Raise A Cup: We have to start this week on a sad note thanks to one of 2016′s final passings. Robert Hulseman, inventor of the plastic Solo Cup, died last week at the age of 84. Hulseman invented the cup in the 1970s and watched it shoot to an unexpected celebrity status. Its iconic form, handy measuring lines, and– fun fact– relatively short biodegrading rate at just 14 years have made the Solo Cup a worthy legend in our time. We raise a sleeve of cups in Hulseman’s memory.
Emotional Rescue Time: On a much brighter note, Brooklyn is slated to get its first-ever dog cafe. The project, called BYOD (Bring Your Own Dog) will feature a divided space to sidestep Department of Health regulations, effectively creating one side with “take away food” and one side where you can hang with your furry friend. Craft beer, wine, vegetarian meals, and dog treats will all be on the menu. And yes, you with the tiny apartment and workaholic hours, people without dogs will be welcome too.
Salute the Shower Beer: Swedish brewing Pang Pang and creative agency Snask recently collaborate to create the perfect shower beer, elevating one of life’s finest pleasures to a more ideal plane. Citing the need to finish your beer quickly in the shower, the brew is a whopping 10% ABV, but is only 6oz in size to facilitate sips between lathering up. Our only complaint is that the bottle is glass, which is a rookie mistake in a slippery shower. Perhaps a koozie/loofah combination is in the cards for Pang Pang.
Welcome, Folksbier!: Underground heroes of the NYC beer scene Folksbier will officially open their tap room this weekend, providing all comers with top-notch beers like their Helles Simple, Glow Up, and Santiam Pils. Their new digs are a short walk from fellow brewers Other Half, which isn’t an unreasonable distance from Threes Brewing, which happens to be a quick G ride from us. If you plan things right, you could end up with a Brooklyn brewery crawl for the books.
Never Gonna Let You Down: Infamous musician and living meme Rick Astley is teaming up with Mikkeller to brew his own beer. Astley professes to be a beer lover, and plans to brew a fruity pilsner with Mikkeller to match his tastes. Is the song stuck in your head yet? Good. We’re sorry.
Friday Longread: Chinese Food and Tiki Drinks: For your final bit of Friday geekery, we highly recommend this PUNCH piece tracing the roots of tiki drinks at Chinese restaurants. With tiki’s recent resurgence, new shops still follow this pairing guideline (we’re particular fans of Lost Lake/Thank You in Chicago), but the history and cultural weight of the movement must be examined before (and during, and after) cracking into the tiny umbrellas. Once you’re done, well, we have a lot of these tiny umbrellas to go around.