By Christopher McCollum

A few weeks ago, I bought a bottle of La Trappe Isid’or, the 125th anniversary edition of the brewery, named after Brother Isidorus, who was the first brewer of La Trappe. I cracked open this bottle a short time later (about thirty minutes to be exact) with fellow Cultured Gentleman, Micah Hanks, to take a sip of this pretty rare brew. We enjoyed our taste of it, but decided to move on to other tastings, such as the Founders Breakfast Stout. I re-corked the bottle, stuck it in my refrigerator and left it for later. Unfortunately, a day later, I came down pretty hard with an illness that left me under the weather for several days. Needless to say, the beer was forgotten. It didn’t help that I haven’t been home much over the past many days, and haven’t been in the ‘fridge longer than a few seconds, to grab things off the top shelf. La Trappe was left on its lonesome, gradually going flat, while my careless self went about my day, oblivious to the treachery going on in my own kitchen.
Today when I re-discovered this beer, I was left feeling ill again, this time a pain to my stomach as I realized what a waste this was. But I was feeling hungry, and decided I would pay respect to this beer by giving the bottle a fiery farewell.

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By Micah Hanks

Body piercings aren’t for everybody, but in many cases they’re kinda neat… as long as they aren’t through one’s eyeball, or the middle of their pinky finger. Similarly, baseball is a great sport, but it didn’t make its way past third base to being dubbed “America’s past time” by using rotting ostrich eggs instead of baseballs. And finally, following this set of examples, we can safely assume that expecting moms don’t often rub baby urine on their swelling bellies to insure a smooth delivery of their wee-ones… in this country at least.

That being said, traditions do vary from country to country, though none of the bad ideas expressed above are actual foreign practices (that I know of). Nonetheless, there are a lot of bad ideas that crop up in lands afar that are nearly as bad, and leave us here in the west wondering “what the heck?” What follows are two examples of poor marketing from the Land of the Rising Sun which illustrate how not to sell a beverage.

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By Christopher McCollum

Our favorite controversial brewery is at it again, folks. BrewDog has announced their latest beer, which has just been placed into the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s strongest beer. Tactical Nuclear Penguin, rated at 32% ABV, began as an Imperial Stout at a hefty 10%, but was then aged in a cask for almost a year and a half, and then frozen at -4 degrees Fahrenheit, to increase the alcohol content.

BrewDog began gaining international attention after their recent snubbing of alcohol awareness groups in Great Britain, as they manufactured the Nanny State Pale Ale, at a whopping 1% ABV. This was done in response to the aforementioned groups raising a furor over BrewDog’s Tokyo beer, which was the strongest in Britain at almost 18%.

Tactical Nuclear Penguin almost doubles the Tokyo, and as expected, the watchdog groups have raised their alert level to DEFCON 1, and have blasted BrewDog with some pretty harsh language. Jack Law, Chief Executive of Alcohol Awareness Scotland, had this to say: ”It is child-like attention-seeking by a company that should be more responsible. The fact that they have achieved a new world record is not admirable.”

I, for one, have an obvious interest in this beer, and I would like to take a sip of a Guinness World Record holder that is stronger than many spirits. Indeed, as what is commonly agreed to be “spirits” are distilled beverages of higher than 20% ABV, one has to wonder if there should be a distinction on Tactical Nuclear Penguin, labeling this to be The Liquor of Beers.

Unfortunately, BrewDog is only putting out 500  bottles of the Penguin, and the price is starting at $50 USD. That may be the crimp on our style over here at Culture of Spirits, but maybe, by some chance, we will be able to luck our way into a taste of the world’s strongest beer. Here’s hoping!

Stay cultured and stay sophisticated, my friends. And if you do get your hands on a bottle of Tactical Nuclear Penguin, remember that you’re drinking a beer that is almost as rich in alcohol as some brands of rum and brandy. Be safe and responsible, and don’t give the alcohol awareness groups unnecessary ammunition to end the art of experimentation within brewing.

By Micah Hanks

This month’s issue of Wired Magazine features an article by contributor Brian Krans, which recommends a quick-chill method for getting room-temperature canned beer cold in a snap. Here’s what you’ll need:

* One container of canned air with a spray nozzle (for use with cleaning keyboards, etc)

* A separate container to hold the beer can in place (preferably a coffee mug or something similar that the can will fit into)

Place the room-temp beer can in the container unopened. Holding the canned air upside down (so that its contents are released in liquid form), coat the outsides of most of the can with frost, making sure not to coat the lid or mouthpiece. By the time the frost buildup fades, your beer will be “fridge frosty.” Use this quick fix to help get your cold on fast, even if you weren’t able to think ahead and leave your six pack laying around in the snow all day!

By Christopher McCollum

From those of us at Culture of Spirits, to those of us in the United States of America, we send you our warmest greetings and well wishes, hoping that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! This Holiday time of year is one for celebration, coming together, putting the past year into perspective and looking forward to new challenges and experiences in the coming one. It’s a time to honor traditions and set aside work for a few days, to fully remember why your loved ones are called as such.

Seeing how my family does not start The Feast until late dinner time, giving plenty of time for afternoon football snacks and fulfillment to wear off, it means that I have time to give thanks in the way that only a Cultured lover of Spirits can!

1. Culture of Spirits and Micah A. Hanks: My best friend, and impeccably cultured gentleman who sports the best suits, the suavest shoes, and is the best bartender I know. Inviting me on to write for Culture of Spirits has been one of the most pleasing moments of my year, and I am immensely thankful for now being involved in an organization that truly warms my cackles. Doing research for Culture is the most fun I’ve ever had writing, and truly blows those college writing assignments out of the water.
2. Our readers: With you guys, gals, and other possible entities, none of this would be possible. Watching web traffic statistics can be either a very enjoyable or very frustrating experience, but with the dedication of our beloved readers, you make it as enjoyable as I can imagine. With your support, the masses shall be Cultured and no longer will we be forced into ordering a second-rate Old Fashioned, or watching the bartender pull out a recipe book in confusion as we order an Americana.
3. Quality Bourbon: It has been the year of Bourbon, in the spirit realm of Culture of Spirits. I have tried out more brands and styles of Bourbon than I even knew existed last year, and while not all have been enjoyable, it is truly rewarding to find that delectable Kentucky nectar, and then enjoy it straight up, on the rocks, in an Old Fashioned, a Manhattan, or a good ol’ Whiskey Sour.
4. Quality Beer: While it may have been the year of Bourbon as far as spirits go, I can not forgot or not be thankful for my staple, which is of course beer. But wait! Not just any beer. Good Beer. The kind that you gingerly lower your nose to and inhale the organic aroma, and take a pleasurable first sip that causes you look over to your companion, raise your eyebrows, and make a toast. While that is a slight exaggeration, there is mostly truth to it. Thank you Sierra Nevada, Rogue, New Belgium, Wedge, Pisgah, and every other brewery that takes quality to the next level, and raises the bar for generations of micro-brewers to come.
5. Last but not least, I issue a hearty thanks to everyone around the world who will not let the sentiment of prohibition make headway back into our culture.

Have a happy Holiday, America! This one’s for you! Cheers!

By Micah Hanks

With more than a decade in online coverage of cardiology, medical website TheHeart.org now reports that a study among Spanish citizens found that regular consumers of alcohol are less likely to suffer from coronary heart disease. “Spain is the world’s third largest wine producer and ninth largest beer producer,” the report says, according to Dr Larraitz Arriola with Spain’s Public Health Department located in Gipuzkoa. “In 2003, Spain was also in sixth position in the world ranking of alcohol consumption,” he says. Deaths resulting from coronary heart disease in Spain rank among the lowest in the world, along with countries like China, Switzerland, and France.

Studies linking alcohol consumption and heart conditions have been issued before in the past, although “There are numerous discussions regarding whether this association is causal or biased,” Arriola an his colleagues say. Questions including whether diet may also affect this, in addition to the specific types of alcohol were being consumed, and how the results varied according to gender are questions worthy of further inquiry.

By Christopher McCollum

It’s not the dreary outlook of a troubled writer, the ridiculous quote of restaurants and bars around America, or the daily routine of persons with questionable character. Beer in the breakfast hours has become a stark reality in the modern American world, and one that isn’t quite as easy to dismiss as alcoholic behavior as some of the older generation would like. In some sports circles, the Art of Tailgating has an almost religious fervor associated with it, and the proper rituals quite usually consist of grilling a variety of delicious staples, merriment, revelry, predicting how the game is going to unfold, and… beer. Lots, and lots of beer. I had always seen this on television, heard about it from associates, but never seen it first hand, until I began spending time in Clemson, South Carolina. Clemson is an agricultural university, and one of the best in the country, however most sports fans and even most Clemson students I’ve spoken with, proudly declare that Clemson is a football school first and foremost. Whether or not they were being facetious is of no concern to me, as the purpose of this writing is to demonstrate the love of beer in the morning.

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By Micah Hanks

“I personally think they must have been left there by mistake, because it’s hard to believe two crates would have been left under the hut without drinking them,” remarks Al Fastier. Program Manager of the Antarctic Heritage Trust, Fastier oversees the organization, which is responsible for the care of the expedition bases associated with the first explorers of the Ross Sea region of Antarctica. Among these explorers–and perhaps most famous among his peers–was Sir Ernest Shackleton. Now, ninety years after one of the huts occupied by Shackleton was abandoned, a long forgotten gift he left behind is being unearthed: two crates of a now-extinct blend of McKinlay scotch whisky.

Three wooden huts still stand along the desolate and rocky terrain of Cape Evans on the west side of Ross Island, forming the north side of the entrance to Erebus Bay. It was here that Shackleton and his men would warm themselves by fires fed with blubber of seals they killed, and many of their belongings, tools, and even boxes of their food remain on the walls as they had been when they left. Outside Shackleton’s hut lay a dog’s remains, left where it had been shot as the men evacuated the area with haste in 1917.

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By Christopher McCollum

Halloween and the days preceding it is the busiest time of year for me, and as such, my energy was sapped to the point that I actually developed a mild cold and then a less-mild fever, in rapid succession. The weather was awful, I was outside for most of it, and eventually it wore me out so much that I felt like just crawling up in a ball under my covers on my luxuriously soft bed, and simply hiding away from the world for a couple of days. That is precisely what I did, and after getting a little bit of video game time in on my Xbox 360, I recuperated fully and I am now back to swinging for the fences, so to speak. Here’s what’s on my mind today, as I allow it to become re-immersed in the sophisticated culture that we value so highly.

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