Once there were horse-drawn beer wagons, then motorized trucks hauling beer and advertising breweries. Beerbooks.com has an extensive collection of miniature die cast metal trucks, for both current brands and those long gone. American Beer Trucks, a wonderful collection of photos is out of print, but you ask the folks at Beerbooks.com to notify you when it becomes available or search various used book stores.

Hudepohl Beer Truck
• Hudepohl Brewing Co., Cincinnati, Ohio
• 1952 GMC Insulated Van
• First Gear Die Cast Metal
• Scale 1:34
Price: $24.95

This leather frame cinch was honored as one of the ten best bike-related design innovations of 2011, and as its developer notes “it “secures just about anything somewhat narrow to your top tube – why not a six pack?”

The strap is adjustable to hold variably sized items, so when there are less important items to tote than beer it can still be useful. It works best on a top tube that is parallel to the ground.

More information.

Look around and you’ll be able to find lip balm made from a variety of beers (even Coors Light).

Wynkoop Brewing in Denver, for instance, had balms made with the malts and hops in both its Rail Yard Ale and B3K Black Lager, as well lip protecting oils and ingredients. The B3K version is the first black lip balm they’ve heard of (though it doesn’t darken your lips).

The brewpub also sells B3K and Rail Yard Ale soaps — custom made in Denver with the beers, malts and exfoliating crushed grains. There’s also a new seasonal beer soap made with pumpkin beer and pie spices.

Doesn’t it seem to you that Russell Crowe should have starred in a beer movie instead of his wine-soaked release (“A Good Year’) a while back?

BeerBooks.com has DVDs on just about any beer-related subject you could want. From making beer to the history of beer to beer and food to great old commercials.

Now if they just sold a remote that doubled as a bottle opener.