We are brewing tonight. And there was much rejoicing.
Our Brew Magic came in Friday night. So obviously we have to break it in tonight. We’d love to have you join us at 8pm, though there are a few caveats:
- You must promise not to make fun of us for being overly excited about our new brewing system.
- You must commit to spending at least ten (10) minutes reading the Brew Magic manual aloud to us in the voice of David Attenborough.
- You must not intentionally distract us as we intently watch the shiny new dials.
Now that we’ve established the ground rules, I’ll leave you with a picture of this thing in Jeff’s garage. AAAGH SHE’S SO BEAUTIFUL.
German Bierfest Tomorrow
Our friend and Monday-Night-attendee commonly known as John (frequent commenter) Alexander will be pouring beer tomorrow at the German Bierfest. Yes, the Germans did lose WWII but they nonetheless make some amazing beers (and cars) and you should most certainly plan to spend your afternoon there. If you’re so brave you can even come dressed up like this:
(I didn’t realize that’s what Germans look like)
If you’re smart you’ll get your tickets in advance here. Use code “BIER” to get $5 off
Lastly, I’ve discovered this great new thing called Twitter. I think it’s gonna be big. Follow me as I tweet the festival tomorrow.
Up in lights
We took a break from our bottle rocket war (it’s not as dangerous as it sounds, Mom) this weekend to do a little light-writing. Compliments to Martin for the stellar shot, and Andy and Simon for holding down the “N” and “B,” respectively.
Beer prices set to increase (because people have so much extra money lying around)
According to this CNN Money article sent in by long-time reader and Hurricane aficionado Justin, AB InBev is set to raise prices on beers across their portfolio on Tuesday:
“We plan on taking price increases on a majority of volume and in a majority of markets this fall. The increase helps cover some input costs.”
AB InBev isn’t the only large brewer responding with price hikes. Rising commodity costs and lowered volumes have caused others to follow suit. Heineken has also raised prices globally, and credit price increases to helping the company turn profits in spite of slower volume sales.
Earlier this month AB InBev stated that total beer volumes were down 1.5% in the 2nd quarter of 2009 vs. last year. It’s hard out here for a pimp. But who knows, maybe higher prices for Bud Light will give microbrews a little more attention from people who wouldn’t normally consider them. When is Dogfish Head coming out with their lime-flavored lager again?
Image source: rick gerber
New branded tasting glasses have arrived
Some of you may have noticed (and laughed at) the complete mish-mash of pint glasses we drink from on Mondays. About half have our old monk logo, and the other half are from random respectable breweries. Well no longer.
Joel ordered some pretty sweet tasting glasses and they arrived today. There’s a front and a back, so scroll down to see both.
I know what you’re thinking. “You guys got high-quality American glass, right? Not some cheap Chinese brand? Because I can taste the difference.” Rest assured, we purchased only the finest Libbey glassware. We know how sensitive your pallet is. That’s why we fill these fine Libbey glasses with even finer Monday Night beer.
We can’t brew tonight. Not with our new toy in the mail.
We’re not going to brew tonight. Here’s the deal. Our Sabco Brew Magic should get here late this week, and we’re pretty much ecstatic. Joel peed himself a little bit yesterday.
We can’t in good faith brew on our current system. With our new system in the mail, it would be like going on a date with Velma when you know that Daphne has a crush on you and will be traveling down to see you in the next few days. Unless you like Velma, then it’s the other way around, obviously.
At this point, getting the scotch ale and IPA recipes exactly right is the highest priority for us, and we’re holding off on that until we are able to brew on the Sabco. Apologies all around, but if all goes as planned we’ll be able to show off our new system next week.
