Three Sheets Coming Back This Month!

The one topic that I've followed up on over a few times on this blog is a TV show called Three Sheets, a travel show about drinking customs and hangover rituals. Based on that fact alone, it's obvious that I'm contributing to the formation of geniuses.

In short, the show was solely on an HD-network called MOJO which ceased operations, thus ceasing the operations of the show itself. However, it was easily the most popular program on that network and through rallies to save the show and get it signed to a different network, it found a new home. Back in April, I posted about that good news.

This month, starting July 20th the fourth season of the series with the amusing, fun-loving host by the name of Zane Lamprey will begin airing on its new home, the Fine Living Network. Lamprey has gone from sharing a network with gambling addicts, technology fiends, and demolition enthusiasts to one with a Martha Stewart show. So obviously he's more at home on FLN. Joking aside, I'm definitely happy that Zane Lamprey found a new home to continue his career of getting tipsy on TV and hope that it continues for seasons to come.

Tune in July 20th if you have FLN! This season includes trips to New Zealand, Tanzania, Lithuania, St. Martin, Cape Town, Hawaii, Iceland, Poland, Barbados, Panama, Namibia, Tuscany, Barbados, Tahiti, New Castle, Hamburg, Lesvos, and Amsterdam.

Cheers Zane!

Three Sheets Was Saved!

You may remember I posted about an excellent show, Three Sheets, that was taken off the air because its home, the MOJO Network, was eliminated. Zane Lamprey, the boozin' host of the show called out to his many fans for help, asking them to email networks and join him in some Pub Crawls to fight for a new home for the show.

Well I just checked his website and it sounds like all of it paid off! Hooray! A few weeks ago, Zane posted that a network will be broadcasting the old episodes of Three Sheets and most likely shooting a new season of the show. However, Zane mentioned that said network wants to make the announcement so we'll have to stay tuned; the good news, however, is that this new network is apparently accessed by 65 million homes as opposed to MOJO, which only had 10 million viewers. So chances are I, and you, will see it. Zane also mentioned that the support has landed him some other projects which he will get into later...

Happy St. Pat's!

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all! I've got a big hunk of corned beef cooking in the oven and some cold pints of the black stuff in the fridge so what could be better?

On this national holiday of Ireland, we celebrate one of the patron saints of Ireland, Saint Patrick.

I figured it most appropriate to share with you some facts and tidbits surrounding both the holiday and all things Irish:

-First of all, proposition 317 failed considerably. You may remember that I advocated signing the petition to make St. Pat's a national holiday here in the US. Guinness created the electronic signature site in hopes to get a million signatures before midnight of last night...unfortunately not even half a million signed. Better luck next year!

-U2, the most popular musical artist to come out of Ireland, just released a new album (which I'm currently listening to) and are going on tour to support it. What about other popular Irish acts? Among others, The Cranberries are definitely in the top 5. What ever happened to them though? I just checked their site which mentioned that they reunited for a show this past January in Dublin; in response to rumors of a permanent reuniting, Dolores, the lead singer, responded that it will happen "down the road" but they're all trying to be good parents right now. Gotta respect that.

-What movies do you watch on St. Pat's? The Leprechaun? Did you know the small person, named Warwick Davis, who played The Leprechaun also played Willow? What other movies? How about Boondock Saints? In case you haven't heard, production is underway on the constantly rumored, highly anticipated sequel to The Boondock Saints.

-Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 (no typo...9,000) year lease for the Guinness brewery in 1759, which means Guinness celebrates its 250th anniversary this year! Guinness' website merely mentions that you should "expect big things" this Spring in celebration. 10 million glasses of Guinness are consumed a day in over 150 countries. I don't know about you, but I'm more than happy to contribute to that statistic.

-I just learned this one this year. Did you know every year for the past 43 years, city workers dye the Chicago River green? And you thought a green beer was impressive. What else was turned green this year? The fountain in front of the White House.

I'll leave you with those gems. Feel free to comment with your own facts and thoughts on the great holiday that is St. Pat's.

I leave you to consume the beverages that the great nation of Ireland has blessed us with. In fact, I'll even show you my prep work. Keep in mind, this is not a "Black & Tan"...Black & Tans are what the Irish used to refer to as the Royal Irish Constabulary Reserve Force, a military force established to suppress revolution in Ireland...in other words, somewhat of a sore topic. You can order a "pint of special" in Ireland, which will get you mostly Smithwick's topped off with some Guinness. This is a more balanced version, which can be called Irish Nectar:

An Alternative Method of Opening a Bottle of Beer

As with virtually any video I see that's related to beer, I bring you this one. Watching this video really puts into perspective the fact that some people just have way too much time on their hands...



Only in Japan.

I'd also like to give a little shout out to my nephew Connor on his 3rd birthday! Happy Birthday buddy: may the force be with you.

Even Lego Men Drink Beer

I'm bottling my latest batch of beer today (a Nut Brown Ale) which will be primed and ready to drink in a few weeks...

And since my afternoon is dedicated to the great art of beer, I figured I would leave you with an entertaining video involving beer and one of the best toys in the world: Legos...

Enjoy:

Beer Wars Movie

As I sip on the deliciousness of my Rogue Dead Guy Ale, and beam with excitement over the Southern Tier Cuvee Series 1 AND 2 that I picked up tonight (Many thanks go to Mario, the manager of the local "New England Beverage Company" who offered the LAST Series 1 in the store from behind the counter), I can only blog about something near to my heart: beer and movies. In today's case, a perfect combination: a movie about beer.

For those who are not really into drinking beer, you still might notice that, although it's been around for a long time, a movement is happening as we speak with craft beer. Beer/Liquor stores are putting more microbrews on the shelf...the bars near you are offering more than Guinness...there are tastings in your area...beer festivals...or if you're lucky enough to live in or near Philly next week, an entire WEEK devoted to beer.

(Excuse me...need a fresh beer)

Ahhh...where were we? Oh yes...the beer movie: Beer Wars. A filmmaker named Anat Boron is delivering this movie, released one night only (April 16th) in one of your local theaters: you can check where it's playing here. I just bought my tickets and am definitely excited to see craft beer represented on the big screen. I wish that it had a bigger budget so that, assuming it is an informative and convincing film (which I'm sure it is considering the interview list), it would attract those that continue to buy Budweiser because it's the "patriotic" beer. Folks...if you want to be patriotic, you'll support the MANY American microbreweries that are releasing quality, tasty brews...trust me, they taste much better than Bud Heavy.

Here is the trailer:



So buy tickets...spread the word...and most importantly, buy and enjoy the delicious art in a bottle that is being offered all over the country.

A Late Reflection on St. Stephen's Day

So I'm a bit late to discover the video coverage, but I was happy to find today a video from the 1st Annual St. Stephen's Stumble, a pub crawl that celebrated the relatively unknown holiday of St. Stephen's Day, which happens to fall on the day after Christmas, December 26th.

This holiday is observed and celebrated more in Ireland and other parts of Europe. It's the feast day of St. Stephen, who is known as the first Christian martyr. The celebratory tradition has died down but consisted of groups of people carrying a caged wren (a type of bird) from house to house, singing and dancing as a performance. These people are called Wrenboys or Mummers (and here I thought Mummers started in Philadelphia).

Anyway, an Irish pub in New Haven called Anna Liffey's took this holiday, and like any other American person does with an Irish tradition, turned it into an all-day drinking event.

The pub crawl was led between pubs by a bagpiper, which was largely my attraction to going in the first place. When else do you get a chance to walk around a city with a large group of people in daylight with a buzz, led by a bagpiper? The turned heads were rather abundant that day.

Here is the video coverage. The strapping young lad in the tan coat that you may notice walking (NOT stumbling) is yours truly...you can also see me in the "Ole, Ole, Ole" chant on the right, which was one of about 300 Ole chants we did that day...

Proposition 3-17

Tomorrow is February 17th, marking a month before the holiday that Irish and non-Irish alike celebrate, arguably moreso in the US than in its home country, known as St. Patrick's Day. Even though people across this country celebrate the holiday, or atleast take it as an excuse to drink, the day is not recognized as a holiday in the U.S.

Last year, Guinness set out to change this and got over 350,000 signatures last year in an attempt to get serious notice. Unfortunately, those signatures did not make a difference to the Bush administration. Well change is the key word with Obama now in office, and Guinness is trying to get 1 million signatures this year. With a month left, they are already over a 1/3rd of the way there, with over 368,000 signatures. So spread the word and sign the petition! You can sign here:

www.proposition317.com

Beer Bottle Dominoes

While you were sitting in your cubicle, putting cover sheets on your TPS reports, these guys were "working" at the brewery:

Save 3 Sheets!

Believe it or not, it's December 1st (excuse me for the week-long hiatus). If you have HD TV, you may have been among the many lucky ones to get the channel MOJO. I say "have been" because as of today, the network is gone...if you tune into whatever channel you used to watch it on, you will see a message saying that it has "ceased operations."

MOJO, an HD-only network, was much like Spike TV...programming mainly targeted for men: drinking, sports, technology, gambling, etc. By far, the best program on the channel was a show called Three Sheets. The show involves an eccentric host by the name of Zane Lamprey, who travels around the world and learns (and thus educates the viewer) about drinking traditions in whatever city he is visiting. He tries new drinks, find out about how they're made and always tries a new hangover ritual in each episode. It's informative, interesting and above all, funny. The best thing about the show is Zane Lamprey's personality.

Without its home network however, Three Sheets has no home. Logically, I would think Spike TV would pick up this show, which has 15 new episodes ready to go with 5 in the works...but as of yet, no network has grabbed at the opportunity. Well, if you're a fan, or if you're eager to check out the show after reading my awesome summary, you can go to this site and fight for Zane's right to party...and make a living while doing it.

Fight for Zane! As he put it, don't let him become "that guy who used to host that drinking show."

Christmas List

I know it's only October and I'm committed to Halloween right now, after which I'll only be committed to Thanksgiving until Black Friday. And I know the economy is in the toilet right now and all, but if any of you are looking to go all out and get me something nice for Christmas, here's an idea:

My Christmas Wish

Making Use of Beer Labels

You may remember back in March that I mentioned starting to save beer labels, both because a lot of beer labels are very creative and because I want to remember the beers that I've had. The labels have piled up and here and there, I've pondered over what I could do with them.

Well, in the most recent issue of Beer Magazine, there was a small clip of an artist who creates pieces out of beer labels. You can check out his website for pictures of the things that he has made, but in words, he puts together designs out of beer labels. For example, an outline of Germany made from German beer labels, a collage of Octoberfest/Fall beer labels, and just other shapes and designs.

Well, call me an idea thief, but I'll call it inspiration because now my mind is tossing around some ideas for creating something in the same way from my beer labels. Many thanks go to the inspiration, Devin - I like your work man, but considering all of the beer labels that I have, I'd rather create my own. This will require going through my collection thus far and probably more collecting, but stay tuned for my blueprint and hopefully final creation.

Speaking of final creation, my first batch of home-brewed goodness has made a trip to the fridge today because it's ready to go. I'll be taste-testing it tonight...more to come...

Bud Light: Drinkability

First of all...yes, I'm up before 10:00 on a Saturday morning.

Second of all, with ESPN on in the background, I just saw the first of Bud Light's brand new $50 million ad campaign. This campaign is focusing on its "drinkability," a term that they have used in their previous ad campaigns, as in "superior drinkability." The other descriptors have been eliminated though. Now it's strictly "drinkability." I know beer ads haven't exactly positioned themselves as the intelligent ones in the bunch (Miller even spells their beer "Lite"), but macrobreweries are the joke of the microbrew arena anyways, so I don't care if that reflects the intelligence of a beer drinker. But let's go back to this drinkability business. To me, as I noted in my last post regarding my own beer that's brewing, drinkability comes off as "able to be consumed." When I go to a restaurant, I don't ask if a dish is eatable. I suppose though, when it comes down to it, it's kind of an honest word to describe Bud Light...noone is drinking Bud Light for its flavor. But Bud Light is not using "drinkability" in its true definition...it's basically saying you can pound a 6-pack in an afternoon and end the day like a champ.

It seems that light beer advertisements are focusing a little less on strictly humor and more on their competition. Miller Light has Dr. Cox acting as the Miller Light beer commissioner, popping up whenever someone trys to drink a light beer other than Miller Light. Coors Light...well, actually Coors Light is in their own world. While Bud Light used to have the funniest commercials on television, Coors Light was driving trains through football fields to the tune of "Love Train." Now they're playing on the crappy work situation and hyping up happy hour while also creating fake press conferences with football coaches. God Bless them. And the Bud Light ad that I just saw started by someone saying something like "yea whatever, all light beers are the same."

The interesting thing is a Google search on "drinkability" sees no Bud Light anywhere (except people who are writing articles about them like me...I'll probably be on or around page 37 of the search results). Anyway, unless you're on a tight budget or you're planning on pounding a 6-pack in the afternoon, don't settle for drinkable.

Update: Page 1 of blog search results for "drinkability" Woo hoo!

Fall Beers

I've come to realize that my favorite time of the year in the beer brewing season is definitely around the start of Autumn, but not just because of the beer. Growing up close to and currently living in New England, it's hard not to love the fall season: the leaves changing colors, the air becoming cool and crisp and the Halloween season lending way toward Thanksgiving. With the football season well underway too, what better time for flavorful, Autumn-infused beer?

Early on this season, Hilary and I got our hands on a case of what I've found to be the Crème de la crème of Pumpkin ales: Southern Tier's Imperial Pumpkin Ale: Pumking. I owe my father a lot for discovering this last year at what most would consider the Mecca of the Lehigh Valley for beer menus: The Farmhouse. After trying a large handful of pumpkin ales over the past couple of years, I've found that this one is just spot on with its combination of spices and flavors - it's like liquid pumpkin pie...with the whipped cream. At 9% abv and 22 oz bottles though, you should probably only savor one at a time (if you have the will power). We put our case in a corner once we bought it, and I don't plan on taking any out for atleast another week. We're also going to try to save a couple of them for next year's season and see how they age. Even though I think this one trumps the rest, there are plenty that I have not tried so of course I'm always looking to try a new one. We have a few in store, including a "Halloween Ale" from Gritty's.

I've also found that although some of the other pumpkin ales are only average on their own, they can pair very well with the right meal. For instance, Hilary made us a butternut squash pasta which was excellent with a Dogfish Head Punkin Ale. And if you're not really a beer fan but you are a fan of pumpkin flavors, I recommend using some Bols Pumpkin Smash liqueur with some dark rum and milk/cream for a Pumpkin Martini: great for Halloween parties.

Even though it's called "Oktoberfest" in Munich, Germany, most of the festival is actually at the end of September. We even got a postcard from a friend who attended. It does still have a few days left though...and even when it's over, that should not stop us from enjoying Oktoberfest beers. I've only had a couple US versions this year so far: Blue Point's and Weyerbacher's (Autumnfest) - both pretty good. I'm definitely going to try a few more though, especially after reading NY Times' article about them. According to the article, after sampling 24 Oktoberfest beers (17 US, 7 German), they found the #1 brew to be from Thomas Hooker Brewery, in my home state of CT. In fact, 7 of the top 10 were from the US.

And of course I can't forget the other beer that will be available soon: my own. My first attempt at beer brewing, a clone of Orange Brewery's SW1 Pale Ale, is currently bottled and will be ready for consumption in less than 2 weeks. I'm hoping for drinkable...anything more will be great, but either way, I'm definitely going to continue this hobby. I'll probably try out a pumpkin ale next year!

Brass City Brew Fest '08

When I heard that a local event would supply over 250 beers for sampling over a 4 hour period, I immediately ordered some tickets. This was the Brass City Brew Fest in Waterbury, CT this past Saturday. My only regret is that it was only 4 hours...I would have preferred 4 days with all the brews available.

We arrived on the scene, an outdoor park in downtown Waterbury, about a half hour in advance, only to watch the line quadruple in size. Good thing...because we were able to get into the exclusive Belgian tent right away to get things started. A tent full of what was probably every Belgian beer available in the U.S. and then some was like Christmas morning. Here's an SAT analogy for you though:

The appeal of the In-Bev table : Belgian tent ::
The appeal of the Anheuser-Busch table : Domestic tents

Appropriate considering the recent purchase of Anheuser Busch by In-Bev...but sorry, in a tent full of Belgian beer that I've never tried, or even heard of, I'm not going to sample Hoegaarden. The two best tables in my opinion came from Belukus Marketing and Wetten Importers (probably because they both also had the most selection). Probably the most satisfying sample that I had all day came from Wetten Importers: the Gueuze lambic. I also learned that it's pronounced "lam.BEEK," rather than how it's spelled. I've had a handful of fruit lambics before: kriek (sour cherry), frambois (raspberry) and pomme (apple) to name a few, but this was a lambic without any fruit addition: very sour and quite delicious. Unfortunately, the closest I can come to purchasing some of it is through a petition that I signed for a local supplier to sell it.

Outside of the Belgian tent, I would have liked to have gotten to sample more of the domestic/int'l brews, but that's not to say I was not satisfied. Some highlights included:

• The Moo Thunder Stout from Butternuts Brewery in NY (almost entirely because of its name but the beer was pretty damn good too...unsurprisingly, they have an amusing website). Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to sample the arguably better-named brew, "Tommyknocker Butthead Doppelbock."
  
• Although I prefer beer, A UK brewery that I'm familiar with for its famous Oatmeal Stout, Sam Smith, was pouring their organic cider which was very tasty.
  
• I was very pleased to try the very heavy "Wee Willy Scotch Ale," from the recently visited local brewery, New England Brewing.

Among many other brews (and some delicious chili), the day was exciting and very satisfying. The selection was better than any other brew fest that I have attended, so I look forward to similar events and of course...Brass City Brew Fest '09.

NJ Craft Brew Beerfest

Well, it's official...I've gone to a beerfest on a battleship...twice. Per advice from a wise retired Navy Captain, we were respectful of the fact that we were on a battleship. I did laugh when a couple guys started "playing Battleship" in the bathroom by yelling out "B5!...D13!...Hit! You sunk my battleship!" followed by, "I wonder how many times that joke went around today." Hilary, Dan and I had a great time sampling some really good beer though. As Dan eloquently put it, "This is like...the best event...ever." Beers sampled included:

• Basil T's (Red Bank): Rosie's Tale Waggin' Pale Ale, XXX Summer Ale, Maxwell's Dry Stout, Brown Ale
• Cricket Hill (Fairfield): East Coast Lager
• Flying Fish (Cherry Hill): ESB Ale, Hopfish IPA
• Gaslight Brewery (South Orange): Bison Brown Ale
• Harvest Moon (New Brunswick): Moonshine Barley Wine, Hops² Double IPA, Moonlight Kolschbier
• High Point Wheat Beer Company (Butler): ran out of beer way too quickly
• JJ Bitting Brewing (Woodbridge): Raspberry Wheat, Garden State IPA, Hefeweizen
• Pizzeria Uno Brewing (Metuchen): IPA, Witbier
• River Horse (Lambertville): Brewer's Reserve
• Triumph (Princeton): Saison, IPA
• Tun Tavern (Atlantic City): Tun Dark, Wheat Beer

I think I may have left out a few, but we easily came to the consensus that the best beer was from Basil T's: both the Stout and Brown Ale were delicious. We sampled both more than once.

If you remember, I blogged about "the Lewis Black of beer," the guy from Cricket Hill Brewery. He was indeed there and he made a snidey response to my request for an IPA which I obviously should have known they were out of. Thanks Pal...I'll dedicate my next Coors Light to you!

More Real Men of Genius

Happy 1st Day of Summer everyone!

Ok, so there were a couple requests for more "Real Men of Genius" ads posted on here so here you go:

Mr. Stadium Scoreboard Marriage Proposal Guy:



Mr. Giant Taco Salad Inventor:



Mr. Gasoline Barbecue Starter:



This one was one of a few that actually was turned into a television commercial. Personally I think these work better as radio ads but it's still great:

Mr. Way Too Much Cologne Wearer:

Real Men of Genius

I have to give a little tribute to the greatest radio advertisements ever made: the Bud Light Real Men of Genius series. If you've listened to any radio in the past 7 years, you probably have heard atleast one of these spots. It started in 1999, dubbed as "Real American Heroes," but after 9/11, Bud Light decided that using the term "Hero" would be an insult to the real heroes that had been around at that time. Good decision. Personally, I like "Real Men of Genius" better anyways.

Each spot highlights a very specific kind of guy that we all can relate to, a lot of which are inventors of certain things or people with certain kinds of jobs, but eventually expanded into ones about "that guy" too. The spots involve two guys, a deep-voiced sarcastic announcer backed by an over-the-top 80's-sounding singer, who funny enough, is an over-the-top 80's-sounding singer: the lead singer of Survivor, creators of "Eye of the Tiger," among others. Sometimes a chorus of women chimes in too.

It's no surprise that this campaign is the most award-winning radio campaign in the history of advertising. As much as I love it, it doesn't encourage me to buy Bud Light...but it would take a lot to do that.

Here are a few clips for your listening pleasure:

Mr. Pro Sports Heckler Guy:



Mr. 80 SPF Sunblock Wearer:



Mr. Nosebleed Section Ticket Holder Guy:

Beer Contains Female Hormones

I have to give credit to Confessions of a Beer Geek for this one, but found it pretty funny, so had to post it:

Last month, scientists at the National University of Lesotho released the results of a recent analysis that revealed the presence of female hormones in beer.

Men should take a concerned look at their beer consumption.

The theory is that beer contains female hormones (hops contain phytoestrogens) and that by drinking enough beer, men turn into women. To test the theory, 100 men drank 8 pints of beer each within a 1 hour period. It was then observed that 100% of the test subjects:

1. Argued over nothing.
2. Refused to apologize when obviously wrong.
3. Gained weight.
4. Talked excessively without making sense.
5. Became overly emotional.
6. Couldn't drive.
7. Failed to think rationally.
8. Had to sit down while urinating.

No further testing was considered necessary.

The funny thing is that I was actually concerned after reading the first couple of sentences. A good joke for Father's Day Weekend. Happy Father's Day Dad!

Be Green!

Green Beer. No, not beer with green dye like they have on St. Patty's Day...green as in environmentally-friendly. My father pointed this one out to me. A UK brewery called Adnams made a beer called "East Green" which according to early figures has saved the lives of 5,483 people. Ok, I made that up...it's not directly saving lives but the brewing process of the beer is apparently very eco-friendly. How is it doing that?

• The brewery is an "eco-brewery" - it recycles the steam created while brewing into the next batch that is brewed
• It uses local hops and barley (cuts down transportation)
  
• The hops also are aphid-resistant (plant lice) which means less pesticide needs to be used on them

So the way I see it is...the more you drink of it, the more you are helping the environment. So drink up you bloody wankers!

Speaking of being "green," what's taken so long for supermarkets and retailers to do something about their plastic bags? I understand that out in California (go Arnold!) they have taken action against plastic bags (and possibly other cities/states), but why not all over the country? When I studied in Ireland, my first trip to the supermarket was the only trip that I got my purchases bagged in plastic. Why? Because they charge you per plastic bag - everyone brings reusable bags to the supermarket there - on my next trip, I bought one of their reusable bags (which probably paid for itself over a few visits) and used it from then on.

The fact is people (including me) may not take action when it's not the norm and the only benefit to them is knowing they are doing a good thing for the environment. But when it becomes cheaper to do that good thing? Everyone will do it and that becomes the norm. This just seems like such an easy solution that has taken way too long to happen.

Ok, I'm off my soap box now.