Why I Oughta...

Photo from the Elmhurst History Museum's Facebook page Yesterday's post about the Elmhurst History Museum's archives being used for economic development purposes by the City of Elmhurst got me to poke around the Elmhurst History Museum's site and Facebook page.  I ended up coming across this piece in the Chicago Tribune by Steve Johnson that covers his Top 10 picks for Fall Museum Trips . Included in there at $6 was the Elmhurst History Museum and their new Beer exhibit.   From the story : 6. "Beer Chicago: The Refreshing History": Lots of institutions these days do beer-themed events. This is all well and very good. But the Elmhurst Historical Museum had the bright idea to make an actual exhibition based on the sudsy stuff. The show's menu includes a beer-making station and the history of the city's beers, beermakers and taverns. There's also a tie-in with the Sept. 19 Elmhurst Craft Beer Fest, on the grounds of the museum. Sept. 18 to F

Nat grabbed my phone and took this photo of this Dolores beer when we were at some friends' house for pizza and beer last night.   We drank a few different craft beers, but I don't think we ever got down with Dolores, unfortunately.

Adding this too-cute coaster from The Bell & Anchor in Sag Harbor to the 'virtual coaster collection' here on the blog.  Oh...you don't know about the coaster collection?   Check out the posts here .  Pretty spectacular, right? The Bell & Anchor was a neat little restaurant and bar right on the waterfront by a working pier in Sag Harbor.  I think Nat found it.  It was a great pick. We didn't have a water-view, but had a really great (big!) table and everyone - but me - enjoyed seafood and shellfish of various varieties.  We sat at the bar for a big waiting for the rest of the crew to arrive and I was stationed right next to the bar tending station with the fruit and such that was awaiting various drinks.   Mixed in amongst the cherries and lime wedges were sticks with three HUGE olives on them.  I house'd 3 stick-fulls while drinking my local beer.   (I forgot what I was drinking but looking at their site, it was the Southhampton Publick House Keller

Back in May, Nat and I joined some of our closest friends (and family!) at Solemn Oath Brewery's "2015 Oath Day " - which was a celebration for their third anniversary.    We had a great time with some good beer (and one bad one!  One of the 'tea' ones was terrible!), lots of laughs and a new appreciation for what it takes to grow a brewery from scratch to a major regional player. The folks at Solemn Oath bill Oath Day as "Arcades, Beer, Vans, Babes, Motocycles, DJ, Miniramp".   From their site : There’s no need to dress up, but Oath Day 2015 will rock a not-so-subtle ’80s vibe. Again we’ll be skipping out on long lines and obnoxious crowds in favor of closing down for the day and opening up as much of our entire facility as we can, including a massive chunk of the parking lot and brewery. Oath Day is Saturday, May 16th, and here are the details. Again this year we’ll have two sessions and there will be even more room to spread your wings. We’ll h

At the Antiques Mall out in Naperville, I came across this sealed six pack of vintage Schlitz koozies.  They wanted like $20 for the set, so I passed as it was too rich for me.  There's got to be somebody out there that would die to have these and I'm hoping they'll find their right place at some point.  They're Styrofoam, so I don't know how sturdy/long-lasting these will be? But, it seems like they deserve to be used and not just sit on a shelf.  Nothing better than camouflaging that ratty Bud Light can you're drinking than behind this 70's era beauty.

We were out at Fitz's on St. Patrick's Day and I spotted these coasters on our table. Good to see the 'new' Block I out there being used (notice the inside curves on the top/bottom of the I).  Too bad that the squad not only missed the Big Dance, but also got run out of the gym in the NIT. Winning the Chicago market for the team means being in/around sports bars.  This small touch - these coasters - is a nice move for the team and the brand. Guessing this is coming out of the relationship that was established when the Illini named Coors Light the 'official beer' of the Fighting Illini back last fall .  Nat got me a shirt for Christmas with the new branding on it, but I still have LOADS of the old stuff in my drawers/closets.

Nat picked up this 1.32 gallon mini keg at Standard Market right before Thanksgiving.  It's from Breckenridge Brewery - which is surprisingly in Denver.  I think Nat's sister and her husband are big fans of this place. The purchase wasn't really for us - but for Nat's two brothers who go all-in for various holiday/Christmas beers this time of year.  In fact, they brewed their own (once again) that should be ready at next Christmastime.  They'll be cracking open bottles of last year's brew in mid-December.

After spotting (and documenting) the new Walgreens house brand of beer called Big Flats 1901 Lager and the Jewel brand Buck Range Light , I figured I should share a photo of another house-brand that I spotted:  Kirkland Signature Handcrafted Ales.  This is a 24 pack - of four different six packs including a Pale Ale, Amber Ale, India Pale Ale and a Belgian White all for $18.99.  The guy in front of us in line was raving about this stuff - and said that it is all he serves at parties and drinks at home.  If Nat doesn't like it when we serve Miller High Life at our get-togethers, I doubt she'll get behind a house-brand, right?  Anyone tried this stuff? 

My days as a beer-spotter continue as I found a bunch of 12 packs of Buck Range Light beer on an end cap near the dairy section at the Elmhurst Jewel.  There are both Miller and Bud products (as you can see) on the lower shelves, so this stuff clearly has priority placing by whomever is merchandising this space in the store. Priced about the same as Big Flats 1901 Lager , Buck Range comes in at less than 50 cents a can - which isn't terribly bad, especially for the Elmhurst College crowd.  But...can't you still get a $9.99 30 pack of High Life Light these days? As for the beer itself, there isn't much on the web to find out if this stuff tastes any good, but I'm guessing it falls down  near Milwaukee's Best and Natural Light.  I *think* it is new to market - as I sure haven't seen it before - and can't find much about it. Even the guys over at Beer Advocate haven't posted on Buck Range Light yet!

Move Over, Trader Joes.  There's a new Private Label beer on the town.  Did you know that Walgreens has their own private-label beer?  I spotted a big display of Big Flats 1901 Lager in the store in Downtown Elmhurst and was a bit confused.  First...I didn't even know Walgreens sold beer.  But, not just any beer.  Cheap beer. Although they bill it as "Premium Brew" made from the "Choicest Hops", the guys over on BeerAdvocate say that although it isn't the tastiest beer you'll drink, it is passable .  They, do, however recommend that you drink this stuff ice cold to enjoy it.  For me, the cans are pretty cute and the price is right:  a six pack was on sale for $2.99 for a six pack.  The other intriguing part is that this stuff is brewed in New York by "Brewers Choice", but the BeerAdvocate guys say that it is actually brewed by Genesee Brewing and is ONLY sold through Walgreens.  Sounds like a nice beer to have in Coloma at the lake

Earlier in the year, Nat and I spent time at Blueberry Hill in St. Louis near Wash U (Nat's alma mater).  In each of the booths (on the bar side, by the dart room), hung one of these beauties. There must be 10 of them on one wall - all with glass shades.  They're certainly not reproductions, but it is a wonder how they could have kept these in such pristine condition throughout the years.  Nat tells me that "Blue Hill" was a Wash U hangout, so they must not have been as rowdy a crowd as the one I spent many a night with at Kam's.  Guess that's what happens when you're school is ranked 12th in the nation.

Via my brother-in-law Peter , comes this pretty rad advertisement for Schlitz Beer. More here .

It looks like Budweiser outsmarted Miller . I really like Bob Odenkirk and I thought that those commercials were pretty funny, but the Bud ones are great zingers. I never knew the Miller wasn't American. This is a great response ad campaign.