Anonymous Communist

Finally, Party House Liquors has opened in the (generic name of shopping center) along Koke Mill Road.

Taking advantage of Ride Your Bike to the Beer Store Day today, I rode down there to check out the selection. Right now, there’s nothing that the other beer stores don’t have. They did, though, hand me a notebook with instructions to write down what I would like to see.

I took them up on their offer, giving them the names of half a dozen or so brewing concerns, among them the obligatory New Belgium, Kalamazoo (Mich., the brewer of Bell’s products, which in Illinois are sold under the Kalamazoo name), New Glarus (Wis.) and Stone (San Diego) brewing companies.

That’s as good as I could come up off the top of my head. Do you, fellow beer nerds, have any other suggestions? I will be more than happy to make a return trip with your requests, as it’s about a 3-minute bike ride from Casa Communista.

Corn is king here in central Illinois. It’s been that way for many decades and will continue to be for many decades more.

Corn feeds humans as well as cattle, which in turn feed us some more. And it also feeds the ever-growing maw of the ethanol industry. With the massive subsidies being paid for corn to make ethanol, farmers would be crazy not to go buckwild with the maize.

This, of course, presents some unforeseen consequences: Greater (some might say artificial) demand for corn-based ethanol pushes grain prices up, and less supply for feed (human or otherwise) pushes prices up some more. Add to that the ethical quandaries of taking corn out of the food supply (and putting it into gas tanks) when untold millions in this country and around the world go hungry as well as the clearing of CO2-sucking rainforests and grasslands to make room for corn. There also are all kinds of studies that show corn-based ethanol’s energy inefficiency.

But perhaps the most unkindest cut of all is the effect that corn-for-ethanol is having on beer prices:

(B)iofuel subsidies … are pushing more farmers to ditch their barley crops — which are necessary to make beer — in favor of crops that earn them lucrative subsidies from regulators trying to fight global warming.

Once again, it’s Basic Economics 101: Less barley for beer means higher beer prices. Being the kind of person who frequents beer stores on a regular basis, I’ve noticed recently that beer prices are going crazy. I pretty much don’t buy imports at all anymore. Hacker-Pschorr is tasty stuff, but I’m not going to pay $9.99 for a six-pack. And Bishop’s Finger is even better, but it costs even more than the H-P for a four-pack.

And with domestic craft beers, it’s not just less barley: There’s a shortage of hops, too. I’m seeing beers that cost $1 or $2 more for a six-pack than they did just a few months ago. Flying Dog varieties have gone from $6.99 to $8.99. You can’t find a sixer of Sierra Nevada products anywhere for less than $8.99 unless it’s on sale at the grocery. Same deal with Goose Island beers, and they only have to make a 3-hour trip south from Chicago. And be prepared to take out a second mortgage for Rogue products: If you’re hankering for some Dead Guy Ale, it’ll set you back $10.49 for a six-pack or $5.99 for a 22-ouncer, and that’s when it’s on sale at County Market.

It’s enough to make a guy get back into making his own suds. I already have most of the necessary equipment, and if the input costs (malt extract, hops, yeast, water and bottle caps) come out to less than 90 cents per 12-ounce bottle (based on the price plus tax of Sierra Nevada), it would make economic sense to resume homebrewing.

(Tip of the hat to Your Neighbor via Andrew Sullivan.)

According to its Web site, Friar Tuck will soon be stocking New Belgium products. Curiously, though, when you click the “more” link, it mentions only Fat Tire. Hopefully, the Tuck will stock other NBBC products.

I’ve had their Sunshine Wheat, Skinny Dip and 2 Below beers, and they’re all mad tasty. I’m guessing that whichever beers they stock, they will be pricey. I’ll set the over-under at $8.99/6pk and take the over.

It’s snowing again. What a surprise.

Each snowflake that falls is a unique, beautiful and bone-chilling reminder that spring, like so many galaxies, is far, far away. Which is why seeing the following selections in Cub Foods’ County Market’s beer aisle twists winter’s frigid knife ever deeper:

For some reason, the spring seasonals are here already. Totally unfair. I’ve not had Blue Moon’s spring offering, but I can vouch for the tastiness of Sam’s White Ale. The Belgian-style white ale is probably my favorite style of beer, but I so strongly associate such beers with spring’s sunshine and warmth that I refuse to drink them until then.

Man, I hate February.

This wonderful human being is my friend Steve. He’s in town visiting family for Christmas, and he was nice enough to transport across state lines some delicious suds all the way from Denver. After making the purchase Monday, he sent me a text message:

I feel like the Bandit.

Having successfully evaded Sheriff Buford T. Justice, Steve stopped by last night and delivered his precious cargo:

• Two cases, Fat Tire Amber Ale
• One case, 2 Below Winter Ale
• One 6-pack, Stone India Pale Ale

My fondness for the Fat Tire is well-documented, and as a fellow New Belgium product, 2 Below is sure to be tasty as well. And the Stone IPA comes highly recommended by Steve as well as our pal Eric.

I should be good for beer for the next few days.

Beer Therapy reports that Fat Tire and other New Belgium Brewing Co. products have made it to Iowa City, one state over.

People were so excited they apparently started an impromptu bicycle parade to celebrate. If you ever needed an excuse to go on a bike ride, beer is a good one.

Eagle-eyed shoppers at Friar Tuck may have noticed that Hacker-Pschorr hefe- and dunkel weizens are in stock now. For those you can thank the persistence of A.C. reader Hereward Leoffricsson, whose numerous phone calls and letters to area distributors and retailers have paid off. It’s pricy, but available.

Maybe that’s what it’s going to take to get New Belgium products here: Constant badgering.

Mmmm… beer.

On the post about what I had to eat the other day, the discussion quickly turned from food to beer, so for lack of a better idea, I thought I’d try to keep that ball floating, if you will.

Several commenters on the “sammies” (eewww… so dirty) post waxed fondly about their favorite suds. So I ask you, dear readers, a two-part question: What is your favorite beer, and which beer (or beer family) not available where you live would you most like to see?

I’ll get things started. My favorite brand o’ barley pop is Hazed & Infused ($6.49 in the cooler at Famous Liquors), brewed by the Boulder Beer Co. The most striking aspect of this beer is the explosion of hops aroma and flavor. It’s not a particularly bitter beer, but the dry hop (hops added during fermentation) imparts an alluring aroma and taste of fresh hops, alternately floral, citrusy and spicy. Pour that shit into a glass and stick your nose in as you take a drink to get the full effect.

And the best part is that each six-pack seems to have a slightly different character. One could be extra floral, while the next one might skew toward overall bitterness, etc.

While Steve and Eric speak fondly of Stone IPA, I’ve never had it, and I don’t think it’s available in Springfield. The beer family I most long to come to central Illinois is that of the New Belgium Brewing Co.

They are most famous for their Fat Tire Ale, but I’m more fond of their Sunshine Wheat. The Skinny Dip summer seasonal (also their “light” offering) is excellent as well. Unfortunately, the New Belgium products are not available here.

I will occasionally ask the gentlemen at Friar Tuck if any progress has been made, but their distributors just won’t stock it. I even signed a petition that Friar Tuck started a couple of years ago to get New Belgium products here, but obviously that did not have the desired effect.

What about you?

The inner college student in all of us has at one time or another wanted a kegerator. Via Beer Therapy, here’s your chance to win one:

The Kegerator Give-Away Contest invites participants to fill out an entry form that explains why they should to win a kegerator. The Kegerators.net stuff will pick what they consider the most deserving story.

Every year, Mrs. Communist and I put a kegerator on our Christmas list, and every year our dreams are crushed like so much malted barley. This contest could be our ticket to glory.

Not only would a kegerator be convenient for the summer entertaining season, it also could be used for homebrewing purposes. The average batch of homebrew is roughly five gallons, which in turn requires about 50 12-ounce bottles. An alternative to bottling is to use the small kegs that soda syrup comes in, which are a convenient five gallons in capacity.

My friend Eric brewed a batch about a decade ago and used a Cornelius keg instead of bottles. It turned out quite well without putting forth the effort to fill each bottle by hand nor needing the space to store them.

When I win the kegerator, maybe I’ll brew a batch and have a break-in party.

Good news, dear readers. If you’ve been looking for a new reason to rationalize your beer drinking, I’ve found one for you.

Beer Therapy, the blog of the wondrous Reabeer.com, links to a list of beers and their alcohol and calorie contents. Slothful drunks such as myself need to know this stuff.

Perusing the list, I made an interesting discovery: Did you know that the sweet, sweet Guinness actually has less alcohol and fewer calories (4% and 125) than Budweiser (5% and 143)? Or that the all-malt Beck’s has the same ABV and calories as the rice-adjuncted Bud? Believe it, bitches.

This list can give a practical application to the excruciating time spent on the elliptical. After your workout, you can calculate how many beers from the night before you’ve burned off.

Want to help a good cause while also evoking unpleasant memories some people have of the Cold War?

Then join The Red Army! What the eff is The Red Army, you ask? Well…

The Red Army was established in January 2007 to accomplish two goals. The first is to unite the Cardinal Nation, and the second is to harness the collective power of the Cardinal Nation to help the community.

In order to accomplish both goals, The Red Army is selling T-Shirts and donating 50% of the net proceeds to The American Red Cross.

Sounds good to me. There are various price points for the shirts, each corresponding with a “rank.” Myself, I’m a 5-Star General, a limited-edition T-shirt available only during spring training. So suck on that, fools.

I’m partial to the Red Cross because of the help they gave Mrs. Communist when she lost everything she had in an apartment fire in college back in 1995, to say nothing of the invaluable assistance they provided after last year’s tornadoes and innumerable other disasters.

Plus, it’s fun to garner disapproving glares from people old enough to remember the Cold War when they see the words “Red Army” on your shirt.

(Hat tip: Scott)

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Switching gears now, I feel safe in mentioning that Friar Tuck is selling 22 oz. bottles of Liberty Ale for $1.59. Yeah, that’s what I said. Several weeks ago, I went in there to purchase a couple of bottles, and when they rang up at the aforementioned price, I ran into the cooler to grab a case of them.

I paid $20.11 (tax included) for those 12 bottles. Sold by the six-pack, Liberty goes for 9.99. So I got more than three sixers worth of tasty beer for roughly the same cost as two. Score! I kept the good news to myself, lest anyone else discover the excellent deal.

When I went back a few weeks later, there were still two full cases plus one partial left, so I grabbed another case. Tonight, I was in the mood only for a couple of drinks. Going into the cooler, I saw there was only the one case left. So get it while you can; it’s not likely to ever be this cheap again. You’re welcome.

The Red Army and Liberty Ale… you can’t beat that juxtaposition.