Beer-Universe

WOWZERS....I'm still working off those amazing beers that i had yesterday at Jupiter Brewers Festival. It was great running into some good friends and making some new ones! A Review is coming soon....

In the meantime to keep your little brains spinning I was able to sit down with the creators of Beer Universe, last week and ask them a few questions; Dos Beer-igos Style. They seemed a natural fit since they too were Amigos that loved beer as well. Here is the question and answer segment of my discussion with Arup and Heath from Beer Universe.

D-B; HELLOOOOOOO!, If you could please give our readers a brief history of Beer Universe?

B-U; Hey Guys! Well, Beer Universe was conceived over a couple brews (or a few too many), when we realized there wasn't a single source available online for answers to all of our questions about beer. We decided the next day that the idea was still a good one and we were going to look into a bit further. While there are other sites out there (BeerAdvocate / RateBeer) none provide an easy, user friendly interface that regular beer consumers can enjoy. Beer Universe serves at the platform that solves that problem.

D-B; If your business partner and your cold miller lite were hanging off a cliff, who would you save?

B-U; Well, we honestly aren't huge fans of Miller Light, so probably the business partner. But if we're looking at some Dogfish Head or Abita, there's a strong possibility of that answer changing.

D-B; We at Dos Beer-igos like to describe beers as sexy, what in your words would make a beer "sexy"?

B-U; I've never really thought about a beer quite that way, but I think the qualities which make a beer sexy are pretty similar to what makes a woman sexy. First, it needs to stand out from the rest of the pack by being either bold, distinctive, or both; second, it has to have a great story that consumers find intriguing; and third, it has to exemplify the idea of effortless perfection, which means it was brewed with the highest standards for quality and consistency so every time you open a bottle you know it's going to be great.

D-B; Where do you see the craft industry moving in the next 10 years?
B-U; The craft beer market is certainly an exciting one. Over the past 10 years, the industry really has felt a resurgence. Prior to prohibition in the 1920’s, breweries across the United States were plentiful, it was only until after prohibition where we entered into a market where the big 3 could really take over. Thankfully for beer lovers, the increased consumption in craft/micro beers has allowed new innovations in techniques, flavors, and textures. We believe that mass-marketed beers have their work cut out ahead of them as up and coming breweries (even the likes of Sam Adams, which is still technically a craft brewery) are gaining momentum (10-15% annually) and taking away market share. In the next 10 years, look for more joint projects between breweries and some consolidation as large breweries begin to pick off the smaller higher growth brewers.

D-B; If you could change one thing about this industry what would it be and why?
B-U; This is a great question and it is pretty difficult to answer. Really, one of our biggest complaints is the way that beer is distributed. Often times we are envious of wine sites around the Internet because you can actually purchase it online without major complications (barring the states that don’t allow interstate alcohol sales). The beer industry, on the other hand, is highly regulated and the costs (time & money) of being licensed to distribute beer in multiple states is an expensive undertaking for many craft breweries. It's unfortunate because it creates a major barrier to beer enthusiasts nationwide enjoying some of the great beers these smaller regional breweries have to offer.

D-B; If you had to compare yourself to a single piece of glass wear what would it be and why?

B-U; It would definitely be a mug. While it may not be beautiful to look at, it's sturdy, and open to having any type of beer poured in it. Sort of like us.

D-B; What does the near future hold for B-U?

B-U; Beer Universe is constantly innovating and coming out with new features / tools. We’re hoping to show off our beer recommendation tool that is in our member’s area, as we think it’s a feature that many people would find really helpful, but don’t know it exists. All you have to do is take a short quiz and rate some beers on our site and we automatically recommend some beers, based on your preferences, that we think you would like. So far, every beer recommendation we’ve got, we have loved!

So there you have it Beer Fans; We learned that the dudes from Beer-Universe think of themselves as a Beer Mug, Are creating the best beer website on the net right now, Hate the distribution of Beer in the US, Wouldn't take the miller lite if both were hanging off the cliff (but might think of it if it was a Dogfish 60), and Will be happy to suggest a beer for you.

WHEEWWW that was a hell of a long sentence!

From personal experience BEER Universe offers a few things that other beer sites do not. The main thing is the layout of the page; it is easy to navigate and use. They allow their members to not only communicate on the forums and in reviews, but they also can submit their professional reviews and join groups of fans of similar styles. Another thing that has drawn people to the site is you get rewarded for using the site! Add up enough points and you can get cool prizes.

Check them out by clicking any of the hyper-links above; or by simply going to; http://www.beer-universe.com/

FERM OUT!

Cheers! no wait.....BEERS EVERYONE!!