expired, but totally fine
The big domestic breweries have amusing ways of differentiating their flagship beers. Coors Light is made with water from the Rocky Mountains, which change color depending on the temperature of the beer. FYI, cans start to turn blue at 48ºF and are fully blue at 44ºF. Interestingly, the bottle labels are calibrated to turn blue two degrees lower. [Please comment if you have a theory] Miller Lite alternately prides itself on tasting like a full-bodied beer, or the opposite: that it has the least carbs of any of the mainstream light beers. Bud Light advertises itself as a beer for grown-up frat boys and generally has the funniest ads. Lastly, Budweiser brands itself on its ingredients and its freshness, which is described by Born On Dating.
The dating seems silly, because I couldn’t possibly care less when my beer came off the line in St. Louis or wherever it’s produced. If in the situation where I’m drinking it, maybe I do want to know if I’m going to be assaulted by skunkiness. The issue is that skunked beer is usually caused by exposure to light and fluctuations in temperature, rather than time elapsing. Sure, with more time, it’s more likely that the beer has been exposed, but not if it’s been sitting in a cool basement or other area that ’s dark and doesn’t experience wild temperature swings. Read the rest of this entry »
Engraved flask – So many uses, but my favorite anecdote about a flask comes from a friend who moved to London after college. He was so disconcerted that their mixed drinks were both expensive and weak (premeasured to 30mL or about a shot), that he solved it by re-spiking his whiskey and cokes with extra whiskey, smuggled in via flask. A brilliant idea, but be stealthy or risk getting tossed. Pictured is the $25 “Bobcat” from eFlasks, where you can get them engraved. The leather works well for using this outside in the winter cold. Should be used more often as a groomsman’s gift.
Wine Opener – The basic ones work well enough, but if you’re going to spring for something, you could go with the semi-automated route, where the Oster checks in highly. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of random clutter plugged into the kitchen, so I prefer the Metrokane Rabbit. It’s not automated, but is an impressive (and elegant) looking piece of machinery. Its leverage is akin to cutting down a weed with a chainsaw, which seems like a very American approach.
One question seems to come up somewhat often: for calorie purposes, does the brand of vodka make any difference? Is Grey Goose calorically any better or worse than Smirnoff, Absolut, Skyy or well vodka? NOPE!
