A Fine collections of BEERAMIDS from around the web























Cheers Everyone !!

        

Oktoberfest Ends With Beer-Swilling Record 2007

This year's Munich Oktoberfestended on Sunday with new records for beer and oxen consumption and for the number of false dentures found. Rowdy it may be, but the festival, just like last year's World Cup, seems to be exporting a positive image of Germany.

        

Guinness World Beer Record

"...June 22, 1977 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania"

 

 

 

Steven Petrosino drank 1 liter of beer (33 ounces) in 1.3 seconds on June 22, 1977 at the Gingerbreadman in Carlise, PA, a 56% improvement over the previous world record record set several years earlier by Peter Dowdeswell of England (2.3 seconds for 1 liter).


This web page will chronicle the world record established in 1977 and first recorded in the 1978 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records. This record remained undefeated for 14 years, and became a permanent record when Guinness removed all records for beer drinking or alcohol consumption from their record book in 1991. As of JUNE, 2008 this record remains undefeated. All other claims to a world beer drinking record by anyone else are spurious.

The night of June 22, 1977. Establishing the World Record.

The Guinness World Record was established at the Gingerbreadman bar in Carlisle Pennsylvania (near Dickinson University and the Carlisle War College) where Petrosino was working as a bartender while attending post-graduate school at Penn State University. Petrosino was 25 years old at the time. Time Keepers used three digital watches which had just become commercially available in the United States in early 1977 and cost over $125 each. The time keepers were: Michael A. Barber, Joseph Casserta, and Leo Sweeney. Leo was a representative for Guinness, Ltd. Times of the three timekeepers were averaged to arrive at the official time reported to Guinness.

GUINNESS WORLD RECORD BOOK ENTRY

 



The record was established for 1/4 liter (0.137 seconds), 1/2 liter (0.4 seconds), and 1 liter of beer (1.3 seconds), but only the 1 liter record was published by Guinness.

The record remained undefeated, and was retired as an undefeated record when Guinness removed all alcohol consumption records from their record book in 1991.

        

RU21 Hangover Pills

It has long been known that moderate alcohol consumption, which is defined as up to two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women, can have certain health benefits.

However, according to studies cited in the Alcohol Alert issued by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, moderate drinking may also increase the potential risk of serious health problems and could cause a shift to heavier alcohol consumption.

Now a new product called RU-21, developed and clinically tested at the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) and offered at ru-21, offers to balance the pros and cons of moderate alcohol consumption by regulating the process of alcohol metabolism.

To understand how RU-21 achieves its effects, it’s important to understand how alcohol damage occurs in the first place. It’s a common knowledge in medical and scientific circles that all alcohol-related problems occur as a result of alcohol metabolism, a process during which a highly toxic compound called acetaldehyde is produced. Acetaldehyde has been directly linked to various types of cancer, liver cirrhosis, brain damage, sexual dysfunctions, premature aging of skin, hangovers, damage to DNA cells (which causes genetic predisposition to alcoholism), as well as alcohol cravings, which may cause a shift to heavier consumption.

What RU21 Does

The patented RU-21 is an all-natural product that has been shown in clinical trials to be effective in preventing the harmful effects of acetaldehyde. The results obtained in RAS clinical trials were duplicated by Toxicology Institute of the Russian Ministry of Public Health.

“We’re very excited to introduce this product in the U.S. If those who consume even minimal amounts of alcohol use RU-21 on every occasion, it will make a real difference in public health issues related to alcohol consumption. Popularization of RU-21 may also have economic implications. U.S. economy loses over $166 billion in medical and work-related costs directly associated with alcohol consumption, with approximately 85% of that loss being attributed to light and moderate drinkers," says Emil Chiaberi, Chief Operating Officer of Spirit Sciences.

RU-21 received endorsements from Russia’s top scientists and health officials and is already a #1 selling product in its category in Russia, where it’s been dubbed a “KGB pill”, because it had once been secretly tested at a KGB laboratory in the late 80’s and even remained a classified project for several years.

“The Russian’s love it”, says Mr. Dmitry Myasnikov, the company’s director of Eastern European and Russian operations, “The public has done most of the marketing for us. Almost every day we read and hear stories, comedy sketches and even songs about “KGB pill” that we had nothing to do with. The pill is also a popular subject in Internet chat rooms. It’s really been wonderful”.

How hangover prevention pills work

RU-21 balances alcohol metabolism by slowing down the process of ethanol oxidation into acetaldehyde, so less acetaldehyde occurs in the first place. It then speeds up the process of acetaldehyde decomposition into acetic acid, and then into water and carbon dioxide, which are harmless. RU-21 also helps the body balance the metabolic processes in liver, heart and brain cells and increases oxygen absorption by cells. As a result, RU-21 prevents acetaldehyde from causing damage to vital organs and functions of the body, and also reduces alcohol cravings and prevents the dreaded hangovers. With millions of units sold internationally there have been no reported side effects.

RU-21 has also been praised by doctors in the U.S. “Alcohol is a very potent drug, and there is no question that as such it has both, benefits and side effects”, says Dr. Persidsky of Long Beach, CA, who has been treating patients with alcohol-related health problems for years. “When I first heard of RU-21, my initial reaction was the same one I have toward most natural supplements. That it’s probably harmless, but not very effective. Then, when I tried RU-21and reviewed the clinical substantiation, I was truly fascinated. I now strongly recommend RU-21 to everyone I know that drinks alcohol.”

Despite being brand new product on the U.S. market, RU-21 already has some loyal customers here, including prominent Hollywood celebrities. One of them, supermodel Beverly Peele recently strongly endorsed the product in her TV interview. “I like to have a glass of wine every now and then and RU-21 helps me do so without experiencing discomfort later on and without being concerned that I’m doing damage to my skin in a long run. I’ve been using it now for about seven months, and now a lot of my friends in the fashion industry really love it”, she said.

        

Maynard James Keenan of Tool
Wine meets ROCK

        

Technorati Profile

        

Boutique Liquors -- Champagne

As a commodity, in the sense of a commercial object for sale, Champagne is dominated by a few gigantic brands. You might already know this, since almost every wine list you've ever seen features the same names, led by Moet & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot. In commercial terms, these two brands are to Champagne what Budweiser and Miller are to beer. It is a real challenge to find a restaurant that doesn't stock them, and many do so to the exclusion of all other brands. Some restaurants offer a few others, but you'll generally find the usual suspects: Mumm, Perrier-Jouet, Taittinger -- maybe Pol Roger or Roederer if you're lucky. However, Champagne is not only a commodity. It is also one of the world's greatest and most fascinating wine-growing regions. Champagne is blessed with hundreds of wonderful little houses making distinctive, delicious wines.

The Champagne region is home to more than 400 producers, but few Americans have ever tasted more than a handful of different wines. The explanation for this is simple. Sales of Champagne here in the United States are dominated by big brands more thoroughly than any other super-premium wine category, and many Americans enjoy Champagne only once or twice each year. True Champagne isn't cheap, and thus many shoppers want to buy a familiar brand, both for their own comfort and perhaps also to assure that their friends know they're being served the Good Stuff.

You probably know where I'm going with this, but before I try to get you to expand your Champagne horizon with a great bottle from a smaller house, we should note a couple of points about the big houses. First, how big is big? Moet & Chandon reportedly produces 24 million bottles each year. The cooperative that makes Nicolas Feuillatte can crank out 16 million bottles per year, and Veuve Clicquot produces another 10 million.

Second, does my advocacy of small Champagne houses imply that I'd like to see the Goliaths of the region toppled? Certainly not. The big Champagne houses make good products with a consistency that is astonishing, given the numbers involved. Nevertheless, the fact remains that the Goliaths overshadow the Davids, and I hope that this year you'll pull one of the following beauties out of the shadows and into your party on Friday night. Each of the wines below is made by a house producing fewer than a million bottles each year, and though they are listed in order of preference, each was an outstanding performer in my recent tastings.

Importers are indicated in parentheses, along with prices that you might be able to undercut thanks to seasonal sales. If you are stalking one or two bottles in particular, you'd be well advised to call retailers before hitting the road.

Philipponnat Clos de Goisses 1991 ($105, Ex Cellars): A magnificent wine from one of the most remarkable vineyard sites in all of Champagne, this is exceedingly complex and perfectly balanced.

Philipponnat Grand Blanc Brut 1996 ($63, Ex Cellars): Philipponat specializes in Pinot Noir and is located in the heart of a Pinot-growing area. Yet this marvelous wine is crafted entirely from Chardonnay, indicating the great skill of the house and also the amazing quality of the 1996 vintage. It is ripe and rich, but also fresh and balanced, with driving acidity and a long finish.

Roger Pouillon Grand Cru Extra Brut Chardonnay1996 ($55, Country Vintner): Elegant with lots of class, this is light and delicate, yet surprisingly flavorful for such a light-bodied wine.

A. Soutiran Grand Cru Brut($40, Vintage '59 Imports): A really superb nonvintage Brut, this shows wonderful balance between deep flavors, subtle mineral notes and fresh acidity. Even the texture is delightful, with lots of tiny bubbles lending a soft, fluffy feel to the effervescence.

Gosset Brut Excellence ($38, Palm Bay): Gosset has always been one of my favorite houses, making big but balanced wines with outstanding depth of flavor. That description applies not only to the top wines but also to this nonvintage Brut, which is powerful but very well proportioned.  

Roger Pouillon Premier Cru Brut Rosé ($40, Country Vintner): This appealing wine shows lovely pale strawberry color, complex aromas and pure flavors, finishing with soft effervescence and nice nuances of toast and minerals.

A. Soutiran Blanc de Blancs Brut($50, Vintage '59 Imports): Remarkably ample for a Blanc de Blancs, this shows real richness and textural breadth, with lots of rich, creamy fruit. Atypical for a Chardonnay-based wine, but undeniably delicious.

Delamotte Brut ($40, Wilson-Daniels): This bottling suffers from ho-hum packaging, but that shortcoming seems inconsequential in light of the wine's lovely flavors and excellent balance. Complete and convincing.

Roger Pouillon Brut Cuvee de Reserve($38, Country Vintner): This bottling is well balanced between complex, mature notes and fresh, energetic ones. My experience with this house is brief but uniformly positive, as every wine I've tasted has been delicious and deftly crafted.

Ployez-Jacquemart Brut($38, Weygandt-Metzler): Outstanding aromatic complexity is the prime attraction in this wine, which also shows precise flavors and a pleasant, symmetrical finish.

Philipponnat NV Brut Royale Reserve ($40, Ex Cellars/Touton): Deeply flavored and admirably mature, this wine shows lots of Pinot Noir influence. Moderately rich and faintly sweet, it works well as a stand-alone sipper but also has plenty of power for pairing with food.

Binet Blanc de Blancs Brut ($38, Siema): Delicate and fresh, this wine shows crisp fruit recalling tart apples as well as some light notes of toast and minerals.

Binet Brut Elite($24, Siema): Fresh and well balanced, this is a solid, well-made wine at an especially attractive price.

BUBBLY BARGAIN

If your budget won't permit a splurge on true Champagne this year, here's an outstanding new alternative at an affordable price:

Lindauer (New Zealand) Brut($10, Allied Domecq): Made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, this superb little sparkler is delightfully fresh and bright, with fruit notes that are clean and restrained. With excellent acidic balance and soft but persistent effervescence, it is one of the best bargains.

        

Champagne region expansion


MAGNEUX, France — Jean-Michel Petit, a third-generation beet farmer in this village, yearns to trade his earthy roots for the sparkle of Champagne.

“I’d plant the maximum amount of grapevines if I could,” Mr. Petit said, beaming at the prospect of tender pinot noir vines lining the chalky soil of his farm in northeastern France.

Mr. Petit and the roughly 200 inhabitants of Magneux are part of an eager group of outsiders pressing to join the elite growers of the $7 billion Champagne industry.

A nearly eight-decade-old rule that delineates the official Champagne zone is about to be changed to include new territory, potentially allowing farmers like Mr. Petit to sell grapes for Champagne with the French seal of approval, the “Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée,” or A.O.C.

Traditionally, Champagne could be grown only in a part of the Champagne region. But with global demand for sparkling wine soaring, putting pressure on limited supplies, the French authorities are opening what could be the largest wave of expansion of Champagne vineyards in nearly a century. Potentially, the expansion could increase annual production by 100 million bottles, to 430 million.

The major Champagne houses support the expansion plan, which is in its appeals stage until Friday. Without more vineyards, they fear customers could revolt against rising Champagne prices, edging above $35 for nonvintage bottles of Moëtand $40 for Veuve Clicquotin the United States.

Already, sales in the United States have been dropping because of an economic slowdown and the weak dollar, which makes euro-denominated French exports more expensive. Last year, shipments of Champagne to the United States dipped by more than 6 percent, to 21.7 million bottles, after steady growth dating from 2001. Sales have continued to fall this year.

“The euro is rising and the dollar is falling, and soon we’ll have a real structural problem if the cost of the grape keeps increasing every year,” said Ghislain de Montgolfier, the departing president of the Champagne maker Bollinger and leader of the Union of Champagne Houses, a trade industry group.

Within the elite world of Champagne makers, there is discreet debate about shifting strategies in the United States, including possibly reducing volumes or shipping bottles to other countries with stronger currencies.

Boizel Chanoine Champagne, for example, closed its subsidiary in New York. “The U.S. today is not our priority,” Céline Voide of Boizel said. “We prefer to concentrate on Europe and Asia.”

Customers in the United States are facing a “double whammy,” according to Juan Banaag, an international research manager for Impact Databank, which tracks the industry. He pointed to the weak dollar and price increases passed along by Champagne makers who paid higher prices for the 2007 grape harvest because of high demand and limited supply.

But in the bucolic Champagne region, where tidy rows of grapevines and windblown wheat fields mark the division between those who have the Champagne appellation and those who do not, there is little concern about ebbing demand in the United States or Britain.

New markets beckon. Prosperous middle classes have emerged in China, India and Russia, where sales rose to one million bottles in 2007, almost 43 percent more than the previous year.

Some small, high-end champagne makers are doing so well that they have stopped taking orders for their latest vintage.

Cyril Janisson, a fifth-generation Champagne maker, increased production at his family’s winery, Janisson Baradon & Fils, to 95,000 bottles last year, a 17 percent rise, but quickly sold out with standing orders. “There’s more demand than we can produce,” Mr. Janisson said, standing in the cool darkness of the family’s winery in Épernay, one of the centers of the Champagne region.

Neat rows of Champagne bottles, on reserve for major customers, are marked with the names of importers from Britain, Norway and Japan, where consumers favor a special vintage of the winery’s Vendeville Brut, labeled with a pink heart and Japanese lettering.

The Janisson family’s Champagne is aged the old-fashioned way in oak barrels, but Mr. Janisson — an indefatigable blogger — maintains ties to his major customers around the world with a click of his computer keyboard.

The current Champagne growing region encompasses a patchwork of territory sprawling over 87,000 acres, in 319 villages. In March, a team of experts appointed by the French government approved more than 40 more communes, or communities, to add to the Champagne territory, zones that are now the subject of final appeals.

In preparation, some major Champagne houses, which buy most of their grapes from independent growers, are quietly scouting for fresh land, according to people in the industry who did not want to be identified because the government experts had not finished with the appeals period. Companies do not want to discuss possible land purchases for the same reasons.

“We deliberately chose not to communicate at this stage,” said Jean Berchon, a spokesman for Moët, the leading wine grower in the Champagne region and the largest purchaser of grapes from the region’s 15,000 independent growers.

The same cannot be said for the region’s villages, especially those passed over by French authorities — like Magneux. Quiet jockeying to join the club is still taking place, even though the appeals period closes in less than a week.

Magneux, a poor hamlet of stone houses, bombed during World War II, was stunned when neighboring villages were approved but it was overlooked.

Most residents commute to Reims or Épernay to find work, according to Magneux’s new mayor, Sylvain Dukic, who himself commutes to the University of Reims, where he is a researcher.

“We’re a village of workers, and we would all like to share in the wealth that Champagne brings to other towns,” Mr. Dukic said, noting that his commune was pressing an appeal.

Magneux was one of a collection of about eight communities that joined together to hire four students to prepare a dossier exploring the history, climate, geography and soil of the area, along with records showing that pinot noir grapes were actually grown there before the last Champagne designation was imposed in 1927.

Jean-Pierre Pinon, mayor of Fismes, helped to organize Magneux and the other communities to promote their suitability for Champagne vineyards. But he is reluctant to celebrate his town’s inclusion in the new territory until the government panel issues its final conclusions.

“There’s no euphoria and no Champagne here because people are superstitious until the decision is definitive,” Mr. Pinon said as he strolled among vendors during his town’s annual festival of flowers in May. “I’ve tried to work as discreetly as possible on this.”

That is not easy, given the possible economic effect of the decision. Mr. Pinon estimated that the value of a hectare of land, about two and a half acres, designated for Champagne could jump to almost 1 million euros, from 6,000 euros, or a little under $10,000, if the Champagne market remained strong.

Some constituents are not waiting for the government’s final decision to celebrate their town’s good fortune.

“The impact will be enormous,” said José Charlier, operator of Café de l’Étoile, a bistro steps from the gothic city hall. “Have you seen the houses in the Champagne area? It’s magnificent. People have fixed up their homes, and it’s all thanks to Champagne.”

With the music of the Fismes flower festival drowning out his words, Mr. Charlier retreated into his bustling cafe. Minutes later he returned with a chilled bottle of Champagneand flutes for customers.

He smiled broadly at the satisfying pop and whoosh of a cork sailing through the air.

        

Huet Pierre, Vieux Calvados Calvados, 1865

Huet, Pierre, Vieux, Pays d'Auge, Normandie Calvados, 1865

Huet, Pierre, Vieux, Réserve du Pays d'Auge, Cambremer, Magnum Calvados, 1893

Camut, Pays d'Auge Calvados, 1898

Camut, Prestige, Domaine de Semainvilles, Pays d'Auge Calvados, 1908

Huard, Domfrontais, Vieux Calvados, 1921

Camut, Pays d'Auge, Magnum Calvados, 1929

Fermier, Vieux, Pays d'Auge, Hors d'Age Calvados, 1930

Camut, Pays d'Auge Calvados, 1933

Boulard, bt.ca.' 70, Yvetot Calvados, 1935

Morin, Ivry la Bataille, C'est toute la Normandie Calvados, 1945

Morin, Vieux, Réserve de Restaurant Calvet Calvados, 1961

Bonbonne Vieux, 5 litre Calvados,

Père Malgoire, Vieille, Réserve, Pays d'Auge Calvados,

Père Malgoire, Vieille, Réserve, Pays d'Auge, Calvados,

Vieille Rélique, 38 ans d'age, Réserve, Chai du Diable Calvados

        

How to Get Better Head…on Your Guinness

Devotees of the Irish stout Guinness claim there is a science to achieving the “perfect pour” – a combination of temperature, angle, speed, motion, timing, and so on that produce a classic pint of the dark malty brew with a head of light, creamy, finely grained foam on top. However, since we don’t have access to a nitro tap, we wanted to see if there was another technique that would give us good head…on our Guinness.

There’s a Widget in My Beer!

The layer of foam on the Guinness pint is so legendary that Guinness has employed some pretty sophisticated technology to allow the average home consumer to enjoy an authentically frothy stout without the benefit of a nitro tap.

Starting in the 1980s, Guinness introduced cans and bottles of “draught” stout, which included a plastic capsule of pressurized nitrogen. When the can or bottle is opened, the nitrogen is released and surges through the beer, which also releases nitrogen that was absorbed into the beer during the pressurization process. This is what causes the “surging” effect that sends turbulent waves of bubbles through the beer and makes it take so long for a pint to “settle”.

More recently, Guinness introduced the “Surger”, a drink-coaster sized device that froths up a home-poured pint by using ultrasonic waves to release the bubbles. The Surger produces an impressive pub-worthy head in seconds (and a larger version is used in pubs that don’t have a tap line installed). However, it is available only in the UK (for the price of £16.99, or about US $35) and you have to use a special kind of canned Guinness that’s had more nitrogen forced into it.

We wanted to see if we could mechanically simulate the Guinness Surger’s effect and create an acceptable head of foam on a canned or bottled Guinness through other means.

Scrubbing Bubbles

Since the Guinness Surger uses ultrasonic waves, we got an ultrasonic toothbrush, which we at first intended to apply to the outer surface of the glass. This had no effect beyond the immediate area of contact. We then put the toothbrush head directly into the beer, and succeeded in frothing up an impressive head within seconds. Although the mechanical agitation and rapid vibration of the toothbrush is probably responsible for some of this effect, we think the ultrasonic frequency enhanced it. This was confirmed when we repeated the process using an electric toothbrush that was mechanical only, not ultrasonic. The effects of the non-ultrasonic toothbrush were similar but not as dramatic.

In the absence of authentic Guinness Surger beer, we chose to experiment with the non-nitrogenated Guinness Extra Stout (which contains only carbon dioxide) using the head on the widgetized Guinness Draught as a comparison. Contrasted to the thin layer of foam on the Draught pint, the beer frothed with the toothbrush produced a voluminous head such as you would expect to see in an actual draft beer. While the head on the nitrogenated Guinness had the characteristic off-white color, creamy texture, and fine-grained foam of a pub-pulled stout, the artificially frothed beer had a darker tan head with a coarser texture and larger, more irregularly sized bubbles. The reason for the difference involves the internal pressure and surface tension of the bubbles and the refraction of light, but it boils down to the fact that the Draught beer is pressurized with nitrogen and CO2, while the Extra Stoutuses CO2 only.

Though the head on the toothbrush-frothed beer initially topped that of the canned Draught beer, it did not hold its structural integrity for nearly as long. Left undisturbed, the Draught head gradually thinned but remained remarkably consistent for up to an hour. The frothed head, on the other hand, began to degrade within minutes, collapsing in the center and taking on an increasingly irregular grain and “lumpy” texture as the small bubbles combined and formed larger bubbles.

We found that after the initial head had started breaking down, the beer could be “re-foamed” two or three more times, until all of the carbonation in the liquid was exhausted.

We also tried frothing beer with an electric hand blender. The rapid and turbulent blender action came closer to emulating the “surging” effect of the Guinness gadget. With the head submerged about 5cm into the beer, the briefest pulse of the blender was enough to release a torrent of foam that overflowed from the glass. While the resulting head was more profuse than the head produced with the toothbrush, it was coarser and also began to degrade fairly quickly. However, the blender had the virtue of being able to raise a head even on beer that seemed depleted by several foamings.

What’s the Frequency, Guinness?

In our third attempt, we tried to recreate the effect of the Guinness Surger using an inexpensive ultrasonic jewelry cleaner, the kind you see advertised in infomercials or on QVC. This model had the advantage of being the perfect size and shape to hold a pint glass. In theory, this device works the same way as the Surger: you put a small amount of water in it, and the ultrasonic waves are transmitted through the water and bounce against the glass, causing the beer inside to release bubbles, which rise and turn into foam. Instead of using the more nitrogenized Guinness Draught Surger beer, we substituted regular Guinness Draught, pouring it carefully to release as little of the nitrogen as possible.

While the Surger’s results are quite dramatic, ours were not. Something was going on in the glass, but at a very small scale. A few more small bubbles appeared on the inside surface of the pint, and some bubbling occurred on the surface of the beer in the middle of the glass as well, but it did not explode in a froth as we had hoped. Our conclusion is that the Surger probably uses a much higher ultrasonic frequency than our jewelry cleaner (which we estimate at around 30,000 Hz, given the normal range of these devices), and probably transmits it to the glass more effectively by using different materials and design.

A Perfect Pint Wasted?

The idea of attacking a pint of Guinness with implements like a toothbrush and a blender probably seems sacrilegious to Guinness purists. So why would anyone want to do it, especially when widgetized Guinness is available? Taste, for one thing. Pressurizing beer with a blend of nitrogen and CO2 alters the flavor and character of a beer (compared to pressurizing with carbon dioxide only). So Guinness draught in cans or bottles tastes noticeably different than Guinness Extra Stout. Nitrogen supposedly makes the taste smoother, but to our palates, the Guinness draught tastes watery, burnt, and bitter, while the Extra Stout has a more robust flavor. The draught beer also seems flat, probably since little gas remains in the beer by the time it’s been opened and poured.

So, if you want to put a head on a Guinness Extra Stout, or buff up the head on your draught stout, an electric toothbrush or hand blender will quickly whip up some passable foam (thought not by “perfect pint” standards) provided you drink it quickly enough. If you try this with a toothbrush, we recommend using a new or very clean one, since adding the flavor of toothpaste is a sure way to ruin your beer.

        

Red Label
Many whisky blenders make the mistake of thinking that to produce a brand of Scotch Whiskythat will be popular internationally, they need to create a blend with not much flavour. Nothing could be further from the truth as Johnnie Walker Red Label has proved. It is the world's most popular whisky, yet it has a distinctive strength of character and a fullness of flavour that sets it apart from other brands.

When Johnnie Walkerbegan in business in 1820, he developed an immense respect for malt whiskieswith real flavour. In particular, he favoured robust Islay and Island malt whiskies, because they added depth and vigour to his blends. His grandson, Alexander Walker, inherited all his grandfather's blending skills and his taste preferences. When he developed the Johnnie Walker Red Label blend, he made sure that, although it was much smoother and somewhat lighter than many of its contemporaries, it retained the authentic flavour of traditional Scotch Whisky.

That was at the turn of the century. Within twenty years Red Label had become the first truly global brand, sold in over 120 countries around the world. It also gained a devoted following at home in Britain. King George V liked Johnnie Walker whisky so much that he granted a Royal Warrant to the company in 1933, and Johnnie Walker has remained an official purveyor of whisky to the Royal Household to the present day.

Red Label whiskies have consistently won awards in competitions; recently Red Label won Gold and Grand Gold Medals at the Monde Selection Awards, one of the drinks industry's most respected international events. And in 1996 it won a Gold Medal in the International Wine and Spirit Competition in the blended Scotch Whiskycategory.


 BLack Label

Whisky blends, like people, have individual characters. Some are smooth and polished in their manners, but may be short of character; then there are others that have strength, but lack lasting presence. But a characterful whisky blend, like a person, should be interesting to get to know. If everything is divulged at once, then there is nothing further to be revealed. However, if you feel that there's more to discover, then you will want to explore your acquaintance further.

Johnnie Walker Black Labelhas an enigmatic character. The first sip leaves you with an overwhelming curiosity to discover more. As Black Label's deep taste unfolds a myriad of flavours are revealed in several waves: first, there is an impression of silky richness; then deep and fruity foreground flavours give way to drier peaty nuances, followed by the complementary flavour tones of sweet vanilla and raisins.

This unique complexity is achieved by expertly blending an extremely diverse, but complementary range of malt whiskies, each of which has been matured for a minimum of 12 years and some for much longer. In total, up to 40 malts and grain whiskies make up the Johnnie Walker Black Label blend. Island and Islay malts deliver spice, richness and lingering peat. Speyside malts make an important contribution to the depth of taste, bringing smoky malt, fruitiness, apple freshness and a rich sherry character to the blend. At the heart of Black Label lies 12 year old Cardhu, an outstanding malt from Speyside, which imparts silkiness, a characteristic which has made it famous as a single malt.

Like a growing friendship between two people, getting to know Black Label is a profoundly satisfying experience that reveals new pleasures every time you meet. It's a taste that goes deeper than any 12 year old deluxe brand.

 

Blue Label
Back in 1820, when Johnnie Walker first established his business at Kilmarnock in the west of Scotland, malt whiskies and grain whiskies were bottled singly, and a market for them barely existed outside Scotland. All this was to change. During the remainder of the century Scotch Whisky achieved international fame. The foundation of this revolution lay in the art of whisky blending which John Walker pioneered.

Single whiskies, like wine, can vary from one year to the next, and John's aim in blending was to create a consistent flavour and a quality that could be relied on time and time again. However as his experiments reached fruition, he discovered that though blending he could achieve a depth of flavour unattainable in a single malt.

Foremost among the whiskies most favoured by John were the malts shipped from the Isle of Islay. These malts were powerful in character and flavour. The intensity and richness of the blended whisky John produced reflected his personal preference for these Islay malts. His son, Alexander, continued this tradition of creating powerful blends and, in his own words, his philosophy was "to make our whisky of such quality that nothing in the market shall come before it".

Now once again the authentic character and taste of a blend typical of that pioneering era can be savoured. With only Alexander Walker's words and a few dusty text books to guide him, the Johnnie Walker master blender has achieved the ultimate feat of bringing history to life. He has created Johnnie Walker Blue Label, a celebration of the whisky blending style pioneered by John and Alexander Walker.






Johnny Walker Gold Label18 Years Old Blended Scotch Whisky, A skillful blend of 15 of Scotland’s finest and rarest whiskies, each matured for a minimum of 18 years. This rare de luxe Scotch Whisky is a beautifully balanced marrying of only 15 whiskies, in which Clynelish single malt, from the gold bearing North Highland streams of Kildonan, plays a leading role. Its nose has traces of peat and seaweed, with a palate that is both fruity and slightly dry, culminating in a lingering spicy finish.

        

Making Chicha


Chicha is a traditional Andean corn beer that is shared during communal gatherings and festivals, to foster a sense of equality and brotherhood. Chicha is most commonly made in small batches in the family kitchen, making this process very simple for you as well. Read on to learn how to make chicha from corn.

Things You’ll Need:

• 1 1/2 lb. of corn kernels
• Large piece of screen, clean kitty litter box or large colander
• 1 lb. of piloncillo cones (similar to brown sugar)
• 1 1/4 oz. package of dry yeast
• Coriander
• Cinnamon
• Large metal pot
• Wood barrel
• Glass or ceramic jars

        

A History of Pisco

The conditions for pisco were laid down centuries earlier by the adept engineering of the Incas in the Ica region on the southwestern Peruvian coast. Ica was a dry, infertile desert region before the Europeans arrived in the sixteenth century. The Inca's civil engineering laid the foundation for future agricultural exploitation in the Ica region. The Europeans acted on the clue left by the Inca emperor Pachacutec and channeled Andean melt waters to where they planned to plant their vineyards.

Henk Milne described the Incan legend of Pachacutec:

When the Inca emperor Pachacutec offered his hand in marriage to a fair maiden from the Peruvian hinterland and was turned down in favor of her plebeian boyfriend, he might have been forgiven for being miffed. But instead of achieving the consummation of his desire by, say, knocking off the rival and insisting on the nuptials - or some other such straightforward monarchical solution so common in those simpler times - he gave in gracefully. In fact, just to show how sporting of a chap he was, her offered to grant the lady her dearest wish. She, evidently not be a material girl, said that her dream was that the waters of the River Ica be brought to her hometown in the desert. Fifteen days later, forty thousand laborers wiped their collective brow, dropped their shovels and sat down beside the 30-mile canal they had just dug. The heart-smitten Supreme Panjandrum dubbed this waterway the "Achirana".

The Achirana provided the Europeans with a sufficient water source to plant vineyards with the Negra Corriente grape in 1547. The vineyards were so prosperous that within ten years, Peru had thriving wine exports to Argentina, Chile, and Spain. Over 100,000 acres of vineyards flourished in the Ica region. The cultivation of the grape in Latin America was a result of Peru's success and it is believed that the widely grown Criolla grape of Argentina and the Pais grape of Chile are descendants of the Negra Corriente grape originally brought over to the new world by the Spanish

The Incas already had a favorite drink called Chicha, made from fermented corn and water. Chicha was a ceremonial drink for the Incas and made only by women, the so-called "Chosen Women."

One of the chief occupations of the Chosen Women was the making of chicha for the Inca and his nobles and priests, and the making of it required the crushing of the sprouted corn after it had been boiled. Much crushing was required because much chicha was drunk. Drunkenness was required, in fact, at Inca feasts and ceremonies, since the liquor of corn was as sacred as the kernel they named "life giver". No ceremony began without the Inca lord or priest's pouring chicha on the ground to honor the corn goddess, Mama Sara.

The Europeans, however, craved their native brandies. "Through trial and error they found a grape called the Quebranta produced a pure, highly potent, aromatic brandy which eventually became known by the port from which it was exported to grateful drinkers abroad: “Pisco".

Pisco is now the national drink of Peru and comes in two sorts – “sipping Pisco” for the palate without additives and there are somefine ones and “rough Pisco” best used for the famous Pisco Sour. Both can be enjoyed at The Cross Keys in Cusco

A History of Pisco Sour:

The Pisco Sour is one of the worlds great Cocktails and a world class Pisco Sour can be enjoyed at The Cross Keys. The first mention of the Pisco Souris to be found in the book “ Lima the City of Kings (The Peruvian Book) 1928-29”. Almost 80 years ago, the Pisco Sour figured in the list of beverages offered by The Morris Bar, a traditional establishment located on Jiron de la Union in Lima. The entry in the book says the following: “Morris, Victor, Morris Bar. Importer of all classes of wines, spirits, beers, of which there is a select assortment of the finest brands. This bar has been made famous for the exquisite preparation of its Whisky Sour and Pisco Sour …. in which authentic spirits are used.”

Everything points to Victor Morris’s adaptation the Whisky Sour recipe to include Peruvian Pisco and the results were magnificent.

Later the Hotel Maury in Lima became famous for its preparation of a stupendous Pisco Sour. Following this, the Hotel Bolivar (to-day a former shadow of its Victorian elegance but the bar is worth a visit ) followed the trend with its Catedral ( Cathedral) which includes a double measure of Pisco in the cocktail. The actress Ava Gardener was seen to dance on the bar of the Bolivar Hotel after several of these Cathedral Pisco Sour’s!!

 

A Recipe for a Traditional Pisco Sour:

2 parts Pisco
1 part key lime juice
1 part sugar syrup or sugar
1 egg white
Ice 5-6 cubes

Blend all and serve with a dash of bitters.

 

A Recipe for a Pisco Sour Catedral:

6 oz Pisco
1 oz key lime juice
2 oz sugar syrup or sugar
1 egg white
5-6 ice cubes

Blend all and serve with a dash of bitters or sprinkle of cinnamon.

        

The Guinness Backstory

Would you even read a review of Guinness without your own preconceptions? When you clicked on the link to read this article, you didn't really click it to find out our opinion of Guinness- you already know that we like it and drink it and that you like it and drink it. Something else brought you here. Perhaps it was interest in the widget... perhaps it was interest in the new draught bottle. Perhaps you were wondering if the correct spelling is draft or draught. Well, let me try to satisfy your interests.

You all probably know that Guinness Draughtis not exclusive to your local pub anymore. It has been available in cans since 1988 and since February, 2001 in bottles (we're not talking about the Guinness Extra Stout bottles with the golden label that most people avoid). Guinness has spared no expense in trying to make your drinking experience as close as a trip to a pub in Ireland as possible.

The key, as you know, is in the widget- a patented capsule of nitrogen that is in encased in the can during the canning process. It sounds simple- stick ping pong ball full of gas with a little hole in it into the can to make it fizz when you open it. But that's not quite right- and there is a lot more going on in there.

Polling Suspended! Guinness Draught is best when served...

Current Results: from the tap 146 from the bottle 35 from the can 9 Total Votes: 190

To get the perfect pour from the "nitro" can, Guinness has done several things to insure that it's beer is served right. Although you may not realize it at first, Guinness is less fizzy than most beer- it is canned with less CO2 than other brews. But before they seal it up they add the empty widget and give the can a hit of liquid nitrogen to help pressurize the container- and yes, liquid nitrogen is the same element that can stop the Terminator cold. Some of it evaporates causing the can to pressurize and forces beer into the hole in the sphere, compressing the nitrogen into the widget. When you pop the top, the pressure releases in the can and the nitrogen in the spherical widget forc