midwest refugee

Homebrew bill signed into law

MADISON, Wis. - Homebrew legislation was signed into state law on Monday, updating current laws regulating the home brewing of fermented malt beverages. The bill allows people who homebrew as a hobby to make and share their homebrew outside of their homes and to hold tasting events and competitions.

“This is common sense legislation that will allow home brewers to continue to pursue a hobby that has been around for decades,” Rep. Dan Kaufert (R-Neenah) said. “The bill will simply allow home brewers to share their homebrew with friends, family members, and club members.”

In other news, raw milk and marijuana are still illegal in the state of Wisconsin.

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Credit: Wayne Rokicki

Here’s for your Random Midwestern Tattoo of the Day…

Except, wait — hold on a second here. Something just isn’t right.

Excuse me, Sir?

Yes, you — The skinny chap in the muscle shirt. Sun’s out, guns out, am I right?

Anyway, so I just wanted to ask you a few questions about that statement piece you’ve got tattooed to your arm there, if you don’t mind.

Mainly, I was wondering if it’s real. I mean, honestly? Are you trying to tell us that this PBR tattoo is a legitimate, adult tattoo?

I mean, let’s be honest with each other here for a minute.

AND, if said tattoo is real, please clarify something else for me. This is the design you landed on? The PBR logo?

Wow. OK.

So what you’re saying is, you sat down one day and thought to yourself,

Maybe I should get the PBR logo, roughly the size of an IHOP pancake, tattooed to my arm. Huh…yeah! That sounds like a spectacular idea, especially since PBR has been such a positive force guiding my life up until this point. In fact, I can’t believe I haven’t thought of this sooner. Someone sober get me to a tattoo parlor, on the double!

I mean, I’m just trying to understand the thought process that led you from just the tribal arm band tattoo to the full-blown PBR billboard that now is your upper arm.

I mean, you have tasted PBR before, right?

This ad claims that drinking Pabst will calm your nerves, aid in sleep, and help digestion.

OK fine. I’ll give you the first two.

But a digestive aid? Really??

The only thing a Pabst product has ever done for my digestive tract is burn holes in it.

Jesus, just thinking about a Pabst right now is giving me the shits.

Yikes, I gotta go.

Here’s for your weird, creepy Vintage Schlitz Ad of the Day…

Why do old ads have to be so creepy and weird. And inherently awesome.

Wis. GOP candidate wins beer stein contest

Because in Wisconsin, it’s really the drinking contests that matter the most.

Former congressman Mark Neumann defeated three other contestants Thursday night in a stein-holding contest in Milwaukee, advancing him to the national competition in New York.

The contest requires competitors to hold a stein full of beer with their arm fully extended. Neumann made it about five minutes, saying he “definitely played to win.”

Jealous?? Yeah. Our mascot slides into a mug of beer when we get a home run.

And thanks to the Brew Crew signing Corey Hart for another three years, we’re sure to see a lot more where those came from.

I’m not sure how old this chick is, or why she’s taking a pic of herself inside a bathroom stall with volleyball shorts on, but I don’t care. I love it.

Yep…that looks about right.

(I almost captioned this photo as “Baby’s first Pibber” but from the looks of it, this is not baby’s first time at the rodeo, if ya know what I mean.)

Here’s for your Vintage Sexist Schlitz Ad of the Day…

These are the best munchies in the entire world. They’re called Reuben Rolls and I haven’t seen them anywhere else besides Milwaukee. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist elsewhere - I’m sure they do.

But I always get them when I’m back home in the Mil.

Here they’re featured on top of a bird poop-covered picnic table alongside an ice cold beer at Milwaukee’s German Fest last weekend.

“Is that Leinie’s chap stick?” is what you’re probably asking yourself right now.

Yes. Yes, it is.

Sam Lautmann (not pictured) hoped that her Wisconsin gusto would help her get into the next round of Idol auditions.

Sadly, it didn’t.

The 18-year-old Lautmann showed up early as hell, just like the other 10,000+ people on Wednesday morning at the Bradley Center to audition for the popular Fox reality show dressed as a beer can and wearing a cheesehead to “represent Wisconsin.” Her song of choice: “On, Wisconsin!”

Sam - if you’re out there reading this somewhere - YOU FUCKING ROCK. Awesome.