Monday Rant (On a Tuesday): Cans on the Floor

I'm not here to complain about any aspect of beer cans nor am I going to brag about the ways in which they've simplified things for those of us in the beer world. With that said, I still have an important tip for those of you that love supporting local beer distributors as I do.

For those of us that drive at least a few miles we most likely need to pack the beer into a vehicle and bring it back to where our residence might be.Now, with the parameters of the scenario in place, I shall begin.

My father is in Florida for two weeks. That leaves me with two vehicles here to alternate with. I chose to take his do do my errands on Sunday. Yes, I include beer shopping as a sort of errand. I bought my two cases, one of which was cans. Four six packs sitting in a box lid.

I slid both of those suckers (with the kind help of the distributor's owner) in the back seat. Note that I didn't put them in the trunk or on the floor. Being arrogant and brash, I figured I'd get them home safe and with minimal problems.

What I didn't take into account is the difference between my father's car and my old 1998 Lumina and how they handle. I have to hit the brake pedal a bit harder in the Lumina than I do in the other one. When I switch frequently I either push the pedal too hard or not enough, given the two vehicles capabilities.

I ran into one of those yellow-to-red situations at a light and firmly hit the brakes. Due to the pedal's sensitivity the car jerked and before I could complete my thought of "Oh, the cans could slide" I heard the fizzing and saw a little bit of foam shoot towards the front of the car and on to the windshield.

I guess one could say that over confidence is my weakness. A lesson for everyone. Take heed. Put the cans on the floor when transporting. Go to the 7:45 mark if you're a nerd like me.

 

In My Dreams

I love to collect glassware. I don't follow any beer style and particular glass guidelines. I usually just pick a glass I'm in the mood for and pour the beer that I cracked open into it. It looks pretty and in some cases I can smell certain notes of the brew a little easier depending on the crown of the glass I chose. Not a big deal.

I love buying and receiving new beer glasses. Sometimes this goes without even thinking about where the hell I'm going to put said glasses. I'm quickly approaching my limit of allocation in terms of where I can fit these precious  and aesthetic gifts. I had a few instances this past weekend that had me thinking of plausible scenarios.

Where Shalt Thou Put Them?

I stopped into a nearby beer distributor in conquest of a new case to sample. I narrowed it down to two cases, one of which had the very popular "free glass with purchase" posted above the display of cases. I'm such a sucker for those. I'm always up for a new piece of glass to consume funky ales from.

Sadly, the deciding factor in this dilemma was due to my conscience reminding me that I don't need anymore glassware for the time being. After giving this mental message the time of day I decided that I didn't feel much like consolidating any more space in the glass cabinets back home.

Lovely glass. Amplified beauty of beer.

Where Shalt Thou Reside?

My father has been looking to purchase a home since about the beginning of the summer. He has toured a few houses and felt that needed to come along to give my thoughts on the most recent one. I quickly realized why my presence was required upon seeing the bar that was built in downstairs.

I was enthralled at the site of it. It had padding on the rail which was bright red and slightly peeling and the light fixtures consisted of Miller Lite and Pabst Blue Ribbon labels/colors. Those would be easy fixes. Behind the bar was a small cove with glass shelves. I instantly knew what I'd do it this was our place. That's where all of the fancy glassware would be stored and displayed. No more cramming and consolidating. My facorites get displayed prominently while the more basic glasses go in the regular kitchen cabinets.

All I needed in that area was a fridge to have constantly stocked with good beer. The garage is right outside where the bar is and would make for an excellent storage/cellaring area. It is a bit dark and somewhat cool. Perfect conditions for beer storage, or hoarding if you look at my situation. Still, time will tell what happens. My father still has to make an offer on the house and I still have to decide if I'm set to go on my own or end up paying him rent. Time will tell. Not worrying about anything just yet.

Monday Rant: Not Playing Favorites

I'm pretty much a beer shopping addict. I love going to a local beer distributor and cruising up and down the isles for thirty minutes at a time. I have three of them close to me that I frequent. Steel Valley Beer is right here by me in Munhall. It's about a two minute drive away.

I've written quite a few times about Brews on Carson in Pittsburgh's South Side and its propensity to get something interesting and off the wall once in a while. There's also Save Mor Beer and Pop Warehouse (yes, it's spelled like that) on Browns Hill Road across the Homestead Gray's Bridge.

I love all three equally and thus try not to play favorites. I try to frequent each place the same number of times. Steel Valley is obviously the one with the least space and obviously a lesser selection. Brews on Carson is obviously located on Carson Street which we all know is a struggle in terms of traffic and parking. Luckily, there's a drive-thru in the back of the store that's open at certain points.

Save Mor Beer and Pop has the most space of the three. Probably more than the other two combined and thus has the widest selection because of it. The only frustrating part for me is trying to not play favorites for any of my top beer shopping sites.

This is pretty much one of the more pointless rants I've contrived amidst the series of these weekly posts. Still, isn't that the entire point of posting ones own thoughts on a blog? Maybe I'm just insane?

Monday Rant: Clash of the Liquor Laws

I'm not a lawyer (although I have a cousin that's one). So, it's not like I'm one that knows every in and out of the liquor laws in the state of Pennsylvania. What I do know is that they're severely outdated. Aside from that, there has been recent progress. We can now purchase beer in some of our local Giant Eagles. That's one step in the right direction. There's only about 3,472 steps to go.

Being a citizen of Pennsylvania I've become used to having a plethora of beers in certain beer distributors across the area. Having a beer distributor makes it simple when searching for beer. You can look for a certain beer and if that distributor doesn't have it in stock at the very least you're going home with something of the very same style that you set out for.

If you're not one to settle very often, then there's a cog in your scheme. What I mean by that is that not every brewery distributes to every state. In essence, we sometimes have to try a bit harder to get some of the beers that aren't in our market.

This is where my girlfriend comes in. She lives outside of the Washington DC area. I know that a certain beer I've been looking for has been sold in that market.

Unfortunately, a Google search for "Washington DC beer distributors" doesn't turn up much. It looks as if most alcohol in the District of Columbia is sold from grocery store chains. I obviously didn't realize this because I'm so used to buying my beer in Pennsylvania.

I'm hoping she can seek out this beer for me in time for when we see each other next.

Zoe's Beer to Hold Customer Appreciation Day

Zoe's Beer on Rt. 51 in the Brentwood and Baldwin area is holding a customer appreciation day this Saturday, according to the distributor's website.

The announcement on the website also says that free food will be given throughout the day, but that's not he important part. The free beer sampling is.

You can sample beers from both Six Point Brewing and Thirsty Dog Brewing from noon to 2 p.m. From 2 to 4 p.m. you can get samples from Boston Beer Co. (AKA Sam Adams). These offerings are just a taste of what's to be sampled from what I've found.

This is one of my favorite beer distributors to frequent. Zoe's Beer caters to us beer-snobbish folk by providing its fans of craft beer with an entire section of the store to just craft beer. The distributor even has the BeerAdvocate.com printout for each craft beer it sells. Get out to this place and check it out.