Kickstarter: Books & Brews

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/booksnbrews/books-and-brews

Books & Brews is the Indianapolis area's first combination used bookstore and nanobrewery. We are a family-owned, family-first business and want to invest locally in everything we do from the ingredients in our beer to the food we serve. Our vision is not only to offer local products at reasonable prices, but also to provide community-based events and a comfortable environment to allow people to unplug from the digital age and plug back into each other.

Books & Brews is a new brewery (and bookstore) that will be opening in the Fishers area, and they are currently running a KickStarter to help with their startup costs.  There are a variety of pledge levels; the lower ones get you Books & Brews branded swag (growlers, mugs, T-shirts, etc.), while the highest levels are for your own home bar or keezer.  There are also pledge levels to sponsor your own barstool, table, or bookshelf, with your name etched on them.

Books & Brews will brew on a three 55-gallon pot brewing system that will net approximately one barrel of beer per batch. Keeping with the literary theme of the business, all of Books & Brews' beers will be named after classic literary works, characters or authors, such as Alice’s Adventures in Witbier, The Canterbury Tales Pale Ale, Charlie and the Chocolate Stout, and Clifford the Big Red Ale.

They have signed a lease at 9402 Uptown Drive Suite 1400, and are planning to open in January or February.  Check them out!

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Beer Gear: Turbocool kickstarter

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/theturbocool/turbocool-your-canned-beverage-in-seconds


"TurboCool is a revolutionary device designed to cool your favorite canned beverage to frosty-goodness in a fraction of the time it would take in your fridge or cooler."

So this bullet looking mini fridge seems to work off the same principle as the old party trick where you rotate your warm beer in the bucket of ice until it cools off, only this thing is rotating much faster. Insert water, ice and then hook your beer on to the top and spin away for cold ready to drink beer. The video on their kickstarter page (where the image to the right is taken from) makes it look super easy. Now this won't be available until next January, so I am not going to be able to let you know how well it works until then, but who knows its not a bad little gadget.

Pros:

• It's 31 bucks!!!
• No seriously it's only $31 dollars to get your hands on one of these through Kickstarter
• Seems functional...
• Solves a problem everyone has had once in a while
• Family friendly, your kids can use it with canned juice and soda.

Cons:

• It doesn't look like it works with longnecks
• It may not work with tallboy cans (like the 16 oz cans from SK)
• There just isn't that much craft beer in cans in Indiana, especially standard 12 oz cans

Since I haven't tested the TurboCool I am not going to make any serious recommendations, but if you are looking for a gift from the beer geek that has it all and your feeling kind of broke, this bad boys only $31.

Beer Gear: Zane Lampry is Kickstarting?!

**Image from Kickstarter "Backers Only" Email.

Zane Lamprey is Kickstarting his latest installment of his infotainment drinking series, Chug! No that is the name not a request...  Zane is picking up right where he left off with "Three Sheets" traveling the globe to investigate and participate in learning about drinking cultures and customs.  

Toss a lowly $25 spot to back and you get the entire season digitally.  What does that mean?!

"Don't be fooled by the show's title. It's a play on words. This isn't some sophomoric romp around the world. Zane will visit local watering holes, unique drinking locations, as well as breweries, distilleries, and wineries. It's everything you loved in Zane's previous shows, and more. Without the limitations imposed by the networks, these "half hour" episodes of Chug won't have to account for commercial breaks. In fact, they don't even have to be limited to a half hour! But, if this show ever goes to a TV network, they will have to be cut down to 22-24 minutes with commercial breaks. So, while Kickstarter backers will see these episodes way before they air on TV or anywhere else, the TV version will be shorter, with a lot of great content cut out of the show.

Kickstarter backers will see the show first AND they'll see the best and LONGEST version of the show!" 

As of this writing they are at $202,000 of the target of $500,000 with 18 days to go.  "Damn the Man.  Save the EMPIRE!" Donate today!

My only question is: "Will Pleepleus be making appearances?!"

Beer Gear: Das Horn

If you are looking for the ultimate in bad ass drinking apparel look no further than, Das Horn! Mine is already on order, so further review to come.

https://dashorn.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/das-horn