Stuff Geeks Want

Heineken has expanded its success with mini kegs and added the famous northern English ale Newcastle to its lineup. Better late then never, we say.

The Newcastle Brown Ale DraughtKeg goes for $23. Five liters – that’s 1.33 ounces or about 10 pints, to be exact – that utilizes a patented internal CO2 system with a mini tap. This feature is intended to keep the beer fresh for up to 30 days after tapping and delivers the same taste experience as a pint of Newcastle poured in a pub.

I wish we could tell you where to buy one conveniently online, but you know those state and local alcohol laws (they screw it up for all of us, don’t they?). Just check with a quality liquor or beer retailer in your area. It’s presently available in Southern California, Minneapolis, and Chicago and will go U.S.-wide sometime in early 2010.

Carrying wine bottles to a party got you weighed down (literally)? Roll in the Red Truck Winery Mini-Barrel. Pick from California Syrah, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Mourvedre and you’ve got the equivalent of four bottles that weighs half as much. It’ll stay fresh for 40 days after opening, that is if it lasts that long.

Buy for $30 from Red Truck Wine

The problem with wine is that if all you have are standard 750 mL bottles, you either have to be prepared to down a good four glasses or put a cork in it and let it sit for the night… or two, or three… or whenever you remember you have an opened bottle and feel like drinking again.

Wine loses its flavor quickly in such cases, and usually just 24 hours is too long to expect an opened bottle to maintain peak flavor (hint: store it in the fridge, even if it’s a red, to preserve it a little longer).

But a vacuum wine saver, like this nice 3-piece stainless steel set ($29.99 at Amazon), can help an opened bottle stay tasty a bit longer by sucking all the air out of the bottle when you cork it, since exposure to air is responsible for disintegrating the wine’s taste. We’re also big fans of these handy and handsome ones that cost $25.00 at Brookstone (pictured right).

The best part? You don’t even need to spend that much money: decent wine stoppers (albeit less stylish or sturdy) can be had for as little as $9.99, like this white one here, or this black one here.

There are sexier espresso machines on the market, especially in the $600 price range, but the Rancilio Silivia is the benchmark by which everything else is measured.

Silivia is a semi-automatic espresso machine, so if you’re looking for something that you can set and forget or you don’t have the patience to learn how to pull the perfect shot, you should look elsewhere. But if you want to produce espresso shots with the same quality of a commercial setup, the Silvia is the way to go.

What makes Silvia so good? Check out these features, a number of which straight out of Rancilio’s far pricier coffee shop setups:

• commercial-size portafilter (ensures even water distribution over the grinds)
  
• chrome-plated brass filter holder (keeps the temperature consistent)
  
• ultra high quality construction (frame is iron, exterior casing is stainless steel)
  
• stainless steel steam wand
  
• largest boiler (12 oz.) in this price range
  
• cup warmer (up to 6 espresso cups)

Ready to splurge? Pick one up for $595 at Chef’s Corner or Whole Latte Love. Keep in mind you’ll want a high quality grinder to take Silivia to its limits ($100-$300), or you can just buy this $905 package and call it good.

This article over at Wired.com about how to do bar tricks reminded me that every Geek needs a little alcohol every once and a while.

And what better alcohol than wine (especially considering one of the tricks in the article above mentions getting a wine cork out of a bottle). I love a good glass of cabernet savignon or even merlot from time to time. And there’s nothing like coding while drinking. Heh…

One of the best places on the web to get wine is PersonalWine.com. Why you might ask? I shall answer:

a) They’re based out of Austin, Texas.
b) I know the owner, and he’s one cool dude.
c) They sell pretty much any wine you want, with your own personal label on it!

So, not only could you order a great bottle of wine from them, but for not much more money, you can get it personalized with your own wording and images. Your own personal wine is probably the coolest gift you can buy anyone… even for a Geek… And if you are the one that’s the Geek, you can’t go wrong ordering your own wine for someone else. PersonalWine.com.