Happy International Beer Day! I just finished celebrating by brewing ten gallons of smoked stout, and I’m looking forward to a draught of blonde ale from my kegerator later today. I’ve been homebrewing for about two years, and it’s a fun, practical hobby. Variety is the name of the game, both in terms of beer styles to produce but also in terms of the methods used to produce beer: extract, partial mash, all grain, single infusion, decoction, boil-in-a-bag, 1 gallon, 5 gallons, 10 gallons — you get the idea. The hobby facilitates the purchase of a tremendous amount of equipment for each of these different methods. The latest addition to my zymurgy hobby is the cask widge.

Like most homebrewers, I started out bottling the beer I produced. While this makes it easy to share my work with friends and colleagues, I find it to be a tedious, time consuming process. When I bought my first keg, I swore I’d never bottle beer again! Kegging is so much easier, so much faster, than bottling. But it’s not without its problems.

I’m not a particularly cautious brewer — I’m in it for the product, not the process — so many of my brews end up with a fair bit of sediment in them. Even after racking to a secondary, many of my beers have had a noticeable amount of sludge at the bottom. This sludge winds up being the entirety of the first glass or two I dispense from a keg.

This is because kegs have a dip tube that runs down the length of the keg, pulling beer from the bottom up into your glass. The first pull or two will grab any sludge that’s fallen to the bottom, and after that the beer should be clean and delicious. Some homebrewers avoid this problem by cutting their dip tubes an inch or so shorter than normal so that they sit above the sludge.

The cask widge, on the other hand, floats at the top of your beer, ensuring that your first pull is clean and refreshing! It attaches to a length of flexible tubing, and allows the widge to always rest at the top of the beer in your keg regardless of how much is left. It also includes a fine filter to ensure that any flotsam in your beer doesn’t make it into your glass.

The only kink with using a cask widge is that you need to get a gas length dip tube for your keg. You replace your normal dip tube with the gas length dip tube, connect the flexible tubing, and finally connect the cask widge. Fill and pressurize your keg as normal, and you’re all set!

In order to really test the cask widge, I intentionally brewed a “messy” beer, and ensured that a lot of trub was transferred from the brew kettle into the primary fermentation bucket. I skipped the secondary fermentation process altogether. When I filled the keg, I made sure to get a good bit of the sludge from the bottom of the bucket into the keg.

Despite my efforts to cause problems, the cask widge did what it was supposed to do. The beer I dispensed was clean and clear from the first glass to the last! All the rubbish I had intentionally transferred into the keg remained at the bottom, and was not pulled up by the widge.

Another use of the cask widge would be to use a corny keg as a secondary fermentation vessel, and use the cask widge to ensure that only the good clean beer gets transferred from that secondary into your serving keg. I haven’t tried this yet, but it’s definitely something I intend to try.

If you’re a really good brewer who carefully filters your beer and makes clean, sludge-free beer then you likely don’t need the cask widge. If you’re a brewer like me, the cask widge helps ensure that your beer looks its best at all times!

UK Brewing is currently the only US distributor of the cask widge that I’ve found. Feel free to share in the comments if you find another source.

I found out about the cask widge via Homebrew Finds, and I strongly encourage all homebrewers to follow that site (or associated Twitter account). Many thanks to Anthony at Buckeye Beverage Service for getting me the gas length dip tube I needed so quickly. If you’re a homebrewer in central Ohio, you should talk to Anthony.

Product Page: Cask Widge

Nope. They’re real, and thankfully, there’s an app for finding them.

We talked about the Beer Gardens NYC app last year and they’ve just updated the app to integrate Foursquare, Facebook, and Twitter checkins along with more gardens. You can also share tips with your beer drinking friends.

As before, beer garden entries include a description of the scene, photos, and videos. A directory of 900+ beers is searchable by venue and brand.

You can grab the app on the app store and it works with iPad and iPhone. It costs a mere 99 cents and I think it’s an interesting app in that it reduces the “tour guide” app down to a very specific formulation, focusing on beer and beer only. I’d love a moules frite app for Paris, for example, or a whiskey app for Kentucky.

Product Page

The app itself runs on multiple devices but they’ve just announced a special SXSW version for you and yours. This allows you to compete with fellow tipplers in the streets of Austin.

If you’re thinking there’s more to this, there isn’t. Presumably you could pitch a certain beer to folks who check in, but that functionality isn’t live. It looks like a couple of dudes, tired of being ostracized for their love of the suds, have taken the necessary steps to bring their hobby mainstream. Like Beerby, the app allows you to find odd brews in odd places, a boon to the burgeoning drinker.

Product Page

The kits run about $40 and are available now.

Product Page

Your guy is great, am I right? He’s fun, he makes you laugh, and he can, in a pinch, be counted on to do laundry. He even, occasionally, shaves! Why not reward this positive behavior the way Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer, rewards an unruly dog: through forceful direction and, when the time is right, kind words and a treat.

Here are a few great items for your geeky SO this Valentine’s Day and we’ve tried to find items that you can pick up in the next few days. While it’s always nice just to go out for dinner and a movie, why not make this year a bit more special?

Leatherman Wave Multi-Tool – Every man needs a multi-tool. These things have screwdrivers, knives, and pliers stuck in a package about as big as a candy bar and they never, ever break. He’ll have this for years and every time he strips a wire or whittles down a shim, he’ll think of you. (About $80)

Louis CK’s Hilarious – Nicholas turned the entire team onto Louis CK and we all agree that he’s the best living comic out there today. His rant on cellphones and airplanes is hilarious and this movie is wild. Don’t want it on DVD? Grab it from Netflix or download it from iTunes. The best thing? You can watch it together.

WickedLasers Spyder III Pro Arctic Series – This laser goes all the way up. WickedLasers makes some crazy stuff and this amazing laser is no exception. Your lad can pop balloons, paint imaginary bombing targets, and generally freak everyone out during pub quiz. ($299.95)

Keyport Slide – It doesn’t really matter if your man has as one key or six, the Keyport Slide doesn’t care. It holds them all in a state of readiness. The latest version even ships with a flash drive and bottle opener. It’s a tad bit more expensive than a keyring at $79.99, but style doesn’t come free.

Dydo Hot Cake Mix Drink ~ Pancake Essence Beverage – If your SO is a foodie, this might be the best present in the world. It’s a drink that tastes like pancakes. Add in some Pepper Bacon Doritos Twists (about $10) and you’ve got breakfast. Barring that, pick him up a beer brewing kit ($116) from Northern Brewer or a set of ceramic knives from Kyocera ($79).

Logitech K800 – I’ve fallen in love with this ultra-thin, ultra-nice backlit wireless keyboard. The K800 has a full numerica keypad, a rechargable battery that lasts for ever, and it works with Macs (After a bit of hacking). ($99)

A Gift Card – Why worry about the fuss and muss of buying a real item? Head over to ThinkGeek or Adafruit Industries to get him a gift certificate for some real geek gear.

Extra Super Expensive Idea

A Makerbot Thing-o-Matic – This thing is a bit expensive and it takes a while to deliver, but if your man is a Maker then he may get a huge kick out of this. It’s a machine that builds parts out of extruded plastic and it’s literally amazing. If your guy already has everything, this will allow him to make everything. ($1,225)

An All Guys Star Wars/LOTR/Whatever Marathon

1. Ensure he gets you something nice for V-Day. Confirm receipt and then explain to him what’s going to happen next.
2. Buy a lot of beer, chips, microwavable foods and a full set of his favorite movie. Invite a bunch of his friends over. Sit them on the couch for 12 hours. Leave.
3. ????
4. Return home to enjoy the company of the happiest man on Earth.

I am not really sure if beer lovers really need this kind of gadget, but Takara Tomy is ready to sell it (in Japan only – at least initially). The company has showcased the so-called “Beer Hour” in Tokyo today, a small device that’s supposed to make it easier to pour beer from cans into glasses.

According to Takara Tomy, the Beer Hour is “optimized” for the cans Japan’s four top breweries produce (I have no idea what that means). But the company also says that basically every beer can holding between 350ml and 500ml will fit, including those not made in Japan.

Takara Tomy will start selling the Beer Hour in yellow and black on May 19 (price: $25). If you live outside Japan, ask specialized online store Rinkya to get one shipped to you when the device comes out.

Via IT Media [JP]

Bring a can of soda (or beer, or juice) along for the ride. A flat can of Coke has been called the racing cyclist’s “secret weapon” – the quick jolt of sugar and caffeine is perfect to get you up the last few hills.

Rigid leather is hand-stitched together to be structurally sound. Cans stay snug in the can cage even after a rugged off road tour.

Designed to fit a standard can size, but can be custom-ordered to fit your favorite bottle size (just convo me).

Product Page via BikeSnob

It’s October 1, which means that you’re average American think Oktoberfest has started. Not true: Munich’s Oktoberfest begins in mid to late September and lasts through October. A minor technicality if all you’re looking to do is celebrate the holiday best known for, well, bier and busen. In any event, there’s a handy iOS App that was just released that can help New York City folk find Oktoberfest beer gardens. It’s called Beer Gardens NYC [iTunes link], and it works quite well.

What does it do? It has some 50 city beer gardens organized by borough, price range, and beer selection and price. Fancy a Berliner Wieser? Then make your way to the Lederhosen German Wurst & Bierhaus in the West Village. Or perhaps you want a Bayerischer Bahnhof Berliner Weisse? The Radegast Hall & Biergarten on N 3rd Street in Brooklyn is where you’ll want to go.

Maps, photos, and directions are provided, as you might expect.

And of course, the App doesn’t all of a sudden stop working once Oktoberfest ends on the 4th. Nope, many of the beer gardens in New York City are open year-round (or at least close to it), so once November rolls around you’ll still be able to use the App effectively.

Beer Gardens NYC can be downloaded from the App Store right now, and it’s only $1.99.

Pretty neat little App here.

You’re obviously dealing with crowdsourced info here (I said I drank a Bells Oberon at a Bob Evans near here, which is untrue). However, if you’re in a city with a high adoption rate it might be an interesting way to find great beers on tap.

Beerby (rhymes with “nearby”) allows beer drinkers to log and comment on the beers they drink. If you have ever wanted to keep track of the good, bad and otherwise notable beers you drink at a bar, now you can do so easily with this iPhone app. Over 30,000 beers are included in our database to get you started and help you discover new beers.

The app is free and works on iOS and in the Android market.

Brewing TV – Episode 1.1 from Brewing TV on Vimeo.

If you’ve ever made your own booze you probably know about Northern Brewer, one of the best online brew supply stores. Well, those folks just started Brewing TV which consists of a dude in a hat talking with another dude in a hat about brewing as well as a video of some other dudes in hats. Generally, it’s just as you’d imagine, but so much more.

Once you roll past the intro, you get to see the guys at Fulton Brewing in Minneapolis and a few more interesting bits on brewing. A nice bit of visual distraction for the weekend and an interesting move by an entrenched, old-timey industry to enter the 21st century. Could these men in hats and ironic beards (see below) be the next Gary Vee?

Homebrewing is an odd nexus of technology and tradition. Because most of these guys are hackers – either technologically or culinarily – its fascinating to see how the industry slowly but surely moves into the 21st century with cool stuff like this. Incidentally, I need to bottle my chardonnay this weekend. Party at my house in about five months!

The bartender ring is made from stainless steel, and is worn like a, well, a ring. It’s handcrafted and sold by Dustin Wallace, and each one is made to order apparently. We don’t know how much they cost, but you can order one from the Maker’s Market. Perhaps you might be better with the Ring Thing, which will set you back $7.99 and isn’t considered to be a deadly weapon in California and New Jersey.

Lufthansa introduces first Business lounge with beer garden Bavarian flair at newly refurbished business lounge at Munich airport

Just in time for spring, Lufthansa guests travelling through Munich are in for a Bavarian first: status customers and Business Class guests can, for the first time, relax in a Lufthansa lounge featuring its own beer garden. In cooperation with Munich’s Franziskaner brewery, Lufthansa passengers will enjoy draught beer tapped from the barrel and Bavarian pretzels while relaxing at traditional beer tables overlooking the scenic, Bavarian Alps. The beer garden is integrated in the refurbished Business Lounge in the Schengen departures area (Gate Area G, opposite G 28) of Terminal 2. Covering a total floor space of 11,840 square feet (1,100 square meters), the lounge is equipped with more than 300 seats and has new opportunities for passengers to work, or simply unwind and relax.
“Lufthansa is continuing to invest in customer comfort despite the current difficult economic situation,” says Thomas Klühr, Group Representative and Head of Hub Management Munich. “The newly refurbished Business Lounge measures up to the high quality that our passengers have come to expect from our product.”
In addition to a re-designed bistro area, the Business Lounge offers six new satellite bars and a large bench accommodating up to 28 passengers. Leather-upholstered armchairs invite passengers to sink in for a while and enjoy peace and quiet in the comfort zone. The more industrious have 18 workstations, some equipped with integrated computers, to choose from. From any seat in the lounge, passengers can surf the net with their laptop or check emails. Two large screens in a separate TV area provide a choice of television entertainment. Also available are two shower rooms, complete with hair dryers, towels and a range of toiletries.
Altogether, Lufthansa provides passengers in Terminal 2 with a choice of seven lounges totalling over 48,000 square feet (4500 square meters). In addition, passengers outside security can take advantage of Munich Airport’s own Airbräu restaurant – the world’s first airport brewery and restaurant, offering its own Bavarian beer garden during the summer months.

Why bother with a shatter-proof pint glass? According to Yahoo! News “[t]here are about 87,000 alcohol-related glass attacks each year, with many resulting in hospital visits.” Holy smokes that’s a lot of beer-related violence! My biggest worry when I break a glass is how soon I can replace it, not whether or not some shard will soon make its home in my neck! “Officials swore the country would save billions in health care costs by coming up with a glass that doesn’t double as a lethal weapon.”

Always a resourceful people, the Brits were sure to highlight a secondary benefit to this new shatter-proof pint glass: “The glass could keep the beer colder for longer.”

Sláinte!

If you have a dog and you’ve thrown a party, you know that dogs generally add a bit of fun to the mix at the beginning of the party but by the end, they’ve mostly eaten food off the coffee table, scared the bejesus out of the three guests who have an irrational fear of dogs, and had a few “accidents” in high-traffic areas like hallways and doorways.

You can definitely add some value to your house pet with this collar that features a built-in bottle opener. It’s retractable and it only costs $15 – not a whole lot to think about there, it’s pretty much an impulse buy. If you can teach your dog to fetch beers, too, well then you’ve set yourself up for a long, stress-free life. Man’s best friend, indeed.

Bark4Beer [Product Page via Craziest Gadgets]

Meet the arkeg. The ultimate combination of a MAME console, and a kegerator. Those lucky bast blokes at Wired managed to get they hands on one to review. It’s got some good and bad points, but you have to admit it’s cool no matter what.

The arkeg isn’t cheap, you’ll need to spend about $4000 to get this bad boy set up. It also is limited to a ‘Corny’ keg, and not a full size unit.

[via Wired]

After a long, hard day of… playing with toys, watching cartoons, and napping, nothing spells refreshment like a frosty glass of Kodomo No Nomimono – a phrase which I can only assume means something close to “beer for kids” in Japanese.

Perfect for the holidays, too, as evidenced by the second video below:

This is non-alcoholic beer, of course – looks like it’s basically sparkling apple juice. Even so, it’ll be coming to the US never, ever, ever in a million years.

[via Kotaku]

If you ask me (and nobody asked me) the standard 12-ounce beer size is long overdue for an upgrade. We, as Americans, like things larger than life and there’s no reason we should still be drinking a single beer in under a minute. Until all beer manufacturers start shipping suds in 32-ounce (or larger) cans, we’ll have to make due with an apparatus such as this: the Portable Tap Dispenser.

It’s basically a backpack with a big tube to hold a bunch of liquid, connected to a tap. There’s even a pocket for holding cups if you still insist on doing your drinking 12 ounces at a time. I’m not quite straight on exactly how many ounces this thing holds, but it appears to be enough for at least a nice stroll around the block. The tube looks like it’s made of plastic, which will make your beer taste funny — better drink up quickly, then.

Thirty five bucks at FunIdeas.com if you’re interested.

Portable Tap Dispenser [FunIdeas.com]

What happens when you mix one of the best ‘budget’ beers with the best messenger bag company in the biz? The best messenger bag of all time! That’s right, friends, Chrome is giving away one (or maybe more than one, I don’t know) LE Citizen PBR bag. How do you win? I’m glad you asked because it’s the easiest contest I’ve ever come across.

Sign up for Chrome’s e-mail correspondences before July 31 and you’re automagically entered to win! A winner will be announced the following day. Easy, right?

Citizen PBR Bag [Chrome]

Brewing your own beer by hand is soooo 1992. You can now automate most of the process using an Arduino controller and some source code over at Halfluck.com.

As for materials, you’ll need an Arduino board, an LCD and serial board, two temperature sensors, four push buttons, four solid state relays, one 2400-watt heater element, two perastaltic pumps, and one spit motor.

The system, once assembled, can apparently whip up a pretty consistent batch of beer and can be remotely controlled and monitored. As for the copious scrubbing and disinfecting involved with homebrewing equipment, you’re on your own for that.

Halfluck Automated Brewing System (HABS) [Halfluck.com via Make]

Okay, this is definitely a new one. The “BeerPaQ CarboPouch for Draft Beers” is pretty much exactly like it sounds, although you could drop “BeerPaQ” and “Carbo” to achieve the same effect: it’s beer, but in a pouch. But why?

Here’s why. It’s expensive and time-consuming for smaller “craft draft beer brewers” — people who brew their own beer that’s delicious enough to sell to other people — to bottle all those beers for sale. These beer pouches make it easier and less expensive to do so, especially at on-site events like beer festivals and whatnot where they may sell beers one at a time.

The pouches are made from a special “organoleptic film structure” that apparently don’t change the taste of the beer, so it’s just like drinking out of a bottle assuming you can get past the mental aspect of drinking a tube of beer.

Here’s more:

“The patented film structure is designed to handle the pouch “stretch” after filling and carbonation expansion. The automatic filling process is such that there is no headspace after filling. The three-side seal pouch has a smooth side comfort grip feature. The combination of these factors makes the CarboPouch™ a true economical innovation for distribution of craft draft beers to the consumer’s home. Sports functions now have a package!”

The pouches come in three sizes: 8 ounces (boo!), 16 ounces (yay!), and a whopping 1.8 liter-sized pouch (hooray!). I’ve never personally heard of or seen anything like this but maybe they’ll slowly creep their way into local beer-stravaganzas everywhere.

CARBOPOUCH [Beverage Pouch Group via DVICE]