A few days ago, President Barack Obama met with the new British Prime Minister, David Cameron. The two enjoyed a light banter on, what else, the subject of beer. Each brought a beer from their area of the world to exchange with the other. Obama represented Chicago with Goose Island 312, while Cameron pimped out Hobgoblin from Wychwood Brewery in his home constituency, Whitney. Continue Reading »

Political affairs never cease to amaze me. Especially, when fine beverages are involved.

Venezuela’s extreme leftist leader, President Hugo Chavez, is hell bent on a mission to completely nationalize the country’s economy. In his economic war on Venezuela’s “stateless bourgeoisie”, Chavez has already nationalized dozens of companies, including multi-billion dollar oil projects.

At the moment, Chavez’s main target is Venezuela’s largest privately owned company and biggest beer producer, Empresas Polar. From seizing warehouses and products to threatening to raise taxes on beer, Chavez seems to be doing everything in his power to force Mendoza into the de-privatization of Empresas Polar. Last week, Chavez ordered the military to crack down on businesses selling beer — especially unlicensed retailers and people selling beer out of trucks. Continue Reading »

Because this is exactly what has been missing from my fine beverage experience. Tea bags with little people attached to them to kick it in my tea cup and keep me company on all those lonely mornings in the RV. Themes include strippers, American politicians, and British royalty. If I want a really strong cup, I get Obama and a couple of strippers hanging out in my cup all at the same time. The possibilities are endless…

In the continuing saga of insanely funny things spawned in the mind of Bill Maher, here is one of the most unique craft beers this country has ever seen. If they only would have been serving this at the pub in Trainspotting Begbie wouldn’t have thrown his empty beer mug over the railing and started one of the most brutal bar fights in movie history.

AP Photo/Ron Edmonds

To try and calm racial tensions stemming from the arrest of African-American professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. by Cambridge police Sgt. James Crowley earlier this month, President Obama threw a good old fashioned beer drinking session at the White House yesterday.

Lets take a look at the beverage of choice for each of these men and see what we can glean from what they drink.

Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Beer: Red Stripe
Brewery: Desnoes & Geddes Limited
ABV: 4.7%
A Jamaican lager with a distinctive stubby brown bottle. Red Stripe conveys a “Let’s all just relax mon” state of mind. Continue Reading »

That’s right people, the big bad beer tax that was proposed in Oregon was shot down like the terrible idea it was. When I caught wind of this, first I was pissed, then I was confused, then I wasn’t confused, then I was pissed again. Basically a group of Oregon politicians led by Democrat, John Krasinski look-alike, Ben Cannon from Oregon’s 46th District looked to shoot the Oregon beer industry in the face with ridiculously high taxes, I guess to try and make up for other budget shortcomings. TERRIBLE IDEA. If an industry is thriving, don’t destroy it with high taxes. I may be biased, but I’m fair, so if you’re unfamiliar with the issue, check out this article interviewing Gary Fish of Deschutes Brewery and a Rep. Cannon staff member that we ran as the Final Word in the April/May issue of Mutineer Magazine and also on the blog while this was still an undecided issue.

Here, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has sucked her eyes closed going after this double daquiri. I’m not sure what her friend is drinking, but it is the most orangest of orange looking drinks I’ve ever seen. I want some. Now. Continue Reading »

American Craft Beer Week is right around the corner, starting on May 11 and running through May 17. Beer drinkers across the United States can look forward to events and festivals put on by their favorite breweries, and that’s cool for sure, but did you know that Colbert Nation is pumping this thing up? Oh yes, this is the real deal, so real, in fact, that the House of Representatives has pumped it up with House Resolution 753, recognizing ACBW as being the real deal. Continue Reading »