The guys at Bullets2Bandages recently reached out to me to see if I was interested in field testing one of their signature products, the .50 caliber bottle opener. Clearly, they look totally badass so I said, “Of course!” and prepared to launch an offensive on the arsenal of craft beer bottles waiting in the fridge.

Founded by a couple of former Navy bomb technicians, Bullets2Bandages is committed to donating at least 15% of its profits to veteran charities on an annual basis–and for the co-branded products featured on their website, they donate 40% from each sale to the respective charity.

The bullet bottle openers are 100% made and sourced in the USA, from once-fired military grade .50 caliber® brass casings and demilitarized projectiles. They are available in a variety of finishes and can be customized with up to two lines of text, each with up to 25 characters. Mine came with a durable matte black powder coated finish, engraved with my web address. (BONUS!)

So anyway… on to the beer drinking! The opener feels nice, heavy in my hand. The notch cut in the side of the bullet fits snug against the cap and it comes off easily, with one swift pull. Pour, drink, repeat! Not only that, but my husband, a former Army man and avid hunter, is totally jealous… so there’s that.

If you’d like to snag one of these for yourself, head over to their website, www.bullets2bandages.org, and browse their selection of unique designs, or create your own. As a special bonus, enter promo code CHEERS10 for 10% off your order!

Cheers!

The post Bullets2Bandages .50 Caliber Bottle Opener first appeared on The Craft Beer Blog.

You’ve probably seen other glasses of all shapes and sizes… but do they really affect how the beer tastes? Turns out, they do! Not only that, the geometry of the glass can affect how the beer looks, smells, and even how the beer feels in your mouth.

So how do you know which glass to use? When determining appropriate glassware, an educated drinker will note the beer style, and consider things like alcohol content, and whether the beer is bottle conditioned. Here are a few quick tips to help you choose the right glass for the right beer…

Weissbier “Vase”

The weissbier vase has a tall, slender shape that beautifully displays the bright colors and swirling haze typical of wheat beers. The glass is tapered at the bottom and wider at the the top to provide ample space for the thick, frothy head, representative of the style. A quick rinse with cold water can help break surface tension and reduce excessive foaming, though a great head is a desirable characteristic of any wheat beer, helping to lock in the aromas of the beer being served.

This is the preferred glass for hefeweizens, weissbiers and other wheat beers.

Stemmed Tulip

The tulip glass, named for it resemblance to the Spring flower, is my favorite glass for craft beer, and will work in most cases if you’re struggling to find the right glass. The flared rim helps support the head and fits well to your lips, while the inward taper helps hold aromas inside, a treat to the senses with every sip. You can also hold this glass by the stem to prevent heat transfer from your hands to the beer, or conversely, cup the glass in your hand if the beer is served too cold.

This is the preferred glass for serving Scottish ales, American double/imperial IPAs, barleywines, Belgian ales and other aromatic beers.

Tapered Pilsner Glass

Pilsner glasses are tall, slender and tapered to reveal the color, and carbonation of the beer, with a broad top to help maintain head. They are similar in appearance to the Weissbier vase, but a true Pilsner glass has an even taper without any amount of curvature.

This is the preferred glass for Pilsners, Amber Lagers, Maibocks/Helles Bocks, and other American and imported lagers.

Snifter

Typically used for serving brandy and cognac, the snifter is perfect for capturing the complex aromatics of Belgian ales, IPAs, and stouts. The shape of the glass allows swirling to agitate volatiles, producing an intense aroma. At the same time, the snifters smaller size make it a great choice for beers that are high in alcohol, such as barleywines and Russian imperial stouts. Like the tulip, the round shape allows for the beer to be warmed by the hand, as these styles are generally meant to be enjoyed at 55-60º F or “cellar temperature”.

This is the preferred glass for Belgian Strong Ales, Gueuze, Flanders Red, Russian Imperial Stouts, Barleywines, Wheatwines, and other aromatic or high alcohol content beers.

The post The Perfect Pint? first appeared on The Craft Beer Blog.

The event will be held on Monday, June 16, 2014, and will begin with the Womens Industry Beer Dinner at 6pm. The 4 course menu will feature the inspired cuisine Cure is known for, expertly paired with world-class craft beer from across the country. Women participating in all levels of the craft beer industry are encouraged to attend, including those working with breweries, distributors, bars & restaurants, and retail beer stores; as well as beer writers & bloggers. Tickets for the Industry Dinner are $65, and can be purchased online.

After dinner, 8pm – 10pm, Cure will open to the public for a free open house, featuring beer shots, floats and cocktails at the bar. So if you can’t make the dinner, here is your opportunity to come out to meet and mingle with leading female voices in the craft beer world. No tickets are required for the open house.

The goal of the night is to celebrate the increasing contributions women are making to support the craft beer industry, and to provide a space for thoughtful discussion, social connection, and networking. Although women are the focus, men are welcome to attend both the dinner and the open house. So please join me for this very special night, it’s sure to be a treat!

The post Rochester Real Beer Week: The Women & Beer Symposium first appeared on The Craft Beer Blog.

Original Quote:  “Where there is love there is life.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

Original Quote:  “Without music, life would be a mistake.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche

Original Quote:  “Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.” ― Mark Twain

Original Quote:  “What’s the good of living if you don’t try a few things?” ― Charles M. Schulz

Original Quote:  “One love, one heart, one destiny.” ― Bob Marley

Original Quote:  “The mouth is made for communication, and nothing is more articulate than a kiss.” ― Jarod Kintz

The post Fractured Beer Quotes: Almost Famous Words About Beer & Life first appeared on The Craft Beer Blog.

I was working on Christmas Eve, a regular Bob Cratchit, and I couldn’t make it to the grocery store before it closed. Unfortunately, that meant that Christmas dinner would consist of whatever we already had at home… which, turns out, was a frozen pizza…and now beer!

Sucks is described as an American Strong Ale, as well as an American Double and an Imperial IPA… whatever you call it, Lagunitas describes this beer as a ‘cereal medley’ of barley, rye, wheat, and oats. At 8% ABV, it’s full of ‘complexishness’ from the grains, then dry-hopped for big aroma and resinous flavor. All you really need to know, is that it’s a damn good beer.

The beer was first brewed in 2011 as a substitute to Lagunitas’ seasonal release, Brown Shugga’. In the midst of rapid growth, the brewery was hitting full capacity, brewing around the clock. They were brewing 80 barrels of their core brands, every 3 hours, but could only brew 60 barrels of Shugga’ every 5 hours… which meant for every case of Shugga’ brewed, they’d be short 3 cases of their regular lineup. Instead, they brewed a beer that would fit better into the brew schedule, calling it “Lagunitas Sucks” to play on their mistake.

So Christmas arrives, and it’s my husband, my sister, and I… none of us had much time off for the holiday so we were all just enjoying not being at work. As it were, there was a Brew Dogs marathon on TV, so the three of spent the day in front of the tube, in our pajamas. Merry Christmas.
After a couple episodes we busted out the Sucks and fired up the oven to thaw out our 12″ feast. Turns out, a Brew Dogs marathon, with 2 quarts of Lagunitas Sucks and a pizza, is not a bad way to spend a Wednesday afternoon! Looking around, everyone was smiling… we had everything we needed. Quite fitting for a beer

Of course, a frozen pizza and 64 oz. of beer goes pretty quick when you’re splitting it three ways… luckily, Acme Bar & Pizza opened at 7pm, so we put the word out to anyone else that might be hanging around looking for something to do on Christmas, and we made a party out of it and spent the night eating even more pizza, and drinking great beer with friends. So really… my Christmas didn’t suck at all!

The post Why My Christmas Sucked… first appeared on The Craft Beer Blog.

If you’re ready to make these for yourself, head to Jackie’s site for the recipe. But if you’re an insecure baker like me (is that what it’s supposed to look like?), here are some tips to let you know you’re doing things right… or at least to make you feel better about your own abilities in the kitchen!

First things first, gather your ingredients. If you’re like me, that means at the grocery store… so here’s your shopping list.

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon espresso powder
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 12 ounces good quality dark chocolate (60% cocao)
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup Chocolate Stout
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Now that you’re back from your second trip to the store (because you thought you had eggs but you didn’t), you’re ready to make cookies! Get a bowl and throw in your dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, espresso, and granulated sugar), mix it up and set it aside for later.

Next, chop up your chocolate and put it in a microwave safe bowl, along with your eggs and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. You’re gonna melt this in the microwave, 20 seconds at a time, so the smaller your chop your chocolate, the quicker the melting will happen. But don’t take it to extremes—I see you over there mincing your chocolate into tiny crumbs… no one like a smart ass.

When your chocolate’s all melted and looking good, add the beer. Now, you’re probably noticing about now that the recipe calls for only 1/2 cup of delicious velvety smooth chocolate stout, which means you’re left with 2/3 of a 12 oz. beer or, in my case, a solid 14.5 ounces of Samuel Smith’s Organic Chocolate Stout… Well done, my friend. I trust that you’ll find a suitable use for that leftover beer. (Cheers!)

Now that you’ve got a beer in your hand, you might not care that much about the rest of the recipe, but we’re about to take a break so stay with me for a few more minutes. Next, add the eggs, stir, then add the dry ingredients, and stir again until it’s all mixed together. Mine was the consistency of brownie batter at this point… I have no idea if that’s how it’s supposed to look or not. For now, cover the bowl with saran wrap, put it in the fridge, and enjoy your beer.

…1 million hours later…

Ok, now that the dough is set, we’re ready to finish these damn things. Preheat your oven to 350°. My stove is so old that the numbers have worn off the temperature knob, so if that goes for you too, just eyeball it. Next, pour some powdered sugar in a bowl. Then, using a cookie dough scoop or whatever ya got (in my case, a spoon worked just fine), make balls and roll into shape with your hands. (This part got a little messy… I found that dipping my fingers in water periodically helped keep the dough from sticking to my hands.) Drop the dough balls into the powdered sugar and roll ’em around until they’re well coated. Now, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and place cookie balls a few inches apart. Bake cookies at 350° for 10 minutes or so—until the edges have set but the center is still a bit soft. Jackie’s recipe warns not to over-bake or the cookies will be dry and crumbly.

Now, the moment of truth. I pulled my cookies out, questioning whether or not they were done enough… as I do every time I bake anything. After letting them cool on the baking sheet for a couple minutes I transferred them to a wire rack to cool completely. After an hour or so, the cookies were still so soft that they were practically melting as soon as you put one in your mouth. I thought for sure that I had done something wrong… forgotten an ingredient, under-cooked them, they just didn’t seem right. I went to bed feeling like a failure, racks of cookies still on the kitchen counter.

Amazingly, when I awoke the next morning, they had set! They were firm but not too hard or crunchy… similar to the consistency of a brownie… and they were delicious! It was a success!! I baked cookies, using craft beer, and they were edible!

So there you have it, the tale of how I baked with beer and came out victorious.

The post Channeling The Beeroness: Chocolate Stout Crinkle Cookies first appeared on The Craft Beer Blog.