Entries from August 2005 ↓

The 7th Annual Orlando Beer Festival will be held at Universal Studios Orlando on November 12 and 13 this year. This is a great event and well worth the price of admission (about $20 from what I recall). I’d point you to the web site, www.beerfestorlando.com, for more info. but it isn’t working right now. Here’s a tasty morsel from the press release Universal Orlando was kind enough to send our way:

The 7th Annual Orlando Beer Festival returns to Universal CityWalk on November 12 and 13, transforming CityWalk's 30 acres into a bustling
showcase for some of the finest beers from around the world.

If you plan on going be sure to get your ticket in advance. Last year both days sold out early and tickets weren’t available at the gates.

If you are a brewer and are interested in participating, here’s the goods from the press release:

Registration is currently open for brewers interested in participating in this year's event, with participation in Beer Fest is free of charge. Additionally, there are no booth fees, no limits on the number of brands, and brewers will receive complimentary tickets to Universal Orlando theme parks. Exclusive travel packages and accommodations are also available to participants, starting at $59.00 for a two-night stay. For additional information and registration, please call CityWalk Marketing at (407) 224-5386.

The winner for best overall - called “Best of the Fest” – will receive, in addition to other prizes, limited distribution at one of our Universal CityWalk venues. Last year's winner - “Beachside” from the Florida Beer Co. - became so popular that it now has permanent menu placement at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville Orlando.

I’ll be there with my beer-tasting posse (they taste beer, not taste like beer—at least not until late in the day) sampling, taking notes, and taking pictures to post here. Here’s some pics from last year’s event which was very wet:

Today, due to the resounding failure of trying to use AdBrite for the
ads on the right column of this blog, I switched back to using AdSense.
So that the ads aren't annoying I cut them down to two ads in the right
column and one at the end of each article when viewing only an article.

Anywhoo…I saw an ad for Drink Tower and was intrigued so I went to the site and here's what I saw:

No, it isn't a really cool water bong
but a replacement for the standard beer pitcher. I supposed you could
put other liquids in it, but come on.

My main concern when I saw this was that since it holds more beer at
once, it would get warmer than pitchers. According to their FAQ, this
isn't a problem since the top is sealed and evil, warm air can't get to
your cool, tasty brew.

Has anyone been to a bar where they have these? If so, let us know in the comments.

A major rivalry between beer companies in Cameroon (it's in Africa my
friends), is causing prize winning beer caps to be used as
currency. 

According to the BBC, people are even bribing the police with the prize
winning caps.  Maybe the woman who decided to spit on the police
officer today outside of Whole Foods, should have tried this offer
instead. 

Regardless, if you're in Cameroon grab a beer.  You may win either a cell phone or even better a free six pack!

Link via: BBC News

I was drawn to this beer simply because of its name.  It reminded
me of a school in Orlando, FL that specializes in Film, Art, and design
by the same name (Full Sail). 

Nevermind this mindless ramble; this beer is a crafty brew.  It
has a good hoppy flavor that's complimented by a medium body. 

Full Sail Amber
is a great beer to match with your more flavorful dishes.  My dish
of choice was a burger and fries my friend, a burger and fries. 
It was damn good. 

Highly recommend this amber ale. 

It's been a while since we've done some beer tastings and I'm happy to
report that we'll be doing quite a few this week.  I'm also happy
to report that most will taste better than this beer. 

Unibroue is one of my favorite brewers, so I'm not sure if I should
blame them or the bar I was visiting.  This belgian style a ale
came with a decent head, but quickly fell flat.  Mild carbonation
is typical but this was non-existant.  As for taste, it reminded
me of a trip to AB's factory where you can discover what beechwood
tastes like.  The body is as thick as water, with a mild woody
overtone for flavor. 

So yes, I'm disappointed in this beer.  As I eluded to before,
this could be the establishments fault as it was a draft.  As
someone asked, “why didn't you just return it?”  Even if it's a
bad beer, it's still a beer damn it.