This morning, I literally peed my pants watching this video of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog visiting the Great American Beer Festival. There are a few familiar faces from the craft beer industry in this video, most notably Paul Gatza (Brewers Association Director), which makes it that much more entertaining.

Although the video totally makes fun of what Triumph keeps referring to as the “microbrew” culture, this video did appear on the Conan show, which is ultimately just more exposure for the awesomeness that is craft beer.

Enjoy!

A little known fact about me is that I love snakes. I also love spiders, but that is another story for another time.

My odd preoccupation for the elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes was a direct result of my love and admiration for Cleopatra. Among many things, Cleopatra was the last pharaoh of Egypt. Cleopatra loved serpents and often adorned herself in snake-themed jewelry. Her death, although greatly debated, is rumored have resulted from a self-inflicted snake bite.

This is a good year for snake lovers, as it is the Year of the Snake in Chinese Zodiac Calendar.

Celebrating the Year of the Snake, Flying Dog has created one of the most created craft beer-themed video that I’ve seen to date. Released at the Can Festival during the Craft Brewers Conference, this video is a mini-advertisement for Flying Dog’s newest offering–Snake Dog IPA. The video is artistic and edgy, something we’ve come to expect from the art-obsessed brewery. The video’s message is also extremely powerful.

Through fear, man has come to know the serpent. It is crafty. It has conviction. But it is fear, my friends, not the snake that holds us back. 

But enough yammering on from me, check it out for yourself!

I don’t know about anyone else, but that video just made me really thirsty for some Snake Dog IPA.

Eight craft beer brands from all around the San Francisco Bay Area have banded together to on a unique and innovative venture – the Band of Gypsies Collaboration Beer Project. As the name suggests, all the breweries involved, save for one (the host), are gypsy brewers.

The Brewers Association (BA) defines this type of brewery as a contract brewing company—essentially a business that hires another brewery to produce its beer. The contract brewing company is often responsible for recipe development and handles the marketing, sales and distribution of the beer.

I currently work for one of the breweries involved in the project, Bison Organic Beer. Our partners include Calicraft Brewing Co., Highwater Brewing, Lucky Hand, Oakland Brewing Co., Pacific Brew Labs, Triple Voodoo & Uncommon Brewers (host). All of us have headquarters and live in the Bay Area.

In honor of San Francisco Beer Week 2013, the Band of Gypsies is releasing its first collaboration beer, aptly named The Belgian Tramp – an organic Belgian Quad brewed with house-made candy sugar, California-grown Mission figs, raisins and dates. Boasting a hefty 10.5% abv., Belgian Tramp is sticky sweet and boozy with rich flavors of dark fruit, roasted malt and caramel, a moderate hop bitterness, and a smooth, dry finish.

For more information, watch the awesome video below, developed by good friend and very awesome videographer, Carlo Overhulser of The Beer Channel.

About The Beer Channel

The Beer Channel came about from a simple observation; there are networks on television dedicated to food, wine, travel, and education, but nothing to celebrate one of the world’s most revered beverages or the folks behind the scenes that work hard to bring it all together.

It began as a share and review blog and then quickly moved to just video due to the overwhelming demand for content on mobile devices. Specific shows were also done in a test market format on public access television in Santa Cruz, CA. The feedback was extremely positive, and the working goal is to work with the right investors to launch The Beer Channel nationally. There are currently four programs in production:

• Have Beer, Will Travel
• Brü Appetit
• The Beer Hike
• Brewmaster Spotlight

Carlo Overhulser is originally from the Washington D.C. area. He currently lives in Santa Cruz, CA. He is a history major, and his background consists of A/V, tech, and major recording studio engineering.

Follow Carlo on Twitter: @thebeerchannel

Not sure how I got on it in the first place, but it’s pretty damn cool to be on the Conan O’ Brian pr list – at least when it comes to beer stories.

As you may recall, a few weeks ago I posted a video of Conan O’Brien touring the Guinness brewery. Although all he really wanted was the free Guinness at the end of the tour, Conan was “forced” to learn about the various steps of brewing.

“They make you take the tour and learn about where yeast comes from, barley & hops…” – Conan O’ Brien.

Conan recently sat down with guest Paul Rudd, who has also taken the Guinness tour. In the short segment below, they discuss the tour experience, how to properly pour a Guinness, the importance of looking to the horizon while drinking, etc. It’s a fun video, so enjoy!

Six weeks ago, the East Coast of the United States was turned upside down by gale force winds and massive flooding. Although photos and news reports of Tropical Storm Sandy have almost completely disappeared from the media, the devastation she left behind is still very much present in the lives of those most affected by the natural disaster.

Among the hardest hit by this storm were the residents of Long Island, New York. The island was completely flooded, hundreds of trees were blown down, several homes burned to the ground, millions of dollars of damage and at least 4 confirmed deaths happened as a result of the tragic storm.

Of the eight or so craft breweries located on Long Island, Barrier Brewing was hit the hardest. Just about destroyed, Barrier Brewing suffered nearly $100,000 in damages after Sandy washed about three feet of seawater into the brewery’s facility. But, out of the wake of the tragedy, came compassion, comradery and collaboration.

Photo Credit: SandyReliefBeer.Com

Started by New York-based beer bloggers Matt Furman and Niko Krommydas, Sandy Relief Beer started as a mere video project, but quickly morphed into a collaborative relief effort by eight local breweries after Hurricane Sandy devastated Long Island and destroyed Barrier Brewing Company in Oceanside.

Sandy Relief Beer brought together eight Long Island craft breweries, who teamed up to brew a collaboration beer. These breweries include Barrier Brewing Company, Blind Bat Brewery, Blue Point Brewing Company, Great South Bay Brewery, Greenport Harbor Brewing Company, Long Ireland Beer Company, Port Jeff Brewing Company, and Spider Bite Beer Company.

On December 04, 2012 the eight collaborators brewed Surge Protector IPA. Each brewery donated an ingredient for Surge Protector IPA, exhibiting the solidarity of Long Island’s beer community. Profits from its sales will go towards victims of Sandy as well as the rebuilding Barrier Brewing Company.

Below is the first video of the Sandy Relief Beer Project. As a member of the craft beer community, I am both touched and inspired by the comradery of the Long Island craft beer community. And I look forward to drinking a lot of the Surge Protector IPA when I go back to NY for the holidays later this month!

For more information and news on the Sandy Relief Beer Project, follow @sandyreliefbeer on Twitter and *like* the project on Facebook.

Being a blogger can be daunting sometimes. Whereas you want to accessible to certain people, you don’t want to be inundated with bullshit PR requests and fake advertising opportunities. And thus, putting your contact information on the interwebs can be both rewarding and burdensome.

If I had a dollar for every impersonal solicitation I’ve ever received from a company or PR agency that I’ve never heard of, I’d have at least 100 bucks in my pocket. But, every once in awhile, something awesome comes my way.

Case and point, this video of Conan O’Brien’s visit to the Guinness Brewery.

Not gonna lie, I’m a huge fan of that giant scrawny ginger with a twisted sense of humor. And watching him tour a brewery just makes me love him that much more.

Anyone that’s ever toured a brewery knows the anguish of waiting for that moment at the end of the tour when a beer finally touches your lips. Conan feels the pain as well — and expresses it in his very special Conan way.

Cheers!

It’s always refreshing to see a beer advertisement that is dedicated to showcasing the culture of beer and its spectrum of styles (outside of the typical yellow fizzy mass-produced lagers you see on TV), rather than sell it through the objectification of women or the use of bad puns. Enter Abita Brewing Company‘s latest video highlighting the youthful and fun beer drinking culture of New Orleans, featuring the vocals of none other than local New Orleans musical legend, Dr. John. Enjoy!

Follow Abita on Twitter: @TheAbitaBeer

Cheers!

Recently the Discovery Channel took notice and now Public Media (NPR) is catching onto to the relatively new and ever exciting trend of beer mixology.

I recently partnered with two of my talented and forward thinking friends, Jerry James Stone and Chris Eldridge, to launch a beer mixology pilot project (you can read more about the team below). Our ultimate goal is to develop one of the most, if not the most viral beverage-themed video series on the Internet (move aside Wine Library TV!).

I am very excited and honored to announce that the second recipe and video in the series made its official debut on Bay Area Bites — KQED’s food blog. Perfect for summer, this refreshingly tart and slightly sweet cocktail is made featuring ingredients found in the SF Bay Area. Trumer Pilsner, fresh black and blueberries and St. George Spirits Breaking & Entering Bourbon blissfully meet in cocktail that I coined Liquid Pie. The bourbon provides subtle flavors of vanilla and caramel while the Pilsner adds some crust-like notes to the mix. And naturally, the fresh muddled berries and agave nectar add the the desired pie filling that makes the unique beer cocktail really pop!

Instead of posting the recipe and the video on my blog, I’m going to force you to visit the KQED blog post so that you can help support our project by liking it on Facebook and retweeting the link on Twitter. Just think of the possibilities if this project takes off! Thanks, in advance, for all your support.

And here is a little teaster for the road…

___________________________

About the Beer Mixology Team

Jerry James Stone

Jerry is a writer for Discovery Channel, and the producer and main recipe developer for TreeHugger’s Green Wine Guide, which features sustainable wineries and vegetarian wine pairings. He’s currently creating the official Philz Coffee cookbook for the Bay Area establishment which will feature recipes about cooking with coffee.

He has been a food judge alongside Michael Pollan and Alice Waters for the Good Food Awards and wrote the nightlife section for Fodor’s 2013 San Francisco guide book. His writings can be found in MAKE magazine, The Atlantic and Digg.com.

Follow Jerry on Twitter @JerryJamesStone

Ashley V Routson

Known to most as The Beer Wench, Ashley is a self-proclaimed craft beer evangelist & social media maven on a mission to advance the craft beer industry through education, inspiration and advocacy. She is currently the “Director of Awesomeness” at Bison Brewing in Berkeley, CA — where her responsibilities include everything from marketing, sales, PR, social media & events.

Ashley is also a freelance consultant and professional speaker on the subjects of social media, beer mixology, food & beverage pairings. She is the founder of DrinkWithTheWench.com & BeerMixology.com as well as a regular contributor to CraftBeer.com.

Follow Ashley on Twitter @TheBeerWench & @BeerMixology

Chris Eldridge

Chris an Independent Video Producer, Editor, and Cinematographer for corporate, television, and marketing-oriented clients, with a persistent, detail-oriented work ethic. He studied Cinematography at San Francisco State University, working as a projectionist at movie theaters in San Jose & San Francisco. Out of school, Chris began working in Television and shooting feature films with friends, one of which saw theatrical distribution in the US & India.

Chris currently produces content for the EMS industry, as well as several wine, beer, arts, and entertainment pieces for his personal project, CineVine.com.

Follow Chris on Twitter @thedridge & @CineVine

Beer Cocktails: love them, hate them, the trend is here to stay. Case in point? The Discovery Channel recently featured a beer cocktail recipe and video on its website designed and executed by none other than yours truly (with the help of amazing partners, naturally).

I recently partnered with two of my talented and forward thinking friends, Jerry James Stone and Chris Eldridge, to launch a beer mixology pilot project (you can read more about the team below). Our ultimate goal is to develop one of the most, if not the most viral beverage-themed video series on the Internet (move aside Wine Library TV!).

The first recipe and video in the series, “Roasted Apricot Margarita (Made with Beer)“, was posted on the Discovery Channel’s website this week. The unique recipe features a twist on the classic margarita with apricot preserves and American IPA (video features: Bison’s Organic IPA).

Instead of posting the recipe and the video on my blog, I’m going to force you to visit the Discovery Channel post so that you can help support our project by liking it on Facebook and retweeting the link on Twitter. Just think of the possibilities if this project takes off! Thanks, in advance, for all your support.

And here is a little teaster for the road…

___________________________

About the Beer Mixology Team

Jerry James Stone

Jerry is a writer for Discovery Channel, and the producer and main recipe developer for TreeHugger’s Green Wine Guide, which features sustainable wineries and vegetarian wine pairings. He’s currently creating the official Philz Coffee cookbook for the Bay Area establishment which will feature recipes about cooking with coffee.

He has been a food judge alongside Michael Pollan and Alice Waters for the Good Food Awards and wrote the nightlife section for Fodor’s 2013 San Francisco guide book. His writings can be found in MAKE magazine, The Atlantic and Digg.com.

Follow Jerry on Twitter @JerryJamesStone

Ashley V Routson

Known to most as The Beer Wench, Ashley is a self-proclaimed craft beer evangelist & social media maven on a mission to advance the craft beer industry through education, inspiration and advocacy. She is currently the “Director of Awesomeness” at Bison Brewing in Berkeley, CA  — where her responsibilities include everything from marketing, sales, PR, social media & events.

Ashley is also a freelance consultant and professional speaker on the subjects of social media, beer mixology, food & beverage pairings. She is the founder of DrinkWithTheWench.com & BeerMixology.com as well as a regular contributor to CraftBeer.com.

Follow Ashley on Twitter @TheBeerWench & @BeerMixology

Chris Eldridge

Chris an Independent Video Producer, Editor, and Cinematographer for corporate, television, and marketing-oriented clients, with a persistent, detail-oriented work ethic. He studied Cinematography at San Francisco State University, working as a projectionist at movie theaters in San Jose & San Francisco. Out of school, Chris began working in Television and shooting feature films with friends, one of which saw theatrical distribution in the US & India.

Chris currently produces content for the EMS industry, as well as several wine, beer, arts, and entertainment pieces for his personal project, CineVine.com.

Follow Chris on Twitter @thedridge & @CineVine

I’ve said this once, and I’ll say it again. If there is any craft brewery responsible for my career path and my passion, love and obsession with craft beer — it is Dogfish Head. Midas Touch was the beer that officially converted me from a wine professional and beer hobbyist to a full-blown craft beer evangelist with a wine habit.

The reason I first connected with Dogfish Head (and continue to do so) is because I completely identify with the brand. Like its owners, its employees and its beer, I am off-centered. More often than not, people use adjectives like weird, eccentric, quirky and crazy to describe me. But, like Dogfish Head, I’ve never been one to assimilate to the cultural norm. Dogfish Head’s uncanny ability to understand and embrace the weird and the unusual has made it stand out from any other craft beer brand in the world.

Case and point: Positive Contact — Dogfish Head’s latest super collaboration project.

What is Positive Contact? According to the official press release, “It’s a house party in a box. Start with a carefully crafted hybrid of beer and cider, add a helping of hip-hop dub remixes and serve with an inspired multi-course meal.”

Foodies and beer geeks beware, for this party in a box is not for the faint of heart. Even Esquire has already named it one of the best beers of 2012. And here is why:

The beer

The beer was born one festive night at Eataly New York’s rooftop brewpub Birreria. Hip-hop producer Dan the Automator – the mind behind supergroup Deltron 3030 – and Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione sat at a table full of fresh ingredients and picked out their favorites.

They settled on wood-pressed Fuji apples, roasted farro from Anson Mills in South Carolina, cayenne peppers and fresh cilantro. The result is a sweet-and-sour Belgian-ish brew with cider-like notes, 9% ABV and a warming finish.

The music

While Dogfish did its thing at the brewery, Dan did his in the studio. Taking tracks from the long-awaited followup to Deltron 3030′s cult classic debut, Dan fashioned four dub remixes and pressed them onto 10-inch white vinyl.

The food

What’s a party without food? Dogfish recruited acclaimed chef and TV personality Mario Batali, loud and fast Joe Beef chefs Frederic Morin and David McMillan, Momofuku‘s influential David Chang, super-creative Homebrew Chef Sean Paxton and West Coast luminary James Syhabout. Each contributed a Deltron 3030-inspired recipe that’s printed on the record sleeve.

Positive Contact will be released in a dynamic box set of six 750-ml champagne bottles, with the 10-inch vinyl EP and the recipes. The box set will be sold for $60-$70 throughout Dogfish Head’s distribution network, in accordance with local and state laws.

For more information, check out the following video with Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head: