Fabulous post today from Don Russell who writes the Joe Sixpack column in the Philadelphia Daily News and the Beer Radar Blog. Fab, that is, if you’re a Democrat. I can’t/won’t print the entirity, butt if you don’t like the present occupant of the White House, I suggest you follow the link and read the rest… Hint: The dork gives toasts with water.

If you want to win votes in Pennsylvania, you better show us you can drink. This month I’ve marveled while watching Barack Obama sip Yuengling and Hillary Clinton polishing off a whisky.

Marveled? Well, yeah, after 8 years… Read more…Beer Radar…

Don posted this shot of Hillary tossing off a whiskey and Barack drinking a made in Pennsylvania Yuengling Porter. I scrounged around and found Hilarry hoisting a pint.

Here’s what the Associated Press said about it…
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) toasted Hammond, Ind., Mayor Tom McDermott, left, during a stop at Bronko’s restaurant in Crown Point, Ind., April 12, 2008. Ed and Patty Hall are seated at right. (Associated Press)

I got a crap; sandwich for breakfast Tuesday morning. My other (and major, most viewed) blog: www.beernewsletter.com/blog came up blank. As you probably know by now., when you load the page,. there’s nothing.

No, it hasn’t been hacked. I have a Wordpress expert (Wordpress is the software I use to write and post the blog) working on the problem. First problem, I have to add more memory. As soon as that’s fixed he’s gonna’ go after the rest of the problem.

On top of that my company: Oakland Tribune/Bay Area News Group/MediaNews Group, has been asking me to direct all my (considerable, I say modestly) to this blog. So I’m doing it now as a trial.

This blog has a couple of wrinkles. Major one is to post a comment you have to sign up. It’s free and you can call yourself M.Mouse or A. Ass.or just plan Burrrp! They don’t care; they just want a real e-mail address. They swear (and I believe them) they’ll never bother you or use your e-mail address for any purpose.

After signing up, you can post away without reservation. Hopefully, I’ll get notice so I can race in and cut out the worst obscenities. (Well most obscenities are OK, especially if they’re directed at swill beer.)

Funny thing, the first post like this to hit the blog, called one of my favorite pubs a turd. Oh well, he was dead wrong. I left it in.

Anyway, the theory is that blog readers like to see their comments show up immediately. Hmmm. We’ll see.

One more thing…all the photos on this blog until now are housed on my other blog. So for the moment, old posts on this blog will simply have little idiotic captions and no art. I wrote the idiotic captions, never thought they’d surface.

Oh well. Time for a beer. Gonna make it a damn strong one. William Brand

PS…went for Grand Teton Sweetgrass Double IPA, a 7.5 percent beauty, coming to a good beer store near you — if you live in the Bay Area or Wyoming, Colorado, Oregaon, Montana or Washington (state). Beautiful beer. I give it 3.5 stars on first impression.

OK, I mentioned the English beer writer Melissa Cole’s blog yesterday (Monday, Jan. 7, 2008). Today, I stumbled on her post on Sam Adams Utopia. The lady’s outrageous. This is excellent and I quote:

Author: Melissa Cole

Extremely Interesting
I like Samuel Adams.

”I like that the company totally debunks the myth that all American beers are more akin to gnat’s piss than anything else.

And I am definitely very enamoured of their ‘extreme beers’.

“I was judging at an international beer competition the other week and the very last beer of the day was immediately identifiable as a Sam Adams offering - and if you’re wondering why I say that it’s because, in my experience of beer, no one else is mental enough to brew something that strong!

“Called Utopias (I later identified due to its distinctness and by talking about it to fellow anoraks!) it turns out the version I tried was a mere 24% ABV, although they have achieved 25%ABV in 2005.

“More akin to an olorosso sherry than anything else it is filled with vanilla, sherry and oak notes and is brewed with five different malts and six different hops.

“It is then aged in a blend of scotch, bourbon, port and cognac casks for up to ten months using a pair of proprietary yeast strains developed by the brewery.

“Rather entertainingly you will find on the Sam Adams website that it can’t be sold in 14 different states in the US - and if it’s anything like the Triple Bock they’ve brewed before (think molasses and Marmite meets Imperial porter) it can’t be exported to the UK either because they can’t always guarantee the ABV - so do keep a careful eye out for it when you are Stateside and treat this baby with respect!”