Tuesday Tasting: Black Bowmore 42 Year Old

Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we sample an 18- and 42-year-old Scotch.

Bowmore is one of the top 10 Scotch brands worldwide. The Islay distiller has been around since 1779. Islay, part of the Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland, is known for its intense, peaty single malts. Thanks to Anne Riives, who handles PR for Bowmore in the U.S., I had the unique opportunity recently to try a pair of Bowmore's best, including the rare Black Bowmore 42 Year Old.

Distilled on Nov. 5, 1964, Black Bowmore has been quietly aging in a below-sea-level cellar along Loch Indaal. Five casks pulled out of the cellar for this bottling yielded 827 bottles. Just 80 were shipped to the U.S. this month. The price tag is a heart stopping $4,500 a bottle, but it does comes in a mahogany box inlaid with maple burl and copper.

The sample I tasted was a dark cola color. There is clear influence from the Oloroso sherry casks where the malt was aged for more than four decades. Coffee, a hint of cocoa and the signature Islay smoky peat rounded out the experience.

I doubt the 80 bottles shipped to the U.S. will be available at retail for very long, even at the exceptional price. This is the fourth time Bowmore has released special whisky from this vintage. In 1993 it was a 29 year old priced at $100 a bottle. A 30 year old rolled out in 1994 and a 31 year old in 1995, priced at $200 a bottle. Occasionally some one still finds one of these bottles at retail for near the original price. That is a truly lucky shopper. At a spirits auction held in New York in December the three age expressions of the vintage were sold in a lot for a bid of $18,000. Collectors prize this stuff.

If you cannot afford the 42-year-old, you should give Bowmore 18 Year Old a try. At $85 a bottle it fits into the affordable luxury category. This whisky is a rich copper color and has a lovely sweet nose. At 86 proof it has a mellow smoky flavor profile with hints of dark cocoa and tobacco around the edge.

A unique feature of the Bowmore Distillery that is a big hit with whisky lovers is the five cottages on the distillery property recently renovated and available for rent by guests. Islay attracts a steady stream of tourists and these lodgings are difficult to book. Your best bet is to plan ahead and send an email to info@morrisonbowmore.co.uk.

A Debate is Starting About California's Big Alcohol Reds

Most textbooks comparing beer, wine and spirits will use 5 percent alcohol by volume for beer, 12 percent alcohol by volume for wine and 80 proof (40 percent alcohol by volume) for spirits in the examples matching the strengths of each product.

In the last few years, high gravity beers have picked up steam and have grabbed a greater share of the market. Several states have passed bills recently to allow the higher strength beers to be sold. Some argue that while these beers are attracting consumers, that there should be more session beers available, under 4 percent alcohol by volume. Now a debate is starting in California over a trend among a number of wineries marketing red wines that are up to 16 percent alcohol by volume.

Winemakers continue to chase riper, full flavored reds. To get there, harvests are often delayed to build up the big red character in the wines. When you get concentrated fruits and a chewy feel to the wine, this also means the grapes tend to be ripper and have more sugar. The additional sugar converts to more alcohol once the juice is fermented.

During a recent trip to California I encountered a number of reds -- particularly cabernet sauvignons and Bordeaux-style blends -- that were above the 14% alcohol by volume mark. California wineries are blessed and cursed by this fact. On one side are some retailers who do not want to sell the higher alcohol wines and some consumers looking for lighter reds. On the other side are two strong forces: one is nature, the growing conditions in California allow grapes to be left on the vine longer and hot weather further intensifies the flavors and the sugars; and the other is marketing, which has done a terrific job promoting the big red as the quintessential California wine.

As longer as consumer demand exists for these big, bold reds, winemakers will produce them. Up to this point most consumers have either not noticed or don't mind that these wines come with 20-30 percent more alcohol.

New Push for Sunday Sales in Georgia

More than 30,000 Georgia voters have signed a petition to ask the state to allow retailers to sell alcohol on Sundays.

The Georgia House and Senate may take up the measure because they are already slated to consider proposals that would allow Sunday beer sales at a new baseball stadium in Gwinnett; enable Internet wine sales from Georgia farm wineries to consumers in the state; and permit limousine services to serve alcohol to customers.

Supporters of the bill are racing the clock as the Georgia legislative session heads into its final weeks. Last year a bill to allow Sunday sales died in committee. The Georgia Christian Coalition has come out against the proposal and Gov. Sonny Perdue, who does not drink, is said to be against the measure. He could veto any bill passed by the legislature.

The Georgia petition in favor of Sunday sales can be found at www.petitiononline.com/GASB138/petition.html. Another website, votesundaysales.com, was started by retailers supporting the move.

Who's Ready to Dance?: Rumors Swirl About Big Beer Marriages

The world of big beer is likely to get smaller as we move through 2008. No, this is not a prediction that the giant brewers will suddenly give up huge share points to regionals and microbrewers. The fact is that some of the big guys are talking and we are likely to see at least one significant combination in the next few months.

In October 2007, SABMiller and Molson Coors Brewing Co. signed a letter of intent to combine the two companies' U.S. and Puerto Rico operations. That same month, Dutch brewer Heineken and Carlsberg of Denmark formed a consortium to acquire Scottish & Newcastle, the United Kingdom Brewing giant. When moves like these are made they tend to cause shareholders of other breweries to take notice and a few proposals to get tossed around board rooms.

One of the more interesting potential proposals comes in the form of a union between American giant Anheuser-Busch and InBev, the Belgian conglomerate. A-B already handles the U.S. import duties for several InBev beers, including Stella Artois. The new company would pass SABMiller as the world's largest brewer.

Diageo, the London-based drinks firm which controls Guinness Stout and Johnnie Walker Scotch, has been rumored to be looking for a strong beer partner. Names like SABMiller, Heineken and Anheuser-Busch are mentioned in news reports as possible merger targets.

China Resources, which has a partnership with SABMiller, is also on the acquisition trail to keep up with a 20 percent growth in demand for beer in China. While they are more likely to make a domestic purchase, China Resources has to be viewed as having the capacity to look outside of the country as well.

Other international players, such as Lion and Nathan and Foster's Group out of Australia, Turkey's Efes Breweries, FEMSA of Mexico and India's UB Group could play a part on the international stage. Vijay Mallya, the billionaire behind UB Group, controls the Kingfisher beer and airline brands, Mendocino Brewing Co. in the U.S. and acquired Scotch maker Whyte & Mackay in 2007.

The major concern for beer drinkers in the U.S. with any of these proposed deals is the potential impact on distributors. A shift of brands could cause a distributor pay less attention and even drop smaller brands. That has spelled bad news in the past for domestic craft labels and smaller imported brews.

Drink Art: Absinthe Drinker by Viktor Oliva

Drink Art is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that looks at famous works of art depicting men and women enjoying life and drink.

Absinthe Drinker
Viktor Oliva
Czech, (1861-1928)

Viktor Oliva, an illustrator and painter, attended the Prague Academy of Art and the Munich Academy. He is mainly recognized for his Art Nouveau style work.

His most famous painting the Absinthe Drinker hangs in the Cafe Slavia in Prague, Czech Republic, where Oliva spent many days. Oliva discovered absinthe while in Paris, living and drinking among other artists. The ghostly green visage in the painting brings to life the alleged mind-altering qualities of the absinthe of the day.

After returning to Prague he became the art director at a leading magazine and also was commissioned to paint the ceilings of several buildings in Bohemia.

Virginia Legislature Ready to Expand Sunday Cocktails

Virginia has taken another step forward in liberalizing blue laws when it comes to the sale of distilled spirits.

The Virginia Senate passed a bill permitting Virginia ABC stores to open on Sunday in cities with populations of at least 100,000, meaning consumers in places like Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, Richmond and Chesapeake may soon be able to purchase distilled spirits on Sundays.

Virginia ABC stores are already open on Sundays in Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun and Prince William counties, and in the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax City, Manassas, Manassas Park, Norfolk and Virginia Beach.

Nationwide consumers can buy spirits on Sunday in 34 states.

Wall Street Journal: States Attorneys General Probing Anheuser-Busch and Miller Marketing

A report in this morning's Wall Street Journal indicates that Attorneys General from a number of states have subpoenaed Anheuser-Busch and Miller Brewing, looking into how those companies market caffeinated alcohol drinks and whether they are targeting underage drinkers.

Government lawyers from New York, Maine, Maryland, Arizona and Iowa are focused on the popularity of energy-style drinks with young people and whether claims are being made by the brewers about the power of the caffeinated drinks to fuel late night drinking.

The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau approved the labeling for the brands and took no action on an earlier request from the states to clamp down on the products. The Attorneys General are under pressure from anti-alcohol groups who claim these products are dangerous and are designed for underage consumers.

Commodity Costs Hit Heineken Profits

There has been plenty written across the beer blog world about the impact of hop and malt shortages on the cost of a pint of beer. Add to that surging energy costs and what that does to the price of things like aluminum and the result is a giant hangover for the industry.

The little guys are hit hard, but much of that is under the radar. For publicly traded companies the blood and bruises go on full display when earnings reports are issued. Heineken NV of the Netherlands has released figures showing its annual profit dropped by 33 percent to $1.19 billion.

The Dutch brewer's results were below analysts predictions, causing a 6 percent drop in its stock. While it may be difficult to feel all that bad for a company reporting a billion dollar profit, the company says it expects a further crunch in 2008 with costs for key inputs going up 15 percent.

Heineken is boosting beer prices by 3 percent to 4 percent in most markets, except for the U.S. Heineken took a price increase here last year and it faces fairly tough competition from other imports, craft beers and premium offerings from domestic giants.

Got Some Beer on Ice: The 100 Greatest Drinking Songs of All-Time

When I published my list of the Top 50 Greatest Drinking Songs of All-Time back in August 2006 it caused a few debates and remains as one of the top viewed entries on Lyke2Drink. With a little help from some friends and suggestions from loyal readers, I've decided to revise and expand the list. After all, music and drinking just kind of go together -- especially in these tunes.

Here are The Top 100 Greatest Drinking Songs of All-Time:

1. Margaritaville -- Jimmy Buffett
2. All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight -- Hank Williams Jr.
3. Beer For My Horses -- Toby Keith/Willie Nelson
4. One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer -- George Thorogood/John Lee Hooker
5. Tequila Sunrise -- The Eagles
6. Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye -- Charlie Daniels
7. Whiskey River -- Willie Nelson
8. It's Five O'Clock Somewhere -- Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett
9. Double Vision -- Foreigner
10. Beer in Mexico -- Kenny Chesney
11. I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink -- Merle Haggard
12. Friends in Low Places -- Garth Brooks
13. Alabama Song -- The Doors
14. I Love This Bar -- Toby Keith
15. Family Tradition -- Hank Williams Jr.
16. Don't The Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time -- Mickey Gilley
17. There's a Tear in My Beer -- Hank Williams Sr.
18. Party Crowd -- David Lee Murphy
19. Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo -- Tracy Byrd
20. Bama Breeze -- Jimmy Buffett
21. Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off -- Joe Nichols
22. I Like Beer -- Tom T. Hall
23. Two Pina Coladas -- Garth Brooks
24. Closing Time --Semisonic
25. I Drink Alone -- George Thorogood
26. Wasted Days and Wasted Nights -- Freddy Fender
27. Wasn't That a Party? -- Scooter Lee
28. Why Don't We Get Drunk? -- Jimmy Buffett
29. Coming to Your City -- Big & Rich
30. Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof -- Travis Tritt
31. Captain Jack -- Billy Joel
32. Drink Canada Dry -- David Allan Coe
33. Tequila -- The Champs
34. The Last Shot -- Lou Reed
35. Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound -- Hank Williams Jr.
36. Set 'Em Up Joe -- Vern Gosden
37. Get My Drink On -- Toby Keith
38. American Pie -- Don McLean
39. Red, Red Wine -- UB40/Neil Diamond
40. Pop a Top -- Jim Ed Brown/Alan Jackson
41. In Heaven There is No Beer -- Polkaholics
42. Roadhouse Blues -- The Doors
43. Who are You? -- The Who
44. Jose Cuervo -- Shelly West
45. I'm Gonna to Hire a Wino to Decorate Our Home -- David Frizzell
46. Let's Go Get Stoned -- Ray Charles
47. Piano Man -- Billy Joel
48. Redneck Yacht Club -- Craig Morgan
49. Honky Tonk Women -- Rolling Stones
50. Tennessee Whiskey -- George Jones
51. Too Many Nights in a Roadhouse -- Junior Brown
52. Empty Glass -- Pete Townshend
53. Dust on the Bottle -- David Lee Murphy
54. Alcohol -- Brad Paisley
55. Sunday Morning Coming Down -- Kris Kristofferson/Johnny Cash
56. Brown Liquor -- John Anderson
57. Drink! -- They Might Be Giants
58. Longneck Bottle -- Garth Brooks
59. Don't Come Home A Drinkin' -- Loretta Lynn
60. Nightrain -- Guns N' Roses
61. Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers -- ZZ Top
62. Streams of Whiskey -- The Pogues
63. Get Drunk and Be Somebody -- Toby Keith
64. Chug-A-Lug -- Roger Miller
65. Straight Tequila Night John Anderson
66. American Honky Tonk Bar Association -- Garth Brooks
67. Guys Do It -- Mindy McCready
68. Gin and Juice -- Snoop Dog
69. 40 oz. to Freedom -- Sublime
70. Watermellon Crawl -- Tracy Bird
71. Beer Run -- George Jones
72. Misery and Gin -- Merle Haggard
73. Beer Thirty -- Brooks & Dunn
74. You, Me and The Bottle Makes Three -- Big Bad Voodo Daddy
75. Whiskey Bottle -- Uncle Tupelo
76. Red Necks, White Socks and Blue Ribbon Beer -- Hank Thompson
77. Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On -- Neal McCoy
78. Hey Bartender -- Floyd Dixon/The Blues Brothers
79. Mexican Cousin -- Phish
80. Dreamin' and Drinkin' -- Waylon Jennings
81. The Piano Has Been Drinking -- Tom Waits
82. Drinking Problem -- Rehab
83. What's the Use of Getting Sober? -- Louis Jordan
84. Country Club -- Travis Tritt
85. Fifteen Beers -- Johnny Paycheck
86. Hurry Up Harry -- Sham 69
87. Alcohaulin's Ass -- Hallyeah
88. Mas Tequila -- Sammy Hagar
89. Seven Drunken Nights -- Dubliners
90. Beer Belly Blues -- Tim Wilson
91. Gimme Three Steps -- Lynyrd Skynyrd
92. Home for a Rest -- Spirit of the West
93. Six Pack -- Black Flag
94. You Never Even Called Me By My Name -- David Allan Coe
95. Ein Prosit -- Die G'Scherten Munchner
96. What Good Can Drinkin' Do? -- Janis Joplin
97. You Ain't Much Fun -- Toby Keith
98. Midnight Chior -- The Gatlin Brothers
99. A Couple of Beers Ago -- Dale Watson
100. Honky Tonkin -- Hank Williams Sr.

Honorable Mention: All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down (Hank Williams Jr.); Barstool Mountain (Johnny Paycheck); Bartender (Dave Matthews Band); Cold Beverage (G. Love & Special Sauce); East Bound and Down (Jerry Reed); Gotta Get Drunk (Eddie Spaghetti); Honky Tonk Masquerade (Joe Ely); Hair of the Dog (Dale Watson); Homemade Wine (Ozark Mountain Daredevils); I Got Drunk (Uncle Tupelo); I Had to Get Drunk Last Night (Gary Stewart); I'm Home Gettin' Hammered While She's Out Gettin' Nailed (Banjo & Sullivan); If You Don't Start Drinking, I'm Going to Leave (George Thorogood); Irish Drinking Song (Flogging Molly); Pass the Courvoisier (Busta Rhymes); Please Operator (Garth Brooks); Rehab (Amy Winehouse); Saturday Night's Alright (Elton John); Since I Started Drinking Again (Dwight Yoakam); Tequila Sheila (Bobby Bare); Tequila Talking (Lone Star); The Blarney Stone (Ween); The Bottle Let Me Down (Merle Haggard); What Made Milwaukee Famous (Jerry Lee Lewis); What's Your Name (Lynyrd Skynyrd); Whiskey and Wine (311); Whiskey, If You Were a Woman (Highway 101); Whiskey in the Jar (Metallica); Whiskey Rock 'n Roller (Lynyrd Skynyrd).

National IPA Championship: Can You Pick the Best IPA?

The annual March Madness NCAA Basketball Tournament generates more office pools than perhaps any other event besides the Super Bowl. But while Super Bowl pools usually come down to the dumb luck of selecting the right square out of 100 options, March Madness challenges basketball geeks to predict a flurry of games between the nation's best teams. Upsets can turn the novice into a champion and make the avid fans who spend their evenings flipping between ACC, Big East, Pac 10, Big 10 and SEC games look like rookies.

Now the folks at Brewing News -- where I write the Business of Beer column -- have come up with a brilliant beer related version -- the National IPA Championship. It is a single elimination bracket featuring 32 of the best IPAs from around the country. It is a hophead's dream come true. The National IPA Championship starts with the preliminary round on Feb. 23rd in Grand Rapids, Mich. You can make your picks at www.brewingnews.com/nipac.

All contestants that correctly predict the winners of every round and the final champion will be included in a NIPAC Contest Winners Drawing. Prizes include a full case of beer from the 2008 National IPA Champion, tee-shirts, posters and brewery merchandise. That's right free beer and free beer swag!

Judges for the head-to-head face offs between the IPAs will be brewers. They will be organized into panels of 3, and given the task of choosing the best IPA between two beers. The judges will not know what beers they are being served. At the completion of the judging session, the names of the beers will be revealed to the panels and audience at large. The winners will be posted to the web site within 24 hours.

Bill to Raise Alcohol Limit on Beers Sold in Mississippi is Bottled Up in Senate Committee

Mississippians for Economic and Beverage Advancement (MEBA) is working to try to free a bill currently held up in the Mississippi Senate Finance Committee that would raise the alcohol by weight maximum in the state for beer from 5percent to 17 percent.

According to Craig Hendry, one of the founders of MEBA, the group visited the state capital this week to discuss the measure with lawmakers and even had a chance meeting with Gov. Haley Barbour.

Hendry reports the problem is that beer distributors in the state have lobbyists working to kill the bill. The tactics they are using include keeping it bottled up in committee and not allowing the full Senate to vote on the measure.

The group has launched an effort to get craft beer fans in the state to contact Sen. Dean Kirby, chair of the Finance Committee, and ask him to allow the bill to come up for a vote before it expires. Information on MEBA's activities can be found at http://www.meba.ms/ and http://www.msbrew.com/.

Malt Distillery Planned for Virginia

The Virginia Distillery Co. expects to be selling a Scotch-style malt whiskey not far from the Blue Ridge Mountains within five years.

Partners Chris Allwood, Joe Hungate and Brian Gray plan to invest $5 million to build the distillery in Lovingston, Va., by the end of the year. In addition to the distillery, the property will have a visitor's center, warehouse, nature trails and a barley farm. In the meantime the trio is importing Eades Whisky from Scotland.

Located in Nelson County, the distillery will be near several Virginia wineries and breweries.

Charles Medley Distillery in Kentucky to Reopen

It has been 16 years since Bourbon has been made at the Charles Medley Distillers plant in Owensboro, Kentucky, but that is all about to change.

Trinidad-based rum producer Angostura Limited is pumping $25 million into the distillery and plans to also open a cooperage to make barrels. The move is another sign of the growing global demand for Bourbon and what is expected to be tight product supplies in the coming decade.

Angostura says when the distillery reopens it will be capable of making 3 million proof gallons of whiskey. It takes one half gallon of alcohol to make a proof gallon. It will be at least four years before any Bourbon from the facility hits store shelves.

Angostura also purchased the former Seagram's distillery in Lawrenceburg, Ind., in 2007.

Piedmont Distillers Powers Daytona 500 Entry With Moonshine

NASCAR and bootleg moonshine share a common history in the southeastern United States. It is only fitting that for the 50th Daytona 500 taking place next week that a legal moonshine company is sponsoring a car in the sport's premier race.

Piedmont Distillers of North Carolina is sponsoring Jeremy Mayfield’s Haas CNC Racing entry in the Daytona 500. The number 70 car will be promoting Junior Johnson's Midnight Moon brand. Johnson, who won the race in 1960 and ran illegal moonshine in his youth, is also driving the pace car for the big race.

Mayfield first competed in NASCAR’s top series in 1993. He has five wins and has earned more than $32 million in his career. The Haas 70 car is locked in the field for the race thanks to finishing among the top 35 cars at the end of last season. Mayfield has to be considered a long shot in the field, but for a small spirits brand like Midnight Moon the race could be a marketing bonanza. Piedmont's marketing budget is dwarfed by brands like Budweiser, Jim Beam, Jack Daniel's and Miller Lite, other alcohol brands in the race, but the link between moonshine and NASCAR, along with the Junior Johnson connection, means the car will get more than casual attention. NASCAR fans are also noted for strong loyalty in supporting products that sponsor teams.

Piedmont Distillers is the only legal spirits distillery in North Carolina. In addition to Junior Johnson’s Midnight Moon it also makes Catdaddy Carolina Moonshine. That brand has also had involvement as a NASCAR sponsor. The brands are available in 12 states: North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Illinois, Mississippi, Virginia, Wisconsin, Louisiana, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama.

South Carolina Lawmaker Wants to Lower Drinking Age for Troops

South Carolina state Rep. Fletcher Smith believes that members of the armed forces ought to be able to have a drink, even if they are not 21 years old.

Rep. Fletcher plans to introduce a bill to allow military personnel who are 18 years old to purchase alcohol in the state simply by showing their military identification cards. South Carolina raised its drinking age to 21 in 1984 in part because of threats by the federal government to take away highway funding. Rep. Fletcher's bill could cost South Carolina millions of dollar in federal aid.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving has come out against the bill and officials at military bases in the state say it is against the rules for anyone of any age to drink during basic training.

Diageo Buys $900 Million Shot of Ketel One

Diageo PLC has added to its stable of vodka brands after buying a 50 percent stake in Ketel One vodka for $900 million.

Diageo will partner with the Dutch Nolet family in a joint venture that gives the drinks giant the global rights to market and distribute Ketel One vodka. The deal comes as the Swedish vodka brand Absolut is on the auction block.

Diageo also controls the Smirnoff and Ciroc vodka bands.

Tuscaloosa Wants Sunday Sales

The Tuscaloosa City Council plans to ask the Alabama Legislature for the right to allow residents to vote on selling alcohol on Sundays.

The city leaders plan to meet with local state representatives to push them to get a set of measures passed, including the Sunday alcohol sales legislation. Tuscaloosa had a set of top issues introduced as bills during the in the 2007 Alabama legislative session, but all died when they were not voted on before the session expired.

The Sunday alcohol sale legislation that Tuscaloosa is pushing would allow cities the same size or smaller to hold community referendums on the issue. Cities larger than Tuscaloosa already have alcohol sales on Sunday.

Drinks & Taxes 2008 v7: Bloomington, Illinois

The city budget in Bloomington, Ill., is running a deficit. The Bloomington City Council is trying to find $3 million to close a gap in a $75 million spending plan. They think that increasing the city tax on packaged liquor is just the ticket.

In addition to raising the monthly garbage collection fee by $2, Bloomington officials want to boost the liquor tax from 2 percent to 4 percent. They say that would generate $300,000 towards the deficit. The also want to increase the penalty on retailers who are late in paying the liquor tax from 7.5 percent to 10 percent.

The city is looking at increasing the garbage collection fee because, while it costs Bloomington $5.9 million a year for its garbage program, the current fee only covers $1.5 million of the cost. The hike in collection fees would generate another $600,000.

To the casual mathematician it would appear that if everyone paid their fair share for garbage collection there would not be a need to raise other taxes.

Locust Voters Head to Polls Tuesday With a Chance to Repeal Prohibition

There is no Super Tuesday primary in North Carolina, but voters in the city of Locust will vote in a special election on Tuesday to decide if they will be permitted to buy alcohol in the community.

There are 1,700 registered voters in Locust, which is located west of Charlotte, N.C. They will vote on allowing the sale of alcohol in restaurants, grocery stores and whether an ABC liquor store should be allowed in the community.

Supporters of the measure say its passage would bring an Outback Steakhouse, a Harris Teeter grocery store and a hotel to the community. In addition to economic development the sale of alcohol would generate additional tax revnue for Locust.

Free The Hops Calls for Boycott of Anheuser-Busch in Birmingham

Free The Hops: Alabamians for Specialty Beer has been working for three years to try to get the Alabama Legislature to revise its backward rules on beer and lift the 6 percent alcohol by volume maximum enforced in the state. Similar efforts have been launched in other southern states and I can tell you that in my home state of North Carolina, where the Pop The Cap campaign was successful in changing the rules, the beer culture has flourished and there have been no widespread reports of people running naked through the streets.

Free The Hops has not been able to get the job done, it says, in part because the local Anheuser-Busch distributor in Birmingham has been lobbying to block the legislation. Free The Hops (FTH) says Birmingham Budweiser first moved to stop legislation that would allow gourmet beer in Jefferson County and is working to stop a statewide bill that would allow high gravity beers to be available to consumers. The bill FTH wants passed would bump the limit to 14.9 percent alcohol by volume, which would open the doors to a number of domestic craft brewers, Belgian specialty brands and styles like barleywine and imperial stout.

To fight back, Free The Hops has called on consumers to boycott all A-B products in the Birmingham area. According to their website: "FTH has called this boycott because of underhanded tactics of Birmingham Budweiser and its leadership in opposing local legislation which would legalize gourmet beer in Jefferson County." FTH called out Birmingham Budweiser Vice President Pat Lynch as the leader of the effort to block the craft beer bill. In addition to asking consumers to go Bud free, FTH is asking restaurants and retailers to stop selling A-B brands.

Rallying in support of Alabama beer drinkers, the Sean Wilson of Pop The Cap in North Carolina sent an email to supporters this week urging them to call Birmingham Budweiser at 205-945-4893 and ask to speak to Mr. Lynch. The goal of the telephone campaign is to remind Lynch that "his position is inconsistent with a key message promoted in A-B's Here's To Beer" advertising and public relations campaign.

The Session #12: Barleywine

When Jon over at The Brew Site announced that the topic for this month's edition of The Session was going to be Barleywine I became both excited and nostalgic.

The excitement stems from the fact that barleywine is one of those styles that should start any beer fan's heart racing. Big and bold, these are brews that go for the gusto. Barleywine gets my vote for the most likely to induce palate fatigue at a beer festival. About as far away from a session beer as you can get, barleywine is a true classic. The style has to be in the high gravity hall of fame.

The nostalgia comes from my first early encounters with barleywine. I was a student at Syracuse University and lucky enough to snag a spot in the school's semester abroad program in London. My first time on an airplane was a flight on TWA from JFK in New York to Heathrow in London. It was a great experience in many ways and I came to understand and enjoy the British pub culture and bitter. I also saw the strange nip bottles behind the bar and sampled something amazing called barleywine. The most widely available were two Watneys' brands, Stingo and Gold Label. The flagship Watneys Red Barrel was not well liked by the locals, but they did appear to enjoy Stingo towards the end of the evening.

I decided to gather three different barleywines for this edition of Beer Blogging Friday, hopeful that I might contribute at least one unique brew to The Session. Here are my picks:

Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot Barley-Wine Style Ale: This Easton, Pa., brewery produces a very impressive set of beers. Blithering Idiot has one of those great barleywine names that sticks. A slightly cloudy and almost cider-like color, Blithering Idiot is 11.1 percent alcohol by volume. It has a fluffy head to start and a sweet nose. You get hints of tart citrus and perhaps a little sweet cherry in the flavor profile. The alcohol is present, but it is a fairly smooth drink.

Talon True Style Barley Wine Ale: I picked this one over a trio of other great options from Victory, Left Hand and Avery because it is brewed at Mendocino's brewery in Saratoga Springs not far from where I used to live in Upstate New York. If you ever find yourself in Saratoga Springs, especially if you have dropped money at the Saratoga Race Course or the nearby racino, head to the brewery's tasting room for one of the best deals in town. For $2 they will pour you a pint of any of the beers they happen to be making at the brewery -- there are usually about 10 beers on tap -- and they let you keep the glass. They limit you to two beers, but if you are drinking Talon, that's all you'll need. Talon is a dark reddish hued, malty brew with 10.5 percent alcohol by volume. The bomber bottle I poured from delivered a very thin head, but the body of the beer made up for it. While I would say the beer has sweet notes, it also finished fairly tart and dry. The ale yeast in this beer is clearly present and defines the overall fruity character.

Mikkeller Big Worse Barley Wine: Brewed at De Proef Brouwerij in Lochristi-Hufte, Belgium, for a pair of Danish homebrewers, Big Worse is 12.0 percent alcohol by volume. The beer is dark red, with a thin head. The brewery uses candy sugar as part of the recipe and the initial nose has some sweet, floral and herbal notes. This is a bit more hoppy than most barley wines and I would say it is a touch less complex than the two others in this tasting. While it was the most alcoholic of the three barleywines I tasted, the alcohol was cloaked. Certainly, the average drinker would know it was something more than a lager, but perhaps not think it much more powerful than a good solid IPA.

Hey did I remember to thank Stan over at Appellation Beer for starting The Session? We all should.

Are You Ready for Super Bud Bowl XLII?

Sunday is one of the largest -- if still unofficial -- holidays in the United States. An estimated 90 million people will watch the New England Patriots take on the New York Giants on Fox in Super Bowl XLII, while a lucky few advertisers will risk $2.7 million per 30-second time slot to try to grab the attention of television viewers.

That's right, I did say lucky advertisers. These companies and their advertising agencies are indeed lucky. First of all, there is more demand for space in the game than there is space. Political candidates were turned away because Fox realized it could not meet the fairness doctrine by offering equal time to all presidential candidates. Certainly, not every company has the marketing budget to support spending that kind of money in half a minute. And, in a time when media fragmentation is making it harder to reach a mass audience using mass media, the Super Bowl is as close as a big time brand can get to the days when there were just three national television networks and prime time was really prime.

The biggest of the big advertisers on the Super Bowl this season is Anheuser-Busch. When Super Bowl XLII is over, Budweiser and Bud Light will have been featured in one 60 second and six 30 second spots. That's right, A-B is buying four minutes of real estate in the game, with a street value of $21.6 million. A-B pays slightly lower rates because of volume discounts, but it does pay a premium to be the exclusive beer advertiser in the game. There will also be a spot that cell phone users can watch at the end of the game that ties into a promotion being run by the brewery.

If this was a political primary, it would be said that A-B benefits from a big bounce delivered by the game. Last year the A-B Super Bowl spots were watched 30 million times after the game by web surfers. A-B is making sure that the spots are widely available this year on YouTube and other sites.

Is it worth it? A-B must think so, during the last 20 years they have outspent the next closest advertiser overall by two to one and A-B has locked up the game through 2012.

Miller Brewing has decided not to ignore the King of Beers ad gambit, instead launching a new ad in the Miller Lite Dalmatian series that attempts to hijack one of the menagerie of animals A-B has used in its ads over the years. Miller Lite will spend about as much as a single spot on the Super Bowl to air the spot about 300 times in the four days leading up to the game on a variety of networks. The company has reportedly dispatched a number of Dalmatians and pretty women handlers to attend various Super Bowl functions in Arizona.

If Miller is frustrated by A-B's strangle hold on the Super Bowl, the neo-Prohibitionists at the Marin Institute are down right furious. They have called on the National Football League, broadcast networks and A-B to halt all alcohol advertising in the game, claiming that so many underage consumers watch the event that the ads are actually targeting youth. The fact is that the game is one of the few times most American families are actually gathered around the same television set at the same time. If the Marin Institute was at all interested in encouraging responsible consumption and having parents discuss the healthy use of alcohol with their kids they might be better served seeing if the NFL or Fox would donate some time for a public service message on the topic. Scratch that, they'd rather throw bombs through the media.

It will be interesting following the game to not only hear the analysis of how the teams performed, but also to see which spots overall get the highest favorable ratings from consumers. Surely, whether or not he wants the Patriots or the Giants to win, Bob Lachky, executive vice president for global industry and creative development at A-B, will have more than a passing interest in that score.

To Your Health: Red Wine Grapes May Cut Tooth Decay

A study by Cornell University's New York State Agricultural Experiment Station and the University of Rochester Medical Center suggests that red wine grapes may help prevent tooth decay.

The researchers found that red wine grapes from the Finger Lakes and pomace, the residue remaining after winemaking that can also be used to make grappa, contain substances that help prevent dental problems. Polyphenols in the grapes interfere with the ability of bacteria to to cause tooth decay. The researchers think this might help kill other harmful bacteria that causes more serious health problems.

The study appeared on the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry website.

Miss Manners and I Agree: Don't Drink Beer From a Bottle

Judith Martin's Miss Manners column in yesterday's Chicago Tribune was a thing of beauty. The headline was "Beer bottles don't belong at anyone's dinner table." When I saw that I got ready to fire off an angry letter to the Trib's editors, but upon further review I found myself in complete agreement with Ms. Martin.

A reader who lives in an upscale retirement facility had written to Miss Manners to complain that an "elderly lady" of 70-75 years old living at the location had the habit of bringing a bottle of beer from the home's weekly Thursday afternoon happy hour directly into the dining room and would consume the brew straight from the bottle during dinner. "I contend that those who bring the beer with them should have it poured into a glass -- particularly an elderly woman," the letter writer states.

Miss Manners agreed and suggested that the best solution was for the offended co-resident talk to the wait staff prior to dinner and ask them to please bring a glass each Thursday to the bottle guzzler and suggest they do her the service of pouring the beverage and removing the bottle.

I could not agree more, as long as a few simple rules are followed:

1. No frosted mugs. For some reason almost every bar in the Charlotte where I live wants to give me a frozen mug. Stop it. Serve my beer at the proper temperature and I promise to consume it before it warms up.

1a. The only thing worse than the frosted mug trick is the no mug trick. It is a growing and frustrating trend to order a beer and have it arrive sans the glass. Do these places not have dishwashers? Do they think beer drinkers just don't care? More than half the time when you ask for the glass the wait person will shrug. Why? The made the error, not me. Beer is meant to be poured from the bottle to release the flavors.

2. Make sure the glass is clean and the proper style. You would not serve a merlot in a Champagne flute. Don't try to give me a stout in a pilsner glass.

3. Teach your staff how to properly pour a beer. If I have one more server slowly pour my beer down the side of a glass tipped at nearly a 60 degree angle so that no head is visible I'm going to scream. The head on a beer is part of the visual and flavor experience. I'm for beer with a head.

4. Ask if you can remove the bottle. If it is my first time drinking the beer I may want to look at the information on the bottle, or I just might want the visual reminder of what I am drinking so I can recall the name for my blog. I am getting old. It will get worse by the time I'm in a retirement facility.

Now that Miss Manners and I are on the same page, I'd like to talk to her about the proper etiquette for tapping a keg.

Duluth Neighborhood Could Vote to Lift 1894 Drink Ban

It's been 114 years since the last legal drink was purchased in the Lakeside neighborhood of Duluth, Minn. Now the Duluth City Council has voted to allow residents to have a say in whether to let Prohibition stand in the community.

The city council voted 7-2 earlier this week to allow a referendum to be placed on the November ballot. Residents will vote on whether they would like to have alcohol available for sale in their community. A state law passed in 1894 bans the sale of alcohol in Lakewood.

The vote by citizens is non-binding. The city would still have to ask the Minnesota Legislature to repeal the law.

Drinks & Taxes 2008 v6: Wyoming

According to a poll by Mason-Dixon Polling and Research commissioned by the Casper Star-Tribune the vast majority of Wyoming residents are against a new gas tax, but favor a hike in the tax on beer.

A total of 58 percent of Wyoming voters polled said they would back a 4.5 cent per liter increase in the tax on beer. The tax revenue would be spent on substance abuse treatment and prevention.

While resident favor the hike in the beer tax, they are heavily against increasing the gas tax to raise $47 million, even though 52 percent of those dollars would come from non-residents refueling in the state.

The tax on beer would go from a half a cent per liter to 5 cents per liter under a bill being considered by the Wyoming Legislature. The bill would also mandate that $14.5 million a year raised from alcohol taxes in the state go to fund substance abuse programs.

Tuesday Tasting: Three Laphroaigs

Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we head to Islay off the west coast of Scotland for some single malt.

Islay is where the pounding sea meets earthy peat to create the conditions that produce deep and relentless whiskies. Islay malts will change your perspective on whisky. Smoke, salt, peat and wood come together in Islay whisky and roll toward you like the waves of the Irish Sea.

Islay whisky is the part of a good many famous blended Scotches because it delivers a full body flavor, with notes of smoke and the sea. Surprisingly, Islay is just 25 miles long. That is not a very big place to be home for so many big whiskies. One of the best known whiskies on the island is Laphroaig, distilled along the southern shore since 1815. I recently sampled three of the whiskies from the distillery for a column I am writing for All About Beer magazine.

Laphroaig 10 Year Old: This Islay malt weighs in at 86 proof. An attractive golden color, there is plenty of peat upfront with a slight sweetness that lingers. The peat in this one leaves a drying sense on the tongue that has touches of heather.

Laphroaig Quartercask Malt: This has a vanilla and sweet grass nose. Complex flavor, with peppery spice, nice level of peat and a long layer of smoke to finish the drink. Smooth for a 96 proof whisky.

Laphroaig 15 Year Old: Brownish gold and weighing in at 86 proof, this is a round and rich malt. Caramel notes, clear Islay peat and salt. Extremely proud oak finish.

Comings and Goings in California Wine Country

A couple of announcements of acquisitions of California wineries crossed my desk in the last few days that are worth noting. For one, they involve hundreds of millions of dollars change hands. And, these moves indicate some major players are going to focus more attention on mid- and upper-range California brands.

On Monday, Diageo boosted its stake in the U.S. wine market with a $105 million acquisition of Rosenblum Cellars. Diageo is best know for brands like Guinness Stout and Johnnie Walker Scotch, but has significant holdings in California that including Sterling, Chalone and Beaulieu vineyards.

Rosenblum Cellars produces more than three dozen wines in Californian and is best know for its zinfandel and other red wines. Dr. Kent Rosenblum will stay on as a winemaker and adviser.

Last week, Constellation Brands, which is based in Upstate New York, announced it was selling off its Almaden and Inglenook brands to the Wine Group of San Francisco for $134 million. The Wine Group already moves 40 million cases annually of brands such as Franzia, Corbett Canyon, Mogen David, Glen Ellen and Concannon Vineyards.

Constellation sells more than 100 brands and late last year purchased Clos du Bois, Geyser Peak and other labels when it bought Fortune Brands wine business for $885 million.

The deals mean that Diageo and Constellation will be more focused on growing premium wine brands. The battle for retail shelf space and slots on wine lists will certainly heat up in 2008.

Carlsberg Releases a $400 Bottle of Suds

Would you pay $400 for a bottle of beer?

The folks at Carlsberg in Denmark think at least a few well-healed beer lovers will be willing to do so. The company is rolling out Carlsberg Vintage No. 1, which it says is the world’s most expensive bottle of beer.

Carlsberg says the beer is a chestnut brown color with a light head. The beer is said to have caramel, prune and vanilla flavor notes and was aged in French and Swedish oak barrels. It weighs in at 10.5 percent alcohol by volume.

Carlsberg has made just 600 bottles of Vintage No. 1, which is sold in 375 milliliter bottles. They will be offered at three Copenhagen restaurants and on the company's website.

Will the beer be a success? There are enough rich folks and beer geeks out there looking to say they had the world's most expensive beer to easily blow through 600 bottles. I expect some will be on eBay before long at a price much higher than the original $400.

The company already says it plans to release a beer in the series on an annual basis for at least the next two years.

How Low Can You Go?: Miller Rolls Out MGD Light 64

Just when you thought light beer could get no lighter comes word that Miller Brewing hopes to pump up the interest in its Miller Genuine Draft Light brand by cutting the calories from 110 to just 64.

Miller Genuine Draft Light 64 will be the lowest calorie light beer on the market from a major national or regional brewer. The move comes after Miller successfully tested the product in Madison, Wisc. It is expected the beer will first be available in the Midwest starting in March and also select western markets.

Miller is also testing craft style extensions of its flagship Miller Lite brand. The moves appear to show that Miller believes there are untapped segments in the light beer market. On one end MGD 64 will appeal to diet conscious drinkers who want to further reduce the calories they consume during a night out. The more flavorful Miller Lite extensions indicate that Miller is seeing some of its base stray towards craft and imported light beers.

It will be interesting to see if Anheuser-Busch or another brewer decides to chase Miller down the caloric scale. At a certain point you have to believe that the flavor of these beers ceases to be anywhere close to traditional beer. However, there are enough beer drinkers who have grown up on light lagers that reduced calories may be more of a selling proposition for them than the actual flavor of the beer. I'll admit I'm saying this having not tried the MGD 64, but I'm not sure I have to in order to imagine the amount of malt or hops that are likely present.

If MGD 64 becomes a success -- and the folks at Miller know a thing or two about success in the light beer category -- it will open a new marketing path for the majors and could bring on calorie cutting projects for other light brands. That just might syphon off some of the attention major brewers have been paying towards the craft segment.

Roll Tide, Roll: More Alabama Towns Want Draft Beer

On Sept. 1st restaurants and retail stores in Florence, Ala., started selling a revolutionary new product: draft beer.

It took an act of the Alabama Legislature, but Florence bars were able to install taps and start pouring drafts for thirsty customers. Outlets in Florence can also sell beer on Sundays. Now nearby towns are moving to join most of the rest of America in allowing consumers to get a crisp fresh glass of beer.

The Alabama Legislature will meet in February and consider a bill that would allow the sale of draft beer in Sheffield, Muscle Shoals and Tusucmbia. Late last year Sheffield residents voted 768-475 to allow restaurants and motels to sell alcohol on Sundays.

It is hard to imagine, but odd laws governing alcohol sales, some left over from Prohibition, still linger in many places across the U.S. They prohibit the sale of some of the world's great beers because they are over 6 percent alcohol, they don't allow for the sale of liquor by the drink or they make it impossible to enjoy something as simple as draft beer.

If you think these are things of the past that will die out soon, just remember that you actually have a group of legislators in Utah that want to outlaw cold beer and a host of states and local municipalities trying to figure out new ways to increase the price we all pay for a drink with an avalanche of new taxes.

Utah Could Vote to Make Cold Beer Illegal

Salt Lake City television station ABC 4 is reporting that a group of Utah Republican state legislators is talking about proposing a bill that would make warm beer the law of the land.

The bill would make it illegal for grocery and convenience stores to sell cold beer. The lawmakers believe that selling beer warm would reduce consumption in the state and cut drinking and driving.

Lawmakers are apparently still studying the potential law. While they are at it, perhaps the Utah Legislature should outlaw the sale of frozen water. If people had to wait to make ice, chances are that there would be fewer coolers full of beer and a there might even be a reduction in the number of cocktails made in the state.

This proposal comes from the same state that confiscated a vanity license plate from one driver. The offending word on the plate? Merlot. Perhaps they can change the state moto on the plates to "Utah: The Warm Beer State."

Drinks & Taxes 2008 v5: New Hampshire

New Hampshire is considering a 1 cent tax on beverage containers that would hit beer, soda, juice and water containers made of glass, plastic and metal.

The bill excludes milk, wine and spirits. Groceries are fighting the bill because they say it will hurt sales from out of state customers. Some stores count on visitors for up to 40 percent of their business.

The tax would hit brewers operating in the state. Smuttynose Brewing Co. and Portsmouth Brewery say the 1 cent tax would cost them $17,000, while Anheuser-Busch, which operates a brewery in Merrimack, says the tax will result in a $8 million hit for the brewery.

Drinks & Taxes 2008 v4: New York II

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has put forward a proposal to increase the tax rate on malt liquor from 16 cents a gallon to $2.54 a gallon. The problem is the bill could unintentionally impact other high gravity beers.

The proposal is part of an attempt to close a budget gap in New York and it is estimated it will raise $15 million, while targeting 40-ounce sales of malt liquor that take place primarily in urban neighborhoods. The bill says it targets "flavored malt beverages" with an alcohol content of 0.5 to 24 percent. Products like Colt 45, Olde English 800 and King Cobra typical have alcohol contents in the high 5 to low 7 percent level. State officials say these brews deserve a special tax because they are hybrids of beer and spirits. The reality is that you can find much more powerful brews in bars and retail shops across New York. Somehow the Spitzer administration has convinced itself that because the word liquor is in the name malt liquor that it deserves to be taxed more like liquor, never mind that there is no distilling in the manufacturing process.

The bill excludes, beer, lager beer, ale, porter, stout and other malt based beverages, carving out flavored malt beverages for special attention. It is unclear how the state would enforce the tax and if brewers could avoid the tax by simply changing the name of their brands. Anyone up for a King Cobra Barleywine? How about a Colt 45 Imperial Pilsner?

Thanks to Federal Grant U.K. Gets a Taste of Wines From Oregon and Washington

Restaurateurs, retailers and food and drink journalists in England got the chance to drink wine from about three dozen wineries from the Pacific Northwest earlier today and the tab was picked up by U.S. taxpayers.

Thanks to a federal grant of $200,000 made to the wine promotional agencies from Oregon and Washington, the vineyards set up a day of tastings and presentations in London. The goal was to open up new markets for pinot noirs from Oregon and rieslings from Washington.

The United Kingdom is a huge $20 billion wine market that few American vintners, mostly from California, have managed to crack. While most smaller domestic wineries sell much of their wine through tour centers and to retailers in limited geographies, a growing number of vineyards are looking to markets in both Europe and Asia as a way to build a strong demand for their brands. The quality of American wines, coupled with the weakness of the American dollar, makes many of these wines a bargain on the international market.

By joining forces and getting the government to underwrite the event, the Pacific Northwest wineries are better able to get the attention of the London wine community. It will be interesting to see if exports from the two states increase during the next few years.

Study: It Tastes Better if You Spend More

A study about how people view the taste of wine based on its price conducted by researchers at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has been getting a ton of play in the media.

The basic finding is that people believe higher priced wines taste better. Even when the prices had been switched so the cheaper wines were represented to the study participants as the most expensive.

The study was conducted in California using 20 volunteers asked to taste wines with fake prices tags. The volunteers were given five different wines to try at 15 different sessions during the study. While tasting each wine they were told a price. The wines used in the study ranged from $5 to $90 a bottle. The study participants picked the cabernet sauvignons with the higher fake prices eight out of 10 times. The researchers hooked the consumers up to brain scan devices to watch activity in the medial orbitofrontal cortex and found that they were happier when given the wines that they thought were higher priced.

The researchers later replicated the study at the Stanford University Wine Club and got the same results. Then, eight weeks after the original study, participants were given the five wines to try with no suggestion of price. The $5 wine was selected by most of the participants.

So what can we learn from the 20 consumers in this study? One thing is certain: the price of wine is one of the most important elements in a vineyard's marketing plan. Is a $180 bottle of Opus One really six times better than a cabernet blend sold at another nearby Napa winery? The answer in most cases is certainly not, unless you are hosting a business dinner with an important client who has always wanted to try Opus One.

The study clearly shows that price is a key factor in how consumers perceive the quality of a wine. In my experience this holds true for spirits and beer. When looking at a big restaurant wine list with a hundred bottles or more, often two thirds of them are virtually unknown to most people. They might focus on a style or region that they enjoy as a way of making the selection. The prices on wines they do know can give them a hint about the fairness of the restaurant's pricing. However, the study by the California Institute of Technology suggests that restaurants that inflate wine pricing may actually have happier customers at the end of the meal.

The study is a reminder to all of us who enjoy wine to trust our own palates more than price tags. It is easy to believe that something must be really good if a winery, distiller or brewer is bold enough to place a big ticket on the bottle. In many cases the price does reflect costlier ingredients, extra aging, special handling and the skill of the maker. In some cases, the marketing department has decided to charge a certain price for the simple reason that they can. Discerning the difference is each of our jobs as consumers.

Lager Library: Classic Cocktails: A Modern Shake

The cocktails have found their way into art, literature and film. In Mark Kingwell’s new book Classic Cocktails: A Modern Shake the influence of the cocktail in today’s culture is clear.

In chapters named after drinks like the Gimlet, Kir Royale, Zombie and Gibson, Kingwell reminds us that fictional characters from detectives to advertising executives become a whole bunch more interesting as the cocktail count goes up. In some cases the cocktail is a metaphor and in others it is a device to bring two characters together. Seldom is a drink just a drink.

Classic Cocktails is well written and short, punchy chapters that go down as smoothly as a well made Martini. It is one of those books to keep on a table next to your favorite chair or in your game room for friends to pick up and enjoy.

Kingwell, a professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto, rolls through the tale of the mixed drink you as you enjoy the smart design and illustrations by Seth (Gregory Gallant). It is published by Thomas Dunne Books (Hard cover, $19.95, 240 pgs.).

If you think this work gives too much credit to the cocktail, Kingwell advises readers in his introduction: “This book is not for you if you think drinking in the afternoon is wrong, or if the thought of dealing with a hangover by mixing a stinger is repugnant.” Classic Cocktails message is clear: be proud and raise your glass.

Paris Hilton Nude Prosecco Ad Draws Ire of Winemaker

At 26 years old Paris Hilton has managed to make millions from endorsements, star in a cult television show, have four women's fragrances named after her, write two books about her life and release a record album that made it all the way to number six on the Billboard charts. People willingly pay her well into the six figures just for her to appear at parties. She has also managed to star in a sex tape released by an angry ex-boyfriend, spend a few weeks in the Los Angeles County Jail for various driving violations, including a DUI, and earn the title as the World's Most Overrated Celebrity in the 2007 edition of Guinness World Records.

Now Hilton is taking heat from Italian winemakers who don't think she is a worthy endorser of prosecco, the white sparkling wine made in the northern part of the country.

You may recall that Hilton appeared at the 2006 Oktoberfest in Munich to hawk Rich Prosecco. This violated the rules of the festival, which promptly banned Hilton from the event in the future. Now Hilton appears nude dipped in gold in an ad campaign Rich, which is drawing complaints from traditionalists in the vineyards.

It does not help that Rich is sold in cans and comes in original, passion fruit and strawberry flavors. The idea of an American hotel heiress pushing a canned prosecco is a little too much for some, especially winemakers who would rather have an image closer to Champagne.

Reuters quoted Fulvio Brunetta, president of the wine growers association of Treviso, as saying, "Hilton hotels are a sign of quality; Paris Hilton is not."

Miranda Lambert Launches Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Wine

Emerging country star Miranda Lambert is following in the footsteps of other celebrities with her own wine label.

Lambert's family has launched the Red 55 Winery in Lindale, Texas. The irony is that the east Texas town is dry, but a law passed in 2005 allows the sale of Texas made wines in otherwise dry towns.

The wines sell for $16 to $20 a bottle and include Electric Pink, named after Lambert's guitar; Red 55, named after her first truck; Gunpowder and Lead and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, both named for songs made famous by the singer.

Drinks & Taxes 2008 v3: New York

Brooklyn Assemblyman Felix Ortiz thinks New Yorkers should pay 25 cents more in taxes on every drink of beer, wine and spirits they enjoy. He says the new tax is needed to fight an epidemic of underage drinking.

Ortiz says the tax would fund alcohol and drug abuse treatment and prevention programs.

It is unclear how much support the proposed tax will generate. Gov. Eliot Spitzer has stated he is against any new taxes. Republicans in the state Senate say they would fight the measure.

Drinks & Taxes 2008 v2: California

Our neo-Prohibitionist friends at the Marin Institute are at it again. Now they are recommending that California slap an additional 25 cents per drink tax on all alcohol in the state to help close a $14 billion budget gap in the state.

In "recommending" the new tax to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and California Legislature the Marin Institute claims the "overdue" tax would generate almost $3 billion in revenue.

The group says increased taxes on alcohol is a way to force the drinks industry to pay its share of costs for California government programs.

Drinks & Taxes 2008 v1: South Dakota

The wholesale price of alcohol in South Dakota will jump under a proposal in the state Legislature. The bill would add $1.06 to the wholesale tax on a gallon of beer, $2.56 more per gallon to wine and $8.54 per gallon to liquor.

It all works out to 10 cents per drink advocates claim to cover programs ranging from police enforcement of drunk driving laws to grants for teen courts in South Dakota.

The push for the new tax is coming from counties around the state looking for new sources of funding without having to raise property or sale taxes. The bill needs a two-thirds majority in both the South Dakota House and Senate, which the tax promoters fear they will not get.

Now the counties plan to launch a petition drive to get the measure on a ballot for voters to decide. They say the $35 million is needed to fund programs. Those opposing the tax say the 387 percent increase in the state tax on beer is too much of a hike.

It will be interesting to see if voters in South Dakota decide to raise the price of a drink on themselves if the petition drive is successful. If South Dakota politicians won't raise the tax out of fear of facing voters in the next election, it's doubtful the same voters will go for a self-imposed tax.

To Your Health: Fourteen Drinks a Week Keeps the Doctor Away

People who consume an average of 14 drinks a week have a lower risk of premature death than those who avoid alcohol, according to a European study.

The study at the University of Southern Denmark in Copenhagen, Denmark, looked at moderate drinkers who consume 14 glasses of wine, beer or spirits a week. The study found this group is less likely than either people who don't drink or heavy drinkers to die of heart disease and other illnesses. The benefit increases with exercise. Drinkers who exercised were half as likely as nondrinkers to die of heart disease.

The study took place over a 20-year period among nearly 12,000 Danish men and women.

Corks Fly: Belgian Customs Destroy Bottles of Andre Over Champagne Labeling

Belgian Customs officials have seized and destroyed 3,200 bottles of Andre sparkling wine made by E&J Gallo of California because the labels for the wine had the word "Champagne" prominently announcing the style.

The shipment was seized at the port of Anvers, Belgium. The bottles had the words “California Champagne” and “André Champagne Cellars” which violates European Union laws. The word Champagne can only be used on wines produced in the Champagne region of France under the EU rules. U.S. law allows sparkling wine makers in the country to use the word Champagne as a style designation.

For its part Gallo says it recognizes the EU rules and did not ship the wine. It says the distributor who supplies wine Gallo products to cruise ships shipped the product, which was on its way to Nigeria.

The Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne, Belgian Customs and the World Customs Organization released a video documenting the destruction. You can check it out at: www.flow-films.com/materials/champagne.wmv

Champagne, along with 12 other wine regions from around the world, is an original signatory of the Joint Declaration to Protect Wine Place & Origin. Seven U.S. regions - Napa Valley, Sonoma, Paso Robles, Oregon, Walla Walla, Willamette, and Washington State -- have signed the document advocating truth-in-labeling worldwide.

Tuesday Tasting: Baltic Porters

Tuesday Tasting is a regular feature of Lyke2Drink that explores some of the best beers, wines and spirits on the market. This week we take a look at a beer category that is among the best in standing up to harsh winter conditions.

Baltic porter is a beer style that is a bit of a mystery to many beer drinkers. Like a foggy and frigid cove along the Lithuanian coast, Baltic porter is beautiful and a bit dangerous. The name comes from the Baltic Sea, where the countries that have traditionally made this strong porter are located. Designed for the winter in places like Sweden and Russia, you quickly understand why these brews weigh in at 7 percent alcohol by volume and above. The style is quite different from a London-style porter and in my mind more closely resembles an export stout or Russian imperial stout. There is a mixture of heavily roasted barley and sweet malts that drives this style's flavor profile. You get your money's worth in flavor when you order a Baltic porter.

Baltic porters can be difficult to find. Brewers in Poland, Sweden and Russia are among those that export Baltic porter brands. A few American brewers have also picked up the style as a winter warmer. We located three for this tasting and wish we could have found more.

Baltika 6 Porter: From Russia's Baltika Breweries in St. Petersburg, this beer is black and allows almost no light to pass. The head on this beer was present throughout, but thin. Nice roasted malt characteristics with a good sweet note at the finish. It comes in at 7.0 percent alcohol by volume, which is mild for this tasting.

Sea Otter Baltic Porter: Part of Vermont brewer Otter Creek's World Tour Series, it pours a rich fluffy head and its dark color allows just a slight hint of light to pass around the edges. Wonderful roasted coffee notes. Brewed with a lager yeast, there is a bit less of a fruit tone in the flavor. The label for this beer did not list the alcohol content, nor does the Otter Creek website. Rest assured, it does pack a punch worthy of its classification as a Baltic porter.

The Duck Rabbit Baltic Porter: Some of the best dark beer made in the east comes from this North Carolina brewery. This beer is an annual treat. The head on the beer is a bit thin, but its black ink color blocks out even the brightest light source. Tons of roasted notes that are actually eclipsed by sweet raisin flavors. At 9.0 percent alcohol by volume, you can taste the alcohol, which builds nicely into the overall flavor profile of the beer.

Chinese Researchers Create Health Wine With Concentrated Resveratrol

Researchers at Northwest Agricultural and Forestry University in Yangling, China, have developed genetically engineered grapes that they say delivers six times the amount of resveratrol found in regular grapes.

Resveratrol is a compound in red wine that researchers believe helps decrease heart disease rates and may have other health benefits. The problem is that standard grapes do not provide high enough levels of resveratrol.

The Chinese scientists were able to add an extra gene from a wild Chinese vine, which triggers increased resveratrol production and also helps grape vines fight common vineyard plant diseases.

It will likely be sometime before wine from vines created in the research hits the market. It is also likely that consumers may question drinking genetically modified wine, even if it offers increased health benefits.

Anheuser-Busch Sales Climb 2.1 Million Barrels in 2007

Thanks to a portfolio of products that expanded often in 2007, Anheuser-Busch Inc. reported U.S. shipments to wholesalers of 104.4 million barrels in 2007, up 2.1 million barrels over 2006.

A-B, the largest U.S.-based brewer, says the 2 percent increase was due to the success of its broader beer portfolio, including the addition of InBev European brands.

A press release from the company quotes A-B President and Chief Executive Officer August A. Busch IV as saying, "Our expanded beer portfolio along with our enhanced marketing and sales strategies to accelerate core beer sales position Anheuser-Busch for growth in volume and earnings in 2008."

Frankly, I'm a bit surprised that with all of the moves made by A-B that its sales totals did not increase more. The deal with InBev to handle sales of Stella Artois, Beck's, Bass Ale, Hoegaarden and Leffe in the U.S. at the end of 2006 appears from the release to have supplied the lion's share of growth for A-B. It may be that the company has found the limit to what it can expect in beer sales from core brands like Budweiser. The growth in craft beer sales and the aging U.S. population is working against these mass market beers, another reason why A-B is buying shares and signing distribution rights with craft brewers like Goose Island Brewing.

The just released numbers show the bottom is not dropping out of A-B's business, but it is increasingly plugging the holes in its growler with new brands that appeal to niche consumers. You have to wonder if A-B did not have Wall Street analysts to deal with if they would bother with launching regional specialty beers or signing import agreements? However, because A-B must face those quarterly conference calls they have become increasingly supportive of the craft segment.

In an odd sort of way the need to get larger has forced A-B to think smaller.

The Real Political Test: Who Would You Rather Have a Beer With?

Iowa Caucuses? Old news. New Hampshire and South Carolina Primaries? Do you really want people from those two states deciding the leader of the free world?

It's time for beer drinkers to voice an opinion in really the only true measure of what counts. Which of the presidential candidates would you rather have a beer with in 2008? The pint poll is the brainchild of the good folks at the National Beer Wholesalers Association. It is better than any motor voter law being administered by your state DMV.

Right now Barack Obama is leading all candidates with 27 percent of the votes cast. The next four highest vote totals go to Republicans: Ron Paul is second with 15 percent, followed by John McCain at 11 percent and a tie between Fred Thompson and Rudolph Giuliani at 8 percent. On the Democratic side, John Edwards has 7 percent and Hillary Clinton comes in at 6 percent.

Should we put our trust in America's beer drinkers to select our next president? Given the results from the last several ballots I say drink up!

Go to http://www.whodoyouwanttohaveabeerwith.com/ to cast your vote.

The Session #11 Doppelbocks: Celebrator from Brauerei Aying

It's time for the monthly edition of The Session. The topic for Beer Blogging Friday this time around is doppelbock. You can check out Brewvana, the site hosting the event this month, later in the weekend to read the round up from beer bloggers about bock x 2.

I can remember a time -- not really that long ago -- when doppelbocks were quite mystical. They were among the heavyweights of the known beer world during my formative beer years, really only trumped by the rare barleywine and on occasion by an old ale. They were a stylish answer to all of my friends who thought Molson Brador was the heavyweight champ. In today's world of high gravity beers, doppelbocks almost feel mild when compared to Baltic porters, imperial IPAs and Belgian muscle beers. Rest assured, however, that the goats still pack a punch.

I picked up a four pack of Celebrator Doppelbock from Ayinger for The Session #11. I have enjoyed this brew previously and, with the limited number of doppelbocks available in North Carolina, I was glad to see it on the shelf at my local Total Wine outlet.

Popping the cap on this brew released an amazing bouquet. Fig and cocoa mixed with a decidedly alcoholic nose. The pour was a mahogany liquid with a very bubbly head with staying power. My first sip was a malt lover's delight. There is a good amount of dried fruit, wood and nut tones running through this brew. The German hop tang is way in the background, but clearly present. The beer actually hints at something more powerful than its 6.7 percent alcohol by volume content. Perfect for the chill of an early January evening.

I am not certain what foods would best match with Celebrator. I think it could be a very nice dessert beer. Celebrator and a warm fudge brownie is a natural. It might also do some interesting things if contrasted with a smoked beef brisket and caramelized onion sandwich. It has enough depth to stand up to plenty of different foods.

Brewed at Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkammer in Aying, Bavaria, the beer is imported to the U.S. by Merchant du Vin Corp. In Germany, the same beer is sold under the Fortunator label. The brewery also runs a restaurant and guesthouse in Aying, the Brauereigasthof Hotel Aying. That just could be the perfect location for an evening session of Celebrators.

Study Suggests Hops Can Help Battle Cancer

A study at Oregon State University has found a substance in hops can help fight several types of common cancers.

The researchers discovered that xanthohumol, which is found in the key beer ingredient hops, helps detoxify carcinogens and can kill breast, colon, prostate and ovarian cancers.

The problem is that an individual would have to consume 60 beers a day to get the maximum cancer fighting benefits of xanthohumol. A team involved in the brewing technology section of the Technical University of Munich in Germany is said to be working on ways of concentrating the amount of xanthohumol in beer.

Texas Mayor Against Beer at Theme Park

Arlington Mayor Bob Cluck should stop playing politics and do some research before opening his mouth. That might be hard for the average politician, but Mayor Cluck could establish a trend.

The Six Flags Amusement Park in Arlington, Texas, has filed public notice that it will seek a permit to sell beer at Six Flags and its sister water park, Hurricane Harbor. Six Flags says it will establish strict guidelines for beer sales and it must face a public hearing before the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission before it will receive a permit to sell beer.

Mayor Cluck wants to cut to the front of the line and apply some frontier justice by denying the permit to Six Flags. Reports say he is concerned about drunk patrons venturing on to rides at the park. Perhaps the Arlington City Council will be asked to pass RUI -- Riding Under the Influence -- laws and breathalyze would be Tilt-A-Whirl riders.

Six Flags wants to join a trend among theme parks nationally that offer responsible adults enjoying a day of fun the chance to sip a cold beer. Trust me, at theme park prices no one is going to be heading to Six Flags for happy hour. Over the holidays my family made a visit to Orlando and went to Disney World. Those Disney folks have long been known as a crazy, rowdy bunch. In Mayor Cluck's view, I'm sure they create an anti-family atmosphere that spawns all sorts of trouble. I know Mayor Cluck might not approved, but at both Epcot and the Disney Animal Kingdom parks our group enjoyed beer, wine, cider and cocktails. I skipped the urge to have sake at the Japanese pavilion. And we went on a few rides. Come to think of it, I do recall seeing a large mouse, a crazy looking duck and a dog dressed like Santa Claus. Perhaps Mayor Cluck is right.

Utah Looks to Restrict the Sale of Malternatives

Malt beverage based cocktails -- malternatives -- such a Smirnoff Ice and Bacardi Silver are under attack by Utah Liquor Control Board Commissioners who claim they are aimed at underage consumers.

In a 3-2 vote, with non-drinking commissioners voting as a bloc, the Commission has sent a proposal to the Utah Legislature that would restrict the sale of malternatives to state owned liquor stores. The recommendation also calls for malternatives to be taxed at a higher rate than beer.

Commissioner Kathryn Balmforth is quoted as saying that malternatives appeal to people who don't like the flavor of beer, "especially young girls." The move to tax malternatives at the same rate as spirits comes even though the brands sold in Utah are just 3.2 percent alcohol by volume.

The Utah Legislature will meet on Jan. 22 to consider the proposal.

Bushmills Plans Special Whiskey to Mark 400 Years

They might not be Hannah Montana tickets, but you can expect the 10,000 bottles of a special blend of Bushmills Irish Whiskey made to mark the distillery's 400th anniversary to be snapped up very quickly.

Licensed in 1608 by King James I, Bushmills is recognized as the oldest licensed distillery in the world. The company produced 10,000 bottles of a blend of malt and grain whiskeys for the occasion. The plan is to distribute the bottles world wide ahead of the April 20th anniversary celebration.

Bushmills tested the waters for the anniversary blend in early December by placing 150 bottles for sale in the distillery visitor's center. It took just a few hours for the bottles to sell out.

Bushmills distillery is located in Country Antrim, north of Belfast, where spirits have been made since the late Thirteenth Century.