beer

New Way to Package and Transport Draft Beer?

by nixforsix on April 20, 2010

After developing a stigma nearly 20 years ago, boxed wine is on the verge of making a comeback thanks to environmental issues and the success of screw tops on the market. After the major disappearance of party balls and the inability of the Heineken Mini Keg to gain any real traction, the beer industry could head the same way. An engineering student in Australia has developed a way to efficiently store beer in a cardboard container.

“With a two-pronged focus on cost and environmental impact, Hussey’s invention eschews pricier bottles, kegs and cans in favor of a revolutionary collapsible container that maintains the CO2 pressure while barring oxygen. And it’s turned heads. Hussey is one of 14 finalists in the student category of the 2010 Australian Design Award and the Australian component of the James Dyson Award who will advance to the global competition.”

My only question would be whether or not there is a way to cool the beer. Besides that, it works in every way for tailgating.
cardboard-beer-container

Tagged as: beer

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Summer Beer: Perfecting the Lime

by nixforsix on April 7, 2010

in drinking

pacifico-lime

As we transition into Porch Sitting season it’s time to move away from the stouts and porters of the beer world and onto the more weather appropriate cervezas of Mexico. And with that comes limes. Though I’ve had many a Mexican beer in my day and garnished plenty of mixed drinks, I’ve never been totally satisfied with my ability to properly stock or cut a lime. Seems like I never have one when I need one. And when I do remember to grab limes it takes me forever to get them cut right. Well I’ve solved both problems in the last month.

Since limes are cheap I usually buy three of four at a time. I inevitably use one or two and the rest go to waste. Maybe I’m an idiot and this is common knowledge, but no one ever mentioned to me to keep the limes in the fridge. If you immediately put the lime in the fridge when you get home, it’ll last up to 3-4 weeks instead of 4-5 days. Which means that if you make it to the store once a month during the April-September cerveza season then you’ll always be good to go.

As for cutting the lime, I recently found the video below. After sitting through a 30 second commercial you’ll get a well produced video lesson on cutting limes. The basic concept is to cut the end from both pointed sides of the lime. Then stand the lime on of the cut ends and halve it from the top down. From here you can easily cut lime wedges. However, I differ from the video and prefer to cut slices of lime that will easily fit into a bottle. So instead of cutting from cut end to end to make wedges, I slice parallel with the cut ends to make thin slices. My advice would be to only slice one half of the lime for a six pack and immediately put the other half back in the fridge. Also, Pacifico is currently The Drunken Tailgate warm weather tailgating beer of choice. I’m not sure if Pacifico is the best beer by itself, but it’s mixture with Lime is unparalleled. If you’re tailgating, just cut the limes ahead of time, put them in a ziploc bag, and throw them in your cooler with the beer.

Bartending Techniques – How to Cut a Lime Wedge

(photo by shaderlab)

Tagged as: beer

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What We’re Drinking: Anchor Christmas Ale

by nixforsix on December 7, 2009

in drinking

anchor-christmas-ale-2009

During the summer and fall I like to consume mass quantities of beers that are made for mass consumption. Your cheap Americans (Bud Light, Busch Light), Mexicans (Pacifico, Dos Equis), and Wheat Beers (Mothership Wit, Red Brick Blonde). As the football season winds down I turn my attention to beer of a heavier variety. This year I’ve discovered the Anchor Christmas Ale. I’ve always been a fan of Anchor Steam and flirted with their Liberty before. But this year’s Christmas Ale has really hit the spot. Just the right mix of chocolate and mild spices to warm the belly during a cold tailgate. The beer has a pretty interesting story as well…

Every year since 1975 the brewers at Anchor have brewed a distinctive and unique Christmas Ale, which is available from early November to mid-January. The Ale’s recipe is different every year—as is the tree on the label—but the intent with which we offer it remains the same: joy and celebration of the newness of life. Since ancient times, trees have symbolized the winter solstice when the earth, with its seasons, appears born anew.

So I don’t know if the 2009 is par for the course, but it definitely receives the Drunken Tailgate approval. In addition to the great taste, this is just a great bottle and label. I’m not going to lie and say these things don’t affect my opinion. Drink up!

Keep your beer cold with personalized koozies and make a statement at the same time since you can have your koozie say whatever you want.

Tagged as: anchor brewing, beer, what we're drinking

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Drink Like a Champ: Das Boot

by nixforsix on December 1, 2009

in gear,tailgatress

Unfortunately, we didn’t find out if this Georgia girl knew to turn the boot and make sure she didn’t spill. If you want to impress random tailgaters who also loved Beerfest you can pick up a 67oz. Glass Beer Boot from Amazon for just $25 (and add the DVD for $10 more).

beer-boot

Tagged as: beer, drinking, georgia

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Thanksgiving Tailgating

by nixforsix on November 20, 2009

in drinking,grilling,tailgating recipes

turkey-and-beer

If you’re tailgating for the Texas/A&M game next Thursday on Thanksgiving or just looking to use some leftovers as part of your fare, we’ve got a couple of links and suggestions for you.

Beeriety has a post on pairing beers with your Thanksgiving meal. They also have a more general post on how to pair beer with food.

Turkey – Oktoberfest (Paulaner), Biere de Garde (3 Monts), Bock (Anchor Bock).

Sweet potato – Brown Ale (Newcastle), ESB/English Bitter (Fullers), Pumpkin Beer (Dogfish Head Punkin).

Stuffing – Rye Ale (Founder’s Red Rye).

Pumpkin pie – Dunkelweiss (Weihenstephaner Dunkel), Dopplebock (Ayinger), Cream Ale (Sam Adams), Pumpkin Beer (Dogfish Head Punkin).

Green beans/veggies – Pale Ale (Sam Smith).

Cranberry sauce – Lambic (Lindemans Framboise).

The Georgia Sports Blog made a Turducken for their tailgate a few years ago. A Turducken consists of a chicken that is stuffed inside a duck which is then stuffed inside a turkey. Read about the recipe and planning and the aftermath.

The Real Simple website has a recipe for using your leftover turkey to make Reuben sandwiches that you can serve hot by grilling over a campfire stove.

Turkey Reuben Sandwiches

1. Spread 4 slices rye bread with Dijon mustard and another 4 with Russian dressing.

2. Dividing evenly, top the mustard-spread bread slices with 8 slices roasted turkey, 1 cup sauerkraut, 8 slices Swiss cheese, and the remaining bread.

3. Pan-fry the sandwiches in olive oil until the cheese melts.

turkey-reuben