Much to get to . . .

• Knowing that I cannot sing even a little bit or play anything, I am glad to find out that there is help out there for me to play a little tune while kicking back with a beer.
• As a general piece of advice I would recommend that if you are charged with keeping track of something worth upwards of a million dollars, maybe you should take the night off from hitting the bar.  Sure a beer or two is acceptable, but do yourself a favor by not starting a tab.
• I had to pass along that advice before linking to this story telling you that drinking could help you live longer.  That may trump my recommendation, but doing what is necessary to track of the valuables is still a good idea.
• I like the idea of having a guide like this to assist my decision making and directions when travelling to other states.  My hunch is that it would not take as long to put together a version of this for Florida.
• In the spirit of at least somewhat cancelling out the possibility of drinking beer lengthening your lifespan, I present you with a deep fried version.  Who knew that a liquid could be fried like that?
• You all know that I am a sucker for lists and this one hits on a perfect combination (for me) of beer and travel.  I will have the push pins in the map moments after I complete writing this post.
• I defy you to not watch a video of an animal drinking (and enjoying) a few beers.  There is also a bonus of a bad joke at the end.
• To close the week, an article that highlights some reverse engineering of sorts via Dogfish Head’s musically inspired Bitches Brew.  There is a pretty good chance that I won’t get to try this one, so I like to read reactions from the folks who do get to.

DFH Bitches Brew (via http://www.npr.org/)

Cheers!

You can go to the Beer Wars website or do whatever other research you want to learn more about the person who made the movie and how it came to be since I am only going to try to hit on a few points from the content of the film.  So let’s not call it a review, but more of me giving you a reason or two why you should see it if you have not done so already.

Here we go . . .

First, I do have to say that I found it at least mildly funny (if not confusing) that it took someone that worked with Mike’s Hard Lemonade to make a movie like this, but I guess it makes some sense as they all go on many of the same trucks in the end.  Combine that with the fact that she says very early on that she is allergic to alcohol and does not drink any of the stuff this movie is about and you really have to look at the movie as more of one about our capitalistic system and the business of alcohol as much as, if not more so, than the world of craft beer specifically.

Short of getting to see more of the politics behind the beer business, I was aware of most of the stuff in this movie going in.  To be truthful I actually fell asleep half way through the first time trying to watch it (what a great pitch, huh), but I cannot be blamed for the lack of explosions in Beer Wars.  For those of you who just pick up your same beer at the grocery store time after time without really thinking about it, you do owe it to yourself to see Beer Wars if for no other reason than because everyone owes it to themselves to know where everything they consume comes from and how it gets to them.

In the end it still comes down to drinking what you like (and nothing should change that), but after watching this and learning how distribution works for the smaller guys and how scary the politics behind the beer industry is, you will at least start seeing the store beer displays quite differently.

As with really any documentary style film there is an agenda going in and is likely edited together accordingly, so you do have to keep that in mind as you watch this one.  I mean if I was able to pick the light beers in a blind test when I never drink them otherwise, I have to think that there is a pretty good chance at least a few people passed that little test for her.  However as with most documentaries, this one is definitely based on many truths and you can easily do the research on whatever facts you may be suspicious of.

Is it really all about innovation or should it be about excellence?  Why not both?  You can watch and decide for yourself where you fall on the conflict in the beer world of advertising and hype versus quality and character.

If you do see it or have seen it already, let me know what your thoughts are!

August may even seem early for this one, but since I have started to see fall seasonals released recently and since Oktoberfest actually happens in September, this is probably the appropriate time to get this one out there.  It is still strange for me to see pumpkin beers and such in August, but then again I am in Florida where autumn does not exactly present itself in the same fashion as I remember it growing up.  I will just be glad to get my hands on a pumpkin for my home brewing purposes.

Now, soon to be (if not already) on the shelves . . .

Brewery: Warsteiner Brauerei (Germany)

Name: Oktoberfest

Style: Oktoberfest / Märzen

ABV: 5.90%

Tasting Notes: Stored in the fridge and served in a pint glass.  $11.99 for a 12-pack

Aroma: Full malty aroma with some sweetness.  Clean and lager-like overall (as it should be).

Appearance: Medium gold color.  Slight, off-white head that dissipates fairly quickly leaving no trail.  Very clear with many tiny rising bubbles visible.

Flavor: Light malty sweetness with no real hop flavor and an overall balance to malt.  Slight dryness at the finish with a clean (or non-existent) aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: Medium to light body with a medium to high level of carbonation that lends some bite.  Smooth, crisp, and slightly creamy.

Overall Impressions: Slightly high alcohol versus typical range for style (4.8-5.7%).  Not big on flavor, but a very easy drinking and refreshing beer.  Pretty good outdoor (or warmer weather) beer.

Grade: C+ to B-

Warsteiner Brauerei - Oktoberfest

To gain entry

]]> http://nighthops.com/beer-reviews/warsteiner-brauerei-oktoberfest/feed/ 0 http://nighthops.com/miscellaneous/better-overall/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=better-overall http://nighthops.com/miscellaneous/better-overall/#comments Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:00:40 +0000 Lucas http://nighthops.com/?p=3087 Brace yourself for another one of those posts where I am thinking out loud quite a bit.  Welcome again to some of the inner workings of my mind.

As I have mentioned numerous times before, this site started as a beer journal of sorts for me.  With that I think I can make the site a better overall reference for all things beer, both for myself and for everyone else who stops by.  I do not always enjoy searching around on the web or through the books on my shelves to double check one detail I am curious about so it is time for me to transition some of that information onto this site for easier access.

Doesn't it seem to have a glow?

I have no idea how long it will take to get all of what I want to do finished, but here is what I am thinking of starting with.  Not that I am at all bored and looking for extra things to do, but I think these few additions will make a great difference over time.

One thing I want to do is to tackle documenting my glassware and give it a page all to itself.  I am thinking of maybe having pictures of each type that I have and discuss what styles go in each and why.  I could also discuss which types I have not added to my collection yet, though I do not think I am missing many.  Just maybe I will even do a few pouring videos to show how I do it and perhaps also to make it possible for someone out there to tell me why they think I am not doing it correctly.

If nothing else it would help me document exactly what glassware I own before I have to move any of it to a closet somewhere to make room for the new stuff.  It will also be a good way to revisit some of the My Tasting Ways posts that I did so long ago.

Not a great photo, but a beautiful sight.

The other thing I would like to do is give descriptions of all the beer styles a permanent home on a page here.  I have to assume that many if not most people who visit this site do not have a copy of the BJCP Style Guidelines or even as many beer books lying around as I do.  I can usually just spin around in my office chair and get my hands on the answer to the beer question I am looking for.

Of course it would make no sense at all for me to merely transfer information directly from the BJCP Style Guidelines (for example).  What I would like to do is a kind of simplified summary based on what I understand from reading various references along the way.  On top of becoming a good reference here it will help me study up as I have to actually write that stuff down on my own.

This is, however, a far more daunting task than tackling a glassware rundown if only because of the numbers.  If you break down the 23 main styles of beer into all of the sub-styles, that would be 80 different styles to cover (by my count).  That is even without eventually getting to the meads (3 main, 9 total) and ciders (2 main, 9 total).  No matter how I break the task up it will take some serious time to get through.  Maybe I will draw numbers out of a hat to keep it interesting for me?

Also a beautiful sight.

On top of those two things I think I will be moving some pages and other things around to make the site easier to use and to give me more flexibility in the future.  I try to plan out my attack here, but it is often a case of making it up as I go so a few renovations now and again become necessary to keep things moving ahead smoothly.

I am not sure exactly when I will get started on those tasks, but it should be sooner than later.  Stay tuned!

Is there anything else or any other information that you would like to eventually see on this site?

My thoughts for the week  . . .

• Random thought #1 – Apparently starting your own business entity means that you also signed up for a constant stream of junk mail trying to sell you a little of everything under the sun.  I wish they would save some trees and leave me alone.
• Random thought #2 – Knowing that there has to be a patron base to warrant a business staying open 24 hours is not enough to make a somewhat full parking lot at close to 5 in the morning seem normal.  Of course, me being awake and driving around at 5 in the morning is not that normal either.
• Random thought #3 – Sometimes I wonder if my dog is actually watching the television or if he is just staring off into space.  Then again, I think that The Wife often wonders the same about me.
• Random thought #4 – Taking a nap during the day is far more difficult when you are actually trying to take one.  If I am trying to read something that I really need to get through, however, there are no issues falling asleep for a while.
• Random thought #5 – I have been sitting in a room with a television displaying a show on/about mushrooms for about 30 minutes now.  The strange part is how I don’t really like mushrooms and all that time went by before I remembered and turned the channel.

Random photo of the week.

Cheers!