Video #26: OBX; Surf, Sand, and Suds.

Mark tackles North Carolina's Outer Banks. A wind powered brewpub modeled on old-time life saving stations? Check. The spot where the Wright Brothers sent the telegram announcing air flight where you can now have a cold one? Check. An eco-brewery where beer is saving the environment? Check. Mark losing his head over too many options? Check. Oh, and sun and sand and surf...   Cheers!

Interview: The Beer Snob.

All of you Brew Heads out there have undoubtedly heard of The Beer Snob ( http://www.mybeerquest.com ), an Internet Hero that we recently had the chance to catch up with.  Here’s all we were able to glean from this mysterious figure.  Enjoy.

Dear Mr. Beer Snob;

Who is the Beer Snob?  Is he/she a mythical character?  What is the story of this hero?

The Beer Snob is a nickname my friends came up with in the early 90's because when we went out for a beer after work, I wouldn't drink domestic beer. 

Does the Beer Snob possess fantastic powers of nose, palate, and writing ability, or is he more along the Bruce Wayne 'wealthy and dedicated' variety of hero? 

He strives to possess fantastic powers of nose, palate, and writing ability, but really he's just a guy that likes beer. He only becomes a Hero after a couple of beers, then he forgets after a couple more.

How did the Beer Snob get started?  (No 'I fell down a well and beers flew at me' stories, please.) 

My First post  explains it fairly well. http://www.mybeerquest.com/beerlog/?p=1   I guess It started when I was younger I thought I didn't like beer. Then one day I had an Anchor Steam and I thought, “Wow, maybe beer isn't so bad,” then I found Sierra Nevada & GUINNESS.  I started finding more and more every year.

What beers/breweries does the Beer Snob follow religiously?  Is 2008 a good year for beer in your opinion?

I think I answered part of that in the last question - Anchor &  Sierra Nevada are two of the most nostalgic beers for me, but most of the West Coast breweries like Stone have become my favorites. I could be a little biased towards West Coast Brews being that this is my home but I think some of the best beer in the world is coming from here right now. It seems like within the last ten years every year has been getting better and better, 2008 is no exception. I can walk around the corner now and not only get good beer but good beer on tap, and I used to have to search for places like that.  Now more and more of them are popping up every month. 

What's the coolest discovery the Beer Snob ever made? (for example, a beer or brewery no one ever heard of.)  Other brags? 

I have just discovered a new place; its a Bar and Grill that just opened in Southern California.  They have a very nice beer selection. It’s called The Office http://www.theofficeburbank.com/ .  That’s all I can think of right now. 

I normally hang out at the message boards of the http://thefullpint.com and http://www.thebeerinme.com/ Stop by some time.  Cheers, Enjoy your Beer. We will, Mr. Beer Snob.  You can bet that we will.

Take care, everyone.  As always, more good stuff comin!

Frankenbeer!

From the New York Times:

 “Deal for Anheuser-Busch Is Said to Be Near"

By ANDREW ROSS SORKIN and MICHAEL J. de la MERCED

Published: July 11, 2008

In a reversal of its previous hostility to the idea, Anheuser-Busch is in active talks to sell itself to the Belgian brewer InBev in a friendly deal, people briefed on the matter said Thursday night.

Exact terms of the potential deal could not be learned, but one person said that InBev had indicated that it would be willing to pay more than the $65 a share it had originally offered. People briefed on the deal cautioned that the talks might still break down.

In striking an agreement, Anheuser risks a political backlash from the growing number of hometown politicians and customers who had supported the company in its efforts to remain independent.

Helping to drive the deal talks was the indication that some of Anheuser’s largest shareholders, including Warren E. Buffett, were leaning toward backing a deal with InBev.

If a deal is reached, it would end more than a month of hostilities between the two beer giants and create the world’s largest brewer. It would combine Anheuser, the maker of Budweiser and a fixture in American culture, with InBev, the producer of Stella Artois, Beck’s and Bass, creating a new behemoth with distribution channels around the world. 

Since InBev unveiled its original $46.3 billion, $65-a-share offer in June, however, the two sides have waged a very public and very bitter brawl. Both companies have sought to press their case in court: InBev has sought to oust the American company’s board, while Anheuser accused the Belgian brewer of lying about its financing commitments and criticized it for having operations in Cuba.

The fight is set against a backdrop of rising prices for beer ingredients like grain and a rapidly consolidating beer industry. Giants like InBev and SABMiller, the world’s two largest brewers — which were themselves the products of mergers struck this decade — have raced to outstrip each other in market share. Though SABMiller, based in London, currently holds the No. 1 position, an Anheuser deal would propel InBev to the top spot.

While the United States remains the world’s largest beer market, domestic brewers have struggled in recent years as their customers drift toward wine and spirits, as well as craft beers and imports. That has tempted the international brewers, as has the weak American dollar. SABMiller and Molson Coors will combine their operations in the United States, forming a formidable rival to Anheuser.

InBev has been mindful of the political pitfalls that could befall a hostile bidder for an American icon like Anheuser. The company said that it would keep St. Louis as its North American headquarters and would try to keep the Anheuser name somewhere in the combined brewers’ new title. Yet on Monday, InBev said that it would begin to canvass Anheuser’s shareholders, seeking their support in ousting the company’s directors. It named an alternate board, including a dissident member of the controlling Busch family.

August A. Busch IV, Anheuser’s chief executive and a scion of the company’s longtime owners, has consistently said that InBev’s offer is too low. But he has felt pressure to enhance his company’s long-stagnant stock. To counter InBev’s claims that it could bolster Anheuser’s bottom line, Mr. Busch and his management team have said that they will cut the company’s work force by as much as 15 percent.

Anheuser has also sought to stymie InBev’s efforts to dislodge its board with its own lawsuit, filed on Tuesday. The company accused its suitor of lying about the firmness of its lending commitments, drawn from a group of eight international banks including JPMorgan Chase. It also argued that because of InBev’s current brewery operations in Cuba, the combined company would run afoul of American trading prohibitions against the island nation.”

Analysis?  Well, eventually, the more money you offer, people start to see things differently.  The whole cuba thing’s pretty silly though.  Cheers!