Boozin’ Blog

The tables are folded up, the leftover beer dumped out and the floors mopped. This year’s World Series of Beer Pong is over and a new champion reigns.

The team Smashing Time dominated the competition and walked away with $50,000 in prize money and lifetime bragging rights. Smashing Time is Ron Hamilton and Michael Popielarski, both of New York. Hamilton talked to the AP and said that his goals were “getting real drunk and my partner not missing, and us coming out and proving we’re the best.” Apparently he accomplished all three goals.

This is the fourth year the WSOBP has been held and it shows no sign of slowing down. Sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon, it attracted more than 400 teams this year.

Also, and I’m not sure how this missed my attention, but there’s a new documentary out about beer pong called “Last Cup: Road to the World Series of Beer Pong.” You can learn more about it at http://www.lastcupmovie.com/ or check out this trailer:

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The last time I had sake was probably a lot like the last time you had sake, hot out of little clay cups with a big plate a sashimi. It turns out that there is a lot more this Japanese drink than that steaming cup of something that we’ve become used to.

Like bad beer is only palatable when ice-cold, bad sake is best masked by serving it steaming. This doesn’t mean that all sake served hot is bad. Apparently sake can be good warm or cold but the very best sakes are served cold and in a glass.

Sake has been enjoying increasing sales in the US recently. Over the last 5 years sales have jumped 14% per year, impressive by anyone’s standards. There are a couple of reasons. First has been an increase in the popularity of Asian cuisine. Second sake’s popularity has been declining in Japan so sake sellers have been aggressively working to educate the American drinker about the rice based booze.

If you’re ready take a second look at sake you’re in luck. Not only are restaurants carrying a wider variety of sake but groceries and liquor store are carrying more labels, too. And some restaurants even have sake sommeliers! So get out there and start experimenting.

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They drink.

I’m sorry, was that too sudden? I hope I didn’t shock you too much with the amazing news that young adults in their late teens and early twenties consume alcohol. Perhaps I should have given you more warning. I could have suggested that you sit down before going on but statics show that 87.6% of people sit down to read blogs. (The remaining 12.4% of blog readers are sprawled out on the floor or on their couches with a laptop.)

Anyway, where was I going?

Oh, right, the shocking revelation about alcohol consumption amoung college students. Yup, the revelation is that it exists.

But see, some attendees at a recent winter commencement at the University of Wisconsin – Madison weren’t properly warned. Apparently they were so unaware of the fact that college kids enjoy the occasional cocktail or beer that when they were told of this practice in a public speech they were completely scandalized. Here are some of the jarring references to drinking that they had to suffer through while listening to Savannah Ziegelbauer’s speech:

“I prefer to tell people that graduating in four years is like leaving the party at 11, and Badgers don’t leave the party at 11. We stick around until the very end, until the beer runs out.”

“Well, my friends, the keg that was tapped four or more years ago has run dry, and now it is time to quite literally sober up.”

“…maybe you wish you would have spent more time memorizing your lecture notes and less time memorizing the nightly bar specials”

“We’ve failed exams, suffered through broken hearts and have been rejected from organizations, majors and the bars when we weren’t 21.”

“But with the help of our peers, professors, advisors and better fake IDs, we’ve picked ourselves up and climbed to the top of the hill with abandon.”

Open up, Ziegelbauer, its time to wash you mouth out with some LifeBouy. Language like that simply won’t be tolerated by the good folk of Madison.

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This is the first I’ve heard of a distillery turning to alternative energy sources. Admittedly I pay more attention to the beer industry so I’m familiar with breweries from Anheuser-Bush Inbev and Molson Coors to New Belgium and Brooklyn Brewery using energy produced from wind, spent grains, spilled beer and waste water. Chances are Maker’s Mark isn’t the first to look for ways to squeeze some energy out of their by-products but they still deserve recognition for doing so.

Making booze, any kind of booze, takes a lot of energy and water. Growing the sugar source, fruit or grain, that will ferment into alcohol, transporting the materials, heating and/or boiling vast amounts of liquid, cooling vast amounts of liquid, cleaning and sanitizing tools and packaging, and storage and shipping all take energy or water and sometimes both. So anytime a booze maker can give one of these two things back or cut down on their usage of them it’s a good thing.

In Maker’s Mark’s case they’re using a system that traps the spent grains and water from the distillery. This soup is then allowed to basically rot which produces gasses like methane. When controlled and used properly these gases can be burned in place of natural gas. MM’s new system, which cost them $8 million, will produce up to 165 btus of usable gas or an offset of 15-30% of the natural gas they currently use.

Not bad at all, Maker’s Mark!

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Few drinks are as specifically associated with a holiday or event as Champagne is with New Years Eve. Sales for Champagne and sparkling wine go through the roof in the days before New Years and for many people this is about the only time that they consider it. So with the big day just around the corner I thought a few words about everyone’s favorite bubbly might be in order.

First let’s deal with the name of this wine. Champagne is a type of sparkling wine. That is all Champagne is sparkling wine but all sparkling wine is not Champagne. Tradition and European Union law dictate that only sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of France may be called Champagne. This distinction is mostly respected throughout the world although I did once see a wine made in Missouri with Champagne on its label. That particular wine-maker has since changed the label and removed the ‘c’ word.

Now, what’s with all this nonsense about brut? In the world of sparkling wine this simply means dry. Why bubbly booze has to use a different word from everyone else is beyond me. So if the label says brut or extra brut that just means that this is a dry wine. Now, just to muddy things up the word dry does appear on some labels but it actually means less dry than brut. On sparkling wine labels dry is middle of the road between sweet and dry. Sweet Champagne makers use the term demi-sec on their labels.

Drier wines, brut here, tend to do well with meals and sweeter wines or demi-sec in the sparkling wine world are best with fruit and desserts. So, for standing around at a party or to pop the cork on for a New Years Eve toast, dry or extra dry sparkling wine is the best choice.

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If you’ve ever spent any time near a military base the idea of soldiers drinking beer probably doesn’t strike you as particularly extraordinary. But I’m talking about the US soldiers based in Iraq. There is a strict ban on any kind of alcohol there.

The ban is going to be lifted on Super Bowl Sunday. (Will it still be Sunday there when the game is played?) The army is allowing each soldier who wants them two beers on game day. With the announcement coming through now there should be plenty of time to get the beer shipped to the soldiers.

Not all are going to partake. Some soldier in combat units point out that they can be called up at any time and even two beers can really affect a person after not having had anything to drink for months. Shame that, but an admirable decision. I mean, if anyone deserves a beer it’s these guys and to decide to turn one down is respectable.

Of course my mind turns to what kind of beer will be served. No mention of that in the article but I’m going to be checking on this story to see if I can figure it out. I can get a little obsessive about things like this.

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Nothing says the holidays to me quite like hot spiced wine. I first encountered the stuff in Germany during the ’92 Christmas season. Every year the Germans set up Christmas markets. These are big, outdoor markets consisting of lots of little stands selling all sorts of Christmas gifts and decorations. And about every third stand has a big hot tank of spiced wine that they sell by the cup. Ever since then I’ve made hot spiced wine part of my Christmas season.

Finding spiced wine isn’t always possible. Sometimes I can locate a bottle or two but just as often I wind up making my own. It’s quite easy to make. I buy a semi-sweet red – those huge one gallon bottles on the bottom shelf work great. It doesn’t have to be really good wine, the spices will cover up the flavors and subtleties that separate jug wine from fine wine.

The spices are the typical holiday mixture that one would expect – cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, etc. I like to buy them whole for the wine. This way it’s easier to pour or dip the wine away with the spices and there aren’t bits of spice in the drink. If I have a week or two I just drop the spices in the jug, seal it up and store it. But it works just as well to pour the wine into a crock pot, add the spices and leave on low for a few hours. Sometimes I like to add fresh fruit – anything from cranberries to apples to oranges can be nice.

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Let’s talk egg nog. This perennial holiday favorite is as important to the season as a Christmas tree to some. My wife is particularly fond of the stuff and bottles of the premade variety become fixtures in our refrigerator sometime in mid-November.

I’ve always been a why-buy-it-when-I-can-make-it kind of guy but I couldn’t keep up with demand so I save the homemade nog for special occasions. Here’s a good basic recipe for 10 or 15 servings depending on what you call a serving:

You’ll need
-6 separated eggs
-half cup sugar – the finer the better, confectioners sugar works well
-salt
-two tablespoons vanilla
-two cups booze – brandy and whiskey are popular choices but use what you want
-one cup milk
-nutmeg, to taste

Combine the egg yolks, half of the sugar, nutmeg and vanilla in a good sized bowl. Add a pinch of salt and beat the mixture until it’s well blended. It should be thick and light yellow. Stir in the brandy and milk and put it in the ‘fridge overnight. Before serving beat the egg whites while slowly adding the remaining quarter cup of sugar. Keep beating until soft peaks start to form. Fold in the brandy mixture and there you have it.

Serve in mugs or cups but this stuff is attractive enough that it looks great in tall, glass Irish coffee style mugs so if you have some break ‘em out. Garnish with sprinkles of nutmeg.

Enjoy!

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Beer ads are universally known for two things – exaggeration and base humor. There’s nothing wrong with either and both can be fun when, like beer, they are served and consumed with moderation.

A recent poster ad from Tiger Beer is the perfect marriage of these two aspects. The poster prominently features a transvestite which, of course, catches the eye of the passerby. A second look reveals a small image of a Tiger beer bottle in the corner of the ad and the claim that Tiger beer is the number one export from Asia. (The ads were displayed in the UK.) A number three strategically placed over the “ladyboy’s” boyishness hides any incriminating bulges and implies that whatever it is that she represents ranks two spots behind Tiger.

Good silly fun, right? It’s an attention grabber which is great for any ad campaign. It’s certainly memorable; another plus. And it pokes fun at the typical T&A that has been used to sell beer for generations.

Not everyone was amused, though. The ad was pulled after some leapt on claims that the ad encouraged the sex-trade and human trafficking. Perhaps, but it seems like this is more of an invented excuse for those that find themselves squirming at the sight of a man in stockings.

It is a little comforting to know that we here in the US aren’t alone in having to tolerate the insufferably moralistic.

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For many a beer lover Anchor Steam’s Christmas Ale is one of the highlights of the year. Anchor’s website says that’s it is released in early November. I’ve been checking my local beer store every week but it still hasn’t shown up. So, since I can’t have any to drink just now, I’ll write about it.

The company says that the recipe changes each year but it does have a distinct flavor that makes it unmistakable for any other beer. It is expertly spiced and the blend is secret. While many other breweries opt to go with the obvious cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves thing – and some go way overboard with it – Anchor chooses rich, silky spices that blend in an absolutely astounding way with the malt and the hops.

Many a beer-lover and amateur brewer (and not a few professional brewers, I’d guess) have tried to guess at what the spice blend is. Fritz Maytag, owner of Anchor, just smiles and refuses to say. He did reveal one little tid-bit. In Don Russell’s Christmas Beer book, released this year, Maytag is quoted on the subject of cloves: “No! That’s the only thing I’m going to say. There are no cloves in it. None. I’m tired of hearing about cloves!”

So, scratch cloves off the list. But what IS in it? Anchor won’t even reveal the variety of hops. I’ve always thought that there’s a bit of anise in it. What do you think?

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