CricketToes

Green Online Holiday Auction Puts the Price Back in Priceless

A couple of days back, Miltown-based photog Troy Freund alerted me to a shopping event that y'all will likely have a keen interest in: Wisconsin Partners for SustainAbility's--that's right, the "A" is capitalized--Green Online Holiday Auction. Organized to benefit some worthy causes in South Central Wisconsin, including Dane County TimeBank, WYOU--mmm, nutty community access TV--and Community Groundworks at Troy Gardens, the auction is running right this minute and will remain open until the evening of December 6, 2009, exclusively on The Mighty Internets™.

They've got twenty-eight items up for bid in the Arts/Crafts category currently. One of the few listed as having the highly sought after, MasterCard tagline value of "Priceless" is Arnold Wood's Hamlet, proving once again that slapping a price on art is completely and totally subjective. Harlequin/Shakespeare/thespian art lovers, however, may well fall into a swoon by this assessment, making their mouse hand shake uncontrollably with excitement and adding many more zeros to their bid inadvertently. Do I hear a kagillion dollars? Sold!

There's lots of other categories--like food, coffee, jewelry, etc.--chock-full o' stuff and services donated by Wisco-owned businesses and companies, such as Troy's bid item of One Day of Commercial Photography, which, by the way, is also listed with a value of "Priceless", but we'll easily go along with that one.

Click here to find holiday gifts for your loved and liked ones. It's all for the good!

(Thanks, Troy!)

Point Beer Awarded Best Nude in Wheat Field

If you've ever had occasion to perform the dance of joy in a wheat field while the summer sun glints off your completely bare naked bum--and who hasn't?--you know how the fine folks at Stevens Point Brewery are feeling right now, and that is giddy and slightly ticklish--hehe! Why are they moved to such heightened emotions of delight? 'Cause they just won two medals at the 13th Annual North American Beer Awards. Whoot!

That's right, kids, two different Point brews scored the top awards in the 2009 American Style Wheat category. With the seasonal break-all-introductory-sales-records Point Nude Beach Summer Wheat grabbing gold and the year-round hit Point Horizon Wheat snatching up silver, our fair Wisconsin may wanna rethink this whole flash in the pan America's Dairyland thing. Ha! Just joshin' ya, lactose mob. Please don't send your cheesehead goons 'round to kneecap me, 'kay?

The medals were presented at a public ceremony on June 5, 2009, in beautiful downtown Idaho Falls, Idaho. Actually, I cannot attest to the level of beauty Idaho Falls may or may not have since I've never been there and there's nary a picture to be found on its official website. But--good news!--the city's IT Admin is asking the proud citizens of that burg to send in pictures for a brand new, City Council approved website redesign, so check back there later when ya find yourself with copious amounts of unscheduled time. When ya do click back, be sure to utter these words in a hushed tone of reverence: World meet Idaho Falls.

Anyhoo, we're mighty pleased that Stevens Point Brewery made such a stellar show at this year's North American Beer Awards, so kudos to them!

See all the winners here.

(Thanks, Julie!)

Related:
Totally Nude Beer Redux

Oh Mein Gott! Von Trier Facing Foreclosure

Tom Daykin of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on Friday--yes, I apparently began my usual weekend coma early last week--that Miltown's favored East Side German tavern Von Trier is being sued in Milwaukee County Circuit Court by Heartland Financial Corp. for failure to make timely payments on a loan taken out in October of 2008. Not only that, owner Mark Eckert currently has the bierhaus and garten up on the block for sale. Holy Reinheitsgebot gods of 1516, save us!

Located at 2235 N. Farwell Avenue, Von Trier has served quality imported beers and wines in a spectacularly quintessential German atmosphere since 1978, and anyone who cares about that sorta thing--whether for kitschy reasons or not--should be wary of the possible consequences of a new owner coming in who may not respect the tradition, not to mention the pastoral Deutsch gaudiness, of the tavern.

Though the bar has increasingly attracted a young university, let's-get-totally-'effed-up crowd over the past decade or so, one can easily avoid that messy lot by showing up early in the evening when the naughty kids are napping, restin' up for their late night reign of drunken terror.

We'll try to keep an eye on this for ya. For now, though, we can only say that we feel our German ancestors wringing their hands with a great and desperate angst.

Link (via Urban Milwaukee)

BYO Booze May Be Back for Jazz in the Park!

You cannot keep the jazz and hooch lovin' peeps of Miltown down, and news that Democratic State Assembly Representative Leon D. Young introduced a bill yesterday that would allow Jazz in the Park goers to bring alcoholic beverages in with 'em is the 100% proof you need. So what happened on the legislative floor? It passed with flying bottles and cans!

Back in January of this year, East Town Association Inc. was told by the Milwaukee Police Department that it was violating Wisconsin Statute 125.32(6)(a) by letting people carry-in their own wine, beer and other legal mood-enhancing liquids to the free Thursday night summer concerts at Cathedral Square. East Town's response? It caved like the bell of a tuba accidentally sat on by an elephant--believe you me, that tragedy happens more often than you'd think.

Anyhoo, if passed by the Wisconsin State Senate and Governor Doyle, the bill will make it legal for Jazz in the Park as well as other park event and festival organizers holding a Class B liquor license to make their own carry-in beverage policies. Hurray!

We have yet to attend one of the concerts this season, but it appears that either folks haven't heard about the BYOB ban or their livin' life on the edge as we've seen scores pass by our windows with six-packs and bottles o' vino clutched tight in their little hands. If the men and women in blue decide to actually enforce the current and completely ludicrous law until the new bill passes, every Thursday night could turn into a HIlarious Keystone Cops scene, punctuated with shouts of "It's a raid! Everyone scatter!" in 4/4 time.

(via BizTimes Daily and Today's TMJ4 News)

Related:
No More BYO Booze to Jazz in the Park

Hairless Apes to Enjoy Monkey Beer

Lakefront Brewery is hosting a little party tonight on Milwaukee's Eastside and members of the upright-walking Primate clan--i.e. you and yours--are invited!

According to yesterday's Milwaukee Business Journal item, the reason for the soirée is to celebrate the launch of a brand new beer, Wheat Monkey Ale. MBJ quotes the press release as describing the brew as an "unfiltered, golden wheat ale made with 30 percent white meat." Haha! No, no, that's an awful joke. It should read "wheat." Relax, PETA.

Anyhoo, the addition of Wheat Monkey means Lakefront now offers six different ales, along with a full lineup of lagers and seasonal beers, proving that the Miltown brewing tradition remains strong and tasty.

Partygoers should expect to forfeit their bar stools on at least two occasions during tonight's festivities as the reported plan is to move from North Avenue's BBC Bar & Grill to Hooligan's to Live on North, beginning at 6PM. It's the Bermuda Triangle of keggers!

Link

Related:
Lakefront Brewery Gets Some Unpasteurized Heat

Totally Nude Beer Redux

So last year when I was bloggity bloggin' with my buddy Mike Miller on Milwaukee Specialty Food and Coffee, I posted the news that Stevens Point Brewery was "launching a new seasonal specialty brew called Point Nude Beach Summer Wheat--the beer that's all nude, all the time." If I may carry out a late breaking critique of my own work here, that sentence is missing an all-important exclamation point, damn it!

Anyhoo, for its second year of naked beer production, Stevens Point is moving into new markets back East--Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Virginia, Kentucky--and increasing its Midwest tally by one with the addition of Missouri.

Milwaukee Business Journal quotes Joe Martino, the brewery's Managing Partner, as stating in the press release, "After we rolled out Point Nude Beach Summer Wheat last year, it quickly became the Stevens Point Brewery's most successful new-product introduction ever." Ya hear that, people? Ever. Certainly that couldn't have come as a surprise as there's nary a beer connoisseur alive that doesn't enjoy a bit o' skin with their brew--or is there?

Michigan's Liquor Control Commission, it appears, is the only prudish one in the crowd as last May it judged the Point Nude Beach Summer Wheat label to be "detrimental to the health, safety, or welfare of the general public." Haha! Come on, seriously? I've seen more flesh on daytime soaps and these unclad folks are illustrated, meaning they don't jiggle or wiggle or even jiggle while wiggling. It seems to be a bare naked shame that the fine folks of Michigan can't have the small pleasure of buying a 6- or 12-pack of Point Nude Beach just because a few narrow-minded control freaks have body issues. Sounds like somebody over there needs a little therapy and a brewski.

Link

Nectar of the Fruity Gods

Great Lakes Distillery, Wisconsin's only craft distillery to poke its head out of the smothering sand of Prohibition, announced yesterday that it's introducing the first three of who knows how many Artisan Series fruit brandies: Kirschwasser, Grappa and Pear Brandy Eau-de-Vie. Fruity boozers rejoice!

Distilled in micro batches, each packs an 80 proof punch and are traditionally consumed pre- and/or post-feast, but, hey, once you buy a bottle it's yours, so you can drink it anytime ya want--ah, sweet freedom.

These German, Italian and French inspired brandies are available for purchase as of this week.

Link (via Milwaukee Business Journal)

Related:
Uncover the Still, Johnny, and Let the Booze Run Free!
Attention Boozehounds: GLD's Rehorst Citrus & Honey Vodka Available Today

Lakefront Brewery Gets Some Unpasteurized Heat

Milwaukee's Lakefront Brewery got some national radio attention on the latest edition of Marketplace Money. Brewmaster Luther Paul was profiled for the program's long running series "A Day in the Work Life."

In the piece, Paul dutifully informs listeners that, no, he doesn't drink beer all day, but, yes, he does sample beer everyday, managing to come across as relatively sober--haha, I kid! I kid because I love.

Listen

No More BYO Booze to Jazz in the Park

BizTimes Daily is reporting that organizers of Milwaukee's free Jazz in the Park summer series in Cathedral Square are declaring it a no carry-in alcohol zone. What?! Seriously, what?! Come on, being able to bring your favorite Pinot, lager or what have you to these Thursday night concerts is part and parcel of the experience.

What's most ridiculous about the whole thing is that, after 18 years of allowing the public to bring their own booze, the Milwaukee Police Department decided it was just about time to let the East Town Association Inc. board know that it's been in noncompliance with Wisconsin Statute 125.32(6)(a). Well, that's some quick detective work there, flatfoots, but can't we make some sort of deal here?

It matters not that the board plans to expand the drink menu--we'll still be shellin' out way too much cash for having the privilege of imbibing in beverages we wouldn't normally put anywhere near our lips. It's just not right.

Link

Give Me a Tall, Half-Caf, 2% Heineken

In what can only be called a super wacky business move, Dutch brewer Heineken has decided to enter the coffee and tea arena to offset falling beer sales.

The company will announce complete details later this month, so the varieties and sources of its java and steeped leaf drinks are currently unknown, but the thought of imbibing a somewhat weak, slightly skunky coffee or tea gives me a wee bit o’ the willies.

Link (via CoffeeTalk)