"Speakin suds" news and stories

A weekly look at the draft selection in beer-friendly bars across the country.

Achieving the premier beer selection in Anchorage, Alaska, is probably harder than it sounds, and is a huge selling point of Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse. "[The bar] was created for beer lovers by beer lovers," chuckles manager Sandoz Maurer, as she recites the mantra that can be found on the pub's Web site. A quick look over the draft selection, however, proves this is no laughing matter: 50 types of brews are displayed including an astounding 18 locals!

Humpy's, a live music venue with a slew of Alaskan artists, is well regarded as a locals' hang but is also a visitor destination, particularly during warmer weather. "Summertime is definitely tourist season," Maurer says.

Tourists and locals alike can check the Web for a draft list updated daily (though it's difficult to find, look under "Daily Specials.") Find the most recent selections after the jump.

Though these suds may reign supreme in Anchorage, how would this bar stack up in your fair city? (No Palin jokes, please!)

We look at what has the beer blogs bubbling these days.

1. Tonight's screening of "Beer Wars" -- a "no holds barred exploration of the U.S. beer industry" -- is generating a lot of chatter, some positive and some not so much.
2. A "documentary" from St. Louis's Schlafly Brewery is much less controversial. The takeaway? Beer is good.
   
3. Kasper On Tap mulls over the best state for suds-o-philes to live based on the brewery-to-population ratio. Mississippi, you're in trouble, with only one brewery for your nearly 3 million residents.
4. Brookston Beer Bulletin discusses Life after Anheuser-Busch, a report on what high-profile former A-B employees are doing since the company was bought out by InBev.
   
5. Rolling Rock is up for sale. Want to buy it?
6. Beernews.org has updated their Craft Beer Releases Calendar, an excellent way to see what seasonals and new releases are soon to hit shelves.
7. Lyke 2 Drink asks "Are Beer Festivals Recession Proof?" (His answer: Yes, for now.)
8. Finally, according to DRAFT Magazine, a beer at the Masters only cost $2! By modern sporting event standards, that is amazing. We wouldn't believe it unless we saw it with our own eyes: Was anyone there?
   

This spring the Redhook Ale Brewery is rolling out Slim Chance Light Ale, billed as "the only craft light ale available nationally." Understand all those qualifiers?

Give Redhook credit for seeing a niche: The beer market probably has room for a light ale (most light brews are lagers). Oddly enough Slim Chance, which is "brewed in the blonde-style," is extremely lager-like: golden and crisp with only fleeting glimpses of the sweet or fruity characteristics one would expect from a brew flaunting its ale-itude. Undertones of fruits such as apple give way to butter, breadiness and a finish reminiscent of a number of macro-brewery light lagers.

With a name like Slim Chance, Redhook clearly isn't targeting the savviest of suds sippers and instead is skewing -- or, given the design, "surfing" -- straight towards the middle of the market. Though nothing is wrong with this beer it's not a standout, making it feel more like a ploy than an earnest attempt at crafting a better light beer. Plus at 125 calories Slim Chance is at the upper end of the low-calorie spectrum, so diehard dieters will probably head elsewhere.

Light craft beers are tough to tackle. Redhook's latest offering is no exception. But what's most disappointing is the brewery's inability to deliver anything interesting. Mostly, Slim Chance tastes like missed opportunity.

It's baseball season, and we're a little obsessed 'round these parts. The MLB kicked the season off on Sunday when the Braves beat the Phillies, but for us Slashfoodies baseball is as much about beers and brats as it is about worrying how our teams will fare.

With that in mind, this week's Slashfood Ate (8) is dedicated to recent brew-related stadium stories.

1. Philadelphia Daily News' Joe Sixpack hints at some of the new draft beers at the Phillies stadium.
   
2. D.C. Sports Bog brags about the beers at Nats Park this year. And rightfully so. Do any other ballparks offer up Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA?
   
3. Not too far up the road in Bal'more, Kasper on Tap reflects on what Camden Yards is serving.
4. CNBC breaks the story on which stadiums boast cheapest beer prices in the league (the Pirates) and which are the most pricey (thanks a lot, Red Sox Nation).
5. Raucous Yankees fans can once again purchase beer in the bleachers. ...
6. ... But in a sign that the new Yanks stadium is still out of touch with the times, 24-ounce cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon will retail for an absurd $9.
7. The New York Mets turn up their noses at such piracy, lowering beer prices at their new stadium, Citi Field.
8. Sports fans, keep your boozin' in line or all of the above will be a moot point: Alcohol sales were banned for game two of the Tigers-Blue Jays series after drunken revelers ruined a rowdy opener.
   

Seen any interesting new suds offerings as your local ballpark? Can you even afford MLB beer prices in this economy?

A weekly look at the draft selection at beer-friendly bars across the country.

The city of Milwaukee has long been known as Beer Town USA. Considered "the beer capital of the world" at the turn of the 20th century, it was home to four of the world's largest breweries (Blatz, Miller, Pabst and Schlitz).

Nowadays less than 1 percent of Milwaukee's workforce is employed by the brewing industry, but as long as Miller stays in business, Old Milwaukee remains on store shelves and the city keeps calling their baseball team the Brewers, it will continue to earn its moniker. Like many cities, the area is seeing a boom in craft-beer culture. Smaller brewers like Lakefront and Sprecher have national followings and the city is home to a number of brewpubs.

One of Milwaukee's most highly regarded watering holes is Romans' Pub, which DRAFT and Imbibe Magazines have called among the best beer bars in the nation. Indeed, 30 selections grace today's tap list. Sounds like Wisconsinites like to stay relatively local when they booze, though: Owner Mike Romans informed us that Goose Island IPA from nearby Chicago is their most popular brew. Locals craving a beer can simply check the list: "As soon as one gets changed out, it goes up on our site."

A sampling of suds on tap is after the jump. Got a favorite microbrew? Let us know in the comments.