Skip to content

Archives for beer

See all posts in the network tagged with beer

Morning Lineup – May 12

No comments

Sunday Morning – Happy Mother's Day!

We're going to start this new week off with some News You Can Use by posting this handy map showing you how much tax each state imposes on your beer purchases.  This figure is uniformly stated as the per gallon rate for retail purchases of beer sold in 12-oz. containers.

Surprisingly Tennessee, normally considered a low-tax state, has the highest (way highest) rate of $1.17 per gallon.  On the other end of the scale is Wyoming with a compassionate 2¢ per gallon.

The map also includes each state's relative ranking and illustrates another mild surprise.  Pennsylvania is not usually admired for its taxing policies, but if you rely on the barley brew for nourishment, Pennsylvanians are way down the list of beer tax pain at #46.  That explains why those Marylanders (#12) stock up in Breezewood while they're hitting the Keystone state to buy their fireworks.

*  *  *

Only one playoff game in the NHL yesterday.  Pittsburgh had to really work to pull off an overtime win against the spunky Islanders.  The Pens take their first-round series 4 games to 2 and will now be facing off against the Ottawa Senators in the 2nd round.

Ottawa just came off a mighty upset over Montreal, but can they do it again over Pittsburgh?  Get some good odds before you bet on it.

Three games scheduled for today, all of them on national tv networks.  Detroit vs. Anaheim are playing Game 7.  Washington vs. Rangers and Toronto vs. Boston round it out.

 

Before we give Mom a call, let's get this equipment checked out.  I think I'll make an extra pot of coffee this morning.  It feels like one of those days.  See you back in the day room.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on May 12, 2013 • Filed under: beer, morning lineup, Videos

Morning Lineup – December 20

Comments Off

Thursday Morning – Bottoms Up!

Just about anybody who flies at least occasionally is bound to use Southwest Airlines once in a while.  The unique airline with a great safety record is staffed with seemingly-happy employees who spread their cheer on to the paying customers and help make the visit as pleasant as possible.  And now, thanks to a customer who happens to be a lawyer too, your next trip will be even more pleasant.  Providing you have been flying in the Business Select class, that is.  The Consumerist website sums it up nicely:

August 1, 2010 is a day that many Southwest Airlines Business Select fliers know well. It’s the day on which the carrier stopped allowing these passengers to carry over their unused free drink vouchers to future flights. More than two years and one class-action settlement later, Southwest is having to buy a lot of rounds.

We first wrote about the lawsuit last November, when a Southwest Business Select passenger from Chicago alleged the airline unjustly enriched itself by effectively voiding millions of dollars worth of drink coupons that these customers had not used by the Aug. 1, 2010 date. The named plaintiff in the case had 45 of these vouchers (worth around $5 each) in his possession at the time the policy went into effect.

While Southwest will not be changing its policy back — Business Select passengers must still use their voucher on the day of the flight for which the voucher is given — the Chicago Tribune reports that Southwest passengers who earned these vouchers before the 10/1/2010 date to get new vouchers from the airline. These vouchers will need to be used within one year of being issued.

Don't worry if you've thrown the things away thinking that they're no good anymore.  Part of the court's order includes requiring Southwest to search their records for the unused, outstanding coupons and notify the high flyers of their windfall.  But you only have a year to use them, so start planning your next trip now.  Bottom line:  Southwest is now liable to its passengers for 5.8 million free drinks that are worth $29 million.  Of course, in order to use them you have to book your next flight with Southwest instead of Puddlejumper Air, so the airline will come out of it ok, too.

Now tell me, what other fire blog sets you up with free coffee in the morning and free beer in the afternoon?  Huh, huh?

Let's start earning our drinks now and get this equipment checked out.  I'm getting the Bunn-O-Matic set up to take the coffee vouchers before we meet back in the Digital Day Room.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on December 20, 2012 • Filed under: beer, morning lineup • Tagged: ,

Morning Lineup – December 11

Comments Off

Tuesday Morning – More Tips For Healthy Living

We have good news for you this morning coming from the Health Department.  For hundreds of years it has been known and touted that beer is a naturally healthy beverage that benefits you in many ways.  If you are still doubtful of these proven bennies, a new laboratory finding has been added to the long list that just might be enough to swing you over to hops therapy.

Sapporo Breweries, one of Japan's leading brewers, has been concentrating studies in their laboratory to try and isolate the ingredient in beer that seems to fight the common cold.  (Yaaay!!)  Their work has uncovered an even greater discovery that just might be able to be isolated to help infants and children also, an ingredient that has anti-viral powers.  A recent article in Huffington Post mentions the breakthrough:

Researchers at Sapporo Medical University found that humulone, a chemical compound in hops, was effective against the respiratory syncytial (RS) virus, AFP reports. In addition, humulone was also found to have an anti-inflammatory effect, according to Sapporo's news release.

"The RS virus can cause serious pneumonia and breathing difficulties for infants and toddlers, but no vaccination is available at the moment to contain it," Jun Fuchimoto, a researcher from the beer company, told AFP. The RS virus, which is said to be particularly prevalent in the winter months, can also cause symptoms similar to that of the common cold in adults.

Japan's Kyoto Shimbun News reports that Sapporo Breweries now hopes to create humulone-containing food and (non-alcoholic) beverages that both adults and children can consume.

However, we don't have to wait for them to isolate it because it's right there in the bottle now, ready for ingestion. But the amount of the humulone in beer is so small that researchers say a person would have to drink about 30 twelve-ounce bottles of the alcoholic drink to benefit from the anti-virus effect.  Well, there goes the weekend!

After you check out this educational video ( make sure to mark this on the daily training report), we'll get the equipment checked out.  We'll have to settle for coffee when we get back to the day room, but now that we know it too is both healthy and nutritional, that's ok.   See you there.

 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on December 11, 2012 • Filed under: beer, health & safety, morning lineup

Beer – Is There Anything That It Can’t Do?

Comments Off

Silly Man Brings a Knife to a Beer Fight

A PORT ORANGE, FLORIDA, MAN IS in the pokey today following his aborted attempt to steal money from a convenience store Tuesday night.

Surveillance videos show a knife-wielding man entering the store with his shirt pulled up over his head and then attempts to take money from a cash register.  The store's owner Dillep Patel then grabs a 4-pak of brewskis and starts hurling them at the robber who then drops his knife and the money, and flees.

WESH-TV Ch. 2 shows the surveillance tapes in this video report:

 

After the news video was prepared, police arrested Steven Paul Larson, 35, at his home and charged him with battery and armed robbery.  He's being held under a $40,000 bond.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on September 20, 2012 • Filed under: beer, crime, News, Videos

Chug-A-Lug To The Bride & Groom

Comments Off

A Bright Future For Wedding Receptions

A GROWING TREND IN WEDDING RECEPTIONS and related celebrations is moving away from wines and toward craft beers.  More and more newly-weds are celebrating the Big Day by treating their friends to their favorite choices of variety craft beers that reflect their own tastes and lifestyles.

Champagne isn't on the way out yet, but after the grand wedding toast and when the party heats up, it's pilsner, ale, and stout time.  The Associated Press has posted an in-depth report on this social turn that begins:

Toasting the bride and groom with Champagne is de rigueur. But recently, couples hip to craft beers are shaking up the wedding reception scene by insisting on serving the brews they love on their big day, everything from local ales to home brews concocted by the bride and groom.

It's not unusual for stouts and pilsners to flow at receptions or for rehearsal dinners to feature "beer flight" tastings of different craft brews. The high-end Baltimore caterer Chef's Expressions offers hors d'oeuvres consisting of a shot glass of beer and a burger slider.

One couple even set up tasting stations with beers from around the world, said Anja Winikka, site editor of TheKnot.com. Another couple who met in the Yukon served beer from Yukon Brewing in an ice-packed canoe.

There has been a strong growth of craft beer sales in the past few years reflecting the current tastes of the alcohol purchasing public.  The article goes on to tell us that the volume of craft beer produced nationwide has jumped 83 percent since 2005, according to the Brewers Association.  That's a fair amount of popularity there.  The article continues:

And some craft brewers are starting to take note of the trend.

In Albany, C.H. Evans Brewing Co. has a beer trailer suitable for pulling up to wedding receptions. Brewer's Alley in Maryland offers a "Wedding Alt" (an altbier is a German-style brown ale) in bottles that can be customized with the newlyweds' names.

And last month, the nation's largest craft brewer, the makers of Samuel Adams beer, offered for one day only a "Brewlywed Ale." It was sold in wine-sized bottles with a sparkling wine-style cork.

Take a few minutes to read the full ARTICLE HERE.  You might not be getting married yourself anytime soon, but you want to be ready for the next time you're invited to watch someone else do the deed.  To which Firegeezer sez:  I'll drink to that!

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on August 21, 2012 • Filed under: beer, culture, News • Tagged: , , ,

Morning Lineup – December 6

Comments Off

Tuesday Morning – Smile, You're on Candid Camera!

You can call me skeptical, but I am skeptical about the real existance of a supposed new product for club hoppers called the Photoblocker.  South American brewer Cerveza Norte distributes their suds internationally and are known for their innovative and humorous television ads.  Recently they have released a couple of ads featuring this device that they claim will prevent your image from showing up on someone else's Facebook page and causing a bit of embarrassment for you.

The Photoblocker is a tabletop beer cooler that has a series of photoflash lights and sensors arranged around the top edge.  According to Norte, they can sense the impending camera flash that is coming your way and it instantly sends out a brilliant counter-flash that washes out the image on the candid cameraman's  HD disk. The brewer's advertising agency says the device is a real product that has been field tested and actually works. "We placed several beer coolers in different bars in the North of Argentina," says Maxi Itzkoff, executive creative director at Del Campo (ad agency). "People took lots of photos that ended up being blurry beyond recognition and then uploaded them to social media anyway."

Photoblocking technology has been put to actual use in other applications (such as the famous anti-speed cameras along the highway), so it is plausible that something like this could be real.  Take a look at this video and see how it works:

 

I have checked around and have been unable to locate so much as a single photograph of one of these (other than the one issued by the ad agency), nor any information on its availability for purchase.  Combining that with Norte's previous record for satire, I am naturally a little bit skeptical, as I said.  But then again, it is just now being field tested according to the company.  Maybe there are a couple of prototypes out there.  I just don't know.  What do you think?

I think we'd better get this equipment checked out now, though.  I'm going to make some more Facebook-safe coffee for us.  See you back in the day room.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on December 6, 2011 • Filed under: beer, morning lineup • Tagged: ,

At Least Their PPE Won’t Smell Like Smoke For a While

Comments Off

Did Anybody Self-Dispatch For the Assist?

A BEER DELIVERY TRUCK IN MUNICH, GERMANY (of all places), was making its rounds to bars and markets last Thursday when the driver took a corner too fast and hurled a major part of his load from the trailer onto the street.

The local fire lads were very willing to help clean up the mess and the police cordoned off the block to keep the other people from intruding and offering to assist with the clean-up. After the front-end loader cleared all the broken glass off the street, the firefighters hosed the rest of the debris down the sewer.

One fire spokesman told the German Herald, 'You always get a few who want to sneak a bottle or two from a crash but there's broken glass everywhere and it's really very dangerous because the rest of the load could fall at any time.  (Yeah, right.  That's what you tell the locals while your guys are pretending to be "picking up" while the cameraman is still there.)  'You might love a beer but you wouldn't want to be be buried under a landslide of it.'  (Speak for yourself, Heinrich.)

The shifting load damaged the trailer enough that the un-hurled cartons had to be offloaded to another truck before the first one could be driven away.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on October 5, 2011 • Filed under: beer, News

40K Bottles of Beer On the Road, 40K Bottles of Beer……

4 comments

*  *  *

A 53-ft. TRACTOR TRAILER ROLLED ONTO IT SIDE Monday morning in Sacramento, California, tumbling its load of 35,000 lbs of bottled beer, namely Bud Light Lime. While most of the 40,000 cans and bottles seemed to have survived the rapid relocation of their packages, quite a few of them broke and provided a steady stream of beer washing down the exit ramp.

KCRA-TV

The truck had just exited Interstate 80 and was turning left off the ramp when the driver lost control and rolled it. With that large and heavy a load, it was not possible to pull it back upright with tow trucks due to the probablilty of the trailer walls not being able to contain the weight. So first a pair of flatbeds and a busfull of laborers were brought over to offload the beer cases first.

Channel 13 News covered it in this video report:

 

KCRA-TV has more plus a photo gallery HERE.

Firegeezer notes:  Bud Light Lime?  Bud Light Lime?  It wasn't driver error that caused that wreck, it was the invisible hand of Bacchus himself reaching down from the heavens and knocking that load of swill over.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on September 12, 2011 • Filed under: beer, current events, News, Videos • Tagged: , , ,

Why Not Keep the Beer Truck in the Firehouse?

Comments Off

This One Came Fully Equipped

WHEN THE PORTLAND, OREGON, AIRPORT FIRE DEPARTMENT wanted to sell off their mass casualty unit, the Redmond Fire & Rescue Department jumped at the offer.  The former 1976 Ranier Beer delivery truck fit their needs perfectly at the Redmond Municipal Airport firehouse that they also operate.

KTVZ-TV image

KTVZ-TV reports:  The Port of Portland offered the truck to several airports, and the Eugene Airport turned it down first. "Before they could offer it to somebody else, I bought it and paid $1,200 for it," said Redmond Airport Manager Carrie Novick.

It came with more than $1,200 of back boards, body bags, a generator and other things on board.

Before the vehicle was placed in service, the airport had another that was designed to serve only 37 patients — this one has enough supplies for 100 patients. The truck includes 80 long back boards for spinal immobilization, two fixed power generators to provide lighting and power away from the rig, gloves, oxygen masks, splints, IV fluids and more — a number of items that a normal fire truck couldn't carry.

Watch the entire report in their video:

 

Redmond Fire & Rescue WEBSITE.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on August 6, 2011 • Filed under: apparatus, beer, Fire Rescue Topics, Fire-ology • Tagged: , ,

Falkenhan Bull & Oyster Benefit May 13

Comments Off

Be there.

Baltimore County Fallen Firefighters Foundation

 

Mike "FossilMedic" Ward

Posted by on April 13, 2011 • Filed under: beer, charity, culture, Line of Duty, News, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Decision point + 25

4 comments

Keep them coming

I guzzle diet sodas. It irritates wait staff that the glass is empty by time they enter the food order.

The older guys working at an all-night diner where I am a regular have two glasses ready when I sit down.

This guzzling is a remaining behavior from a long-ago habit.

The Challenger shuttle disaster is an annual reminder of a personal crisis decision point.

White-knuckling an urge

Spent weeks attempting to reign in the uncontrollable … could never predict how much I would drink once I started.

When off-duty I often needed 3-4 drinks in order to go to sleep. Would follow the nightcap with a 20 oz sports drink/acetaminophen bolus.

I was trying to go more than two consecutive days without drinking. January 28, 1986, would have been day three. The first three-day dry spell in years. It did not happen.

The last close call

I thought I separated drinking from the job. Until an off-duty response to a greater alarm fire while hammered resulted in a terrifying realization that I could lose my job.

That started the unsuccessful effort to reign in the drinking … and then to visit the Employee Assistance Program to ask for help the day after the Challenger disaster.

I entered an outpatient rehabilitation program 25 years ago tonight. I was angry and uncertain.

Just cause you are sober does not make you “all right”

Up to 90% of alcoholics have at least one relapse in the first four years after treatment. It could be from a behavioral, cognitive or biochemical factor.

I have maintained sobriety for a quarter-century. Doing Job 1 every day.

That was the easy part.

Still have behaviors and thinking that are addictive and destructive. They remain resistant to lasting change.

So much for the “Anonymous” in AA

Alcoholics Anonymous, is the 12-step spiritual self-help program that remains a force in treating a variety of addictive behaviors. Estimate about two million members.

I don’t think Bill Wilson or Dr. Bob Smith ever envisioned a society as tolerant and open about addiction as we are now. There was a lot of shame associated with alcoholics in 1935.

Rescue Me and alcohol

Alcoholism is a frequent topic in Denis Leary’s Rescue Me series.

Season 5 (2009) ended with this cliff-hanger:

Rescue Me’s creators, Denis Leary and Peter Tolan weren’t afraid to risk it. In the waning moments of the finale, Tommy Gavin (Leary) takes two bullets to the chest, courtesy of his grieving Uncle Teddy (Lenny Clarke), who seeks revenge for the recent alcohol-fueled death of his wife. Tolan says it was a natural progression of this season’s story arc, which saw Tommy fall off the wagon and drag the entire Gavin clan with him.

“We just really got into the whole idea of Tommy starting to drink again and being the merry piper leading everybody down that road. And what the consequences would be,” Tolan tells TVGuide.com. “We’ve already established over the seasons that Tommy’s curse — which is a direct reflection of 9/11 — is that he survives. When he should be dead, he survives, and there’s death all around him, which is what he is left to deal with.”

Leary says Teddy, who murdered the drunk driver who killed Tommy’s young son in an earlier season, was the obvious choice to shoot Tommy.

Leary says the show’s success at depicting alcoholism comes from a mixture of personal experience and letting the disease speak for itself. “Our investigation of [alcoholism] comes from a real place,” Leary says.

“I know firefighters who have drank, quit, started up again, quit, and finally said, “I can’t work unless I have alcohol. I need to have some fun.” So I think we’re portraying every part of it, and I don’t think we’re preachy about it. If Tommy keeps on drinking, I don’t think we will judge him. And if he quits drinking, I don’t know how we’ll judge the characters that continue to drink.”

Adam Bryant (Sept 1, 2009) “Exclusive: Rescue Me’s Creators Dish on the Shocking Season Finale” TV Guide.

My brothers and sisters were supportive and ball-busting. I did not have to hide my recovery – that was a powerful benefit.

Thanks!

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward
February 4, 2011

Posted by on February 4, 2011 • Filed under: beer, EMS Topics, Firefighter Safety & Health • Tagged: , , , , , ,

Morning Lineup – January 21

Comments Off

Friday Morning Lineup

FossilMedic announced it (below), but I want to remind you anyway that the nomination round for Best Fire and EMS Blogs of 2010 is completed.  A total of 20 Fire blogs and 22 EMS blogs were nominated by avid readers around the globe.  Of course, many of the blogs received more than one nomination, but I believe this is the list of all of them that were nominated at least once, and met the qualifications.  CLICK HERE to view the nominees.

This is the best part of the contest because we are introduced to new blogs that many of us hadn’t seen before and you get to browse around the blogosphere checking them out where you just might find some that you like well enough to add on to your Favorites file.  They are all good because at least one reader of each thought highly enough of them to nominate them.  After you read this Morning’s Lineup, scroll down to the previous posting just before this and see what FossilMedic’s take is on a few of the newbies.

For the next few days, the judges will be calculating the nominees according to their popularity and will present the list of finalists.  We will have seven blogs in each category to vote on for the Best Blogs.  Voting begins on Monday January 24 and runs for nine days through February 1.  So, get ready!

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

It just had to happen eventually, and now somebody has developed a means to pour beer faster.  Yes, that’s right…..Faster Beer.  The problem that was waiting for a solution is the lengthy time it takes to fill a plastic cup with beer at public events like stadiums and outdoor festivals.  The slow pouring time for a draft beer dispenser to fill the cups and ease off the foam tends to create lines of thirsty customers waiting unnecessarily long times before they get served.

Now that problem is solved thanks to the Bottoms Up Dispensing System.  This innovation fills the specially-designed plastic cup from the bottom, which not only speeds up the dispensing time, but eliminates the foam head as well.

They have already been using this system at several major sporting events and arenas in Texas, Arizona and Nevada, and now they are ready to go national with the system.  I still can’t figure out how it works, but I know that it has something to do with magnets on the bottom of the cups.  Take a look at this video demonstration of how it works:

 

The cups themselves cost more than a plain generic plastic cup, but that cost is made up in reduced labor expense plus the unknown losses from discouraged customers who don’t want to wait in line for 10 minutes.  If you need convincing that the system is efficient, they have also produced this video showing one man filling 56 pints of draft beer in one minute:

 

If you are involved in your FD’s annual carnival fund raiser, you should check this out.  Their WEBSITE is HERE for more information.

Now I’m still filling coffee pots the old-fashioned way, from the top.  So I’m going to get started now with that while you begin the equipment check routine.  See you back in the day room.  Bottoms up!

Posted by on January 21, 2011 • Filed under: beer, Fire Blogs, morning lineup • Tagged:

New Beer Named After Air Ambulance

Comments Off

WHEN A BREW-PUB / HOTEL IN CORNWALL, ENGLAND, brewed up a special beer recipe to benefit the Cornwall Air Ambulance, they decided to hold a contest to name the charity brew.  The Driftwood Spars Inn started brewing the reddish-amber colored ale with a policy of donating 25p from the sale of each bottle, and 10p from each pint sold over the bar, to the air ambulance fund.

But they needed a name for the brew and came up with the idea to have a competition to name it.  The Falmouth Packet picks up the story:

(The winning name Red Mission) was coined by 25-year-old Laura Bosworth from Lanner, who won a county-wide competition to name the beer.  Laura said: “It was a great competition to win because I had to put some real effort in to thinking of a name.

“After researching Cornwall Air Ambulance, I saw the mission counter on the website that said there had been more than 22,000 emergency call outs, plus I knew the colour of the beer was reddish amber. I wrote down a few alternatives, but Red Mission seemed like a good idea.”

Air paramedic Steve Garvey (left), contest winner Laura
Bosworth, and brewmeister Pete Carvers toast the new brew.
(Falmouth Packet photo)

Read the complete article in the Falmouth Packet HERE.
Cornwall Air Ambulance WEBSITE.
Driftwood Spars WEBSITE.

Cornwall Air Ambulance website photo

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Posted by on December 26, 2010 • Filed under: aircraft, beer, charity, EMS Topics, News • Tagged: , , ,

A Beer Run That Will Stop Traffic

Comments Off

STARTING THIS EVENING (TUESDAY) TRAFFIC between Hamilton and Toronto, Ontario, is expected to be a bit more congested than usual.  Beginning at 9 pm 20 police cars will be escorting a convoy of special trucks hauling  six huge beer vats from the Hamilton Port to the Molson’s brewery in Toronto 65 miles away.  The unusual transfer will take four nights to complete.

The new, custom made vats were shipped across the Atlantic from Germany on a 15-day voyage.  They are part of an expansion of the Toronto brewery and each vat has a capacity of 1.4 million bottles of beer which is stored in them during the fermentation process.  The individual vats are 150 feet long and 25 ft. in diameter, requiring a careful plotting of route and in many instances the temporary removal of electric lines and traffic lights.

Typical beer vat installation

The convoy will travel at a walking speed the entire distance and will only move from 9 pm each evening until 6 am the next morning when they will pull over for the day in order to not disrupt regular traffic flows.

Firegeezer will watch their progress and keep an eye out for any good photos of the parade.
The Spec has the STORY.

Posted by on December 7, 2010 • Filed under: beer, News • Tagged: , , ,

Free Beer!

Comments Off

SATURDAY WAS AN UNSCHEDULED HOLIDAY IN JAIPUR, INDIA, when a delivery truck filled with beer collided with another truck, spilling its cargo across the roadway.

Within moments the area was swarming with passerbys who stopped to help clean up the mess.  While some of them decided to open a bottle or two and drink them right on the spot, many others loaded what they could into their cars and onto scooters before motoring away.  By the time the police arrived, more than half the booty was gone, gone.

NDTV had their camera on the scene though, and caught some of the activity:

 

d

Posted by on November 22, 2010 • Filed under: beer, News, Videos • Tagged: ,

Morning Lineup – November 16

2 comments

The space shuttle Discovery is trying to tell everybody that it wants to retire now, not after one more flight.  We’ve been following the saga of the final launch (HERE and HERE) and the shuttle’s resistance to soaring one more time to the space station.  It’s latest planned liftoff was two weeks ago, but had to be postponed several times because of the weather.  Then last week a hydrogen gas leak near the fuel tank was discovered along with some cracks in the insulation nearby, setting the launch back until the end of this month while they get repaired on-site.

Now comes word that still more cracks have been found in that same area that surrounds a pod that contains electronic equipment.  More work = more time needed to get the creaky old gal ready.  This next launch “window” is open from November 30 until about December 5.  If they don’t make that, the next opportunity doesn’t arrive until February.

You know, I think that if I was one of those astronauts watching these last-minute obstacles parade by, I would start getting a little edgy about going through with this adventure.  How about you?

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

From the Good News side of the information highway comes word that one of the East’s favorite beers is making a comeback…maybe.  The geezers around the greater New York area fondly remember Rheingold Beer and their popular, annual Miss Rheingold contest.  First brewed in 1883, the Brooklyn brewery became the solid favorite of the workingman due to its low selling price and good flavor.  But when the “dirty water” brews of the national brands swept through in the late 1970′s, putting scores of local breweries out of business, Rheingold turned off the kettles in 1976.

Chug-a-Mug

About ten years ago, one of the family heirs started a small operation in NYC brewing Rheingold once again using the same recipe.  Five years ago a niche holding company, Drinks America of Wilton, Connecticut, purchased the brand and are now re-launching it in the home base area of New York , New Jersey and Connecticut.  Their trial distribution plan was successful and now they are going to expand their sales base.  Firegeezer hopes they get down here in my patch before too much longer because it was always one of my favorites.  I especially remember with fondness the Rheingold Chug-a-Mug bottle.  Ahhh… great stuff.

Ok, let’s cut out the daydreaming and get this equipment checked out.  I’m going to get the coffee started.

Posted by on November 16, 2010 • Filed under: beer, morning lineup • Tagged: , ,

Killed By His Own Beer

1 comment

BEER IN GERMANY IS MUCH CHEAPER THAN it is in Denmark.  So naturally, there are clusters of beer stores along the German-Danish border catering to the fleets of vans and other small trucks who load up to take some back home.  Early Saturday morning, one of the Danish entrepreneurs failed to secure his load properly before heading back home on a rain-slickened highway.  While traveling, his vanload of beer shifted causing the vehicle to spin off the road and crash into a pole.

The impact itself wasn’t too hard, but the sudden shift forward of the hundreds of pounds of beer cans nailed the driver and crushed him to death.

Before the van could be towed away, all of the beer had to be offloaded by hand.  So who better to do it than a gang of firefighters?  Most of them have probably already been practicing picking up cans of beer recently, anyway.

Einsatz-Magazin has the story and a photo gallery HERE.

Hat tip:  Christian L.

Posted by on October 18, 2010 • Filed under: beer, rescue, Rescues • Tagged:

What’s Brewing? Space Beer!

Comments Off

ASTRONAUTS AREN’T ALLOWED TO DRINK ON DUTY, but what about all those thirsty space travelers who are signing up for the coming private space flights?  Well, according to Mother Nature Network:

The world’s first beer to be certified for consumption in space will soon undergo tests in weightlessness to see if it is brewed with the right stuff.  Astronauts4Hire, a non-profit space research corporation, will conduct the tests on an Australian beer that has been brewed specifically for easy drinking in both microgravity environments, as well as here on Earth.

 The beer was produced as a joint venture between Saber Astronautics Australia, a new space engineering firm, and the Australian 4 Pines Brewing Company, located in Manly, a suburb of northern Sydney.  The development of space beer is intended to coincide with the burgeoning space tourism industry, and as the market expands, industry leaders are anticipating a demand for such products.
Testing for the new space beer is set to begin in November on board Zero Gravity Corporation’s modified Boeing aircraft, which flies a series of parabolic arcs that simulate environments of weightlessness.
Zero Gravity’s space simulator
 
An Astronauts4Hire flight member will act as the primary flight operator. The researcher will perform various experiments – such as sample the beer during weightless parabolas — and record biometric data on body temperature, heart rate and blood alcohol content.  Data will also be collected on the taste of the beverage and its drinkability during weightlessness.
“Space beer taster” is a paying job, but don’t rush down there to apply.  They already have their 17 tasters hired and trained.  Sorry.
Posted by on September 29, 2010 • Filed under: aircraft, beer, News • Tagged: , , ,

How Quickly Can You Get Into Your Beer?

2 comments

PROBABLY NOT AS QUICKLY AS ANDREW BOHRER gets into his.  Andrew is a bar manager and noted bartender in Seattle, Washington.  He classes himself as a “craft bartender” who can do extraordinary things while he plies his craft behind the taps.

Seattle Met Magazine

One of his unique talents is opening a beer bottle faster than anybody else in the world.  Doubt it?  On this video that starts with him creating an ice sculpture for the bar, he issues a public challenge (turn the sound all the way up) for anybody who thinks they are faster than he is.  To eliminate any doubt about his skill, he demonstrates his cap-removing move at about the 32-second mark.  But don’t blink!

d

Posted by on July 29, 2010 • Filed under: beer, culture, News, Videos

Back to the Friendly Skies

1 comment

ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS of Japan announced Friday that they will become the world’s first commercial airline to provide draft beer on flights. 

©Haseo

 Until recently, stocking and serving draft brew in a pressurized cabin was problematic and not viable, causing too much foam inside the container.  But ANA has worked out the problem by utilizing new keg technology that compensates for air pressure variances.

Initially, the service will be limited to flights within Japan.  The airline said the draft beer will cost about $11.30 per glass and 20 cups will be available on each domestic flight, the maximum capacity of the new keg.  Tokyo to Okinawa flights, however, will have two kegs (40 cups of beer) on board.

The service will begin this Tuesday.

Posted by on July 18, 2010 • Filed under: aircraft, beer, News • Tagged: ,

PBR Gets New Head

1 comment

VENERABLE BEER ICON PABST BREWERY was recently purchased by a private investor from the charitable trust that had temporary stewardship of the label.  A press release issued Friday says, Metropoulos & Co., a leading investor in and manager of branded consumer products, today announced that it has acquired Pabst Brewing Company, North America’s largest privately held brewing company. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but industry insiders say that it went for about $250 million.

Pabst Brewing Company has been in business since 1844. The company produces several of America’s best-known brand labels, including the award-winning Pabst Blue Ribbon, Old Milwaukee, Lone Star, Colt 45, Old Style, Blatz, Stroh’s, Rainier, and Schlitz.  Headquartered in Woodridge, Illinois with offices in Milwaukee and San Antonio, Pabst generates annual sales in excess of $500 million.

Bloomberg Business Report filed this video report that includes an interview with Dean Metropoulis, the new owner:

In the middle of the twentieth century, Pabst was the largest brewer in the world.  After several decades of multi-brand mergers among the major labels, Pabst slipped to 5th place in sales in the U. S.  Recently there has a been a resurgence in the Blue Ribbon brand’s popularity, notably on college campuses around the country.  In the last few years PBR has been the fastest-growing brand of all domestic labels.

For the past 15 years Pabst has not operated any breweries of its own, instead the brands have been “contract” brewed at other breweries.

Read the Firegeezer video report on the re-introduction of the Schlitz brand by Pabst in this December 2007 story HERE.

Posted by on June 28, 2010 • Filed under: beer, News, Videos • Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Truck Fire Ties Up Indy Traffic Thursday

4 comments

A TRACTOR-TRAILER HAULING 1,800 CASES OF BEER wrecked and burned Thursday morning on I-70 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

WTHR-TV

The truck was traveling westbound around 2 am and entering a construction zone that has temporary lane shifts erected.  The driver admitted that he mis-judged the lane changes and he struck one of the jersey walls, ripping open a full saddle tank of fuel and starting a fire.  The truck began burning immediately while he was still moving and he had to bring it to a stop and bail out, jumping through the flames into the center lane that was fortunately vacant as auto traffic backed off from the blazing truck.

Wayne Township firefighters responded along with a haz-mat team and extinguished the fire, but the entire rig was ablaze when they arrived and all was lost.  The westbound lanes of the freeway remained closed this morning while the beer was transferred to another truck and the burned out hulk was righted and towed away.

WTHR-TV Ch. 13 has this video report from the scene:

d

Posted by on June 10, 2010 • Filed under: beer, fire, Fires, Videos • Tagged: , , , ,

We All Have Our Priorities

3 comments

WHEN SVEN BEHLING AND HIS NEPHEW were riding along a German road in his car last month, the Ford Galaxy suddenly burst into flames.  That event gave cause to bring the car to a sudden stop and a decision had to be made on what to save from the car in the few moments they had available.

Did they choose to save Sven’s digital camera?

No.

Did they choose to save the expensive GPS receiver?

No.

Instead they devoted their precious seconds to unloading…..

15 cases of Bitburger Beer.

By sticking to their true sense of values, they were well rewarded as it turned out.  Somebody else had a camera handy and took a photo of a firefighter preparing to attack the car fire from the front and showing the cases of beer stacked neatly right behind it.  Sven sent the picture to Bild newspaper and won a prize of 500 Euros for the most unusual photo of the week.

beer fire a Bild

Bild

When the chairman of Bitburger Brewery saw the photo, they knew a good customer when they saw one and have set Sven and his nephew Michael up with an all-expense-paid trip to the World Cup Finals in Johannesburg in July.  The vacation trip includes air fare, hotel, all meals, the Final game and the big Finals Party.

The moral of the story is:  Stick with your principles and Save Your Beer.

Der Bild has the STORY.

Posted by on May 13, 2010 • Filed under: beer, fire, Fires • Tagged:

Beer on the Beach Tip

Comments Off

WITH THE WEEKEND MIGRATIONS TO THE BEACH beginning soon, there will be the usual annual angst over how to keep the beer cold all day when you’re on the hot sand under the sun’s searing rays.

beach beer

Worry no more!  As a public service, Firegeezer is bringing you this informative video to show you the best method to keep  the ol’ barley brew nice and chilled:

 

*  *  *

*  *  *  *  *


Posted by on April 24, 2010 • Filed under: beer, News, Videos

Upcoming Epic Event!

Comments Off

One week from now, there will be an epic event that will overshadow the ash clouds of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano.

Last year, a handful of international bloggers got together at FDIC to say hello.

Dave Iannone, Tiger Schmittendorf & Irakil West

Dave Iannone, Tiger Schmittendorf & Irakil West

This year, the regional Peace Officer Task Force may have to stage around the corner.

THE MEET UP IN INDY

Probably will be larger than the EMS Today meet-up.

Friday April 23, 2010 from 8pm to 11pm
Dress is “FDIC convention casual”
Add your Twitter name to conference badge!!


RB_logo

Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, Indianapolis
10 West Washington
Indianapolis, IN 46204
MAP

fireresc

FREE DRINK TICKETS FOR FIRST 400

To get a COMPLIMENTARY Drink ticket, you just need to stop by one of THESE booths on Friday at FDIC:

Free drink tickets ARE limited to the first 400 people who stop by the booths. And don’t worry if you miss out on a drink ticket, there will be complimentary appetizers and soft drinks on a first-come, first-served basis plus a cash bar and regular menu food available. To ensure there’s room for you, please be sure to stop by the booths mentioned at the show Friday quickly! One drink ticket per person.

meetup173aMore details. click on the MeetUp@Indy icon:

Win Stuff!

We’ll also be holding a raffle for those who attend that includes thousands of dollars in special giveaways from our sponsors and dozens of free Firefighter Monopoly games as well!

Hope to see you there!

Mike “FossilMedic” Ward

Posted by on April 16, 2010 • Filed under: beer, EMS Topics, Fire Rescue Topics, News, Technology & Communications, Training & Development, Twitter • Tagged: , , ,