Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012

I want my MHV

Beerman, Colin Burch.

 

Back in 1985, when Dire Straits released “Money for Nothing,” and the song, with guest vocals by Sting, dominated the air waves and MTV, I could still buy music on vinyl at the Record Bar inside North Hills Mall in Raleigh, N.C.

I could buy vinyl, but it didn’t make much sense for me to do so.

I was living in the era of Walkman cassette players, and cassette tapes were the most portable form of music. I might have purchased two or three vinyl records, but the only album I remember buying in a slip sleeve was “Invasion of Your Privacy” by Ratt. (I wonder what they meant by “privacy.”) The band’s compatriots – groups such as Twisted Sister and Poison – were part of my cassette collection.

Then again, I watched music as much as I listened to it. “I want my MTV,” I sang along with Sting’s chant in “Money for Nothing.”

Yes, I could still buy vinyl in the record stores, and that pretty much draws a line across history: Before and after Americans bought music for their turntables in regular suburban shopping malls.

So vinyl comes with its own throwback feel – going back much further than 1985 – and no doubt that’s what Magic Hat Brewing Co. of Vermont is conjuring with its spring seasonal, happily named Vinyl.

Magic Hat Vinyl is an amber lager, but you could call it MHV.

And I want my MHV.

The name and the early 1970s-era style of the six-pack recall springs of the cherished past. Vinyl’s taste fits our strange winter/spring experience lately because it’s not as light as New Belgium Brewing Co.’s spring seasonal, Dig Pale Ale, but it’s not dark enough to be a winter brew, either. Compared with other amber ales, Vinyl stays on the lighter side without becoming watery.

I also thought I tasted a slight hint of the toasted malts that define New Belgium’s Fat Tire, another amber ale. The toasted malts keep Vinyl from becoming too sweet, so the beer stays drinkable. Vinyl’s average score from BeerAdvocate.com readers was 79, a grade of high C, but I think this nostalgia-generating beer deserves better, at least a middle B.

Honestly, I might be done with nostalgia for the 1970s and 1980s. Like Billy Joel sang in the 1983, “The good old days weren’t always good, and tomorrow ain’t as bad as it seems.” But I’ll take Vinyl anytime.

Pong Beer for Beer Pong

Some business genius is LHAO – laughing his ass off – all the way to the bank.

He invented Pong Beer, which is used for playing – wait for it – Beer Pong.

Pong Beer probably isn’t an artisanal craft brew. As the site says, “Pong Beer is brewed using only the finest natural ingredients to produce an exceptionally crisp, smooth, and refreshing light beer.”

Every beer company says that shit.

But the Pong Beer executives have a great idea – it’s basically a product with an established marketing arm: the players.

For the uninitiated, Beer Pong is basically a game of throwing ping pong balls into cups of beer. Two groups of cups are set up, one at each end of a table. Beyond that – as you might guess with most drinking games – rules vary, and probably become more varied as the game continues.

If you or someone you know begins to lose clothing during Beer Pong, you might want to re-establish the rules.

Pong Beer will soon be available in neighboring North Carolina, according to PongBeerUSA.com, but the site doesn’t say exactly when or where. The available-soon list does not include South Carolina.

But for our seasonal visitors and Coastal Carolina University students, Pong Beer is currently available in Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

Meanwhile, may I offer my suggestion? Bong Beer for Beer Bongs. Hey, why not? It won’t have to taste like anything – because it will go down fast.

Contact Colin Burch at beerpour@yahoo.com and visit his blog at http://maltyhops.blogspot.com.