, mass brewed stuff or the craft brewed finery, the extra choices can only be a good thing--and hold true to the American ideals.
One possible reason for this is articulated in Tim Harford's book "The Undercover Economist" where he discusses scarcity value and explains that German law not only upholds strict, ancient beer-purity standards, but also prevents combination of the breweries located in each of the small regions of Germany, giving each local brewery a lot of monopoly power in its domain. The result is many small breweries that have to compete with one another in the national marketplace, and an inability to create a larger monopoly that could wipe out small upstarts going against the big guys. No single German brewer has the power of say Budweiser (the larger German breweries like Becks have a much smaller percentage of the overall German market compared to Bud or Miller here), and so between that and the purity laws, the quality has to be maintained over a long time.
Contrast that with the U.S. By the late 1800s and early 1900s, large breweries like Miller, Pabst, and Budweiser had been able to monopolize and crowd out the smaller ones, and the mass-brewing process meant that the lighter pilsener-style lagers that the Northern and Eastern European immigrants often prefered could be sold in mass quantities at a good profit. Then, with Prohibition, the less profitable breweries--which didn't have the means to shift to non-alcoholic beverages like Bud did for a while--had to go under, and with its repeal, the big guys got rolling again. At this point, there were still regional monopolies--like for instance Yeungling in PA, Coors in the West and Genessee in upstate NY--but after WWII Budweiser used mass marketing and near dominance of the South (being a St. Louis brewer, the Bud folks realized that the South didn't have major breweries, as many counties down there were still "dry", which meant that they were really the nearest brewer and could control the distribution networks there) to their advantage. GI's who were stationed in southern bases away from home found they could not get their beers from home, but that Bud was available, and so they developed a loyalty to the "King of Beers" which they maintained after the war. Also, Bud marketed in a big way at sporting events, and as televised sports took off, this cemented their market share. The remaining regional breweries became second bit players, and American beer drinkers had mostly a taste for the big mass brews--all as a result of what was available for decades. Imports didn't really take off here, because beer drinking was seen as more of a working class thing at that time, and the types of people who would pay more to drink a quality alcoholic drink were more likely to have wine or whisky.
So essentially, different laws and economic developments explain the main difference between German and American breweries. But things have been changing--in the late '70s, the laws in the U.S. changed to allow limited home brewing, which enabled a lot of Americans to try ales and quality lagers that they or their friends would make, and before long new upstarts would create microbreweries to capitalize on these new tastes. Today a lot of smaller American breweries can compete with the quality imports, and the wider availability of good beers at bars and supermarkets have enabled even old Bud drinkers to try the new stuff--and even Bud is coming out with "premium" beers (haven't tried them yet) which are meant to appeal to the more discriminating crowd. All of this is a welcome development--whether you like the lighter, mass brewed stuff or the craft brewed finery, the extra choices can only be a good thing--and hold true to the American ideals.
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