The Right Glass for your Next Home Brew

The right glass can add quality to any beer

It’s true, most people reading this would drink a craft beer or homebrew out of a paper cup and be perfectly satisfied.  But beer has been around a long time, and over that time brew masters, scientists, and engineers have designed, tested, tweaked, and redesigned glasses that are made to perfectly complement a particular beer style.  For example, snifters allow barleywines to be swirled and oxygenated while wheat beer glasses have a wide base to trap yeast; so it would be a shame to allow years of research and fine tuning to go to waste, plus having the right glass for your homebrew could add some quality, not to mention it will look like you know what you’re doing.  Check out the list below to educate yourself on which glasses go with which beers.

Brewing in Baltimore by Maureen O’Prey

Part of the Images of America series, Brewing in Baltimore ($21.99) is a brief 128 page history of how beer played a pivotal role in the city’s history and shaped the city into what it is today.  For a synopsis of the book, check out this article on City Paper; and if you’re lucky enough to be near Heavy Seas Brewery on Dec. 17 from 11 A.M.-5 P.M, Maureen O’Prey will be there to sign your copy.

“Throughout its rich and vibrant history, Baltimore has been known by a variety of names: Mobtown, the Land of Pleasant Living, or Charm City to name just a few. Perhaps “Beer Town” would have been more appropriate. Several pivotal events in Maryland’s history involved the brewing industry. Baltimore brewers were vital to building the fledgling town into the bustling city it is today. These brewers established some of the earliest churches in Baltimore. Eagle Brewery’s Harry Von der Horst helped build the Orioles into a pennant-winning team in the 1890s. Mary Pickersgill sewed the stars upon the Star Spangled Banner on the floor of Brown’s Brewery during the War of 1812.”

Bud Enters the Home Draft Market

Anheuser-Busch is entering the home draft market.    Seeming to follow suit from Heineken, with their Draughtkeg and Krups Beertender and from Coors and Miller’s pig keg offerings, the Draftmark is making it’s debut in select St. Louis stores this week with Budweiser, Shock Top Belgian White, and Bass Pale Ale on offer.  It will be interesting to see how successful the BIG brewery will be with their home draft system.  The Draftmark fits on a shelf inside your refrigerator, has a rechargeable battery and a “permanent pouring system”. Draftmark owners will be able to buy refills for their system and Bud is claiming freshness for 30 days.

If Bud expands their refill offerings to some of their more exciting brews, like Bodingtons Pub Ale or Stella Artois, they may have a real winner. We here at Brewing and Beer aren’t always kind to the big 3, but we’re always interested in new ways to enjoy beer.  We have only two questions so far: When is the Draftmark going national, and why in the world of beer does it require a battery?

Learn More: www.anheuser-busch.com/s/index.php/anheuser-busch-brings-premium-draft-beer-experience-home-with-draftmark/

Dogfish Head Gift Ideas

Dogfish Head recently updated their site showcasing some possible gift ideas for the Dogfish fan who just seems to have everything already.  With products ranging from apparel to an IPA Steampunk Clock ($299), you’re bound to find something your giftee doesn’t have yet. But if nothing catches your fancy you can always pick up a 4-pack of the 90 Minute IPA ($8.95), one of the best craft beers available today.  Follow the link below to see the gifts.

Dogfish Head Gift Ideas

The Sprocket Growler

Get your local craft beer in style with this simple yet very bad-ass growler from Portland Growler Company.  Made of kiln-fired stoneware, this 64-oz vessel is much sturdier than your typical glass growler and the ceramic will help keep that brew cold during your drive home.  The Sprocket Growler ($64)

The 10 Best Books on Brewing and Beer

The guys over at BeerBooks.com have put together a list of 10 of their favorite and most popular books on brewing and beer.  The list contains the obligatory and absolutely excellent Joy of Homebrewing and the Brewmaster’s Bible but there are some other less expected titles as well such as beer advertising memorabilia and a history/trivia book about beer through the ages.  If you’re looking for a great present for that homebrewer or beer drinker in your life, follow the links below to see the collection.

Alessi Pop-Up Bottle Cap Remover

There are quite a large number of unique, interesting, fashionable, practical, simple and complicated bottle openers in the world today, and as any self-respecting beer lover knows, it’s a tool that gets a lot of use and also says a lot about what kind of person you are.  So if you’re tired of being the kind of person who opens his bottle with his teeth or your coffee table edge has lost its structural integrity, take a look at this stylish and unique Pop-Up Bottle Cap Remover from Alessi($50).  Designed using an ingenious combination of suction and magnets, you simply push the device down over your beer until you hear a POP, then pull UP.