...containing notes from beerme.com that don't seem to fit anywhere else.
I didn't go to GABF this year, but longtime Beer Me! contributor Michael Feekart did. He and his wife Clancy stopped in Omaha on their way home, and Paris and I met them at Upstream Brewing Old Market for a beer.
Richard, Paris, Michael, and Clancy
Fun people! Mike did point out that I could stand to catch up on some sleep.
I heard a rumor at a recent beer festival that Jaipur Restaurant & Brew Pub here in Omaha was under new ownership, and that the new owner had plans to close the brewery side of the business.
The Jaipur was one of the first Nebraska brewpubs, having opened in 1992, and they serve fine ales alongside their excellent Indian cuisine. It would be a shame to have to cross them off the brewery list, so I went there for lunch today to get the story.
(Try the lamb curry with rice and an IPA.)
The manager said the rumor is "100% false". Brewmaster Al Lunn, who has been at Jaipur for 16 years, laughed and said that he had no plans to leave the brewery. Both were surprised to hear such a thing, and assured me that brewing will continue at The Jaipur.
That's good news.
The Jaipur is located at 10922 Elm Street in the Rockbrook Village.
I haven't been completely idle since leaving Columbus. My friends here in Omaha talked me into developing a mobile version of Beer Me!. They all have Blackberrys and iPhones, but I took the easy way to start and made it for the new Palm Prē. (It's all done in Javascript, HTML, and CSS.) If this version has some success, I'll do versions for other devices.
Before I put it on the market, I'd like people all over the USA (Sprint) and Canada (Bell) to test it for me. This is especially important because I don't actually have a Palm Prē of my own, and I know it operates a little differently than the software emulator.
If you're interested and able to test my app, let me know and I'll send you the .ipk file. (You can find installation instructions here.) I'd like to get maybe 20 people to sign up as testers.
Here are some screenshots:
The Boston Globe checks in with pictures from this year's Oktoberfest.
The 176th Oktoberfest started on Saturday the 19th, kicked off by Munich Mayor Christian Ude, tapping the first keg with a cry of "O'zapft is!". With predictions of over 6 million visitors heading to Munich, the festival runs until October 4th. This year, a traditional liter of beer will cost visitors about 8 euros (11.75 dollars).
See all 31 pics at The Big Picture, which is a site well worth subscribing to.
Inflation hits the Oktoberfest again, but not as hard as the last couple of years.
The average cost of a litre of beer at this year’s Oktoberfest will be €8.44. And while Germans might moan about the 3.8 percent increase from last year’s price, it’s still cheaper than what many tourists pay for brew back home.
The majority of the Oktoberfest’s visitors come from the United States and Japan, and this year organisers need not worry about inflated prices driving their biggest group of customers away. A litre of beer is still 40 percent cheaper than in Japan, while Americans will pay just 5 percent more than they would back home.
US$12.33 for a liter seems like more than 5% above what we pay here in Omaha, but I guess it's not outrageous. Read the whole story at The Local.
Crescent City Brewhouse and Gordon Biersch.
Cooter Brown's and The Bulldog.
Abita Brewpub in Abita Springs and BJ's Brewery in Baton Rouge.
Am I missing any great beer spots in New Orleans? Paris and I will be there October 3-7.
Look, I'm all for intellectual property rights, but this is simply a matter of the big guy trying to crush the little guy.
Anheuser-Busch Cos. and Labatt Brewing Co. sued Brick Brewing Co., claiming the Canadian brewery is infringing their trademarks with the use of limes and the color green on its labels.
Anheuser and Labatt asked a Canadian federal judge to stop Waterloo, Ontario-based Brick from using the images in advertising for Red Baron Lime beer. Anheuser and Labatt are also seeking unspecified monetary damages and C$500,000 ($454,000) in punitive damages, according to the statement of claim.
Read the whole story at Bloomberg.com. Thanks to Draft Magazine for the link.
Thanks to Retro YouTube for the video and to Jeremy Kirby for the link!
