Sam Calagione makes great beer. Now he makes great TV. Watch “Brew Masters” on Discovery Channel and get a very cool and very informative behind the scenes look at the making of Dogfish Head ales and more importantly, watch Sam take amazing vacations that he can write off as business expenses. I’ve been down to the Dogfish plant a couple times for their annual Dogfish Dash and everyone who works there is super nice and proud and fun. I could not be happier for a local business (unless it was UsedWigs Radio getting a cash injection of a couple mil from some misguided Saudi financiers in the  previously-owned human hair business).

SHAMELESS PLUG: Before Sam was a charming TV star, he sat down with us during Philly Beer Week 2009 to drink some beers and discuss some beers, as well as music, health, The State, Philadelphia and other assorted nonsense. Have a listen!

Play Now: http://www.usedwigs.com/pod/podcast60.mp3

Preview: “It tastes like tongue kissing Laura Ashley…”

Playlist: Beast, Cursive, Bishop Allen and Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band.

Pictured: (L to R) Sam Calagione, Todd-Todd, Russ and Fatface McGee.

Massive Marionettes! The Big Picture photo blog never disappoints. Enjoy these larger-than-life photos of France’s Royal de Luxe street theatre company celebratining the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The show featured “two massive marionettes, the Big Giant, a deep-sea diver, and his niece, the Little Giantess.”

Jazz Up Your Wall: The Jim Flora website  is offering three hand-printed 2010 calendars.

Stay With It, Fun Payoff: Roland Emmerich’s 2012 With the Special Effects Removed.

Patton Podding: Took a long drive down to Delaware recently to visit the Dogfish Head Beer HQ for a little race and I loaded up my iPod with some time-passing podcasts. (FYI, Milton DE is a little over 2 hours from Philly at 5am in the morn.)  I listened to the Todd Glass podcast “Comedy and Everything Else…” for the first time and I enjoyed it. Check out this exceptional episode with the great Patton Oswalt as he tells some great war stories about being a comedian and gives solid advice to the the new crop of funny people like, “You have no excuse to not succeed!”

Make My Logo Bigger! And while you’re at it, get me some White Space Eliminator.

Baby Cage! And 30 other Dumb Inventions of The 50s and 60s.

Yakov 2.0: RussianPaul is all aTwitter and he makes some excellent points:

“dogs are mean yes i know it. in Russia we say it ‘do not be mean to friends or bears will foop in your boots and eat your hands together’.”

“have you seen the Mr. Phil show? it is so dumb and he is yelling at people and saying how they need to be fixed! he should wear a hat.”

“beef hunglers are for making you happy after hard days. you can frye them when listening to GORKY PARK for extra ecxiting times! volga boatm.”

Fanatictastic! Big Phoot

Art: Phoning It In: David Hockney’s iPhone Passion

Food Gawker: Vegetarian

Need New Music? Follow @FreebieMP3 for free, legal MP3s from Mission of Burma, Glorytellers, Of Montreal, Aimee Mann, Strung Out & more.

Scarier Than Birthers? Really?: 10 insane doomsday cults that still exist

It’s a Graveyard Smash: Get your paws on some Monster Mash Putty!

I Date Dead People: “In 1999 The Sixth Sense was released, 10 years later 5A Films decided to find out what Cole Sear is up to now.”

Feel Like Getting Away? Gone Forever: What Does It Take to Really Disappear? Evan Ratliff, the author of this thought-provoking piece, has decided to disappear too, find him and win $5,000.

You Might Want to Stop Complaining About The Weather: Typhoon Morakot

Meatless Mondays: Better yet, all week long!

At Least It’s Not Fecal Matter for Once: Cocaine Contaminates Majority of U.S. Currency

Want to Learn About Inbound Marketing? Watch this video by Eugene Mirman. He’s  a “Hot Twitterer!”

Artful Reminders: Michele’s show on September 4th. Todd’s show on September 17th.

Stumped! Three-Ton Elephant Amputee Receives Prosthetic Limb

New “Top Chef”! New Vegas Edition drops tomorrow night, so looking forward to it, I got the red wine and Cheez-Its all ready to be inhaled as I harshly judge their subpar amuse bouches. There are two female Philly “cheftestants” (their gay term, not mine), one with some seriously bad ink (a tattoo on your throat? a tad distracting), but she seems fun. The other chefy looks a bit nervous, cute, but a bit on edge. (Watch their videos). Based only on a quick glance at their photos and small bios on the web, I will pick Ashley Merriman as the winner. Call your bookie.

Super Powers Activate! Todd Barry opening for Aziz Ansari in September? “Thanks to @toddbarry for opening all my Sept standup dates. Also, cool of him to drive the van and sell my merch post show. (Todd gets 10%)” (via @azizansari)

Sweet Gig: Dogfish Head, home of the most delicious ales on the planet, is looking for an Off-Centered Head Tour Guide.

Watch Sam drop some science about their bestselling beer, 60 Minute IPA:

Free MP3: Download: “In These Arms” by The Swell Season. “Strict Joy” will be released on 10/2/09.

Pictured: (L to R) Sam Calagione, Todd-Todd, Russ and Fatface McGee.

Topics: Dogfish Head, Preteen Beer Making, Terry Gross Likes Nude Scenes, Esperanto, SXSW Overkill, Bishop Allen, Hottest Funny Woman? and Wiretapping.

Playlist: Beast, Cursive, Bishop Allen and Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band.

Preview: “It tastes like tongue kissing Laura Ashley…”

Play Now: http://www.usedwigs.com/pod/podcast60.mp3

Website: www.usedwigsradio.com

Pictured: (L to R) Russ, Justin Rice of Bishop Allen and Todd-Todd.

I hate to see beers fight, but this looks good:

Beer Wars begins as the corporate behemoths are being challenged by small, independent brewers who are shunning the status quo and creating innovative new beers. The story is told through 2 of these entrepreneurs, Sam and Rhonda, battling the might and tactics of Corporate America. We witness their struggle to achieve their American Dream in an industry dominated by powerful corporations unwilling to cede an inch.

Sam at Dogfish Head Brewery mentioned this movie in a tweet. He’s featured in the film with some other craft brewing luminaries, all telling their war stories about getting their product to the masses.  Most of these guys, like Sam, are good people who are passionate about their small-batch libations, and I like the David vs. Goliath angle, but some of these guys are a bit unbearable with their elitist “beer evangelism” shtick, “If you listen to your beer, it will tell you something.” No, it really won’t. Relax, Hoppy.

Nevertheless, those guys (and that camera-mugging dork from Sam Adams) won’t dissuade me from seeing it and enjoying a few 90 Minute IPAs afterwards… and well, probably before. Zum Wohl!

Opens: in movie theaters nationwide on Thursday, April 16th.

Website: www.beerwarsmovie.com

Guest: Beer talk with John Ceccatti. Topics: Beer, What’s in Beer?, Cheap Beers vs. Quality Beers, Head Soccer, Czechs LOVE beer, Todd’s Wrong Beer Info, Session Beers, Beer Flights, Philly Breweries and Bars, Jeff’s blackout in Belgium, Eating bags of Barley and Malt. Playlist: The Actual Facts, Parts & Labor, Shugo Tokumaru, Auxes, Passion Pit.

Play Now: http://www.usedwigs.com/pod/podcast54.mp3

Subscribe: iTunes

Featured Beers (imbibed and discussed):

• Tetley’s English Ale
• Boddingtons Pub Ale
• Pilsner Urquell
• Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock
• Belhaven Wee Heavy
• Celis White
• St. Bernardus Wit
• Murphy’s Stout
• Lindemans Kriek Lambic
• Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier
• Uerige Alt
• Aecht Schlenkerla Raucherbier
• Samuel Smith India Ale

Philly Area Beers and Bars:

• Dock Street
• Dogfish Head
• Flying Fish
• Nodding Head
• North 3rd
• Standard Tap
• Monks Cafe
• Earth Bread + Brewery
• The Foodery

Website: www.usedwigsradio.com

Super Bonus Video!

UsedWigs Radio Podcast 54: Beer Talk! from jeff lyons on Vimeo.