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Send a card, support Big Bros & Sisters

As of today Widmer Brothers Brewing is about halfway to it goal to raise $10,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters by Aug. 11, officially Brother’s Day in Oregon.

The Widmers will donate $1 for each humorous e-card sent from the brewery’s website.

The company also will donate $1 for each person who becomes a fan of the brewery on Facebook.

“Our effort to support Big Brothers Big Sisters is a personal commitment,” Kurt Widmer said. “We know firsthand the value of strong role models and of course, the importance of brotherhood.”

“I just hope Kurt remembers to buy me a Brother’s Day present this year,” added his brother Rob.

Brother’s Day was made official last year when Aug. 11 was proclaimed a holiday in the State of Oregon and the City of Portland.

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Toast Tonight’s Beer Summit With An American Brew

The good folks at Dogfish Head Brewery are planning a toast in a little less than an hour, at 6:00 p.m. EST. Here’s the plan:

So the crew over at the White House have their beer summit planned – who knows what they’ll end up drinking – we’ve most recently heard it’s going to be Bud Light (eee gads!), but we know what they should be drinking – fantastic beer from a great American craft brewery!

There are thousands of great American craft breweries (more than 1500 of us at last count), and we’d love to see the President and his crew coming together over a craft beer. But whatever they end up drinking – one thing this whole brew-ha-ha has accomplished is getting the word out about American craft beer.

So, to celebrate the depth and diversity of the American craft beer movement, we propose a toast. We invite you to join us (either at our Rehoboth Beach brewpub or on our live webstream) at 6:00pm Thursday, July 30th for a toast to American craft beer.

Just because they may not enjoy great American craft beer at the White House doesn’t mean you can’t!!!

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The First North Korean Beer Commercial

Taedonggang is a brand of beer from North Korea. It’s brewed by the state-owned Taedonggang Brewing Company based in Pyongyang, and is named for the nearby Taedong River. The North Koreans bought an English brewery, Usher’s Brewery in Trowbridge (part of Wiltshire), in 2002 and shipped it back to Asia. They produce 4 brands of beer, of which Taedonggang Beer is the flagship.

In a somewhat surprising move for a fiercely communist country, the state-owned Korean Central Television aired their first ever commercial, and it was a beer ad for Taedonggang beer.

A BBC article describes the ad:

Young women in traditional Korean dress are shown serving trays of beer to men in Western suits.

Billed as the “Pride of Pyongyang”, the advert promises drinkers that the beer will help ease stress.

“It represents the new look of Pyongyang,” the two-and-a-half minute advert says. “It will be a familiar part of our lives.”

I don’t know Korean, but according to a CBS report, “the commercial said the beer relieves stress and improves health and longevity” and went on to assure “viewers of the beer’s quality and nutritional value, saying it was made of rice and contained protein and vitamin B2.”

To see the strange, at times surreal, commercial, click on the image below.


Taedonggang beer, originally uploaded by Rikke Søvsø Nielsen.