Author: Professor Good Ales

Mythical poster at The LTS Good for What Ales You Beer Journal. Loves good beer. Hates same old, same old. Muses that Bud and Miller might as well be brewed in urinals. Drinks lagers too, if they are complex and interesting.
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British beer: Booming or Boring?

One American beer that no serious bar in the capital appears able to do without is Brooklyn Lager.

Written by Will Hawkes for blogs.independent.co.uk

British beer is enjoying a remarkable renaissance. There are now 767 breweries in the UK, more than at any time since the Second World War. According to Camra, 78 new breweries have opened in the past 12 months (and although a fair few have closed, too, there are still 56 more now than this time last year). Last month’s Great British Beer Festival was bursting at the seams with interesting ales and happy drinkers. Beer lovers in this country have never had it so good.

Maybe, maybe not. The growing popularity of American beers in the UK suggests that things are not quite so rosy. The innovative, hop-heavy character of Yank beers is clearly filling a gap in the market, a gap that British brewers have failed to fill.

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Cell Phones More Dangerous Than Beer Behind the Wheel?

Written by Bob McClay for KTAR.com

PHOENIX — A study by AEI-Brookings Joint Center shows 1 in 10 drivers on the freeway are talking on their cell phones and actually are more impaired than if they had been on a drinking binge.

The study used a driving simulator to test the effects of cell phone use vs. the effects of driving while intoxicated.

When taking into account driving conditions and other factors, drivers on cell phones were more impaired than those who had been drinking. Using a hands-free device did not make a difference.
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The Science of Smell

Written by Jay Brooks for realbeer.com

NPR’s Science Friday had a show last week devoted to The Science of Smell. If you’ve ever taken tasting beer seriously, you know how important smell is to the flavor of beer (and everything else). Host Ira Flatow discussed Olfaction with research scientists Stuart Firestein and Donald Wilson. The show’s only a little under 18 minutes but is pretty interesting.

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Beer Bath Works Wonders for Chicken Sandwich

Written by J.M. HIRSCH for Savannahnow.com

My search for a tender, juicy and flavorful breaded chicken sandwich took me to the place where so much great thinking begins – the beer aisle.

After playing with various ways and ingredients for imparting flavor and moisture to this most ubiquitous of bird meats, I discovered that a beer bath had the biggest payoff in terms of big flavor with almost no effort.

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Fried Beer?

From staff reports @ dallasnews.com

If Big Tex looks a little glassy-eyed this fall, blame it on the Fried Beer. Fried beer is one of the eight finalists for the Sixth Annual Big Tex Choice Awards competition. The contest is a big deal for concessionaires at the State Fair of Texas.

Booze is generating a buzz for the State Fair of Texas, as fried-alcohol dishes made the list of top new fair foods announced Wednesday.

Eight imaginative contenders are vying for the Sixth Annual Big Tex Choice Awards, with the winners getting plenty of publicity – and long lines of eager fairgoers willing to gobble up the fried goodness.

But have your ID handy for the Fried Beer and Deep Fried Frozen Margarita – you must be 21 or older to partake.
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Beer as Plant Food

Written by Lisa Larsen for gardenguides.com

Overview

The idea of using beer as plant food has been around for decades. For many it is believed to be the perfect pick-me-up for their garden. However, there are those who consider this just another old wives’ tale. There are ingredients in beer that seem useful to plants, such as yeast and carbohydrates. However, upon closer examination, these two items aren’t of much benefit to plants.

Ingredients

There are only four ingredients used in the beer making process. They are water, malted barley, hops and yeast. Ninety percent of beer is water.

Fact

Beer doesn’t contain any ingredient, other than water, that is truly helpful for nurturing plants. There are some who believe the carbohydrates in beer act as food for plants. However, plants need complex carbohydrates in order to thrive, not simple sugars such as those found in soda or beer.

Fiction

Because beer contains yeast, many gardeners consider it a benefit to their plants. However, yeast is a fungus, and not only produces an unpleasant odor, but will also begin to grow around your plants. The fungus will eventually die, contributing nothing to the plants.

Uses for Beer in the Garden

Although beer is not useful as a food for plants, it can serve a purpose in the garden.

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Beer Fest!!!

RACegg
6 to 8:30pm at Seville Quarter in Downtown Pensacola
Tickets are only $20 and availableNOW!
Call 4333-KIDS to purchase yours
Featured Breweries Include:
A1A Ale Works – Bell’s Brewery – Brooklyn Brewery – Dogfish Head – Abita Brewing Co. – Cigar City Brewing LLC – Florida Beer Co. – Highlands Brewing Co. – Lazy Magnolia Brewing Co. - Moccasin Ben Brewing Co. – New Orleans Beer Co. – Shipyard/ Seadog Brewery – Oskar Blues – Seven Bridges Grill & Brewery – Sweet Water Brewing – Terrapin Beer Co. – Yazoo Brewing

And Many More!

For additional information visit www.escambiabayhomebrewers.org
Proceeds to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida, Belmont Arts Center & The Independence Fund.
Tickets are on sale NOW at the Big Brothers Big Sisters Office
1149 Creighton Rd. Suite 1
Pensacola, FL 32504
Or Call 850-433-5437
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Beer Joke Time!: “There’s Always Room…”

Submitted by R.S. Janes

A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a large jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks about 2″ in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.Visual

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The students laughed as the professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this is your life. The rocks are the important things — your family, your partner, your health, your children — things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff.”

There was total silence as the students absorbed the lesson.

“If you put the sand into the jar first, there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.”

The students started nodding in agreement at the professor’s profound wisdom.

“Take care of the rocks first,” the professor finished — “the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

But then…

A student then took the jar which the other students and the professor agreed was full, and proceeded to pour in a bottle of beer — and then another! Of course the beer filled the remaining spaces within the jar making the jar truly full.

The moral of this tale is…

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