Kegerator Etiquette

Hypothetical Situation...Let's just say that your good buddy/next door neighbor was blessed enough to receive the holy grail of Christmas presents, a kegerator....let's just say! Your buddy is so proud of his new toy/bestest friend in the whole world and he shows it off. Good for him, you would do the same!

However, he starts to realize that everyone is going to be drinking from it and he is going to be footing the bill. He contemplates a cover charge but, realistically, that only works downtown at the topless clubs. So, being the upstanding citizen and purveyor of fine beers that you are known to be, you offer to go half and half with him for his first keg, which coincidentally, is the fountain of happiness for a rather enjoyable party centered around the Super Bowl! Good Times were had by all!

Now it is two weeks after the Super Bowl and the keg that you helped purchase is sitting in a lonely garage, not to be drank except when the partial owner feels it necessary to drink! What do you do? He does drink with you when he feels it necessary to drink, and you are grateful for the good company and good beer! But what about those nights that he slips off to bed early after too many margaritas, and you have no choice but to dip into your own stash because he closes the garage door and your are still very thirsty?

-->Thirsty in Auburn

What is an IBU?

I recently had a friend ask me what an IBU was? It stands for International Bitterness Unit. In short, it is a rating for the bitterness associated with a beer. Me being a hophead, I enjoy a higher IBU in my beer. I can't think of anything better than a Double IPA which has an even higher IBU rating on the IBU scale.

And every beer that you will drink will have a rating on the IBU scale. For instance, your lambic beers and blonde ales have a very low rating on the scale, where an irish stout has a more significant IBU rating than other beers.

It is my opinion that this has a lot to do with what beers most people will drink. If someone does not like a bitter beer, they are not going to like the IPA's or stouts, but will drink your golden ales or lagers.

Yuengling is coming to Georgia

Recently, I was talking to my store of liqour owner, asking his opinion on some beers. We were on the topic of lagers, and he mentioned Yuengling. It was like a flash of bright light lit up in my head and then it all came back to me.

While stationed at MCAS Beaufort, SC, my pals and I would frequent the downtown strip and order up a couple of Yuenglings. We would watch the boats breeze by on the Broad River and it would be nothing but smooth sailing from there on out.

So back to the conversation between my liqour store pal and me, it dawned on me that I hadn't had a Yuengling in about 3 years. So I immediately told him to show me the way. He informed me that if I want one now, I was going to have to drive to the Carolinas to get one. But do not worry, Yuengling is coming to Georgia in a couple of months!! YUENGLING IS COMING TO GEORGIA!!!!

So guess what, as soon as they are available here in Georgia, I am running out to the store and buying this incredible beer. Has anyone had one in a while? Let me know what you think!

Red Stripe

I’m gonna fight ‘em off, a 7 nation army couldn’t hold me back! Oh wait, that's White Stripe. I just finished a pint (+) of the Jamaican Lager, Red Stripe, and I got to tell you, I am fairly impressed. Most people think of Bob Marley and his pastime, not beer (think about it), when they think of Jamaica, but this beer could possibly change that image. Red Stripe was first brewed by a soft drink manufacturer, Desnoes & Geddes, Ltd., in 1928. I guess they got tired of the caffeine headaches cola causes and figured if their beverage was going to cause a headache, it will be associated with a hangover!

Okay, let’s begin with the aroma. To me, this beer has a pretty noticeable malt smell to it. And it is coupled with a faint spicy aroma as well. Malt is not my favorite smell, but Red Stripe had a decent aroma. It kind of reminds me of the smell of a spicy beer brat, which is quite delectable!

The color of the beer was a pale gold. Nothing too spectacular about it, it looked just your average lager appearance.

However, the taste of Red Stripe is what got to me. I prefer the hoppier beers, but this beer had a pleasing dry and bitter taste to it. Coupled with the malty taste of it, it made for one fine tasting beer. I think that Bob Marley would have put down the blunt just long enough to enjoy a crisp, cold Red Stripe. Also, note the high carbonation, sort of stung the tongue on the way down!

Would I recommend this beer, absolutely! I thought it was a bit pricy, but still worth it. It goes great with a slightly crispy Frank’s Foot Long and some potato chips. This beer would be perfect for a picnic on a hot August day. Because let's face it, nothing makes a hot day better than a crisp, cold lager!

Beer-O-Meter: 12 pack

Bud Light

We have all had Bud Light because we have all been to the proverbial keg party at your college roommate’s best friend from high school’s girlfriend’s brother’s house. Not the one in the military but the one that dropped out of college and works at the record shop in downtown nowhere and rooms with his hip friends who work at a different record shop in the next town over. We have all done at least one keg stand to this beer since you truly aren’t a man unless you have done one(first and last time I was talked into that). Bud Light was actually introduced in 1982 as Budweiser light. I really had no idea because I was 3 at the time and although my dad let me take a couple swigs off his bottle when my mom wasn’t looking, I had no idea what the heck I was drinking, nor did I care. All that mattered was that I thought my dad thought I was cool!

Anyway, let’s start off with the aroma, or lack-of-a-roma as some may say. I would say that it has a slight malty aroma. But nothing really stands out with the smell, it smells like a traditional light domestic lager to me. However, I will say this, that slight malty aroma does intensify after it has been sitting in your girlfriends stomach for a couple of hours and decides to make its way back up. All you can really do is hold her hair and breathe and talk like you have a really stuffed up nose (“Cub on ‘honey, one more anth leth’s get you home!” and she replies, “RRRRRRALPH!). But that’s enough of that.

The color is your traditional pale yellow. However, one thing I really enjoy about Bud Light is the head after pouring. A chimp could essentially pour you a BL because the head does not really linger that long. It will go away pretty fast and that just makes for a smoother chug..chug..chug!

And now we talk about the taste. It tastes somewhat malty to me and a little dry, which isn’t really a bad thing at all. Some of the best beers I have ever had were as dry as a well in the Mojave Desert during a sand storm. What I do enjoy is the high carbonation of BL. It sort of bites your tongue as it flows down the gullet. However, it does seem a little watery but that is probably why it is the keg of choice since most anyone will be able to drink it.

Would I recommend this beer? Sure, if you do not have a taste for the finer beers in life and are looking for a quick buzz while playing anchorman with your beer drinking buds (no pun intended). It goes really well with buffalo style chicken wings because after eating a 3 alarm at Jeffrey's Sports Bar and Grill, you are going to need lots to drink, fast, and BL will allow you to guzzle ‘till your tongue's content! Very easy to get drunk with this beer, probably because of the watered down texture, so take it slow!

Beer-O-Meter: 40 oz – Sixer, somewhere in between there.