Good beer comes in many shapes and sizes.  In the past few years, some sensational suds have made their way into the once maligned aluminum cylinder.  Not just for Bud or Coors Light anymore, craft brews have increasingly been coming to the can.  Offering maximum protection from sunlight, it’s actually the best way to preserve precious perishables.  And now, with the advancement of internal coating technologies, canned beer is as tasty as ever.  Here’s a list of the tastiest ten on the market today: 10.) Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale Bitter yet surprisingly crisp with a bold and refreshing finish, Dale’s Pale is a medium-bodied ale well-suited for the summertime.  Pop a couple in a cooler and enjoy a day out by the lake or on the beach. 9.) 21st Amendment Brew Free! or Die IPA One of San Francisco’s most popular brewpubs makes this slightly sweet India Pale Ale [...]

Take a look at the bottle of wine/beer/spirits in your hand. How did it get there? Well, after it was produced, the producer sold it to a distributor at less than 50% of its retail price, who then sold it to a store at a large profit, who then sold it to you at a markup 18-25% higher than its intended retail price. There may have been a broker in there as well. Why so many middle men, and why so complicated? Prohibition and the three-tier system. Prior to prohibition, the alcohol industry was very loosely regulated, and dominated by a few very large producers. Anti-competition practices abounded: if a brewery or distillery didn’t have its own bar, it ‘invested’ in bars by giving loans or furniture and, in exchange, demanded that no other brands be sold on the premises. These big, bad breweries also required increasing sales, so the [...]

“It may seem a little quaint in light of all that has come since,” says Dave McLean, owner of the San Francisco brewpub Magnolia, home to Old Thunderpussy, an 11% alcohol barley wine. He continues, “But our observation back in 2001 or 2002 was that these big beers were generally special occasion beers, commemorating events, marking time, celebrating holidays, or maybe just intended as wintertime sipping beers to take the chill off in cold-weather brewing nations.” He’s talking about February’s Strong Beer Month, Magnolia and nearby 21st Amendment Brewing’s celebration of big, bold, boozy beers that typically hover around the 10% mark when the law, in some states, mandates beer be brewed to a mere 4% ABV. To most religious zealots and even many craft beer connoisseurs, the strength of certain beers has gotten out of hand in an arms race to see who can reach the highest number. Scotland-based [...]

Check out some of our Drink Me crew and other pics from the event: