Brewing and Beer

The craft beer movement is mostly an American phenomenon, though it’s only a matter of time before craft breweries start popping up overseas.  One country that has caught on to the emerging market of quality brew is Italy, and now you can have a taste of what they have to offer if you find yourself in Philadelphia.  Alla Spina, which means “from the tap” in Italian, is a craft beer bar and restaurant that opened in March and offers 20 beers on tap and 50 by the bottle.  While most of their selection is from the bigger Italian breweries, a good portion (6 of the draft beers) are from Italian microbreweries that are striving to create complex and delicious craft beer.

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Let’s face it, beer smells good; and if you just can’t get enough of that great hoppy aroma, why not lather it into your hair?  Tasmanian Beer Shampoo ($11.50) allows you to do that without bringing a bottle of craft brew into the shower with you.  Brewed by the boutique Tasmanian Dark Isle Brewery. Prized Tasmanian hops straight from the oats houses of the lush Derwent River Valley are infused, then added for their conditioning and antiseptic qualities. You can  actually see the flecks of hops in the bar.  It’s also good for your hair as beer has been famed for generations for its ability to leave hair bouncy, shiny and full of body.

Craft beer bars seem to be popping up on every corner in cities like New York, Seattle, Houston and anywhere else with a decent beer community.  Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to see some bars with unique twists to draw customers (though, craft beer should be enough of a draw in itself).

One such example is The Brew Exchange in Austin, TX which opened its doors on February 16 with a pricing format that’s one of a kind.  The 72 beers on tap are all subject to The Brew Exchange’s pricing software that causes each beer to fluctuate somewhere between deeply discounted special offers and the typical six dollar pint.  The prices all move up and down throughout the day, allowing customers to get a premium pint for as little as $2 if the “market conditions” are favorable.  The dynamic prices also allow for certain brews to go on sale all day, simulating a market crash.  Each beer is dependent on the prices of the other beers though, so for example, if a Stone Pale Ale sees a 25% price drop, then the beers that are in that same category will rise by 25%.

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Head on over to Taste Terminal to check out the dates and times when the highly coveted (and highly limited) Pliny the Younger will available at bars across Southern California.  Some have presale tickets available but you’re limited to only one 8 oz. pour.  Still, most locations only received one or two 5-gallon kegs so it will go fast.  Follow the link below to find where the triple IPA will be poured.

http://www.tasteterminal.com/2012/02/14/more-places-to-get-a-taste-of-pliny-the-younger-in-southern-california/