Strange Land Brewery Focuses on Less Common Beer Styles

Adam Blumenshein and Tim Klatt founders of Strange Land Brewery won't be brewing an IPA anytime soon. The duo prefers to making less common beers, like altbier, braggot, and a .75% ABV probiotic beer called Tibicos (intended to be mixed with liquors). The brewery opened in West Lake in the last part of 2014.

Recently, they purchased Texas Sake Company, and will soon be making sake.

Currently, Strange Land beers are only available on draught.

Beer Glass Guide Infographic

Source: Hangover Cures

Here's a link to a hi res version.

Handle This Cup

You know I love beer gadgets.

I recently received an request from Ron Redfern to mention his new product, Handle This Cup.

There's nothing better than kicking back with friends at a sporting event with an ice cold brew!  Carrying around flimsy plastic cups that easily spill and turn your "cold one" into a warm mess ... not so much!  That's why we invented Handle This Cup.  Handle This Cup is an innovative sleeve and handle carrying system designed to take all the stress and party killing hassle out of carrying your beer in plastic cups.  Made of lightweight, high impact plastic, Handle This Cup securely holds virtually any sized plastic cup and prevents the heat transfer from your hands to your drink, so your beverage stays cold to the last sip.  Best of all, Handle This Cup's handles interlock so you can carry (nest) as many cups as you want!  At a football game, backyard barbeque ... anywhere you want a refreshing drink!  Handle This Cup works great for soft drinks, tea and coffee too!

 Here's their Kickstarter!

AB InBev Offers Kirin Refunds

If you purchased Kirin Beer between October 25, 2009 and December 17, 2014 thinking you were buying imported beer, you could be eligible for a refund of up to $50 with a receipt or $12 without a receipt. Sign up here.

I'm sure that I have purchased some in the last five years, but I don't save receipts. It sounds like a lot of work for $12.

The Brewers Tale: A History of the World According to Beer

I am notoriously hard to buy gifts for, so many people buy me beer. My aunt Ann knows that I like to read, so to thank me for driving my dad from Fredericksburg, Texas to Fredericksburg, Virginia, she bought me a copy of The Brewers Tale: A History of the World According to Beer by William Bostwick and gave it to me when we arrived.

I, of course, was horribly rude and informed her that I already owned a copy. I should have graciously accepted the gift and given it to Satan. So, Ann, I apologize. I'm a jerk.

On the other hand, I did gush excitedly about the book to her. Bostwick's leads you on a journey of beer's history through several stages: The Babylonian (where he explores how beer came to be), The Shaman (which explores mystical and healing side), The Monk (where he traces the history of monastic brewing), The Farmer (brewing in Belgium), The Industrialist (the rise of Porter and the big brewing companies of England), The Patriot (early brewing in America), The Immigrant (the German influence on brewing in America), and The Advertiser (the dominance of big breweries).

The Babylonian chapter is a light, humorous history of brewing. Other books have tried to tell that story, but it always gets boring. Bostwick makes the story compelling. Several times I had to go back just to reread a nice twist of phrase. I got the most out of this chapter.

Don't get me wrong! The rest of the chapters were good, but for some reason, The Babylonian was more educational for me.

I had recently completed Hops and Glory by Pete Brown, wherein I learned of the rise of India Pale Ale as the driving force of England's economy.  Large companies made beer for the market, and got filthy rich selling beer to the East India Trading Company (which got even richer when their ships were emptied of beer and filled with Indian imports bound for the English Market). The Industrialist chapter started a bit earlier. Porter beer originated in London, and it was made by large corporations that quickly took brewing away from the home. The chapter wonderfully dovetails with Brown's history of the same companies.

The Patriot chapter explores some of the ways the early settlers of this country made beer from local ingredients, which reminded me of a story I ran across last month about a persimmon beer made from a 300 year old recipe recently released by Ardent Craft Ales.

I haven't finished the book yet, so I can't mention any more about it. I do know, however, you need to read this book. Buy it at the link below.

Five "Imported" Beers Brewed in the US

Time.com recently ran a story about the five imported beers that aren't imported. I was only surprised by two of the entrants: Kirin and Newcastle Brown Ale.

Thanks to a father working in the beer business I knew that Fosters was brewed in Fort Worth, and that Beck's, Killian's and Red Stripe were brewed here.

Just a reminder: know where your beer comes from.

Hops and Grain Childrens Cancer Research fundraiser - January 18

Hops and Grain has teamed with the barbers from SHED Barber Shop to raise money for St. Baldrick's Foundation, which supports childhood cancer research by shaving heads. This event is no different: The SHED barbers will shave your head while the Hops and Grain crew provide you with liquid courage.

Tickets are $25 at Eventbrite. You have to register to get your head shaved, but it's free.

Slab BBQ will be on site providing great food.

Hops and Grain Brewery (and, yes, I know it should be an ampersand there, but Blogger doesn't like them) is at 507 Calles Street in East Austin.

What Beer Country Are You "From"?

Put in the amount you consume in a week into this calculator, and it will tell you how your drinking compares to other countries.

I got Belarus.

I drink a lot.

Shiner Birthday Beer

Celebrating their 106th birthday, Spoetzl Brewing is releasing Shiner Birthday Beer, an interpretation of a chocolate stout.  It is about 5% abv and has 15 IBUs. A columnist in Cleveland wrote, "It has a slightly sweet finish and is very light bodied for a stout." That light body is a feature of all Shiner beers.  I haven't seen it here in Paradise, but I'm sure once it gets to Albuquerque, the distributor will allow it to trickle into the area.