Beer Trivia - Did You Know?

[Shoval Manuts]

HOW DO WE COMPETE WITH BUDWEISER?

Executive: Robert Uihlein, Jr., head of the Schlitz Brewing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Background: in the 1970s, Schlitz was America’s #2 beer, behind Budweiser. It had been #1 until 1957 and has pursued Bud ever since. In the 1970s, Uihlein came up with a strategy to compete against Anheuser-Busch. He figured that if he could cut the cost of ingredients used in his beer and speed up the brewing process at the same time, he could brew more beer in the same amount of time for less money … and earn higher profits.

Decision: Uihlein cut the amount of time it took to brew Schlitz from 40 days to 15, and replaced much of the barley malt in the beer with corn syrup - which was cheaper. He also switched from one type of foam stabilizer to another to get around new labeling laws that would have required the original stabilizer to be disclosed on the label.

Impact: Uihlein got what he wanted: a cheaper, more profitable beer that made a lot of money … at first. But it tasted terrible, and tended to break down so quickly as the cheap ingredients bonded together and sank to the bottom of the can - forming a substance that "looked disconcertingly like mucus." Philip Van Munchings writes in Beer Blast:

    Suddenly Schlitz found itself shipping out a great deal of apparently snot-ridden beer. The brewery knew about it pretty quickly and made a command decision - to do nothing … Uihlein declined a costly recall for months, wagering that not much of the beer would be subjected to the kinds of temperatures at which most haze forms. He lost the bet, sales plummeted … and Schlitz began a long steady slide from the top three.

Schlitz finally caved in and recalled 10 million cans of the snot beer. But their reputation was ruined and sales never recovered. In 1981, they shut down their Milwaukee brewing plant; the following year the company was purchased by rival Stroh’s. One former mayor of Milwaukee compared the brewery’s fortunes to the sinking of the Titanic, asking "How could that big of a business go under so fast?"

[Nye]

Thank you?

[pnickers]

Lemme get Six Schlitz's

[Tha_Professa]

Back before Sunday distributor sales, when there'd be trips to the 'O' in Oakland to get beer, I'd get me some Schlitz Blue Bull 40's.

[Shoval Manuts]

Thank you?

You're Welcome.

[Nye]

Thank you?

You're Welcome.

High five!

[Jeebas]

Yeah I remember talking to someone about this recently...

[nickybaggadonuts]

And if that wasn't enough trivia....did you know....
The powers that be at Guinness say that a pint of beer is lifted about ten times, and each time about 0.56 ml is lost in a beer drinker’s facial hair.  That’s a lot of wasted beer!

Also Bavaria still defines beer as a staple food.

And to round it off to the magic number three

Samuel Adams Triple Bock is the strongest beer in the world with 17% alcohol by volume.  The strength is achieved by using champagne yeast.

[Bull]

And if that wasn't enough trivia....did you know....
The powers that be at Guinness say that a pint of beer is lifted about ten times, and each time about 0.56 ml is lost in a beer drinker’s facial hair.  That’s a lot of wasted beer!

Also Bavaria still defines beer as a staple food.

And to round it off to the magic number three

Samuel Adams Triple Bock is the strongest beer in the world with 17% alcohol by volume.  The strength is achieved by using champagne yeast.

 Sam Adams Utopias MMII,  is in fact 24% alcohol by volume, making it the strongest commercial beer in the world.

[$1.50]

Sam Adams Utopias MMII,  is in fact 24% alcohol by volume, making it the strongest commercial beer in the world.

Does the MM stand for Made in Mexico like it does on Fender guitars, or is it crappy old roman numerals?

[Tha_Professa]

While it could stand for both, I'm sure it just stands for Roman numerals.
Bloody Romans.

I wonder what all varieties of Sam Adams Latrobe helps put out.

[Tha_Professa]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/04/09/denmark.carlsberg.strike/index.html

Wow... talk about a sweet-ass job... and these mo-fo's are striking?
Damn.

[Corny]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/04/09/denmark.carlsberg.strike/index.html

Wow... talk about a sweet-ass job... and these mo-fo's are striking?
Damn.

Yeah, I heard that this morning on NPR. Imagine Happy Hour everyday not just after work but during work too!

[pnickers]

Nothing like alcohol around heavy machinery.  A winning combination every time. 

[$1.50]

Did you hear the This American Life about the GM plant that Toyota took over an ran for them? People used to drink on that production line all the time. Not to mention that there was flagrant gambling and prostitution in the plant as well.

[pnickers]

Are they still hiring? 

[homesystem]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/04/09/denmark.carlsberg.strike/index.html

Wow... talk about a sweet-ass job... and these mo-fo's are striking?
Damn.

Problem is, Carlsberg is kind of like the Coors Light of Europe.. I don't know how much of it I'd want to drink on a daily basis.

[Tha_Professa]

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1978705,00.html

An interesting method to get the alcohol level that high.  $60 a bottle... damn.

[newefezziwig]

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1978705,00.html

An interesting method to get the alcohol level that high.  $60 a bottle... damn.

As explained in a cheeky video on the company's website (warning: the clip contains simulated penguin sex), the brewery was able to attain the high alcohol content by freezing the beer at a local ice cream factory, at temperatures as low as -6°C (21°F), for 21 days.

[Shoval Manuts]

I may have a new side project once I get the beer for Jon's wedding all squared away. 

[$1.50]

I'd just pour some grain in it and call the beer jungle juice.

[Jeebas]

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1978705,00.html

An interesting method to get the alcohol level that high.  $60 a bottle... damn.

That's awesome!!!

[Corny]

I'd just pour some grain in it and call the beer jungle juice.

Thiinking of that, I was going to buy some grain alcohol in OH and place in some mason jars various fruits w/ granulated sugar. Then pour the grain over everything and during the couple months should have grain alcohol with fruit flavor ready for the beach.

[Jeebas]

I'd just pour some grain in it and call the beer jungle juice.

Thiinking of that, I was going to buy some grain alcohol in OH and place in some mason jars various fruits w/ granulated sugar. Then pour the grain over everything and during the couple months should have grain alcohol with fruit flavor ready for the beach.

...and hope that Morgan doesn't accidentally get into it at the beach house

[Corny]

ooh yeah that would bad.

[$1.50]

Morgan, Uncle Bob's got some giggle juice for you.