Art on Tap set for Friday
The Oklahoma City Museum of Art’s annual fundraiser Art on Tap is set for Friday night. The beer-tasting event is 7 to 10 p.m. at the museum, 415 Couch Drive. Tickets are $45 in advance for non-members, or $40 for museum members. Tickets are $50 at the door. For more information, and a list of beers expected to attend, click here.
Monday beer links
Here’s news making the rounds in the beer world:
-Rough and tumble Texas cowboys are opting for more refined beer.
-A 16-year-old Florida boy is accused of killing a woman and buying beer with the $6 he reportedly stole from her.
-An interesting Q&Awith the CEO of MolsonCoors.
-Attackers use a beer bottle in a late-night robbery at a pizzeria.
-Thieves make off with $80,000 worth of beer in Florida.
Judge wants Wrigley beer sign displayed
A Chicago judge last week issued a temporary restraining order meant to allow the display of a Budweiser banner on a building just outside the home of the Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field. The sign had been covered with a tarp following a contract dispute between Anheuser-Busch and the owner of the building.
Above: Wrigley’s Budweiser building. Below: The tarp.
The owner claims the Bud folks failed to make their quarterly $86,000 rent payment for the sign. The Bud folks claim they didn’t receive an invoice for the payment. The judge — a White Sox fan — said the sign should be displayed, and with any luck, he’ll “see the sign when the White Sox play the Cubs in the World Series.”
As far as The Thirsty Beagle is concerned, this issue could have been solved with a telephone call, not a lawsuit.
-Building owner: “Hey, did you guys get the invoice?”
-Bud: “No.”
-Building owner: “OK, you owe me $86,000.”
-Bud: “OK.”
Done deal. No courts, no lawyers, no judges. In fact, we should have The Thirsty Beagle taking on all sorts of conflicts. But getting the Cubs into the World Series? I’m not sure I can help there.
Football + beer + rowdy Canadians = Trouble
Canada. The true north strong and free. Home of hockey, maple syrup, and more hockey. Also home to the Canadian Football League, a strange brand of football played on 110-yard-long fields with gigantic end zones, only three downs and single points awarded when an errant filed goal try goes through the end zone. That’s not a typo. They award one point for missed field goal attempts that go through the back of the end zone. And home to rowdy fans who got really angry during a Saskatchewan Roughriders vs. British Columbia Lions football game. The Roughriders fans were apparently quite upset about what they viewed as a facemask foul that went uncalled. According to the news report, they “made their views known” about the play. Not exactly sure what they did to accomplish this, but it apparently was enough to cause a B.C. player to fire a football into the stands. The Saskatchewan fans responded. They threw full beer cans at B.C. players. Now officials with the Saskatchewan operation say they will likely return to an earlier practice of serving beer in plastic cups.
Pretend football note: Victory was secured Monday night in my fantasy football league. Fifteen wins in a row and counting. This weekend, I play the guy who drafted Tom Brady. I’m feeling good about 16.
A loss in the beer world
It was announced Tuesday that beer legend Bill Leinenkugel has died. Leinenkugel was the driving force behind the popular brand of domestic beers that carry the same name. Read the report on Leinenkugel’s death here.
I am a pretend football champion — and beer news
I demonstrated in an earlier post that I’m not afraid to dabble in a little football talk. I’ve got my three fantasy football teams (although I’m really only concentrating on one of them, I swear), my season-long college football picking contest with a good college buddy, and of course, like many a beer enthusiast, a general interest in watching college and pro football. Allow me to expound on the first two of these items. I am defending champion in two different fantasy football leagues. In one, the one I’m concentrating on, I’ve won 14 straight weeks, dating back to week six of last season. And it would take an epic performance by a couple bit-players and San Diego’s defense in the MNF game to halt the streak before it reaches 15 weeks. I just think this is a remarkable run that I’m on. Some would say it’s merely a disproportionate amount of luck strung together. Those people would be foolhardy. I like to call it a good dose of savvy general managership. Think about it: 15 weeks in a row! I would argue there has got to be more to that than luck. Although, I was ready to take Tom Brady in the five-spot. More than ready. He was mine. Then the guy drafting fourth snapped him up. I was surprised, but quickly settled on Brian Westbrook at the five (They say it’s just a sprained strained ankle. Fingers are crossed). So maybe there was a certain amount of luck there. Because If I get Brady, the streak is over. But you know what they say: Good things just seem to follow successful operations. Which is what I’ve got going right now. And not just in fantasy football. My college football picks are on fire right now. How does 10-1-1 against the spread sound through four weeks? Like Terrell Owens said in an NFL Films clip I saw once: “Who can make a big play? I can.” That’s how I feel right about now. When it comes to pretend football action, I’m making all the big plays! Who can raise a glass to that? I can!
So what about the beer news, you might ask? This shows that thieves will go to any lengths to make a quick buck. I know there’s been a run lately on copper wiring, which crooks trade in for cash at scrap metal yards, but beer kegs?
Giving beer a bad name
The Thirsty Beagle is a big-time proponent of responsible drinking. That being said, if you’re too young to drink, no beer for you. But if you’re going to try to break the rules to get beer anyway, this is really not something you should be involved in to get it.
A fine waste of beer
A beer truck lost its load — 260 kegs worth! — in Ohio today.
Read the news report here.
New beer: MGD 64
Saw a commercial today for Miller Genuine Draft 64. That’s 64 as in 64 calories in the beer. I hadn’t seen the commercial before, and after doing a little research, it appears this beer was introduced in limited markets last summer and is being rolled out this year. According to Miller’s claims, MGD 64 is one of the lightest light beers around. Here are the stats they list on the Web site www.mgd64.com:
-MGD 64: 64 calories
-Amstel Light: 95 calories
-Michelob Ultra: 95 calories
-Heineken Premium Light: 99 calories
-Bud Light: 110 calories
I checked the Web for calories in a Coors Light — there are 102. I also found this link, which gives a pretty thorough listing of low-calorie beers. As you can see, MGD 64 is not the lightest beer out there, but a quick check reveals that all the beers listed as lighter (except for Beck’s Premium Light, which also has 64 calories) are essentially non-alcoholic brews. One significant issue: MGD 64 comes in at 2.8 percent ABV. All that aside, the real question is how does it taste? Miller says it is “satisfying in flavor.” I haven’t had a chance to try it, but if anyone out there has, drop me a note in the comments section. Generally speaking, I can sum up my feelings about light beers by borrowing an expression from a certain former Arizona Cardinals football coach: They are who we thought they were! You know what you’re getting with a light beer. We’re not exactly talking flavor run wild here. But I’m not above determining the best-tasting light beer. There are times (read: Sundays) when that might be all you can choose from. I believe a taste-off may be in order for a future post.
Beer commercials
Kudos to the fine men and women who come up with the comical beer commercials we all love. Think about all the great Super Bowl commercials you can remember; doesn’t it seem like most of them are beer commercials?
Here are a few of my favorites:
-Who could forget Bud Light’s “Ability to talk to animals” bit?
-Another Bud Light gem: The fire-breathing allergy sufferer.
-Every man’s dream Miller Lite commercial.
-Ever served as a wing man?
-And finally, the sheer genius that is this, this and these.
