Lady folk at the registration counter for the event

Rod Serling Voiceover: Eligible bachelor and vagabond wine journalist Alan Kropf is on his way to a wine event that is rumored to be teeming with lady folk. With a camera over his shoulder and a notebook in his hand, Mr. Kropf is in for quite the surprise, because through the double doors of the Grand Ballroom of the Westin Hotel await not only delicious wine, but a vast sea of designer purses and a one-way ticket to the Twilight Zone.

It was purses. It was women. It was crazy. Continue Reading »

According to the Latin American Herald Tribune, “Actor Antonio Banderas is making his debut in the wine business by acquiring half the shares of Anta Bodegas, which produces wines under the Ribera del Duero label, as well as extra virgin olive oil.” Continue Reading »

Once again St. Patrick’s day is upon us and I have a feeling not many people know exactly what this holiday is about other than everyone claiming they’re Irish, getting either sexually harassed or pinched depending on how you look at it, and people getting belligerently drunk and throwing up behind their friends’ couch. I’d like to say it wasn’t always this way and there was a time when men could sit down amongst their buddies for a few brews and just enjoy themselves, but apparently this wasn’t the case. One newspaper described the St. Patrick’s Day scene in 1847 as “drunkenness, riot, and disorder prevailed to an extent which was frightful to contemplate.” It became such an issue that the people fought, and won, to get it changed from a beer-crazed festival into a puritan Sunday and in 1924 all public houses closed on the national holiday; a law that wouldn’t be reversed until the early 1960’s. Continue Reading »

You may have noticed a drop in blog posts last week on the Mutineer Blog. This is because we were feverishly working around the clock to finish the April/May issue of Mutineer Magazine, which will be the first issue of MM nationally distributed at bookstores and newsstands across America.

We’ve taken the magazine to a whole new level, with top-notch stories and an improved layout; the Mutineer Magazine vision is really starting to come together. If you are already a subscriber, you should receive your copy in the next week or two, and if you aren’t a Mutineer Magazine subscriber, then you should head over to our subscription page and join the mutiny!

Here is a preview of the features in the upcoming issue:

Wine Feature: Drugstore Winemaker

by Chess Katier
Chess tells his own story of leaving behind a dark life of drug dealing to pursue a career as a wine horticulturist. With illustrations by Seattle artist Hunter Lea, this piece will be unlike anything you’ve ever read in a wine magazine.

Beer Feature: Pairing Food With Beer

by JJ Bagley
JJ Bagley talks to beer experts Charlie Papazian (Brewers Association), Garrett Oliver (Brooklyn Brewery) and Jamie Emmerson (Full Sail Brewing) about the art of pairing beer with food.

Spirits Feature: 12 Questions

We surveyed 16 spirits blogs on questions ranging from absinthe to the ultimate orange liqueur in a margarita. You’ll be surprised by the answers.

Wild Card: Finding Coffee and Community in Seattle

by Erin Jimcosky
Erin Jimcosky explores the independent coffee scene of the Seattle area to capture the experience of some of the world’s most inspired brewhouses.

Special Report: 2009 American Wine Blog Awards

For the first time ever, the American Wine Blog Awards results will be published in print. Check to see if any of your favorite blogs won, and check out anyone your not familiar with!

The Mutineer Interview: Jim Koch

Jim Koch of The Boston Beer Co./Sam Adams gives a no-holds-barred interview with JJ Bagley about the rise of Sam Adams, the craft beer scene in general, and Koch’s signature hangover cure.

Special Report: Drinking My Way Around the World

by Zane Lamprey
Three Sheets host Zane Lamprey opens his personal photo archives to take readers from Las Vegas to Croatia and everywhere in between. We’re talking automatic weapons, black eyes, and Star Trek. Things will get crazy.

Haven’t subscribed yet to receive your copy of Mutineer? Subscribe here.

In Mutineer Magazine Issue 4 we highlighted six beer blogs that you should be reading. Here is the first of six full interviews with those bloggers.

Site: wortblog.blogspot.com
Blogger: Dr. Wort
Location: Portland, OR
Launched: January 2007

Continue Reading »

Now you’re probably thinking, “I don’t remember there being an ‘I Must Have This #1’, and that is because it never existed…UNTIL NOW. In a move I’m sure all will agree with, I’ve made the incredible alcohol firing gun the first installment of this series.

Today’s item (and actually available for purchase in the real world) is the “Hopside Down” glass. This glass has been making waves on blogs, and it is pretty cool, I’m just not sure why. I mean, if you want a bottle of beer, why are you pouring it out of the bottle in the first place? This paradox is supported by Hopside Down’s motto “viva la longneck”. I don’t care, I’m into this and I must have this.