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Beer Can Blog (17 items)

March 25, 2008
11:20
Found Two New Beer-Related Blogs
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Beers of My Life and Tipsy Texan.

Both are listed in the blogroll at right, and both are informative and entertaining.

So if I don't post here as often as I should, go give them a read (in moderation, of course).
February 27, 2008
9:04
A Surprisingly Drinkable Beer...
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from Schlitz (actually contract-brewed by Miller). Schlitz High Gravity V.S.L. (Very Smooth Lager), 8.5% alcohol content.

While visiting a local liquor store, I was checking out some of the 24 oz. cans and I noticed a new brand. It is an attractive black, gold, and silver colored can, emblazoned with the Schlitz Malt Liquor bull motif.

When I opened the can (from the bottom), I wasn't expecting much, but I was pleasantly surprised. The beer was surprisingly smooth and drinkable and there was no "alcohol taste" that one might expect with a mass-marketed high-gravity lager.

My friend "mytmalt" said that at the Beer Advocate website, the sole reviewer of this brand gave similar reviews.
February 24, 2008
17:51
A Change in Alias...
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may have been noticed by those that visit this blog without visiting my science/political blog.

I explained the reasons in this post a short time back.

Now that I have rejoined the BCCA (Brewery Collectibles Club of America) and rejoined the Rusty Bunch Chapter of the BCCA and newly joined the ABC (Aluminum Bottle Canossieurs), I plan to be blogging more often on the subject of this particular blog. And I may add a guest blogger, if he is interested.
February 20, 2008
22:20
A Few of Our Favorite Things and Activities
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While finishing up our local beer can collectors club newsletter, I ran across this photo from our regional show in Asheville, NC last November and it presents a good cross-section of the stuff that we collect. This show was set up inside of an "atrium motel" on the west side of Asheville. On the foreground of the table are items of "breweriana", i.e., advertising pieces with beer logos.

While beer cans are included in a broad sense, usually the term breweriana is refers to other items, e.g., signs, coasters, labels, crowns, glassware, and dozens of other places where beer logos have been found. To the upper left of the Ballantine Ale sign, you can see two quart cone top cans, the Dawson's can on the left is from New Bedford, MA, while the Cooper's Old Bohemian is from Philadelphia. These cans are probably late-1940s vintage. To the right you see some aluminum bottles.

In the background are some 12 oz. cans in cardboard "can totes", designed to hold two cases of 12 oz. cans, with dividers to prevent the cans from rubbing on one another. The cans range in age from the late-1930s to the 1970s.
But aside from buying, selling, and trading our "toys", it is about maintaining friendships that some of us have had for 10, 15, or 20 years. And though it is not required, a few of us will enjoy an adult beverage while taking in the sights at a show.

And for the November 2007 Asheville show, we were "blessed" with "royalty", as the BCCA (Brewery Collectibles Club of America) President, Joe Germino, chose to make the trip from New Jersey to Asheville.

After our Auburn, AL show last year, a few of us engaged in some "dumping", digging for old cans in an old bar dump that was destined to be covered over during the planned construction of a storage area (second photo). The gentleman in the foreground is now in El Paso, TX at Fort Bliss as part of his training as an Army medic. He may be assigned to duty in Iraq in April.

We visited another nearby bar dump this January after the Auburn show and found a few displayable 1950s cans, one example of which are these two Burger Ale cans from Cincinnati. Neither of which are exceedingly rare cans, but the can on the left is the best Burger Ale (condition-wise) that I have ever had on my shelves. The Burger Ale cans are usually less common and more expensive than the companion Burger Beer cans and the variety on the left is the scarcer of the two

The first time I visited the Hudepohl Brewery in Cincinnati, in 1981, an "old-timer" - who used to work for Burger Brewing Co. - complained that they sent all of the Burger Ale down to Georgia and Alabama and didn't sell it in the Cincinnati area.

Hopefully we can get back to this dump before snake and wasp season resumes, though we did uncover a large corn snake in the dump shown above. Through careful handling with a hoe handle, we managed to persuade it (without hurting it) to move elsewhere.
September 25, 2007
21:24
A Good Glass of Stout!
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When I make any sporadic trips that pass through Athens, Ga., I make it a point to stop at ABC Package Store on the Atlanta highway (west side of town). The primary reason is that they have a selection of single 12 oz. microbrewery bottles. Not everything is represented in the "singles cooler", but I did pick up four new brands this last Saturday when I stopped there.

The first of those four brands that I have tried is Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout. I know it is still a little warm to be enjoying stouts and porters, but as I hadn't had a glass of stout in a few weeks, I gave it a try. After letting it warm to the proper temperature and then letting it breath in a "mixing glass", mistakenly referred to by some as a "pint glass", when 12 fl. oz. fills it to the rim.

I don't have the sense of smell nor the finely-tuned tastebuds to give you a detailed description of this ale, but I have tried enough different beers and ales, over the years, to say that this is a good one.

[I may add a link from BeerAdvocate later.]
September 05, 2007
21:02
A Glass of Fine Ale in Remembrance of Michael Jackson,...
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"The Beer Hunter". A former newspaper reporter, he used his writing skills combined with a love of fine beers and ales, single malt scotch, and fine foods. Not a bad way to make a living, as a well-respected epicurian raconteur. And he had to endure some teasing about his name.

All About Beer has an article, actually it is Michael's last column. In his memory, there is a message board from those that knew him, those that read about him and sought out "the better" and "the best" of his passions, and those that wished they had met him.

One of the messages is from Ed Chainey, of the fine Anderson Valley Brewing Co., in California (I wish they still sold their ales and beers in Ga. and South Carolina, as they did years ago).

"Michael Jackson has enlivened and educated the palates of millions of fortunate beer drinkers who have read his writings and heard his voice on radio and television.

More than a billion smiles have crossed the lips of thirsty beer hunters around the globe as a direct result of each glorious new beer tasted at Michael Jackson’s suggestion.

I started home brewing at college in 1978. But it was Michael Jackson’s first book that gave me a direction back in 1979 when I wanted to embark on a lasting and enjoyable career. As a result, I have been selling quality beer for the last 24 years.

Michael Jackson wrote me on 17 Sept ‘86, “Do I get credit, or blame, for your occupation?” Well, Michael, yes you do! And for that I will be forever grateful.

Rest in Peace, my fine old friend, eternally quenched by heavenly vintage ales."

Posted by: Ed Chainey, Anderson Valley Brewing Co.- Wednesday, September 05, 2007 at 01:36:32 (EDT)

From Mitch Steele, Stone Brewing Co., of California, also:

"I have 3 things that I'll always remember about Michael Jackson:

1. Shortly after Bill Millar and I had started the San Andreas Brewing Company, we were treated to a visit by Michael Jackson. We served him all our beers, and he seemed somewhat indifferent. We found out later that we blew it by not serving him some of our food to go with the beers!! A lesson learned, for sure. But, as he was leaving, he did pay us some very nice compliments on our beers, especially some of our special releases, like our Stout and Woodruff Ale. His visit was a very special thing for us, and it really made us feel like we had made it in the beer business.

2. The very first beer dinner I ever went to was hosted by Michael Jackson in San Francisco. This event drove the point home to me that good beers were meant to be paired with good food, it was a wonderful event.

3. Later, when I was with Anheuser-Busch, and we were just getting started with the Specialty Brewing Group, and trying to do some craft brewing, Michael Jackson visited the brewery headquarters in St. Louis. I remember him telling AAB III and the rest of us that to really be successful in brewing craft beers, the brewers should be the ones making the decisions on what beers we should be brewing! I could have kissed the man right there! The Senior Managers took his advice to heart....for about a day, after which the marketing juggernaut quickly regained control over what beers we would release to the market.

Michael Jackson's books have been my bibles for beer style information over the years, and I never hesitate to give praise to the man who, in my mind, is the primary source of inspiration for all the brewers of our generation."

Posted by: Mitch Steele, Stone Brewing Company- Saturday, September 01, 2007 at 18:43:21 (EDT)

So, go have a read on this message board. And perhaps enjoy a glass of something good while you read.

I didn't have any Sierra Nevada Bigfoot cold, but I did have a new bottle of Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shutdown Ale (I am curious as to the event that generated this name, it makes a reference to a 20-day suspension). It is a fine, bitter-style of ale, with a copper-hue - well, I just can't do justice to an ale review as Michael could. Here is his first column for All About Beer, in November, 1984.

Cheers, Prosit, and Auf Wiedersehen!

[This is cross-posted at geosciblog.]
July 13, 2007
4:13
Twelve Beers That Changed America
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Not the same list as the previous post, these are just my humble opinions and are listed in no particular order.

1. Budweiser - Among other things, Anheuser Busch grew to be No. 1 because of savvy marketing and innovations.
2. Miller Lite - Born as Meister Brau Lite (in Chicago), it wasn't the first low calorie beer, but it was the first nationally-distributed one in 1974.
3. Krueger Special Beer and Krueger Pale Ale - The first beer and ale in cans in 1935.
4. Christian Moerlein - the first regionally-marketed modern American beer by an established brewery (Hudepohl, from Cincinnati) that was brewed to the German Reinheitsgebot standards, containing only barley malt, hops, yeast, and water.
5. Anchor Steam - Anchor Brewing Co. was on the verge of closure when Fritz Maytag purchased it and began a decades-long resurgence. Among their offerings are a barleywine (Old Foghorn), a Christmas Ale, a Pale Ale (Anchor Liberty), and other seasonals. Though not of the "microbrewery" classification, Anchor products are well-produced craft beers and ales.
6. Coors Banquet Beer - the first fad beer which people would actually smuggle from the Western U.S. to the East, in large quantities. The Coors family was wise enough not to go into debt to continually add capacity to their Golden, CO brewery, during their fad growth period.
7. Ballantine India Pale Ale - this was the first hoppy American-brewed ale for most people of our age group.
8. Yuengling Porter - the lone, East Coast holdout of this dark ale style(I don't think Stegmaier Porter was brewed continually, but I could be wrong), by the oldest brewery in the United States. Other breweries had porters in the past or on draft, but most surviving breweries had dropped this style in bottles.
9. Samuel Adams Lager - Helped make craft brews more of a mainstream concept. Introduced people to a wide variety of beers.
10. Pabst Export Lager/Pabst Blue Ribbon - the first canned beer by a national brewer, in 1935. Pabst Brewing Co. was afraid to jeopardize their Blue Ribbon label as cans were still new, so they changed the name to Pabst Export Lager, until sales took off.
11. New Albion Ale - Among the first offerings of the first microbrewery in 1976.
12. Billy Beer - No, don't hate me for this one. The concept was not new, but naming and marketing a beer based on the President's brother was new. Blame it on the Falls City Brewing Co. of Louisville, KY and the collectors' headaches that followed on the MSM.

Any others to add?
3:36
Ten Craft Beers That Changed America
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From the Appellation Beer Blog post, here is the list with my own brief comments. In my own useage, "microbreweries" are among those small breweries (some of them not so small anymore) that were started after the first one, New Albion Brewing Co. of Sonoma, CA opened its doors in 1978.

You need to go to the source for the original "flavor" of the post. Comments in italics are from the original post.

Submitted for your consideration, here 'tis the list:

1. Anchor Steam - This is not a true "microbrewery" beer, as the brewery had been in business since 1865, but represents the preservation of an indigenous American style. The other Anchor brands were the first introduction to many Americans of holiday beers, barley wines, American Pale Ale, American wheat beer, American porter, and more.

2. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - This hoppy pale ale became a worldwide standard for its style, an American Pale Ale.

3. Samuel Adams Boston Lager - Some purists may quibble with this choice, as it began as a contract brew and in some locales, the Boston Brewing Co. brands are still being brewed at older, established breweries. Samuel Adams brands also introduced Americans to a wide array of ale and lager styles.

4. Fat Tire - New Belgium Brewing Co. - I haven't had this one is a few years, so I defer to the original post.

5. New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red - The words of the original post - "It seems unlikely there will be a pivotal moment for American beer like the 1976 “Judgment of Paris” was for wine. But Belgian Red besting beers brewed in Belgium in the 1996 Brewing Industry International Awards was a pretty big deal."

6. Pliny the Elder - "The first Double IPA, and now Double/Imperial IPA is an official style."

7. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout - "A rarity in 1995, but if BusinessWeek is right then barrel-aged beers have reached the tipping point."

8. Dogfish Head World Wide Stout and Samuel Adams Utopias - These are examples of "extreme beers", of which Samuel Adams Triple Bock was the first in 1994. From the original post (first referring to Samuel Adams): ..."continued to brew stronger versions, but in 1999 Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head made a stronger beer. He held the record a few weeks before Sam Adams introduced Millennium (for the upcoming millennium). That morphed into Utopias, now stronger than 25% abv. The back-and-forth focused mainstream attention on the concept of Extreme Beers."

9. Cuvee de Tomme - "Michael Jackson’s review (the beer expert) in 2000 understates the influence this beer continues to exert." (Honestly, I haven't the slightest idea what this brand is about)

10. Dale’s Pale Ale - This very hoppy pale ale won (in a can) a blind tasting conducted by the New York Times.

Of these, I have had #1-4 and #10. As I don't get to travel as much as I used to, I haven't encountered some of these.
May 16, 2007
20:50
Sister Act
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From the website of the D. G. Yuengling Brewing Co., the future of the company is largely in the hands of the four daughters of Dick Yuengling, Jr. The four Yuengling family women will represent the sixth generation of family operation of America's Oldest Brewery.

From its founding in 1829, by a combination of growth and attrition, Yuengling is now the 6th largest brewing company in the nation. From its three breweries in Pottsville, PA; Port Carbon/St. Clair, PA; and Tampa, FL - Yuengling produces a little under 1.5 million barrels of beer and ale per year, for their Eastern Seaboard (New York to Florida) + Alabama markets.

They are not in Georgia currently, but rumor has it that they will be here in the Fall. We have been waiting for years.

This reprinted New York Times article tells the story of their long journey from one of many local Pennsylvania breweries to a survivor that almost didn't make it to a new, risky growth plan that included the new brewery in Port Carbon/St. Clair and purchasing the old Schlitz/Stroh brewery in Tampa, FL.

Yuengling Traditional Lager is their flagship brand, accounting for more than half of their sales. Yuengling Porter and Lord Chesterfield Ale were two of the brands that tided us over before the days of microbreweries.

So if you live in their distribution area, why not pass on by the national brands and imports and try a bit of American brewing history?
May 07, 2007
7:02
Gonna Have to Build Some New Shelves for These Things
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After resisting the temptation for a number of months, I have crossed over to the "dark side" and have started collecting the infernal 16 oz. aluminum beer bottles being produced predominantly by Anheuser Busch.

At 9 and 1/2 inches high, they don't fit any of my existing shelves and for that I "curse them", but their thicker walls allow for more striking graphics than aluminum cans. And as they have only been on the market for 2 years or so, I am sort of getting in on the "ground floor", keeping it as a trade-only habit, as I don't have the cash to drop on the rarer varieties. That keeps the fun a part of it.

[As I have to get to work, more will be added to this post later...]
May 02, 2007
20:14
I Double Dog Dare Ya!
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If you are not familiar with the brands of the Flying Dog Brewing Co. of Denver, CO, they are certainly worth a try. The various names include year-round brands - Doggie Style Ale, Road Dog Scottish Porter, seasonals - Heller Hound Bock, K-9 Cruiser Winter Ale, and specialty brands - Horn Dog Barleywine, Gonzo Imperial Porter - named after Hunter S. Thompson, and the new Double Dog Double Pale Ale.

If you have seen them, maybe you have been put off by the strange artwork on the labels, courtesy of Ralph Steadman, who did the "artwork" for the books written by Hunter S. Thompson. I guess we could speculate about the legality of the inspirations for Steadman's artwork, but that could wait for another time. Look at some of their labels and draw your own conclusions.

It is what is inside that is so distinctive. The new Double Dog Double Pale Ale is a hophead's delight. Once opened, it needs to be carefully poured into a wide-mouthed glass, so as to let it "breathe" and warm. As it warms, the hop flavors become more well-defined. It is 10.5% alcohol, so enjoy one after the kids are in bed and when you don't have to drive anywhere.

Double Dog Double Pale in its original incarnation was called Wild Dog Double Pale Ale as was issued to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the brewery in 2005. Now the Wild Dog name is applied to a special limited edition series in 750 ml bottles.

So give some of these brands a try and enjoy getting bitten (in moderation of course).
April 12, 2007
6:57
An Upcoming Beer Can/Breweriana Show...
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will take place this Saturday at the new, second location of the Six Feet Under restaurant in Atlanta.

Details and links are posted at my other blog, geosciblog.

So, if in the area, come on by Saturday morning to see what the silliness is about.
March 22, 2007
13:39
Trying to be a Little Too Much
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I enjoy most of the products of the Sweetwater Brewing Company of Atlanta, which recently turned 10 years-old.

I am, however disappointed by the recently-released bottled version of their Happy Ending Imperial Stout. When I had the draft version a year or so ago, I thought it was good.

From one of the reviewers on the Beer Advocate website:

"...Mouthfeel was quite thin for an Imperial stout and had a light bodied character. This Impy is quite disappointing and really lacks the balls and complexity that the style is known for. The hops were way overboard and made the beer very unbalanced."

From the Beer Advocate, here is a description of the Russian Imperial Stout category:

"Inspired by brewers back in the 1800’s to win over the Russian Czar, this is the king of stouts, boasting high alcohol by volumes and plenty of malt character. Low to moderate levels of carbonation with huge roasted, chocolate and burnt malt flavours. Often dry. Suggestions of dark fruit and flavors of higher alcohols are quite evident. Hop character can vary from none, to balanced to aggressive."

On this 10 Best List of Russian Imperial Stouts, I have only had Stone Imperial Stout.

Echoing the more detailed opinion above, the "mouthfeel" was just a little too thin. The color was good, the head was good, but IMHO, Imperial Stouts are not the place to go looking for pronounced hoppiness. I don't know if it was the elevated hops that contributed to the thinness or not.

North Coast Old Rasputin Imperial Stout is a better example of this variety. So is Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout.

Leave the hoppiness to the Pale Ales and India Pale Ales (and I do enjoy the Sweetwater IPA).

In closing, I like hoppy ales and I like stouts, but I don't like the characteristics of the two mixed together. It is sort of like mixing picante sauce and cheesecake.
March 02, 2007
6:13
Dharma Initiative Beer
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If you haven't visited my other website - "geosciblog", you may not know that I watch the TV series "Lost" on a regular basis. I am not a fanatic, but it is strange enough to be interesting.

From this most recent episode:

When the "islanders" started exploring "the Hatch" and they came upon the world of the mysterious "Dharma Initiative", in the storage rooms, there was a veritable plethora of consumables marked with the Dharma Initiative logo.

During the last season, there was an air-dropped pallet of more supplies. Being a beer can collector for 30+ years, I just had to wonder, if they had all of this other stuff, why didn't they have their own beer?

In this last episode, Hurley found an overturned VW van in the jungle (where was the road). In the van was the partially decomposed body of the poor fool that wrecked the van. After Hurley enlisted the help of Charlie and the recently-escaped Sawyer to right the van, Sawyer found that there were several cases of generic-label Dharma Initiative Beer (I think Light Beer too) in the van. Here is the link to the episode photos (select Episode 09), in which the beer cans are shown in photos 10, 12, 13, & 14. [I am so easily entertained sometimes!]

Now who knows how old the beer was, but Sawyer seemed to be able to get past the "yuck" stage presented by the old beer. [Though I am not a purist, I have cultivated a liking for finer quality ales and lagers. Some of the ales will age, if properly stored, but not your average canned beer.]

There were probably just film-appliques over white aluminum cans (the could have been filled with soda or water).

So I wonder if all of them are going to be crushed and recycled or will we see some of them on ebay someday? Especially after the series runs its course and ends.

It used to be that creative "Second Tier" breweries, e.g., Pearl, Falstaff, etc., during the 1980s probably would have produced a few runs of these cans for the public, to capitalize on the interest-of-the moment.

Back then, there was MASH 4077 Beer (after the TV series ended), World's Fair Beer (for the Knoxville and New Orleans World's Fairs), JR Beer (from the TV Show "Dallas"), and the infamous Billy Beer (none of these cans are worth any real money).

Back in 1968, the National Brewing Co. produced a 7-can set of 007 Special Blend (Beer and Malt Liquor), produced at their Phoenix, AZ brewery and test-marketed in Phoenix and Knoxville, TN (I don't know if there were other places or not). Production was halted because of copyright infringements.

As shown on this 007 collectibles website (scroll down a little), these cans are worth real money. [A little disclaimer: For their type and time period, these cans (and a companion set with white stripes at the top and bottom) are definitely rare, but I would quibble a bit with the statement ..."this set of seven cans are the rarest collectable cans of all Beer Cans."

Nowadays, I don't know of any breweries that would take the expense and time to seek the official permission from ABC, then bring this to the market-place.
February 14, 2007
7:17
Dixie Beer Update
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I managed to miss this, but in December 2006, a deal was reached for the Joseph Huber Brewing Co. of Monroe, WI to contract brew Dixie, Dixie Amber Light, and Dixie Blackened Voodoo. Plans are for these beers to be available in time for Mardi Gras.

The owners of Dixie Brewing Co., according to the article (link will be furnished later), plan on being back in production in New Orleans, later in the year, with new equipment to replace that which was stolen after Hurricane Katrina.
7:12
I Don't Know Why...
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but Valentine's Day just makes me think of Ballantine Ale. Strange isn't it?

Here is a website for all things Ballantine and there are links giving hints as to where Ballantine Ale and a few other historic brands are sold. Ballantine Ale is now contract brewed by Miller, but some folks agree that the taste hasn't changed, while a few others think that it has. I won't worry with that detail right now.

In Georgia, Ballantine Ale can be bought in Savannah and Brunswick. In South Carolina, it can be had in the Greenville area.

When time allows, I will write more on the subject of Ballantine Ale.
6:48
Pittsburgh Brewing Co. Gets an Extension...
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on its Chapter 11 filing date, according to this article. Three more weeks from the time of the article. There is a lot of history here in the Iron City Beer, Falls City Beer, and other beer brands brewed in Pittsburgh.

From the article:

"Pittsburgh Brewing Acquisition LLC, an investment group led by private equity fund manager John Milne of Westport, Conn., plans to take over the brewery and invest about $7 million to modernize it."

Let's wish them luck and maybe pick up a six pack of Iron City Beer or Falls City Beer in the meantime.

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Beer Can Blog (17 items)

Found Two New Beer-Related Blogs

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A Surprisingly Drinkable Beer...

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A Change in Alias...

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A Few of Our Favorite Things and Activities

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A Good Glass of Stout!

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A Glass of Fine Ale in Remembrance of Michael Jackson,...

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Twelve Beers That Changed America

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Ten Craft Beers That Changed America

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Sister Act

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Gonna Have to Build Some New Shelves for These Things

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I Double Dog Dare Ya!

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An Upcoming Beer Can/Breweriana Show...

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Trying to be a Little Too Much

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Dharma Initiative Beer

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Dixie Beer Update

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I Don't Know Why...

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Pittsburgh Brewing Co. Gets an Extension...

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