Read the full story at Billings Gazette


Buy Books, Get Free Beer

Lincoln, Nebraska-- An off-campus bookstore and a local restaurant chain on Wednesday killed a promotion offering a coupon for free beer to University of Nebraska-Lincoln students shopping for textbooks.

The privately owned Nebraska Bookstore had marked the return of students to school by handing out coupons good for a beer or a discount on buffalo wings at Brewsky's Food and Spirits.

The offer may be unique, but associating books with beer is not. Online bookstore ecampus.com urges students to sell their textbooks for beer money.

Read the full story at Omaha.com


Aug. 26, 2003
Krispy Kreme Thieves Caught, Doughnuts Still Missing

Detroit-- Detroit police arrest two men suspected of stealing a doughnut delivery truck Monday morning, but the truck and the doughnuts are nowhere to be found, Local 4 reported.

Police say a Krispy Kreme truck was stolen during a delivery outside a Marathon gas station in Plymouth.

Two hours later, the thieves called a Krispy Kreme manager and said if they wanted the truck back, they would have to hand over $100.

Read the full story at Click On Detroit


Aug. 22, 2003
Labatt Announces Low Carb Rock Green Light

PRNewswire. Labatt USA announced today that its new, low carbohydrate beer named Rock Green Light will hit shelves nationwide starting October 1, 2003. Rock Green Light is part of the Rolling Rock family, marketed and brewed in the U.S. by Labatt USA. A premium light lager that delivers on both taste and image, Rock Green Light is the second low carbohydrate beer to market.

"We believe our liquid will be highly competitive," said Steve Cahillane, president of Labatt USA. "What is missing in the marketplace for low carb beers is full flavor, and Rock Green Light will deliver on all counts."

In development for six months at the Latrobe Brewing Company in Latrobe, PA, home of Rolling Rock and Loyalhanna beers, Rock Green Light has less than 2.6 grams of carbohydrates and less than 92 calories. Rock Green Light will replace Rock Light, the current light version of Rolling Rock.

Brian's Belly Commentary: The president of the company calls this a highly competitve liquid. We partially agree... it will be a liquid.

Read the full story at Yahoo


Man Suspected of Killing Woman Over a Beer

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (Reuters) - A New Mexico man was charged with beating a woman to death with a lead pipe because he did not want to share his Budweiser beer with her, according to court documents.

Charles Lee Vennevy, 26, was charged with killing 41-year-old Yvonne Garcia and beating her male companion last Monday night before leaving them for dead in downtown Albuquerque. According to the complaint filed, Vennevy was drinking beer with friends. Garcia approached the group wanting to drink with them, and was turned away. She returned later with a friend, and a fight ensued over the beer.

Brian's Belly Commentary: This probably happens more than you think.

Read the full story at Reuters


Miller Dresses Bottles With Catfight Women

By Tom Daykin Miller Lite's controversial "Catfight" TV ads will soon be replaced by a new campaign, but the actresses who portrayed the battling babes are now adorning the bottles that sparked their dispute.

Miller Brewing Co. is rolling out limited edition labels for 12-ounce bottles of Miller Lite that depict actresses Tanya Ballinger (the blond one) and Kitana Baker (the brunet). The two "Catfight" labels each have a photo of Ballinger and Baker facing one another in a menacing, breast-to-breast pose.

One label features Ballinger, who takes the "tastes great" position in their debate, while the other has Baker, a vociferous supporter of the "less filling" stance.

Brian's Belly Commentary: This was first reported as an April Fools Day gag... but now we'll finally get our booby beer.

Read the full story at JSOnline


Does Heineken Hate Beer Babes?

By Rob Walker. Perhaps you're sick of advertising and all its predictable gimmicks. You know who else is? Advertisers. Two recent spots, one from Heineken, the other from Champion Sportswear, go after some of the most conspicuous commercial targets.

First up: beer babes. Two of the noisiest campaigns of the last 12 months have been the Coors Light "twins" ads and the Miller Lite "catfight" ads, both of which relied on the familiar theory that sexy women make great sales props. And it looks as though we're seeing more of the same in a spot that seems to be set at a rooftop party.

Viewing all this from across the way are attendees at another rooftop party—a real one. It's mellow, with laid-back R & B playing, a little barbecue, a big old dog, and a (suspiciously) multi-culti crew all having the time of their enlightened lives together. Basquiat-like graffiti lends the perfect urban-hipster-sophisticate touch. I mean, there's still a hot girl in a bikini top in the crowd, but it's not like she's blond or anything.

Read the full story at Slate


Aug. 15, 2003
Drinking Is Good For Your Wealth

By CHRISTINA STOKES, Scotland on Sunday. A new study by Scottish researchers has revealed a swally with colleagues after work smoothes the path to promotion and that all-important pay rise.

The team at Stirling University have discovered workers of both sexes who drink in moderation tend to earn more than their teetotal colleagues. Even heavy drinkers - who may be damaging their health as a result of their habit - tend to earn more than their fellow workers who spurn alcohol altogether.

Experts believe drinking with workmates not only fosters trust and camaraderie but also helps them network their way to the top by having a chat and a joke over a few pints or glasses of wine with their bosses.

Brian's Belly Commentary: What the hell is a swally?

Read the full story at Scotland on Sunday


Aug. 11, 2003
Heineken Ads Get Creative

By Lewis Lazare. We're lovin' it. Yes, we are. We're a big fan of any effort to move the formula for beer advertising away from the all-too-familiar punch line humor or the even more overworked when-in-doubt-sex-sells approach.

In the remarkable "Rooftop" that debuted last month, Publicis/New York suggested it is working hard to rethink what constitutes a good beer spot. There was a strong idea behind that Heineken commercial, and a similarly intelligent one is at the heart of a new series of six 15-second Heineken spots that break today and run through Aug. 25.

Read the full story at Chicago Sun-Times


Aug. 06, 2003
Brewers Asked to Create Fem-Ale for Women

LONDON (Reuters) - British beer-makers should brew a real ale directed at women, the chairwoman of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) said Tuesday.  

Paula Waters said the British brewing industry had become too set in its ways and the number of women trying real ale had declined.

"Someone in the industry needs to lead the way by launching an all-new beer aimed at women -- the world's first Fem-ale. This will help dispel the myth that beer is strictly for the boys."

Read the full story at Yahoo! News


Aug. 05, 2003
800,000 Gallons of Jim Beam Whiskey Burn in Fire

BARDSTOWN, Ky., Associated Press. The smell of burning whiskey lingered in the air Tuesday as the remnants of a fire that destroyed a warehouse that had held 800,000 gallons of Jim Beam bourbon continued to burn.

Emergency officials said a small amount of bourbon found its way into a creek that runs near the charred warehouse, but the environmental effects were expected to be minimal.

The wooden warehouse, built in 1945, contained 19,000 barrels of aging bourbon. The warehouse is one of four at the site and among 64 owned by Jim Beam. It is one of the company's older warehouses, said Jeff Conder, a plant manager for Jim Beam.

Read the full story at Earthlink News via AP


Alcohol Helps You Lose Weight

For years dieters have been told alcohol is one of the first things they should cut out if they want to lose weight. But research by a Melbourne team has turned that advice on its head.

It found having up to four drinks a day for men and two for women may help melt the kilograms.

Dr. John Dixon, a senior research fellow at Monash University and the Alfred hospital, said histories of the patients' alcohol consumption before and after surgery confirmed previous evidence light to moderate drinking had beneficial effects on cholesterol levels.

But the team also found something that has begun to emerge over the past eight years: moderate drinkers seem to have a reduced risk of developing type 2, or adult onset diabetes. This was probably related to the effect alcohol had on improving insulin sensitivity, which appeared to aid weight loss as well as protect against diabetes, he said.

Read the full story at news.com.au


Man Kills Friend Over Beer

BEAVER, PA. A Beaver County man has apologized for fatally stabbing his friend during a drunken dispute over who was going to buy more beer.

Forty-year-old Leonard Johnson apologized to Douglas Brown's mother yesterday shortly after he pleaded guilty to third-degree murder. In exchange for his plea, Johnson was sentenced to eight to 18 years in prison.

Read the full story at ABC Action News