Recipes

January 10, 2007

Beer Nutz???


Contributed by Angry Guy

Just caught a show called "Beer Nutz" on American High Definition Cable Television.

The show is two guys wandering around a different city each week, visiting brew pubs and asking stupid questions.

The episode I watched took place in San Francisco. At one point they visit a restaurant called the 21st Amendment, which was named after the Amendment to the United States Constitution which ended prohibition. On Beer Nutz they flash an info screen which reads:

1936 - The Prohibition of intoxicating liquors is hereby repealed.

The problem is that the 21st amendment was passed in 1933, not 1936.

I can understand someone misspeaking a date, but when you are making a show and providing  information which was hopefully researched, and you go as far as to create a graphic, at least get the goddamn dates right.

They also get a chance to talk with the legendary Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing - but spend less than 5 minutes of show time with him. And that is the longest they spend on any segment - 9 segments over the course of a 30 minute show (including commercials) - how can you learn anything?

The show is uninteresting and the hosts don't seem to know a damn thing about beer.

The worst part of the show (besides the hosts) is the "rating system" which they use to give people and places from 1 to 5 "kegs". (Fritz got 5 Kegs)

Crap which must be avoided. I give this show 5 "It Sucks".

December 20, 2006

Product Placement Done Right

381_padma_story_05_023a I was watching Top Chef the other night - no, I'm not gay (not that there's anything wrong with it), I just like the show. And Padma Lakshmi, the host, is super hot.

Top Chef - like most "reality competition" shows - regularly whores itself out for product placements. But it's more of a high-class prostitution than the street-corner whoring happening on shows like The Apprentice - at least on Top Chef, the products are food-related.

On this particular episode Diageo had taken the initiative to spend some advertising bucks to sneak some of their tasty beverages into the line-up.

The Top Chef wannabes were each challenged to create a cocktail using one of the three Bailey's Irish Cream flavors: Regular, Mint, or Caramel.

OK - so the numerous shots of fifty bottles of Bailey's was not subtle - but the use of other Diageo products was: Guinness, Parrot Bay Rum, Godiva, Crown Royal and Bushmills were all used as cocktail ingredients and mentioned by name. Later in the show, Smirnoff Vodka was prominently shown during the main event - some frou frou Hollywood red carpet shindig.

Good marketing, Diageo - and a good way to highlight the art of the cocktail to an audience that might otherwise not be exposed to the creativity afforded in the world of cocktails*.

Oh yeah, will someone please drive a fork into Marcel's Forehead?


*One idiot attempted to make a cocktail with Bailey's and Lime Juice. That's a "Cement Mixer" - something you give to the unwary drunk you are trying to abuse.