Entries from February 2006 ↓

I stumbled upon the Orlando Brewing Partners site again today. Looks like they are a little over ten hours away from “opening”. I'll try to remember to check back tomorrow and see what's going on. In December of last year, I sent an email to the address noted on their site for info. on their brewing fellowship and never heard back. Hopefully this isn't a bad sign…

The xenophobes at Guinness UK have a blog. My first impression was tarnished by this:

SORRY

Thanks for your interest in our blog and we are really sorry that we are unable to allow you access. We HAVE to have this sort of gateway page for legal reasons. Firstly, lots of countries have different policies and laws regarding the legal age at which people can view materials to do with alcoholic products and how alcohol brands can and cannot market their goods. For this reason we are legally bound to ask people where they are from (in case it’s a country that doesn't allow alcohol marketing) and how old they are (to ensure they are of legal drinking age). This is the right thing for us to do and that's the reason for having a gateway page in the first place. In terms of which countries can access, there are two answers to this. Obviously Guinness is one great brand that's widely loved in about 150 countries. But the drinkers in those countries are all different so what the various marketing teams get up to differs also. What's on this blog is specifically about our GB plans - hence the focus on those drinkers. Secondly there are legal issues with us making content the GB team have written available to other countries. We are looking at what can be changed but this may take a while so bear with us

WTF? I understand the age requirement (not that I agree with it) but what sort of legal issues will you avoid when all someone has to do is choose one of the UK choices for the location?

Other than that, the blog is a great example of a person writing a corporate blog and not a corporation. Hopefully it will evolve to make entry to us non-UKers easier. Also, I hope they will get their own favicon instead of the default .Net one that came w/their CMS.

I'm at Snowbird in Utah so I have a chance to sample some of the local brews. The first one to hit my lips was the Wasatch Polygamy Porter from Wasatch Brew Pub in Park City.

The bottle states “Why Have Just One” and I agree. In fact, I had a couple just to make sure. As far as porters go it is pretty light but still has a nice flavor. For those of you that are curious, here's what a bottle of this looks like when precariously perched on a table near the tram at Snowbird.

Next up was the Evolution Amber Ale.

Yet another good brew that holds true to the amber ale color and flavor. I'd also recommend having a couple of these, especially on tap. Sadly, I didn't bring my camera to the bar so I don't have a crappy live shot of this in a pint glass.

OK, NYC I know the snow thing has some of you bummed out so here's something to brighten your day. At Heartland Breweries around New York City starting this Friday, February 17th you'll be able to get their new Sheep's Secret Scotch Ale. Here's what Heartland has to say about it:

Sheep's Secret Scotch Ale- Fresh Midwestern pale malts and British roasted baa-rley impart a mellow malt sweetness, light toasted caramel background, and a smooth, balanced finish to this classic ale. 6.5% alc/vol

I love a good pun, especially when it involves beer and sheep! Sounds yummy. Hopefully I'll make it to NYC soon and get to try this myself. If anyone does try it, please leave a comment and let us know what you think.

Also, given the logo, what do you think the sheep's secret is?

All this month, St. Pauli is giving away 400 St. Pauli Girl posters each day. Check their site for details.