Thanks to the most annoying coronavirus of the century, bars in much of the country still remain closed or restricted in time/capacity. We’ve had to change the way we booze, and many of us have had to change the where. Miller High Life recognizes our current hellscape, which is why they are going to put a brand new dive bar right in one man’s (maybe you?) backyard.

Happy hour at your local pub isn’t what it was even a year ago, and we’ve had to change the way we enjoy a cold one. When most of the country started throwing ‘em back at home more, it even caused an aluminum can shortage (sorry, Dr. Pepper fans). Some even enlisted dogs as their new drinking buddies.

Miller High Life wants to change the game for your socially distant boozing, by putting a dive bar right in your backyard. No more worrying about where to go, or how to get home. Instead, they will plunk a free dive bar (valued at $10,000) and outfit the drinking space with bar stools, a popcorn machine, classic wood paneling and questionable art, and dim lighting. They’ll also hook you up with a bunch of free beer.

As summer comes to a close, don’t miss your chance to keep the backyard hangs going all fall long with the Miller High Life backyard dive bar. Enter for a chance to win: https://t.co/6DHASjgVXz. pic.twitter.com/XWf1uyyhXc

— Miller High Life (@millerhighlife) September 16, 2020

The champagne of beers gets it, drinking at home doesn’t have to be a bummer (anyone with a basement bar knows this already). You can sign up by texting “DIVEBAR” to 90464, according to the Beer Co, to sign up for the giveaway (or by going to HighLifeDiveBar.com).

Drink outside year-round in your own backyard dive bar. Enter for a chance to win a Miller High Life backyard dive bar stocked with all of the essentials: a popcorn machine, dim lighting, and the right High Life decor. Enter here: https://t.co/6DHASjgVXz pic.twitter.com/daFGlkF1RN

— Miller High Life (@millerhighlife) September 9, 2020

The only catch is, if you win, you have to let us come over as much as we want.

Say what you will about 2020 but it’s provided us with some pretty unique real estate opportunities – like a beautiful home that has a complete jail in it. Now a condo for sale in Florida (of course) has come on the market that is completely covered in beer cans. Not, like, post bender empties that haven’t been cleaned out, but more like a meticulous crafting project that included a copious amount of beer drinking (the best kind of crafting!).

We can all agree Dads love beer, whether it’s drinking with your dog, or even enjoying your last beer with your kids. Dads happily embrace the dad bod that comes with a beer hobby, some dads even drink a Dad bod beer.

The listing agent thought the seller had found a unique wallpapering, without realizing it was more like a unique lifelong obsession. The original tenant, who has passed away, was a huge fan of Budweiser and spent years working to cover every single wall and ceiling (except for the bathroom) with beer cans.

Budweiser shared the images of the condo on it’s Facebook page, saying “The perfect house doesn’t exi—”

The home was owned by a Navy Vet, who spent 16 years consuming enough product for the job. The 2-bedroom condo in South Florida is for sale for $100,000, although to sweeten the deal, Budweiser is offering free beer to whoever buys it (as long as they don’t renovate).

Hey @BuyAndSellWPB, who bought this house?

Let us know so we can stock their fridge with beer (as long as they don’t renovate). pic.twitter.com/6IZmc7mfhy

— Budweiser (@budweiserusa) September 16, 2020

Busch Beer is changing the drinking game with its latest beer. Every beer company says that these days, but this actually has some merit. The biggest change? It’s not for you. Specifically, not even for humans. It’s a beer for dogs, and it’s going to make your pup your new drinking bud.

Dogs have cemented their status as man’s best friend over the years, yet they continue to renew their commitment on the reg. Like the family dog that kept a missing 3-year-old safe. Or the dog that saved the day when an autistic toddler wandered from home. It’s just science that dogs > cats and the rest of the animal world when it comes to pets. And now we can take that relationship to the next level.

Introducing The Nectar Of The DOGS!#BuschDogBrew is bone broth full of dog-friendly flavors and nutrients. Go to the link in our bio to grab a pack for your favorite drinking buddy 🐶! pic.twitter.com/tWA20ys8at

— Busch Beer (@BuschBeer) August 26, 2020

Busch announced their Dog Brew on National Dog Day. It’s got no alcohol and no hops, but your dog will think its tasty since it’s bone broth full of dog-friendly flavors and nutrients. They are sold in 12 oz. cans, so you now enjoy a beer with better company than some of the usual crew.

The product is sold online in 4-packs, and Busch is donating $1 from each case to the Best Friends Animal Society, to help support dogs in need of homes. A CIP from Anheuser-Busch said a Busch is best enjoyed with your best friend, which is why they made a dog beer.

“After a long day there’s nothing quite like having a Busch with a friend, and with so many new pet owners across America this year, we wanted to create a brew to give our fans a chance to share a Busch brew with their ‘best friend,’” he said in a press release.

Now that you can enjoy a round with your pup, you’ll never have to force small talk about the weather or pretend to care about a stranger’s fantasy football team ever again.

2020 has not been a normal year. Sometime around late February/early March, things got dark, and suddenly we were in the middle of a global pandemic that is still raging. Many of us were forced to quarantine inside our homes, away from our jobs and coworkers, families and friends, avoiding restaurants and movies and concerts and sporting events (that were canceled anyway). We’ve spent spring and summer in a bizarre situation that we’re yet to fully emerge from, even as the school year is beginning the start. To make matters worse, the supply of beer has already been threatened and so have the aluminum cans that beer comes in.

Needless to say, the COVID-19 outbreak and all its attendant complications have caused an inordinate amount of stress, and no one is immune to that. Which is why many of us have been drinking a bit more than normal. We’ve been drinking to lessen the stress, and we’ve been drinking to fill the time because frankly there isn’t all that much else to do. And it’s easy to crack another beer or pour another glass of wine as Netflix barrels through to the next episode. It’s understandable and even helpful in some ways.

But it can be detrimental too. And according to a new study, it’s starting to take its toll.

Back in April, the Wall Street Journal published an article about increasing drinking during the pandemic, amid a 20-year rise in Americans’ drinking. Now, a federal committee is recommending we cut back.

According to NBC News, later this year the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans are being updated for the first time in five years, and they are now recommending no more than one drink a day for men. Since 1990, two drinks a day had been the suggestion, but as Americans drink more, that portion has been halved. And no, this doesn’t mean that skipping a few days means you can then add those drinks to your Friday night regimen!

“As a nation, our collective health would be better if people generally drank less,” said Dr. Timothy Naimi, an alcohol researcher at Boston University who is on the committee making these recommendations, and to whom we say “duh!” But I’m not so sure that includes our mental health, especially during a pandemic.

These are extraordinary times, and honestly, it seems like bad timing for a report suggesting we drink less. But too much of anything is a bad thing, physically and mentally, and while it may be difficult to adhere to one drink a day guidelines during these unprecedented times, we probably should be paying attention to how much we’re drinking. Because eventually these unprecedented times will end, and when they do, it won’t be the best look to leave quarantine with an enormous beer belly.

“Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” – Dr. Ian Malcolm

Earlier this summer, we saw the release of a mustard-flavored beer from French’s. No one asked for this beer, never mind that it was brewed with Oskar Blues specifically for National Hot Dog Day.

Beers are getting out of hand. First, it was double IPAs, then it was imperial stouts, then it was sessions, and next thing you know they were making beer that tastes like hot dog condiments. Now they’ve gone even further and made a beer that tastes like Dunkaroos.

Even Dunkaroos fans are like WTF? Sure, we were all excited when General Mills brought the 90s snack back to shelves earlier this year. We even got hyped for the Dunkaroos cereal. But a Dunkaroos beer is a bridge too far.

Especially one that’s called “Dunkabroos.”

That’s the name of this new offering from Martin House Brewing Company in Fort Worth, TX.

 

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Dunkabroos 8% – Ale brewed with Cookies, Vanilla Cream, Lactose, and Sprinkles. We actually did it! This beer is nostalgia in a can. It wasn’t easy tracking down all these tasty treats for “research” but we were able to find a few. The flavors have been replicated perfectly. It’s a sweet, cookie filled brew that even has that frosting finish (like when you save all the cream for the last cookie – yall know what we’re talking about)! Dunkabroos goes on sale today. It is a taproom only release. 4packs are $20. Four 4pack limit per person. We open at noon. Hope yall have as much fun drinking this as we did brewing it. Cheers! #dunkabroos #90s #takemeback

A post shared by Martin House Brewing Co. (@martinhousebrewing) on Aug 14, 2020 at 8:23am PDT

The brewery describes it as “nostalgia in a can,” and nostalgia has got to be the only reason this was made.

Maybe I’m just being a stick in the mud. Maybe it tastes good. It’s literally brewed with cookies and cream and sprinkles. At 8% it will surely make you feel good. Is this really necessary? Do we need a Dunkaroos-flavored beer? Can we not just let food be food and beer be beer?

Obviously, as beer becomes a bigger industry and experimentation runs rampant, it’s natural for brewers to keep pushing the limits. I just worry that we’re ignoring common sense as Dr. Malcolm feared. We all saw how that turned out.

Beer… finds a way.

Beer culture has exploded over the past decade, with countless breweries springing up, and all sorts of different varieties of beers becoming available. I had a friend who made a Habanero beer – but he took the heat out of the pepper so it just kept the flavor. It was… not my favorite, but I was impressed at his ability to turn anything into beer, even if that anything wasn’t always my favorite thing.

The people at French’s Mustard would have been impressed too, judging by the fact that they recently did something similar.

On August 1, aka National Mustard Day, the people at French’s released a beer they’d made in collaboration with Oskar Blues Brewing. And yes, it’s a mustard beer, flavored with everyone’s favorite condiment (for real, I even put mustard on my BLTs don’t @ me).

The Oskar Blues website describes the beer as “a semi-tart tropical wheat beer infused with citrus fruits to compliment French’s Classic Yellow Mustard. The flavor includes hints of key lime, lemon, tangerine and passionfruit to create a tart, refreshing match for the spice and zip of the mustard.”

Per the press release, Oskar Blues head brewer Juice Drapeau recommends pairing the ale with a “loaded hot dog on the hottest day of the year.” Perhaps while watching a baseball game from the comfort of your living room – while the games last! Of course, if you’d rather eat your mustard, French’s is also offering some recipes in which your limited edition beers can be employed, like Mustard Beer Basted Sausages with Onions.

If you’re brave enough to give it a shot, this limited edition beer is available in cans via CraftShack, or in person at select Oskar Blues Brewery taprooms in Colorado (Boulder and Longmont) and North Carolina (Brevard) while supplies last.

Don’t panic, but it could soon be more difficult to find your favorite beer on the shelf. If you’re looking for something to blame, look no further than everyone’s least favorite global pandemic, as the beer industry is now facing an alarming aluminum can shortage.

According to industry reports, the lockdowns that have engulfed the nation have changed the way we booze. For starters, with bars closed down, more people have had to do their beer drinking at home (ie-a greater need for cans). Also, apparently, we’re all drinking more too, which can also be chalked up to LIVING THROUGH A PANDEMIC!

This comes at a time when cans were kinda running lower than usual anyway, mainly due to the meteoric rise in popularity for hard seltzers (thanks for nothing, you lawless White Claw drinkers!).

As a result, some big-name beers are being affected by the shortage. Included in those feeling the crunch are Coors Light, Corona, Modelo, Dos Equis, and White Claw. Given the increase in demand, cans are more costly, so brands are having to make difficult decisions on which products to focus on, and which will see their production slowed.

This won’t affect you if you drink some bandwagon beer that everyone loves, but keeping the others in stock is no sure thing. Craft breweries will be hit harder than the big guys, and the 16-ounce cans and the slim cans (sorry seltzer fans) will be affected the most this summer.

The US is running low on aluminum cans, and analysts warn you might see your favorite beers go out of stock https://t.co/iXY8ohjDe7

— Business Insider (@businessinsider) July 24, 2020

Soda companies are also struggling with the shortage, as Coke is reportedly shifting priority to the regular product, and away from Coke Zero (somewhat).

“Aluminum cans are in very tight supply with so many people buying more multi-pack products to consume at home,” a Coca-Cola spokesperson told USA Today.

While maybe not the best option for camping trips and grill-outs, we still have beer in glass bottles to console us during this “unprecedented” can shortage.

Beer: It’s what’s for breakfast. We’ve already showcased Lucky Charms beer and one with Fruity Pebbles in it. Well, the hits keep on coming. Remember that episode of The Simpsons where Homer asks Apu for some Skittlebrau, a fake beer he imagined with candy floating in it?

Well, Homer’s dream has finally been actualized some twenty-odd years later. This month, the Pontoon Brewery in Sandy Springs, Georgia is bringing back its sweetest concoction: Rainbow Smiggles, a Berliner Weisse made with both Trix and Skittles, as well as strawberries, pineapple, vanilla. Also lactose, the sugar found in milk, to really nail down the illusion you’re getting loaded on cereal.

Pontoon Brewery has teamed up with The Sprayberry Bottle Shop to bring us this German sour which, once in the mixer, is infused with 500 pounds of Skittles and more than 100 boxes of Trix cereal.

We’ve seen more than our fair share of novelty beer labels in the last year. DuClaw Brewing Company released one based on the dad bod. More recently, Sheetz, a popular Pennsylvanian restaurant/convenience store, knocked it out of the park with their craft brew made from hot dogs. But, we gotta say, these Rainbow Smiggles are truly something to behold.

Head brewer Chris Baratz told Thrillist that Pontoon Brewing is committed to bringing craft beer enthusiasts exciting new flavors month after month. “We like to push the limits and go to extremes to keep the brewers and customers excited about each new sour.”

The last round sold out within 45 minutes at a small, in-brewery launch, so they made way more Rainbow Smiggles this summer. It is now available for pre-order right here on CraftCellr! Drink responsibly, silly rabbit.

It’s truly wild to see all of the innovative ways in which businesses are working to accommodate these new frustrating pandemic social norms. One seafood restaurant in Maryland is keeping patrons at a safe distance by turning them to human bumper cars. Another joint in Germany is achieving the same effect with foam pool noodles strapped to customers’ heads.

But easily the most ingenious thing we’ve yet to see come out of this new 6-feet rule is from the Mexican lager, Dos Equis. You may remember Dos Equis as the beer brand behind those massively popular “Most Interesting Man In The World” ads.

But now, in addition to thirsty, Dos Equis is insisting you stay safe and healthy. Now you can drink a whole new kind of responsibly, as the makers of the pilsner-style lager unveiled the very first social distancing beer cooler.

The Seis-Foot Cooler is, as you’d guess, six feet in length, providing the perfect buffer zone between you and a buddy looking to pound a few cold ones in the back yard. It’s essentially two smaller coolers with no storage space in between, but this novelty cooler is still bound to be a hit at your next gathering of no more than six people.

Dos Equis is graciously giving away a few of these coolers for free. All you have to do is buy any Dos Equis product and submit a photo of your receipt right here to enter!

Stay health-conscious, my friends.

How’s your Father’s Day been?

Turns out I shouldn’t have been subtly laying clues for my wife to get me some good bourbon or some good beer, and instead I should have moved to Germany where fathers have somehow hacked the system and found the world’s most amazing way to celebrate Father’s Day.

Germans sometimes get a bad rap for being humorless and severe, but there’s no denying they know how to drink. It’s no mistake that they started Oktoberfest, which I used to think was the world’s greatest celebration. And then I learned about the German Father’s Day.

We posted about it on Facebook. Check this out:

I won’t lie, they almost lost me with “going on hikes” but they quickly won me back with “wagons of food and booze.” It’s like a state-sanctioned tailgate that takes place, I dunno, in the woods? With a bunch of your friends? And no kids in sight?

Even better is the fact that it’s held on a Thursday. Obviously, after a day of booze-fueled hiking, none of these dads go to work on Friday, thereby extending Father’s Day into a 4-day weekend. This allows dads to recover from their day of debauchery and meat sweats while also giving them a few extra days with which they are free to celebrate themselves with their families, without whom none of us would be dads.

Finally, take a look at the wagon in that image. The “Papa Mobile” is fashionably decorated, there is a grill on it, and there are several glasses and even what looks like a keg of some kind.

I am not German, but I’ve never wanted to be one so badly. Forget making the day after the Super Bowl a national holiday, let’s adopt the German Father’s Day! We could technically celebrate both. Mach Schnell!

It doesn’t get much better than a beer in one hand, hot dog in the other. (Unless it’s in your pillow.) It’s basically “10 and 2” for cookouts. But haven’t you ever wished that perhaps, someday, maybe we could combine the two? No? Never even crossed your mind? That actually sounds sort of gross to you?

Well, too bad. Because Sheetz, a popular convenience store/restaurant based in Pennsylvania, has rolled out a limited edition craft beer that’s brewed with, yes, hot dog.

Last summer, Sheetz got together with Rusty Rail Brewing to release its first store-brand beer, Project Coffee Hopz, brewed with their very own Sheetz Brothers Sumatra coffee beans.

Later in August, they broke ground with Project Blueberry Muffinz, which is exactly what it sounds like. A morning beer if we’ve ever seen one.

But Sheetz has really outdone themselves this year. Teaming up with Pennsylvania’s own Neshaminy Creek Brewing, they rolled out a brand new ABV India Pale Ale. Light. Crisp. Dry-hopped with Nugget and Centennial hops.

Oh, and hot dogs. They tossed a bunch of Sheetz brand hot dogs in the brew kettle. Yep.

Introducing…

PROJECT HOP DOGZ

The beer, described by Sheetz as “refreshing and dry, with delicate hop flavors of citrus and pine,” hit shelves at 128 locations across Pennsylvania this memorial day weekend.

“Don’t worry, the beer does not taste like hot dogs!” reassures Neshaminy’s head brewer, Jason Ranck. “We thought it was just a fun concept and the perfect beer for pairing with Sheetz Hot Dogz and warm-weather activities.”

Sheetz and Neshaminy’s hope to spread some much-needed good energy with this otherworldly concoction. “[It’s] a surprise that’ll engender smiles, laughter, and conversation—something we could all use more of right now,” Jason continued.

Very touching. Cheers to these innovators. Now back to the lab. August is just around the corner and we still don’t have a beer that tastes like new car smell.

Click here to see if Project Hop Dogz is available near you. And remember, dog responsibly.

When it comes to takeout, branding, and packaging is everything. No one has mastered this more than McDonald’s and their Happy Meals. And now, as restaurants are forced to get more creative with their business models in the COVID-19 era, at least one is scaling that idea up for adults.

A restaurant in Ohio, the Dunlap Cafe, has started selling Happy Meals for adults. All the normal happy meal components are there; the box, an entrée, a side, even a prize (a Koozie, in this case), and a dessert (a Twizzler). And the reason it’s an adult happy meal and not just a happy meal? It comes with your choice of alcoholic beverage.

#EatLocal the @DunlapCafe is home of the adult happy meal! Burger fries and a “Adult” drink ! Check it out @Local12 pic.twitter.com/qumW7raCgb

— TR Gormley (@McGingeryBeard) May 1, 2020

The restaurant offers different options, depending on your drink of choice. The “Super Basic Box” comes with a PBR or Miller High Life. The “Basic Basic Box” includes a Bud, Bud Light, or Coors Light. The “Soccer Mom Selter Box” comes with a White Claw and they also offer adult happy meals with craft beers and cocktails for a higher fee.

While many families are still breaking up their routines with the occasional takeout meal, hopefully, this trend of adult happy meals continues. It will make quarantine a bit more tolerable if your meal comes with a beer. (Or your local ice cream truck sells booze.)

And honestly, one of the few positives to come from this awfulness is the trend of home beer and alcohol delivery. You can get cocktails and margaritas to-go from restaurants now. Is it the safest trend? Maybe not. Does it rule? Yeah, kind of.

Alcohol sales are through the roof, so no judgment when it comes to doing what you have to do to get through, and the same goes for restaurants trying to get a little more creative to survive.

Picture this: you and a friend are catching up from an abiding distance of six feet. You’re making meaningful connections through a mutual vulnerability, co-opting grievances with which you’ve both yet to fully assimilate.

This calls for a cold one.

But wait. You’re both wearing protective face masks. Dammit. They are, by very function, obstructing your beer holes. What to do? You could go the It’s Always Sunny route:

But if you don’t have a hazmat suit on hand, Phil from Beer Goals (the same genius who invented the beer pillow) has you covered with a nifty way to sip beer while wearing a face mask.

What you’ll need:

• • 1 sandwich bag
  • 1 straw from a kid’s juice box
  • 1 bandana
  • 2 rubber bands
  • 1 delicious beer
  • the knowledge this is for entertainment purposes only

Simply fill the bag with beer, seal in the straw, fold over the bandana, affix the rubber bands, couple more folds, and voila, those “drink responsibly” disclaimers take on a whole new life.

This, of course, just a silly fun thing, and should not be used in place of any real personal protective equipment. “The only thing this is gonna really protect you from is being sober,” Phil admits. “The only thing we’re not social distancing is this beer from going in my mouth. Am I right?”

You can check out Phil’s beer Facebook page right here!

Here at The Dad, we hope you, your families, and communities stay safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the latest information, please utilize online resources from local public health departments, the Centers for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization to remain as informed as possible.