Beer meets soap
It’s quite obvious someone was reading The Thirsty Beagle’s review of Hoegaarden. How else can you explain this. It’s a bar of soap inspired by the spicy Belgian brew. I’m not one to go bananas for artisan soaps, but I believe I could be talked into this one.
Texas’ Six Flags to sell beer?
A hearing is set for Tuesday in Fort Worth, Texas, on the issue of an application filed by Six Flags to sell beer at the Arlington amusement park. When Six Flags applied for a permit to sell beer, hundreds protested the proposed move. Here are some of the “For” and “Against” comments sent to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
For
Six Flags defends its position and says plenty of park regulars support it. A sampling of their comments:
Six Flags season pass holder Paula Tenney, Fort Worth: “Living in America means free choice so why not have alcohol available at Six Flags in Arlington? It’s no different than consuming alcohol at many restaurants and family fun places like Main Event or the State Fair.”
American Coaster Enthusiasts member Tim Baldwin, Grand Prairie: “It’s such an industry standard that I’m surprised it took so long. Every amusement park sells beer, we are rarity here. If Six Flags was switching from Coke to Pepsi, that’s when you have a public outcry, but beer, pshaw!”
Season pass holder and American Coaster member Jeffery Seifert, Grand Prairie: “Alcoholic beverages at a park are going to be fairly expensive so people aren’t going to go there to get trashed. They just want to have an occasional drink.”
Season pass holder Scott Arnold, Arlington: “Everyone keeps saying it’s going to be so terrible mixing rides with alcohol but the facts of the matters are that this already happens in parks everywhere . . . and you don’t see people falling off of rollercoaster.”
Against
Excerpts from letters … opposing Six Flags’ request, obtained by the Star-Telegram under the Texas open records law:
Linda Wear, Waxahachie: “It only takes a few who will drink excessively to spoil the wholesome family atmosphere of the park.”
Christy Bryant, Keller: “At a children’s park where Warner Brothers’ cartoons dot the landscape, please don’t allow their faces to be replaced with beer cups and intoxicated park-goers.”
Christi Campbell of Crowely, 11, who collected 300 signatures on a petition… : “I don’t want to walk into a park full of drunk idiots who puked everywhere!”
Larry D. Ellisk, director of Community Partners for Alcohol Safety & Awareness at Tarrant County Challenge in Fort Worth: “Attempts to purchase alcohol and prohibiting the passing of alcohol to minors cannot be adequately monitored in a theme park covering 187 acres.”
Nancy and Jesse Jones, Lewisville: “If people cannot attend an amusement park, intended for family fun, without drinking alcohol, they have a severe problem.”
The Thirsty Beagle’s take: While there is some merit to the idea that policing underage drinking could prove difficult at a giant-sized park, I don’t buy arguments that allowing beer at the park will ruin the apparent “wholesome family atmosphere” there, nor will it leave a park full of “drunk idiots who puked everywhere.” Newsflash people: Beer is allowed and consumed quite freely at the baseball stadium across the street. I don’t see anyone keeping their kids away from the ballpark to avoid drunkenness and vomit. Like one of the “For” comments above suggests, it’s a free country. If Six Flags wants to sell beer, and they go through the correct hoops, more power to them. As they say, if you don’t like it, don’t go.
Giving beer a bad name, Vol. 2
Here’s one from the beer crime blotter: A 54-year-old Florida man has been charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after striking his roommate on the forehead with a beer bottle. A 32-ounce beer bottle. Don’t get me started.
Win soccer title, get 5,200 bottles of beer
To the victors go the spoils indeed. Spain’s national soccer team is being awarded for winning this year’s European championship: Each team member is getting his weight in beer. The bounty adds up to a total of 5,200 beers, according to news reports. Goalie Pepe Reina, weighing in at 211 pounds, takes home the largest haul. Is it just me, or do these type of prize handouts happen only in Europe? Could you imagine how many beers it would take to compensate an NFL team? Maybe we’re better off leaving this kind of thing to the Europeans.
Thirsty Beagle caption: “I will drink beer out of this cup later. 183 pounds of beer.”
Japan’s plan to save the economy: Free beer
Turns out a couple Japanese companies think they’ve got a solution for the country’s stagnating economy: Give out free beer. To housewives. According to this article, Japanese women traditionally control family finances, “collecting their husbands’ paychecks and doling out pocket-money in return.” So what better way to convince these women to take their savings and invest than to treat them to dinner and Asahi Super Dry while extolling the virtues of investing in the economy? Asahi officials say they are trying to attract investors after company shares dropped nearly 20 percent this year in the turbulent market. Turns out younger consumers in Japan are switching to “wine and other beverages.”
Now, this whole deal about offering dinner and investment advice to Japanese housewives is fine and dandy, and all that good stuff, but what about the youth of Japan? Young people in Japan are switching to wine and other beverages? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOUNG PEOPLE IN JAPAN?! There’s your problem, Asahi. You need to sit the youth of Japan down and give it to them straight. Let us promise not to rest until the young people of Japan are back on track.
Raise a glass for OSU-Missouri weekend
Ah yes, that magical time in the fall is upon us. OSU-Missouri weekend is here. You know, that wondrous weekend that only comes twice every four years? The game that everyone looks forward to for the long-standing rivalry, crucial Big 12 implications and yearly bragging rights. The fierce battle for the border — all 40 miles or so — that Oklahoma and Missouri share. What’s that? There’s a bigger game scheduled this weekend? Are you talking about the rivalry that brings us this?
“No thanks, I’m not a wine guy”
That was my line during a visit to the Outback in Edmond a couple weeks ago. I say, “I’ll have the teriyaki steak.” The waiter starts with “We have a wine that goes great with that…” I cut him off: “No thanks, I’m not a wine guy.”
We’ve all seen this happen time and again: There’s a wine for every meal, and no shortage of waiters/waitresses telling us which wine will go best with what we’re eating. But what if, like me, you’re not a wine guy? What if, by chance, you’re interested in knowing which type of beer matches up well with a certain meal?
Never fear. As The Thirsty Beagle, it’s my job to give you the answers. Here’s a list, courtesy of the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News, of tips to consider when pairing beer with certain foods.
And here’s a report on how some restaurants are making beer pairings more of a priority.
Needless to say, I think any progress toward elevating the reputation of beer and giving beer more credit as a drink to be savored and enjoyed — not just gulped for a cheap thrill — is a move in the right direction. Beer is civilized, people!
Monday beer links
Here’s news making the rounds in the beer world:
-A Scottish brewery has created a new beer and plans to pitch proceeds toward efforts to save the native red squirrel population.
-The Thirsty Beagle earlier mentioned a beer-rage incident at a Saskatchewan football game. It appears, much to everyone’s dismay, beer-related rage can happen in other parts of Canada, too. On a side note, those perceptive enough may have noticed the men in question are described as “Beer Store workers.” Why are Beer and Store capitalized? Beer sales in Ontario are regulated by the government, and The Beer Store is the name of every store in the province where you can buy beer. Not a joke.
-Just when the country is heading into the proverbial financial tank, Anheuser-Busch is ramping up a multi-million dollar advertising campaign. Seems the beer industry is considered recession-proof.
-Hitting someone over the head with a beer bottle is bad enough. Proceeding to use said beer bottle to stab someone in the chest? I think we can all agree that’s in poor taste.
-An English pub owner got complaints that his offer of free vodka to women was sexist, so he added a night with free beer for men.
-And finally, a small town in Alabama hosts an Oktoberfest festival each year — without beer. Like Kansas City Chiefs coach Herm Edwards might say: Hello!! You have Oktoberfest to drink the beer!
Beer gadgets, meet computer geeks
I couldn’t have been more proud at my tailgate a couple weekends ago. Not only did I have a bottle opener shaped like a football, but it had a magnet built in, and I could affix it quite nicely to the upright of my shade canopy. Yes sir – no losing that football-shaped bottle opener. “What that’s, tailgating friends? You need a football-shaped bottle opener? Let me grab this one that’s neatly magnetized to my gazebo?” That’s called beer-drinking-tailgating-everything-working-out-perfectly synergy. I really was proud of my functionally appropriate bottle opener. Until I saw this:
Now that’s a bottle opener. Yes, that is a 16-gig USB flash drive-bottle opener combo. Nothing like uploading hi-res JPGs and cracking open a beer within like 0.5 seconds of each other. And if you don’t think that’s enough, how about this:
Yes, that is a BEER-FILLED USB flash drive. What, no bottle opener on one end?
Review: Hoegaarden
Today’s review is the Belgian wheat beer Hoegaarden.
What they say: “A delicious and surprising refreshing taste, naturally cloudy and brewed using a unique recipe of wheat, malted barley and a subtle hint of coriander and orange peel.”
What The Thirsty Beagle says: Hoegaarden is referred to as a witbier, or white beer, because of it’s cloudy appearance. Historically, witbiers are a staple of Belgian brewing tradition. This beer is cloudy indeed, and much sweeter than your standard larger or even ale. I would argue that the “subtle hint” of spices is a bit understated. This beer has a definite spiciness that hits you right off the bat. If you’re not used to drinking unfiltered beers, especially one this spicy/sweet, the taste and consistency may seem peculiar at first. I find it a nice balance to the bitter undercurrent in many mainstream beers. Hoegaarden is best enjoyed poured into a wide-mouth glass — the bottle even has directions for proper pouring technique, including a gentle swirling of the drink to spread it’s ingredients. Like other unfiltered beers, Hoegaarden can settle in the bottle and to drink it without disturbing the contents throws the taste out of line. Hoegaarden leaves a sweet aftertaste, but it’s one that is not overwhelming. A little Hoegaarden history: The beer originated in the Belgian town of — you guessed it — Hoegaarden. Overall, a solid choice to enjoy on a warm summer day when you’re looking for something a little more complex for your palette.
Score: 3 1/2 out of 5 beagles.
