CNN Vital Signs Features Pints for Prostates

During the Livestrong Global Cancer Summit in Dublin, I had the chance to sit down with Dr. Sanjay Gupta to talk about Pints for Prostates and how we use the universal language of beer to reach men with an important health message. CNN also sent a crew to Colorado for the Denver Rare Beer Tasting and Great American Beer Festival.

The interview started airing internationally today. You can check it out here:

Tuesday Tasting: Prager 2004 Royal Escort Port

Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we head to Napa Valley to sip a great port.

A few months back a couple of bottles arrived at my door from Prager Winery & Port Works in California. I have to admit that I don't regularly drink port and, in the heat of the North Carolina summer, I decided to place the bottles in a wine rack and wait for cooler weather. The time has come to crack open one of the bottles.

Prager 2004 Royal Escort Port is a dark ruby red 19 percent alcohol by volume wine that is made from 100 percent petite sirah grapes grown in the Napa Valley. If you like port, you will love this wine. There is plenty of body to Royal Escort. Good dark cherry and plum notes open to a nice balancing acidity. Royal Escort is bright and approachable.

This port will clearly stand up well for a number of years of aging, but I really found the fruit-forward nature of the wine at this stage to be very attractive. You may want to buy too bottles, one to try now and one to lay down for a few years for a special occasion.

Beer Tap TV Covers Denver Rare Beer Tasting

Erik Boles and the fine people at Beer Tap TV have posted an interview they did at the inaugural Denver Rare Beer Tasting last month. Check out this video to see how they are helping the Pints for Prostates campaign reach men through the universal language of beer.

Is Cheap Whisky a Scottish Birthright?

Living in Scotland means that you can get a decent bottle of Scotch at your local supermarket for under $12. That may all change because of a Scottish government plans to combat binge drinking and it has distillers upset.

A plan would set minimum per drink charges for alcohol sold in supermarkets. That would mean that supermarket-brand Scotch would increase in price to $18 a bottle, effectively raising the price to what some branded Scotch labels sell for at retail.

Whyte and Mackay, a 160-year-old distiller, says the new minimum pricing plan would have a major impact on its volume. Distillers are upset because discussions about minimum pricing have focused on supermarket lost-leader sales of beer, cider and flavored malt beverages.

The Scottish government is expected to finalize a proposal during the next few weeks. Distillers are pointing out that Scotch amounts to around 20 percent of the country's exports and a proposal that damages the industry would harm the overall economy.

Rock Art Brewing Should Send Flowers to Monster's Lawyers

Be honest. How many of you had heard of Rock Art Brewery in tiny Morrisville, Vermont at this time last week?

This small brewery was plodding along like many of the craft brewers in this country. Making some pretty good beers, building a loyal following of beer geeks and fighting for shelf space against companies that can afford to run ads during weekend football games.

Then some lawyers from Hansen Beverage Co., which markets Monster Energy Drinks, decided to come to the rescue. You see Rock Art has been selling a brew called The Vermonster for the last couple of years. Hansen says that could confuse consumers and Hansen says it has plans to launch an alcoholic drink under the Monster label. They say they have to defend their trademark.

Jackpot. The good folks at Rock Art Brewery are suddenly real life Davids in a battle against a big time Goliath. In addition to Monster, Hansen also markets Hansen Natural Sodas, Energade sports drinks and Rumba juice drinks. In 2006, the company signed a deal for Anheuser-Busch distributors to handle its line up. Manufacturing is handled by a series of independent bottlers under license.

Twitter has been twittering. There is a Facebook boycott against Monster picking up steam. And just about every beer blog in North America is jumping on the story.

It just may be that Rock Art will have to knuckle under because the legal fight would drain resources they just don't have. Hansen literally has more lawyers than the Rock Art folks have employees. That's the way the legal system sometimes works in the U.S.

But the public relations system sometimes works in an opposite and remarkable fashion in this country. Rock Art Brewery has gained more in attention than they could have hoped for in the next 10 years if the Hansen lawyers had just left things alone.

I'm willing to bet that Vermont bars are ordering as much of Vermonster as Rock Art can ship. Can a bigger distribution deal be far behind? God bless the lawyers.

Another Reason to Hate Beer Pong

I've never been a big fan of drinking games. Even in my younger days I really just did not get the point. I've always considered drinking to be more of a social event than a competition.

I never did the beer funnel thing. I remember being pressured into participating in a couple of games of quarters, but I kept thinking about where that change had been. Pretty gross. And chugging just never did it for me. That's why the current fascination with beer pong just is lost on me.

Now Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., has given me all the reason I ever need to just say no to beer pong. The school has announced that several students have contracted the H1N1 flu after a weekend beer pong competition.

Dr. Leslie Lawrence, medical director at RPI's health center, is asking students not to share drinking cups. That should pretty much end beer pong at RPI, unless the students come up with an endless supply of plastic cups so they can switch them out after each successful shot.

The kids at RPI are pretty smart. The question is are they smart enough to listen to Dr. Lawrence?

Cask Ale Sales Rebound in Great Britain

It has been more than a quarter century since cask ales sales in Britain enjoyed a year over year increase, but that might change in 2009.

In the first half of 2009, British consumers downed 2.3 million more pints of cask beer than they enjoyed during the same time period in 2008. You have to go all the way back to 1982 to find the last annual rise in real-ale consumption.

The Cask Ale Report, commissioned by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)and some brewers, showed sales reached 825,000 barrels during the January to June 2009 period. The report said 660 breweries now make cask ale, the highest number in 60 years.

The improving picture is good news for the troubled British pub segment. Forty percent of real ale drinkers visit a pub at least once a week, compared with just 23 per cent of non-cask drinkers. The report also pointed out these customers tend to spend more during each pub visit.

Real ale requires careful handling by pub operators. The beer undergoes a second fermentation in the cask and is not injected with carbon dioxide. CAMRA was formed as a consumer movement in reaction to national brewers in England discontinuing traditional cask ale brands in favor of easier to distribute lagers.

GABF: Recap of a Great Fest

I intended to get to this a bit earlier, but it has been busy in the Lyke2Drink world for the last week or so...The Great American Beer Festival has come and gone for another year. It is sort of like Christmas. You start thinking about it months in advance, you make plans to visit old friends, you pack up and run the travel gauntlet, and then everything happens so quickly that when it is over you are left drained and wishing that you had an extra day or two before going back to work.

A few random thoughts on America's grandest beer bash:

Records Are Made to Be Broken: A ton of records fell at this year's GABF. The most impressive to me are the 3,362 beers entered in the medal competition. That's a 16 percent jump in just a year. A total of 51 breweries were first timers this year.

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More Categories = More Fun: The GABF competition featured 78 categories (+ the Pro Am category) in 2009, up three from the previous year.

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More Elbow Room: The GABF added 46 percent more space to accommodate more brewers and more attendees this year. It was hard to find the additional space of Friday or Saturday night. Still, a good idea.

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Farm to Table Pavilion: The Brewers Association hosted a food and beer matching event in a quiet corner of the Colorado Convention Center on Thursday and Friday evenings. It was a good chance to get away from the noise of the GABF and a reminder of the fact that beer can play an upscale game that trumps wine in many respects.

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What Happened to the Time?: This GABF was a bit more of a blur this year for me because of all of the activity that went into launching the Denver Rare Beer Tasting and having a stand alone Pints for Prostates booth at the event. The Brewers Association graciously donated the space and volunteers Mark Sohasky, Dan Rabin, Darrin Pikarsky, Chad Henderson and Charles Willet helped me staff the booth. We had the chance to talk with a bunch of men about the need to get regular prostate health screenings, while at the same time raising funds for the Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network. The lucky winner of the kegerator drawing was Ben Carlisle of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, a new homebrewer attending his first GABF.

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Big Kick Off: Once again Great Divide Brewing was the place for brewers, media and beer hangers on Thursday afternoon. The traditional kickoff of the GABF marathon was a chance to see old friends and drink some excellent house brews. If you find yourself in Denver, the Great Divide taproom should be on your list. This brewery makes a very solid range of beers that are worth your time.

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American Craft Beer Week: Mark it down, May 17-23, 2010. Check out www.AmericanCraftBeerWeek.org.

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Michelob Tasting: The Anheuser-Busch InBev folks had a nice gathering for the media at Earl's Restaurant. The mix of beer included commercial offerings, some brewery only treats to show flexibility (a very good Doppelbock and a pear brew) and a beer designed by the media. Rye-ter's Block was a beer by committee -- beer writers -- that was very drinkable.

Brewers Celebrate GABF Medal Wins

The Great American Beer Festival for 2009 is in the books. The activities wrapped up last evening at the Colorado Convention Center, but for the brewers the main event happened during the afternoon session, when medals were handed out.

There were 3,308 beers in the GABF competition entered by 495 brewers in 78 categories and the Pro-Am category. The beers were judged by 132 industry professionals from 10 countries.

Here is the complete list of winners from the Brewers Association.

The top five medal winning states were: Colorado (45), California (39), Oregon (22), Washington (13) and Pennsylvania (12).

Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year is Chuckanut Brewery of Bellingham, Wash., and Will Kemper.

Large Brewpub and Large Brewpub Brewer of the Year is Pizza Port Carlsbad of Carlsbad, Calif. and Pizza Port Brew Guys.

Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year is Dry Dock Brewing Company of Aurora, Colo., and Dry Dock Brewing Team.

Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company Brewer of the Year is Flying Dog Brewery of Frederick, Maryland, and Robert Malone.

Large Brewing Company and Large Brewing Company Brewer of the Year is Coors Brewing Company of Golden, Colo., and Dr. David Ryder.

Samuel Adams LongShot Winners Announced

One of the highlights of the Great American Beer Festival for the beer journalists at the event is the annual Samuel Adams brunch. It's a chance to have some quiet time with writers you know and respect, plus Jim Koch gets back to his homebrewing roots at the event.

The Samuel Adams American Homebrew Contest selects beers from two homebrewers and a Boston Beer employee's recipe to make up the yearly release of the LongShot variety pack.

This year's six pack is going to be one you need to try. Michael Robinson of New Hampshire has an Old Ale in the pack, Ben Miller of New Mexico contributes a Barleywine, and Jeremy White, an IT employee at Boston Beer, offers a Belgian-style Saison.

The LongShot pack is slated for release in April 2010.

Denver Rare Beer Tasting is in the Books

I'll leave it up to others to comment on the quality of the inaugural Denver Rare Beer Tasting to benefit the Pints for Prostates campaign, but I figured I'd post a few photos and offer thanks to all of the people who made the event a success.

First of all, 24 great breweries came through with a group of truly unique and exotic beers. You can check out the list of the brews that were served here. Part of the buzz from the event was created by the fact so many legendary brewers were on hand to talk with beer fans about the special beers being poured.

There were the volunteers, many of them home brewers with a real passion for beer, that made it possible to produce the event. The team at the Wynkoop Brewery received the beer over several days as it arrived from around the country and they provided excellent service as beer fans sampled the brews and enjoyed snacks.

Then there were the 450 beer fans who had the faith to buy tickets for a first time event and started lining up for the DRBT about an hour before the doors opened. There is no shortage of beer events in Denver this week, so it was great to have so many people turn out. Several told me they came to Denver from across the country just for this event, which is pretty impressive.

Then there were a host of folks who donated services to get the programs, signs, glassware and other items produced, including eTix, Harperprints, Image Navigators and Eric Mower and Associates. A special thanks also goes out to the Brewers Association, BeerAdvocate.com and Visit Denver for helping to promote the event, which sold out more than a month ago.

The biggest thanks of all go out to Daniel Bradford, publisher of All About Beer Magazine, and the entire team at the publication, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. The amount of energy and expertise they put into the Denver Rare Beer Tasting made the entire event possible. Literally, without Daniel's tireless efforts the DRBT would have never happened.

In the end, the Denver Rare Beer Tasting helped raise the awareness of the brewing community and beer fans about the need for regular prostate health screenings and PSA testing. The funds raised at the event go to help the Us TOO Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network, a group that works with men with prostate cancer and their families. And, while there are plenty of good reasons to have a beer tasting, this is one of the best I can think of and why we are talking about doing it again next year.

Ready or Not: It's Beer Festival Time in Denver

There is excitement in the rather chilly air of Denver on the eve of the 28th annual Great American Beer Festival. The city is pretty much a giant river of beer for the next few days, with thousands of beer fans paddling through the rapids, outstretched hands holding tasting glasses in search of the next great brew.

To start things off, the first Denver Beer Fest is currently underway. This 10-day event is one of what will become two annual “Beer Weeks” for the Mile High City. The time leading up to and during the GABF has always been packed with beer related events, but the Denver Convention and Visitors Bureau decided to formalize things this year by serving as a hub for all things beer. There are dozens of tastings, dinners, tours and other events focused around beer. There is no possible way to participate in everything, but there is no excuse not to immerse yourself in the celebration.

The GABF is still the focus in Denver this week. The Brewers Association will break records with this year’s event. Paid attendance is expected to reach 49,000 people (plus volunteers, brewers and media) during the four sessions. Organizers say 46 percent more space in the Colorado Convention Center is being utilized to hold a record 457 brewers pouring 2,100 beers. The event is sold out, which is music to the ears of scalpers working the streets near the venue. If you are attending, please stop by the Pints for Prostates booth (D-1), not far from the Pro-Am beers and the GABF t-shirt sales area. We’ll be raffling a kegerator to raise funds to help fight prostate cancer and we will have information available about the disease.

The GABF medal competition will also set records this year. A total of 495 breweries from 48 states have entered 3,362 beers for judging by a team of dedicated industry professionals. Over the years GABF medals have helped establish the brewing credentials of some of America’s top craft brewers. Winning a GABF is a true point of pride for brewers. If you are trying to handicap likely contenders, check out this post from that chronicles the 2,987 medals handed out since the professional judging panels were established in 1987.

One of the happenings in Denver this week that I’m most excited about on several levels is the inaugural Denver Rare Beer Tasting. This event started out a few months back as a simple idea to bring together some of America’s best craft brewers to help fight prostate cancer. With the help of All About Beer Magazine, in cooperation with BeerAdvocate.com, this event brings the Pints for Prostates campaign to Denver in style. We are using the universal language of beer to reach men with an important health message.

The brewing community really stepped up for this event. We have 24 of the country’s most innovative brewers pouring some of the most exotic and hard to find beers on the planet. You can check out the beer list here and you will understand why the 450 tickets for this event sold out weeks in advance. There is even a waiting list of people who want to volunteer. All proceeds from the DRBT benefit the Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network, a 501(c)3 charity that helps men with cancer and their families.

Lyke2Drink will file several reports from Denver this week to keep you up to date on some of the happenings in and around Denver. We hope you will join us for the ride.

Release of 1,001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die Set for March 2010

Amazon.com has already started promoting advance sales for 1,001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die, which has a scheduled release date of March 23, 2010.

The book, edited by U.K. beer writer Adrian Tierney-Jones, is the result of contributions from beer writers around the globe. I put together the reviews for 24 of the American beers that will be featured in the book -- so just 2.4 percent of the final product, but I got to taste some world class brews in the process. I'm not going to name drop at this point, since part of the fun of getting this book will be to find out which beers were selected and which of your favorites are missing. This is one of those books that will start a few debates in various languages.

The thing about a book like this or any list that attempts to rank the best is that there is always someone left out. Even with the great team of writers for this book, there are certainly more than one or two great beers that did not make the cut. Sometimes it's because the editor feels that a particular beer is the 1,002nd beer to taste before you die. In other cases it might be because the brand is relatively unknown or the brewery is in a remote location. This book will not be out long before the beer message boards buzz with lists of beers that people feel were snubbed. That's half the fun.

According to Amazon, this 960-page hardcover book published by Universe will have a list price of $36.95. The early bird discount on Amazon is 34 percent, so you can get it for just $24.39. That's 2-cents per beer reviewed in the book. I'm certainly not that objective about the project, but I'd say it's certainly worth the price.

Celebrating Oktoberfest in Winston-Salem

Foothills Brewing in Winston-Salem, N.C., celebrated Oktoberfest today with an event that raised funds for Pints for Prostates and Save the Ta Tas.

I stopped in and had the chance to enjoy a rich Oktoberfest beer produced by the talented Jamie Bartholomaus and the Foothills team. This amber colored beer has a thin tan head and nice sweet aroma. Good light roasted malt notes and plenty of caramel touches to the finish. Perfect for the season.

The event included a number of contests, raffles and German food to go along with the Oktoberfest release. I brought back a growler to enjoy during tailgating tomorrow for the opening game of the NFL season for the Carolina Panthers.

Denver Rare Beer Tasting Brews Announced

The beer list for the sold out Denver Rare Beer Tasting has been finalized. The brewers donating beer to this event have gone out of their way, dug deep into private cellars and provided some real gems for beer fans to sample.

For those of you lucky enough to have one of the 450 tickets to this inaugural event, here's what you can look forward to enjoying on Sept. 25th:

* Alaskan Smoked Porter 1999 & 2008
* Allagash Fluxus 2009 * Bison Reunion '09 -- A Beer for Hope Double White Ale
* Samuel Adams Utopias 2009
* Brooklyn Wild 1
* Deschutes Double Black Butte Porter XX
* Dogfish Head Raison D’Extra 2006
* Foothills 23-year-old Pappy Van Winkle Barrel Aged Total Eclipse Stout
* Great Divide Old Ruffian Barley Wine 2008
* Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Glacier Harvest ’09 Wet Hop Ale
* Highland Big Butte Smoked Porter
* Jolly Pumpkin Biere de Mars Grand Reserve 2006 & 2007
* Lost Abbey The Angel's Share 2009 Brandy Barrel Finish
* Mich Brett
* New Belgium Trip II
* New Glarus Golden Ale
* Odell Crimson Shenanigans
* Oskar Blues Wet & Whiskeyed Gordon
* Rogue Ales John John Hazelnut
* Saranac Imperial IPA
* Sierra Nevada Barrel Aged Scotch Ale
* Stoudt Old Abominable Barleywine 2007
* Stone 2008 Old Guardian Barley Wine Aged in Red Wine Barrels
* Wynkoop Barrel Aged Berserker Mead

All money raised by the Pints for Prostates campaign goes to help the Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network.