New Recession Beer at Trader Joe's claims to have a heritage of brewing since 1845 but has a shorter more interesting history

   I went to Trader Joe's and got something to eat and drink. While there I saw one of those cheese dick poster board  signs that T.J.s puts up next to new crap they pawn off as healthy or organic food. You know the ones that curl up on the edges because of all the shoulders and elbows that rub by them while cart pushers veer to avoid oncoming label readers. I had seen this sign before. It was on the beer isle, and  had a two, or three color early 20th century propaganda style image of a blue colored old timer. Like a farmer or a steel worker. 

 

 Now to tell you the truth I'm a bit of a beer snob. I tend to like suds to come in bottles non twist off preferably ( with the exception of Shiner Bock ) and I lean towards the heavier hand brewed variatels . My tastes have broadened as of late due to my hanging out and drinking Tecates in art galleries in L.A. That and you toss in a couple of ball games and handful of poor ass artist good time drinkin buddies, and your swillin cans of piss like a shade tree mechanic gone cat fishing on the fourth of July in no time flat.

 The beer sign was convincing enough with reference to a hard days labor and simpler times.It said the beer was made in the U.S.A. Out of Wisconsin under the name Minhas Craft Brewery. Not only that, the sixer of tan colored cans were dirt cheap and I didn't have shit goin on that night, so I figured it's time to empty these beers and recycle the fuck out of them.

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So I got back to central dispatch, set my phaser to chill (cause Trader Joe's Doesn't have a beer fridge like a bunch of assholes), and preceded coat my insides with 72 ounces of contents while watching animals hump and or eat each other on public television. 

  Two thirds of the way through my endeavor while emptying the final room temp gulp out of one of my new found friends,on the way to crack open a new one. I got up a little too fast if you know what I mean. Now to clear the air on the subject I'ma Drinker. No way around it. I've been hardened in the arts of destroying myself and some of my vehicles and some of my relationships since I was chasing tale in high school. ta boot I'm not a  small guy. It is fare to say I drink a Kings share. Hell, I'm drunk right now! 

On closer examination I read that the beer is 6.5 %  "Not Bad" I says, and indeed times seemed simpler than usual for the rest of that night regardless of the fact the my girlfriend after sampling proclaimed it tasted like shit. 

The next day after work I went back to trader Joe's Got another sixer and decided to take another plunge. just incase I didn't eat enough the night before. I wanted to know if this was indeed the new can beer in my life. While drinking and waiting for my girlfriend to come home I decided I wanted to find out who or what the Minhas Craft Brewery Co. was all about. Now T.J's. Is Known for getting food, wine and spirits companies to re-label products to be sold exclusively out of Trader Joe's Stores right? So I'm thinking that somewhere in America there is a batch of the same beer under a different label or something. Tappety Tap TapTap my fingers took to the keys of my magic computer, and exposed another facet to this Minhas Brew Blog. 

Check it.

 While I'm sitting back thinking the Name Minhas is a bastardized French Canadian/Polish Wisconsin misspelling of some German name like Mien Haus. After all the logo reads (a brewing tradition since 1845).  As it was I had been dipped in shit. Learning that I couldn't have been further from the truth from articles written in numerous Indian entrapaneurial websites. In fact Minhas just means Minhas as in Ms. Manjit Minhas and Mr. Ravinder Minhas. Heres some pics to put a names to the faces.

Legend has it that these two Bad ass's started a liquor design/ creation/ distribution company (with a bank loan). When Mr. Ravinder was age 18 and right out of high school, and Ms. Manjit was 19 years of age. The company was named Mountain Crest Liquors Inc.(MCLI)and the rest is mountain water, or should I say...... Nah.

So Anyways they moved like 100 million cans of beer in the first three years of business.

Yeah. What have you been doing with your time?

This was not without consequence though.

In 2002 they pissed off  the Corporate Canadian beer Market with a competitively priced little ditty called Mountain Crest Classic Lager. They hit the ground running. Pumping affordable swill to thirsty patrons without the Tits and Ass B.S. adverts. People must have liked it, cause it 

stuck in the liquor store fridges and the watering holes eh?

At one point in time I guess the big hitters in the Canadian beer market Labatt and Molson got sick of Mountain Crest Liquors shit and pushed the button on a smear campaign. Being that these two icons in the Ontario drinking culture ran 90%( this number is probably not true but it makes for good blogging) of the market. They heaped a healthy serving of THIS BEER IS NOT FROM CANADA SPIN.  Wheat pasting the fact that this beer is from Wisconsin and what ever else they could mustard. 

But that didn't fade them you know why? Cause the fact still remains maple leaf jack offs like Labatt and Molson produce 5.5 percent alcohol and Mountain Crest produces 6.5. A stronger beer at a cheaper price, because they pass the savings unto thine people and whilst rely on High volume unit movement. That Kicks ass period! And all the earths uglys who drink allot like that. No matter what you say.

That is all for now.