Puppies and Flowers

Here's clip from the article:

The beer industry is lobbying Congress to support its “beer tax rollback” bill (H.R. 1610), which would cut the federal beer tax in half to its 1951 level – a move many public health groups strongly oppose. In the previous (109th) Congress, 208 (out of 539) members of Congress and 13 (out of 100) senators co-sponsored this legislation (then H.R. 1306 and S. 722). To the right is a list of members who are co-sponsoring the “beer tax rollback bill” in the 110th Congress (updated as they sign on), along with a tally of the contributions each has received in the 2005-2006 election cycle from the two biggest beer-industry donors, the NBWA and AB.

Show me the beer-money

Pearl Kelly has stopped going out on the town with friends as she is sick of being refused entry or alcoholic drinks because staff claim she is "too drunk''.

"Your eyes may be funny or you may be running into things and laughing with friends, but it doesn't mean you are drunk. It is the other `d` word _ disabled.''

Napa vintners finally get name recognition, European Union agrees this week on special designation for region

In China, Spain, Chile, Tahiti and other parts of the world there are at least a dozen winemakers using the words Napa or Napa Valley in their brand names in what California vintners say is a deliberate attempt to deceive customers.

Link to article

Link to YouTube

Link to i-am-bored

A Drink a Day Delays Dementia, Study Finds Italian researchers find the descent into dementia among the elderly is significantly slower in light to moderate wine drinkers

Link to Wine Spectator

Coffee: The New Health Food?

Want a drug that could lower your risk of diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and colon cancer? That could lift your mood and treat headaches? That could lower your risk of cavities? If it sounds too good to be true, think again.

Link to WebMD

Beer is good for you

It turns out that beer hops contain a unique micronutrient that inhibits cancer-causing enzymes. Hops are plants used in beer to give it aroma, flavor and bitterness. 

Link to article

and

Kaplan says beer in moderation can deliver protection against heart attacks, stroke, hypertension, diabetes and dementia. Red wine gets all the glory because people who drink wine also tend to have healthier lifestyles in general. All forms of alcohol have benefits in moderation, but beer data has been submerged because beer drinkers tend to have unhealthy habits like binge drinking and smoking as well.

Link to article

Hot chocolate

In one new study, consumption of cocoa in healthy volunteers, aged 18 to 77, resulted in significantly improved vascular responsiveness. (The measure the researchers used looked at the "stiffness" of blood vessels. In patients whose blood vessels are "stiff," hypertension is common.) The beneficial effect was most pronounced in patients over 50 years of age.

Things were going well until the barman added the fourth pint.

Link to scaryideas and more cellphone pictures

Many people say there's nothing like a cold beer on a hot day. But did you ever consider savoring a frozen beer? How about a frozen beer on a stick? A chef in Washington, DC, is making what he calls a "hopsicle." The chef at Rustico's says the frozen beer has been selling like, well, hotcakes.
Link to article via Spluch

The male participants who reported moderate drinking were 1.27 times more likely to report above-average health, compared with those who were lifetime abstainers and former light drinkers. The moderate drinking women were more than twice as likely as abstainers to report above-average health.

Previous good news reported here

Link to article

Mike Schilling, who runs the winery with his wife, Sharon, is confident Git-R-Done beer will appeal to the comedian's fan base.

"Rednecks love quality, too," he said.

Link to CNN

(image credit: Flickr)

NEW YORK: Latest research by Italian scientists has shown that drinking wine can help prevent tooth decay, gum disease and sore throats.

Both red and white wines contain some powerful germ killing ingredients. Drinking a glass of wine regularly can act as an effective agent against disease causing streptococci bacteria and upper respiratory tract infections, said a study published in the American Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Moderate consumption of red wine is already known to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's. Recent studies also show that drinking a glass of red wine every day can have a positive effect on cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

But wine's antibacterial qualities, although well known by the ancient Romans, have been little investigated, said Italian researcher Gabriella Gazzani.

Gazzani's team used bottles of supermarket Valpolicella and Pinot Nero for their research, pouring the wines into bowls containing bacteria, said the online edition of Daily Mail.

"Overall, our findings seem to indicate that wine can act as an effective anti-microbial agent against streptococci bacteria and upper respiratory tract infections," said Gazzani.

Previous good news on P&F [1] [2] Link to article

(image credit: bigtimebrewery) 

The Acadiana Center for the Arts is looking for volunteers to help staff the inaugural Gulf Brew beer-tasting festival, to be held from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. July 14 in downtown Lafayette.

The festival features samples from breweries across the Gulf South, as well as activities for children.

In exchange for working a two-hour shift, volunteers — ages 21 or older — will get one “Taster Ticket” good for 15 three-ounce samples from the participating breweries.

Volunteers also get free draft beer at the end of their shift.

Gulf Brew is modeled in the style of Germany’s Oktoberfest.

Participating breweries include Saint Arnold Brewing Co. of Houston; Lazy Magnolia Brewing Co., Kiln, Miss.; Abita Brewing Co., Abita Springs; and Zea Brewery, Metairie.

Lafayette’s own beer-brewing club, the Dead Yeast Society, will participate.

Link to article  

Photo: Ramperto 

An excellent site created by the Italian Trade Comission. Check out the regions, wines and food categories. Site also includes a 92 page cookbook in PDF format. 

Photo: abradyb 

From article:

The connoisseurs may cringe, the snobs may even sob, but the judges have spoken: California's best chardonnay costs less than $3.

"The characteristics that we look for in our gold medal winner & a nice creamy butter, fruity & it was a delight to taste," said 2007 California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition judge Michael Williams.

The affordable wine beat out 350 other California chardonnays to win the double gold. Second place went to an $18 bottle, and the most expensive wines at the event, at the price of $55, didn't even medal.

To find this prize winner, you need not go to a fancy wine shop or elite retailer. Charles Shaw Chardonnay is mass produced in California and only sold through the quirky Trader Joe's grocery stores.

Link to article

see previous good news links 

Bacon ice cream anyone? 

Don't forget 'Tuesday is bacon night' at Harris Grill, Pittsburg, PA. 

Bacon is a versatile breakfast ingredient but not limited to morning fare.

Keep abreast of what's happening in the bacon world, for example, did you know that scientists have cloned pigs that are engineered to contain omega-3 fatty acids, which produce healthier pork?

Mary Keller,
Librarian
"Can't they put some of that omega stuff in cigarettes?"

Apologies to my vegetarian friends for this posting, you need to look here now. 

Photo: Woody Norvell

From The Guardian:

Federal police said Monday that the beer tap failed aboard a special train carrying Bayer Leverkusen fans to Hamburg on Saturday. The fault was discovered half an hour into the journey.

"In order not to endanger the good mood" of the passengers, railway officials halted the train in Wuppertal for 25 minutes and had a replacement part delivered by taxi, a police statement said. It added that there was no trouble among the fans.

Their team was less obliging. Top-division Leverkusen's 1-0 elimination from the cup by second-division St. Pauli in a first-round upset left its fans with plenty of sorrows to drown on the way home.

 Link

Found photo

Clip:

Supermarket staff refused to sell alcohol to a white-haired 72-year-old man - because he would not confirm he was over 21.

Check-out staff at Morrisons in West Kirby, Wirral, demanded Tony Ralls prove he was old enough to buy his two bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Mr Ralls asked to see the manager who put the wine back on the shelf.

The grandfather-of-three said he had refused to confirm he was over 21 as it was a "stupid question."

Link to article 

Found at baldhead.nl 

China. Tsingtao in a bag.

Thanks Mike L 

Will the *real* Sam Adams please stand up: 

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Boston brewers of Sam Adams beer objected when they learned that a mayoral campaign here included Web sites invoking the name of their product.

What they didn't realize is that Sam Adams is also the name of the candidate — and has been since before the beer hit the market.

The Portland Sam Adams, a mild-mannered bicycle rider, is a far cry from the Boston Sam Adams, a patriot, brewer, rabble-rouser and business flop of Revolutionary War times. The second cousin to former president John Adams inherited the brewery, and it failed several years later.

When Mayor Tom Potter said he wouldn't seek re-election last month, City Commissioner Sam Adams jumped into the nonpartisan race. So far he's the only candidate.

Enterprising KEX radio hosts Mark Mason and Dave Anderson registered the Web addresses http://www.samadamsformayor.com and http://www.mayorsamadams.com, promising to give them to Adams if he discussed his political future on their show. Adams did.

The letter from Boston Beer Co. came to Anderson last week.

"Boston Beer has used the trademarks SAM ADAMS and SAMUEL ADAMS since 1984," said the letter, which asked Anderson to surrender the Web sites.

The radio hosts have responded by broadcasting the sound of a listener pouring Sam Adams beer in the toilet.

Article found here 

DUBLIN - A thief made off with 180 kegs of Guinness beer after smoothly driving into the Dublin brewery which makes the black stout and snatching a trailer load of drink, police said on Thursday.

The incident took place on Wednesday at the Guinness brewery on the banks of Dublin's River Liffey where Ireland's trademark tipple has been brewed for almost 250 years.

The lone raider's haul also contained 180 kegs of Budweiser and 90 barrels of Carlsberg lager, police said.

"A man drove into the yard in a truck and took a trailer containing the drink which has an estimated value of 64,000 euros (46.000 pounds)," a police spokesman said.

Link

Link: Scroll down to video clip

to YouTube:

Most expensive ever Guinness advert features large-scale domino game.

Directed by Nicolai Fuglsig of Sony Bravia 'Balls' fame, it is a celebration of community.

The advert was shot on location in a remote side village called Iruya, in the Salta region of northern Argentina, with a population of around 1,000 people.

Toppling items included: 6,000 dominoes, 10,000 books, 400 tyres, 75 mirrors, 50 fridges, 45 wardrobes and 6 cars.

Complete article: 

Could this be the reason Amy Winehouse seemed to have sprouted such a heaving chest when she left rehab yesterday?

For those occasions when booze just isn't allowed a wine-holding bra has been created for the ladettes of this world.

Be it a rock concert of simply a trip to the women simply need to fill up the sports bra device with their favourite tipple and then once inside suck the liquid out of the special teat.

The bra serves the double purpose of also making the wearer's (wine) rack look more full – until the alcohol is all drunk down that is and the woman goes from a big chested beauty to a big bellied Betty.

The £20 polyurethane bladder can contain 750ml of liquid (a normal wine bottle) and boosts a woman's chest by two cups.

It is not the first time Metro has reported on illicit booze drinking devices. In 2006 we brought you the polyurethane beer belly for men.

For more information go to www.firebox.com/product/2061?src_t=cat&src_id=party

Found here

From article

a shot glass of ice cold dark German beer (Koestritzer) placed beside a tiny espresso cup of hot chocolate topped -- if you can believe it -- with Snickers-laced whipped cream. This dessert was presented on a small white rectangular platter and was amazing.

Link to Pittsburg Tribune-Review with recipe. Via Fark

Shown here, the Breweries, Brew pubs in Belgium. Click on the flags to select your country of choice! 

The price of a pint in 180 countries. Apparently it's $3.30 at the Vatican bar.

Previously on P&F:
The Beer Mapping Project

Nifty little advertising gimmick.

Thanks Noah.

Working with a powerful script and creative from Saatchi & Saatchi London, Shilo directed this spot -- which has as its main components location-based live-action cinematography, an amazing performance by international spoken word artist Ainsley Burrows and stylized original animation seamlessly blended into the striking visuals.

Found at Adland 

found image

From Science Daily: 

College students often spend their free time thinking about beer, but a group of Rice University students are taking it to the next level. They're using genetic engineering to create beer that contains resveratrol, a chemical in wine that's been shown to reduce cancer and heart disease in lab animals.

Rice's "BioBeer" will be entered in the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition Nov. 8-9 in Cambridge, Mass. It's the world's largest synthetic biology competition, a contest where teams use a standard toolkit of DNA building blocks -- think genetic LEGO blocks -- to create living organisms that do odd things.

Notable past iGEM creations include sheets of bacteria that behave like photographic film and bacteria that smell like mint while they're growing but like bananas when they stop growing. Rice's student-led iGEM team -- the Rice BiOWLogists -- are returning for a third year. Their entry last year, a bacterial virus that fought antibiotic resistance, was well-received but finished out of the prize running.

"After last year's contest, we were sitting around talking about what we'd do this year," said junior Taylor Stevenson. "(Graduate student) Peter Nguyen made a joke about putting resveratrol into beer, but none of us took it seriously."

But when the team began looking in earnest for a new project this spring, they discovered a good bit of published literature about modifying yeast with resveratrol-related genes. When they looked further, they found two detailed accounts by teams that had attacked both halves of the metabolic problem independently.

"That was when we said, 'You know, we could actually do this,'" said junior Thomas Segall-Shapiro.

Ironically, most of the team's undergraduate members aren't old enough to legally drink beer. But the reality is that with less than a month to go until the competition, the team has yet to brew a drop. All their work to date has gone into creating a genetically modified strain of yeast that will ferment beer and produce resveratrol at the same time. While the team does plan to brew a few test batches in coming weeks, these will contain some unappetizing chemical "markers" that will be needed for the experiments.

"There's no way anyone's drinking any of this until we get rid of that, not to mention that there's only one genetically modified strain of yeast that's ever been approved for use in beer, period," said Segall-Shapiro. "In short, it will be a long time before anybody consumes any of this."

Continue reading

From Glenfiddich's site:

Following the success of the inaugural Glenfiddich Barrel Art exhibition in 2007, we have developed a new exhibition for 2008. This year’s programme involves a single artist who will produce a collection of works that encapsulate the theme of time. We’ve chosen esteemed designer Michael Johnson. Michael has been at the forefront of British design throughout a career spanning decades and work the theme of time has been prevalent in his work to date.

Link to Exhibition site with more photos.  [via]

Found at Boston Public Library's FlickrStream.
The rest of The Brewery Posters are here.

All images link to higher resolution versions.

I really like the old school registration marks and color bars.