Model/Actress/Wet Dream Katarina Van Derham has become the first ever repeat St. Pauli Girl. Apparently, the Slovak’s impressive, perfectly-shaped set of beer knowledges was just too much to turn down. No, seriously, she was trained at the Siebel Institute of Beer Technology.

Now, we get to decide which poster to use. I’m partial to the sassy from-behind one. It says “catch me and be rewarded with beer and blond.”

Model kept on as St. Pauli Girl due to bodacious beer knowledge [Brand Freak]

In a study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, they report that something we’re not going to pretend to understand called dietary silicon, commonly found in delicious beer, is important for bone and tissue health.

What does this mean? Drinking beers that are not exposed to high levels of heat (darker or malty beers) will keep those bones strong, and make you feel good to boot.

Have A Pint! Beer May Help Prevent Osteoporosis [InvetorSpot]

We’ve been hearing about Sierra Nevada’s plans for its 30th Anniversary since last year, but now the project has a fancy website so it must be real.

Sierra founder Ken Grossman has brought four pioneers of the American craft beer industry together and, as often happens when brewers gather, beer was made. The four Sierra 30 beers (a stout, a helles ale, a barleywine, and an interesting combination of Sierra’s iconic Pale Ale, Bigfoot, and Celebration Ale) are going to be released on a staggered schedule beginning in March and ending this Fall. We’re pretty excited about this, and we’ll definitely be trying these all year.

You can head to the site and read all about the project, the brewers, and the beer.  As an added bonus, there is a video, and some hi-res photos of beer you can’t have yet.

This might strike you as not all that newsworthy, but in England, where it’s becoming a lot more common for people to smash glasses and use them as weapons, it’s practically health care reform.

I have never had the pleasure of taking in a fight where “glassing” occurred. Have you?

British Toast New Shatterproof Pint Glass [NPR]

Sadly, chicks just aren’t picking up on what the dudes are putting down. Despite the hot chick in the article’s photo (toying with me, Express?), only 1 in 10 women would order a beer on a date, responding that they fear it makes them “masculine and unattractive.”

Stop.

Masculine and unattractive? Ladies, c’mon now – not only does ordering a beer say “I’m sexy, confident, fun and independent,” it’s also totally indicative of several things that will be important if the relationship is to continue:

1. By drinking beer you’re now much less likely to have an issue with ME drinking beer.
2. You’re probably going to watch some kind of sporting event with me, or at least sit quietly on the couch while I watch sports.
3. You’ll be less annoyed when you have to hold my beer when I go to the bathroom.
4. You won’t make that face when we go to a friend’s house and all they have is beer or the bottle of wine they got from their coworker at their housewarming.
5. Dates will be generally cheaper. Even bad wine by the glass is going to set you back the about the same amount as good beer. And boys, girls NEVER go for the cheap wine.
6. You enjoy flying in the face of accepted marketing wisdom. Screw Don Draper (I know, I’m subtle with the double entendres), you’ll buy what you want.  This is why I only buy woman’s deodorant.
7. Chances of us naked shotgunning have risen from 0.0% to 0.3%.

Girls, let loose and order a beer.  Better yet, watch Tap That, visit some amazing bars and find some great beer. Boys, keep doin’ what you’re doin’. Oh and hat tip to BitterSweet for trying to bridge the gender gap.

Why Men Do Make Passes at Women with Beer Goggles [Express.co.uk]

With most football fans choosing to watch the big game with friends at home, rather than a jam-packed bar, why not go the extra yard, and serve your very own homemade brew.

As craft beers continue to take up more space on fridge shelves across the country once occupied by Bud and Miller, check out how easy the brewing process is becoming. The most notable, and as far as this beer drinker is concerned, the coolest source of home brewing is Brooklyn Brew Shop.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/22/nyregion/22entry.html [NY Times]

As a former PA resident I can say it’s hard to find a state with tougher beer and alcohol regulations.  That’s right, you heard me Utah.

Penn’s rules create a very limited amount of locations that beer and liquor can be purchased, locations that always seem to be 45 minutes from wherever you are in the Keystone State. But as the Philadelphia Weekly reported last week Pennsylvania has new solution they are implementing this year:

“The plan doesn’t include six-pack sales in grocery stores. It doesn’t allow for independent wine and liquor stores. It doesn’t even add more state-run stores, or longer hours of operation or any change in the liquor laws that Philadelphians would actually appreciate. Instead, lawmakers and the LCB bring you the weirdest idea in retail history: Wine vending machines. Starting in May, the state liquor authority will install 100 wine kiosks throughout Pennsylvania. The plan, apparently designed to sell as little product as possible, promises to deliver a bizarre customer experience. Patrons use a touch screen to select the wine they want and blow into a breathalyzer to confirm their sobriety.”

That’s right Pennsylvania, if you want to get a bottle of wine for the evening your first going to have to blow into a machine that a hundred people have blown into before you. The city of brotherly love just got a whole lot closer. Under those conditions I guess you could see why Philadelphia residents would tend to act like this.

Yeah, no one likes these things.

“The Burger King customer is aging, so they’re just trying to grow up with the customer,” Linda Lipsky, a restaurant consultant, told USA Today.”

No, keep talking, I’m totally believing you right now. At least all this is located down in already-shitty Miami.

“…more Whopper Bars could be coming to New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, according to USA Today.”

Crap.

News of ongoing labor strikes at a number of Belgium breweries have sent shakes of fear into the hearts of millions of beer drinkers around the world. Huge brands like Stella Artios and Hoegaarden are running desperately low as the picketing has now gone into its second week.

Where is Jermey Piven’s character from PCU when you need him? “We’re not going to protest, we’re not going to protest!”

Let’s just hope an agreement is reached soon, and I mean real soon, as happy hour is only a few hours away and NYC beer prices are already high enough – I don’t need the laws of ‘supply and demand’ affecting my bar tab!

Cheers!

Belgian Workers Protest Proposed Job Cuts at Breweries [Time]