August 2011
13 posts
6 tags
There Will Be Bourbon: Mum(sicle)'s the Word... →
therewillbebourbon:
We love our bourbon, obviously, but we also love variety. When I realized that our bar had been missing dark rum for quite some time, I had to go out of my way to pick up a bottle. Being the Northwesterners that we are, Rachel and I almost always stock up on the Rogue Rums, but since they…
3 tags
Intoxicating Chemistry →
In a fit of whimsy, a research group at Northern Arizona University has taken a crack at using commercial brands of distilled alcohols as solvents to carry out common organic syntheses. Besides being a bit fun and helping draw the chemical interest of undergraduate students, the research has the practical aspect of using ethanol as a green solvent to replace halogenated and other types of...
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Red, red, red wine: A touch too much anthocyanin? →
Knowing that deeper reds are often more desirable and so attract a higher price there are some parts of the wine market, particularly in Asia, where anthocyanins extracted from black rice and other sources are added to improve wine colour. “This practice does not produce negative effects on health,” the Italian researchers say, “however, in many countries, it is considered as a...
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Four Loko Is Just Like The Copenhagen Philharmonic →
“Four Loko was a fruit-flavored, caffeinated, alcoholic drink that was invented by three Ohio State Universitystudents in 2005. Following a series of accidents, injuries, and deaths on college campuses and elsewhere, most of the discussion about the harmful effects of the drink centered on the combination of caffeine and alcohol. “Some have claimed,” writesMcMaster...
“You have just participated in an ancient and sacred tradition, brewer. What...”
– My friend Will, on my blog about drinking the beer I made with my son. (via wilwheaton)
Genetics: Scientists have discovered the missing... →
The yeast Saccharomyces cerivisiae is the brewer’s go-to fungus for converting sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide in potent potables like ciders and ales, but when it comes to brewing lager beer…
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Does Your Beer Glass Matter? →
Our relationship with beer dates back some 9,000 BC when the fermenting process was discovered independently by several cultures. As this is a history that’s fairly accessible, I won’t delve too deeply here. In line with this particular story, however, is the history of “glassware”—the containers that hold our libations reflect the social context of our times. These products reflect the...
Yeast's epic journey 500 years ago gave rise to... →
In the 15th century, when Europeans first began moving people and goods across the Atlantic, a microscopic stowaway somehow made its way to the caves and monasteries of Bavaria.
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