Beer-articles 848
Teenager Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murdering a Father Over Beer in Charlotte Restaurant
A pack of American Spirits, a gun, a takeout order, but no beer. This was the basis of the story that led to Juan Deras Escalante’s conviction on first-degree murder, dating back to five years ago. The witnesses give account that the incident occurred when a fresh dad refused to get a drink for the then 19 year old outside a Mexican eatery in Charlotte.
On the 29th day of April, 2019, Domingo Venencio-Tapia – aged 41 – fell victim to the shootout attack, with a bullet to his face and four other bullets fired into the wall behind him. His recently married wife, who had given birth just 16 days before this event, was noticeably absent at the scene. Conversely, another man Venencio-Tapia had only just met that night at the Lempira Restaurant on South Boulevard – held the unfortunate victim helplessly as he bled out with his final breath.
The Wednesday following an eight-day trial saw a jury find Escalante – now aged 23 – guilty as charged for the crimes of first-degree murder as well as four counts of discharging a firearm into preoccupied property.
“It started over something silly and escalated,” Escalante’s attorney, William Heroy, stated to the jury during his concluding arguments.
However, he contended, the adolescent had no intention of shooting Venencio-Tapia.
Upon Venencio-Tapia’s refusal to purchase them a beverage, Escalante departed the eating establishment in a buddy’s vehicle, based on eyewitness accounts. He dangled from the passenger side window and discharged a total of five rounds.
According to Heroy’s argument, those projectiles were intended to be fired skyward.
As Venencio-Tapia and a few other men shuffled back into the restaurant, the car jolted or hit a curb, and Escalante’s arm fell — firing the bullets lower than intended, Heroy said.
The friend driving, Gerardo Lagunes, previously pleaded guilty in connection with the crimes, according to a news release from Mecklenburg County’s District Attorney’s Office.
State prosecutors squelched the defense through witness statements and recorded jail calls.
“This is my neighborhood,” Escalante said as he readied to pull the trigger, witnesses recalled. He told Venencio-Tapia and two other men he’d shot and killed a man before.
Then the bullets came, none of which soared into the sky.
On the contrary, they all battered the building and one of them hit its intended target – Venencio-Tapia, as argued by state attorneys William Bunting and Austin Butler.
The very act of Escalante discharging shots into an occupied property where he knew people were dining, justifies the four counts of firing a weapon into an occupied property. Furthermore, these shots – including the one that killed Venencio-Tapia – demonstrate intent, a crucial element in justifying a charge of first-degree murder, as Bunting asserted.
Escalante and Lagunes made their escape down South Boulevard. When the police arrived, Venencio-Tapia was already dead.
People who testified in court including Darcy Luna and Junior Lopez remember the visible image of Escalante with his curly hair, white shirt, and shiny gold chain. According to them, he was seen hanging outside the window.
A surveillance video that was viewed indicated Escalante, along with two of his friends inside Lempira just some moments before the occurrence of the shooting. The three of them picked an order to-go and Escalante was spotted talking with the bartender.
After that, he proceeded towards Venencio-Tapia and the brother of Lopez. A notable scene was when all of them were patting their pockets, which seemed like they were in search of a lighter, suggested by Bunting. At some point, they all stepped out of the restaurant.
A couple of minutes later, the footage showed people in a rush either getting out or moving towards the till in an attempt to check out and leave the restaurant. The reason behind this sudden rush was because the restaurant had become a crime scene.
Outside, Venencio-Tapia lay in Lopez’s arms. A full, untouched pack of American Spirit cigarettes had fallen next to them.
Police didn’t discover Escalante until May 2019, following an intense eight-hour standoff with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s SWAT team, which eventually coerced him out of his home. According to police records, he had taken Xanax and was drinking alcohol.
In police reports, detectives made reference to a confidential source that guided officers to Escalante. Investigators revealed in court on January 29, that this source was a cell tower simulator provided by the Secret Service.
This technology impersonates a cell tower and identifies persons of interest by connecting to a phone through the walls of a building, as reported by The Charlotte Observer.
In court on Wednesday, Bunting — who is the Homicide Unit Chief at the DA’s Office — showcased Snapchat “memories” during his closing argument. The police had received a video that Escalante had saved, captured a day before the fatal shooting at Lempira. The video depicted him with a Glock, which was a match for the suspected murder weapon.
During the trial, six of Escalante’s family members were present in court and were seated right behind him throughout the trial. Each one of them was visibly tense, shaking their legs as the lawyers put forth their closing arguments and as the jury was in deliberation. All members chose not to comment on the trial.
Separated from them was Madeline Tapia-Jones, the wife of the victim, sitting along with two members of her family. They comforted her intermittently by placing a hand on her shoulder. She chose not to give any comments during the trial, and she remained unreachable after the jury announced its final verdict.
In reference to the accused, she stated during her WBTV interview in 2019: “This boy, he made a choice. He quite clearly shot my husband, and because of that, he was only able to spend two weeks with our daughter.”
Remarried and again pregnant, the widow traveled from Indiana to testify and witness the trial.
Mecklenburg County Judge Justin Davis sentenced Escalante to life without the possibility of parole for the murder charge and an additional 100-168 months for shooting into an occupied building. As of Thursday afternoon, he was still being held at the Mecklenburg County Detention Center.
Comparing Alcohol Content: The Quantity of Beer Equivalent to a Single Shot of Liquor
Consuming alcohol responsibly involves understanding the differences in alcohol types and their respective quantities. Each type of alcohol – be it beer, wine, or hard liquor – varies in alcohol by volume (ABV) percentage. According to the National Consumer League, one 12-ounce beer can be equated to one shot, although this can fluctuate based on the specific ABVs of both the liquor and beer. Notably, a beer with a 4% ABV will have less of an impact than a beer with an 8% ABV. The CDC suggests that men should ideally engage in no more than two drinks per day, and women only one, to mitigate any potential health risks associated with alcohol.
Read More: 10 Of The Healthiest Beers You Can Drink
The term ‘alcohol by volume’ refers to the amount of ethanol in every 100 milliliters of liquid. Liquor generally has a higher ABV (around 40%) than beer (about 5%), which accounts for the easier tolerance of beer than straight vodka. However, things get complicated when considering that the assumption of equating one beer to one shot is based on a very general percentage of 5% ABV. Some common beers like Michelob, Budweiser, and Heineken have a 5% ABV, but lighter beers such as Coors Light, Miller Lite, and Bud Light maintain an ABV of 4.2% and contain fewer calories and carbohydrates. It’s crucial, however, to remember that some beers can have a significantly higher ABV. Many craft beers, for instance, can have higher alcohol percentages, with Allagash Brewing Company’s Tripel containing 9% ABV, and some reaching 11% ABV. To calculate how many “standard drinks” a beer is equivalent to based on its alcohol percentage, check out a calculator provided by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. How this equates to liquor, however, will depend on the other variables mentioned.
Different liquors have varying ABVs, with some exceeding 40%, termed as overproof, and others under 40%. Understanding the exact ABV content of your drink is crucial to comprehend the effect it might have on your body.
The beer-making procedure influences its ABV. Beer is produced from barley, a grain rich in sugar, which over a period, ferments with the aid of yeast. As fermentation unfolds, yeast consumes sugar and converts it to alcohol. The duration of fermentation and the variety of yeast used can alter not only the flavor of beer but also its alcohol content.
A beer’s ABV straight impacts your body’s blood-alcohol level or BAC. If you’ve ever heard of “driving under the influence”, it likely implies that their BAC was more than 0.08%. Your gender and weight significantly affect your BAC. According to a blood alcohol chart, a female weighing 140 pounds can likely consume two drinks while staying under the legal limit, whereas a male weighing 180 pounds might be able to consume approximately four drinks. But, it’s generally presumed that a “drink” refers to a 12-ounce, 5% ABV beer or a 1.5-ounce, 40% ABV shot of liquor.
To read more, check the original article on Daily Meal.
Samuel Adams and AB InBev Redirecting Ad Investments Towards Non-Alcoholic Beer as American Alcohol Consumption Decreases
With Dry January over for another year, many drinkers will have returned to their old tipples. But US brewing giants are spending more money than ever to market their low and no-alcohol beers all year round, reflecting the category’s rapid rise as traditional lagers and ales begin to lose their fizz.
Some 38.8% of the $1.3 billion the US beer category spent on advertising last year was devoted to light and low-alcohol beer and ale, up from 31.5% in 2022, and 28.3% in 2021, according to Vivvix, a MediaRadar company. (The 2023 figure includes some preliminary data for December.)
Boston brewery Samuel Adams is one of the many companies contributing to this trend.
It just wrapped up its Dry January activity, when it invited fathers-to-be to enter an Instagram contest to give up alcohol in solidarity with their pregnant partner, for a chance to win a 40-week supply of its non-alcoholic IPA, Just the Haze.
Samuel Adams is planning major expansions for its non-alcoholic beverages in the coming year. The brewing company is preparing to film a national television advertisement specifically for Just the Haze, and intends to increase the drink’s online visibility using a team of influencers.
The focus on alcohol-free beverages is a significant shift from just a couple of years prior, during which non-alcoholic drinks were merely a part of Samuel Adam’s comprehensive product campaigns.
For the upcoming year, the brewer plans to allocate roughly 20% of their marketing budget towards low and zero alcohol drinks, an increase from the previous 13% in 2023. This decision was made known by the company’s brand head, Lauren Price, who added that funds are being redirected from the primary Boston Lager brand to the non-alcoholic ones.
Price suggested that this budget adjustment is in line with current growth trends, “Last year, I would have mentioned that everything was centered around Dry January or Sober October—periods when alcohol consumers choose to abstain—but that’s no longer the situation.”
Other alcohol brands are also making marketing moves in response to new consumption trends. While total North American beer sales were down 12% over the past three years as people seek healthier options, according to the market research firm Circana, non-alcoholic beer has flown off the shelves during that same time period, growing 49%.
It’s not just that more consumers are opting for sobriety — although many, especially Gen Z, are doing just that. Alcohol drinkers are opting for non-alcoholic beers on more occasions, such as at lunchtime or as a “chaser” between alcoholic drinks on a night out, experts said. It helps that brewers have improved the dealcoholization process over the years so that alohol-free beers retain their flavors.
“A number of years ago as a company, we strategically decided to move from just beer to ‘total beverage’ and with that, we did make a decision to ensure we are putting the right resources and investments in those types of segments,” said Sofia Colucci, Molson Coors CMO for North America. Molson Coors’ low and no-alcohol beer portfolio includes Peroni 0.0, Blue Moon Non-Alc, Miller 64, and the ZOA energy drink.
While non-alcoholic beers still only represent a small proportion of the total amount of beer sold, brewers can sell non-alcoholic beers at a higher margin, because they are often priced at a premium and avoid excise duty.
Non-alcoholic beer opens up new opportunities for sports marketing, with more logical links to be made with drinking in moderation or not at all. Take Formula 1, where Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% just inked a sponsorship deal with Team Ferrari and Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen is the face of Heineken 0.0 beer, the US market leader.
Corona Cero 0% beer is set to be the lead brand for Anheuser-Busch InBev’s sponsorship of the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer. The deal, announced earlier this year and which makes AB InBev a Worldwide Olympic Partner through to Los Angeles in 2028, marks the first time a beer brand has sponsored the Games.
“This is an opportunity to strengthen beer as a category and as the category of moderation,” said AB InBev CMO Marcel Marcondes.
Forty-one percent of Americans say they plan to drink less alcohol in 2024, up from 34% the prior year, according to a survey commissioned in December by the marketing company NCSolutions. The company even found that the most popular drink people planned to consume on New Year’s Eve in the US in 2022 was soda rather than an alcoholic fizz.
“There seems to be a cultural zeitgeist element gathering steam and reinforcing itself,” said Alan Miles, NCSolutions CEO. “Not drinking and the non-alcoholic option is cool.”
Read next
Discovering an Open Beer Can in Patrick Mahomes’s Dad’s Car Console Before His Arrest
Patrick Mahomes‘s dad, Patrick Mahomes Sr., was reportedly driving with an open can of beer before his DWI arrest over the weekend.
As previously reported, the NFL quarterback’s dad was charged with a DWI by the Tyler Police Department in Texas on Saturday, February 3. Sadly, this specific charge states that a third DWI offense or habitual DWI is a Third Degree Felony in Texas. The maximum fine that can be levied is $10,000.00, and the maximum prison sentence can be up to 10 years in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice penitentiary.
This is not the first time Mr. Mahomes has been in trouble with the law. According to Texas criminal records, there are multiple instances of his arrest over the past 15 years, with several mugshots available in the system.
The arrest report reveals that Patrick Mahomes Sr. was driving with an open 16-ounce Coors beer in the center console just before 8 p.m. Saturday when he was stopped by the police.
He also told police that he “had a few beers while watching a game at a local bar,” per the affidavit, obtained by The Post.
Per The Blast’s previous report, “A conviction for a third DWI will result in a minimum prison sentence of two years and a maximum of ten years in prison (not a county jail). Even if you are granted probation, you will have to serve at least ten days in jail as part of a plea agreement. This usually cannot be waived.”
The arrest occurred just 8 days before the Super Bowl – a game in which his son, Patrick, will be playing in.
Mahomes Sr. agreed to perform Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, where he showed signs of intoxication during the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus eye test, the Walk and Turn test, and the One Leg Stand, according to police.
“Based on the totality of the circumstances,” the arresting officer wrote in the report, citing probable cause, “I believed Patrick was impaired to a perceptible degree while operating a motor vehicle in a public place.”
This is not the first time the Mahomes family has been involved in legal drama, as Patrick’s younger brother, Jackson Mahomes, was accused of non-consensual misconduct by a woman named Aspen Vaughn.
The 23-year-old, who is considered a social media influencer, was visiting the accuser’s Aspens Restaurant and Lounge business in Kansas City when Jackson allegedly pushed a waiter who attempted to access the room he was in.
Jackson Mahomes also sparked controversy in September 2021 after he was caught pouring water on a Baltimore Ravens fan following the Chiefs loss.
Mahomes Sr. was detained for his second charge of driving while intoxicated in 2018, as indicated by jail records. He completed his 40-day sentence during weekends from February 2019 to February 2020.
Just days before his son, Patrick Mahomes, and the Kansas City Chiefs face the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVII, Patrick Mahomes Sr. was arrested for a DUI. The pivotal match is scheduled to occur in Las Vegas on February 11.
Reflecting on the 1896 Kingston Riot Sparked by a Keg of Beer
By Ed Lewis [email protected]
Wilkes-Barre Record headline Feb. 7, 1896
A boarding house on Center Street, Kingston, catered to Lithuanians needing a place to stay.
And those Lithuanians enjoyed a good time.
Joseph Pokoytski, the owner of the boarding house, had a keg of beer and invited some of his tenants to a gathering on February 4, 1896. A resident played a violin at the spontaneous party on the front porch as they savored the beer.
Once the keg was empty, Pokoytski assigned Joseph Polock and John Harsey to buy another keg from John Luiantchi’s saloon at 1 in the morning on February 5, 1896, according to the records of Wilkes-Barre.
When Polock and Harsey took the new keg and began their journey back to the boarding house on Center Street, they were pursued by “20 to 25 English-speaking rouges,” the records indicated.
Panicked, Polock and Harsey rushed back to the boarding house and hustled in, alerting Pokoytski and the rest that there was trouble brewing just outside the front door.
Those “toughs” were after the keg of beer, starting to rip apart the wooden fence and hurling wood planks and stones at the boarding house to get their hands on the keg, as stated by the Record.
Despite leaving after a few minutes, the English-speaking toughs soon made their return.
“The Lithuanians continued their merriment. Just past 1 in the morning, a knock was heard at the door. The leader of the boarding house went to answer it, but upon not seeing anyone on the porch, he made his way out into the yard,” reported the Record.
In the aftermath of this, a full-scale riot ensued.
Rocks and wood were hurled, and bullets were fired from revolvers towards the boarding house, incited by demands for a keg of beer according to the newspaper.
Polock ended up with a fence picket lodged in his head while Adam Kobinski had a stone lodged in his head too.
The thin wooden walls and windows did little to stop the bullets, which ended up striking two Lithuanians in their legs.
Isaac Eckert, a detective from Luzerne County, stepped in to investigate the riot and subsequently arrested three individuals, David Davis, William Davis, and Charles Wolfe, on charges of felonious wounding and intent to kill with assault and battery.
Trial for the three English-speaking “toughs” was held May 2, 1896, when Assistant District Attorney Ralph H. Wadhams called them “a bad gang,” reported the Record.
A jury convicted David Davis and Charles Wolfe with felonious wounding and were sentenced May 5, 1896, by Judge John Lynch to three years each in the Eastern Penitentiary.
William Davis was acquitted by the jury.
Comparing Stout Beer with Other Types: A Detailed Overview
Stout beers are a popular beverage in bars, restaurants and home kitchens around the world.
A stout is defined as “a very dark, toasty, bitter, creamy ale,” according to the Beer Judge Certification Program.
It is not typically thought to be ideal for new beer drinkers, due to its often bitter taste.
DECODING BEER’S EFFECTS: WEIGHT, BELLY FAT AND SAFE LIMITS
There are different varieties of beer that are more favorable to those new to drinking beer or exploring stouts.
With roots in Ireland and England, stout beers have spread and increased in popularity all around the globe.
What kinds of stout beer are there?
What is the most popular stout?
What does stout beer taste like?
What is the difference between stouts and other popular beer types?
Among the most popular kinds of stouts are dry Irish stout, milk stout, oatmeal stout, oyster stout, pastry stout, coffee stout, imperial stout and barrel-aged stout.
Dry Irish stouts stand as one of the age-old favorites, majorly because of Guinness.
Milk stouts are known for the incorporation of lactose, a sugar common in dairy products. They often exude a creamy feel and a tinge of chocolate flavor.
Oatmeal stouts, not unlike milk stouts, are a creamy variation of beer with a dash of sweetness.
Oyster stouts, true to their name, are brewed with oysters, infusing each sip with a hint of sea salt.
Pastry stouts are very rich in flavor and have a dessert-like feel. This kind of beer is quite sweet compared to others.
Coffee stout accentuates the underlying coffee flavor already present in a stout by adding it as an ingredient to the beverage.
Imperial stouts often pack a bitter punch and have a higher alcohol content than others.
Barrel-aged stouts are aged in oak barrels. These stouts often have warm flavors of vanilla and even a touch of caramel.
The most popular stout is dry Irish, more specifically, Guinness.
BENEFITS OF USING BEER TO RINSE YOUR HAIR
Guinness has historic beginnings, dating back to 1759.
Today, there are over 10 million glasses consumed each day, according to the stout’s website. Additionally, 1.8 billion pints are sold on a yearly basis, according to the source.
There are different kinds of Guinness that have varying alcohol levels. Guinness Foreign Extra Stout stands at 7.5% ABV, Guinness Baltimore Blonde at 5%, Guinness Draught at 4.2%, Guinness Extra Stout at 4.2%, Guinness Nitro Cold Brew Coffee at 4% and Guinness 0.0 at 0%.
Guinness is made using the key ingredients of roasted barley, malted barley, hops, yeast and water.
The taste of stout beer is going to differ slightly dependent on the type you are drinking. Overall, notes of chocolate and coffee are often tasted in a stout beer.
Stout beer is usually very dark, making it easy to distinguish from other popular kinds of the alcoholic beverage.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
In a very broad sense, there are two main types of beer: Ales and lagers.
Beer feature the same main ingredients of malt, hops, yeast, and water.
One of the biggest differences between these two main types is the yeast that is used in the fermentation process.
Ale yeast ferments at warmer temperatures, which causes it to ferment faster. Lager yeast ferments at colder temperatures, causing a slower fermentation process.
Stouts, like Guinness, are an example of an ale, while Coors, Budweiser, Heineken and Miller Lite are all lagers.
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.
Original article source: How does stout beer compare to other types of the beverage?
Roseville to Welcome Self-Serve Taproom with a No-Tip Policy: Offering Beer and Wine
A new taproom is moving into the Sacramento area, but before you scroll, this one will let you pour your own brew.
Keg and Cork Taproom In Roseville first hinted at its self-serve operation in September. After many delays, the beer business wrote in a Facebook post to consumers on Wednesday that a grand opening will be held on Friday, Feb. 9, at 973 Pleasant Grove Blvd.
The taproom will feature 27 beers and three wines on tap, as well as rooms designated for karaoke and gatherings of up to 12 people, according to Keg and Cork’s website.
“We feel this is a unique concept,” Keg and Cork stated, adding that bringing the self-pour concept to the Sacramento region is both economically and environmentally efficient.
An alcohol license from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control lists Debra and Philip Chanco as owners.
As of Thursday afternoon, representatives were not available for comment.
Customers won’t be asked to tip at Keg and Cork, according to its website, because the owners believe tips should be offered not requested.
“Your kind words and smiles are the best tips we could ask for!” the taproom stated.
Customer tips will be donated to a monthly chosen charity such as the Sacramento Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Sierra Donor Services, according to the business.
The self-pour system at Keg and Cork is performed in four steps, as mentioned on their website.
Pay for your beverage at the keg, hold your glass at a 45-degree angle, fully open the tap, and then pour.
The list of wines and beers will undergo frequent changes, as stated by Keg and Cork.
The current drink list features beer from various brewing companies across the western region including Sacramento, Chico and San Diego.
The brew list includes pale ale, kölsch, lager, IPA and more. Also available are chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, hard seltzer and kombucha.
Keg and Cork’s grand opening is from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9, according to a Facebook post to customers. Light appetizers will be served from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Regular business hours
Regular business hours are from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Thursday; from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays; and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday through Sunday.
What do you want to know about life in Sacramento? Ask our service journalism team your top-of-mind questions or email servicejournalists@sacbee.com.
The Decline of the Craft Beer Boom: How Bars and Breweries are Adapting
After the boom comes the bust—which the world of craft beer is now learning.
While small breweries in the United States experimented with dozens or even hundreds of brews over the past decade or so, it’s just no longer Americans’ drink of choice, The New York Times reported recently. In response, those producers—and the bars and stores selling their beers—are paring back, creating and offering fewer options, sometimes even just one or two at a time.
More from Robb Report
Heineken Just Sold Its Business in Russia-for $1
Here’s What We Know About Goose Island’s Beloved Bourbon County Stout Beer for 2023
San Francisco’s Oldest Craft Brewery Is Shutting Down After 127 Years
“It’s not how many beers we can make,” Mike Fava, a founder and the director of operations at Sacred Profane Brewing in Biddeford, Maine, told the Times. “It’s how many things we can do with the beers.”
Sacred Profane, for example, brews just two beers at a time: a pale lager and a dark lager. That gives Brienne Allan, the brewmaster and president, the ability to really home in and perfect the recipes. As for the guests, although their alcoholic options may be limited, they can choose how much foam they want and whether they want their beers blended or mixed with lemonade. Suppliers, meanwhile, appreciate the small selection, Fava said.
Sales of craft beer have been steadily declining, as drinkers increasingly opt for spirits or canned cocktails—or cut out alcohol completely. As of November, store sales had dropped 5.3 percent by volume from a year earlier, The New York Times noted. At restaurants and bars, people bought 6.7 percent less craft beer. Even major supermarkets like Whole Foods are stocking less of the stuff: The chain started cutting back about six years ago to make more space for drinks like hard seltzer. And while it’s no longer limiting options, it is asking more of the brands it sells, Mary Guiver, Whole Foods’s principal category merchant for beer, told the newspaper.
The decrease in options hasn’t bothered beer drinkers or brewers, as they become more loyal to a few specific beers rather than playing the field. Colin McFadden, who was head brewer for over a decade at Tired Hands Brewing in Ardmore, Penn., used to make hundreds of limited-edition pours. Now, as the owner of the bar and restaurant Meetinghouse in Philadelphia, he offers only five beers.
“Some choice felt necessary, but too much choice felt problematic,” he told the Times. “I’ve had very few people be like, ‘Why are there so few beers?’”
Per the saying, if the quality is up to snuff, the quantity doesn’t much matter.
Best of Robb Report
Why a Heritage Turkey Is the Best Thanksgiving Bird—and How to Get One
9 Stellar West Coast Pinot Noirs to Drink Right Now
The 10 Best Wines to Pair With Steak, From Cabernet to Malbec
Sign up for Robb Report’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Nizlopi Recalls Ed Sheeran’s Work Experience Days and the Making of the JCB Song
‘We’d get big, rugby-playing men coming up to us in tears and saying “I miss my dad” – or “I love my dad and I’ve never told him”’
John and I began songwriting together when we were 13. After university, we both moved back in with our parents in the Midlands and began writing an album. One day while my dad was cooking, I asked, “What should I write a song about?” He casually said, “Diggers.” He used to drive a Massey Ferguson digger for his father’s groundworks company and would pick me up from school in it. Compared to a bully at school, my dad felt so warm, safe and loving. In 90 minutes, I had penned down a song about these contrasting experiences.
Working at London youth centres, I used to commute from Leamington Spa a few times a week. The garage sound that was popular at the time inspired me. I had a rhythm in my head and it went like, “I’m Luke, I’m five and my dad’s Bruce Lee.” When I combined this double-timing rhythm, it felt magical.
People were a bit taken aback by the song’s quirkiness. One line that got many laughs was “The engine rattles my bum like berserk.” By the end, the audience would be laughing and nodding along. We included the song in our debut album and in early 2005, started to compile the hand-drawn video. We published it online in 30-second increments as the artist progressed. Soon, HMV wrote to us asking about the song’s release as customers wanted to purchase it.
It was No 1 just before Christmas 2005. In late January, we played a sold-out show at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London. And it turns out, Ed Sheeran was there. Ed would have been about 14 then. He just kept writing to us: “Could I do work experience with you?” He was very intense. He just wanted to rap-battle us all the time because Eminem’s 8 Mile had just come out. It was Ed’s vision and his gift to be a pop star, but at that stage it wasn’t what I was about.
We had been playing to 200 people a night with a certain vision, mission and purpose – then suddenly this one song just goes boom and we’re at Hyde Park playing to 20,000 people. It’s damaging to the integrity of a living system to grow that quickly. It caused a lot of rupture, stress and conflict and was part of what broke up the band. It’s almost like if a child is growing at a steady rate and that child grows 300ft in six months – it’s probably gonna hurt and it might even kill the child.
I taught Luke to play guitar so it’s my fault, really. When he played the song to me, I was going, “Er, JCBs? Er, really?” Once we’d played it a few times, changed a few things musically, I still thought it was a bit naff. I guess I didn’t quite get it until we started playing it live.
It was then that you’d get big, rugby-playing men coming up to you in tears, going: “I miss my dad” or “I love my dad and I’ve never told him.” Luke was very good at orchestrating the audience into a kind of choir. It’s a funny song because obviously it’s about Luke when he was five with his dad, but it’s amazing how many dads are builders and work in construction and let their sons sit in their diggers.
We used to take work experience kids: they got a week in the studio and a week on the road. Ed Sheeran stood out. I remember him being very enthusiastic, always asking questions. I do remember, in Bristol, him just drinking our rider. It was a full-on gig for me and I was like: “I could really do with a cold beer.” All gone. I said to Luke: “We can’t have him on tour.” In 2006, he opened a show for us in Norwich, not far from his home town, and he had the whole audience in the palm of his hand. I said: “Oh, we’ve created a monster here.”
I don’t think we believed we had a hit until we started doing things like Richard and Judy. When you’re a creative, you spend most of your time saying to aunties and uncles: “It is a proper job.” When you’re on Top of the Pops and you’re No 1, they get off your back for a while.
The JCB Song is almost totally separate from Nizlopi now. Luke and I had always talked about what we wanted – we wanted to be as big as U2 – but when we started tentatively going up that ladder, both of us had very different reactions. It put a lot of pressures on us. I think we forgot for a while that the band was a friendship, and that we were friends who played music together, not musicians that became friends.
Unreleased Nizlopi material is available on Patreon via www.lukeconcannon.com
Analyzing the Best and Worst Beer Logos
Beer enjoys immense popularity around the globe and has done so for hundreds of years. With a plethora of beer brands available, beer enthusiasts are certainly not left wanting. The vast range of beer types, each with its unique look, scent, and flavor, makes marketing and branding extremely crucial.
Logos play a pivotal role for each beer brand. A number of beer brand logos have achieved iconic status, potentially ranking among the top logos of all time, adding immense value to their brand identity. Nonetheless, some logos fall short, either due to a lack of alignment with the brand’s image or simply because they aren’t visually appealing. Let’s delve into some beer logos that are at both ends of this spectrum.
An interesting backstory about a craft brewery ties back to rock ‘n’ roll roots. The brewery was established by Logan, the son of Lead Zeppelin’s vocalist, Robert Plant, in 2011. In 2022, it was taken over by Heineken. It even partnered with the American desert rock group, Queens of the Stone Age.
Beavertown’s logo uses a sans-serif font in crisp, legible block capital letters set in white. The logo sports a modern, slightly unconventional look. The skull, a key component of the logo and also the ‘o’ in Beavertown, has become a trademark symbol for the brand. The sketchy, cave drawing-like appearance of the skull contributes to the logo’s edgy aesthetic.
The popular tequila-infused pale lager is produced by a Slovakian subsidiary of Heineken, but its branding relies heavily on Mexican design. However, it doesn’t do so in a corny way, for an end result that is actually quite understated.
The name of the beer is written in red lettering with black stripes going across horizontally, and the letters are all surrounded by white to give them more emphasis. The letters are serifed but in quite an attractive way, while there are three red circles above them, each giving some quick information about the beverage. The phrase “Tequila flavoured beer” sometimes goes at the bottom in green cursive writing, using another colour from the Mexican flag.
This might be a controversial choice, but I’ve never thought much of Budweiser’s logo. The iconic American-style lager has been a popular choice for well over a century, but their logos throughout history have left a lot to be desired.
For me, the current logo, despite a nice retro nod, is just a bit plain and boring. It does what it needs to, but there’s nothing to set it apart from other logos which might have two or three colours – white and black and something else – and a classic, cursive-style typeface. It’s just a tad dull.
The Brooklyn Brewery logo, established in Brooklyn, New York City, in 1988, is laudable. Brooklyn takes a subtle approach to its marketing, relying primarily on word-of-mouth and philanthropic efforts. However, its logo, designed by the renowned graphic designer Milton Glaser, makes a quiet but significant impact.
The logo has a roundel design encompassing a large, cursive ‘B’ at its center with ‘Brooklyn Brewery’ etch around it. It is sandwiched between two circles beside the ‘B’. The most recognized color palette for the logo is black and green, although it is adaptable enough to accommodate various color variations for different Brooklyn beers.
Beck’s, a German brewery, has a rather mundane logo. Its broad serif letters fail to leave a lasting impression, and the utilization of black and white in the color scheme is lackluster. The key emblem, the other main component of the logo, is inspired from Bremen’s coat of arms, where the brewery is located and pays homage to St. Peter, the city’s patron saint.
Similar to many long-standing beer brands, there’s no glaring issue with their logos. The issue lies in their lack of depth and dynamism. However, a brand like Beck’s doesn’t need to rely on its logo for recognition, owing to its established reputation in the beer industry.
Some of Corona’s adverts might have divided opinion last year, but I do think its logo itself is quite a good one. This Mexican beer brand is best known for its Corona Extra pale lager, but it boasts a range of other beers as well as hard seltzers, too.
Its logo consists of its name in a bold, gothic-looking font, and it’s in a nice blue colour – something that feels quite unusual for big-name lagers. Under the lettering is a yellow medallion that says “the finest beer” in Spanish, while the crown above the lettering is a classy, elegant touch.
No matter your thoughts on the beer logos I’ve both praised and pilloried here, why not take a trip down memory lane and check out some of the beer labels we enjoyed back in 2015? Or, for an alcohol-free experience, take a look at our favourite Dry January ad campaigns this year.