Category: Booze History

The Kraken and Rum.

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The Kraken and Rum.

In the 1700’s large merchant ships were attacked by huge sea creatures that had large heads and long fat octopus like tentacles. Stories would tell that this huge sea creature would quickly swim around the ship to create a whirlpool thus sinking the boat then eating the floating crew members.

“So, Harold.” Dr. Wetbrain blurted out. “You know how much I love stories about cryptids.” Harold sighed and replied with, “yes, I do.”

Of course, I had to look further into the Kraken and rum story.

The rumor of the Kraken started in 1700 somewhere in the Norwegian Sea between Iceland and Norway. Described somewhat by Italian Catholic Priest Francesco Negri.

Same Kraken description was given in detail in 1734 by Hans Egede, The Apostle of Greenland.

Description of The Kraken:

Huge sea serpent which has many heads, several claws and the body measured many miles in length. OK… too much rum.

In reality the first written account of the Kraken was in 1180 by King Sverre of Norway.

The Jules Verne’s novel, ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea’ was influenced by giant squids sighted by fishermen. The giant squid theory came into true view in 2005 with film footage from Japanese oceanic researchers T. Kubodera and K. Mori.

View Kraken Footage

Note: The name Kraken comes from the Norwegian ‘Krake” which is closely related to a German word for Octopus.

So, what got me thinking about the Kraken was me wondering around the liquor store seeing what’s new. Came across a bottle of Kraken Black Spiced Rum and went into a deep cryptid thought for about 15 minutes until the store worker shook me and said, “Are you alright sir?”

After gathering his faculties, Dr. Wetbrain replied with, “yes”.

This Caribbean black spiced rum of 47% alcohol made by Proximo Spirits of New Jersey, turned out to be quite tasty with a splash of apple juice.

Kraken Rum story is that a lone ship carrying barrels of spiced rum across the Caribbean Sea was attacked by a Kraken. One barrel survived, thus the Kraken Rum Company.

Note: At 47% alcohol, if you drink too much Kraken Rum in one night you may turn into the Kraken. Dr. Wetbrain snickered.  

Toast History – Cheers!

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Toast History – Cheers!

   “‘Nats daroia’ Harold!”, Dr. Wetbrain yelled holding up his beer into the air. Harold stood up and clinked his beer with him and had a drink. Harold yelled ‘Napidabora’, trying to imitate the doctor.

“You said it wrong”, Dr. Wetbrain stated. Time for toasting ‘Cheers!’ history and language lessons.

Two people and a clink of a drink from their glasses, also a yell of ‘Cheers’ in honor of a toast perhaps at a wedding, a good business deal, an honor of congratulation or to a special person. “Here’s looking at you kid”, Humphrey Bogart to Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca. Clink!

Merriam-Webster dictionary has a great definition for a toast – A shout of hope, applause, or encouragement.

History of Cheers

   In the 1st century BC, the Roman Senate decreed to all to have a drink to the health of Emperor Augustus at every meal. Harold apparently tries to do this all the time.

The first recorded ‘Toast’ in England in the 12th century was by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He wrote that Renwien, daughter of British King Vortigern declared ‘Waes Hael’. Which meant good health. The Saxons continued the ‘Waes Hael’ toast every holiday with a bowl of wine. Awe the good old days.

Some thought the drinking toast began in ancient Greece, honor the Gods. Or there is the Medieval Ages where clinking 2 glasses one of them would spill some of its poison into the other glass. Mysterious murder perhaps. How sneaky!

The praise word ‘cheers’ was from the 18th century French ‘chiere’, meaning face or head, used to express happiness and encouragement.

Toasting Cheers! In different languages.    

   English – Cheers – Cheers! To your health, bottoms up.

Costa Rica – Pura Vida – poora vida – Cheers.

Filipino – Tagay – Ta gay – Drink.

Finnish – Kippis – kip piss.

German – Prost – prohst – Cheers!

Greek – Yamas – Ya mas – Good health.

Italian – Salute or Cin Cin – Cheen cheen – Cheers.

Japanese – Kanpai – Kan pie – Cheers or Empty the glass.

Mandarin – Ganbei – Gan bay – Cheers, dry cup or bottoms up.

North Korea – No cheers there! They don’t even drink or smile for that matter.

Portuguese – Saude – Saw oo de – to your health.

Russian – Nahz Drovia – Natz drovia – Cheers!

Spanish – Salud – sah lud – Good health.

Swedish – Skal – skawl – Cheers!

A personal drinking toast somehow brings people closer to each other. Cheers! Clink!

The Beer Bottle Saga.

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The Beer Bottle Saga.

sha.org/bottle/beer

Dr. Wetbrain was reminiscing one day while sipping on a beer bottle. His thought drifted to the “Stubbie’s”. Beer bottles never had a tall neck at one time. It was in the 1980’s when the tall neck became popular. Twist top cap bottles were already used in the 1960’s but never got popular till much later. Thanks to the tall neck bottles. I remember using lighters and seatbelts for stubby bottle openers. Seen people using boards and their eye socket to open beer bottles. What the??!

Commercial beer bottles started in the late 1600s but were not a big thing then. Even though carrying a case of glass bottled beer is better than walking down a cobble stoned street toting beer filled bowls or large covered steins in each hand. Noted that both would have been filled from a barrel spout.

In the late 1600s these new beer bottles were made with clear glass at first. But were soon realized buy the faithful guzzlers that the beer was sour, skunky tasting after sitting in the sun for a short spell. According to scientific research ultra-violet rays damage the acids found in the hops. Thus, the brown tinted bottles. Which were made to prevent the nasty UV rays from damaging the hops. No more skunks! Green beer bottles are made, but the UV protection is not as good as the brown bottles.

Since 1975 a Japanese company called Kirin Holdings tracked the global consumption of beer. 185 million Kiloliters in 2021. 74000 Olympic sized swimming pools. Dr. Wetbrain thought the numbers would be higher. Thank you Visualcapitalist.com for 2021 data on global beer consumption in different countries.

So let us talk about divots on the base or bottom of a beer bottle. I always thought that it was the number of how many times that bottle was recycled. Which does not make sense for the bottle is molded only once. These dots or ‘heel codes’ are for production equipment to read the size of the bottle. That’s it.

Unfortunately recycling bottles is a problem where more than 28 billion bottles annually do not get recycled. It’s good to know though that the average beer bottle gets reused 15 times in its life span with a strict process of inspection and sanitation.

Beer consumption has gone through a long history from covered Beer Steins to cardboard cases of 24 bottles of beer to carry home.

History Of Pirates And Rum.

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History Of Pirates and Rum.

    “Arr Ye Matie!”

“Are you drunk Wetbrain? What the hell was that?” Harold had to ask.

“I just finished watching the first ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movie Harold. So, you know I had to find out about the true history of pirates and rum.”

Harold just rolled his eyes and spoke. “OK give it to me.”

In the 16th and 17th centuries London was overcrowded with plenty of unemployment and plenty of very poor citizens. The ordinary poor seamen said ‘F**K You’ English government we will make money! Pirates were born. Let the plundering begin!

Rum in the Golden Age of Pirates, which was between 1650 to 1720, was used as currency in those days. So, at the beginning the Pirates would sail around the Mediterranean Sea in large sailing ships equipped with cannons plundering Spanish ships which had treasure, gold and barrels of Rum. Plenty of barrels of rum. The Pirates never used the rum to sell. They just drank it all.

Then when the Americas was discovered thanks to Christopher Columbus, piracy continued during the American Revolution and Napoleon wars. The Pirates attacked American merchant vessels about 1775 to 1800 for the booty of treasure and of course Rum.

Pirates today are mostly Somalian renegades sailing on old fishing boats with no sails or cannons and not tackling the huge merchant ships. But rich looking yachts are the right sized targets to plunder. Hopefully the yacht will have rum.

Rum in the earlier Pirate days was always in barrels and every Pirate had a tin cup. The oldest bottled rum was recently found. 59 bottles of 1780 Barbados Dark Rum was discovered at the Harewood Estate. Unfortunately, only 23 bottles were suitable for sale or drinking. One of these bottles of rum sold for $30,000 to a collector from Switzerland.

The Golden Age of Pirates produced some famous figures such as…

– Captain Kidd

– Blackbeard (Edward Teach)

– Henry Morgan

– Calico Jack

– Anne Bonny

Through the ages of piracy there are 4 types of Pirates.

1)  Corsairs – Plundered on the Mediterranean Sea from the 15th to the 18th centuries.

2)  Buccaneers – From the Caribbean Island sailed under the skull and crossbones and pillaged Spanish treasure ships in the 17th century.

3)  Privateers – The civil war in the early 1800s between Great Britain with Anglo-American against the Caribbean Privateers with Republics of Pirates were brutal battles. Serious cannons were shot at each other during that war. Unfortunately, the British won.

4)  Somalian Pirates – Todays Pirates which are not as glamorized as the Pirates of the past. Still pillaging to this day.

“Very cool dramatic history of Pirates and rum, what did you think Harold?”

Harold replied. “Arr Ye Matie”.

Dr. Wetbrain’s Sake Story.

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Dr. Wetbrain’s Sake Story.      

 

Dr. Wetbrain says that he never tried Sake. But tasting this libation is on his bucket list. “Now I must make a trip to Japan”, he would conclude. Of course, Dr. Wetbrain knows a thing or two about Sake.

        Sake is a Japanese wine that is made by fermenting polished rice. Even though Sake is considered a wine the brewing process is more like making beer.

Wine has an alcohol content of 9 – 18%; beer 3 – 9%; Sake 18 – 20%; whiskey 35 – 40%; moonshine has lots of percentage.

 

Sake History

The first recorded history of Sake was in the Nara period (710 – 794AD) Much Sake brewing was done in the temples of Nara by monks who were known as Sobo-shu. The monks used Sake as an offering to cleanse their temple through taking shots with religious ceremonies.

From the Shang dynasty (1600 – 1046BC) bones were found with the note of alcohol beverages scrawled upon them. Who knows, maybe Sake. That was over 3000 years ago.

At one point in Japan a kuchi-kami Sake was brewed by the rice being chewed up by beautiful virgin girls and then spit into a large vat.

Dr. Wetbrain thought, “I think if this process was done by Sumo wrestlers the appeal would not be the same.”

The Japanese place a very high value on this special beverage, just look at their artfully crafted and decorated cups, china and wooden containers all dedicated to Sake and sometimes tea.

LEAD Technologies Inc. V1.01

Sake Cup, 17th Century from Metmuseum.org

In fact, the Japanese pilots who went on a bombing mission to Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 all had a drink of Sake from a ceremonial cup before taking off.

“A flask or two of this drink would be coming with me on this mission.” Thank you Dr. Wetbrain for that input.

Difference Between White, Spiced and Dark Rum.

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White, Spiced and Dark Rums.

    One night Dr. Wetbrain and Harold were at the old kitchen table drinking a fancy drink in fancy glasses yet. A libation of 2 maybe 3 ounces of white rum, one oz. of lime juice and ¾ oz. of demerara sugar syrup. Yes, a Daiquiri!

“Harold, I have a rum story to tell you”, Dr. Wetbrain blurted out. “And its not a pirate story.”

United Kingdom’s fastest growing drink brand is Bacardi according to Instagram. Captain Morgan has 2nd place. So, we can safely say that the UK loves rum! Good choice.

   A little Bacardi rum history.

In 1862 the Bacardi brand was founded by Don Facundo Bacardi Masso in Santiago de Cuba.

Facundo’s wife was the designer of the bat emblem thanks to the fruit bats in their yard that she adored. Apparently, fruit bats give good health and fortune.

This 150-year-old Bacardi rum distillery has gone through 5 earthquakes, hurricanes, and a distillery fire and still kicking.

Eventually the Bacardi brand got so popular the rum was also distilled in New York City and Spain.

Rum was first distilled in the Caribbean in the 17th century. Became popular with sailors and pirates traveling to all sorts of ports, around the world.

   My question is what is the difference between white, spice and dark rums?

White Rum

   Made with sugarcane or molasses, aged in oak barrels for slightly over a year. Too much longer aging, the worst the rum will taste. The trick is filtering the rum many times along with the aging process is what gives white rum it’s taste.

   Spiced Rum

   Spiced rum is made the same way as White rum only with spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and caramel coloring. All these ingredients give spiced rum it’s flavor and color.

Dark Rum

   Dark rum is really Spiced rum but matured for a longer time.

Thus, giving the stronger taste and color.

      Conclusion:

   “You know Harold.” Dr. Wetbrain concluding his story. “I think that Spiced rum is good as a quick shot or two straight up. But White rum is best in fancy drinks. Dark rum on the other hand is a little strong for me. Only my opinion.”

Jagermeister. W.T.F.

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Sitting on a bar stool at the counter Dr. Wetbrain staring at the waitress for a long, long time decided and stated, “OK, I will try a shot of this Jagermeister.” The shot was poured out of a square metal dispenser designed only to pour out the right amount of Jagermeister at the right temperature. The shot was downed in one gulp.

There are people who love Jagermeister or absolutely hate this drink. It’s one or the other. No grey zone here. I personally thought it tasted like cough and flu medicine. In fact, I heard stories that in the 1950’s pharmacists sold Jagermeister as a cold remedy. Could not find the facts on this story.

The story of Jagermeister is a little on the boring side.

German the “Timber Frame Road”. Wolfenbuttel, Germany.

Once upon a time Wilhelm Mast in Wolfenbuttel, Germany started a wine and vinegar company in the early 1900’s. In 1934 his son Curt took over the company. Curt Mast in 1935 invented a concoction of 56 botanical herbs and spices into a drink and called it Jagermeister. Worthy of the best cold and flu remedy one could buy. With 35% alcohol one could be very happy curing their cold.

  Curt Mast

Besides a flu remedy this popular liquor gives other health benefits such as controlling blood sugar levels which benefits diabetes and gives a lower risk of strokes.

 

Fun notes on Jagermeister.

Jagger-bomb drink – Drop a shot of Jagermeister into a glass of Redbull. And good luck.

Guns And Roses (Duff McCagan, Slash, Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin, Steven Adler) at the UIC Pavillion in Chicago, Illinois, August 21, 1987 . (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)

Guns and Roses canceled a concert in Maine, USA in 2006 due not enough Jagermeister. W.T.F!

After Dr. Wetbrain blabbed out his Jagermeister story to the waitress, she just stared at him again, only for a few seconds this time. She then turned around and walked away shaking her head and gave the doctor a back handed wave.

“See!” Wetbrain thought. “She thought the story was boring also.”

The Best History of Beer.

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The Best History of Beer.

 

     Beer must be the most ancient common denominator of mankind. Throughout history, priests used beer for religious symbolism and by doctors for medical reasons. Most have promoted it as a healthy drink, others thought it was a drink brewed from the river Styx in Hell.

Dr. Wetbrain took a swig of his beer and continued with his beer history. You know Harold, nobody knows for sure when and where beer was first brewed. Because the malting process with grain had to be worked. So, it’s a good chance the prehistoric nomads accidentally made beer from grain and water before even learning to make bread.

Picture this, a grubby nomad, hungry and thirsty from traveling for weeks on the road, realizes that in his satchel there is this frothy rotting liquid of water and grain that somehow unified at the beginning of his trip. At this very moment he thought, this should not go to waste, might even help his dehydrated, starving situation. So, he decided to gulp down whatever this pungent liquid mixture was. Suddenly, he was feeling great. No more sore muscles and all the girls and goats along his trek looked… HOT.

Now then there was Noah thinking, ‘all these stinking animals on this little boat. and for how long??’ Thinking of this he made sure that the provisions on his ark included lots of beer.

 

Through ancient drawings we know for sure that since 4000 BC, beer was drunk. Then it was called ‘Mead’. 4300 BC, recipes for beer were detailed on Babylonian clay tablets. The Babylonians eventually made beer in large quantities with approximately 20 varieties. Beer was so valued then, that it was used as payment to the workers. We do the same thing now, only we take the money route to get beer.

In Egypt, about 3500 BC, beer was a common drink and valued so much that the wealthier Egyptians were buried in their tombs with their precious trinkets and precious beer. When they saw their god at the Pearly Gates he said, “The beer is a very nice gesture…. the trinkets must go, no use for them here.” By 1600 BC, Egyptian medical texts had around 100 prescriptions calling for beer.

“Me too!” Thank you, Dr. Wetbrain.

During Medieval times beer was highly used for trading, labor payment and taxes. Really! You had to give someone part of your beer stash for tax. I don’t think so. Oh, wait. We do that when we purchase beer now. “Like 80% tax.” Dr. Wetbrain belts out.

Eventually by 1200 AD, beer brewing is firmly established commercially. Produced and sold especially in Austria, Germany, Iceland, Finland and England.

In the 1490s Columbus found North American Natives making beer out of corn and black birch sap. The question is, how long have Natives been doing this for? Long before our friend the nomad, perhaps?

 

It has been noted that in the late 1500s in England, Queen Elizabeth the First, for breakfast drank strong ale. Alright Queenie! Drunk by noon.

1620 the Pilgrim’s beer supply on their three ships was running low. That’s why they landed at Plymouth Rock. Probably heard the natives had good corn and black birch beer.

U.S. presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both had their own private brew houses.

In 1786 Molson Brewery is founded on the banks of the St. Lawrence River in Montreal, Canada. This fine beer was respectively noted as North America’s oldest beer brand.

1810 Munich establishes Oktoberfest as an official celebration with gallons and gallons of beer. “Where’s my tuba?”, Dr. Wetbrain excitedly questions.

      Beer has been around a long time and is here to stay.

 

Well, with such a variety of beers, ales, lagers, stouts and porters from all over the world. And with all the bars, saloons, taverns and night clubs, beer is here to stay. When humans move to Mars, they will have beer for that seven-to-eight month journey. And will make a batch as soon as they arrive. It’s human nature. Harold nods his head in agreement.

 

         

Dr. Wetbrain

Oldest Wine Found In 8000-Year-Old Jars.

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Oldest Wine Found In 8000-Year-Old Jars.

 

Dr. Wetbrain was thinking one day about all the wildlife that enjoy getting drunk. Wild animals were probably getting drunk off fermented fruit long before humans did. Even certain dinosaurs probably got drunk. How long did it take for humans to finally enjoy the indulgence of drunkenness? Or got smart enough.

Recently archaeologists found 8000-year-old clay jars that proves humans were getting drunk since around 5800 to 6000 BC. In November 2017 archaeologists discovered these ancient jars that are around 82 cm in height and 41 cm in width and have carvings of grape clusters and a dancing man. These ancient jars were found about 50 kms from Tbilisi, Russian ruled capital of Georgia, near Persia.

Earliest evidence of wine found in giant, 8,000-year-old jars - The Washington Post

Scientists with biochemical analyses technology discovered that in the clay particles of these jars were traces of tartaric acid, Eurasian grape, malic (contributes to the sour taste of fruits), succinic and citric acids. All the important ingredients in the production of wine. This traditional Eurasian Qvevri wine making method is still used today.

At one time alcohol was used for commerce exchange which made wine invaluable to religious cults, medicine and society in general.

Dr. Wetbrain giggled to himself. The other day he read an article about Dr. Juan Carlos Marvizon Ph.D. giving a whole story on how humans are smarter than animals. Really!? Animals got drunk long before humans. Probably even fruit eating dinosaurs. Dinosaurs and birds have been around, getting drunk, for 235 million years. Humans 2.5 million years and getting drunk for only 8000 years. So, who was smarter about getting drunk first? Take that Dr. Marvizon!

Russian and Ukraine Vodka History.

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Because of his reputation of being a guru of sort, Dr. Wetbrain had a lot of strange characters dropping into his country shack. One time there was a colorful hyper thing from Russia. Baggy shiny bright blue shirt and baggy shimmery red pants. A jet, black sash around his waist. And, a black packsack strapped to his back.

Sergei was literally dancing as he came down the path. Spinning around and everything. A very, very happy lad. When he opened his packsack, we knew why. Two big bottles of Vodka from Russia and Ukraine and lots of grapefruit juice for mix. With his huge white smile and bad English, he asks Dr. Wetbrain. “Got any glasses…. Ice?”

Doctor just smiled and said, “Da”. Even later that afternoon that was the only Russian word he knew.

 

After we all had our quart jars refilled with vodka and grapefruit juice, we sat around outside of the shack on top of stacked fire wood. “Do you want to know about vodka?” Sergei began and continued without waiting for a reply. “Us Russians and my neighbor countries, Ukraine and Poland all take claim to the birth of vodka.”

Voda, in Russian means water, which is what vodka looks like. Imported vodka from my motherland tastes like water also. You should try the 80-proof vodka. That will knock your socks off.” As he points to his bottles with an upward nod with his chin.

At first, in the 1100’s, vodka was made from rye grain. And used as an anesthetic and disinfectant, believe it or not. It was the middle 1300’s when vodka became popular for drinking. Perhaps the prescription conditions were not accurate, so lets drink this new libation instead.

Since Russia, Ukraine and Poland are very popular for potato growing, we started making vodka out of…. potatoes.

Now these countries drink vodka with their meals and festive occasions. Adults also.

“But Sergei, when did vodka come to North America?” Curiously Dr. Wetbrain askes.

“Ah…. Da, da. About when you were born Deda.” Sergei replies with his odd humor.

“1930’s is when vodka became popular in this fine continent. Come, let us start on the next bottle.”

Dr. Wetbrain says that the 2 best vodkas sold in North America are imported from Latvia and not Russia. The horrible war brought on by Russia against Ukraine dictates that imported vodka is not from Russia, naturally. The 2 best imported vodkas in North America are Stolichnaya which is produced in Latvia by exiled Russian-born billionaire Yuri Shefler, and Moskovskaya vodka which is not Russian and made in Latvia also.

Stolichnaya is rebranding to distance its Latvian-made vodka from Putin's Russia - MarketWatch

Hope you enjoyed this information on the Russian – Ukraine vodka history.