Beer O' the Moment - Lagunitas Shut-Down Ale

Lagunitas Under Investigation Shutdown Ale













We also think this is a rather clumsy name for a fantastic beer. Lagunitas has quickly become one of our favorit breweries, even though it is located in California. Even Slick's has their PILS on tap. Good stuff. We're almost prepared to say these guys do beer better than Stone (though the art may be slightly inferior). In fact, we had an all Lagunitas night recently: a couple PILS at Slick's, as well as a bangin' Maximus IPA (fantastic beer, but not all that different from their regular "flagship" IPA) and Sirius Cream Ale back at the ranch. Damn, son, if that ain't L-I-V-I-N! No, honestly, very impressive stuff. Believe, 'cause we hate everything west of Cleveland!

Read on for more stolen "journalism"...

The Lagunitas St. Pat's Day Pot Bust

Back in the saddle again...Lagunitas Brewing got fined last year and not allowed to sell beer for 20 days after three people were arrested at the Petaluma, CA brewery's regular Thursday night tasting party for possession of marijuana. This came after an eight week undercover investigation by the California Alcohol Beverage Controld Board.
Two agents repeatedly tried to buy marijuana from people at the tasting. It was offered free, but no one would sell it to them. There's a lot more to it. [Ed. - there likely is, but we're here for the beer, not pot smokin' retards. Also, it seems to have resulted in a fairly kick ass beer.]

Anyway, the brewery's new seasonal is Undercover Shut-Down Ale. The funniest part is what founder Tony Magee wrote on the label in very small print:

``We brewed this especially bitter ale in remembrance of the 2005 St. Patrick's Day Massacre and in celebration of our 20 day suspension back in January of this year.

WHATEVER. WE'RE STILL HERE.

Shhh. Be vewry vewry qwuiet. We're sneakin' around lookin for grownup taxpaywers dowin tings we don't appwoove of. Be wery kwiet. Dare awound here somewhere.....Shhhhhh.Be vewry vewery kwiet..

SIDE LABEL IN BLACK ON WHITE:

From the day of the first congress at the moment of the passage of the first law, we became weaker. The extra-large B.Franklin said it well that you can tell the strength of a society by the paucity of the pages in its book of laws. Today we are all surrounded by laws – tax law - civil law - criminal law. Statutes and Bills. Laws that make large and small criminals of us all.

And sometimes just doin' something that you like to do and hurts no one is also criminal, or at least strongly discouraged. Seems we can't be trusted to live well and safely on our own. On our own we would all probably descend quickly into mayhem, cannibalism and ultimately shoplifting and jaywalking.If only we all could be trusted. It's good having such wise fathers looking out for us isn't it. Whatever. 707-769-4495. CHEERS!

And...we're back! Let us all bear in mind that what is important here is that this is a damned fine beer. Bitter, sweet, strong, fun, and 9.9% ABV. We laughed, we cried. Highly recommended. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up, fine holiday fun.

It cost us about $3.29 for a 22 oz. bottle. Do it if you can.

Uncle Sam Wants You (to Help Choose)

Sam Adams will be adding a new brew to their Brewmaster’s Collection next year, and Sam wants you to make the pick. The brewer will be sampling two craft beers nationwide at dozens of local bars in key markets. Called the Beer Lover’s Choice program, tasters like you can cast your vote for either Honey Porter or Smoke Lager. You can visit the SamuelAdams.com website to see the times and locations for the tasting events in Boston, Chicago, Charleston, SC, Colorado Springs, CO, Dallas, Las Vegas, New York City, Phoenix, Washington, DC, and other locations. The winning brew will join the 12-pack Samuel Adams Brewmaster’s Collection in January 2007. This is actually the second annual tasting event, and Marketing Blurb regrets we missed joining 11,000 beer enthusiasts at more than 430 tasting events to select Samuel Adams Brown Ale over Samuel Adams Bohemian Pilsner for this year's Brewmaster's Collection. Okay, now—we have already forgotten which beer is which, so serve us another round of each—thanks. Cheers to Promo Magazine for bringing this to our attention.

Live From Schenectady...It's Saturday Night!

We here at Beerjanglin' thought it might be fun for our readers to bring you, just for one night, into our glamorous world. Here you are, hope you enjoy your Saturday night!


We prefer the hamburger to the cheeseburger, and the fries to the rings. We also enjoy the fact that they are not franchised, and seem to be located exclusively in the ghetto. Oh, and they may well be available in your local grocer's freezer case. Ours were from Paterson, New Jersey, a complete and total hellhole.


Solid German style double altbier from Vermont. Great label, good brewery. This beer always seems to be missing something, despite it's 7.2% ABV. Ain't nothing wrong with it, though. And that is one great label.


This double IPA is 10% fun! We paid $2.80 for a single bottle at a local beverage store. Very hoppy, yet with a solid malt backbone. Brewed in April, but still had an almost musty taste (not in a bad way). Worth $11.99 for a sixer? Let's just say we'd pay $6 for a 20 oz. draft without too much of a grimace.


Weyerbacher (PA) is a brewery known for their big beers, and their Hops Infusion, albeit a mere IPA, does not disappoint. We highly recommend this one. $8.99 six pack

Full disclosure:
We also enjoyed a Mendocino Summer Ale ($4.99 for six0 and a Saratoga Lager ($3.99 for six) - also from Mendocino of Saratoga, but we were not able to find acceptable pictures of either. Perhaps we should just travel the 25 damn miles to the brewery and it's damned fine tasting room - set up just like a bar - and expose it to the world. Mendocino's home brewery is in California, but they do all of their East Coast brewing in Saratoga Springs, as well as plenty of contract brewing, including the entire U. S. supply of India's famous Kingfisher Lager, bottling for Long Island's Southampton Publick House, and the supply of Montana's Spanish Peaks east of the Rockies. We're sure there are more that we are not yet privy to. Anybody interested?

Feel free to try this at home, kids.

We'd Write This Ourselves, But What Would be the Point?

We feel that these are important things for you to know...

A stench in the nostrils of the Beer Gods
Tasty Suds for July 5, 2006

By Cold, Hard Football Facts sud stud Lew Bryson

You know the old story about how an Italian knows when spaghetti is done? They fish a piece of pasta out of the pot and fling it at the wall. If it sticks, it’s done; if it falls, they cook it a bit longer. There’s a technical explanation about why it actually kind of works – some stuff about starch chains and adhesion – but the picture’s great, right?

Anheuser-Busch must like it so much that they’ve got it framed. A-B is throwing new beers – or beer-like … things – at the market wall every month and just hoping that they’ll stick. The recent list of spaghetti includes some really weird stuff:

Tilt – a “bold berry-flavor” beer with caffeine, ginseng and guarana. (What the hell’s guarana? It’s wacky weed from Brazil; check it out: www.guarana.com.)

9th Street Market – a whole series of fruit beers, and I do mean fruit beers – blood orange grapefruit, lime & cactus, pomegranate raspberry and Tuscan orange. Sounds like this "9th Street Market" is a real effin’ yuppie joint. (A-B’s home brewery is on 9th Street in St. Louis.)

Be (B-to-the-E) – a carbed-up jolt juice that makes Tilt look like Ambien in a can.

Wild Blue and Blue Horizon – not one but two different blueberry beers.

Jack’s Pumpkin Spice Ale (pictured here) – just what it sounds like (“Jack’s” pumpkin spice, get it?).

Peels – a line of fruit-flavored, “natural” malt beverages aimed at women … that they’re taste-testing in spas and beauty salons.

Jekyll & Hyde – maybe the strangest thing; it’s liquor, or more precisely, two liquors in two bottles that come together in a package intended to be mixed together. “Jekyll” is a 60-proof scarlet berry booze; “Hyde” is a black, Jägermeisterish, 80-proof concoction. Yum.

Twixt thee and me … I don’t think any of that crap’s gonna stick to the wall … except maybe the pumpkin beer. People really like beers with pumpkin pie spices in them, and a good one will sell strongly in the fall.

Happily, they’re also throwing out some real beers, too. Spring Heat Spiced Wheat is a witbier, a cloudy wheat beer spiced with citrus and coriander, like Hoegaarden or Blue Moon Belgian White (a Coors product, by the way), and there’s a pretty tasty Michelob Marzen out in the fall. They’re test-marketing Wild Hop Lager, an organic beer that’s aimed at upscale supermarket shoppers. Then there are two bruisers that may or may not return next winter: Michelob Celebrate and Winter Bourbon Cask, a couple of holiday beers that were heavy-handed but well-intentioned. A-B also just released two new regional beers: Demon’s Hop Yard IPA in the New England market and Burnin’ Helles lager in Ohio.

And of course, there’s the usual shtick: Michelob Ultra Amber, which is surely a sign of the Apocalypse – a dark light beer – and Bud Select, which … um … is, uh … actually, can anyone tell me exactly what Bud Select is? Don’t they already have Bud Light? What’s this, Bud Lighter? Anyway, these beers are naturally instant successes, as the Bud sales force spreads out across the land with them and beats accounts into submission until they buy and buy and buy.

Wow! How much would you pay for all these new beers? But wait! There’s more!

A-B isn’t just throwing beers against the wall, they’re throwing ways to serve them, and I don’t mean smashing glassware. In perhaps the oddest idea to come from a brewery since, well, since stimulant-infused energy beers, A-B has published a booklet with an assortment of 24 “beertails,” recipes for cocktails based on Anheuser-Busch beers, with names like the Bud Light Orangutan, Hamptons Iced Tea, and the BEatch. No, really. They’re serious.

What the hell’s going on here? Some marketing guys at A-B trying to justify their jobs? Acid in the Bud Select test batch?

It may look like A-B is scared of the craft beer boom, and some beer weenies have actually been fool enough to float this theory on some of the more excitable websites. Sure, and we’re pressuring Iran to stop making uranium for costumed ninnies to do fan dances with because we’re scared they’re going to blow us all up with one little pissant atom bomb … before we turn them into a black, glass-lined crater. It’s about as likely. A-B’s not scared of anything smaller than Corona (and they own 50 percent of that), but they do know good profits when they see them, and they might want some of that $8.99 six-pack stuff.

What’s really going on here is what we talked about a few months ago: They truly are afraid of wine and spirits, both of which are booming after years of being on the skids. They can see the numbers, and they show wine and spirits growing while “premium” beer – Bud, MGD, Busch, Miller High Life – is sucking wind. Never mind that light beer is still growing; it’s kind of being kept alive with massive infusions of advertising and promotions. Seen a lot of wine ads on the Super Bowl lately, have you? Of course not. They don’t need them. They’re actually selling on flavor.

Which is why this latest blast of “innovation” from A-B shows that they don’t get the whole idea at all, that their marketing department is utterly clueless on how to do anything other than try to solve problems with an enema bag full of advertising cash, that they are morally bankrupt when it comes to their conception of the soul of beer.

I’m not talking about Budweiser, Michelob or even Bud Light. They are what they are – they’re definitely beer with a capital Suds. But Tilt? B-to-the-E (pictured here)? 9th Street?

Light beer with fruit flavors is an idea that’s come and righteously gone, and buzzjolt energy beer is an idea that should have been stillborn. If you want to make a beer that’s different, you don’t have to be degrading. This is like saying you want to change football to make it more appealing, which you do by running NASCAR races around the field while the players – half of them tiny women – ice-dance the ball to the end zone. It’s an abomination, a stench in the nostrils of the Beer Gods.

Beer doesn’t need to be “improved” or changed. There are already great beers out there. There are some people at A-B who understand that: Wild Hop and Michelob Marzen prove that. Hell, even the pumpkin beer does, much as that baffles me. Fire the whole marketing department and get some real beer drinkers in there to sell beer, not sour-assed belly wash.

Stop throwing stuff at the wall. There’s a seafood lasagna in the oven that smells great, a big antipasto on the table already and the pizza guy just rang the doorbell. All different, all ready to go.

Quit screwing around with that crap you’re making and let’s eat.

Summer Seems to be Slipping Swiftly By...

It has been a month since our last post, faithless readers, perhaps some of you noticed. Too long, we know. Nothing of substance yet, but we have been busy, perhaps we'll allow just a peek into upcoming posts:

Belgium Comes to Cooperstown!

The New (and Improved) Malt River!

Van Dyck Brew and BBQ!

There is a Pretty Solid Brewery in Saratoga!

Southern Beer Scene, What Southern Beer Scene?

Saranac Hefeweizen is Good.

And Many More...

Mahar's: It's a Beer Bar

After an absence that was altogether too long, we finally ventured, at the behest of a friend, to the most highly acclaimed of local watering holes. Not a place for everyone, Mahar's. Certainly, the selection of beers is without compare in the region, yet there is no television to entertain, nor even music on many evenings. Little food to be had, aside from blocks of cheese and microwaveable meat pies. Service ranges from subpar to average. We're still not sure exactly how we feel about Mahar's. While we certainly like many things about the place, we have serious doubts that it is among the top dozen places to get a beer in this great country. They typically have several casks among the twenty to thirty draught choices, and nearly ten times as many bottles at any given time. We get the feeling that the place fancies itself to be some sort of Americanized English Free House; half the draughts seem to be English/cask, and cask Coniston Bluebird Bitter is considered
the "house" ale. They claim to have been among the first in the country
to offer it on draught. We would prefer to see more local and regional choices, given all the fantastic beers currently being produced in the Empire State, but the current situation seems to work pretty well for them.
One of the cool things that Mahar's has going for it is their beer club:

THE WORLD TOUR OF BEER

OUR BEER TOUR HAS NO TIME LIMIT. ONLY FOUR BEERS PER DAY CAN BE ADDED TO YOUR TOUR UNTIL YOU REACH 200 BEERS. YOU MAY NOT DRINK ON ANYONE ELSES TOUR. AN $8.00 BEER CAN BE SPLIT AND COUNTED ON TWO TOURS.

AWARD LEVELS

50 BEERS - A TOUR T-SHIRT

125 BEERS - A MUG ENGRAVED WITH THE DESIGN OF YOUR CHOICE. THE MUG IS FOR YOUR USE ONLY - YOUR DRAFT PURCHASES WILL BE DISCOUNTED BY 20%

200 BEERS - A CASE OF YOUR FAVORITE BEER

500 BEERS - A BRASS PLAQUE WITH YOUR NAME ENGRAVED

We're still working on the t-shirt...sad, we know.

This is a place that does not post any beer menu or prices. Upon entering, one first heads for the keyboard and printer in back. Updated beer lists can be printed by beer style or country (bartenders prefer country, as it is easier for them
to locate and highlight the beer on your individual list for updating in
the system later). The one obvious drawback of this system is that beers
are completely eliminated from your personal list after you have sampled them. This
is not necessarily a major problem, as Mahar's constantly rotates their
beer stock, especially the draught. But allow us to imagine, for instance, that it
is a hot day in June. You are rather desirous of a refreshing summer beer.
Mahar's happens to have Hoeegarden White and Paulaner Hefe Weissen among the choices on tap, but you've already had them on your tour, so you might not necessarily know
that from simply perusing your list. The way the bar is set up, it can be difficult to see the extent of the taps, and, again, there is no visible posting of available beers. Sure, one could ask the bartender, but they tend to the rather surly and mostly avoid being helpful in these sorts of situations. No, you'll have to
either depend on guile and good fortune, or print the full beer list in addition to your personal copy. Even then it might be difficult to convince yourself to order a
beer that you've already had and, therefore, won't be credited for on your
beer tour. Hey, we never said Mahar's makes things easy. So what is it that draws the meandering wayfarer to it's nondescipt door? We imagine it is the beer, mostly. Really good beer, served the way it should be served. It's easy to overlook small shortcomings when there is great beer to be had in abundance. Don't just take our word for it, the following is stolen directly from a poster at www.beeradvocate.com. We feel that it gives a very accurate and succint picture of what you will find should you choose to visit Mahar's:

The highlight of Mahar's is its cask-conditioned real ale, many imported from England and lately a number of casks from Middle Ages in Syracuse.

On tap, Mahar's has a variety of American craft beers, rare beers from Europe and elsewhere, and some of the better European standards -- including a well-served pint of Guinness, NOT extra cold, and with plenty of texture.

If this isn't enough, there's also an *extensive* bottle list from around the world, with a good number of American craft beers as well. The markup on bottles tends to be about 100% from retail prices, so make a visit to Oliver's [Oliver's is a beer store a few blocks away from Mahar's. They boast of carrying 800+ beers - ed.] first! You'll still find lots at Mahar's unavailable elsewhere.

The entire food menu consists of a small fridge underneath the bar, at the back end. Their meat pies -- usually steak and mushroom, but I've had steak and kidney too -- are awesome. An excellent place to pair a cheese with a beer too. Don't go expecting a full dinner, but I've intentionally gone to Mahar's for dinner and love what they have.

The hours are limited, but very easy to remember: 4pm to midnight, Monday through Saturday.

Mahar's is not for everybody. Seating is limited, music is either off or quiet, there's no pool or darts, etc. They can also be leery of groups of young people (Mahar's is between the city's so-called "student ghetto" neighborhood and UAlbany's main campus), but not excessively so: I first started going when I was an upperclassman myself.

Well done, assumed friend. Better than we were able to say it ourself. Why did we even take the time? We will endeavour to keep our faithful readers updated as we continue to make periodic visits to Mahar's and other fine establishments throught this region (and the world).

Note: On this particular visit, we must note that the standout beer was a Rogue Integrity IPA on draught. We have never seen this beer anywhere else. Sexy beer. It blew our mind. This is one reason Mahar's is always worth a visit.

Three Ain't Exactly a Crowd: Malt River to Brew No More

As recently as two years ago, the Capital Region boasted six brewpubs:

The Current

Albany Pump Station - Albany
Brown's Brewing Co. - Troy
The Van Dyck - Schenectady

The Former

Big House Brewing Company - Albany
The Original Saratoga Springs Brewing Co. - Saratoga
Malt River Brewing Co. - Latham

Big House never really had too much in the way of good beer, or service. It was, first and foremost, a club. They first stopped brewing their own beer (they had a contract deal with Brown's) and then sold the three story building on Pearl Street, now known as the Skyline Lounge. No great loss on that count, we say. In a related note, the former owner of the Big House (which, to be fair, really did play an important role in the transformation of the Pearl Street corridor in Albany from mostly deserted after dark into an annoying, crowded, collar poppin' scene) is currently renovating a building in downtown Schenectady, scheduled to open in fall 2006, which city officials hope will help to do much the same thing for lower State Street in the Electric City. We are not aware of plans to brew on premesis.

Original Saratoga Springs Brewery should have had a lot going for it; great location just off the main drag in a tourist town, cool, Victorian style brick building, guaranteed summer time Saratoga crowds with money to burn. But it never seemed to be run very well, the food was inconsistent at best and, most importantly for a brewpub, so was the beer. We recall it being somewhat difficult to tell the Pale from the Amber from the Wheat. Still, it's always sad to see even a mediocre brewpub leave the scene, and we do miss the $1 beer special on Thursday nights.

Now, with the recent announcement that Malt River will no longer be brewing, the number of brewpubs in the region has been halved since 2004. We were never a big fan of Malt River on the handfull of occasions we visited, despite generally solid reviews. None of the beers stood out to us, the food left plenty to be desired, and it is located in a dying mall in Latham. The news was actually encouraging for a couple of reasons. First, Latham Circle Mall is currently scheduled for a multi-million dollar refurbishing. Sprucing up the joint and adding stores to a place that is now anchored by a Burlington Coat Factory stuck in 1991 can only be a good thing. Secondly (and, of course, foremost to us), Malt River Brewing Company is not going anywhere, just dropping the Brewing Company part. They are actually greatly expanding their beer offerings! We are of the opinion that going from six or eight marginal beer selections to twenty-six imaginative and varied beer choices is certainly a positive move. The plan is to focus on European ales and American craft beers, rotating the taps seasonally. Summer should feature as many as eight wheat beers. We like the sound of that! Despite being in a dead mall, Malt River actually occupies an enjoyable space, and it is easy for one to forget the surroundings soon after entering. The area that formerly housed the brewing equipment will be turned into a "VIP lounge" with leather couches and flat screen telly. Oh, my! We shall endeavour to visit in the near future and report our findings. We surely have high hopes.



Editor's Note: The three remaining brewpubs in the immediate region will, without doubt, be reported on extensively in future posts. Near future posts...

High Falls Brewing

Category: Macro
Location: Rochester, New York
web site: www.highfalls.com


Brewing at the site of the present day High Falls Brewing Company in Rochester, New York dates back to the 1850's, when it was home to the Rau & Reisky Brewery, as well as a first class saloon. It was first known as Genesee as far back as 1878 and there was continuous brewing on site until Prohibition forced a cessation of operations in 1920. One of those who lost his job as a result of this most ignorant and small minded of all Constitutional Amendments was Louis Wehle, who had been the company's superintendent. We share this information because we feel that it may be of at least of mild interest to some, should they manage to stay with the story. Probably not, though.

Louis Wehle had brewing in his blood. His father had been a brewer, as had his father before him. He even attended the National Brewers Academy in New York City before taking a job at the brewery. When Prohibition shut things down, he became a baker and a grocer, eventually founding a grocery chain which he sold for $1.3 Million in 1929. Following the end of Prohibition, Wehle re-entered the family business using the proceeds of that sale to found the Genesee Brewing Company in 1932. Successful from the start, Genesee continued to grow in the years following WWII, and buoyed, no doubt, by the introduction of Genesee Cream Ale in 1960, was among the nation's 30 largest brewers in the mid 1960's. Despite a marked drop in production (from a high of 4 million barrels in the late 1970's to just 2.2 million 15 years later), Genesee was the 7th largest brewer in the country by 1990.

The 1990's saw the launch of two new lines for Genesee. Michael Shea's Irish Amber and Black & Tan were remarkably unremarkable and shall not soon be spoken of again in this space, but JW Dundee's Honey Brown Lager was an immediate success locally, and even more so on a broader regional- perhaps even national - level. The name came from a combination of the intials of Louis Wehle's son, John, by now chairman of the brewery, and the source of the honey used in making the beer, Martin's Farm in nearby Dundee, New York. The modest success of this new line, however, did little to help the brewery's overall bottom line, and Genesee's struggles continued. In August of 1999 Pabst made an offer for all of the brewery's brands. The Wehle family felt loyalty to Rochester and, correctly fearing that local jobs would be lost when Pabst relocated brewing operations, rejected the offer. In 2000, an investment group led by the brewery's management took over operations and the company's name was changed to High Falls Brewing Company.

That gob may have been a bit long winded, but here are the important things to know:

Genny still makes beer that is every bit as good as Bud and Miller, no matter what the born on date, or how much less filling it may be. We respect people who drink beer because it tastes good and they enjoy it, not because they laugh at the commercials, don't feel full, are in the awful habit of always buying the same thing, or because more than half of the country drinks the souless, pale yellow substance.


Speaking of beer that tastes good, JW Dundee's is now making a variety of pretty fine brews. As our main man, Lew Bryson, says:

New beers are out under the Dundee label: reports are that they are Saranac-like in character. Hope to hear more...Whoa! I've had 'em, and they're at least Saranac-like. The Dundee Pale Bock rocks, the IPA is rippingly bitter. Expect great things in the future.

Full disclosure: while Mr. Bryson is indeed our favorite writer of all things beverage, we do not know him. Were we to know him, he would probably not like us. But dammit, do we respect him!

Dundee's offers four seasonal variety packs - that's one for each season! These represent an excellent value (approx. $9.99 for a 12 pack). Variety packs include three each of their American Pale Ale(very good, nicely hoppy), American Amber Lager (decent, we'd take it over a Killian's any day), Honey Brown Lager (solid; the old standby - we'd probably tend to underrate it) and the corresponding seasonal beer. Spring is Pale Bock, Summer means Hefeweizen, Fall the IPA, and Winter brings with it their Festive Ale. The Pale Bock is excellent, a gold medal winner (German Maibock/Hellerbock - Category 28 - for those of you scoring at home) at the 2006 World Beer Cup Championship. Hard to find a better sixer for less than a buck a beer, we say. We have only sampled the Hefeweizen a couple of times so far. In fairness to us, it has been an unseasonably crappy summer. Solid beer, if a bit disappointing. We must admit that, so far at least, we enjoy it a bit less than Saranac's Hefeweizen. It is not overly spiced or full of flavour. To be fair, it is labeled as JW Dundee's Hefewizen American Wheat Beer, which may or may not be a concession to truth in advertising. Still, we find it enjoyable, and a nice complement to it's packaging mates, which we are gaining new appreciation for even as we type. The IPA is highly anticipated in these quarters, as is the "Special Edition" Festive Ale, albeit to a slightly lesser degree. Overall, let us just say that JW Dundee has become a viable choice for craft beer fans, especially those like us who tend to support local and regional products when the opportunity presents itself. Get yo' bad self a seasonal craft today!


Editor's note: Let it be known to all that we are actually at least passing fans of Genny Cream. It's good. Does not every man fancy a Screamer now and then?




From the News That May Interest Only Us Category:
JW Dundee joins aluminum bottle crowd

High Falls Brewing Co. has begun to package JW Dundee’s Honey Brown lager and American Pale Ale in flashy 16-ounce aluminum bottles as a single-serve product for bars, restaurants, groceries and convenience stores.

“We’re looking at this as a way for people to sample the product,” said High Falls Chief Executive Officer Tom Hubbard. “These are just more ways for us to gain the momentum of the craft line of products that we are offering.”

Sources: Great Lakes Brewing News, The Internet, Our Vast Knowledge

Beerjanglin' Presents: Ripped From the Headlines!

CHICAGO, Illinois (Reuters) -- Could Irish coffee be the perfect drink?

Researchers report that drinking coffee cuts the risk of cirrhosis of the liver from alcohol -- by 22 percent per cup each day -- but they stopped short of saying doctors should prescribe coffee for that reason.

The report from the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program in Oakland, California, was based on a look at data from 125,580 people.

"These data support the hypothesis that there is an ingredient in coffee that protects against cirrhosis, especially alcoholic cirrhosis," concluded the report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

What could cause the apparent protective effect is not clear, the report said.

"Coffee is a complex substance with many potentially biologically active ingredients," the study said. "The fact that coffee is also frequently taken with added cream, milk, sugar or other substances adds more possibilities for health effects."

Other studies with similar findings have led to speculation that caffeine could play a role. However, the protective effect was not found among tea drinkers, though the authors said they were not nearly as numerous in the study as coffee users.

The report did not suggest alcohol users increase their coffee consumption or seek out drinks like Irish coffee that combine booze with coffee.

"Even if coffee is protective, the primary approach to reduction of alcoholic cirrhosis is avoidance or cessation of heavy alcohol drinking," the researchers said.

Copyright 2006 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

More Than Half Empty

We guess that sentiment could be used to aptly describe the state of this blog lately. It was fast becoming another Toasted Blog?? No offense meant by that statement, of course, just sayin'. No excuses. Like Al Gore before us, we like to think we invented the 'blog. Sure, we had no idea what one was until about three years ago. And we never really did any blogging ourself, per se, other than the odd ten minutes here and there, but we did have a hand in a now defunct venture that helped to start the blogging revolution, and our opinions and perceptions are rarely fact based anyway. It's true, ask anyone. Were also not given to staying on topic for long. Suffice to say that it is time for another of our periodic overhauls. We've tried bitchy. We've experimented with gay and trashy, though it was just a faze. We've done periodic and random. We've been utterly dormant for months at time. We didn't often venture into the potential cyber-quicksand of feelings, but we may have visited there a time or twice. What say you we now attempt, at least for a spell to be a gathering place for fascinating tidbits on craft beers and the craft brewing scene? At least on a local and regional level. It will never work, you say? You are right, of course. But, if nothing else, maybe it will help keep all the good stuff we pick up from our beloved brewing publications straight for our own benefit. If nothing else, it ought to appeal to those who have been drinking, keep me on this dude's ever popular blogroll for a little longer, and ward off the bitterness for a bit. We know it won't appeal to everyone. After all, there will always exist the ignorant masses, the Bud drinkers, if you will. Or those who simply prefer the wholesome goodness that is a Genny Cream Ale. We might just talk a bit about Genny, though, and their fellow High Falls Brewing line,
JW Dundee's. For those who most enjor the cheap, inoffensive flavour of a can of Keystone Light we will be of little interest, but you can gloat about how much better your blog is. To each one's one. We are not here to judge. Well, we are judging, but it's mostly just the flavour of the beer. Mostly. Anyway, with a little luck and a little sticktoitiveness, we'll manage to stick with it through hefeweizen season and into pumpkin ale time!

Vote For Mason

Read this shit, It's good. Sure, I have UConn in my money bracket, but it's pretty much shot at this point anyway. UConn has tried their damnedest to lose every game thus far, so why not? It is madness, afterall.

F.U.-JJ!!

holla, holla, holla!!

It's all over for the Dukies; JJ, The Landlord, Coach K-Rat, all of 'em. I shall sleep well this night. And that's not just the beer talkin', folks.

It's That Time Again, Folks!!

Bojangles presents the Third Annual Electric City Weekend of Madness and Associated Drunken Revelry/Idiocy in the Middle of March Which May (or May Not - but Most Likely is on Some Level) be in Some Way Associated with the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament's First Two Rounds. There. Nice. Pretty catchy, eh?

Okay, so I know we've all been through this before, but peeps got questions, and I gots answers, so here we go:

- I will be in the E.C. by 12:30 PM at the latest on Thursday, March 16th.
- The following day (Friday, March 17th) is St. Patrick's Day. We will (or is it Will?), most certainly, beyond a shadow of a doubt, you can bet your sweet bippy...where was I? Oh, sure, we can do something dumb.
- There will be beer to drink every day. Every day.
- There will be Reubens (these are sandwiches made with (among other things) corned beef and sauer kraut) on Thursday.
- I have wanted for many years (okay, at least two) to have a KFC vs. Popeye's Tasteoff. This could well, and should, happen this year (2006).
- EC Paul will be present at various times during the weekend. This is inevitable, yet highly desirable.
-

BL's Tavern

will be closed for renovations throughout the festivities, bu I was thinkin' we could probably hit the Seventh Inning Stretch at some point, perhaps on Thursday evening.
- The Park Inn is a dude bar that is located not too far away, and they have (aside from the requisite dudes, of course) some respectable prices and some pretty nice wings.
- Karaoke must take place at some point during the festivities. We all know the beauty and majesty of the Bangkok Thai Bistro's scene, but there may be another (formidable) contender in the mix. William and William know what I'm talking about.
- I love pizza. I am not alone in feeling this way.
- Tommy and/or Ren will likely expire before Saturay.
- I hope Willie blogs the entire experience for posterity.
- The Syracuse Orange play at approximately 9:40 PM on Thursday. Some may be slightly drunk by then. Some will yell to excess. I applaud these individuals.
- The UAlbany Great Danes play at approximately 7:15 PM on Friday. They face the best team in all the land. That sucks. We will watch it. ECP will consume several green Genny Creams during the course of this game.
- I propose, in honor of William H. Shannon and all that is right in this world, a day of good beer. This would include many microbrews, and, perhaps, Genny Creams. It will not likely involve many malt liquors or canned beers. This proposal is negotiable.
- This weekend involves, as we should all likely be aware by now, an historic tour of the Schenectady Stockade area. This will likely be led by drunker/hungover residents of said area who are highly knowledgeable and, as such, should not be questioned about anything they say. About anything. Ever.
- There will be a 42" plasma with HD going at all times. There will also be an auxiliary 32" screen. In addition, we will have up to three computers available at all times.
- Dudes should eat wings in times like these.
- I will try to have plenty of toilet paper on hand.
- Dunford snores at a rather high decibel level.
- We are not getting any younger, and I will likely have to have waivers of liability for events like this in the coming years.
- We should do breakfast on at least one of these mornings. Mike's Famous Hot Dogs, the Brandywine Diner, and Peter Paus are all likely culprits.
- A real bar crawl of these parts will be organized by this fall. In the meantime, we will do our best to explore and discover. This means we will visit Perreca's bakery late on Friday or Saturday night for pizza. Sorry Bill.
- There is a bowling alley within an easy three minute walk. With an OTB. I have yet to bowl there. I'm not sure where I'm going with this.
- Slick's is a must at some point. Famous for sandwiches since 1974, and with good reason.
- Blockhouse? Hell yeah!
- Toasty won't show up, but he is certainly welcome.
- There aren't really any great sports bars in the E.C., but we will make do. Just like we always have.
- This could probably be a good post if I proof read it and fleshed it out with pics and liks, but I hope it will suffice.

It's a celebration, bitches!!

Artisan Cheeses

That's right...cheese, bitches! Artisan cheese. Go to this festival. In addition to the cheeses, they also have over
80 beers. TTFN.

Happy More Winter Bitches!

Enjoy your six more weeks of (ridiculously) mild winter. Should end just in time for the traditional March Madness opening weekend in the Electric City. Ain't nothing wrong with that.

We Apologize In Advance...Or Do We?

holla, holla, holla

Bojanglin' has been off to something of a rough start here in the aught and six, what with the promises of gay trashiness and the utter lack of posts and the what have you. But here is where everything changes. We's going rebel/pirate vibe. We are drunkenly taking things that should never see the light of day and creating classic posts with them. Y'all want a blog war? Y'all got it. Yeehaw! Here we go:

It should be noted that in the following "conversation", "ECP" is, in fact, ECP, and "IBD" may "have been drinking". Beyond those minor factoids and my utter lack of simple human decency, I hope some enjoy the following:

IBD: so now I am slowly but surely losing control of my limbs
BOJANGLES: I love that you had to have a mixed drink for caffeine
IDB: why else would I?
BOJANGLES: this idea can't miss
BO: I can't imagine
IBD: I didn't think I was making them as string as I was
BO: I like it
IBD: until I realized that I am on fourth one...from the same 24oz bottle of pepsi in a 16 0z glass
BO: I wen't to slicks about 6:30 tonight
BO: that's...even better
BO: ice does take up lots of room ya know
BO: liquor is kinda fun
IBD: it does....but still...I have been dancing around my apartment
IBD: it is...the best thing is...your mind is the last thing to go...so you don't realize how drunk you are til lyou try to walk
BO: it just hits you at some point
IBD: I love it
IBD: so Paul got his cowbell taken?
IBD: did they give him a warning?
BO: no warning
IBD: that sucks
BO: some college dick came up at half time and attacked

EDITOR'S NOTE - AND...CUE ECP

ECP: Danny, This is the ECP
ECP: The man took it away
IBD: bastard
ECP: apparently (is that a word?) it is "illegal"
ECP: to have an artifical noisemaker
ECP: at an american east basketball game
ECP: your ok if it is at a field ho
ECP: hoc
ECP: hocky game,
IBD: sumbitch
ECP: those dykes love that
ECP: shit
IBD: yeah
ECP: you are not a dyke are you?
ECP: cause im sorry if you
ECP: are
IBD: I am a dyke...
IBD: apparantly I am hot stuff in the gay community
ECP: oh god, my face is red
IBD: sorry
ECP: do you hate me?
IBD: never
ECP: cause I onc
ECP: e
ECP: did a r
IBD: I just wish o=you were more open minded
ECP: i cant type on this
ECP: what
IBD: or that you would introduce me to some of your dyke hockey friends
ECP: i am trying to say is i once read the "vagina monoluges"
IBD: I am quite drunk...
ECP: and it was brilliant
ECP: i had a few gennys
IBD: I like slicks
IBD: I can't wait till Syracuse
ECP: i like you
IBD: How about Su with the buzzer beater last night
ECP: a/s/l?
ECP: i was watching UAlbny
ECP: dominate
ECP: sorry, ecp has been drinking
IBD: ahh

and we're back...sorry, again, some drunken asshole(s) found this amusing.

FULL DISCLOSURE - BOJANGLIN' NEITHER KNOWS, NOR LIKES, ANY OF THESE PEOPLE. NOR ANYONE OF THEIR ILK.

K-Fed Truly is a "Big Ass"

This track is so hot, I'm sweating as I type this, yo. Maybe y'all will respect K-Fed for more than his sweet dance moves and baby blue tracksuit next time we run into him at the Saw Mill. Word.

This is the Greatest Night of My Life!!

Nope that ain't Master P. He only ball like he be. That is our boy, Lee (Levine, that is)

College basketball has long been a passion of ours. We cried when Syracuse lost to Indiana on Keith Smart's clutch baseline jumper. We are all, however, aware of how oversensitive we at Bojangles be. We are also aware that "March Madness" is the greatest sporting event known to man. But the NCAA tournament is, much like New Year's Eve, amature hour. You don't start watching the NFL only after the wild card round of the playoffs, nor MLB just in time for the LCS and World Series. True, there is something magical about the NCAA tourney. The David versus Goliath Scenarios. The heroic performances by kids half our age. The 260 pound secretary winning hundreds in the office pool based on picks made by her seven cats. Don't get us wrong, bojanglin' love dat shit too. But now is the time to jump on the college hoops bandwagon. Think about it, man. The games are short for those of us with an attention span that is a bit, ummm...where was I? The fans are passionate - even Dunford almost killed a wee man coach just this evening. The tix are cheap - UAlbany's can be had for an average of $3.50 apiece with your Price Chopper AdvantEdge card (or free after halftime).

But don't take my word for it, listen to a professional writer:

ALBANY, N.Y. -- The University at Albany's Recreation and Convocation Center is a subterranean concrete bunker of a gym, a good place to escape the crazy world above for a couple of hours. But in among Wednesday night's 2,000 studious observers spread out over the RACC's bleachers, two separate assemblages of noisy home fans (each 40 or so strong) did their best to make sure UAlbany's home gym didn't become library quiet.

One loud purple-and-gold crew was located behind the Great Danes' bench, the other in the bleachers behind the basket they were defending (all the better to distract the visiting Hartford Hawks' free-throw shooters). During breaks in the action, the two groups engaged in a little long-distance call and response.

I say U, you say A! U! (A!) U! (A!)

Hey, it's a start. For the most part, the RACC has been little more than a good place for UA students to crack textbooks and get some studying done … during games. The former teacher's college jumped from Division III to I in 1999, spent two years as an independent provisional, and had a rude initiation to the NCAA's top division: 20 total wins over its first three D-I seasons.

But head coach Will Brown began assembling a solid core of players in New York's capital city -- kids like guard Jamar Wilson (15.8 ppg) and small forward Brent Wilson (no relation, 11.5 ppg). Just like that, the Great Danes went from league punching bag to a tourney four-seed in one year, collecting 13 total wins in 2004-05.

And with the America East departures of Vermont's power trio and the Northeastern Huskies, Albany suddenly found itself in a position they haven't been since coach "Doc" Sauers took the Danes deep into the 1994 D-III NCAA Tournament: favorites. They were picked first in the conference coaches' poll as well as by Blue Ribbon Yearbook, a snowball of hype that was picked up and rolled along by the national (cough) media.

"At the beginning," Brown said. "Everybody thought we'd throw a cape on, jump out of a phone booth, be superheroes and go undefeated."

But Brown's bunch was much more Kazaam than Superman in the early going. After splitting a pair at their Coaches vs. Cancer pod in Gainesville, Fla., the doormat-to-destiny Danes returned to Albany and lost their home opener -- to the Sacred Heart Pioneers, a team that hasn't even qualified for the Northeast Conference's eight-team tourney in six tries. Albany had thrashed SHU 85-67 a year earlier on the road, without the services of then-junior Jamar Wilson.

"I think they thought that as soon as the ball went up for the tip-off, they were just going to go away," Brown recalled. "But they hung in there. When we lost to Sacred Heart, it was like, 'Oh, my God.' Our guys started panicking, they put a lot of pressure on themselves."

The embarrassing loss was like a collective leg iron on their California swing, a roadie on which they lost to San Diego State and UCLA. Then, in their key city game on Dec. 3 against the MAAC's Siena Saints, the Great Danes stormed back from 20 points down only to lose 82-74 in overtime.

"That loss really crushed us, because it's like the Albany Super Bowl around here," Brown said. "Guys were reading the newspapers and message boards. Everybody was writing, 'We thought you guys were supposed to be good, what's going on? Why aren't you doing this, why aren't you doing that?'"

Albany was returning to all-too-familiar territory: adversity, mediocrity and losing streaks.

"We were just wound up so tight," Brown said. "I told this team after we lost to Harvard [61-48, Dec. 17], 'Take all the expectations, all the pressure, and we're going to crumple it all up and throw it in the trash. We're not going to be concerned about anyone except us. If we stay focused, we'll see how quickly we start steamrolling to win after win.'"

Once all the preseason predictions were safely in the recycle bin, the heavy machinery came out. After losing six games over a seven-game stretch, Albany swept its first two league games (against Binghamton and Stony Brook), beat up on the Ivy League's bumbling Brown Bears over the holidays (a 62-47 win on Dec. 28), and then returned to America East play on Wednesday night with a solid 75-62 home victory over Hartford.

"At the level we're at in Division I, we're a one-bid league," Brown noted. "Take all the nonconference, forget about it. Learn from it, but forget about it. We're the only 3-0 team in the America East right now, and the only one that doesn't have a losing overall record. Are we the best team in our league? We don't talk about that."

No, that's an issue for the pundits and pollsters and bloggers to chew on. One thing is for certain, though -- no matter what its record, Albany will always be No. 1 with its furry team mascot, who's just a purple and gold suit and a giant "A" away from being a dead ringer for Scooby-Doo. And as for that growing core of devoted supporters, more wins always mean more fans. Soon they won't have to yell across the floor at each other.

I say Great, you say Danes! Great! (Danes!) Great! (Danes!)

Like I said, it's a start.

Mayhap we shall edit this into a sensible form in the future...more likely we will not.

Gayer Than a 3 Dolla Bill, Y'all

SoThis is K-Fed?

No mistaking this as the real Mr. Spears, Electric City.