Budweiser has so many bad ideas. For instance, putting a Clydesdale'a handler alongside a parade route when children are milling about. Everyone knows a Clydesdale will make a run for it if it sees the handler who raised from a foal before selling it to a beer company. Horses slip when running on pavement, anyway. Everyone knows that too. Tear up all you want to at the company's popular Super Bowl ad about a horse/human reunion at that parade, but it's just freak luck some poor kid wasn't squashed.

In addition to bad parade tactics, questionable beer quality and stupid expenditures on bow-tie shaped beer cans, Budweiser is touting a new idea that is actually interesting, or at least it could be with a few tweaks. The HuffPo reports today that Budweiser BRAZIL has created a "Buddy Cup" that is integrated with Facebook. Tap Buddy Cups with a stranger and that will automatically make you Facebook friends.

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Kickstarter.com

If a Kickstarter project out of California gets its way, you could soon be hitting on a robot when you just want a motherslugging drink, for the LOVE of God. On Wednesday, Eater National reported on the efforts of Party Robotics, a gaggle of drunk nerds who need a very large stack of cash to fund their Bartendro system, a cocktail dispensing robot.

Bartendro is a series of tubes and beeps and lights and something called a peristaltic pump that all work together with science and the Internet to precisely measure out the perfect amount of booze and non-carbonated mixers into your glass -- including an expertly mixed Kamikae, which they describe as "more tangy than being a terrorist." Pause for nervous laughter. Moving on! According to their Kickstarter page, they need $135,000 to fund Bartendro. So far, they've received more than $70,000 in pledges.

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This growler comes with a handy reminder, lest you're tempted to fill it with milk.

Over the past two years, there's been an unmistakable sea change in the way Dallas perceives and consumes beer. A market once dominated by the likes of Bud and Miller has slowly been infiltrated by Lakewood, Deep Ellum and Peticolas among several other burgeoning local breweries. Along with a wider array of choices, the beer-guzzling public is given a larger scope of vessels with which to transport the tasty libations, specifically the growler.

Growlers give you the ability to take home beers that aren't bottled by the breweries, opening up hundreds of new possibilities for the craft beer connoisseurs as well as the less experienced. In order to give the uninitiated a quick primer on the beauty of this wieldy vessel, I spoke to Kevin Afghani (co-owner of Craft and Growler) and Tiffany Vaughan (sud slingstress at The Bottle Shop) to give pups some tips on howl to growl like a pro.

What is a growler? At their most basic, growlers are large glass or metal containers used to port beer from to tap to house to tum in the freshest manner possible. They typically come in two sizes: 32 ounces and 64 ounces, or 2 pints and 4 pints respectively. Typically you'll pay for the growler the first time you get it filled, but then you can simply wash and reuse that same growler each time you go back, so you can give yourself a hearty pat on the rump for doing the environment a solid as well.

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Centennial

Well, the writing was on the sober and empty shelves. For weeks now, all Centennial liquor stores have been apparently dying a slow death. According to the TABC website, all of their stores are listed in delinquency, which automatically stops all deliveries, which meant pickings got slim real quick at local stores.

Today the corporate website announces an inventory liquidation December 13, 14 and 15 at all CBG locations, with up to 50 percent off and "everything must go!"

This also includes the Centennial warehouse at 10410 Finnell St. in Dallas, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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On a recent weekday evening the Whole Foods bar in Lakewood had considerably more customers than the nearby Cock & Bull.

When Whole Foods announced it was installing bars in many of the chain's grocery stores, I thought the idea would never catch on. Grocery stores are for grocery shopping, bars are for boozing and the two could never happily exist under one roof. The parking alone at most grocery stores is enough to discourage drinkers.

Over the past few months, though, I've been seduced by the model and spent some time talking to the bartenders who work these small bars and the customers who drink at them. After a couple glasses of wine and numerous beers at three different locations, I have to say the idea is definitely working.

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Pardon my flash

Anyone else have beer on the brain? Lauren's cover story on the second rising of craft brewing in the DFW area and the Texas legislation that's been smothering it has me dreaming of bubbling amber glasses of keg-nectar.

Last night I stopped by the Libertine and ordered Lakewood Brewing Co.'s Lakewood Lager. I'd stumbled upon their Rock Ryder and Hop Trapp at Goodfriend and was impressed with their balanced flavor and restrained use of hops. Their latest beer didn't disappoint either.

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Robert Serrallés and Rande Gerber, creators of Caliche Rum.

The Serrallés family has been producing rum in Puerto Rico since family patriarch Don Serrallés imported a copper still from France and made his first batch in 1865. Almost 150 years later, the Serrallés family continues to produce the Don Q line of rums at their family distillery, Destilería Serrallés.

Recently, sixth-generation rum maker Robert Serrallés and his business partner Rande Gerber launched a new premium white rum, Caliche, which uses a three-layer cask solera system and combines 3-, 4- and 5-year aged rums. (TheRumelier has a great explanation of solera aging half way down this page. Think of it as a multi-layered approach to blending.)

I tracked down Robert Serrallés to learn a little more about his new rum and how the perception of rum is changing in the market place.

It seems rum is trending well. Twenty years ago rum was only used to make daiquiris and punch. Now there's a bevy of options, from sipping rums to different flavors. What's driving the change?
I believe consumers who are getting interested in cocktails find in rum a great and noble spirit due to its mixability and elegance. Rum as a category is getting more respect as people become more familiar with how rum is made, with the varied styles of rum made in different regions of the Caribbean and with the passion and dedication which small family producers like ourselves put into our rum Brands. It's exciting times for rum.

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At first it was hard for me to shroud my disappointment. Sure, I was drinking outside in nice weather with access to more beer than I've ever had at my disposal in one location, but the monkeys were missing. BrewFest moved to the Art's District after last year's Brew at the Zoo because of attendance restrictions. The extra space made up for the lack of primates quickly, though. There were far more humans in attendance this year, and they filled the streets of the Arts District while they sampled hundreds of beers.

The real story was the lines, though. Wait times can make or break large events like these, and for most of the vendors lines were only a handful of drinkers deep. The local brewers, however, had lines that crossed the entire street, demonstrating significant support and interest for nearby breweries.

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granadatheater.com

I can't imagine the headache that the Sundown at Granada must be on weekends, because with patios like that, its Thursday through Sunday crowd must be hanging over the rooftop's railings. But for a lazy and breezy Wednesday evening, the atmosphere can't be beat. Fact: scientific research has proven that alcohol tastes better outside [not actually confirmed], and the Sundown offers two extensive patios full of clean and comfy spots for your buzz.

But you better order the right thing. Sundown has a solid beer selection -- it is technically a "beer garden," after all -- including Peticolas, which might have been my first choice. But I'd heard that the cocktails were worth a try, and though those on the "specialty" list last night were a hefty $10 each, I'm in the camp that believes a rare cocktail can be worth dropping an Alexander Hamilton, particularly if the bartender is especially attentive or clearly regards each stir as a stroke of art. The Sundown's prickly pear margarita is not that cocktail.

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Whitney Filloon

Located in the seemingly doomed Henderson Avenue strip where Horne & Dekker, Fish City Grill and Urbino all met their maker, Snack seems to be the unfortunate red-headed stepchild of the otherwise successful ventures from dynamic duo Avner Samuel and Jon Stevens. It's been panned by critics and Yelpers alike, with complaints of small, overpriced portions and mediocre food. But I was just there for the drinks - -with a cocktail menu that read as clever but not over-reaching and good happy hour discounts ($7 cocktails from 4-7 p.m. and 10 p.m.-close on weekdays), what could possibly go wrong?

The Daly Mulligan (Absolut Wild Tea, creme de violette, lemon and lime) sounded light and delicious, but the splash of violet liqueur tinted it an off-putting overcast gray with no pretty garnish to liven it up; any potential floral notes were trampled by an excess of citrus juice, making for an unbelievably tart, mouth-puckering affair. I drank it anyway because one, I hate sending drinks back, and two, it was strongly reminiscent of Chick-fil-A's lemonade, which I kind of love (but now abstain from 'cause I love the gays more).

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