Brewbirds

brew birds

i have a small collection of beer bottles that feature birds and various other winged creatures (moths, satan, etc). at this point, new selections are difficult to find. it usually involves travel, and lord knows i don't get to do that enough. Pennsylvania's regulations regarding the sale of alcohol are stuck in the 19th century, so variety and convenience to the consumer suffer. it's nearly impossible to find single bottles or sixes of interesting brews. there's always case sales, but variety is also hard to find there, and where available, prices are generally inflated beyond what i'd like to pay for a beer i've never tried, bird or no bird on the label. i complain about it a lot. luckily i live near New Jersey, so i can pop across the bridge for non PA-approved brews. here's a good one:

Hitachino Nest Beer is a white ale brewed in Japan. i'm allergic to white ales, but i tried this one anyway. seem to recall that it was fresh and tasty, and that i would have finished it if the throat and tonsils hadn't begun to swell. really hate that...very uncomfortable. the owl is cool. there are other varieties of this available with variations on the owl, but i haven't found them yet, thanks to Ye Olde PA Liquor Control Board. they still refer to themselves as 'Ye Olde'. isn't that wierd? i've heard that they work by candle-light and maintain ledgers with ink and quill. good quills are difficult to obtain these days, so they'll go for weeks without accomplishing anything at all. apparently the chairman sports a cape and top hat...