Beer Should Be Like Cereal And Have A Prize Inside!

Yes, I know what you are thinking. Beer does come with a prize inside. It is the yummy alcohol that gives beer it's wondrous effect. But this is not at all what I had in mind.

Tonight I purchased a six-pack of Guinness and a twelve-pack of George Killian's Irish Red and blew my weekly beer allowance in one shot. I drank quite a bit of Killian's when it first hit the market several years ago and red beer was all the rage. And Guinness? What can I say about Guinness that hasn't already been said by more eloquent beer drinkers than I, other than it is perhaps the single greatest beer I have ever had the privilege of tasting, bar none.

I purchased these beers for the simple fact that they came with a prize. The Guinness came with a little folder that was fitted around the neck of one bottle. Inside the folder was an official pouring spoon and recipe book! With it I can create my own homemade Black-n-Tan's using a Harp's lager or Smithwick's ale. I can't tell you how jazzed I am to try this out! It is bright and shiny the way a new nickel wishes it could be. Etched into it is the word "Guinness" and a large harp at the end of the handle. It has the look of a family heirloom. The handle is pierced to admit the small silver chain that passes through it and I am tempted to wear the damn thing in much the same way as Cool Hand Luke wore his trademark church key around his neck, but I don't have the chest hair to pull it off.

Next comes the Killian's. While there wasn't a prize inside, there was the promise of a free Brewmaster's Tasting Kit. My feet barely made an inprint on the newly fallen snow as I raced inside from the Jeep. I only paused long enough to kiss Flannery the way a beautiful woman deserves to be kissed after a long day at work and headed straight to the computer. My normal pokey hunt-and-peck style of typing disappeared and my fingers flew to http://www.georgekillians.com/ and I registered and entered my code for my free gift. "While supplies last" was written in small lettering everywhere on the carton that the kit was mentioned, so I felt obliged to make haste, as I was not going to be left out in the cold on this deal. The website has a video to teach you how to use your new Brewmaster's kit but I haven't watched it yet. I'm going to have to wait ten to twelve weeks for it to arrive anyway, so I figure I've got some time. Oh I do so love to get stuff in the mail!

The grocery store where I work has only this week put up their St. Patrick's Day beer display in preparation for the coming alcoholiday. I've read that St. Patrick's Day is the biggest drinking holiday on the calender, as it beat New Years Eve by a smidgen. I don't know if that is true or not. Both are good occasions to have a drink in my book, but that really isn't saying anything coming from me, as I think any day that is spent above ground is worth toasting. To each his own.

I promise to write a review for each of my new beer tools as it seems only fitting for a blog dedicated to the enjoyment of beer. I would recommend you hightail it to your local beer distributor and pluck up these freebies while you can, as breweries don't often give away stuff, not even at Christmas. Besides, these are the kinds of things that will earn you some serious credibility with your beer drinking friends. And what's the worst thing that could happen? You are stuck with good beer to drink and a present for your crazy beer drinking uncle at Christmas.

At least I'm not waiting for a decoder ring from Battlecreek, Michigan.

Cheers,
Doc

(Skyler's Dad- If you don't take advantage of the Guinness spoon, tell me. I'll get you one and send it to you.)