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Some breweries have some pretty damn cool bottle caps and it’s always a shame to just toss them in the garbage after every beer. So I’ve decided to turn a few of my favorite caps (or favorite breweries) into a little art project so I can continue to show them off, well after the beer is gone: Bottle Cap Magnets.

I can’t claim this project as my own (I saw it on a friend’s fridge a few days ago), but it’s still a fun project to do with a little weekend spare time and some left-over bottle caps.

What You’ll Need:

• Bottle caps (one for each magnet you plan to make)
• Magnets (I found some little round magnets at AC Moore that were $1.59 for dozen or so magnets)
• Thick scrap paper (I just used the back of the package the magnets came in)
• Krazy glue

How To Make Your Magnets:

1. Drink a beer & keep the cap (try not to bend it; if you do, straighten it out as much as you can)
2. Unfortunately the magnets I got weren’t quite deep enough to attach to the back of the cap directly and still reach the fridge, so I ripped up a little piece of the thick scrap paper, glue it together and glued it to the back of the cap.
3. Glue one of the magnets to the scrap paper inside the cap.
4. Stick on the fridge.
5. Repeat until you have all the magnets you want.

So yeah, quite a simple and inexpensive little project. But the result is much more fun than a boring old “Montana” or “Domino’s” fridge magnet, and its a great way to continue to show off some of those really special beers you’ve been drinking. Happy crafting!

Beer folks are all over Twitter these days — @beersage is working on An Intro to Craft Beer on Twitter and @chipperdave mused a few weeks ago that Twitter is in fact the “New Beer Pub”. Hell, even I’m an active Tweeter. So when I saw a brief write-up of a new service called Just Tweet It on Mashable.com this morning, I went and checked it out right away.

Just Tweet It is calling themselves “THE Directory for Twitter Users” and allows people to search their directory for like-minded Twitter users. I discovered they do in fact have a “Beer/Wine Lovers” category but unfortunately there aren’t a whole lot of Tweople listed there yet. If you’re reading this, you’re probably into beer. If you’re on Twitter already, add yourself to the “Beer/Wine Lovers” category on Just Tweet It so we can all find one another. If you’re not on Twitter yet, what’re you waiting for?!

Happy New Year, everyone. I hope you all had a safe but delicious, beer-filled New Year’s Eve. I just wanted to take a second and thank the thousands of you who visited blogaboutbeer.com during 2008; thank you for coming, for reading and for your on-going support.

General readership and especially RSS subscribers continued to climb at an impressive clip all year and I can only hope 2009 will be as successful on the site as this past year was. Thank you!

Here’s to you and yours for a very prosperous and healthful ‘09. la’chaim!

In addition to my own resolutions, at the end of 2007 I also made some predictions for the beer industry as a whole in 2008. And I fared much better with those than I did with my own resolutions. My three predictions were:

1. The price of beer will go up
2. There will be more breweries “going green”
3. The giant breweries will mimic the little guys

While to some all three predictions may have been a bit obvious, all three came to fruition. (1) In part because of the on-going “hop crisis”, in part because of the price of fuel for most of ‘08, and in part because of the economic slump that plagued the last few months of the year, The price of beer has definitely spiked. While there are still plenty of great beers available at affordable prices, there are definitely a few beers out there which I would otherwise love to try that I just can’t afford the way things are right now. I had worried that there might be a bit of an exodus from Craft Beer for cheaper imbibes but, true to form, Craft Beer’s popularity sky rocketed this year, as it has every year in recent memory.

(2) I didn’t read about as many breweries making sustainability strides this year as I had in ‘07 (or as I expected to) but there were certainly still some, and some pretty big moves. Most notably, the news that came in October that Smuttynose Brewing is moving to a new location in Hampton, NH — a location which, according to brewery owner Peter Egelston will,

meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification qualification. Some “green” technology that Egelston is considering includes the use of rainwater in plumbing and a co-generation power source, which is the use of a heat engine or a power station to simultaneously generate both electricity and heat.

(3) Three Words: Budweiser American Ale. A beer which the commercials describe as “A top-fermented ale” (no shit, ya don’t say…) with a “strong malt character” and “dry-hopped with cascade hops for a noticably citrus aroma”; the website even says very boldly that Budwiser American Ale “has a microbrew taste”. And, of course, true to Budweiser form, they’ve spent millions of dollars on ad campaigns trying to convince the American public that the beer is just like all those weird little craft beers which have been slowly stealing A-B’s marketshare for years.

Beer predictions for 2009

So what will 2009 have in store for the world of beer? I think certainly more of the same: It’s hard to ignore the national trend toward sustainability and “going green” in every industry; I think the brewing industry will continue to follow suit.

1. I think we’ve seen the peak in beer prices and they will begin to fall sometime in 2009. The  hop crisis seems to at least be under control, if not fading into non-existance; fuel prices are WAY down; and the economic crisis itself can’t last forever… can it?
2. Beer & Food Pairing will continue to grow. In fact, Oregon-based Flavor & The Menu magazine listed Beer and Food pairing as their Top Culinary trend for 2009. Saying,
   

   “Now that beer is the new wine, thanks to a flood of new craft beer products and imports, chefs are creating menus that match beer lists in their complexity and casual-yet-sophisticated approach to pub food. Beyond the usual pretzels and peanuts, these post-modern pub menus present hearty food that’s designed to pair with beer.”

3. More breweries will brew “bigger” beers. It’s started already, with Shipyard Brewing releasing the first two beers of the Pugsley Signature Series — an imperial porter and a barleywine — in November of ‘08. And beginning in February 2009, Sam Adams will also begin a new imperial series, released in limited edition 4-packs. The series reportedly will include an Imperial White Ale (whatever that is), an Imperial Stout and a Double Bock. My guess is that’s just the beginning…

Where do YOU see beer going in the new year?

Exactly one year ago I made some Beer-in-the-New-Year resolutions for 2008 (part 1 & part 2). So, how did I do? Let’s just say that I should be ashamed…

Part One was a list of five beers I was hoping to try in 2008. Here’s how I did:

1. St. Bernardus Abt 12 - fail
2. Stone Brewing Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale - success
3. Samuel Adams Utopias - fail (but it was a far-fetched plan anyway)
4. Stone Brewing Double Bastard Ale - fail
5. Alaskan Brewing Co.’s Alaskan Smoked Porter - success (well, it’s on the menu for New Year’s Eve, so as long as I get to it before midnight, this one will be a success)

Two out of five isn’t terrible, especially since Alaskan Brewing’s beers aren’t available in Maine and Stone’s beers weren’t available here either until very recently. I’m 100% sure that I will get to both the Abt 12 and the Double Bastard ale in 2009!

Part Two of my New Year’s Resolution dealt with homebrewing. In fact, I claimed this year would be “the year of the homebrew” for me, and said the following:

Although they were three very fun brews, three simply isn’t enough. I would like to get on a regular brew schedule, as well as expending my horizons (certainly with two-stage fermentation, as well as expending into some new styles I haven’t made yet); I know my dad and I will be starting the year off with the Witbier kit from Northern Brewer and we’ll see where we go from there. Maybe ‘08 will end with some sort of bang, like a kegerator or something; check back in a year.

So, how’d I do? Well, that Witbier kit was, in fact, the only beer I brewed this year. I know, that’s just downright deplorable! But I’m about to purchase the Bourban Barrel Porter extract kit from NorthernBrewer.com and have plans to brew a few other batches with friends during the month of January, so I’m hopeful that 2009 will turn out much better than ‘08 did, and I’ll only have to push my resolution back a year.

Here’s to a more successful ‘09!

Monique Haakensen, a 26-year-old PhD candidate from the University of Saskatchewan may just be the beer industry’s next savior. As you may or may not know, The University of Saskatchewan is home to one of only two labs in the world that studies beer spoilage — enter Haakensen. According to Montreal’s The West Island Chronicle,

Haakensen has helped discover three new methods of detecting beer-spoiling bacteria, including a DNA-based technique, that has big breweries around the globe hoisting pints in celebration.

Haakensen explains that her findings will allow breweries to figure out in a matter of one to two days if a batch of beer will spoil, allowing breweries to get more beer onto the market faster and to save on their lab costs.

Through her research, Monique has discovered two new genes involved in beer spoilage and three new groups of bacteria that can ruin beer. But how did she come across the naughty bacteria? Why, her brothers’ failed homebrew of course. Says The Chronicle,

The new types of bacteria were found with the unwitting help of her younger brothers a couple years ago while they were also attending the University of Saskatchewan. Too cheap to buy their own beer, the boys made some home brew and offered her a glass.

The beer, smelling like cheese with sludge on the bottom, was too disgusting to drink, Haakensen says.

“So I stole a bunch of bottles of their beer and brought it back here.”

Unfortunately for Haakensen, she’s afraid her career in beer with soon conclude along with her PhD studies. But there’s no doubt that breweries and Fresh Beer Fans the world over should be thanking her for her findings. To read more about Haakensen and her efforts to prevent spoiled beer, click here to read the original Chronicle article.

I sure do love “Top 10″ lists - especially top 10 lists that pertain to beer. So when I found two of them today, I was pretty thrilled. The first, from Denver’s Westword.com, is a list of “10 Holiday Beers to Help you Forget 2008” (don’t we all need that!) compiled by Jonathan Shikes. The ten beers on the list are:

1. Alaskan Winter Ale
2. Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
3. Odell Isolation Ale
4. Fort Collins Big Shot Seasonal Ale
5. Alaskan Smoked Porter (side note: I’ll be having my first bottle of Alaskan Smoked Porter this New Year’s Eve and I am VERY excited about it!)
6. Left Hand Brewing’s Snowbound Ale
7. Port Brewing Santa’s Little Helper
8. Bristol Brewing’s Winter Warlock
9. Stone Double Bastard
10. Anchor Christmas Ale

Along with the Westword.com article are links to Shikes’ personal reviews of each beer; check them out,  they’re pretty fun.

The second Top 10 list was actually from npr.org and was complied by Don Russell — better known as “Joe Sixpack” — so I knew ahead of time it had to be good. Russell’s list includes:

1. Smuttynose Winter Ale (New Hampshire)
2. Stille Nacht (Belgium)
3. Troegs Mad Elf (Pennsylvania)
4. Mahr’s Christmas Bock (Germany)
5. Anchor Our Special Ale (California)
6. Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome (England)
7. Anderson Valley Winter Solstice (California)
8. Baladin Noel (Italy)
9. Samichlaus (Austria)
10. Gouden Carolus Noel (Belgium)

The accompanying NPR article had some fun little background information on Christmas Ales/Winter Warmers — such as, “For millennia, [Russell] says, farmers around the globe marked the winter solstice by brewing particularly potent beer, heavy with fruit and grain” — and Russell himself as well, and is definitely worth the read.

Of the twenty beers listed above, which are your favorite (or least favorite) beers for the holidays?

Let me start by wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas and a very happy holidays! I’ll do some more “looking back on the year that was” posts next week before New Year’s but for now just the well-wishing.

I hope that this holiday you find yourself out of harm’s way, able to put the stresses of daily life behind you — even just for the afternoon — and with the ones you love. Remember it’s greater to give (or share) than to receive and be thankful for all that you’ve got.

Celebrate these next few days with some special beer — pull something out of the cellar or spend a few extra dollars on that bottle you’ve been eyeing and pop the cork or cap with your family and friends. Beer is a social drink, brewed by loving hands (when done correctly, that is), meant for celebration and merry-making. So this holiday season, put aside the bullshit and the stress and the pain and the sorrow and pick up a glass of a nice, dark Winter Warmer (one for you and one for your neighbor) and celebrate life and celebrate light.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Solstice, everyone. And thanks for stopping by.

Salud, Prost, la’chaim and cheers!

The following post is a guest post written by Michael Mulligan. Please note that the opinions in the article are those of Michael’s and not necessarily mine (I don’t feel nearly as strongly about Pumpkin Head, for instance). But I always appreciate guest posts and, if the submitted post is half-way decent, I’m happy to post it. Thanks for the article, Mike!

Hello fellow BAB readers! I just got wind of the deal of the year, and, before I have even left the house to take advantage, I just had to site down and tell the lot of you about it. I just hope you don’t beat me to the store after I submit this!!

HA!

I’ve been a big fan of beer for what seems like decades now (approaching it anyway), just started brewing a little over a year ago, pride myself on never turning down a beer I haven’t tried, and like to think I have a pretty darn good pallet.

However, that said, it may just be personal preference when I say that Shipyard Pumpkinhead may very well be among the best beers in the world. Again, may be personal preference, maybe I just haven’t gotten around quite enough yet, but that’s the way I see it.

So when my fellow brew-bud called me up and uttered the words “24 bottles,” “Shipyard Pumpkinhead,” and “$11.99″ all in the same sentence.

WOW.

Go for it chaps! Bootleggers in Thopsham and Lisbon, Maine, is selling 24 bottle cases of Shipyard Pumpkinhead for only $11.99!! Comes to $13.79 with tax and deposit.

My friend Rachel bought FIVE cases, and said only 2 or 3 bottles tasted light-struck or otherwise tainted (that’s the risk you take with end-of-season specials).

Go Forth, Be Merry! And when you are over there, ask for Tony, and tell him Mike sent you.

Oh, and don’t forget to try one of my other favorite beers (my favorite of this season), Harpoon’s Winter Warmer. You won’t regret it!

This post was written by Michael Mulligan. Mike runs CoverThisPhotography. If you would like to write a guest post for BlogAboutBeer.com, then click here. Cheers.

The Saint Petersburg Times/Tampabay.com has a list today of six gifts for “the beer nut” on your list this holiday season. The list is made up of:

1. Saranac 12 Beers of Winter
2. Sam Smith’s Winter Welcome Ale
3. Corsendonk Christmas Ale
4. Wychwood Bah Humbug Christmas Ale
5. Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve
6. The Sam Adams Winter Classics Sampler

Interesting choices but clearly lacking the Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, Anchor Christmas Ale and the Sam Adams Chocolate Bock - among plenty of others. What else is missing from The Times’ list? What beer-related gifts did you get your loved ones this year?