To pour a beer you take a clean beer glass, preferably those made by the brewery specifically for their beer. You hold the glass at 45 - 60 degree angle and gently pour the beer into the glass. You then move, after pouring half of the beer, the glass into the upright position as to make a foam colar of about 2 cm.

Depending on the beer you should or should not empty the bottle completely. Very old beers should be poured carefully as they have a lot of sediment on the bottom. Younger beers can have sediment as well, but can still be drunk. The beer will get a more bittre taste if sediment is poured a long as well.

Speed is also important, depending on the temperature of the beer, it can foam more. There are beers which have their own specifc pooring prescription. Some beers like Duvel actually need to be "dumped" into the glass with a vertical poor. Others like Guiness use a double poor.


Does craft beer have more nutritional values than regular beer?

So... I guess it depends on what you're deeming nutritional value. Beer has 4 main ingredients:

Water
Grain
Yeast
Hops

The biggest mineral difference is going to come from the water source of the brewery. Following the exact same formula recipe/mashing instructions/yeast used/fermentation conditions (temperature, altitude, fermentation vessel)/time/etcetera... you can get very different flavor beers if the water source is different.

The next varying source of minerals would probably be in yeast. Unfortunately, I can only find evidence of all brewing yeast lumped together at the moment.

The interesting part in craft brewing, especially at the homebrew-mad-science level, becomes all of the additives that can be placed into beer. I once met a brewer that dry-hopped smoked salmon bones (right they aren't hops but the same technique) in their secondary fermentation (or clarifying stage) chamber!

These examples would be more "here is a random thing" that I found rather than being able to give you a definite answer as to "more nutrition" being provided than big-beer manufacturers.


According to the article you linked to, the specific draw of tank beer is that it's unpasteurized.  This does also exist (albeit not served from tanks) in the form of Real Ale, or Cask Ale in Britain.  Historically, this was not only popular, but the primary distribution mechanism for beer in Britain a hundred years ago.  However, its popularity has diminished over time because it's harder to transport and doesn't last as long as pasteurized beer, making it more expensive which necessarily reduces the size of the market that can and will pay for it.

Tanked beer is something that you see in brewpubs in the United States, where transportation isn't an issue (since it's being brewed on-site) but real ale is definitely on the decline in the U.K. and possibly only survives due to CAMRA, the British Beer Preservation Society's Campaign for Real Ale.


Advice for finding the right beer for me

If you can purchase variety packs or cases of individual bottles where you live, that's a great way to explore -- get a couple each of a bunch of different things and use a site like RateBeer to keep track of your opinions.  (I chose RateBeer because you can use it to assign a simple rating of 1-5 stars, which is good for a first approximation.)

You should be aware of the different major styles of beers.  While you shouldn't dismiss an entire style based on one beer (maybe it was just that one that's not to your taste), if you find that you don't like most of the IPAs you taste or you tend to like most of the stouts, then you probably want to back off of the former and try more of the latter.  RateBeer (and also BeerAdvocate) shows the styles for individual beers, and you can search -- on those sites or in your store -- for more of those or similar styles.

If you can only buy beer by the 6-pack -- do you have beer-drinking friends?  Get together with a couple other people, buy one 6-pack per person, and swap bottles around.  Where I live, until very recently, beer could only be sold in full cases, and I joined a group of people to buy mixed cases using this approach.


What is the average brewing time for craft beer?

It all depends on the beer really. Lagers are typically brewed longer than ales. Of the few brews I've made so far, I usually let them ferment for 2 weeks in the fermenter, then I bottle them and wait another 2 weeks.


What is the strongest alcoholic drink that existed during the Middle Ages in Europe?

In the History and Taxonomy of Distilled Spirits There is ample evidence that distilled spirits were available during the time period you mentioned in a variety of places. We know that that Greek Alchemists developed the distillation processes about 1 AD and that a true distillation process was developed in Italy in the 1200s at the School of Salerno and Fractional Distillation was developed in the 1300s in Italy again. (Distilled Beverages Wikipedia) In 1313 there is evidence that Brandy had been made, although not widespread.

Then it seems in the 1400s, the doors open wide across Europe for distilled spirits.

  Claims upon the origin of specific beverages are controversial, often
  invoking national pride, but they are plausible after the 12th century
  AD, when Irish whiskey and German brandy became available. These
  spirits would have had a much lower alcohol content (about 40% ABV)
  than the alchemists' pure distillations, and they were likely first
  thought of as medicinal elixirs. Consumption of distilled beverages
  rose dramatically in Europe in and after the mid-14th century, when
  distilled liquors were commonly used as remedies for the Black Death.
  Around 1400, methods to distill spirits from wheat, barley, and rye
  beers, a cheaper option than grapes, were discovered. Thus began the
  "national" drinks of Europe: jenever (Belgium and the Netherlands),
  gin (England), Schnaps (Germany), grappa (Italy), borovička
  (Slovakia), horilka (Ukraine), akvavit/snaps (Scandinavia), vodka
  (Poland and Russia), ouzo (Greece), rakia (the Balkans), and poitín
  (Ireland). The actual names emerged only in the 16th century, but the
  drinks were well known prior to then.

So, from about 500AD to 1300 AD, it was possible you could find distilled spirits, they were not widely available. Then in the 1300s distilled spirits spread across Europe and became widely available by the 1500s. Which one was actually the strongest? We'll never know but 90+% ABV was probably achievable with 1500s technology.


What is the proper way to open a bottle of Delirium Tremens?

The cage is simply twisted closed.   You'll see that bottom wire is twisted tight and bent upwards.   Simply bend it back down to horizontal, and untwist to loosen the cage.  At that point you'll be able to lift the cage free, and un-cork by hand.  It's been a year or two since I've had a bottle of Delirium Tremens, so I don't remember how tight the cork was, but certainly some beers that are corked and capped like this do have corks that are fairly resistant to removal.  If that is the case for your bottle, then I find that twisting the cork as I pull up will generally free it nicely.


Is there a contest that chooses the best beer in the world?

The short answer is possibly.

The International Beer Challenge Competition and Awards seems to make that claim.

  We are the world's BEST Beer Competition and Awards - as voted by experts - our panel of judges

  The aim for the IBC is to reward and promote excellent beers from around the globe providing brewers with a platform to express their beers to trade and consumers.

  With the ever growing interest in the beer category, we have set out over 72 different categories to reflect the diversity in brewing today as well as offering traditional beer categories. Over the years we are seeing more and more brewers enter their bottled, canned or mini kegs from round the world and today we receive entries from no fewer than 40 countries.

  Being part of the IBC carries a number of significant benefits. It acknowledges the skill of the brewer and is an internationally recognised symbol of quality, frequently displayed on beer labels. Retailers, restaurateurs, bar owners and wholesalers are justifiably proud of the range of award winning beers they carry. Drinks lists promote IBC award-winners directly to the consumer and can influence their buying decision and as a result can increase your brands' profile, prestige and sales.

  We have some of the shrewdest beer judges in the land - retailers, importers, publicans, brewers, writers and flavour analysists. The judging process is rigorous, unrivalled and our approach is much respected among our panel of judges.

  Winning beers will be presented at the Brewers Awards when we announce the trophy and supreme champion beer, and also crown brewers and retailers who have performed the best across the board in the competition. - The International Beer Challenge Competition and Awards

There is also the World Beer Cup.

  The World Beer Cup is an international beer competition organized by the Brewers Association, a trade group representing America's small and independent craft brewers. It is the largest competition in the beer industry and has been described as "the Olympics of beer." According to americancraftbeer.com, "Winning a World Beer Cup is like winning a Grammy or an Oscar…it brings the world’s attention to even the smallest brewery’s doorstep…and like a hit song or film, it can make a career." The cup was founded by Association of Brewers president Charlie Papazian in 1996 and is awarded every two years. The competition is held in conjunction with the Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America.

  In 2016 there were 6,596 beers from 1,907 breweries from 55 countries. Entries were judged by an international panel of 253 judges from 31 countries. In 2018 there were 8,234 beers entered, a 25% increase over the 2016 cup and the largest field in the competition's history, with competitors from 66 countries. There were 295 judges, three-fourths of them from outside the United States. - World Beer Cup


I don't know of anything, but if you already have code to do one and just need data you may be able to leverage BreweryDB's API and scrape beers that way.  It's a pretty extensive database.


Craft beer - Ambient temperature for fermentation

That is really too warm as you will get fusel oils as a bi-product.  If you absolutely must do it in that high of a temperature, I would go with an ESB or something.  If you really are going to get into this, you may want to invest in an old refrigerator and maintain around 17 - 20 degrees for an ale.  Well worth the investment if you have the space and money!

Good luck.


Why does Trento (Italy) have such a range of German beers?

To add to Leo's answer... Northern Italy is very much associated with Austro-Bavarian heritage. The province of South Tyrol is predominantly German speaking, and Trento is just south of that province. In addition, Weissbier is to Bavaria/Munich as Pretzels are to Philadelphia or Pizza is to New York.... Hmmm maybe that pretzels analogy was a bad idea  since they are a German thing. Oh well, I think you get the point. You've got German people in Northern Italy making German beer. I would trust any Hefeweizen from Trentino over Blue Moon, that's for sure. Cheers!


Any time you mix things into beer you'll lose some carbonation. Any powder would nucleate bubbles very quickly, so the flavoring should be in liquid form. The liquid should be as similar to beer possible: cold, equally carbonated, and not too much alcohol if it can be avoided. Stir gently in a cold glass and serve right away.

Or, if you are brewing the beer yourself just add it at kegging or bottling time.


There are a couple of ways to do that.

The two main "approaches" are to extract the alcohol afterwards or just don't allow the generation of it.

The extracting part can be achieved by filtering and reverse osmosis. Alcohol and water are getting sucked out and the "beer mass" gets re-watered. These steps may affect the taste quit a bit. A few brewers (especially in Germany) have developed a "top secret" technique to brew a alcohol free beer which tastes the same as "normal" beer - but most of these are "top secret".

Latest science experiements revealed a new way of brewing alcohol free beer, by just stopping the fermentation process. This can be done by lowering the temperature of the liquid containers.

Beers brewed with this technique tend to taste more sweet.

Both method have their up and downs so a couple brewers combined both: Less fermentation than usual and extracting the extra bits of alcohol.


What is the best serving size for a beer tasting?

There are two angles to consider

what is best for the beer
what is best for the tasting scenario

For the beer, a serving size that is appropriate should:

provide sufficient beer to not warm up excessively in the cup or glass in the minute or two tasting is underway. This means serving sizes should be at least 60ml/2 oz. (If the beer is served too cold, leave it in the bottle to warm, so that all samples are poured together and tasted at the same temperature.)

For the tasting situation we have to consider:

There may be a limited amount of an evaluation beer to share between the number of judges so serving sizes should be restrained.
Furthermore, some additional beer should be left over in case a re-evaluation is necessary. This is particularly important with styles where volatiles are a key contributor, since they dissipate quickly, plus the olfactory sense quickly becomes tired, requiring a pause and then a fresh sample.

Taking these two into account gives a typical serving size in the order of 3-4oz/75-100ml.

Note that the glass can be larger - particularly a long tall glass is good for capturing the aromatics of a smaller sample.


What kind of beer has the highest alcohol percentage

Strange question, but here goes: No, on both.

Explanation:
To make a beer strong requires a LOT of ingredients and of these the ones that provide sugars for the yeast are most important. The large volume of ingredients means that the beer will (usually) have complex malt flavours.

Mashing:
We immediately run into a problem: You can only get so much sugar out of malt. So you use all sorts of tricks to get the most out of your malt.

Boiling:
To increase the sugar content the brewers add sugars to the wort. Next problem: too much sugar and the beer does not taste very good and fermentation problems are a possible problem. (Sugars can also be added to the fermentation). Another trick is to concentrate the wort by boiling for a longer period. The water evaporates, but the sugars and other ingredients stay in the wort. Note that a large amount of hops is required to balance all the sugars.

Fermentation: High gravity beers are notoriously difficult to ferment. The biggest problem is that the alcohol in the beer becomes so much that it poisons the yeast. So, you need a yeast that is "strong" enough to work in these harsh conditions. You will often find that brewers will mix strains, starting with a lager, then going to ale, then to champagne or wine yeast. Most "normal" yeasts will (with help) get you a product of 15-20% ABV. Stronger yeasts can go higher than 20%, but not much further.

Post Fermentation:
Lest assume that you ended with a naturally fermented product of 20%. Fermentation is complete and your yeast is dead. The alcohol kills any other yeast that you add. What next? Ice concentration! This process is seen as a form of distilling. You put your fermenter in a freezer and scoop out the ice crystals. As water freezes before alcohol, the alcohol in the beer increases. Stronger beer! But the penalty is that you use a lot of flavour and aroma during this process.

The final product: A boozy, typically malty, bready, product, usually on the sweeter side. The body tends to be heavy. Hops is usually low to none, unless the beer was dry-hopped post concentration.

Here is a list of the strongest beers:
http://www.beertutor.com/beers/index.php?t=highest_alcohol


Fashionable gins - are they what they claim to be?

Gin is very simply defined as

  a clear alcoholic spirit distilled from grain or malt and flavoured with juniper berries.

So your differentiation between "made properly" and "just alcohol and flavor" is meaningless.

Many of the finest gins are made by steeping juniper berries and other botanicals in the distilled spirit. Others are created by passing the newly formed vapour through a "botanicals basket" prior to condensation. Whichever way they are created, they are still gin.

So all the ones in your picture are "proper" gins. Many of them are really nice (that Caorunn is good.)

Myself - I'm a big fan of the Gilt Single Malt Gin, as well as my own gin - the Metaltech (which is only for sale at our gigs.)


Should a meal with beer as an ingredient be paired with that same beer?

There is no culinary basis to make that generalization. The choice of beer (or wine or any other ingredient used to add depth) may be selected to enhance, balance, contrast, or even counteract one of the other ingredients. But that doesn't necessarily make it the beverage of choice to accompany the resulting dish.

The beer-as-an-ingredient may not even be the dominant flavor of the dish. And if it is the dominant flavor, that doesn't necessarily mean "more of the same" is the best accompaniment.

For example, (I'm drawing an analogy) I might add a dry white wine to a pasta sauce to add depth or a sweeter white wine to help cut acidity. But tomato-based pasta dishes are traditionally accompanied by a red wine, not white.

These are broad generalizations, but there's nothing to say that my favorite bread recipe enhanced with a light lager must (or even preferably) be matched with a lager.

It's the overall flavor of the dish that determines the best accompaniment. Not the beer ingredient.


Hobby

Some people do it as a pleasurable hobby.  You might also ask why someone would build furniture if they could buy it, or why they play a musical instrument if they can just listen to the radio.

Personal Taste

You may like a particular style of beer that isn't popular.  And, especially in Germany, you may want to make a style of beer that you can't buy in the store - one that has other flavor ingredients, so it doesn't comply with the beer purity laws.


What kind or kinds of beer are common in Bavaria, Germany?

Was the beer that you tried pale yellow, slightly sour in flavour and cloudy? If so it was probably Weissbier which is Bavarian wheat based beer. Any Weissbier or wheat beer should be similar to it and these are widely available (some British and American breweries have started to make wheat beers recently). If you like Weissbier you will probably like the Saison (style) beers from France and Belguim.

It the beer was dark coloured it was probably the highly seasonal and delicious Bockbier which is extremely difficult to get outside Bavaria and out of season.


How the idea of 30 ml, 60 ml and 90 ml drinks get started?

The British used the Imperial system of measures from 1824 and India was part of the British Empire until 1947. 1 British Imperial fluid ounce is equal to 28.41 ml, which is close to 30 ml. Maybe this practice evolved from the specification that 1 peg equaled 1 imp. oz. and was rounded up to 30-ml after metrification.

Standard Indian-made liquor is packaged in 90-, 120-, 180-, 360-, and 750-ml bottles to make it easier to divide equally into pegs.


How hard is it to get rare 18 year old Scotches directly in Scotland?

As an avid whisky fan, and having worked in a distillery and visited most Scottish distilleries, I can tell you this:

It's incredibly easy - pretty much all the distilleries have 18 year old single malts. It's not rare at all, in fact I don't think I'd class them as "premium" in that way. For many of the whiskies I like I'll buy the 12, 15 and 18 year old. Amusingly enough, many of these whiskies are also available in supermarkets and even local shops.

There are a few I'll hunt down that are considerably older, but they really do command a premium. These are the kind that usually go to collectors, or are available through specialist groups, such as the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.

If your question is because you plan on a whisky tour and you want to know if you can find these whiskies in the distilleries, then yes - no problem.


How was beer brewed before the discovery of Yeast?

You don't need to know what something is to use it effectively.  Though yeast was only identified as a microorganism recently, it has been known as the cause of fermentation for many centuries.  It's easy to underestimate how sophisticated people throughout history were.

Before yeast was monocultured in labs it was actively cultured by brewers.  They would transfer the yeast cake from a batch that's finishing into a recently-brewed batch.  This cake contained a whole ecosystem of yeasts and bacterias, but a few strains were usually dominant.

By applying artificial selection brewers developed different strains of yeast in different areas.  The yeast culture was the make-or-break characteristic of a brewery, and defined the styles of beer that could be produced more than any other factor (other than water in Burton).

Evidence of this process comes from the history of lager: bottom-fermenting yeast (Saccharomyces carlsbergensis) emerged in the fifteenth century as a direct result of the cold storage regime of northern brewers such as Carlsberg.

They may not have known it was a microorganism, but middle ages brewers most certainly knew that yeast was the cause of fermentation.  That's why they called it "Godisgood".


What is the most expensive alcohol / drink (per unit) in the world?

Prices for rare or unique items are usually nearly meaningless numbers. What an item fetched at auction last week may have no bearing on what you might be able to buy it for today (possibly it would be literally priceless), and no bearing on what it might sell for tomorrow if it went to auction again. That said, a 1947 Cheval-Blanc last sold at auction in 2010 for £192,000. Who knows what Thomas Jefferson's Chateau Lafite 1787 would sell for if it came up for auction now (it sold in 1985 for $160,000).

If you restrict it to something you can actually buy now at retail, I think it would be tough to beat the 50 year old Balvenie (~£30,000) or 50 year old Macallan Lalique (~£50,000 if available?), but prices will be highly retailer dependent.

Novelty bar drinks will probably be more expensive by volume, if anybody actually pays for them... but if you disqualify Diamond Is Forever from the Ritz-Carlton in Tokyo ($22,600) since you're paying for a $16,000 diamond inside the drink itself, and also disqualify drinks with any precious materials other than the liquids themselves (e.g. The Gigi from Gigi's at Mayfair for £8,888 gets you a bit of gold leaf) and further disqualify "profits go to charity"-type drinks (you can taste the Macallan Cire Perdue¹ for $64,000 at the £10 bar (lol) of Montage Beverly Hills hotel), you're probably left with whatever made-for-publicity drink currently holds the record. That might be  Salvatore's Legacy at £5,500 from Playboy Club in Mayfair... but at this point, does it really matter? The prices would seem to just be part of the gimmick and a way of keeping score.

To try to answer the "why" part of the question explicitly, a price is only reflective of value to the extent that both a buyer and a seller can agree to transact at it. A ticket price only indicates willingness on a seller's part, and shouldn't be taken as evidence that it can in fact "command" that price. That said, while production costs (including storage, wastage, and opportunity costs) are a big reason why older wines and spirits tend to cost more, at the top end, rarity and perceived prestige will also play a big part. At auctions, though, most of it will come down to a few people with money who all want something of which only one exists. It's similar to how a print of what to my admittedly philistine eyes looks like a boring photograph of a not-particularly-pretty section of river can sell for millions.

1: the Cire Perdue bottle itself was disqualified at the outset for being cheaper per liter than the wines and also not available at retail.


Local microbreweries and craft beer in Tokyo

There are many craft beer pubs in Tokyo.
But there is no craft beer brand made in Tokyo.
I recommend Coedo Beer from Kawagoe-city, Saitama-Pref.

Kawagoe is a traditional town near Tokyo.
It takes 40 minutes by train from Shinjuku/Ikebykuro.
Coedo has 4 flavors, "Kyara" (Golden Brown), "Ruri" (Blue), "Shiro" (White), "Shikkoku" (Black) and "Beniaka" (Red).
Especially, "Beniaka" is made from sweet potatoes in Kawagoe.
Kawagoe is famous for sweet potatoes.

And "Coedo" means "Little Edo".
"Edo" is the old name of Tokyo.
Kawagoe has still old Tokyo street.

Please come and drink up!


If you are asking if the glass was made by Glencairn Crystal, then the answer is: no, not likely.
For one, the URL on the top of the box in your photo is different than the one that you will see if you follow the link above. For two, Glencairn Crystal is in Scotland - since the UK is no longer part of the EU (as the bottom of your box displays where your glass was manufactured,) it probably does not come from there. Then, there is the business with the trademark...
Patents expire, and while this may not be manufactured by "ye ol' Glencairn glass works incorporated," the glass is legitimate even if it does not contain the trademark etching of the company.
As long as it has the actual shape as the glass on the box, then it is the real thing.
What makes a glass a Glencairn is the design, in this instance:

So, the design has become the thing.
For instance, if I made a plastic flying disc, one could argue that it isn't a frisbee because it doesn't have the right trademark and wasn't made by an authorized party. But, as soon as we ask an objective third party 'what is this flying plastic disc thing that I am holding?' They would say, 'duh, it's a frisbee.'
Just as if you ask someone (who knows what they are looking at,) 'what kind of whiskey glass is this?' They will say, 'it's a Glencairn.'
So, does the glass have the authentic trademark? Probably not. Is it a Glencairn glass? Yes, it definitely is.


Why would we presume a New Zealand beer contains dairy?

I asked a rabbi at the KAA and he said that the ruling was because in NZ ethanol is produced from whey and there was concern about that ethanol being used to fortify beers.  However, they have now determined that no major NZ breweries fortify their beer in that way, so they now consider NZ beer to be pareve (neutral, neither dairy nor meat).  See more here.

The KAA page notes that major import brands (but not boutique breweries) that contain no additives are kosher/pareve even without certification (other than NZ, as previously discussed).  This must mean that NZ is unique in either using whey to produce ethanol or using ethanol to fortify beer, but I don't know which and didn't pursue that question with KAA.


What's the point of drinking light booze?

The effects of alcohol are well known. It makes you relax, uninhibited and generally have a good time up to a point. I once had a couple of friends that would order their Coors Light beer on crushed ice. It was awful, but they did it anyway as a way to slow down the consumption. I think that's generally what people are doing when there is less alcohol in a drink. They like to get buzzed and don't want to be drunk. Personally, I like to drink a fair amount of beer so if I know I am going to have more than a couple of beers, I will choose a lower alcohol beer (not necessarily a lite beer) instead of an IPA. I also drink cider instead of wine for the same purpose.

So, I think people like to drink something but not get drunk.


I recently acquired a book called "Vintage Beers" by Patrick Dawson. The subject of the book is about aging  beers and what characteristics of beers lend themselves to cellaring.

He lists 14 rules for aging beers. He clearly states that most beers are not good for aging and that they are best consumed fresh but if a beer meets certain criteria than it can, and will, benefit from aging.

I will not take the time to paraphrase the whole book but i will include a few quotes.

  You cellar and drink 10-year old beers? Are you crazy?

  Aging beer allows time for flavors not immediately present to develop
  and meld.

  Rule #3, Darker malts create sherry and port flavors with age.

  Beers should be cellared bellow their fermentation temperature.

The bottom line is if you love a particular beer and it falls withing the guidelines set forth in his book then you would be well advised to age it properly and enjoy it at a quality and taste level not available unless it is aged in a cellar.


Rakia or Rakija is the collective term for fruit brandy popular in the Balkans.

Wikipedia has this to say about Rakija:

  Rakia or Rakija is the collective term for fruit brandy popular in the Balkans. The alcohol content of rakia is normally 40% ABV, but home-produced rakia can be stronger (typically 50%).

  Common flavours are šljivovica, produced from plums, kajsija, produced from apricots, or grozdova/lozova in Bulgaria (raki rrushi in Albania), or "lozovača" or "komovica" in Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia and Bosnia produced from grapes, the same as "Zivania" in Cyprus. Fruits less commonly used are peaches, apples, pears, cherries, figs, blackberries, and quince. Similar spirits are produced in Romania, Moldova, Poland, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia and the Caucasus. In Albania, rakia is most commonly made out of grapes in mild climate regions and out of plums (and sometimes out of mulberry or walnuts) in colder climate areas.

  Plum and grape rakia are sometimes mixed with other ingredients, such as herbs, honey, sour cherries and walnuts, after distillation. A popular home-made variant in Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Serbia is rakia produced from mixed fruits. In the Istrian and Dalmatian regions of Croatia, rakija tends to be home-made exclusively from grapes, where the drink is also known locally as trapa or grappa (the latter name also being used in Italy).

  Normally, rakia is colorless, unless herbs or other ingredients are added. Some types of rakia are kept in wooden barrels (oak or mulberry) for extra aroma and a golden color.

  It is supposed to be drunk from special small glasses which hold from 30 to 50 ml.

  Greek ouzo (from grape) and tsipouro (from pomace), Turkish rakı (from sun dried grapes) and arak in Lebanon and Levant region differ from rakia as they are redistilled with some herbs (commonly anise). Some tsipouro in Greece is made without anise in the same manner as pomace rakia (or pomace brandy). "Boğma rakı" in Turkey (common name of the domestic raki which is produced at homes and villages) is similar to rakia in the Balkans.

Slivovitz is a fruit brandy made from damson plums. The primary producers are Bosnia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia. The usual proof of private-produced slivovice is over 50% of alcohol in the final product, commercially available mass-produced slivovice is proofed less.

  Šljivovica is the national drink of Serbia in domestic production for centuries, and plum is the national fruit. Šljivovica has a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). Plum and its products are of great importance to Serbs and are a part of numerous traditional customs. A Serbian meal usually starts or ends with plum products and Šljivovica is served as an apéritif. A saying goes that the best place to build a house is where a plum tree grows the best. Traditionally, Šljivovica (commonly referred to as "rakija") is connected to a Serbian culture as a drink used at all important rites of passage (birth, baptism, military service, marriage, death, etc.). It is used in the Serbian Orthodox patron saint celebration, slava. It is used in numerous folk remedies, and is given certain degree of respect above all other alcoholic drinks. The fertile region of Šumadija in central Serbia is particularly known for its plums and Šljivovica. In 2004, over 400 000 litres of Šljivovica was produced in Serbia.

Here follows a few sources on how to make some Raki (Brandy).

Making Rakija – The Basics:

  Making rakija involves five main stages: harvest, preparation for fermentation, fermentation, distillation and aging & storage.

How to Make Rakia (Ракия):

  Select a Fruit. Rakia is typically made from fruit, so the first thing you need to do is choose one. Grape and plum rakias are the two most traditional varieties, but Bulgarians make rakia out of whatever is readily available and cheap – apple, pear, peach, apricot, and cherry rakias are all popular in certain parts of the country. Other varieties are made less frequently.
  Pick and Gather the Fruit. Once you’ve selected a fruit, you have to “pick” it. Picking a fruit is often as simple as going to the market and buying as much of it as you need. But grape vines and fruit trees grow aplenty in Bulgaria, and most Bulgarians hand-pick the fruit they use to make rakia. With grapes, this means waiting until the right time in fall and bringing together friends and family for a grape-picking weekend. With other fruits, Bulgarians typically wait until the fruit is slightly overripe and then they shake the fruit out of the tree by vigorously shaking the branches and/or swatting at the branches with a long stick. Only the fruit ripe enough to make rakia falls out of the tree, after which it is all collected.
  Make Juice. Once you’ve collected the fruit, you mash it up, make juice, and dump it into a large barrel. The mashing process can be done by machine or the old-fashioned way – by foot.
  Measure the Sugar Content and Add Dissolved Sugar as Necessary. After the fruit has been mashed into juice, you measure the concentration of sugar in the juice with a saccharometer (захаромер). An ideal reading for making rakia is 23°, and a sugary water solution of approximately three pounds of sugar to every gallon of water should be added to the mash until the ideal sugar level is attained.
  Stir the Juice and Allow it to Ferment. The fruit juice will settle to the bottom, and the fruit skins will harden and float to the top of the mash. To make sure the juice ferments, it is necessary to push the fruit skins down and stir the juice once daily. The amount of time for proper fermentation depends in large part on the weather, but fermentation generally takes around three weeks. You might notice that thousands upon thousands of fruit flies are attracted to the mash. Don’t fret. Believe it or not, fruit flies assist greatly in the fermentation process. As a matter of fact, the Bulgarian word for fruit fly, муха-винарка, takes its name from the Bulgarian word for wine, вино, and literally translates to wine fly. Not surprisingly, more than one Bulgarian friend of mine hopes someday to be reincarnated as a муха-винарка.
  Distill the Fermented Juice. Distillation day is one of the most enjoyable days of the entire process; it is the day when rakia begins to flow. There isn’t much to the distillation process, although some people do a double distillation while others only do a single distillation. Regardless, the initial steps are the same. The mash is dumped into a still, which is sealed with a flour mixture to insure the still is air tight, and then a fire is lit under the still and distillation commences. Then you sit and wait. It typically takes about an hour before the first alcohol fumes begin to separate from the mash. This steam then makes its way through the sealed pipes before working its way through a cooling condenser and emerging as rakia. As the alcohol collects, measurements are taken. When I made rakia, we did a double distillation. On the first distillation, our rakia started with an alcohol content of around 60%, and we stopped the distillation when the alcohol content dropped to 20%. We then emptied and cleaned the still, dumped the alcohol we had produced into the still, and started a second distillation. On the second distillation, our rakia started with an alcohol content of 75%, and we stopped the distillation when the alcohol content dropped to 40%. The finished product was a potent 124 proof rakia (62% alcohol).

  Age the Rakia. Once distillation is complete, your rakia is ready to drink. Some Bulgarians do nothing more, but most prefer to age and dilute their rakia to make it more pleasurable to drink. Rakia may be diluted by adding distilled water until the desired alcohol percentage is attained. It may be aged as long and in whatever manner you see fit, but most Bulgarians only age their rakia long enough to give it some color and a little taste. We aged our rakia in oak chips for a month and added distilled water to make it more drinkable at 90 proof (45% alcohol).
  Enjoy. Of course, the final step of the rakia making process is drinking it and sharing it with friends. Хайде наздраве!

How to Make Homemade Brandy (with pictures).

The Making of Traditional Croatian Rakia Brandy (YouTube video).

Making Rakia with a Bulgarian Master (Youtube Video).

I once tried some quince brandy (Srpska Trojka Quince Brandy) and although I found it a great drink, I also admit that because of the quince one has to have an acquired taste for it. Plum Rakia would definitely be my next one to try.


I think you are mixing up Soupe au Vin with Soupe au vin sucré

It looks like it can be either red or white wine, but mostly it's made with red wine. I would look for a fruity, light bodied red wine to complement the fruit and sugar. A Burgundy or Beaujolais but not too expensive.


Why do you want to have Belgium Trappist beers or ales shipped from all that distance?

I live in BC and visit Bevmo several times a year in Bellingham, Washington. There are 10 Bevmo outlets in the State of Washington. They carry Belgium Trappist beer and ales. If a particular store does not have the variety on location, they will order it for you from another branch. This can be done online! I would only order internationally if the particular variety could not be purchased in the USA.

Here is the link to Bevmo.


Alchermes could be a good hint, in Italy is used as an ingredient in Zuppa inglese, a particular derivation of trifle ...as you are trying to do.

Just a reminder, i don't think is SO GOOD to drink it as a glass of wine, but perfect with desserts.


Distilling fermented beverages to remove head without concentrating alcohol?

No, this would destroy the wine/mash/beer that your were trying to remove the "head" from. Just to make the first pass in a still to remove this head, you would need to get the liquid up to around 200f to start the process, thereby destroying whatever your were trying to get the less desirable aspects out of it.


I haven't looked for a full toxicology report (not that I would be able to understand it), but this Wikipedia article mentions that hops causes hyperthermia and may cause death.

I personally do not think that a sip of beer, especially of the standard lagers, will cause any major problems, but I prefer to err on the side of safety when it comes to my pets.


Does drinking mainstream, mass-produced lagers give you a worse hangover than real ale?

That is possible to a level, but not proven, and probably does not make a huge difference, as there are many factors causing hangover, some stronger than others.

Moreover, that would be saying that all commercial beers have the same effects and all local brewed ales have the same other (better) effect, which sounds to me very simple and convenient to conclude.

That being said, adjuncts in mass-produced beers may still play a role, but I would tend to seek the explanation for the hangover difference in context first.

But anyway, hangover mechanisms are not well understood, so I could be wrong !


I'm not a huge cider fan myself, but you should check out the Ace ciders. One of the drier ones I appreciated was Ace Joker Dry, which should be pretty ubiquitous and findable where you are.

And if price isn't a big deal (as you indicated), here is a list of the top 50 dry ciders:

ÆppelTreow Sparrow Spiced Cider
Sea Cider Wild English
Snowdrift Cornice Cider
Russell New England Dry Cider
Left Field Little Dry Cider
Michel Jodoin Cuvée Blanc de Pépin (Fort)
Castle Hill Levity
Spire Mountain Dark & Dry Apple Cider
Potter’s Craft Farmhouse Dry
Mt Defiance Old Volstead’s Cider
Urban Orchard Ginger Champagne
Cydr Ignaców
Farnum Hill Extra-Dry Cider
Castle Hill Celestial Merret
Wilkins Cider - Dry (Draught)
Snowdrift Dry Cider
Swamp Donkey Dry Cider
Wandering Aengus Ciderworks Oaked Dry Cider
Albemarle Ciderworks Royal Pippin
L’Hermitière Cidre Brut
Applewood Naked Flock Draft Cider
Luscombe Farm Organic Devon Dry Cider
Albemarle Ciderworks Pomme Mary
Hartlands Dry Cider
MacIvors Traditional Dry Cider (Bottle)
Brickworks Batch 1904
Castle Hill Gravity
Hopkins Vineyard Off-Dry Cider
Black Mac Traditional Dry Cider Retired
Noble Cider The Standard Bearer
Blue Bee Gold Dominion
Baron Noir Sparkling Dry Cider
Eaglemount Homestead Dry Cider
Oliver’s Cider - Dry (Draught)
Malvern Magic Wapping Dry Cider (Draught)
Burrow Hill Stoke Red Bottle Fermented Sparkling Dry Cider (Bottle)
Henney’s Frome Valley Herefordshire Dry Cider (Bottle)
Double Vision Cider - Dry (Draught)
Potter’s Craft O’Tannenbaum!
Cascade / Cider Riot! Rising Tide
Troggi Bowmore Whiskey Cask Dry Cider
Butford Farm Craft Dry Cider (Bottle)
Cornish Orchards Veryan Dry Cider Retired
Troggi Old Dry Cider
Blue Bee Hopsap Shandy (Apple Brandy Barrel)
Mill House Farm Dry Cider
Small Acres Sparkling Dry Cider
CJs Dry Cider
Leprechaun Dry Cider
West Avenue Heritage Dry Cider


Effects of temperature and time handling on beer 's taste?

Storage temperature absolutely effects the quality of beer.

High storage temperatures can produce Dimethyl Sulfide - a cooked corn/vegetable like favour.  Also high temperatures can cause the breakdown of yeast (autolyzation) contributing meaty/vegemite/marmite/miso like off flavours.
Ref: https://www.beercartel.com.au/blog/beer-storage-the-dos-and-donts-of-storing-and-cellaring-beer/
(There are many other references if you search.)

The storage time at the temperature is obviously also a factor.

The changes also depend on the type of beer being stored.  If the beer is a pasteurised and/or completely filtered product, typically all yeast and suspended proteins have been removed.  Yeast can't autolyze if they have been removed.

Hop-forward beers will lose their flavour, "hoppiness" much quicker if stored warm - even when stored properly, it's best to drink these beers sooner rather than cellar them.  I keep all my hoppy beers refrigerated at all times (handle them like dairy products).

As a rule of thumb, cellar your beers around 10C / 50F without much variation.

Personally, I only buy what I can keep in the refrigerator as a stable 10C is impossible where I live.


Drinking vodka through a straw - stronger or not?

Some people have made the claim that drinking through a straw will get you more drunk than drinking without one. This seems to be a Myth.

  Many people have claimed that drinking alcohol through a straw gets you drunk faster than drinking it regularly.

  Proponents of the Straw theory have two primary claims.  First, when drinking through a straw, people usually drink faster than if they were drinking regularly. Because they are ingesting more alcohol in a shorter period of time, they will clearly get more drunk faster.  Secondly, a straw creates a vacuum, which eliminates oxygen. The feeling of intoxication is created in part, because of the lack of oxygen entering us, so when we form a vacuum with a straw, we should naturally get more drunk. Additionally, by creating a vacuum with the straw, the boiling point of alcohol falls, and alcohol vapors are created within the straw, then inhaled into the lungs. This gets the alcohol into the bloodstream much faster than normal ingestion via the stomach.

  However, many opponents of the straw method say that although this science is true, the difference would be so negligible it wouldn't even be noticeable.  The New York Times even went a step further in ts Q&A section, writing that "There is no evidence that people get drunk faster if they drink alcoholic beverages through a straw, according to the National Institute on Alcoholic Abuse."  And even the folks at Mythbusters weighed in on the topic, when it was posted in the community forums of their website, claiming that it was "Busted." - Do you get Drunk Faster with a Straw?


As in every country exist brands most famous inside India too.

The five brands are:

Kingfisher (4.8% grade - strong 8%)
Haywards (7%)
Royal Challenge (5%)
Kalyani Black Label (7.8%)
Kings (4.8%)

Personally I've tried Kalyani Black Label and I think is very good (is important the personal taste when you drink a beer bottle).

Unfortunately I haven't tried other four beer in upper list.


Yes, it's been proven scientifically!

Here is an article that breaks it down

  On the other hand, some research suggests that, under the right conditions, loud noise might actually enhance certain flavors

Are these people on vacation? It's a well known fact that things taste better on vacation. Why wine tastes better on vacation

  Reason 1: The answer you’ve probably heard or read before: you’re in Europe! You’re relaxed. Everything is going to taste better.

Actually you could scratch "Europe" and put anywhere you are on vacation.


Can old flat champagne be used for vinegar?

Yes, pretty much any old wine, if it hasn't already turned into vinegar, can be made into vinegar. The best is to start with clean wine, but if it already tastes kind of funky just push it towards the final goal of becoming vinegar. You can let this happen naturally, or you can buy vinegar "mother".


Can whiskey be used to purify iffy water while out in the outdoors?

There have been studies on the effects of whiskey as a disinfectant, and it works reasonably well as so many old western stories of a splash of whisky on a bullet wound have attested, even if they probably only fictional.

However, as Steve indicated in his answer, as a water purifier, it isn't going to do much.  The ethanol concentrations that you need in order to kill bacteria roughly bottom at what you get in whiskey itself.  Drop below 30% or so, and I haven't seen any study that shows any effectiveness as those levels.

So, while you could potentially cut your whiskey with a little creek water, and after an hour or so have something that was slightly less potent and fairly safe to drink, it won't give you much in the way of what we might generally think of as purified water. For that, you'll need to stick to water purification tablets or a good filter.


Are there any vodka cocktail recipes for someone who likes whisky/scotch?

Here are few cocktails that I can recommend and don't require much ingredients:

1) Black Russian - Vodka and coffee liqueur

2) Screwdriver - Vodka and orange juice

3) Greyhound - Vodka and grape juice

4) Vodka Martini - My favorite


Is there a drink in Italy similar to kvass?

Your best bet is likely to be a Russian/Eastern European store. There are some in many larger Italian cities, search for "negozio russo" or "alimentari russo" in an area you are interested in. Some possibilities:

Rome

"Kozak" - Via dei Conciatori, 1c
"Galychnya" - Via Santa Maria delle Fornaci, 6

Verona

"Il Negozio Tipico Russo", Via Vincenzo Cabianca, 10

Cagliari

"Алёнушка" - via Francesco Carrara, 22

Genoa

"Angolo dell'Est" Vicolo Canneto il Curto

Carpi

"Europa-Est" - via Trento Trieste 34/a

It may pay to call ahead to see if they carry Kvass, if you can find a phone number.


What is the significance of a beer's head?

There are some good answers here, but to distill and maybe enhance:

Beer heads are a great indication of proper serving because if any number of factors that could affect the taste are off, they'll also affect the head.  Some of these are:

Warm beer foams too much. If your server is dumping tons of head down the drain to fill your glass with enough beer, it might be too warm.
Too much pressure in the keg makes beer foam too much.  The brewer carbonated it to the level they wanted, the bar might be over-carbonating it.
Cold beer does not foam very much.  If the kegs are chilled too cold or the bar is serving beer in a frozen glass, your beer is probably too cold.  Cold temperatures will dull flavors and kill aromas. Obviously if you're into beer for flavor, this is bad.
Dirty glasses tend to dissipate the foam very quickly, so you could be drinking whatever was in the glass before, or soap scum... neither of which sounds very tasty.
Under-carbonated beer doesn't foam very much.  Under-carbonation can also dull flavors since so much of taste is based on smell and you can't smell volatile aromatics if there's no fizz to carry them out of the liquid.

There are various schools of thought on the head as an indicator of beer's quality or freshness but realistically this will vary by style.  Think of the thick creamy head of Guinness stout; remove the head and you completely change the experience.  The large luxurious heads of Belgian beers, or the thinner off-color head of porters.

Also, without a good head with lots of tiny popping bubbles of CO2 to spray the air above the glass with volatile aromatic oils, you wouldn't have nearly as much hoppiness to smell and taste in an IPA or spices from a Belgian style.


Which beer or beers are associated with Lent?

Bock style beers are regularly produced for festivals such as Christmas and Lent.

The specific kind of bock for Lent is Lentenbock.

The only one I've tried in the UK is Oates Lenten Bock.  It was a traditional Bock style, dark, sweet and strong and it was OK.  I wasn't enamoured of it enough to repeat tasting it.


Iron Maiden's Trooper beer is British.
Motörhead's Röad Crew beer is British.

I'm not sure why you would expect to buy them in Finland.

Of course you can get them both online...

In fact, of the heavy metal band beers listed on theblekgoat.com, only one is from Scandinavia, and none from Finland.

Amon Amarth's “Ragnarök” beer. USA
Eyehategod's “In The Name Of Suffering” beer. USA
Ghost's “Grale” beer. Sweden
GWAR beer. USA
High On Fire's “Razor Hoof” beer. USA
Mastodon's “The Hunter” beer. Germany
Municipal Waste's “Toxic Revolution” beer. USA
Pelican's "Immutable Dusk" beer. USA
Pig Destroyer’s “Permanent Funeral” beer. USA
Sepultura’s Weizen. Brazil
The Sword’s “Iron Swan” beer. USA
Tulsadoom’s “Barbarian” beer. Austria
Voivod’s “Kluskap O’Kom” beer. Canada

Your best bet appears to be to go to Munster, IN, where 3 Floyds Brewing Co. makes beers for quite a few metal bands.


Grimbergen Cuvee Blanche is in the style of a Belgian Witbeer aka "White Beer". There are are countless similar beers that are widely available.

The archetype for the style is named Hoegaarden. The creator of Hoegaarden, Peter Celis, created another beer in the same style named Celis White. In the U.S., the most widely available example of this style is Blue Moon Belgian Wheat.

Belgian Wit / Belgian Wheat style of beer has gained a lot of popularity in recent years and is an exceptionally easy style to find at any well-stocked bottle shop or craft beer bar in the US. Simply ask for that style and something similar to Grimbergen Blanche should be available.


Baileys chocolate mousse - an alternative liqueur

I'm not a massive fan of Bailey's myself, but do love a chocolate mousse. Since unless you're going way overboard with the alcohol, you're not really going to disrupt the mousse and make it soupy, you can use anything that you think goes with chocolate. Personally, I love the following paired with a good dark chocolate:

Kahlua/Tia Maria (most similar in spirit to Bailey's)
Port or madeira
Deep but not too peaty Scotch
Dark rum (I'd leave the continental "rums" to fruit desserts, where they excel)
Brandy
Kirsch

I'd avoid lighter or delicate / floral spirits, since they don't really work (for me) with a deep dark chocolate.

I'd keep it to under about a shot per cup to avoid thinning the mousse too much. And please try a tiny pinch of salt, which the original recipe is missing but is essential for a good chocolate dessert!


There are definitely Easter-themed beers. Though, no official beer-style when it comes to the holiday, it seems... (Barring all "hoppy" puns) Everything goes; from Pilsner to Porter.

The best beers to enjoy with your Easter egg - The Telegraph

Top 5 Easter Beers - KegWorks

The Easter Beer Festival also showcases ciders and perries; the Spring season seems to call for lighter and fruitier beers as opposed to the heavier,  darker beers of the Autumn season, imho.

And, the rabbit/bunny is a main-stay theme with micro-breweries:


Whiskey and beer recommendations for boilermaker cocktail?

Having drank these when I was younger, I'd offer the opinion that beer and whisky shouldn't be mixed. The flavours, generally speaking, are usually not complementary, so the only real benefit you'll get from them is a quicker buzz.

If you want to go ahead with a boilermaker anyway I'd recommend getting a mid-range bottle of whisky. Something with some semblance of flavour and quality, but not so good that you're wasting a good liquor by mixing it with beer. Come to think of it, this rule probably holds true when mixing with anything, although I tend to use fairly cheap whiskies for cocktails.

In terms of specific whiskies, you could go with something like a Bulleit Bourbon or a Black Bush Irish Whisky, and if those are too pricey you could down-grade to a Wild Turkey or Crown Royal.

The beer you choose depends much more on your taste in beer, as the flavour of beer varies much more than does the flavour of whisky. In general, if you mix with a lighter, more generic beer the flavour of the whisky will be quite strong, whereas if you go with a stronger flavoured beer the whisky will be more subtle.

If it were me, I'd go the stronger route to mask the taste of the whisky, because when I drink a beer that's not really what I want to taste.


I think your best option is a Guayabita de Pinar. It's a spirit made with tiny guava fruits, it's nice and sweet. I'd choose the one made by La Occidental. Here's a good picture of it from flikr.

Otherwise Aguardiente de Cuba is an option. Aguadiente means firewater, and it's not nearly as friendly as the Guayabita. My understanding is that it's related to rum in the way that mescal is to tequila. Funky. I'd only go for it if you have a decent amount of cocktail experience and you'd like to experiment. Ron Santero makes the most popular bottle.

Aside from that, you might consider something like a local soda, or some Coca-Cola. Coke changes the recipe depending on where it's shipped, so if you want to drink a proper Cuba Libre ask for some.


What is this Cooper and Thief red wine bottle?

The CellarTracker tasting notes for this one are...Interesting.  Overall it looks like it leans toward port-ish, so is probably fine for a week at least.  And if you end up thinking it is starting to degrade from oxygenation, once it's open you can throw the bottle into the freezer as you would to preserve any open wine.


It's not that Scottish distilleries 'put out discount product at stores like Lidl and Aldi', but stores like Lidl and Aldi buy whisky from the producers to sell as own-brand products. It's a standard way of selling whisky, and has been around longer than the current distillery brand model.

Most non-distillery/major blender whiskies you find in a supermarket will probably be an own-brand. The ones I know of in the US are Trader Joe's own-branded stuff and Kirkland at Costco – I've not heard of any Canadian specific brands, especially thanks to the monopoly rules getting in the way.

It's difficult to find out who bottles the whiskies, but it's usually a larger whisky maker in Scotland who has casks from a wide range of distilleries, and can fulfil the large orders that they'd ask for. Common culprits are Whyte & Mackay and Grant's (through QSI, their bulk bottling wing), as well as smaller folks like Angus Dundee and Burn Stewart.


Acidity regulation of home made wine, berry wine or cider?

First thing, pick up a basic winemaking book. All of this is covered in there.

If you have an Acetic acid problem, then you have vinegar not wine.

If you just have high tartaric acid, you can do a two things. Cold stabilization and potassium bicarbonate. Cold stabilizing is putting the wine in a freezer at about 25 degrees for a couple of weeks. I usually do this naturally on the coldest days of the year. Tartaric acid turns into tartrate crystals and sink to the bottom. Also, you can add Potassium Bicarbonate and it reacts with tartaric acid and reduces it. You'll have to do some research here.

If you have a malic acid problem, then malolactic fermentation is a way to turn the harsh malic acid to lactic acid. Again, consult a winemaking book to figure out the details.


Why don't any Arizona craft breweries export their beer?

In the United States, interstate beer export is an extraordinarily complicated matter.  Unlike other areas of commerce, states are allowed to directly regulate import of alcoholic beverages to their state because of the 21st Amendment specifically reserved that right in the repealing of prohibition.  States, through the licensing process, can also control export, but this is rare since usually states like to export stuff to other states (and thus bring money into their state).

This means that beer, wine, and spirits are extraordinarily complex to sell in the interstate market.  Small craft breweries are going to have a huge amount of legal compliance in every case and so you have an issue that it is essentially impossible to be both small and interstate in this market.


This is a very good starting point: History of beer. I know it's just Wikipedia, but I think it's really well done with many links and external references.


Is it safe to store an open beer in a sealable cup in the refrigerator?

The (relatively) high alcohol, presence of anti-bacterial compounds from hops, and low pH of beer make it inhospitable to most micro-organisms.

Given, it's beer, and cool and sealed: Yes, it's safe to drink.

But it will be flat!


I would have to guess that the health effects are very different.  The kidneys will have a tougher load to process with 1 beer/10 min/day versus  1 beer/8 hours/day.  2 beers or 96 beers a day using awake time of 16hrs.
So you would have Drunk, overloading the kidneys and liver, along with withdrawal symptoms if you stop for a couple days.  The 2 a day can also give withdrawal symptoms if you do this for awhile and then stop for a couple days.  I currently have a patient who for the most part drinks 2 a day, and is having withdrawal symptoms.
Obviously the more per day will have more bad effects.


What are the disadvantages of storing and transporting wine in steel barrels?

Well for starters, the taste. Fermentation (aging) is very important for both wine and liquor alike, and the oak barrels are used because they provide extra flavor. In the case of wine, and specifically red wine, the oak brings out the spice and tannins that many people are looking for.

  Oak wine barrels have been used for centuries in the fermentation and aging processes of wine by wine crafters. Aging wine in oak wine barrels provides the wine with aromas that would typically be found on your spice rack – nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, vanilla and clove to name a few. And as it passes over your tongue, hints of caramel, mocha, butter and toffee are just a few that come forward.

Oak Wine Barrels or Stainless Steel Wine Drums?

  ... a liquid stored in oak will experience some degree of evaporation. This natural process contributes to the concentration of the wine (much like the way chefs “reduce” a sauce on the stovetop to intensify it) with respect to both aroma and flavor

To add in addition to the article, a new trend among (American) wineries is aging the wine in barrels that previously held liquor. This means that the barrels have absorbed the flavor of the liquor held in it previously, and add extra flavor to the wine as it ages in the reused barrel. Some popular combinations would be:

Cabernet Sauvignon/Zinfandel/Red Blend aged in Bourbon/Whiskey barrels
Chardonnay aged in Rum barrels

Notice how red wines are more so aged in old whiskey/bourbon barrels, as the wineries are looking to add more spice notes (sharper notes on the tongue) whereas the chardonnay (white wine) is aged in a rum barrel to get more of an oak note with a slight fruitiness to it.

Old bourbon/whiskey barrels will have sharper, stronger notes (more spice than oak) whereas the rum barrels have more mild, sweeter notes (lots of oak with a hint sweetness from the rum)


In the United States, is a beer required to state ABV on the bottle/label?

No, federal malt beverage labeling laws make it optional (though they do describe standards the label must meet if brewers do choose to add the alcohol content label.)

State laws, however, may require a brewer to add alcohol content to the label.  Clearly Delaware law (where Dogfish Head is based) must not.

In my experience, this is not terribly uncommon.  It is true that most beers do have alcohol content disclosed on the label, but I've run across quite a number that do not.

If you're interested in learning more about it straight from the source, it's available in the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations in Title 27, Chapter I, Subchapter A, Part 7—LABELING AND ADVERTISING OF MALT BEVERAGES.


Well, this question might get closed as a duplicate, but I'm going to answer it anyway, and try to answer it better. IMO, the suggested duplicate answers a different question, only answering the hydration question too, by side-effect. Personally, I like this question paired with that answer, better than that question.

tl;dr — Alcohol is a diuretic (defined: a substance that promotes the production of urine), causing you to expel more water than the body would normally expel.

That much has been shown conclusively.

  If sufficient alcohol is ingested, the diuresis occurs at the expense of all cellular components, and dehydration ensues.

Roberts, K. E. Mechanism of Dehydration Following Alcohol Ingestion. 1963. [Abstract (HTML)]

As far back as the 1930s, researchers were trying to understand whether alcohol—the substance itself—is a diuretic, or indirectly induces chemicals which are diuretic (or which inhibit antidiuretics) or triggers cortical functions that cause diuresis.

  [Most] writers either state categorically or imply that alcohol per se has no diuretic action. In 1932, however, from a comparison of the diuretic effects of a given volume of water, with and without alcohol, [...] Murray concluded that alcohol itself was exerting a diuretic action. [...] The diuretic action of alcohol has now been demonstrated on five other subjects, and its mode of action investigated [...]

Eggleton, M. G. The Diuretic Action of Alcohol in Man. 1941. [Full Paper (PDF)]

The first paper (1963) actually confirmed that alcohol—yes, ethanol itself—inhibits antidiuretic hormones, causing diuresis, causing dehydration. (Caffeine does this too, by the way.)

So, yeah. That's how that happens.

Unrelated, but I found this interesting in the second paper...

  It [the diuresis] is initiated by the increase in blood-alcohol concentration and fails to be maintained if this concentration is kept steady, even at high levels [...] The diuretic response to alcohol differs markedly in one respect from that of the cerebral cortex. The latter is most affected by the rate of increase in blood-alcohol concentration: the greater this rate of increase, the greater the disturbance of function at any absolute concentration. The diuretic response, on the other hand, is dependent mainly on the duration of increasing blood-alcohol concentration and not on the rate of increase (Tables 6, 7). The naturally slow absorber, therefore, tends to give a larger diuretic response than the rapid absorber.

The slower you get drunk, the more dehydrated you'll be!


What soft drinks mix well with alcohol to make a great drink?

If you want something sweet you can try

amaretto and coke (some more detailed information)
for an even sweeter experience you can even go for a mix with Dr pepper

It has a slimier taste to a bakewell tart so it is recommended if you like sweet things


Why did my Big Bad Baptist come in a brandy snifter?

First, yes, this is quite typical.  Snifters are widely used for beer and generally for two reasons, in my experience.

As you suspect, the bowl shaped glass helps to concentrate the aroma.  However, this isn't unique to the snifter as many types of beer glasses incorporate a narrowing throat to provide this effect.
Quantity.  With a glass of beer that has a particularly high alcohol content, or particularly strong flavor, you'll often get much less than a standard 12-16 oz. pour.  The beer you refer to for instance, the Big Bad Baptist, has an alcohol content of 11.8% ABV, which closer to wine than beer, (and wine has a standard 5oz serving size per glass, or thereabouts) so it calls for a smaller serving size.  However, a 5oz or 6oz serving would look rather silly in a pint glass, so a snifter is more appropriate in proportion.


How can I layer liquors on top of each other?
The key to creating perfectly layered drinks is to pay attention to how heavy each ingredient is compared to the other ingredients. The weight of each liquid is measured by its specific gravity.
An alcohol density chart can be viewed here.

There are a few simple rules to follow:

You want to use a narrow glass to maximize the thickness of each layer without using a ton of booze. There actually is a specific pousse-café glass, but only your crazy aunt has those, and do you really want to go over there and borrow one? No. Just use a champagne flute or a skinny shot glass.

The order in which you pour is the most important aspect. You want to start with the liquid that has the greatest specific gravity, and decrease as you ascend. That way they liquids won't try to pass through each other, which will mostly likely just end in blending. Terrible stupid blending! Start with the sweetest, least-alcoholic liquid, and go up from there until you have the least-sweet, most-alcoholic liquid at the top.

Pouring technique is critically important. This definitely takes a steady hand. If you pour too fast, the top layer will plunge down into the one under it, which will cause mixing. That ain't pretty, and prettiness is what this drink is all about (prettiness and science). The top of a bar spoon is pretty much the ideal tool, but you can pour over the back of a regular spoon, too. Just position the spoon right above the last layer, and pour as slowly as humanly possible. This is why bartenders hate you for ordering these.  How to make a multi-layered drink

Here are a few Tips for layering drinks:

To keep the layering effect, the drink should not be stirred.

A chilled glass often works best. Also, if your drink does not include ice, it's best to chill the ingredients before pouring.

A speed pourer can be helpful for slowing down the pour as well. This is particularly true if your liquor bottle is full and heavy.

Some bartenders will put the tip of the spoon just under the first layer, which helps the liquid stay on top. Depending on your technique, this may help you as well.

Layering can also be done with a syringe that is food-safe. It's not as professional (or cool) looking, but it is easier. Be sure to choose one with a larger hole. - How to Create Layered Cocktails and Shots

Use the back of a spoon to help you create your layered drink.
For those who desire to look more professional in this domain, one could employ a Rainbow Cocktail Layering Tool

An ingenious piece of equipment, the Rainbow Cocktail Layering Tool allows anyone to start making their own layered cocktails. Using a clever float that sits on your drink as you make it, you can easily pour one drink on top of another without the layers mixing!

Above all, please pour your liquors and liqueurs very carefully and slow.


Before application, consider the steps you have taken to have gotten to that point, then do whatever you can to ensure you never repeat those steps again.


How do I make red wine vinegar from red wine (or clear vinegar from white wine)?

First of all, let us consider what can be turned into vinegar.

  What you can turn into vinegar?

  Anything with sugar or starch can be fermented by yeast into alcohol, which can then be converted into acetic acid by acetobacter bacteria. The acidity of commercially made vinegar is at least 4 percent but not more than 7 percent, according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration standards. Vinegar has an almost indefinite shelf life, though some color changes and sedimentation (in unfiltered, unpasteurized bottlings) may occur. Some varieties are aged or reduced, which changes the flavor and character.

  Wine based

  Banyuls
  Red wine, including varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon
  White wine, including varietals such as Champagne
  Sherry

For starters you must choose the wine (red or white) you desire to turn into vinegar, but do mix the two together. The more aromatic the wine is, the more flavorful the vinegar will be.

There are many recipes to make vinegar on the web, so I can only give a small sampling here. For the most part the techniques are somewhat similar.

  Mixing Wine Vinegar

  1. Choose your wine.  You can combine a few glasses of leftover wine or buy a fresh bottle to use. Don’t mix red and white wine together. Instead, either make white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar. Red wine vinegar is great for bold salad dressings and deglazing cooking pans. White wine vinegar is lovely in rich sauces and tart vinaigrettes.

  2. Find a “Mother of Vinegar”. This commercially available product is also called a vinegar starter or a mother. The bacteria in a mother creates vinegar when combined with wine, cider, or fresh fruit juice. You don’t have to use a mother when making wine vinegar. However, some people find that using a mother helps create wine vinegar faster.

  3. Choose a live vinegar. If you don’t want to purchase a mother, use a live vinegar instead. Look for vinegars that are advertised as “unpasteurized,” “unfiltered,” and “active”. For example, Braggs organic apple cider vinegar is a live vinegar.

  4. Mix the wine and starter together. Use a large, wide-mouthed jar or bowl made of nonreactive materials such as glass or ceramics.[4] Stir everything together well. This will evenly distribute the bacteria throughout the wine and aerate the mixture.

  If you’re using a live vinegar, add 3 tablespoons of vinegar for every cup of wine.

  If you’re using a mother, follow the instructions on the package. Otherwise, add the mother to the wine and gently mix it in.

  5.Cover the jar with a cheesecloth. The cheesecloth will block out the light while letting air circulate through the mixture.[6] First, drape the cheesecloth loosely over the top of the jar. Next, secure the cheesecloth in place with a rubber band.

  Fermenting Wine Vinegar

  1. Set the container in a cool, dark place. Place your cheesecloth-covered container in a dark corner of a pantry or under your sink. Choose a spot that won’t get much light or heat. The vinegar will need to sit for two to three months while it ferments.

  The optimal temperature range is 75 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit (24 to 29 degrees Celsius.) If you store your vinegar outside of this range, the process will take longer.

  2. Monitor your vinegar. After three weeks of fermentation, examine the vinegar for a gelatinous film. This is the new mother. Try not to disturb this layer or you’ll risk agitating the bacteria that creates wine vinegar.

  3. Taste the vinegar for doneness. Begin tasting the wine vinegar periodically after one month of fermentation. To do so, gently push aside the mother with a spoon and gather a small sample of vinegar. You’re looking for a brightly tart, acidic taste.

  4. Harvest the vinegar. Once your vinegar tastes ready, it’s time to harvest it. First, use a spoon to push the mother down into the vinegar. Next, pour away the apple cider into a large bowl. While you pour, use the spoon to block the mother and keep it in the jar.

  5. Save the mother to use in new batch. Add more wine to the jar with the mother in it. Replace the cheesecloth and ferment the vinegar for another two to three months. Once the mother is used up, it will sink to the bottom and another mother will form on the vinegar.

  Once the mother sinks all the way to the bottom, you can scoop it out and throw it away.
  You can use this method to create wine vinegar indefinitely.

  Storing Your Vinegar

  1. Choose a secondary storage container. Choose a heat-proof container that’s made of a nonreactive ceramic or glass material. The container should also come with an airtight lid or cork. For example, purchase a swing-top or sealable wine bottle. Some other examples of storage containers include:

  Mason jars with lids

  An old empty vinegar container
  A glass beaker with a cork

  2. Sterilize your storage container. Wash the container with hot water and a strong dish soap. Next, bring a pot of water to boil on your stove. Submerge the container in boiling water for ten minutes to sterilize it. Allow it to air dry completely.

  Pour the vinegar into your storage container. Use a funnel to siphon the vinegar from the bowl to your storage container. Depending on how much vinegar you make, you may need two or three containers to collect everything. After pouring the vinegar, tightly secure the lid of the storage container.

  Store your wine vinegar in a cool, dark place such as your pantry for up to one year.

  Source:  How to Make Wine Vinegar (wikiHow)

And by the way: Bon Appetite!


Is wine dryness or sweetness due to grape variety?

No, they are not related at all. Except when they are. Let me explain. There are a couple of ways to make a wine sweet.

Ferment to dryness, filter and then add something sweet.
Make a wine with so much sugar that the yeast can't finish
Stop fermentation before it ends (filtering or alcohol) and leave some sweetness

Almost all grapes can be made into sweet wine by one of these methods, but not all of them are as tasty as others. Some grapes, like Riesling, can make both an excellent sweet dessert style wine and a dry wine. Then others like Cabernet Sauvignon are rarely made into sweet wine. It has to do with the tannins. The one exception to this is Port and Madeira where they make sweet wines from red grapes but these are meant to age.

So, to answer your question. No, sweet wines don't have to be related to a specific grape, but they are for taste purposes and not on the physical properties of the grapes.


What are some of the iconic champagnes for each decade of the last 100 years?

What are some of the possible iconic champagnes from each decade of the last 100 years?

Before going on, I would like to define the word iconic which I would like to use as a loose model in the following list of iconic champagnes.

  Iconic

  Similar to "classic," iconic is generally restricted to more recent, highly original, influential, or unique, works of art, artists, or performers. As such they are now well-established and widely celebrated in popular culture.

  "Oedipus Rex" is a classic, but the original "Planet of the Apes" is truly iconic. - Urban Dictionary

  Relating to or characteristic of a famous person or thing that represents something of importance:

  Scenes of Parisians dancing in the streets remain iconic images from World War II. - Cambridge Dictionary

For the 1920s: Dom Pérignon logo champagnes

Dom Pérignon  Brut Champagne 1982

For this decade I would like to propose any French champagne that puts Dom Pérignon into the spotlight on the label.

  Champagne Region

  Sources estimate that approximately 300 million bottles of champagne were sold in the year of 2015. All this champagne is made from grapes grown in a distinctive part of France, the Champagne region. This region of small 34.000 hectares received the sole right to the champagne brand once the law of 1927 was passed. The law of 1927 defined the champagne production zone and defined restrictions when making champagne. The champagne production is located just 150 kilometers east of Paris and is divided into four geographical areas.

  Marne (66% of planted area)
  Aube (23%)
  Aisne (10%)
  Haute-Marne and Seine-et-Marne.

  Together these areas form the Champagne region. The reason why the champagne region has been declared the only place in the world to make champagne, is due to the geographical location concerning the latitude and the changing climate, being both influenced by the continental climate as well as the oceanic climate.

For the 1930s: Pol Roger

  Hitler Couldn't Defeat Churchill, But Champagne Nearly Did

  During the 1930s, as Adolf Hitler was rising to power in Germany, the man who would turn out to be his most implacable foe was drowning — in debt and champagne.

  In 1936, Winston Churchill owed his wine merchant the equivalent of $75,000 in today's money. He was also in hock to his shirt-maker, watchmaker and printer — but his sybaritic lifestyle, of a cigar-smoking, horse-owning country aristocrat, continued apace.

  To get an idea of Churchill's annual alcohol consumption, here's what he ordered in 1908, the year he married Clementine:

  Nine-dozen bottles and seven-dozen half-bottles of Pol Roger 1895 vintage champagne, plus four-dozen half-bottles of the 1900 Pol Roger vintage.

  Churchill drank several brands of champagne such as Giesler, Moet et Chandon, and Pommery, but Pol Roger was his clear favorite. Every year on Churchill's birthday, the charming and shrewd Odette Pol Roger sent him a case of champagne. (His other great friend, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, sent him caviar — until they fell out over Churchill's Iron Curtain speech.)

For the 1940s: Moët

  Occupation Begins, Summer 1940

  In the first weeks of the occupation, more than 2 million bottles of wine were stolen by Germans. It was comparable to full scale looting of the sort seen after natural disasters and coups, but in this case it involved some of the most storied vineyards in the world and Moët suffered more than most.

  “The Chandon château on the grounds of Dom Pérignon’s abbey had been burned down and many other buildings  belonging to Moët were taken over to house German troops. To add insult to injury, the company had also been ordered to supply the Third Reich with 50,000 bottles of champagne a week, or about one-tenth of all the champagne the Germans were requisitioning.”

For the 1950s:Piper-Heidsieck

  The champagne brand of choice for Marilyn Monroe, Marie Antoinette and all the stars at the Oscars, Piper-Heidsieck champagne is one of the most iconic luxury brands and a favourite among fashion and luxury lifestyle brands. So no wonder it's still doing rather well today - after all, how many brands can say that Marie Antoinette was their first brand ambassador?

And there is more:

  In a similarly extravagant vein, Marilyn Monroe was reputed to have taken a bath in 350 bottles of Champagne. - Champagne glass

There is even a Marilyn Monroe Champagne Cocktail Recipe.

  "Hey, did you ever try dunking a potato chip in Champagne. It's real crazy!"
  Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year Itch (1955) - Champagne sips and chips

For the 1960s: Mumm: For the Coupe!

Going to put the Mumm champagne for this decade. Some may say something else, but I like the Mumm champage in coupe glasses.

  The Sixties and Seventies saw sales increase in spectacular fashion: shipments rose from three million to six million bottles, making G.H.MUMM the number one Reims Champagne. - G.H.Mumm – The History

What about the Mumm champagne in coupe glasses?

  No matter who inspired the coupe glass, it's safe to say its infamy keeps it popular to this day. Especially in the 1930s prohibition-era and in the 1960s, the coupe glass reigned as the choice for sparkling wine even if its design wasn't ideal. With TV shows like "Mad Men" and "Boardwalk Empire," old-fashioned drinks and drinking glasses have been making a comeback. Just stop by any trendy bar in New York City (or any other metropolis) and you'll find cocktails served in the coupe glass. - The Glass Shaped Like Marie Antoinette's Anatomy

In 1914, Kate Moss also had a champagne glass modeled after her left breast while pregnant.

  To celebrate Kate Moss 25 years in the fashion industry, a champagne glass moulded from her left breast has been created.

  Forty-year-old Moss has teamed up with a sculptor and a London restaurant to create the unique champagne glass in her honour.

  Mayfair’s 34 Restaurant, where Moss celebrated her star-studded 40 birthday lunch back in January, commissioned British artist Jane McAdam Freud, daughter of late painter Lucien Freud who Moss posed for while pregnant, to create a mould of the model’s breast. - London Restaurant 34 creates champagne glass modeled on Kate Moss' left breast

Mumm’s French Champagne (1968)

For the 1970s: Bollinger

  Bollinger champagnes have appeared in 14 James Bond films, dating back to 1973's "Live and Let Die."

For the 1980s: Dom Perignon

  Dom Pérignon was served at the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana in 1981. A special insignia just for this event was put on the bottles of the 1961 vintage that was served.

For the 1990s: Crystal

  Since the late 1990s, high-end champagne brands have been featured in rap and hip hop music and videos; bottles featured in videos are often quite blingy and distinctive, often gold. The Louis Roederer brand Cristal, with a gold label, has seen increased popularity since the mid-to-late 1990s due to its association with rap and hip hop artists, notably the New York rappers Biggie Smalls (the Notorious B.I.G.), Puff Daddy, and Jay-Z. This high-end image has been cultivated and managed by Cristal's US importer, Maisons Marques. Since 2006, Cristal has seen a loss of popularity and some boycotts, notably by Jay-Z, due to statements perceived as racist, with other champagnes such as Armand de Brignac (gold bottle) making inroads. - Champagne in popular culture

For the 2000s: Dom Pérignon and Dom Pérignon Rosé

  No New Year's Eve would be complete without welcoming the new year (and bidding an enthusiastic farewell to the prior year) with a bottle of bubbly. It's the stuff of celebrations and special occasions, and it's such a big part of holiday traditions around the world that about 25 percent of all champagne is sold in the days between Christmas and New Year's Eve. Just what is it that makes champagne the perfect New Year's drink? You might be surprised.

  Champagne became the drink of choice at a huge number of landmark celebrations, from royal weddings to the scaling of some of the world's toughest mountains. It then also became linked with New Year's celebrations, which started first with Julius Caesar. It wasn't until the 1800s that staying up for a midnight party became a common tradition, and we know champagne was a major part of it from at least mid-century.

January 1st, 2000 ushered in the New Millennium and drinking champagne is such an iconic symbol for celebrating this event or any other celebration or party as Dom Pérignon  and Dom Pérignon Rosé should be a part of it.

  Dom Pérignon’s vintage-only champagne has earned unquestionable prestige and iconic status for its ability to evolve while “resting on the lees”—this lets the champagne develop better textures and flavours, so the next batch of the same vintage is even more intense. These privileged points in time have been dubbed “plenitudes”, and in the case of its P2 2000—the second plenitude of its vintage 2000—can take as long as 16 years to show.

  Geoffroy mentions that the wine he is working on now will only be released in around 10 years, and the second plenitude, 15 to 20 years after that. Hence, he reminds us that ripeness is key to a good vintage. In fact, the extreme ripeness of the vintage 2003 harvest, which he describes as “insane and out of balance”, was too much for many but not Dom Pérignon, which saw opportunity in the challenge and eventually declared it a vintage year. “It was the mother of all hot vintages,” he exclaims. - We Taste Dom Pérignon’s P2 2000 Champagne In Beijing With Alain Ducasse

  The 2004 vintage of Dom Perignon is worth the treat and is a Champagne apart from the rest with notes of marzipan and dry cocoa powder and racy minerality. The toasty finish on the palate is pleasantly unexpected. It is a really well-rounded Champagne with even darker notes on the finish with a kick of spice.

  There’s no better way to ring in the New Year, than with a glass of Dom Preignon. - Dom Perignon 2004

For the 2010s: Juglar, Veuve Clicquot and Heidsieck Champagnes (until this decade is over)

The decade is not over, so let us wait a few years to truly answer this one. In the meantime I place these three champagnes temporarily as an honorary iconic examples of a champagne that is well made and bottled as preservation in obscure and precarious situations shows!

  In the summer of 2010 five bottles of beer were discovered in a shipwreck in Föglö in Åland’s outer archipelago. The wreck contained 145 bottles of champagne and five bottles of beer from the 1840s.

  Owing to the constant temperature between four and six degrees, the dark surroundings, the pressure inside the bottles and the pressure at the bottom of the sea, the champagne was in extremely good condition. Each bottle was uncorked, tasted and classified by international expert Richard Juhlin.

  Out of the bottles that were salvaged, 95 were from the Juglar champagne house, which closed down in 1829. The same owners produce Jacquesson today. Veuve Clicquot was represented by 46 bottles and Heidsieck & Co by four. The Veuve Clicquot bottles were dated 1841–1850. - The oldest champagne found at the bottom of the sea


Craft beers and Microbreweries in Pittsburgh?

A search on Google Maps gave me these results:

Bier's Pub & War Streets Brewery
Brew Gentlemen (in Braddock, PA)
Dancing Gnome Beer
Grist House Craft Brewery
Hop Farm Brewing Company
Penn Brewery
Roundabout Brewery
Southern Tier Brewery
Spring Hill Brewing

...and very probably many other local ones producing a few hundred liters per time!


Your question is a bit broad because the flavour of high ABV spirits, and the intention of the spirits themselves vary widely.

Some alcohols with a high ABV, such as Hungarian Palinka, are sometimes drunk purely for inebriation. They have a high alcohol content mainly to cause the intended effects, not to produce a pleasing drink. These types of spirits are also often flavourless and used to make cocktails with alcohol content.

On the other hand, I've had Scotches that were as high as 60% but very easily drunk neat, and quite pleasing.

So in sum: whether and how someone enjoys a high ABV spirit really depends on the spirit and it's individual qualities.


Alternatives to rum and gin to drink with meals

This link has decent information on pairing spirits. The problem for giving generalizations becomes differences in palate. Most people don't pair straight spirits with foods as most (self injected word) people reading websites for pairings drink spirits in "cocktail" format.
Information from the website includes:
RYE

Faile recommends pouring rye to cut through the high fat content of fattier charcuterie options. "The tannins and natural spices come through in a rye," he explains, "and a higher proof (100 or higher) is perfect for complementing something fatty and smoked."

BOURBON

bourbon naturally complements smoky flavors, but the added dimension of sweetness can come in handy. "Bourbons pair with the same principle as spicy foods paired with Riesling," says Faile. "The sweetness of the bourbon tempers the heat from spice so the heat does not become the only note. A wheated bourbon coats the tongue to allow the spice to come through with each bite rather than building up."

SCOTCH

"The peatiness of Scotch makes it a perfect match for smoked meats, " says Anda. "German style sausages, like landjäger, are great with Scotch because they're smoked with immense depth of flavor and not overly fatty."
But finding the right charcuterie match can be a bit of a moving target depending on how the spirit is finished. A sherry-barrel aged Scotch like Bowmore 15, accents peat flavors with a sweetness that Faile says can be great with saltier charcuterie.

GIN

"Being all herbal and floral," Faile explains, "gin doesn't require fat to balance its flavors." Instead, the charcuterie flavors to look for when thinking of pairings for gin, says Faile, "are botanical more than fat." Herbs like fennel and thyme are key points for pairing. "Porchetta's are often seasoned with fennel and citrus," Anda says, pointing to one delicious option. Anda also recommends duck prosciutto, which he describes as more oily than fatty and is often cured with herbs, or a finocchiona, a fennel salami

AMARO

Along the same lines as gin, amaro's earthy, herbaceous, and citrus qualities give it pairing versatility. Faile recommends trying earthy Averna with a liverwurst, or herbaceous Fernet with a bresaola or speck.


What's this white floating sediment in my bottles of twisted tea?

If the bottles have not been tampered with, the brew is perfectly safe to drink. Sediment can be formed by several factors including ingredients, filtering, temperature, and conditioning/storage...

  What are the ingredients in Twisted Tea?
  Our delicious Twisted Tea products include a malt base made from beer, tea, natural flavors, and sugar. - Twisted Tea FAQs

  After taking the firkin out of “cold storage” (should never be colder then 45 degrees F if for any appreciable length of time), you then want to bring the cask up to cellar/serving temperature of 51 – 56 degrees F. At this rising temperature, the finings are most effective in attracting yeast and together they SLOWLY sink to the bottom forming a bed of sediment. Pic(k) of the Week: Sam Adams fenced-in

  Blue Hills King's Kolsch is an imperial version of the style, packing an ABV of 7.25 percent. The beer pours a dark chestnut into a tulip glass. It's unfiltered; chunks of sediment swirl and drift slowly to the bottom. Baked bread and faint flowers form the nose. New Paulaner Bar at TD Garden; new beer offerings in the arena

You likely noticed this when you pulled a cold one out of the fridge. You are more than likely seeing some sort of combination of yeast, tea, and sugar which is corroborated by the solubility....


What's the difference between a cask beer and a kegged beer?

Cask ales are not stored under pressure , and require a pump to transfer the beer from the cask.  As the ale is not under pressure, it is also not as heavily carbonated as other beers.

In contrast kegged beer is stored under pressure, and is forced to the tap by pumping gas into the keg (usually carbon dioxide or nitrogen).


I buy a bottle of wine from a supermaket - can you tell where it's come from?

Depends on the country, but companies can make it very hard to find where the wine is made and where the grapes are grown. Looking at large supermarket brands, sometimes all that is necessary is listing country of origin and a vague address on the back (and other things like alcohol % and size of bottle). They don't even need to put the types of grapes on if they don't want too. So, to your questions, if you can't find anything on the label about the manufacturer of the wine, it will be very difficult to track it down if they don't want. That's the price you are paying, a super low price without a lot of questions asked.


Can a liquor be both a vodka and whisky? What's the difference?
The short answer is yes.
Here is what Wikipedia has to say about what constitutes a liquor.

Liquor (also hard liquor, hard alcohol, distilled alcohol, fire water, or spirit water) is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruits, or vegetables that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. The distillation process purifies the liquid and removes diluting components like water, for the purpose of increasing its proportion of alcohol content (commonly expressed as alcohol by volume, ABV).1 As liquors contain significantly more alcohol than other alcoholic drinks, they are considered "harder" – in North America, the term hard liquor is used to distinguish distilled alcoholic drinks from non-distilled ones, whereas the term spirits is used in the UK. Brandy is a liquor produced by the distillation of wine, and has an ABV of over 35%. Other examples of liquors include vodka, baijiu, shōchū, soju, gin, rum, tequila, mezcal, and whisky. (Also see list of alcoholic drinks, and liquors by national origin.)
The term does not include alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine, mead, sake, huangjiu or cider, as they are fermented, not distilled. These all have a relatively low alcohol content, typically less than 15%. Nor does it include wine based products fortified with spirits, such as port, sherry or vermouth.
There is no evidence for a health benefit for liquor at any level of consumption. Compared to other types of alcohol, excess consumption of liquor is more strongly associated with harmful health effects.

The mixing of mash ingredients that would traditionally constitute two different type of liquors would still be considered a liquor as long as it is properly distilled after fermentation has occurred.
The mixing of two different types of liquors use still constitute a liquor by principle, such as vodka and whiskey, but would in general be called a cocktail.
However a drink mixed with a liquor and another alcoholic beverage that is simply fermented and not distilled is no longer a liquor but a cocktail


What does it mean that multiple whiskey brands come from the same distillery?

A distillery is just a building at the end of a day, the flavor of a whiskey comes from the ingredients and equipment used inside it. In whiskey making the equipment used makes a big difference in the end product, here's a non-exhaustive list:

Stills: stills are used to concentrate alcohol, the shape and material used for stills make a great difference in the end flavor of the whiskey
Barrels: whiskey is aged for years, generally in barrels of some kind. The material used can make a big difference, for instance there's charred barrels, used wine or port barrels. The whiskey will take flavors from the barrel as it ages

The ingredients that are used in whiskey making likewise make a big difference:

Grain: Barley, Rye, Wheat and Corn are all used in whiskey making, and each give whiskey a very different character
Peat: peat smoke is widely used in scottish whiskey making, the amount and type of peat used gives the end product more or less flavor
Yeast: the strain of yeast used in the fermentation will have an impact on flavor

There's also conditions to consider like the temperature and length of the initial fermentation, still heat, etc. There's the number of times that a whiskey is distilled, triple distillation would give a very different character than double distilling. These are all under control and change the end product.

So a distiller with a single set of equipment using the same grain could make many different characters of whiskey by varying the process and types of barrel used. If they have different stills and use different grains a single distillery could make a very wide variety of whiskeys.

As for this specific case, Blanton is a brand which is named after Albert Blanton, one of the founders of the Buffalo Trace distillery and who worked there for more than 5 decades. The same company (Sazerac) owns several distilleries and produces many different brands. For all I know they do just pour standard Buffalo Trace into the bottles and market it as something else, it wouldn't be the first time a company pulled that trick, however that would be bound to be noticed by aficionados and it wouldn't do their reputation any good.