Into beer and WordPress (or at least WordPress)? I’ll be giving a talk on WordPress caching at WordCamp Boulder on July 10. If you’re in the area come on out and listen to all these great speakers talk about all things WordPress.

Anyone planning on going? Any recommendations for where to go for good beer? Got any good jokes?

Found via Boing Boing, this bottle opener ring (or keychain) is functional and bad ass. Click the pic for more photos or to buy one in your size.

Last Thursday I participated in a “virtual beer tasting” put on by Dundee Brewing (@dundeebeer). Dundee sent out six pack with two each of the three beers for the tasting to the participants and Dundee’s brewer Jim McDermott walked us through tasting the Summer Wheat, Kölsch-Style Ale, and Stout via online video chat (kinda like Chatroulette but with more beer and less dongs).

Summer Wheat

This is an American wheat brewed with a bit of rye (40% wheat, 5% rye) and Chinook, Centennial, and Cascade hops. It uses an ale yeast and is unfiltered so it pours nice and cloudy. 4.5% ABV and 18 IBUs. This one surprised me. I wasn’t expecting to like it since I usually like stronger beers but it had a nice hop finish to it which made it more interesting. Great beach/pool/cookout beer.

Kölsch-Style Ale

Brewed with 5% wheat and Mt. Hood, Hallertau, and Galena hops this one comes in at 5.68% ABV and 10.5 IBUs. This was another good beer and one I’d buy for a cookout any time. Dundee suggested using this one to boil brats. I’m assuming they meant putting the beer in the boil but drinking it while boiling seems like a great pairing as well. This is available in the new Craft Pack along with the Stout, IPA, and Pale Bock Lager.

Stout

A bit on the sweet on the sweet/dry continuum, this stout is brewed with chocolate, coffee, caramel and four other yummy malts. 5.8% ABV and 15 IBUs. Yum. Yum. Yum! This was a really solid stout that I’ll be seeking out. This is available in the new Craft Pack along with the Kölsch-Style Ale, IPA, and Pale Bock Lager.

Thanks

Thanks to Dundee and Pete for sending me a sixer and letting me particpate in this. The format was interesting and it was good to hear what the brewer had to say as well as get feedback from the other bloggers, writers and other in the tasting. It is good to see Dundee brewing good beers and this definitely makes me think of them not just as the ones that make the Honey Brown. That’s a good thing.

Links to other write-ups on this tasting:

• A Trifecta of Dundee Brews Reviewed
• Dundee Summer Wheat, Kolsch and Stout

WTF is a Geordie Schooner? That was my first thought when a package from Newcastle arrived with a CD, glass, and a bottle of Newcastle. It turns out the Geordie is the glass. From the press release:

Originally called the Wellington glass, it became so popular in the city of Newcastle that it was renamed the Geordie Schooner – a tribute to the local residents nicknamed “Geordies.” The city of Newcastle’s bartenders continue to serve Newcastle Brown Ale in the same glass, and now beer drinkers stateside can appreciate the tradition.

The Geordie Schooner’s style is designed to enhance the draught beer experience, creating a unique pour that highlights the beer’s incredibly smooth flavor. The robust glass shape is as functional as it is good looking. The wide rim traps the rich, caramel aromas, thereby enhancing the flavor. The Schooner’s nucleated bottom features an etched star that allows CO2 bubbles to escape out of the ale, retaining the creamy foam head to create a refreshing and lively taste until you reach the bottom of the glass.

Mine must have gone through the Ace Ventura treatment because it arrived a bit broken:

That didn’t stop me from pouring a chilled Newcastle in it though:

According to the release, this glass will show up in select bars and restaurants in the US (not sure about other countries) in a 16 and 20 ounce version.

In case you’re wondering what a “nucleated bottom” looks like, here’s the star etched in the bottom:

Has anyone seen this in the wild anywhere yet?

As you can tell from my posting frequency, I haven’t been keeping up very well with the world of beer. As such, I hadn’t seen Beer Newb yet. It was brought to my attention by my friend Sean who took the photo they are using in their article 5 Things You Can Do to Celebrate American Craft Beer Week. That’s me, second from the left