Wine & beer tasting in Pawleys Island

Event: Wine and Beer tasting

Start Time: Thursday, October 15 at 5:00pm

End Time: Thursday, October 15 at 7:00pm

Where: Pawleys Wine & Spirits, 10135 Ocean Hwy, Pawleys Island, SC

Good news, moderates!

TRONDHEIM, Norway, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Abstaining from alcohol consumption is associated with an increased risk of depression, researchers in Norway found.

Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and the University of Bergen said it has long been recognized that excessive alcohol consumption can lead to poor physical and mental health. The researchers -- using data from the Nord-Trondelag Health study that provided information on the drinking habits and mental health of more than 38,000 people -- showed those who reported drinking no alcohol during a two-week period were more likely than moderate drinkers to report symptoms of depression.

Read the full story here.

Oktoberfest tomorrow at The Market Common!

Get information on tomorrow's Oktoberfest, sponsored by the Weekly Surge, here and here.

Oktoberfest tapping at TBonz!

At 4 p.m. tomorrow -- that's Sept. 17 -- TBonz will hold an early tapping of its Oktoberfest brew at the Barefoot Landing location, at the southern end of North Myrtle Beach.

The Oktoberfest will be on tap at the other TBonz locations on Friday (Sept. 18).

The beer is produced by New South Brewing Co. in Myrtle Beach.

Dr. House should prescribe Ritalin to Kanye

You know it's only right.

Magic Hat's Hallowen 12-pack

It's finally out there, now that Labor Day is gone: The Halloween/autumn edition of the Magic Hat seasonal 12-pack.

For $15.49 at my neighbhorhood Food Lion in Myrtle Beach, I can purchase three #9's, three Odd Notions, three Circus Boys, and three Roxy Rolles in a single package.

And I dig the package design. I always loved the skeletons for Halloween.

'Blind Faith' now available!

Hi everyone! That ridiculous-looking blindfolded guy on the cover of the Weekly Surge is -- wait for it -- me.

The cover story, "Blind Faith: Beerman's Local Brew Crew Taste-Tests Budget Beers," will let you know how to get the best possible cheap beers this Labor Day weekend.

Pick up your free copy of the Weekly Surge at area grocery stores and publication racks.

It's in the (aluminum) cans

I finished my Weekly Surge cover story on the Cheap Beer Taste Test, featuring Dave Epstein and Brock Kurtzman of New South Brewing Co., Eric Lamb of Liberty Steakhouse and Brewery, and Pete Velez of Gordon Biersch.

The beers? The tasting notes? The results?

Look for all the answer in this coming Thursday's edition of the Weekly Surge.

Tomorrow, I get shot, blindfolded

That's right -- I will be photographed for an upcoming cover of the Weekly Surge. Scott Smallin will do the shooting.

Coffee for dogs

I was on the back patio this morning, throwing the tennis ball into the yard so Lucy, a four-month-old black lab-great dane mix, could play fetch.

Mosquitoes began to accumulate on my legs, so I placed my cup of Cashua Coffee's Mocha Java on the bricks encircling a tree.

Lucy sniffed the cup, and then started lapping.

She even came back to it, and lapped it until the cup tipped over.

Oddly enough, she is still, at the present moment, taking her normal mid-morning nap.

Must not have made it strong enough.

MB brewers try six cheap beers in taste test

I'm writing an upcoming cover story for the Weekly Surge which will feature the results of my Cheap Beer Taste Test.

Four local guys in the brewing business tasted six cheap beers from cups labeled only with A, B, C, D, E, and F.

They didn't know it, but those beers were: Pabst Blue Ribbon, Miller High Life, Steel Reserve, South Paw Light, Milwaukee's Best Ice, and Natural Light.

Who were the brewers, and what were their opinions of these beers? Look for upcoming editions of the Weekly Surge to find out.

Cheap beer taste-test

I'm trying to gin-up a cheap beer taste-test among our local brewers, for a Weekly Surge cover story.

Any suggestions on which beers I should use in the taste test? Of course, I have some in mind already, but I'm open to suggestions. The beers must be cheaper than $5 per six pack.

Wearable beer dispenser?

Apparently ... yes.

Click here to read about it, and see a pic.

Guinness really is good for you, new research suggests

According to the BBC:

The old advertising slogan "Guinness is Good for You" may be true after all, according to researchers.

A pint of the black stuff a day may work as well as a low dose aspirin to prevent heart clots that raise the risk of heart attacks.

Drinking lager does not yield the same benefits, experts from University of Wisconsin told a conference in the US.

Guinness were told to stop using the slogan decades ago - and the firm still makes no health claims for the drink.

The Wisconsin team tested the health-giving properties of stout against lager by giving it to dogs who had narrowed arteries similar to those in heart disease.

They found that those given the Guinness had reduced clotting activity in their blood, but not those given lager.

Read the full article here.

Miller High Life minis

"High Life" comes at a cheap price. I bought eight squat, little bottles for $3.69 at the local Food Lion.

These little half-size bottles are hilarious -- who drinks them? What's the appeal? Portability?

All kidding aside, for a cheap beer, Miller High Life has some roots. There's the long-standing name brand. There's the art deco-era symbol of a young woman sitting on a crescent moon.

I actually think I like the taste.

Did I just say that publicly?