We've long supported equality issues here at Dumbarton's Beer and today we're one step closer to achieving that dream. Spanx, popular among the ladies, recently unveiled its lineup for men and we say it's about time. Why do women get to keep physical secrets but not men?
Soon enough men will be walking down the street as women whistle at them like, well like construction workers. Nobody will really know if that man is chiseled from hours at the gym or hiding man boobs and a beer gut because he's just coming from the local tavern.
A spokesperson from the company said: ‘There’s no chance of a sagging bum with this range’, and are designed to ‘firm and flatten’.
The American founder of Spanx, Sarah Blakely, said: ‘We applied out 10 years of knowledge and expertise in compression fabrics and transforming the body to this first-of-its-kind collection for men.’ Source: MetroUK
Excuse the pun, but there's been a brouhaha in recent week's over the label design for Lost Abbey'sWitches Wit. With Halloween right around the corner the timing couldn't be better. The Pagan, Wiccan, and even the Deaf-Pagan communities are up in arms over the label, which features a witch in what appears to be a medieval town center, being burned at the stake in front of the townspeople.
Deaf Pagans Crossroads is but one example of a Pagan priest offended by the label. Recently, a letter to Lost Abbey was posted saying "[a]s an ordained Pagan minister and long-time practicing witch, I am TOTALLY DISGUSTED with the label you are using for your Witch's Wit beer." (Emphasis not added.) Comments to the post included phrases we can all agree upon in matters like these: "way over any bounds of decency", "is inappropriate", "in very bad taste", and of course the obligatory comparisons to the Holocaust with "you can’t put a lable (sic) of a Jew being gased (sic) and justify it by writing a paragraph about the horrors of genocide."
This all started when the New York Times ran a piece about Vicki Noble's accidental run in with the brew. Ms. Noble likes beer but does not like the label. For those of you not in the know, Ms. Noble is a feminist leader who "is famous in the pagan and Wiccan communities for her astrology readings, shamanic healing and writings about goddess spirituality". According to the Times, she sent an E-mail to various contacts expressing outrage over the label calling it hate imagery and comparing it to images of the Holocaust and lynchings.
The Lost Abbey line of brews is known for religious bent in their labeling. In the craft brew world, brewers and drinkers have come to appreciate labels as art. Yes, labels are marketing tools but they are art as well - somewhere, Warhol is smiling. Even if it's not art (who's to say, really?) it's probably protected by the First Amendment.
Since we're not Constitutional lawyers or members of the Tea Party we decided to put our best men on the case. While Lost Abbey may be changing the label you can't un-ring the bell and we need to know if this is art, marketing, offensive, or pointless filler because we have nothing else to write about. Our best men went undercover and filed this report (you be the judge):
In many ways, this blog is like the novel Moby Dick. While motivations differ, like Captain Ahab we are in search of one specific thing. For the Captain, it's the fierce great whale Moby Dick. For Dumbartons Beer it's the perfect beer. So it was, we were on yet another wandering journey through the beer aisle looking for our white whale when we stumbled upon Cisco BrewersWhale's Tale Pale Ale.
What makes the Whale's Tale worth discussing? First, the name rhymes and that's just fun. Second, Cisco Brewers is based in Nantucket, MA leaving open the possibility of endless childish "poems". Finally, Cisco Brewers makes shatters the beer-wine barrier by brewing both. Some wineries force the "wine is for the average joe" and other breweries push "beer can be as sophisticated as wine". Cisco puts both philosophies into practice and proves both are right. Just for giggles, they offer a distillery too. So, basically, it's Nirvana.
All of this is well and good if the beer is good (we didn't stumble upon their vino or their spirits - yet). It turns out the beer is good. For reasons best left unsaid, we're unable to pour this fine brew into a glass but let's be honest for a moment - most people are concerned with a beer's taste. Light, dark, head retention, lacing, yadayadayada - how does it taste?
It's an English Ale that is best described as a mellow brew. There's a lot of good, earthy flavor. The hops are prominent and the floral aroma is comforting. The Whale's Tale doesn't have a lot of "depth" and is not overly complex, as some beers tend to be. This is a beer that reminds you of a simpler time - a nostalgia that can only be brought forth by lovers of the sea. We're land lovers but we are happy we found the Whale's Tale and will surely grab more Cisco brews (be it wine, beer, or spirits) if we can find it - and we recommend you do the same.
We are not a nation of savers. It's not clear we ever have been - at least not in recent years. Don't believe us, check out the chart below. Yes, the marketing folks at Nationwide Insurance claim it's our national pastime but we all know Americans are much better at spending than they are at saving. Like it or not it's a consumer economy and we're a consumer girl.
Not only are we bad at saving the country is stuck in a recession. Well, officially the recession is over but few people are feeling the positive vibes. During these difficult times, stories abound of folks doing their part to cut a few corners and save a few pennies (like these poor souls). Sure, growing your own garden, bagging your lunch, or renting out the guest house can help but we found something better. Our friends at the Western Bank in Vietnam recently launched a nationwide promotion that offers authentic German Bitburger beer for making deposits.
"Tropical Vietnam has a long tradition of beer drinking, introduced by French colonists in the late 19th century....
Authorities have been trying for months to get banks to cut interest rates, both on loans and deposits, so lenders have had to get creative in the fight for depositors."
-Reuters
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Of course, there's a catch. And like any good lender we're putting the fine print at the bottom. Depositors get one large can of Bitburger for each deposit of 7.5 million dong (don't worry, it's only $385 US) through November 25, 2010. You can thank us later for not reducing the font size to 1.5.
. While motivations differ, like Captain Ahab we are in search of one specific thing. For the Captain, it's the fierce great whale Moby Dick. For Dumbartons Beer it's the perfect beer. So it was, we were on yet another wandering journey through the beer aisle looking for our white whale when we stumbled upon 
