By Nick Falsone | The Express-Times

Hey, at least I didn’t spill much beer.

This is probably one of the only positive statements that can be gleaned from my performance Saturday night in the beer stein races during ArtsQuest’s inaugural Oktoberfest. SteelStacks in South Bethlehem hosted the event, which ran for consecutive weekends and ended Sunday evening.

ArtsQuest spokesman Mark Demko told me the event was a great success and the organization is already working on ideas for next year.

“More than 23,000 people attended the first Oktoberfest presented by Yuengling, which is excellent for a first-year festival,” he wrote in an e-mail.

Aside from typical Oktoberfest sites like beer drinking, polka music and bratwurst, the event featured a number of competitions including the stein races.

The drunk and sober alike volunteered to participate.

I was somewhere in between, closer to the sobriety end even though the Yuengling Oktoberfest draughts packed a punch, when my wife convinced me to make an ass out of myself.

The object of the stein race is simple enough: Six Musikfest mugs are filled with beer and placed on two tables that are about 30 feet or so from one another. You grab the six mugs from one table, run over to the other table and put down all six mugs.

Then, you pick up the other six mugs and run them back to the starting point.

Finally, you wait for a guy with a microphone to tell you and dozens of spectators that you’re slower than the vast majority of your fellow participants, including a few lushes who were probably on the cusp of projectile vomiting into the Lehigh River.

I came in at 12.3 seconds, which was slower than Express-Times News Editor Ashleigh Graf. It also was much slower than the guy with a New York accent who claimed he was from Germany and donned a beer-stained T-shirt imprinted with a lederhosen pattern.

But while Graf and the pseudo-German beat me in expediency, it needs to be noted that both spilled mass quantities of beer, but were not penalized. There’s video evidence out there of Graf’s spillage, but she’s declined to publicly release the footage.

I didn’t protest to the guy with the microphone, who seemed to be serving as both MC and referee. But in hindsight, perhaps I should’ve said something. Speedy delivery from UPS or FedEx is great, but if the package is damaged or missing something, it doesn’t really matter how long it took to get to the doorstep?

Besides, my poor time mark was quickly forgotten by almost all the spectators, who seemed more interested in witnessing serious lapses in mobility rather than efficient and delicate transport of brewed beverages.

And there were plenty of lapses. People crashed into fences, dropped entire beers, lost footwear, slipped on puddles of stale beer and, in at least one case, crawled to the finish line. There were no serious injuries as far as I could tell.

So for Demko and those at ArtsQuest, I have two ideas for next year — hold more beer stein races and get more liability insurance.

A post on Jezebel.com this week titled “Chick Beer: Ugh, Really?” called the concept “offensive” in reference, perhaps, to the sales pitch on Chick Beer’s website: “We love Chick Flicks, Chick Lit, and now we can love Chick Beer!! Enjoy!”

The upstart from Maryland is the latest brewer to try and lure female beer swiggers with promises of low-calorie, smoother, lighter and less carbonated brews to prevent the pesky side effects of bloating.

Carlsberg and Molson Coors also recently launched girlie beers, with Copenhagen and Animee respectively. Copenhagen is a wheat malt and rice-based beer, while Animee is described as a “lightly sparkling and finely filtered” beer that also comes in pink ‘rose’ and zesty lemon flavors.

Chick Beer also donates five percent of all profits to charities that empower women.

First, this does not have to be large. Even a corner of the family room, or the back wall, will do. If you have more room you might want to get into building a proper bar with stools and keg taps. While very nice, such a set up is not at all required to enjoy your new home brew.

The one item you must have, however, is a selection of beer glasses that will allow you to fully enjoy the beer you have created. It isn’t enough to have just a single type of glass and a couple of mugs in the freezer. You have put a lot of both time and effort into brewing your beer and it deserves to be properly enjoyed. Here are just a couple of types of beer glasses any home brewer should have on hand:

• Pilsner Glass This has become the standard beer glass in the U.S. It is the one always used in beer advertising primarily because the curved bowl provides a stage for the light gold color of most American beers and the wide mouth helps form a thick and foamy head which traps the aroma. If you were to be limited to a single glass, the Pilsner would be a good choice.
• Beer Stein A proper “stein” is very heavy and can be fashioned from pewter, porcelain, silver, or even carved from wood. The stein originated in Germany in the 1300s and is quite often as much a work of art as a useful vessel to drink beer from. Many have lids that are raised out of the way with the thumb. This development came about to prevent flies and other flying insects from getting into the beer. The heavy glass “mugs” more frequently used today are directly descended from the stein.
• Weizenbier (Wheat Beer) Glass Shaped very much like the Pilsner glass, the Wheat Beer glass is another shape developed in Germany. Usually larger than the Pilsner, the Wheat Beer glass has a capacity of about 18 ounces. It is tall, slender and features a wide mouth to help form a thick head to retain the aroma of the beer inside
• Flute and Tulip Glasses Both these shapes were originally developed to appreciate wine. The Flute is most often used with a sparkling wine like Champagne and the Tulip was created for white wines. Both are now used for beer. The Flute glass is very good for fruit flavored beers and the Iambic beers of Belgium. The small mouth of the Tulip glass is wonderful for retaining the rich smell and extremely thick heads of ales.

In addition to these, there are many more shapes of beer glasses including the Yard glass and the Pint glass. As you develop your beer brewing skills and try more and more recipes, it is equally important that you have at least a couple of different shaped glasses on hand to give the best tasting enjoyment possible.

And, lastly, don’t forget cleanliness! Thoroughly wash, rinse, and dry your glasses after every use. Sampling your new home brew from a completely clean glass will ensure that you taste only the beer and nothing else.

Want more information about beer brewing, types of beer glasses, and other stuff beer related? Visit us at Brew Beer Today.

Author: Jesse L Moore
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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When a couple is getting married, they are often looking for gifts for their wedding party that will express their love and appreciation for the men and women who are standing with them during their special day. There are many different things to consider, but men always love receiving a glass or mug with their name on it.

Once the decision has been narrowed down to glassware, finding the right piece will be next on the list. There are some choices that can be made from an elegant glass to a large, heavy mug. There are also sizes in between so the choice is yours. Just think of their personality and how often you believe they would use it and you will find the right one.

When choosing the right one, you have to consider the habits of the person you a buying for. Decide if they are a big drinker. If they are one that meets with their buddies on a regular basis and watches the games or plays poker, then a mug may be appropriate for them. But if they are someone who may have a drink from time to time, or may only have a quick one at the end of the day, a smaller glass may be better.

If this is what you are really considering for a gift, having their name engraved on the glass is a wonderful idea. If this is a thank you for a wedding or another occasion where your friend was there for you, a small inscription expressing the occasion may be a thought.

There are many things that can be considered for gifts and there are many types of glassware that can express your feelings to your friends. Finding something that expresses their personality with an inscription of your feelings to them would be a lovely gift that they would be cherish for years to come.

Finding the perfect gift is sometimes a journey, but knowing the person you are buying for can help you along the way. Choosing personalized beer glasses as a thank you to someone whose friendship and support has meant so much to you is a great idea. Adding their name with a couple of words of thanks on the glass will provide them with something that they will enjoy for many years.

Before you buy beer mugs or glasses, make sure you check Wealthwoods top quality Personalized Beer Glasses or look for a Personalized Beer Glass

Author: Mary J. Braun
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Fortunately, glass shape or appearance does not limit any customizing plans you might have. In fact, every glass would look more attractive if you print it. The size does not matter as well. Both tall and short beer glasses would look very attractive with images and wordings printed on them. Even glass beer mugs could appear charming if customized. As a result, if you have beer mugs around, you should request a real artist to beautify them. To avoid the hassle of searching for someone who could print your glasses, just shop online.

These are readily available and all you have to do is to choose a set of glasses that you want. These glasses have many different including pets, movie characters, cartoon characters, people names, and other images. If you only want wordings or phrases, then you can get related personalized beer glasses too. Some designers are so creative that they can change the shape of your glasses. They could twist it or create other engravings on the outer surface. Hiring these creative artists would be expensive than buying readily customized glasses.

Unfortunately, readily customized might not offer you exactly what you could be looking for. You must search properly to locate custom glasses that almost satisfy your tastes and preferences. Even if you lack beer glasses that match your desires accurately, just buy them. Then find someone who can add a detail or two to beautify the glasses more. Customizable glasses can be made of any material, including glass, porcelain, plastic, earthenware and so on. Hence, you should not restrict your choices to glass. Choose different types of beer glasses and have someone imprint what you want on them.

If you are not sure about the best theme to choose, try sports or something close. Themes available are very many and you cannot lack a superior one for your glasses. The use of your glasses is one thing that could guide you. For instance, if you are looking to buy custom glasses for your pub, then you need to be careful when choosing the best theme. The standard theme would be your business name or logo. Note that you must not limit yourself to this. Simply pick custom glasses that would excite your customers. Prices are not a big problem because most of these glasses are not expensive. A good number of people can have the funds for buying different types of personalized beer glasses.

G. Smitty is a writer who loves to discuss many topics ranging from custom beer glasses to professional basketball. hanks for reading!

Author: G. Smitty
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Such pieces are available in various shapes and sizes. These also have different textures and are available at all price ranges. These can be purchased from house ware sections of stores or over the internet according to the needs of the person purchasing them.

A few popular shapes in which these are available are:

o Nonic-shaped pieces which are also known as the conical mugs are the most commonly available ones everywhere. They taper at the bottom and bulge out at the top.
o Tulip shaped ones are more like hour glasses and are curved. They taper at the very top.
o The boot shaped ones are found where people practice the traditional practice of drinking from a wooden shoe.

Some pieces have a lid that can be flipped up. Some may also have etchings on them. The mugs can be personalized in this manner. Personalized mugs can be used for several occasions. These can be decorated or stylized in various ways. Personalized mugs can be given as gifts to someone or can be used in wedding favors or can be used as promotional items in stores.

Personalized beer mugs can be of several types like color base mixing variants, frosted variants, sports varaints, pilsner types, clear mugs, ceramic mugs etc. These personalized pieces can be used in bars, restaurants, parties, business meetings and parties and at various other places.

Such glassware can be printed or they can be plain. Usually the printed ones are more expensive than the plain ones.

When purchasing personalized beer mugs, the following must be considered.

o These should be purchased which are of good quality and must belong to a good and known brand.
o The material used for making these must not be of sub standard quality.
o These must be durable.
o These must have a guarantee so that in case of damage, they can be replaced.
o They must be purchased to suit the needs of the person buying them.

Though these glasses are available in many colors, the transparent ones look the best. They give a sophisticated and refined look. Beer glasses have become an important item in households everywhere.

Discount Mugs gives you the best solution for presenting to your prospective and regular customers with your name imprinted and custom photos on several Mugs and Glasses used in Offices and Homes worldwide. These Custom Discount Mugs and Shot Glasses along ceramic mugs and champagne glasses can be used as best corporate gifts and even to gift someone you love.

Author: Harmeet S Chugh
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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This is so wrong on so many levels! The beer glass, formally know as “beer glassware”, performs an unsung but vitally important function in how much you enjoy that tall, cold one after a long day at work. There are many, many different types of beer glassware, each with its own shape designed to be used with a specific type of beer. Here is a list of the most common types of beer glassware and the types of beer they are associated with. Utilizing the beer glass developed for the type of beer you are brewing will do wonders to enhance your drinking experience.

Beer Stein: The stein is, traditionally, German. It is typically a very heavy container made from silver, pewter, porcelain, or even wood. It is often heavily decorated with elaborate scrolling and other decorations including precious or semi-precious stones. Most often it is equipped with an attached lid the drinker can raise with his thumb. The lid came about during the 1300s in response to the “Black Plague” to stop disease carrying flies from getting into the beer.

Steins were developed for use with the heavy German beers of the period. Today, because of their weight, they are more often collected and displayed than used for drinking.

Wheat Beer Glass: Made to enhance the enjoyment of “wheat beer” brewed with high concentrations of malted barley. Like the stein, this shape was also developed in Germany and is also known as a “Weizenbier”. This is a large glass, usually holding about 18 ounces although some can be as small as half that. The glass itself is tall, very narrow at the bottom and very wide at the top. The wide mouth allows room for a thick head that contains the aroma and is very nice to look at.

Pilsner Glass: Designed to be used with “pilsner” beers. These are tall, with a shape that evenly tapers from a wider mouth to a narrower base with no curves. The shape of the Pilsner glass provides a stage for the light, gold color of the traditional pilsner beer while the wide mouth allows formation of a foamy head to keep in the flavor and aroma of the hops.

Flute Glass: This glass is most often associated with sparkling wines like Champagne but is also often used for Belgian lambic beers and beers flavored with fruit.

Pint Glass: Most often associated with the English pub, the pint glass contains 1 imperial pint and is used to serve English ales and stouts. It is rather short, with a mouth just a bit larger than the base.

Tulip Glass: This is another glass originally made for white wine. It is shaped with the rim of the glass is not as large as the mid point. For beer drinkers, this shape does an excellent job of trapping the rich aroma and thick head of beers such as Scottish and Belgian ales.

Stange and Becher: These are both cylindrical glasses and are most often used to serve Kolsch or Altbier type beers. Both hold about the same amount, but the Becher is shorter and fatter than the Stange.

Yard Glass: So called because it stands about a yard (3 feet) high, the glass has a bulb at the bottom and a shaft that becomes continually wider towards the rim. Because of its height, it is not stable and is most commonly hung on a wall when not being used. This glass probably originated in 17th Century England and was as much more a testament to the glassblower who created it than anyone drinking from it.

Today, it is most often used in drinking games and not by serious beer drinkers.

When your next batch of home brew is ready for sampling, you now know which type of beer glass will be best used to enhance your drinking pleasure.

Instead of searching the online beer sites endlessly for information about home beer making, simply download the ebook Brew Beer Bible found at Brew Beer Today.com.

The Brew Beer Bible is inexpensive, has an iron clad money back guarantee if it does not meet expectations, and offers step by step instructions on how to always get the best tasting beer out of your home brewery.

Author: Jesse L Moore
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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If you have an awesome beer art to share, join us at the Pub for Beer Enthusiasts, Beertaps.com Pub.

Mugs are used by everyone, for every type of drink. Most office or residential kitchens have a wide array of multi-purpose mugs displayed at any given time. Some folks even reuse their mug over and over throughout the day, first for coffee, then water, then soda, because it’s “their” mug and they’re used to it. Imagine the exposure your name will enjoy if it’s on such a cherished possession: At all times of the day, co-workers, clients, delivery people, and colleagues will see your mugs on desks and may remember your name!

There is an unbelievable selection of styles and materials-chrome, glass, stainless steel, ceramic, acrylic and plastic-which allow for inexpensive giveaways (some less than $3 each), all the way up to quite handsome gifts, priced to a maximum of $15 apiece. That means you can choose which customers receive which mugs, since varying qualities offers the most potential from your investment. Except for the metal finishes, your company colors can probably be accommodated, as well as colored logos. Price is further controlled by choices including design repetition, style of lettering, or additional personalization. Therefore, even a business on a budget can offer printed mugs as promotional items.

Remember, a mug’s size is fairly uniform, unless you opt for a larger version such as an insulated or thermal type. If the mug can fit into a car’s cup holder, you’ll have the assurance that it may be transported by your customer, thus increasing the opportunity of your advertising being noticed. Furthermore, should your business be affiliated with a particular potable such as beer, coffee or soup, there are specialty mugs just for these purposes, or for those customers with such preferences. Giving this type of individualized promotional gifts to clients may very well win favor and a long-term relationship!

Once a printed mug with your business name, logo, or motto is given to a customer, it creates positive brand reinforcement. Every time the client or a member of his family opens the cupboard, or washes, rinses and handles the mug, your company name reminds them of your generosity and influence in their life. As a person pours their juice, tea or milk into the mug, they may say to themselves that the next time they need to do business again, they’ll call you first. Since most mugs can last for years (or until a ceramic or glass one is dropped on a hard surface!) their message will remain indefinitely as a continuous reminder of your goodwill. Even if the lettering starts rubbing off and the image begins to fade, customers will think about your business-as will anyone else who uses the mug.

Mugs are items that are relatively minor, but mean a great deal. Not terribly expensive, mugs are often part of collections that do actually get used. Mugs are enjoyed by men, women and children, are conversational pieces, and, for the most part, are items most folks don’t buy for themselves-all excellent reasons to consider printed mugs for your advertising and promotional needs!

Author: Gareth Parkin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Promotional mugs are always visibly attractive and can be easily customised by imprinting your company name, logo, message, and website URL. Well-designed and crafted promotional mugs can do all the walking and the talking for your business to advertise and market in a very effective way. Promotional mugs provide voice to your business whenever anyone uses promotional mugs.

The major advantage of promotional printed mugs is that it can even reach to those who do not watch television or read. Mugs are mostly used for sipping coffee, or beer, or in fact, any kind of drinks within the common household. Hence the outreach of such mugs can be very wide and trusted. While promotional mugs can appeal to everyone it makes more impact on business professionals, woman, or mothers. Promotional mugs should be designed carefully in unique and innovative ways so that it would become a conversation starter.

You can even gift promotional mugs to your employees as token appreciation. A receptionist at a front desk drinking out of a promotional mug of your business is always a smart sight for any visitor. In business you come in contact with various other genres of business. For example, you might be dealing in apparel but you meet real estate agents, soccer moms, or vacuum cleaner salespersons. While each visitor to your business house may not be a direct customer, they always have the potential to network you to the right customer. To cater every business genre you can have different styles of mugs made of different materials such as, plastic, china, or steel mugs. Mugs can also have different looks fitting different moods, like formal business meetings mugs, or sporty mugs, or kid’s mugs or artistic crafted mugs.

Everyone uses a mug of some kind and the key is to design a promotional mug that will convince them to use only yours. Choosing and deciding what to say on promotional mugs is very important. Your company name, message informs the world who you are and for that you can choose promotional mugs as medium. Promotional mugs actually can provide new face to your existing business and make a strong statement.

Promotional mugs are very popular and leading online suppliers will ensure that they are customised as per your needs and requirements. To find out more about promotional mugs, printed mugs, promotional printed mugs, and promotional gifts visit the market leaders online and start to get your business noticed.

Author: Gareth Parkin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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