This is a fun one; over at The Takeout, they did a fantasy draft where each of the writers picked his/her favorite supermarket beer (i.e., a beer widely available at a supermarket or convenience store).
Number one overall is a favorite beer of mine: Negra Modelo.
The back and forth here is nice:
John Carruthers: Good. I’ve had #1 since two seconds after you sent this topic to me.
The very first pick, and my face of the franchise, is Negra Modelo.
Kate Bernot: That would have been in my top 3. Damn.
JC: I’m not real hot on regular Modelo, but man if the dark version isn’t almost perfect 7-Eleven beer
It’s light enough to be refreshing, but has a little more character than a lot of macro beers to keep you interested
It’s a sort of Vienna Lager, owing to the German brewing influence on Mexico’s beer culture
KB: Also a great food beer.
JC: It’s great with the free chips and salsa at a sit-down Mexican or Tex-Mex place
Honestly my idea of “I just want to sit down and order a beer and have it get here fast” perfection
Bonus: the folks at The Takeout interviewed some of their favorite brewers to find out what THEY liked to get when they’re feeling cheap and breezy. Their answers might surprise you!
The Leopard 2 battle tank was developed for the West German army in the 70s and has a fully stabilized main gun. What does that mean? It means that even if you’re flying along at 30 mph on bumpy ground, your gun remains steadily pointed on-target (like an owl or chicken head). It also means you can balance a full mug of beer on the gun without spilling a drop, making the Leopard the world’s best and most expensive waiter. (via @MachinePix)
Update: Here’s a longer video featuring the same tank. The commentary is in German, but the visuals aren’t that difficult to follow.
In addition to covering how the stabilizing gun works, they show how the tank stays level over uneven terrain and how the gun can stay locked on a target even when the tank is moving from side to side…the video of which is unnerving. (via @le_barte)
I mean, Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye is more influential in the history of beer than Bass Pale Ale or Barclay Perkins porter? Don’t make me weep. Allagash White trumps Hoegaarden and Schneider Weisse? (You may not like Hoegaarden or Schneider Weisse, but I hope you won’t try to deny their influence.) Gueuze, Saison and Kolsch are such important styles they deserve a representative each in a “most influential beers of all time” list, while IPA and porter are left out? I don’t think so. And the same goes for Schneider Aventinus: where are the hordes of Weissebockalikes? Sam Adams Utopias has influenced who, exactly? “Generic lager”? I see where you’re coming from, in that much of what has happened over the past 40 years in the beer world is a reaction against generic lager, but still … And I love London Pride, but it’s not even the third most influential beer that Fuller’s brews.
I like arguments about beer way more than drinking beer.
New Scientist reports that Czech beer tastes worse than it used to due to climate change.
Climatologist Martin Mozny of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute and colleagues say that the quality of Saaz hops — the delicate variety used to make pilsner lager — has been decreasing in recent years. They say the culprit is climate change in the form of increased air temperature.
The starter would feature new products that have only recently been cultivated locally, thanks to climate change — Devon olive oil perhaps, accompanied by a nice glass of Kent rosé. The main course might be controversial: test-tube grown imitation meats and vegetables that recreate the flavour and mouthfeel of species that are already lost or threatened with extinction by climate change.
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