Stan Hieronymus

Bud Light Lime: Can you dance to it?

If you remember American Bandstand, or perhaps have seen clips, you recall the popular segment where host Dick Clark would take two teens from the audience. He’d have them listen to a couple of brand new songs, then rate them.

When asked for an explanation about the number they assigned it many would say, “You can dance to it.” Or that you couldn’t.

With that context, consider the news about Anheuser-Busch beginning its national push for Bud Light Lime (click if you want; right now the ask you to confirm your age, then show you the single, static page behind it — go figure) tomorrow.

While Bud Light Lime takes its cue from Mexican culture, much of its $35 million launch will be directed at fans of indie rock, electronica and dance music.

The national campaign will feature the music of Santogold. A remix of her song “Lights Out,” as well as the ringtone, will be released online next week at budlightlime.com.In addition, a CD sampler, with up to 18 tracks, will be released in June to tastemakers and music blogs.

Meanwhile, Miller Chill has already started a campaign using the music of Brazilian singer Curumin.

So maybe Rate Beer and Beer Advocate need to add another category to the way they calculate ratings: aroma/smell 8, appearance/look 4, can/can’t dance to it 8.

Dark Lord Day: Passion on display

The Hoosier Beer Geek has pictures. Check out the line. Let’s just say showing up as late at 1:30 was not such a good idea.

Passion on display. Mostly. Unfortunately a little cold-hearted greediness. From a thread at Beer Advocate:

I drove from Minneapolis with a trunk full of Surly to enjoy and trade. Instead, I stood next to frat boys from Chicago who couldn’t stop talking about selling their Dark Lord on Ebay. I waited 5 hours in a line. The Dark Lord sold out 50 people in front of me. My girlfriend was upset because of the cold and I am leaving empty handed

Later in the thread: “It was frat boy hell. There goes the neighborhood…”

Also read the discussion at The Beer Mapping Project.

And at Rate Beer.

Win a copy of ‘Grape vs. Grain’

Bamforth: Grape vs. GrainGot a caption for this photo of brewing professor/author Charlie Bamforth taken during a food-fashion-themed cookout?

If you can do better than this . . .

“A kiss of tannin; a kiss of hops… brightens, rather than bitters.”

“Both of Charles’ students get an A, for Alcohol.”

. . . then scoot on over to the Cambridge University Press blog for a chance to win a copy of Bamforth’s newest book, Grape vs. Grain and five Grape vs. Grain coasters.

Next week I hope to have time to “review” (or maybe compare and contrast) Grape vs. Grain and He Said Beer, She Said Wine by Sam Calagione and Marnie Old.

Meanwhile, if you are going to be in San Francisco on May 8 you could stop by Anchor Brewing at 5:30 p.m., meet Bamforth and get a book signed.

Keep the beer; I’ll take the Cartier

At the risk of poking the hornet’s nest — I don’t have a category here for “ethics” and not really criticism per se — I must pass along this story. Seems like a better deal than a trip to St. Louis.

From the UK wine magazine Decanter:

Wine magnate Bernard Magrez has outraged a group of journalists by offering each of them a Cartier wristwatch worth €1,650 (£1,322/$2,641).

The watches were distributed after a press lunch hosted by Magrez and French actor Gerard Depardieu on 26 March. The lunch was held at the Alain Ducasse restaurant at the Hotel Plaza Athénée in Paris. Around 50 journalists attended – including wine critic and ex-Revue du Vin de France editor Thierry Desseauve, Philippe Bidalon from L’Express magazine and Gérard Muteaud of Le Nouvel Observateur.

One journalist told Decanter.com that he and his colleagues discussed the situation and agreed among themselves that keeping the watches could be misconstrued.

Or maybe correctly construed.