Special COOP DNR pint night set for Thursday
Looking for your Thursday night fix? TapWerks Ale House will host a COOP pint night Thursday featuring DNR on cocoa nibs. Sounds like an interesting twist on DNR, which is pretty darn good even without any additions. And not only do you get to enjoy the beer, you get to the keep the glass. Festivities kick off at 6 p.m. tomorrow. Cheers!
Watch the famous Will Ferrell Old Milwaukee commercial
Thanks to Wes Glinsmann of Red Earth Brewers for sharing the link to this video!
I’ll admit that I think “Anchorman” is one of the greatest movies of all time, so I may be biased, but this is pure genius. The commercial aired during the Super Bowl only in North Platte, Neb. Since it’s now gone viral over the Internet, I would call that getting some bang for your buck.
Running and beer: A good pair?
You may not know this, but in addition to being well-seasoned in ice hockey and backyard fence installation, The Thirsty Beagle is an avid runner. In the span of 13 months, I’ve conquered two marathons (including the horrendous weather of the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon last year. Shudder.) and one half marathon. Throw in numerous long training runs, and I’ve covered a lot of miles. I can tell you from first-hand experience: Sometimes the thing that really hits the spot after a long run is a nice, frosty beer. Also, sometime beer hits the spot the night before a long run. And maybe sometimes an hour or so right before a long run. You get the idea. But just how good of a combination is beer and running? Turns out, you and I are not the only people to ask that question.
That same issue was covered recently in an article in Runner’s World magazine.
The answer? While beer and running don’t make for terrible partners, women seemed to fare better when they combined the two than men did. I guess my dream of fueling my Olympic glory with beer like John Belushi fueled his Olympic glory with cigarettes and mini donuts won’t be coming true any time soon.
For more insight, check the article.
Marshall Brewing shares chicken wing recipe
You probably haven’t made your Super Bowl watch party grocery store run yet, so you likely still have time to add a few things to your list. And if that’s the case, Marshall Brewing’s Wes Alexander shared this recipe for Big Jamoke chicken wings:
Sorry to disappoint, but once again we will not be advertising during the Super Bowl. This year’s average rate for a 30 second spot is $3 million. This falls slightly out of line with our advertising budget. But there is good news; you can enjoy the game with a locally crafted Marshall beer at over 180 locations across Oklahoma and Kansas, or at home, and still enjoy the millions spent to entertain you by the mega corporations. While there may not be a local team to pull for, you can show these mega corps that you support local grass roots business!
Perhaps you plan to host your friends for the day. If this is the case, we have an amazing recipe from our good friend Jeremiah Ramey for Big Jamoke chicken wings. Make these wings in large batches and have plenty of craft beer on hand. Feel free to substitute other delicious craft beers in the recipe, but as Big Jamoke is only available through the end of February and brings a boldness to the recipe, it is our first choice.
Big Jamoke Chicken Wings
-5 lbs. chicken wings
Brine Ingredients
-4 bottles 12 oz. of Big Jamoke Porter
-2 cups of water
-1/4 cup of kosher salt
-1/4 cup of honey
-1/4 cup sriracha
-1-2 tsp of wasabi paste
Basting and dipping sauce
-3/4 cup soy sauce
-1/4 cup Big Jamoke
-3/4 cup honey
-1/4 cup sriracha
-1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
-1/4 cup minced ginger
-2 tbsp sesame oil
-2 tsp of guajillo powder (or regular chili powder)
-1 tsp of minced garlic
-1 tbsp fresh cracked black pepper
-1 tsp kosher salt
For the brine, mix everything together in a large bowl or bag. Seal and refrigerate no longer than 4 hours.
Take the wings out of brine and discard. Mix everything for the basting and dipping sauce. Reserve some sauce for basting. Grill on med-high for 15-20, basting in the final minutes. Toss wings in some sesame seeds and chopped green onions and serve with remaining dipping sauce.
AB dropping cool $31.5 million on Super Bowl ads
Interested in the commercials Anheuser-Busch will roll out during the Super Bowl?
Here’s a write-up explaining what they are.
AB will advertise for Budweiser, Bud Light and the new Bud Light Platinum, which actually tastes exactly like platinum. (I made that up. I don’t know what it tastes like.)
Here’s the quarter-by-quarter lineup:
First Quarter
“Factory” (Bud Light Platinum) – The process of creating something truly Platinum is revealed. (30 seconds)
“Work” (Bud Light Platinum) – This office is anything but conventional. (30 seconds)
Second Quarter
“Return of the King” (Budweiser) – A town celebrates as the Clydesdales usher in a historic moment in American history. (60 seconds)
Bud Light “Secret Spot” (30 seconds)
Third Quarter
“Eternal Optimism” (Budweiser) – Highlights of American achievements throughout history – with the assurance of more to come. (60 seconds)
Fourth Quarter
“Rescue Dog” (Bud Light) – Calling this dog’s name unveils a special trick. (60 seconds)
That’s 4 minutes and 30 seconds of advertising. Super Bowl commercials are going for a reported $3.5 million per 30-second spot, so that’s a cool $31,500,000 AB is dropping on this year’s game.
New England vs. New York: Who wins the battle of beer?
You may not have heard, but there’s a football game happening this Sunday between the Patriots of New England and the Giants of New York. Of course one of the most important aspects of this game is the beer you drink while watching it.
Mrs. Beagle passed along a link comparing the might of New England’s breweries vs. those that call the Empire State home.
You can read the article right here.
Fun Super Bowl fact: The game drives the sale of more than 51 million cases of beer.
Beer news report: Jan. 30
Here’s what’s making the news in the local beer world:
-Oklahoma City’s COOP Ale Works has been selected to pour at Savor: An American Craft Beer and Food Experience. The two-day festival will be June 8-9 in Washington, D.C. Sixty breweries from around the country were selected to take part. You can learn more at this link.
-Mustang Brewing announced a Feb. 13 release date for its new line of grocery/convenience store beers, Session ’33. They also put out this video to promote the date.
-Here’s an interesting infographic about beer and the Super Bowl.
-TapWerks is hosting some Woodchuck Amber Cider giveaways on Thursday, Feb. 2, in honor of Groundhog Day. I always say, if you don’t have a groundhog, a woodchuck is the next best thing. At least, I said it just now.
-McNellie’s OKC is holding a Hoffbrau pint night today at 5 p.m. Buy the pint, keep the glass.
-McNellie’s OKC also announced a Sam Adams Beer Dinner is set for 7 p.m. Feb. 28. To reserve a spot, email jenny.price@mcnellies.com.
Beer review: Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale
Today I will review the latest release from Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale. This American pale ale is set to be out Feb. 3, but being The Thirsty Beagle, I got a sneak peek. Let’s get to the review:
Aroma: Wild Hare hits you with bready, malty aroma, but I didn’t detect much in the way of hops, either floral or citrus.
Appearance: The beer is deep amber and a little hazy.
Taste: I found this beer to have a very defined malt character, slightly bready, but lacking any real defining hop presence. Got just the slightest bit of bitterness on the back end and didn’t detect a distinct hop flavor.
Mouthfeel: Has a light, smooth feel; good carbonation.
Overall impression: Wild Hare leans a little bit too far toward the malt side of the equation versus the hop side, for my liking. Otherwise, it has a pleasant taste and is quite drinkable. Seems to be a sessionable offering.
Thirsty Beagle score: 7.5 points (out of 10)
Choc’s Project Hop to continue tonight
The next installment in Choc’s Project Hop will be tonight at McNellie’s OKC. The festivities kick off at 6 p.m. Tonight’s offering will be 1919 dry-hopped with Columbus hops. Columbus hops are described as earthy and spicy, with subtle flavors of citrus. Seems like a nice, subtle complement to 1919.
In other, unrelated beer news…
-Mustang Brewing has set a Winter Lager pint night at McNellie’s OKC for 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6. First 100 people to buy a pint of Winter Lager get a new Mustang pint glass.
-Oklahoma City scored some major cred in the latest issue of Draft Magazine. Check the link to see mentions of RePUBlic, TapWerks, McNellie’s, Redbud, COOP and Battered Boar.
-Also in Draft Mag, TapWerks made the list of the magazine’s 100 best beer bars for 2012.
-And yet another tidbit from Draft Mag: They recently reviewed COOP Native Amber and Choc Signature Smoked Porter.
Shiner to break its own mold
The Spoetzl Brewery, makers of Shiner Bock and other associated beers, this week announced a new addition to its brewing lineup — a beer style the company has never made in its 103-year history. The style? An ale. Crazy, right? You’d think pretty much all craft breweries would have an ale in their portfolio, but Shiner does not. Until Feb. 3, that is, when the company will release Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale.
“As we start the brewery’s 103rd year, our team is proud to brew this fine pale ale,” said Spoetzl brewmaster Jimmy Mauric. “Shiner Wild Hare gives our brewers the opportunity to now share a great ale with our fans.”
According to a press statement sent out by the brewery, the classic American pale ale “is made with American two-row barley, with a blend of Munich and caramel malts for rich malt flavor and clear amber color. U.S. Golding and bravo hop varieties are used in the kettle and fermenter for crisp bitterness and assertive fresh hop fruit and floral aroma. More than a pound of hops is used to produce each barrel of Shiner Wild Hare.”
