When Miller Lite was introduced to the nation in 1975 it wasnt exactly the sure bet that one might have thought it should be. For three decades the trend in American beer had been towards lighter bodied, lighter flavored beer. As the nationally distributing brewers of these beers gained dominance and regional brewers withered and died the American beer scene seemed destined to be ruled by lightly flavored beer. This plus a new interest in dieting and exercise seemed to have set the perfect stage for the heretofore created dieters beer niche.

But the recipe for Miller Lite came to the company through less than promising circumstances. In the late 1960s a couple of brewers had tried market their versions of light beer; none of which were successful. Among them was Meister Brau, a Chicago based conglomeration of Midwestern breweries making their bid for survival against the growing national bra ... Read more ...

  Youve been out for a few hours. You had dinner with wine or a beer; maybe even a cocktail or two. After that you stopped at a club and had a few more. But you paced yourself. You feel fine but you wonder if theres a road-block or if you roll through a stop sign and get pulled over if you will get busted for DUI.

   So, key half-way in the ignition, you begin to debate with yourself. Maybe you heard once that the body can metabolize one serving of alcohol an hour. You start doing the math one cocktail before dinner, a beer with the pasta; that was an hour an a half; then another beer at the club before the band started playing which waswhat time was that? And what the hell is a serving anyway?

   Then you remember those stories that youve heard about people blowing over the legal limit after taking a drink even though an actual blood test shows their true alcohol level to be below the legal limit. The last thing that you drank 30 minutes ago was a beer so does that mean that yo ... Read more ...

After a decades-long prohibition absinthe is back. Weve all heard the stories that go way beyond drunken debauchery. I have no idea of their validity and Im certainly no student of the history of the Green Fairy. True or not the tales have added to the mystic of the drink and I must admit that Ive long wanted to try it.

I never bothered with the faux-absinthes that found their way into the US market. I was content to wait until I could find a bottle overseas someday. But now I dont have to. Two companies, for now, are selling the stuff legally here in the US, Kubler and Lucid. (By the way, is there a more perfect name for an absinthe maker than Lucid?)

But if youre going to try it youll need to know how to prepare it. Like I said, Ive never had it myself but heres how the process was described to me. Put about one and a half ounces of absinthe in a six or more ounce glass. Make sure its clear so you can watch it change. Lay a flatish, perfor ... Read more ...

Here in the US there is a national drinking age of twenty-one. This is a rather higher limit than in most other countries and it wasnt always this high. It also wasnt national.

  The drinking age limit is actually set by states. But in a questionable move the Federal government, bowing to pressure from the wont-someone-think-of-the-children groups, tacked a requirement to highway funds money forcing states to change their age limits or face a 10% cut. In this round-about way the government effective Federalized drinking age limits and 21 has been the national standard for over two decades.

  And it has been a whopping failure.

  Having such a high age limit creates another problem. Eighteen is generally the age of adulthood in the US. At eighteen young adults can vote, join the military and serve on juries. Many move out of their parents house in their eighteenth year. Theyve graduated high-school and either join the workforce or head for college. In almost every way they are treated a ... Read more ...

With the Democratic National Convention finally winding down in Denver and the Republican National Convention poised to descend on the Twin Cities next week this can only mean one thing.

Drinking games are just around the corner!

Yup, the Presidential debates or oligarchs-slapping-each-other-on-live-TV, as I like to call it, always bring out the best in our livers.

I like keep it simple:
Youll need your favorite spirits Im going with bourbon - and one shot glass for each player. Youll also need some six-packs of Bud and Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat.

Every time McCain says My friends take a shot.
Every time Obama says hope or change take a shot.
Anytime McCain makes a reference to his wife chug a Bud.
Anytime Obama refers to Chicago or his roots chug a Goose Island.

Thats it; but I have no doubt that this will eas ... Read more ...