Shit from elsewhere

Some interesting news and notes across the Atlantic and Pacific:

Looks like Belgium is running out of beer(how did that move to InBev treat you Anheuser Busch?) due to, what else-strikes and protesters.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20100121/wl_time/08599195467500

I don't drink Headbusters any longer, but don't fuck with my Stella you douchebags. That article states that beer consumption is down across Europe which this author finds remarkable. It's almost enough to make one pine away for the days when Europe was a fine hotbed of religious persecution, dysfunctional alliances, and machine gun manufacturers.

The other bit of news comes to us from Japan, home to weird shit even before Sekigahara. Did you know that one of the world's most popular brands of Scotch whisky hails from Yoichi? You may see this mean bastard on package store shelves very soon.

Import laws have been very hard on this distiller. That's not surprising though, given that even Seagrams had to settle disputes before being allowed to sell a Kentucky Bourbon(Four Roses) in large amounts here in the states. Strange. Even though I don't drink from the malt whisky tree/style I still welcome any beverage that is cleared to move here in the States. The founder of this distillery traveled to Scotland in the early 20th century to learn their secrets, and so the first manufacturing facility for this stuff was established in 1934, at a time when Japan's primary exports were a Sino occupation force and torpedo bombers.

Nikka is owned these days by Asahi, whom most of us will recognize as a fairly popular Japanese beer. Looks like they used their stroke to break down the prohibition against their Scotch being sold in the US. I doubt very seriously that I'll ever drink a drop of it, but hey this shit's not about me and my bullshit opinion. At the very least I can appreciate the challenge of making malt whisky in a climate that differs significantly from Scotland. Cheers!

Olympic Drinking

Fucking China. I was debating on maybe trying to capitalize on the ubiquitous and nauseating amounts of coverage NBC and their whores will hoist upon us beginning...well today actually. To be honest, I am not sure if I should punish my liver for the sins of the orient.

I'm on record as stating this Olympics will have some sort of calamity written all over it.(No I am not referring to the shit paper ripped from a teletubbies episode) Many blogs that I read are of the same opinion, although you wouldn't know much of it from the so-called regular media. These asshats can't grovel fast enough to the Chicoms, while giving lip service to freedom of the press yada yada yada. Being born on the day of the Munich Massacre, I claim clairvoyance on this esoteric and narrow project. There have been the standard reports of pollution, violence at checkpoints, and general commie fuckery. I'm still pulling for some exotic disaster, perhaps a dragon war or the appearance of Zombie Genghis Khan, you know...a real fuckup of Jovian proportion.

Anyhoo. I thought I might try and enlist the group into some of sort of drinking game for the Olympics. Not the faggotry that some locals think of as drinking games, this is strict power boozing and low-key jackassery. Perhaps a beer or shot for every gold medal the USA brings back( I believe that was around 36 or so for the 2004 Summer Games) at the conclusion of ceremonies. Then again, my heart really isn't into it...and to be honest, I'll probably drink that much anyway. So, to close this pointless entry, I've included an image of mostly humorous drunken acts that might be construed as athletic competition. Well, at the Delta Tau Chi house.

50 BILLION DOLLARS!!!!!

As most of you drunks have heard by now, Anheuser Busch has been purchased by a Belgian conglomerate for some $52 gazillion dollars. Many observers have commented about the "loss" of a great American institution, the greatest beer in the world, etc. I say good riddance - I've been over their products for years now. Most of what I've heard in the media is about loyalty: Will you still drink Bud even though it is no longer an American company? Do you feel alright spending your money on a Belgian product? And so on.

I see a dilemma for many locals. Call them rednecks, good ole boys, NASCAR fans, whatever - there are going to be a lot of folks scratching their heads wondering what the hell they are going to drink now to support the USA. I think the big labels in America are all owned by international companies: Coors, Miller and now A-B. So I guess we're all going to be looking forward to that revamped Schlitz recipe with greater interest.

My suggestion to anyone is to support your local brewery; it doesn't get any more American than that! Calhoun's has more locations around Knoxville than anybody else I can think of. Woodruff Brewing Co. (a.k.a. Downtown Grill & Brewery) operates right downtown on Gay St. Both of them sell by the keg and smaller sampler sizes. Or check out the beer aisle next time you're in the grocery or gas station and look for some options. There are usually plenty of regional and national brands to choose from, depending on your area. Of course the likelihood of any true Bud drinker taking this leap of faith is highly unlikely. It would be like telling them Dale Jr. is going to the F-1 series and asking them to root for that quarr, Jeff Gordon.

The only real consequence I can see coming from this acquisition that no one else has mentioned is something any REAL American should be worried about: SOCCER! Lots and lots of advertising money spent on soccer. Except they'll probably try to push it as "football". Douche bags. I bet Beckham was involved somehow. Fuck soccer. In the ass. FOOTBALL is American. Soccer is what the rest of the world does to kill 3 hours and all they get is a riveting score of 1-0, ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhh! You can't even have a score of 1-0 in football. Our teams score points while we drink and kill 8 - 12 hours at a time. That's right, we tailgate 4 hours, watch the game 4 hours, then celebrate/drown our sorrows another 4 hours. Take that Manchester U and Real Madrid. Real? Real boring if you ask me.

What am I trying to say? Hell, I have no idea, I'm rambling. In summary: Belgians buy Anheuser Busch = more soccer.