Sink the Bismarck! from BrewDog on Vimeo.

I really want to drink with these guys.

Tactical Nuclear Penguin from BrewDog on Vimeo.

In Scotland, men are men and beer is BEER! They guys at Brew Dog are some of the most innovative brewers out there but this time they may have out done themselves. Tactical Nuclear Penguin tops out at 32% abv. That’s 8% higher than the previous top dog Sam Adams Utopias, 24% abv.

Utopias is known for reaching its staggering level of alcohol purely through fermentation whereas TNP has a little help. It is actually an ice beer. Not like Bud Ice but probably closer to the old eisbock’s of Germany. Freeze distillation is a process by which water in the beer is frozen and removes from the liquid alcohol, thus concentrating strength and flavor.

No info yet on when or if this brew will hit the US.

Cold Filtered
– Miller Genuine Draft

Many lager beers are filtered. The process is used as an alternative to pasteurization which can greatly alter the flavor of beer. Filtering removes particulate matter, yeast and other bacteria from the beer, therein making pasteurization unnecessary and clarifying the end product. It is best to filter beer in a cool environment in order to ensure that it stays fresh. Changes in temperature can cause beer to skunk, as we all should know.

So, the term “Cold Filtered” is technically true, but it's not special or unique. However, MGD displays the “Cold-Filtered” slogan in a classic way that represents a timeless aspect of the beer. They don’t shout it from the rooftops like its unique, but it once was. That’s why as far as MGD is concerned i say, "use that TERMINOLOGY," as for the rest of you drop the GIMMICK.


Drinkability
– Bud Light

Merriam-Webster defines drinkability as the degree to which a liquid is “suitable for drinking.” By this definition “Drinkability” is a completely subjective concept.
Bud Light has a different prospective on things. They claim:

"Drinkability. It's no gimmick. It's the difference between Bud Light and other light beers. It's the perfect balance of flavor, filling, and refreshment. It's just the right taste that never fills you up and is easy going down."
http://www.budlight.com/m/wap/Drinkability.aspx

This is an attempt by Bud Light to set itself apart from other light beers by claiming to be lighter in body and mouth feel with a simple flavor and unaggressive carbonation. What could be more drinkable than that? Oh yeah I know, water!

Congratulations Bud Light! Your light beer is more comparable to water than that of your competition.

P.S. - If an advertisement proclaims “It's no gimmick,” then it’s probably a GIMMICK.

Frost Brewed
– Coors Light

This isn’t a reference to the “Frost Brew Liner,” which is a questionable concept, but it is a packaging issue not a brewing issue so I’ll ignore it for now. The term “Frost Brewed,” is often used vocally in Coors Light commercials but I’ve rarely found it in writing. It means absolutely nothing. The very nature of brewing requires heat in order to convert starches from grain into sugar (mainly maltose) and to effectively extract the sugars from grain.

A good boil is always necessary in order to sterilize the wort (unfermented beer) and to extract resin from hops. Unlike grain, hops can be added to cold beer through a process known as dry-hopping. However, dry-hopping alone is not sufficient for creating a well rounded beer. Hops must be added during the boil, as stated below (see: “Triple Hops Brewed”).

“Frost Brewed” is merely a marketing buzzword strategy intended to conjure thoughts of cool refreshment on a hot day. GIMMICK.

Triple Hops Brew
– Miller Lite

Hops are one of the four vital components that make beer (the other three being water, malted barley and yeast). It is standard to add hops during the boiling stage of the brewing process. “Triple hops brewed” is used by Miller Lite to refer to the addition of hops three separate times during the boil of the wort. This is standard procedure brewing process. The first addition is added early in the boil and imparts bitterness to the beer but most flavor and aroma are boiled off. The second addition is added later in the boil to impart hops flavor and the third addition is near enough to the end of the boil to retain an aroma. Aside from flavor and aroma, hops can also affect head retention and mouth feel. The basic stages of hops addition are known as bittering, flavor, and aroma/finishing. These basic stages can be altered into more or fewer additions depending on the style of beer but are rarely less than the basic three for a pilsner, which miller light claims to be.

Miller Lite says that their stages of hops addition are flavor, balance, and the ever important lock-in stage. This is just a pumped up marketing versions of the standard process. But at least they are actually using real hops now, unlike in 1982 when the CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) reported that Miller Lite contained only chemically modified hops extracts along with a myriad of other questionable ingredients. So now that they are following standard brewing basics they are braging about it? To brag about something that is standard is like saying, “We don’t pee in it!” or “I can tie my shoe!” What a GIMMICK.

Niagara, Boston, New Haven, New York, Philly

This summer road trip was a sort of last hoorah for some friends and me to celebrate the end of our days as business school undergrads. My friends were moving off to there first big boy jobs and I was going into my last semester at Iowa State University. In actuality the trip signaled more of a beginning for all of us than an end.

We went into it with absolutely no plan, only vague ideas of where we wanted to go and approximate dates that would like to arrive. The first surprise was Niagara Falls, that’s right surprise. So little planning went into this that we were surprised to find that we would be passing only 20 minutes south of one of the most famous sites in North America. The the feeling that came from our discovery may have been caused by a laissez-faire attitude but this is what taught us that its not about the destination, “it’s all about the journey.” We lived by this philosophy for the rest of the trip and here are the results (at least the ones that I’m legally comfortable documenting).

I took this trip to Northern Ireland in March of 2008. The purpose of the trip was to accompany my friend who was to fight in a professional mixed martial arts event. (See details and video of this event in a new post here) The promotions company (www.cagewars.co.uk) covered all travel and accommodation expenses so all we had to worry about was training and following our schedule of press events. When we weren’t to busy, Tom and I managed to sneak away and explore town. These are some of my favorite pictures from Belfast.

This is by far my favorite ally in town followed by some great pubs and other sites.