Wow, That IS A Lot Of Beer

Today’s Joe Sixpack column by Don Russell is simply fantastic. Let’s take a look at the highlights:

That’s exactly what Rick Zinger and Ray Sefscik, a pair of energetic Coors salesmen, hope they’ve done inside Duffy’s Pop & Beer in Pleasant Hills, just outside Pittsburgh. The pair carefully stacked more than 8,000 30-packs of Coors Light, creating a 15-foot-high mountain that features a steaming locomotive riding atop wheels crafted from eight stainless steel kegs.

“We wanted people to come in and say, ‘Wow, that’s a lot of beer,’ ” said Sefscik.

As soon as I heard someone say “world’s biggest” and “beer” in the same sentence, I jumped into my car and drove 300 miles across the state to see it. [...]

Big, bigger and biggest has always been the key to effective beer merchandising, whether it’s giant, inflatable cans or giant, inflatable breasts. The goal is to get the target audience - which is to say, guys - to drop their jaws and say, “Oh, Lord, I gotta get me some of that.”

Still, I dunno, Joe. (Er, Don.) I like the idea of a giant beer tower, but I don’t really know what you could do to convince me to drink Coors Light.

Joe Sixpack | 8,000+ packs of beer on the wall [Daily News]

Silly rabbit! Trades are for professional athletes!

In related news, Inquirer sports columnist Phil Sheridan was traded to the Daily News for Joe Sixpack, Urban Warrior and a Signe Wilkinson cartoon to be named later.

Michaels traded to NBC for cartoon bunny [AP via Yahoo!]

Here’s a toast to dear old Ben

There’s a letter to the editor in today’s Metro that makes me laugh, for many, many reasons. First, the letter (you can also see a scan of the letter here):

Advertisement is an Absolut disgrace

For a long time I’ve admired a mural downtown (I’m not sure of the exact location but I think it is on 8th and Market streets). It was a painting of Dawn Staley. For some years now, this mural has been covered up with a picture of Benjamin Franklin wearing a pair of glasses that has frames in the shape of Absolut vodka bottles. What I don’t understand is how this city can let a painting of a positive Philadelphian become covered up by an alcohol advertisement. This is an absolut disgrace, and something needs to be done.

First, the obvious things: That Dawn Staley “mural,” I believe, was an advertisement for Reebok. And, well, I’m no historian, but as far as I’ve been told Mr. Franklin wasn’t quite anti-alcohol. (He was all for moderation, but still.)

Anyway, the real beauty of this letter is that, literally one minute after reading it, this press release hit my inbox:

Joe Sixpack hosts a special toast to Benjamin Franklin

Lift a pint to Philadelphia’s most famous citizen with Our Town’s most famous beer-drinker in the city’s oldest tavern. Joe Sixpack, Beer Reporter, invites Philadelphia beer lovers to McGillin’s Olde Ale House, to toast Benjamin Franklin on the occasion of his 300th birthday.

Full Joe Sixpack release after the jump.

More »