Firefox 3 Guinness World Record

All you have to do is get Firefox 3 during Download Day to help set the record for most software downloads in 24 hours - it’s that easy. We're not asking you to swallow a sword or to balance 30 spoons on your face, although that would be kind of awesome.

By the way, the official date for the launch of Firefox 3 will be posted here soon - so check back! Join our community and this effort by pledging today.

Be part of the record

See Digg.com comments

Captain Cooker NOW ON TAP @......

Captain Cooker from the Mussel Inn has made its way out to a number of outlets around the country.

The Malthouse - ON TAP NOW

Hallertau - ON TAP NOW (well it should be. Steve said it would be on Tuesday)

Galbraiths Alehouse - have a keg, still waiting for release date.

If you know of anywhere else it is on outside of The Mussel Inn please post in comments

Beer Haiku Friday - Tuimato Sauce

In a first for Beer Haiku Friday, today's poem was not written by the immortal Captain Hops. Rupert Morrish wrote "Tuimato Sauce":

Just like a barbie
Where someone already spilled
Beer in the ketchup

Glass Tip - Beer Haiku Daily

Speight’s Summit Lager. Don’t mess with nature

Speight’s is proud to introduce Speight’s Summit Lager, an exciting new addition to the iconic Speight’s brand.

SPEIGHT’S SUMMIT LAGER
One of NZ’s purest beers
Brewed with only natural ingredients and no artificial additives or preservatives
Smooth flavoured golden lager
Embodies the spirit of the modern Southern Man

Brewed with only natural ingredients, Speight’s Summit Lager is a smooth flavoured lager made from malted barley, hops, yeast, water and cane sugar. It is completely free of artificial additives and preservatives. With the addition of the Pacific Hallertau hop variety added late in the brew, Speight’s Summit Lager delivers a smooth, crisp and refreshing taste.

Full Press Release

Beerly Writing: Salient Points

From Victoria University's student newspaper Salient, my beer column on Tui:

My historical research suggests a somewhat different course of events. The surge in Tui’s popularity was caused by clever marketing and aggressive sponsorship. It actually occurred despite the popularity of the drop at Palmerston North Polytech (known locally as Massey University). Young readers will need to know that this all happened back when Massey did not have more branches than Wishbone.

To redemn myself, the next column was on Mac's Brewjolais:

In the 2006 vintage, the bitterness was more than noticeable –— it left your palate feeling like it had just poked Jerry Collins with a stick. I loved it. In 2007, the beer was more balanced but bordered on generic. This time, Mac’s have created a beer which tastes unique — it is one of the few beers which genuinely stands out from the crowd. It has recaptured the spirit of Brewjolais.

Finally, a warning about the increasing price of beer:

There is a clear and present danger that, in very near future, beer prices are going to rise higher than the waistline of Stephen Fleming’s pants on that terrible advert for heat pumps.

Sample Glasses left at Hallertau by Jay Brooks

A quick video of the sample glasses we used at Hallertau when Jay Brooks came to visit.



A Blog by Jay Brooks

NEW ALCOHOL EXCISE DUTY RATES

THE New Zealand Government has announced its annual adjustment to the excise and excise-equivalent duty on alcohol products, with the new rates coming into effect at the end of next month.

The new excise duty rates are payable on all alcohol products imported or removed from customs controlled areas after midnight on 30 June.

The new rates are:

Current rate (GST excl) New rate from 1 July 2008 (GST excl)
35.898 cents per litre 37.142 cents per litre
$23.936 per litre of alcohol $24.765 per litre of alcohol
$1.9148 per litre $1.9811 per litre
$2.3936 per litre $2.4765 per litre
$43.594 per litre of alcohol $45.105 per litre of alcohol

Section 79A of the Customs and Excise Act enables excise and excise-equivalent duty on alcohol products to be annually adjusted. The annual adjustment is based on movements in the Consumers Price Index All Groups excluding credit services for the 12 months to 31 March.

Full Story

Chimay on tap at the Malthouse

Colin - you are a bad bad man!!!!

Beer on the edge

When the smart international lifestyle magazine BellaOnline discovered Mata beer, they apparently also discovered New Zealand. Mata’s Manuka was described by Bella’s Beer and Brewing editor as a topaz wonder but the serious adjectives were saved for its country of origin.

Full Story

Seeing New Zealand the Right Way

I recently met a very cool American guy called Kurt who was touring New Zealand in search of adventures and good beers. He has been keeping a bit of a journals of his travels:

headed north and made my way to Queenstown, on a lake in the southern alps (Misty Mountains). pretty awesome. parked the Falcon at a camping park in town just at the base of a mountain. took the gondola up to the peak and had a few beers just soaking in the Misty Mountains. went out to Dux Delux for some Black Shag Stout, then a pizza at Missi's, then some beers at the Minibar, which has a huge selection. quiet sunday night. tonight I go to a Haka demonstration and then dinner at the peak. cool little town Queenstown is. headquarters for adrenaline activities (bungy, rafting, jetboating, skiing, lumberjacking, shoving sheep off of cliffs (with a kilt, naturally))...no snow except for the peaks, just prior to the season, but it is still very cold!

Click here to read his account of his adventures and beers down south in all its unedited glory.

The Best Beer Names Ever

A fantastic little article in the St Petersburg Times by Joey Redner called "the 10 best beer names ever." Samples include:

McQuire's I'll Have What The Gentleman On The Floor Is Having Barley Wine The name is a subtle hint that at 12 percent alcohol by volume, this beer is meant to be sipped. If you can drink it faster than you can say it, slow down!

Wasatch Polygamy Porter The slogan explains perfectly why this is the coolest beer name ever: "Why have just one?" I have big love for this beer's name.

On a New Zealand list I'd be thinking of beers like Lighthouse Fugnose, Mussel Inn's Bitter Ass, Epic Mayhem...

DB starts a beer blog

DB joins the internets with a monthly(?) blog. Is it a blog if you only post 12 times a year?

Beer Professor blog

So log in over the next few months as I blog about beer, post your comments, throw in your own ideas and read all about . . .

* Beer School 101 – a beer professor’s guide to the basics of beer
* Tapping into beer – how to pour the perfect pint and become a self-professed ‘beerista’
* Raising the bar – the essence of a great bar and how beer can become the star attraction
* Coming to your senses – how to really appreciate beer and tantalize your taste buds
* Inviting beer to dinner – tips for matching beer to food
* Tui-girl – fact or fiction? Who really wears the pants when it comes to brewing beer
* Handle with Care – tips for delivering the best of beer experiences for every drinker
* Mythbusters – the truth about beer bellies, health and our amber liquid

And plenty of other topics that pop up along the way.

Full Link

DB Breweries incorporates two new joint venture companies

WTF - Sale Street Brewery, Auckland?????????????????

DB Breweries, a wholly owned subsidiary of Asia Pacific Breweries, has incorporated two new joint venture companies - Barworks Group and Sale Street Brewery.

Barworks is a partnership between DB and JAG Hospitality, a New Zealand bar operator. DB will inject approximately NZ$2.5million for its 60% stake in Barworks while JAG will invest approximately NZ$1.7 million for its 40% share in the company.

For its 60% stake in Sale Street Brewery, DB is investing NZ$528,000 while its partner, Curdall Investments, will pump in NZ$352,000 for a 40% shareholding in the bar and microbrewery on-premise outlet in Auckland.

Les Buckley, regional director of Asia Pacific Breweries, said: "DB's investment in Barworks and Sale Street Brewery underlines its commitment to generate more value from its business by diversifying its revenue streams in the mature beer market of New Zealand."

Full Story

Beer: The Foam is Sexy

It's beer that made Milwaukee famous -- and in this hour, live from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Ira and guests raise a glass to the science of brewing beer. How do yeast, water, hops and grain combine to form a lager, pilsner, or ale?

The steps in the brewing process seem simple: malting (allowing the barley to partially germinate followed by a roasting process), mashing (heating the grain in water, to convert some of the starches into sugars), and fermentation (converting the sugars into alcohol). But the actual process is quite complicated, requiring tightly-controlled conditions supervised by a master brewer. You need the right temperatures, the right times, and the right ingredients to get that brew to turn out right.

Full Story with VIDEO

[PHOTOS] Hallertau Brew Day - 21 May 2008

I made a visit to see Steve Plowman yesterday, to see his brewery in action. Here are a few photos from the brew day.

Photos

Lion Nathan NZ profit rises 4pc

Brewer Lion Nathan posted a 4 per cent rise in half-year New Zealand operating earnings boosted by strong sales and the launch of Steinlager Pure.

Lion said New Zealand beer volume grew 3.1 percent against a forecast for market growth of 1.5 percent. This was driven by 7.2 percent growth in premium brand beers Steinlager Pure, Corona and Mac's.

Full Story

Lion Nathan raises drinks prices

Brewer Lion Nathan has bad news for drinkers with the price if its wine, beer and spirits set to rise by up to 5.5 per cent from July.

A 5.5 per cent increase in beer prices equates to a rise of nearly 40c on a $7 pint.

...sales for the premium beers were growing faster than the cheaper varieties.

Full Story

Mac's Brewery to close

The birthplace of craft beer brewing in New Zealand, Mac's Brewery in Stoke, is closing at the end of this month.

Production will be transferred to parent company Lion Nathan's plants in Christchurch and Wellington.

Full Story - Nelson Mail

Full Story - NZ Herald

Beer Haiku Friday - Telling it like it is

Captain Hops wrote this poem regarding his epic struggle to get to Comcast to install something technological. New Zealander's may never get to judge whether Comcast Sucks, but I think we all know this feeling:

Waiting with my beer
For Godot, the cable guy
Then he can’t fix it

Glass Tip - Beer Haiku Daily goodness

Craft Brewers Reformulate Beer to Cope With Hop Shortage

At Pacific Coast Brewing here, brewer Donald Gortemiller is reworking his recipes and altering his brewing styles like never before.

Gortemiller isn't acting on a spurt of creativity. He's coping with a worldwide shortage of hops -- the spice of beer. The dry cones of a particular flowering vine, hops are what give your favorite brew its flavor and aroma. Prices of the commodity are skyrocketing as hop supplies have plummeted, forcing smaller brewmasters around the United States to begin quietly tweaking their recipes, in ways that are easily discerned by serious imbibers.

The shortage -- caused by a dwindling number of hop growers worldwide, and exacerbated by a Yakima, Washington, warehouse fire -- has forced Gortemiller to use fewer and different hops than before, changing the flavor of his beer. He's also resorted to beer hacks, like "dry hopping," in which the hops are added late to the mix, consuming fewer hops and yielding a more consistent flavor.

"When hops were $2 a pound, compared to $20 or $30 a pound now, it didn't matter. We'd throw them into the boil at various times," Gortemiller says. "That was an inaccurate way of doing things. We're modifying recipes and using about 20 percent less hops."

Full Story

Watchdog against sale of brewery sauce

Tui-mato sauce, which has a small amount of beer in it, is a new product from DB Breweries and its Tui brand. It went on sale on Monday.

The brewery says the sauce has been popular during test marketing in the lower North Island and is now going nationwide.

DB Breweries says the launch of the product will not be accompanied by any television or billboard advertising.

Commercial manager Nick Rogers says the product will not be marketed aggressively and is targeted at men aged over 20.

Full Story

Aladdin Beverage's Green Man Beer Receives "Editor's Choice Awards"

Aladdin Beverage is pleased to announce that three of the Company's selections from the Green Man Brewery in New Zealand have been featured in the most recent issue of Beers of the World magazine. Beers of the World has bi-monthly circulation of more than 14,000 and is widely read by distributors and beer sellers throughout the world.

The Green Man Dark Mild, Green Man Best Bitter and Green Man Strong were each selected for tastings in Issue 16, with Green Man Strong winning the Editor's Choice Award among all beers reviewed. Each was cited for distinctive flavors and qualities, with photos and detailed descriptions of each accompanying the article.

Full Story

Chocolate & Beer Book 1 day Sale ONLY

Today only $24.95 - Elsewhere $84.95

Indulge yourself with this two book combo; Epicure Chocolate which contains more than 1000 delicious chocolate recipes, and the Beer Bible, a great informative book for those beer enthusiasts.

Limit of two per customer.

Full Details

Less Energy, More Beer

Tomato sauce with beer - Yeah Right

A shout out and high five to Nick Rogers, dude you are a marketing genius, I hope your golden run continues. The people buying this get what they deserve, and I can hear you laughing your ass off from here. Fraking brilliant.

===============================================================

Tuimato Sauce - DB Breweries' take on the Kiwi bloke's quintessential condiment - is poised to hit supermarket shelves nationally after proving a massive hit in test marketing in the lower North Island.

More than 60,000 bottles have been sold from just 59 stores in the Wellington to Taupo and Gisborne area since February - making it the number two brand behind Wattie's tomato sauce cans in the test market.

TASTE TEST

Omkar Rane, 23, CBD Auckland "Quite tangy, quite good."

Sam Eg, 35, Grey Lynn "Normal taste, beautiful, a little bit sour ... I like it."

Lena Jeong, 22, CBD Auckland "A little bit sweeter ... it's nice, better than normal tomato sauce, nicer texture."

Jim, 60+, Auckland "Hard to tell the difference, it's quite ordinary."

Denise Porsch, 25, Brazil "Too sweet, can't taste the alcohol, just tastes normal ... maybe a fan of tomato sauce would love it."

Full Story

125 Places to Have a Beer Before You Die

Here is a list from All About Beer Magazine, I guess they need to get out a bit more if the only NZ outlet is the Shakespeare Tavern, which by the way makes the top 100.

1. Great American Beer Festival, Denver, CO
2. Grand Place, Brussels, Belgium
3. U Fleku, Prague, Czech Republic
4. Great British Beer Festival, Earls Court, London, England
5. Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany
6. Augustiner Keller, Munich, Germany
7. Abbaye de Notre-Dame d’Orval, Orval, Belgium
8. The Gravity Bar, Guinness St. James Gate Brewery, Dublin, Ireland
9. Monk’s Café, Philadelphia, PA
10. The Great Canadian Beer Festival, Vancouver, BC
11. Hofbrauhaus, Munich, Germany
12. The Brickskeller, Washington, DC
13. Rick’s Café, Negril, Jamaica
14. The Market Porter, Stoney Street, London, England
15. Cat’s Eye Pub, Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD
16. Seats on top of the Green Monster in Fenway Park, Boston, MA
17. Mondial de la Bière, Montreal, Quebec
18. Horizon’s Café, CN Tower, Toronto, Ontario
19. Clubhouse box seats at the Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Springs, NY
20. Beer Club Popeye, Tokyo, Japan
21. The Publick House, Brookline, MA
22. Infield at Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL
23. Henry’s 12th Street Tavern, Portland, OR
24. The Hopleaf, Chicago, IL
25. World Beer Festival, Durham/Raleigh, NC
26. French Quarter during Mardi Gras, New Orleans, LA
27. Piazza San Marco, Venice, Italy
28. Zum Uerige, Dusseldorf, Germany
29. Toronado, San Francisco, CA
30. The Olde Mitre Tavern, Ely Court, Hatton Garden, London, England
31. Turn 4 Suites at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis, IN
32. Rogue Brewery, Newport, OR
33. The Wynkoop Brewery, Denver, CO
34. Spuyten Duyvil, Brooklyn, NY
35. Great Lakes Brewing, Cleveland, OH
36. McMenamins Kennedy School Hotel, Portland, OR
37. Atelier am Dom, Cologne, Germany
38. Anchor Brewing Tasting Room, San Francisco, CA
39.The Flying Saucer, NC, SC, TN, AR and TX
40. Arend’s Nest, Amsterdam, Holland
41. Blues Bar, Stone Town, Zanzibar
42. SandLot Brewery, Coors Field, Denver, CO
43. Clark Street Ale House, Chicago, IL
44. Tailgating at a Southeastern Conference Football Game
45. Selin’s Grove Brewing, Selinsgrove, PA
46. The Great Lost Bear, Portland, ME
47. The Map Room, Chicago, IL
48. The Blue Tusk, Syracuse, NY
49. Woolwich Arms, Guelph, ON
50. Beach Bar at the Atlantis Hotel, Paradise Island, Bahamas
51. The White Horse Pub, Parsons Green, London, England
52. Redbones Restaurant, Somerville, MA
53. Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel, Sydney, Australia
54. Falling Rock Tap House, Denver, CO
55. Sleeping Lady Brewery/Snow Goose Restaurant, Anchorage, AK
56. In de Wildeman, Amsterdam, Holland
57. Andechs Monastery, Andechs, Germany
58. Charlie’s Bar, Copenhagen, Denmark
59. PINT Bokbierfestival, Amsterdam, Holland
60. Sierra Nevada Brewing, Chico, CA
61. Kr?ma, Ceske Krumlov, Czech Republic
62. Sapporo Beer Garden, Higashi-ku, Japan
63. Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, MI
64. Sail and Anchor Brewpub, Fremantle, Australia
65. F.X. Matt Brewery Tasting Room, Utica, NY
66. Delerium Café, Brussels, Belgium
67. Birreria l’Orso Eletricco, Rome, Italy
68. Gösser Bierklinik, Vienna, Austria
69. Bariloche Ski Resort, Rio Negro, Argentina
70. d.b.a., New York, NY
71. Brewer’s Art, Baltimore, MD
72. Au General Lafayette, Paris, France
73. Schlenkerla Brewery Tavern, Bamberg, Germany
74. De Hopduvel, Antwerp, Belgium
75. Mr. Sancho’s Beach, Cozumel, Mexico
76. City Tavern, Philadelphia, PA
77. Die Weisse, Salzburg, Austria
78. Halve Maan Brewery, Bruges, Belgium
79. Tinkoff, Moscow, Russia
80. Le Bier Circus, Brussels, Belgium
81. TY Harbor Brewery, Tokyo, Japan
82. Irseer Klosterbrauerei, Irsee, Germany
83. Stockholm Beer & Whiskey Festival, Stockholm, Sweden
84. Goose Island Brewing, Chicago, IL
85. Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
86. Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown, NY
87. Deschutes Brewery & Publick House, Bend, OR
88. Baumgartner’s Cheese Store & Tavern, Monroe, WI
89. Icebergs Bar, Sydney, Australia
90. Cantillon Brewery and Gueuze Museum, Belgium
91. Dogfish Head Ale House, Rehoboth Beach, DE
92. Belgo Central, London, England
93. Bruxellensis Festival of Characterful Beers, Brussels, Belgium
94. Felix in The Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong
95. Brasserie Federal, Bahnhof Zurich, Switzerland
96. Heineken Brewery, Amsterdam, Holland
97. Clark’s Ale House, Syracuse, NY
98. The Shakespeare, Aukland, New Zealand
99. Mahar’s, Albany, NY
100. Steamworks Brewing, Vancouver, BC
101. Cooter Brown’s, New Orleans, LA
102. McSorley’s Ale House, New York, NY
103. Kelly’s Caribbean Bar, Grill & Brewery, Key West, FL
104. Rose & Crown Pub, Epcot Center, Orlando, FL
105. The Church Brew Works, Pittsburgh, PA
106. Brick Store Pub, Decatur, GA
107. Sunset Grille & Tap, Boston, MA
108. The Ghost Bar at the Palms Hotel, Las Vegas, NV
109. Norwich Inn/Jasper Murdock's Brewery, Norwich, VT
110. The Gingerman, Austin, TX
111. Library Ale House, Santa Monica, CA
112. t’Bruges Biertja, Bruges, Belgium
113. beerbistro, Toronto, Canada
114. The Dubliner, Washington, DC
115. John Barleycorn, Chicago, IL
116. Anchor Bar, Buffalo, NY
117. Gritty McDuff’s, Portland, ME
118. Top of the Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Chapel Hill, NC
119. The Bell, Aldworth, Berkshire, England
120. The Golf Tavern, Edinburgh, Scotland
121. Old Ebbitt Grill, Washington, DC
122. 5 Seasons Brewing, Atlanta, GA
123. Tim Schafer’s at Lake Norman, Sherrills Ford, NC
124. Stumbling Monk, Seattle. WA
125. The Happy Gnome, St. Paul, MN


Full List

Beerly Writing and Beerly Tasting

The latest column from the Wellingtonian newspaper looks at some of the beers that didn't make it.

New beers continue to spring up to take their place and the overall selection for consumers is steadily growing. That does not stop me occasionally pausing to raise a glass to some of those beers which didn’t make it.

In the Free Radical, an article on beer and food including a recipe from that annoying guy who hosts the otherwise excellent Iron Chef:

It is unclear exactly when New Zealander’s decided that pouring a bottle of wine into a stew was classy but using a cup of ale in a sauce was not. Certainly, the Belgian, Germans and French would laugh at our notion that only wine could be used as an ingredient when cooking. When the Germans are laughing at you then it is clear you have a problem.

Finally, a full report from the All Hail Pale Ale tasting at Cellar Vate which featured two guest presenters.

The voting was briefly interrupted by an unscheduled appearance from Rodney Hide MP who was in the building for a television show. While seemingly baffled by proceedings, he was adamant that everyone in the room had to vote for Act.