"Joe Sixpack" news and stories

To my regular readers, I apologize as it appears I inadvertently happened upon an almost two-week hiatus. The bad news: You missed me.

The good news: We have plenty to catch up on in this week's addition of the Beer Blog Round-Up!

Let's dive right in:

1. Sick of the same old beer events? Here's a new one for you: a "Simul-cask." Apparently, Dogfish Head has decided to debut their new 75 Minute IPA by simultaneously tapping casks of the brew in four different cities on the East coast at precisely 7:50 EST today. Find additional details as well as participating locations on Beernews.org.
2. Always worried about his weight, Joe Sixpack discusses the not so easy job of beer calorie-counting (though supposedly mandatory beer labeling is on its way). The post was inspired by the recent release of Does My Butt Look Big In This Beer? -- a guide to the nutritional information of over 2,000 beers worldwide.
3. Beer Examiner Charlie Papazian wants you to vote for "Beer City, USA." Go help him out and lend your hometown or favorite beer destination some support.

Read the next five after the jump. ...

Most people assume the drinking is the best part of being a beer blogger, but those people don't understand the excitement I feel scanning the blogs for news, opinions and drunken ramblings. Hmm... Actually, maybe most people are correct. But I still managed to find interesting stuff to share from this week.

1. Numerous beer blogs were chattering about two articles posted by The Zythophile discussing "A short history of yeast." Very informative. May a little too very.
   
2. Utah Beer complained that "Prohibition is Back!" in Utah as flavored malt beverages are being taken off shelves. He didn't provide a link, but a quick Google search revealed the facts behind the de facto ban via an article in the Salt Lake Tribune.
3. Brewvana attempted to come up with 10 reasons to go straight from the bottle. Honestly, I don't agree with half of them, but it's an intriguing discussion to be had none the less.
4. Brew Blog informed me that Coors Light overtook Budweiser as the 3rd most popular beer on supermarket shelves. Dare I say there is not much on Earth I'd rather drink less than a Coors Light.
5. Musings Over a Pint speculated whether brewery shirts might replace the concert tee. Hmm? They've definitely proven themselves as a good replacement for your 2005 Greek Week t-shirt.
6. Beer Examiner Charlie Papazian discussed judging beer competitions including some great links on getting your Beer Judge Certification and the 2008 Beer Style Guidelines (PDF file).
7. A link on Sybeeritic lead me to this article about MillerCoors donating equipment to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to start a new brewing course. Just what the students in Madison need, another way to get beer.
8. And to end on a personal note, Joe Sixpack reported that the new Yards Brewery is finally up-and-running. My hometown of Philadelphia is one of the best in America for craft brews and during my time there I probably put down more Yards' product than any other. There's still no target date for when the brew pub will be open on the premises, but I can't wait to drop down and check it out when it does.

The Philadelphia Daily News recently ran a column by beer reporter Don Russell, a.k.a. Joe Sixpack, about the growing number of restaurants that employ beer sommeliers. As the name suggests, these are folks that orchestrate a restaurant's beer selection, from consulting with the kitchen to helping diners pair beer and food. Russell has no problem with the existence of such a position, but he takes issue with the title, saying that the French term (and its connotations) has no business being paired with the word beer. His answer? Cellarman (or cellarwoman), an old British term for the person charged with the upkeep of a pub's beer supply and equipment. Personally, I'm just excited by the prospect of more restaurants having such a person. I don't much care what they're called. Still, Russell's piece is fun and definitely worth a read.

[Via Fark]