Friday, July 31, 2009

Buckler: Vice President Biden was drinking Non-Alcoholic Beer


Apartment Therapy The Kitchn Buckler: Our Favorite Non-Alcoholic Beer (So Far): "See, I'm pregnant. And I love beer. More than wine, slightly less than gin gimlets, and on par with margaritas. I miss all of those things right now (hot weather is even more cruel when you can't cool off with a cocktail), but fruity concoctions like basil lemonade tide me over pretty well. Most of the time.
But on certain afternoons (or, hey, mornings! It's non-alcoholic, people, I can drink it for breakfast...), I really want a cold beer in a frosty bottle. Having not explored non-alcoholic beers before, I thought O'Douls was the standard. But Buckler is much better.
It's made by Heineken, and while it definitely has a thinner, less-bodied taste than normal beer, it's got a nice color and the flavor of a decent lager. In short, it'll do. I highly recommend it for those seeking a non-alcoholic option. Of course, like any NA beer, it has a teeny tiny bit of alcohol, so don't go crazy.
Now, I originally intended this post to be a taste test of many NA beers, but they can be hard to find—especially in singles (I don't really need eight six-packs in my fridge). So I'm recommending this one, but I'd love to hear about others that are good. I've got several months to go..."

Bud Lite was the choice of the President and Most Beer Drinking Americans... we don't know what the VP had that afternoon.


In addition to the regular Budweiser, Anheuser-Busch brews several different beers under the Budweiser brand, including:


[edit] Bud Light


Budweiser's flagship light beer with 4.2% ABV and 110 calories per 12 ounce serving. Bud Light is the bestselling beer in America.


[edit] Bud
A version of Budweiser available in Europe. See Budweiser trademark dispute.



[edit] Budweiser Select
Budweiser Select, or Bud Select, a light pale lager that contains 4.3% ABV and 99 calories per 12 ounce serving.[16] Anheuser-Busch aggressively promoted Budweiser Select. Its slogan was "The Real Deal". It hired Jay-Z as a spokesman for the brand. Bud Select is featured alongside Budweiser and Bud Light in most of the family advertisements and point-of-sale material.


[edit] Bud Ice
Introduced in 1994 as "Ice by Budweiser", it has more alcohol (5.5% ABV) than Budweiser. It is best known for an advertising campaign that involved a malevolent penguin that stalked Bud Ice drinkers and stole their beer."


[edit] Bud Ice Light
Introduced in 2007, Bud Ice Light contains 5.0% ABV and 115 calories. It undergoes fractional freezing, which Bud Light does not undergo.


[edit] Budweiser Brew Masters' Private Reserve
Budweiser Brew Masters' Private Reserve is an all-malt lager with a honey color and robust taste. It is based on a Budweiser brewmaster holiday tradition of collecting the richest part of the brew as it is tapped to the brew kettles to toast the holiday season."[17]


[edit] Bud Dry
Bud Dry was introduced nationally in the U.S. in April 1990[18] with the slogan of "Why ask why? Try Bud Dry." It was originally successful in test markets and was expected to be a popular beer with the rise in light lager popularity. However, with the introduction of Bud Ice in 1994, Bud Dry wasn't as heavily marketed. It has declined in mainstream popularity and no longer receives commercial attention.


[edit] Bud Silver
An attempt to appeal to the tastes of beer drinkers in the United Kingdom, this specially brewed beer contains 4.1% alcohol by volume.


[edit] Bud Extra
A beer with caffeine, ginseng, guarana and alcohol. It contains 6.6% ABV as indicated on the label. It was marketed as a caffeinated malt beverage, similar to Sparks. On June 26, 2008, Anheuser-Busch announced that it would remove the caffeine and guarana from the beverage in response to concerns that the product was being marketed to consumers under the age of 21.


[edit] Budweiser/Bud Light Chelada
A blend of Budweiser or Bud Light and Clamato. This beverage became available nationally in late 2007 due to overwhelming popularity during test marketing.


[edit] Budweiser American Ale
American Ale debuted in September 2008. The beer claims to offer complex taste without much bitterness. Budweiser American Ale is the first beer under the Budweiser name that is brewed as an ale (brewed with top-fermenting yeast) rather than a lager. The beer's darker color is a departure from the other Budweiser brands.


[edit] Budweiser NA
Non-alcoholic version of Budweiser developed for the Middle Eastern market. Also available in Green Apple and Tropical Fruits versions.


[edit] Bud Light Lime
Bud Light with lime flavor added. It is 4.2% ABV with 116 calories.

Blue Moon was there as the Begian Style White Beer...


Just How Good is Blue Moon Beer?: "Beer is drunk just about everywhere in the world while there are many different brands which taste fantastic you may have your own personal favorites. Of these many types and brands you may like the taste of the Blue Moon Beer. This particular beer is an example of a Belgian style white beer. In most instances you should be able to find this brand of beer at your local alcoholic beverages stores, bars, restaurants and sometimes in your local supermarkets.

The Blue Moon Beer is a variety of white beer which is made by Molson Coors
Brewing Company. This beer was presented to the public during 1995. The creator of the Blue Moon Beer is an individual named Keith Villa. Originally Blue Moon Beer was called Bellyslide Belgian White. It was created at the Coors Field’s Sandlot Brewery."

But what were they drinking? Bud Lite, Red Stripe, Blue Moon...

Their meeting was simple enough. One morning, two youngsters came upon each other in the offices of West Indies Mineral and Table Water Company in Kingston, Jamaica. "My name is Thomas Hargreaves Geddes," said the newcomer. The other smiled. "Glad to make your acquaintance! I've been here a bit. I'm Eugene Desnoes."

And so, for the first time, Desnoes and Geddes shook hands. Neither of them could have imagined that this would mark the beginning of an extraordinary partnership. A partnership that has given the world Red Stripe Lager, The Great Jamaican Beer.

In 1927 Desnoes and Geddes announced the opening of the Surrey Brewery on Pechon Street in the heart of downtown Kingston. The first Red Stripe Beer-more like an ale, heavy and dark-was brewed a year later. The birth of Red Stripe would later be considered a milestone in Jamaican history. When the island gained independence from Britain in 1962, a columnist for The Daily Gleaner wrote "the real date of independence should have been 1928, when we established our self respect and self confidence through the production of a beer far beyond the capacity of mere Colonial dependants." The light, golden Red Stripe of today was first brewed in 1934, the creation of Paul Geddes (later Jamaica's first brewmaster) and Bill Martindale. The old Surrey Brewery on Pechon Street was phased out in 1958 when the ultra-modern plant at Hunt's Bay went into operation. This was the most modern brewery in the Caribbean.


Beer Summit Begins: Obama Sits Down With Crowley, Gates: "With mugs of beer and calming words, President Barack Obama and the professor and policeman engulfed in a national uproar over race pledged Thursday to move on and try to pull the country with them.
There was no acrimony – nor apology – from any of the three: black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., white Cambridge, Mass., police Sgt. James Crowley, who had arrested him for disorderly conduct, and Obama, who declared on national TV that the police had 'acted stupidly.' But neither Gates nor Crowley backtracked either, agreeing they still had differences.
Said Obama after the highly anticipated, 40-minute chat on the Rose Garden patio: 'I have always believed that what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart.'
'I am confident that has happened here tonight, and I am hopeful that all of us are able to draw this positive lesson from this episode,' said the nation's first black president.
Under the canopy of a magnolia tree in the early evening, Obama joined the other players in a story that had knocked the White House off stride. Vice President Joe Biden joined them for drinks and snacks."

Gates After Beer Summit: 'We Can Have Our Differences' - Boston News Story - WCVB Boston


Gates After Beer Summit: 'We Can Have Our Differences' - Boston News Story - WCVB Boston:

Hours after a "Beer Summit" meeting at the White House with the president and the police officer who arrested him, Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. wrote that he emerged with more understanding about police officers' jobs and said he "learned that we can have our differences without demonizing one another."

"'We had a cordial and productive discussion today with the president, vice president and Professor Gates. We all agreed it is important to look forward, rather than backward,' Crowley said. 'Professor Gates and I bring different perspectives to these issues. We have agreed that both perspectives should be addressed in an effort to provide a constructive outcome to the events of the past month.' The officer said that he planned to have a meeting with Gates in the near future, but he would not disclose where or when.

Obama had said he hoped the incident and Rose Garden meeting would become a 'teachable moment' for the nation.

'I have always believed that what brings us together is stronger than what pulls us apart. I am confident that has happened here tonight, and I am hopeful that all of us are able to draw this positive lesson from this episode,' the president said in a statement.
Crowley said Obama did not monopolize the conversation but rather acted as a mediator.
'He provided the beer. He contributed in a small part,' Crowley said. 'He really wanted to bring two people together to try to solve not only a local issue in Cambridge but also what has become a national issue.'"

"Let me say that I thank God that I live in a country in which police officers put their lives at risk to protect us every day, and, more than ever, I’ve come to understand and appreciate their daily sacrifices on our behalf. I’m also grateful that we live in a country where freedom of speech is a sacrosanct value and I hope that one day we can get to know each other better," Gates wrote on his Web site "The Root" after the meeting.

Gates and Cambridge police Sgt. Joseph Crowley found themselves at the center of a national firestorm over race when Crowley arrested Gates for disorderly conduct two weeks ago after a caller reported seeing two men breaking into Gates' home.

Gates and a cab driver were trying to get into Gates' house after Gates returned from a trip to China and found the front door jammed. When officers responded to the call, police said Gates became belligerent, questioning why they were suspicious of him in his own home.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Stella Artois bought Bud... so what is this Beer?


Most interesting website:
http://www.stellaartois.com/site#/en_US

Stella Artois (pronounced /ˈstɛlə ɑrˈtwɑː/) is a 5% ABV (formerly 5.2%) lager first brewed in Louvain, Belgium, in 1926 as a Christmas brew, and named Stella after the Latin for "star".[1]

Although Belgium is best known internationally for its ales, the so-called "table beers", the bottom-fermented pilsner lagers such as Stella Artois head the list for domestic consumption, making up almost 75% of Belgian beer production. Stella is promoted as an international brand by its brewer, AB InBev. In its home market of Belgium, however, it is marketed, priced and sold as a regular lager. Despite its success internationally, the number 1 selling beer in Belgium is its sister beer Jupiler.

In the UK, a lower ABV version is available called Stella Artois 4%. This variant was launched to compete alongside fellow Inbev lager Beck's Vier and to address negative associations of the brand.[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stella_Artois

Monday, July 27, 2009

Someone is always pushing a "Brown Ale" on you? Try an original Brown Ale... English Newcastle Brown Ale. Called "DOG"


Newcastle Brown Ale - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Newcastle Brown Ale is a brand of beer that was originally brewed in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, in April 1927 by Newcastle Breweries, which became Scottish & Newcastle in 1960. S&N UK is now a division of Heineken International.
In August 2005, Scottish and Newcastle closed the Tyne Brewery, the last consignment of Brown Ale having been brewed in April of that year.[1] Production was moved across the river to the former Federation Brewery in Gateshead.
Newcastle Brown Ale had originally been granted Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status by the EU. Since Scottish and Newcastle moved production outside of the city its PGI has been removed.[2]
In Newcastle, the beer is often called 'Dog' (or simply 'Broon'). The 'Dog' name comes from the euphemism 'I'm going to walk the dog' - meaning 'I'm going to the pub' - and was further popularised by a 1980s advertising campaign. It is often referred to as Newcy Brown[3] by those not from Newcastle, though never by those actually from the city itself.
Newcastle Brown Ale is traditionally sold in England by the pint (20 fl oz, 568 ml) and more recently in 500 ml (17.6 fl oz, 0.88 pint) bottles. Typically the ale is consumed from a 12 fl oz 'Wellington' glass. This allows the drinker to regularly top-up the beer and thereby maintain a frothy 'head'. In the United States, it is also sold in standard 12 fl oz (355 ml) bottles."

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Mouton Cadet - Maybe you have forgotten what the French do with the Varetial Grapes? Not a True Bordeaux, you are not paying for that price either ...


Mouton Cadet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Mouton Cadet is the brand name of a popular range of modestly priced, generic Bordeaux wines, considered Bordeaux' most successful brand.[1][2] Created by Baron Philippe de Rothschild of the Rothschild banking dynasty, the wine named after his premier cru vineyard Château Mouton Rothschild, Mouton Cadet wine is produced through the assembly of a variety of grapes, from several Bordeaux region appellations. Originally only a red 'Claret' wine from its origins in the 1930s, a white wine was added to the label in the 70s, followed in the 90s by a range of réserve wines, and in 2007 by a rosé wine."

Following a poor vintage in 1927, Baron Philippe de Rothschild created the second wine label Carruades de Mouton, though this was not viewed as a success.[2] After the acclaimed vintages of 1928 and 1929, the vintage of 1930 and the following two harvests were dire,[3] and the wine de Rothschild felt was not worthy of the Mouton-Rothschild name was this time named Mouton Cadet.[1] "Cadet" refers to de Rothschild place as cadet, the youngest son of the family.[1][2]

Despite its lack of traditional prestige, the wine proved successful, and in order to repeat the success the following year, de Rothschild had to turn to neighbouring vineyards for sourced fruit. Initially labeled with the appellation of Pauillac,[4] the increasing demand caused the sourcing of grapes to expand to nearby appellations Saint-Estèphe and Haut-Médoc. Over the following years, the wine came to include grapes from an even greater area, until production stopped with World War II. The wine was reborn after the war, and gained a Bordeaux AOC classification in 1947, steadily increasing in popularity due to a reputation of consistent quality.[5] In later years the wine relies heavily on grapes sourced from the Entre-Deux-Mers district.[2]

Mouton Cadet was marketed significantly throughout the 50s and 60s, placing the brand in the UK and U.S.. In the 70s, a white wine was added to the label, expanding the brand's concept, which resulted in 1975 sales of more than 3 million bottles worldwide.[5]

Philippe de Rothschild died in 1988 and control of the business passed on to his daughter Philippine de Rothschild.

The label Réserve Mouton Cadet Médoc was created in 1996, offering a red wine with greater ageing potential, and a product aimed at the restaurant trade. In 1999 the Réserve line also included the white Réserve Mouton Cadet Graves.


Label detail: the poem by Baron Philippe reads, "Wine, born, it lives, but die it does not, in Man it lives on.."
[edit] 2000s
One of the best selling wines in the world, in 2002 Mouton Cadet sold 15 million bottles worldwide.[6]

In 2004 its U.S. sales were hit by changing tastes and anti-Gallic sentiment, and it sold only 2.9 million bottles in the U.S. in 2004, down from a high of 6.5 million bottles in 1992.[6]

A reblending of the wine and redesign of the brand was undertaken in 2004.[5] In September 2005 Mouton Cadet began a distribution agreement with the North Lake Wines subsidiary of U.S-based Constellation Brands, the world's largest wine distributor.[7]

In 2007, Mouton Cadet made further additions to the franchise, including a rosé in the generic series, and included a further three wines to the Réserve range: Réserve Mouton Cadet Saint-Émilion, Réserve Mouton Cadet Sauternes, and a red Réserve Mouton Cadet Graves.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Why NOT STEP UP your game on Chardonnay tonight? How about the BEST $20 bottle of Chardonnay? How does it compare to YOUR Favorite? Try it...




Tasting Notes for NEWTON Chardonnay 2007 (a blend of Napa 67% and Sonoma 37%): Delicate aromas of white pear flowers, crisp apple, fresh pear, and toasted bread translate to rich fruit flavors on the palate. A burst of freshness unfolds with flavors of citrus, pear, apple, and honeydew melon. A discreet presence of oak evolves into spring-like acidity on the finish. Much softer flint tones.

It was selected by the WSJ reviewing couple as the BEST TASTING Chardonnay for under $20... however, when I asked about the price, I was told it was $22, on sale for $17.


http://www.newtonvineyard.com/default.aspx

Rich and balanced, this wine opens with enticing aromas of pear, baked apple and white peach accented by hints of nutmeg and clove. On the palate, fresh tangerine and dried apricot flavors mingle with vanilla creating a uniquely pure wine that is both refreshingly bright yet richly textured.