Scrumpy Jack 24x 500ml Cans : TheDrinkShop.com 6 Comments found Ray Kerstetter 2010-06-23 13:34:23 I just came back from a 2 week stay in London. My best friend whom I stayed with knew I loved Scrumpy Jack' so I had a few whilst over there. I wish they would import it to America. I agree with a few other comments made that there IS a difference btw. Scrumpy's and Woodpecker or Strongbow which we can get in the States. After all, we do import Guinness, so why not cider as well? Robert Livsey 2008-07-05 18:35:19 This is the dogs of all ciders and makes Magners taste like the dirty dish water it is. Get some of this here or down at your local in the summer, drink a few of the stuff and then try to play football afterwards. Dagmar Hoffmann 2008-02-13 07:21:19 Sparkling, refreshing, greatest taste on earth.

Excellent with any meal or just on its own. Must have at least one can per day. Rich MacKinnon 2006-10-29 03:48:12 I actually enjoyed both SCRUMPY JACK and STRONGBOW. Found both side by side at a place called GLOBAL FOODS in Kirkwood, Missouri, USA. Each has a wonderfully addictive cider taste, and each has their own follow-on aftertaste- neither of which was unpleasant. Like I said- I loved them both! Better than the US ciders! N. Abraham 2006-08-08 02:29:20 Strongbow must now have the Canadian market completely locked up -- more's the pity. I can't find my beloved Scrumpy Jack anywhere. And oh! how I miss it. There's nothing like the sweet-tart flavour of Scrumpy Jack. Beside it, Strongbow tastes like carbonated vinegar. Yet wherever in Toronto cider is on the menu, Strongbow is the only one offered. I always make a point of asking for it, however.

Sweeter than beer but nothing like the syrupy taste of soda pop, Scrumpy Jack satisfies thirst, delivers a polite kick and stands alone or goes with any kind of pub food or snacks. I think it could even present itself honourably with fancier fare too. But it truly shines as a pub drink on a hot day, at the end of a long work day, or with lunch on a lazy weekend. Please somebody, bring Scrumpy Jack back to Toronto pubs! More Richard Barela 2005-09-24 18:29:33 I absolutely love this beverage. I was introduced to hard cider drinks while my serrvice in the United States Marine Corps. I was stationed in San Diego California and my first taste of a hard cider was a "George Hornsby's". I immediately gave up beer. During my first tour to the Persian Gulf in '99 I tasted two new ciders. The first was in Singapore and it was a cider called "Strongbow". It was very strong and I liked it except for the very harsh aftertaste - which to me is very important. The second one I found during my travels was in Australia - Perth, Western Australia to be exact.

I was in the company of two very attractive older Australian lasses. They were basically seeing that I had a good time while visiting the land down under for my first time. I relayed that I preferred hard cider to beer and the closest of my companions suggested Scrumpy Jack. I loved it so much I talked the bar tender at the pub into allowing me to buy a mug. I've been looking for it in the USA and have had no luck. I will continue to look in desperation. 6 from Bulmers Scrumpy Cider: The world of scrumpy cider can be a confusing and scary place for the uninitiated. Draw yerself a deep breath and wipe the nervous sweat from yer armpits as we prepare to pour our first pint... Scrumpy/Rough/Real Cider: Jack Ratt Scrumpy 6% ABV Well, the bottle certainly looks inviting, shaped to look like a traditional earthenware cider jar. This zider hails from Lyme Bay in Devon. First impressions: Hmmm! Interesting taste! This is a very scrumpyish cider with a very strange aftertaste indeed. Im assuming the aftertaste comes from the apple variety used. No need to be alarmed!

This is a lovely and unique cider with a flavour unlike anything else I have tried so far. Very still, like a true scrumpy should be. My advice would be to "try before you buy" with this one, as the rich, strange aftertaste may not be to everyone`s liking. I thoroughly enjoyed it the more of it I drank (strange that, eh?). Decidedly clear with no sediment sadly, so it musta been filtered...but who cares? This is nice stuff! A proper cider from the south west. Jack Ratt Traditional 7.4% ABV (Sadly no picture, as the bottle accidentally got thrown out!) Again, this offering from Mr Ratt comes in a nicely shaped bottle, styled to look like a real cider jar! Wow. This is very, very different from the Ratt scrumpy. Even stiller, with a very clear consistency and a "simpler" flavour and aroma. It has one of the most mouth watering aromas I have ever sniffed emanating from a cider bottle! MMMM! Just pop the top and inhale......a beautiful, crisp, soft smell of apples. The smell really is gorgeous.

On drinking, I found this cider to almost have the texture of a white cider, which I myself am not usually too keen on. This one however is really quite pleasant. It has the stillness, simple flavour and "authenticity" of real cider. You certainly have no problems tasting the apples either. I suspect this cider was made with maybe slightly sweeter apples than some ciders. I know a lot of common cider drinkers (those who like Strongbow, Scrumpy Jack etc, the supermarket ciders) will probably have a job to stomach this kinda stuff. My own opinion is that this is a real, proper cider....desperately in need of a west country man and some cheese and pickle sandwiches to make it happy. Kinda like "apple wine" but much more drinkable for not being as strong as genuine wine. Nice. Heck`s Farmhouse Cider Medium 6% ABV Ohh yyeaahh! Mmmmmmmmm! This is the stuff. Made in the town of Street, Somerset. Rich in the flavour of west country apples, still as a sedated sloth on a sunday drive, murky as a drizzly day in Taunton.

I really enjoyed this offering from Heck (who the heck is he?). A friend of mine sometimes enjoys a Scrumpy Jack, but couldnt handle the authenticity of this liddle beauty! That kinda shows the difference between yer trendy modern brands, and yer real traditional-type cider. Cloudy, thick and luvverly! Definetly a cider drinker`s cider! It has a very full flavour, a distinctive apple taste, and no fizz at all.. Lovely! If you are down near Street, make sure to pick up zum of this `un before ye return home! Heck`s Farmhouse Cider Dry 6% ABV To repeat again, I quote: "Ohh yyeaahh!". Yum yum! This is the drier version of Heck`s farmhouse cider. Almost the same flavour, so what goes for the medium..goes for it`s drier brother too. Except, that of course it is drier and this may put some folk off. The real scrumpy drinkers will love this one though. It is probably getting towards as traditional a cider as you will find nowadays (although what do I know about traditional ciders? ).

Some may find the dryness and richness of this cider a little unforgiving on the tongue, but I think Hecks have produced an absolutely gorgeous drink here....real good stuff! Taunton Traditional Cider ???% ABV I don`t have a picture of this cider, as the only place I have found it..is on tap at my local (The Ship Inn, Shaftesbury, Dorset). I`m not quite sure of the strength either, but I suspect around 7%. I feel I have to give this stuff a mention as it is probably still my number one cider of the moment. Also a bonus is that I believe it may be the cheapest pint in the pub at 1.85! Slightly cloudy, in fact..every pint varies in sediment content and colour as they get towards the bottom of the barrel. A fairly still cider, but sometimes with a miniscule amount of fizz. Very dry and smooth. This stuff is just so drinkable! Oh god! I could drink it all day (thinking bout it, New Year`s Eve I nearly did!) Lovely dry flavour, stillish, cloudy and strong. What more could a scrumpy drinker ask for?

This is one of the nicest pints you will find in a pub outside of Somerset... Weston`s Extra Strong Scrumpy 7.5% ABV This is one of Weston`s main scrumpy`s, the other being their flagship traditional cider; Old Rosie. You know you are in for a treat with this beauty. Lovely murky texture. Little traces of sediment at the bottom of the bottle, and what looks like saliva sometimes floating around in it (I`m sure it aint saliva tho). This was the cider which changed me from being a man satisfied with supermarket shelf ciders, into a lover of the more traditional, scrumpified beverage. Having said that, you can find this on sale at Tescos..and other supermarkets. Absolutely gorgeous flavour! So moreish in fact, you`d best buy twice as much as you think you`ll need! Has a similar taste to Waitrose Strong Scrumpy, but even nicer. Still, fruity and flavourful yet dry (which I gotta admit is how I like my zider). Without getting lost in tiny villages in Somerset, this is one of the nicest ciders you will find for sale relatively easily.

Waitrose Strong Scrumpy Cider 7.3% ABV Now this looks interesting. A yellowish scrumpy! Hmmm, and there`s a nice collection of sediment in the bottom of the bottle which is always a good sign when scrumpy-hunting. Strong, with more flavour than your typical scrumpy. This cider has a decidedly oaky taste to it, which some may like...some may not. Personally, I thourougly enjoyed this offering from Waitrose. It is a bit fizzy, but not enough as to spoil the overall scrumpyness of it. Maybe not a true scrumpy (despite the ample sediment) but nevertheless delicious with food or on it`s own. Waitrose has attempted to come up with a scrumpy that offers pleasent characteristics to those who maybe otherwise would avoid scrumpy. True scrumpy drinkers may turn their noses up at the slight fizzyness, but I give this cider a well earned thumbs up! If you are in need of good cider and not far from a Waitrose, give `ee a go! Thatcher`s Mendip Scrumpy 6% ABV Mmmmm! This is one of my favourites! Superb value for money too!

Slightly fizzy, but you can always leave the top off the bottle for a bit to let it dissipate. Lovely, gorgeous, bloody lovely flavour! Quite a "simple" taste, yet Thatchers have really hit the nail on the head with this one. If I were to be left alone on a west country desert island (does Brownsea count?), I`d be more than happy to be (ship) wrecked with this `un! Probably has the largest ratio of sedement to liquid content I have seen! You are guaranteed with every bottle of this to find heapings of "gunk" in the bottom. What more can I say? If you like cider, this is an absolute must try. Refreshing, dry, appley, yet not sweet at all. Spot on! Excellent! Thatcher`s Somerset Scrumpy Draught 6% ABV What a nice bottle! Again plastic shaped to look like a real old-style cider jug. A good size too, 2.5 litres rather than yer plain, usual old 2. Interesting taste! Different for a scrumpy. Still, fruity, and not particularly dry. I enjoyed this though. It is very drinkable.

Has that sorta "watered down wine" taste, which in my book is often a good thing. Slightly reminded me of white cider (which I normally loathe) but this stuff is rather nice. A good balance of different traits make this a good medium cider. Must be filtered sadly, as when I poured it into a glass it wasn`t very cloudy at all. You might be surprised at the taste , given the type of bottle this stuff comes in....but hopefully you will enjoy this cider from Thatchers. I did. Really not bad at all. Thatcher`s Old Rascal 6% ABV I was a little suspicious of the label. It depicts a dirty ole village yokel, with a busty young country lass on his knee. Could this be aimed at tourists and the like given its raunchy image? Hmmmm! Actually, Old Rascal really aint a bad zider. It has a little fizz and a weirdly bland taste. This isn`t actually a bad thing though. It is clean, refreshing and not too sweet. This is more similar to "normal" cider than scrumpy, but in this case I enjoyed it. Quite a good all rounder and fairly dry.

It lends itself well to accompanying meals. If you maybe find the real thing a little rough on yer palate, this is one of the best alternatives. If you see `ee fer sale, check `ee out! Old Cock Scrumpy 6% ABV Hmmmmmm. Interesting name, but whatsit like as a drink? Ummm, well not very scrumpish is my own opinion. Fairly sweet but pleasantly drinkable enough. I hate to admit it, cuz this is quite a negative thing to say about an english cider...but the taste sorta reminded me of the "Hard" ciders of the United States. If yer a cider drinker and have visited the U.S, you will know that isn`t a very good thing. There`s nothing wrong with this cider, but the "scrumpy" mentioned in its name is a bit deceiving. True cider drinkers stay away. Fowl Scrumpy 7.5% ABV (No picture YET!) Fowl Scrumpy is slightly more enjoyable than Old Cock scrump...but I still think it pushes the limits of what should be termed a "scrumpy". Again, it has that taste reminding me of American "hard" ciders...e.g - Not very nice.

Having said that, i`m sure a lot of folk out there would enjoy this cider...but sadly, not me. Snake Catcher Scrumpy Medium 7% ABV Hrumpf. Now to get on my soapbox.....After travelling a number of miles to Burley, New Forest, Hampshire....I was excited when we finally located the farm producing Snake Catcher Scrumpy in the middle of the village. On suggesting to my dad it WAS worthwhile him manouevering the car down a narrow bumpy farm track due to the sign at the end of the track saying "OPEN"....we found out the bloody place was closed!!!! Please, please, please!!! What is the bleedin point of having an "Open" sign up if yer closed!! So with a tear in me eye, I ventured into a couple of the local shops on the offchance Snake Catcher Scrump was for sale there instead. *%$^**!!!! HOW MUCH FOR ONE LITRE???? I cannot remember the exact price, but I know at the time I thought .."Bloody hell!!!

This has got to be the most expensive scrumpy in all of England!!!" It`s a real shame my experience with Snake Catcher Scrumpy was tinged by the place being closed , and then discovering it cost literally a small fortune to purchase!! Totally dissapointing, as it is in actual fact...a VERY nice cider! Cloudy, still, full of authentic flavour and just what I like! This is def a cider for the cider drinker. Someone responsible for pricing, please take note! Snake Catcher Scrumpy Dry 7.4% ABV Well, this is almost the same as it`s slightly less dry cousin. The flavour seems quite similar, but it is noticably drier. I found it hard to decide which I preferred more. The medium seems a little more drinkable, yet this one tasted to me like a real cider should. Very still, thick and with a delicious flavour. Although maybe too dry for some, I loved it. At the end of the day tho, they do seem rather overpriced. A real shame, as I thought both the Snake Catcher Scrumpys I sampled were two of the nicest ciders i`ve tried.

Millhouse Farm Cider Dry 6% ABV Wow! Decent cider is produced in the county of Dorset afterall! On a journey to Dorchester, I discovered a little cider museum at Owermoigne. To my dismay, the shop was closed...then a kindly man ventured over and opened up and turned the lights on just for us! I told him I was interested in purchasing some of the cider available. Before I could say another word, he then proceeded to pour me samples of dry and medium cider, cider brandy and some kind of strong (17%) apple related drink! What a nice guy! This is just a small establishment but well worth a visit. They have antique cider presses on display, a clock museum, west country cheeses, wines and several different ciders. I purchased a gallon of the dry cider at a very reasonable price. Millhouse Farm House Cider is definetly a cider drinkers cider. I`m sure the less strong stomached amongst you might turn yer noses up at this one, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is very dry, slightly filtered and completely still. With the merest hint of a vinegar-esque esscense as you sniff the aroma. It tastes better than it smells tho!

Has that very "farm house" style flavour. A fairly mild tasting cider with a true authenticity. Be warned! Unless you really like a true dry cider, you might prefer to try the medium one instead. I found it the perfect accompaniment to bread and good old cheddar cheese. They just seem to complement each other. Very drinkable and refeshing despite the dry nature of it. I find it hard to describe the taste, but all I can say is that this is authentic, traditional and old fashioned. Just as cider should be! BroadOak Dry Scrumpy ???% ABV (No picture, as there wasn`t a label on the bottle!) Hmmm. I purchased this from a small shop on the outskirts of Weymouth, Dorset. Outside they have a barrel advertising "scrumpy on sale here" so that was like a red rag to a bull and I had to pay them a visit. Standing behind the shops counter were three barrels of what I was told was BroadOak cider, made near Cheddar Gorge in Zomerset. I opted for 6 litres of the dry variety. They filled the bottles directly from the barrels, and there wasn`t even a label on the bottle to show what was in it!

On arriving home, I proceeded to pour myself a sample. Again, the aroma is of traditional west counry "farm house" type cider. Still and slightly filtered. This has a very similar taste to the Millhouse cider mentioned above. After pausing to enhale the aroma, I dived in...Mmmm! This is gorgeous stuff! Traditional, still and dry yet fruity without being sweet! Totally lovely! It is what I want in a cider...and tastes just like I`m always hoping to find. Very nice stuff indeed, you can certainly taste the fruit in this one. Just the right balance of different character traits make this one of my favourites (although it`s a shame that they filter it). Bravo to BroadOak! Excellent, traditional cider. Home Urban Dictionary: scrumpy scrumpy A very potent type of rough cider. Normally associated with South West England, although the county of Kent also produces some good stuff. A good scrumpy normally has an alcohol content of atleast 7% by volume, be full of semi liquid apple pulp and taste like appley vinegar. It is suprisingly refreshing and can be consumed in vast quantities; providing the drinker does not want to use his legs for the next five hours.

Was often given to wurzel s in lieu of payment by landowners in an attempt to keep the works complient. "Arrrrgghhhr yoouzzsh moi bessshhtisss mate yoush are." (a phrase often heard from the lips of scrumpy drinkers.) Devon Cider - how to make your own scrumpy Add the yeast and seal the brewing barrel with the airlock Everyday swirl the barrel to stir the ingredients after the first fermentation slows, about 8-10 days, move to a similar vessal for seconary fermentation. If you like a dry cider, add a second dose of yeast to the secondary fermentation. Seal with an airlock. Let it sit until it the fermentation slows to a very slow, almost imperceptible bubble. Move to a carboy to let the heavier particles settle out. Let it sit for about a week and bottle. The scrumpy will need to mature for about four months before you will want to even try it since it will give off a strong unpleasant smell and almost vinegary taste. The longer it is allowed to mature, the better,smoother and drier it will get.

And if you just want to drink Cider, here's where you can get it in Devon Grays Farm Cider, Halstow, Tedburn St Mary tel 01 647 61236 Churchwards Cider Farm, Yalberton Farm, Yalberton Rd, Paignton tel 01 803 558 157 Green Valley Cider, Marsh Barton Farm, Clyst St George tel 01 392 876658 Lyme Bay Cider, Manor Farm, Seaton Alcohol - RationalWiki Alcohol — Christopher Hitchens , Hitch-22: A Memoir Alcohol [1] is a substance found in many of the drinks that many editors of RationalWiki imbibe in order to stimulate their creativity. It must, however, be used with care as overindulgence may well result in overstimulation (or alcohol poisoning...). Such intemperance may also create unpleasant consequences . Contents —Chemistry Cat [2] "Alcohol" is just a generic term for any organic compound featuring the functional group -OH. Specifically, only ethanol (CH3CH2OH) is drunk by (sane) people.

Methanol (also known as wood alcohol)(CH3OH) can cause death in small-ish quantities [3] but will make you blind first and can be found in cheap, and very, very illegal booze, [4] and in legal booze that's not supposed to be drunk (damn you!). Unlike ethanol, methanol can be absorbed through the skin and is just plain dangerous. Other alcohols can create the effects of drunkenness, often even more so than ethanol: ingesting propanol, isopropanol (rubbing alcohol) and butanol will intoxicate someone very readily. These compounds, however, are several times more lethal, so they are not recommended as intoxicants. [5] A related compound, ethanediol (HO-CH2CH2-OH) is found in antifreeze, and is also delightfully poisonous. Ethanol is relatively safe, and is only dangerous in very large amounts (see below).

Ethanol is made either by the hydrolysis of ethane in large chemical plants, slowly fermented by adding yeast (this is the stuff you drink), other biomass processes (fuel ethanol is produced from corn, for example), or it can be homologated from methanol in an interesting reaction that means you can produce it entirely from syngas (carbon monoxide and hydrogen). [6] Fruit flavorings are mostly made of compounds called esters, which form alcohols (sometimes ethanol) when broken down by acids. Therefore it is possible (just) to fail a breathalyzer test by eating too many pear drops. Although no, it doesn't work as an excuse for proper DUI, it has been used successfully to overturn some false positive breathalyzer readings. [7] Ethanol goes by several other names, including "ethyl alcohol", "drinking alcohol", "grain alcohol", or simply "alcohol". Ethanol can be used as an alternative or supplement to gasoline as a fuel in vehicles. In these cases, it is typically made in the same way alcoholic beverages are made: fermentation.

Small amounts of wood alcohol or gasoline are then added (called "denaturing") to make it toxic, thus escaping liquor laws (if they didn't put it in, people could drink it safely without paying tax on it, and we can't have that). There is some controversy surrounding ethanol as fuel as (A) it would mean land and crops would have to be used to make fuel when they could be used to grow food, and (B) in the case of corn, current technology requires burning over 1 gallon's ethanol-equivalent in fuel for every gallon of ethanol you produce. However, technologies are being researched which would allow for ethanol to be made from indigestible cellulose and other organic waste, and in the meantime deriving ethanol from sugar cane is more efficient than deriving ethanol from corn. Inside the body, ethanol is oxidized and decays into ethanal (also known as acetaldehyde to reduce confusion), which causes a hangover, and eventually to acetic acid, which is found in vinegar (and is why old wine tastes like vinegar). Because the chemistry of ethanol is probably boring to most people, the rest of this article will concentrate on the stuff you drink.

[ edit ] The science of booze [ edit ] In a nutshell [ edit ] Types of drinking alcohol Alcohol in a delightful solution. There are three major methods of producing alcoholic beverages: straight fermentation, brewing, and distillation. Fermented beverages tend to be made from fruit juices or things with high sugar contents, and are typically known as wines. Brewed beverages are also fermented, but because they are typically derived from grains, the starches need to be broken down into simpler sugars to allow the yeast a chance to go to work. These beverages are typically called beers, and also includes east Asian 'rice wines' such as sake and ang jiu. Finally, there is distillation, which can be any number of processes that remove alcohol from stuff that is mainly water. This is based on the principle that alcohol and water have different boiling (and for some processes freezing) points. It should be noted that distilled beverages intended for human consumption generally have enough water in them to make them safe, with a few notable exceptions such as overproof rum and Everclear. Of the above, fermentation and brewing are legal to perform at home (in the US at least).

Distillation requires that you pay special taxes or the revenuers will come and take your stills, and potentially everything you own. Distillation is the reason NASCAR exists. See main article: beer , or the funspace article on beer . Trappistes Rochefort 8, the best beer in the world. There is naturally some debate about where the best beer in the world comes from. A British perspective: Unsurprisingly, and like their claims about forms of government, legal systems, welfare systems, health systems, weapons, armies, accents, footballers (not), cars (not), motorbikes (not), the British claim their beer is the best in the world. [8] [9] British drinkers would maintain that the only true beer is made in the United Kingdom where it is known as real ale. It has both body and flavour and it is not necessary to kill the flavour by excessive chilling. Velkopopovický Kozel, the best beer in the world. Fun fact: Kozel is Czech for goat ! In the rest of Europe and the US a chemical substitute for beer called Lager is often drunk.

(Like some of the people.) This chemical substitute is so lacking in flavour (or has such a bad flavor) that the only way to make it drinkable is to supercharge it with carbon dioxide and then chill it in order to kill whatever taste it has — it being utterly undrinkable at room temperature. --Which of course explains why American Budweiser is one of the top beers imported into England. An Irish perspective The Irish, of course, do not appreciate the typical arrogance of the British about their beer and calmly reiterate that Guinness is best. Sadly for them, as it has caused nothing but trouble, the Irish are unfortunately correct, as Guinness is incontrovertibly the greatest beer the world has ever seen drunk. Rich, dark, mysterious, intelligent, poetic, brooding, inestimable, indefatigable, in my belly, hallowed, spiritual, mighty, creamy, brilliant, feck, arse and bollocks are all words used in the eulogy of Guinness. Unfortunately for the Irish, Guinness is now owned by the Brits—which is oddly appropriate, considering that the brewery sided with them during the 1916 uprising.

Also unfortunately (for the world), Guinness exported to other countries tastes nothing like the black gold served at home, due to Irish export laws (curse them!). A Continental perspective: Others would claim that the best beer in the world is brewed in Belgium, [10] which is famous for its long tradition and immense diversity, with more than 1000 different brands. Many Belgian beers are designated "real ale" by CAMRA, being brewed from natural ingredients and served from the vessel in which they are conditioned. A number of "Trappist" beers are brewed in Belgium by, or under the supervision, of Trappist monks. These monks dedicate their lives to the service of the Lord and the brewing of beer, which is near enough the same thing (though it's worth noting that the existence of beer is very seldom called into question). Meanwhile, ironically, alcohol use in Belgium is slowly but steadily decreasing [11] and mineral water is becoming one of the most popular beverages within the country. [12] Czech beer comes in at a very close second.

Meanwhile, most continentals find the British practice of serving their beer at room temperature positively barbaric, and point out that good beer has always required chilling, with some breweries in pre-electricity times going so far as to store ice year-round for the purpose. Another clear point of demerit for British beer is its general lack of carbon dioxide. "Why the British choose not to carbonize their beer" is a mystery to most Continentals. It is likely to remain a mystery until they realise that British beer is carbonated as much any fizzy lager. Carbonation is a natural effect of the conditioning (secondary fermentation) process. The lack of resemblance to fizzy soft drinks is not due to a refusal to put carbon dioxide in but the cellarman's skill and dedication in removing it before sale. Why they would go to such trouble only to practically ruin perfectly good beer is unfathomable... as is the case with so many other things the British do. A Canadian perspective: Beer from pretty much anywhere but the US is a good bet, eh, although La Fin Du Monde from Quebec is probably the best high-alcohol beer out there, bordering on barley wine.

In recent years, smaller breweries and microbrews have become very popular in smaller cities and the home craft brewing industry has done very well, eh. An American perspective: As long as you avoid the big companies that make insipid beer for mass consumption by people intent on getting drunk quickly, American beer is JUST FINE, THANK YOU. Yes, we mass produce swill, but with the exorbitant taxes on all forms of alcohol, most of our people have to make do with what they can. The rest of us can then drink either one of our (multitudinous!) microbrews or one of your fancy (admittedly very good, but with less flavor than our micros tend to have) Euro/Canadian beers. But of course the final verdict comes from the ultimate authority on almost everything: American beer is like making love in a canoe — fucking close to water. A Russian perspective: What is beer doing on this page? Beer doesn't have any alcohol in it [13] . A Chinese perspective: Chinese beers are fairly light, but cheap tasty!

An Australian perspective: In Australia beer is called XXXX because it's easier to spell, and Fosters is a creature of legend passed down from parent to child to keep them in line. Australians drink only beer chilled to a sufficiently low temperature to induce migraine, sinus pain and mild frostbite. An Egyptian perspective: We invented the stuff. Sure it had a very low alcohol content, but that wasn't the point. Those slaves needed carbs to build our pyramids — and to be kept be drunk enough not to rebel. (Pay no attention to those non-slave workers whose tombs were unearthed near the pyramid sites.) Why did we give up beer, again? Oh, yeah . Also pay no attention to our piss-poor attempt to make German-style lager that we market as "Stella". A Mexican Perspective: Contrary to popular belief among Americans and Canadians, we don’t think Corona is the best beer in Mexico. Most of us actually hate it. Like our Mojado brothers who reside north of our border, we prefer Bud Light, not because of its generic, bitter taste, but because it’s just more popular and easier to get. Pass me a Bud Light, ese!

Mexico also has a long history of German style brewing, and makes some excellent beers, but gringos insist on Corona. A German Perspective Come drink with us at the Oktoberfest in Munich! Drunken sing-a-long and merrymaking until long after you have already passed out. ;) [14] Furthermore: Bier is a German word. Enough said. See the main article on this topic: Wine Not just for sophisticated people. Wine is great to get you properly trolleyed Wine is drunk by effete southern Europeans and effete snobs. It comes in various varieties (white, red, rosé, sparkling, etc.) and is frequently served in a glass appropriate to the wine. The antioxidants in red wine are claimed to do a body good. This, however, is mostly conjecture and utter bollocks which is rehashed by the media whenever it suits them, as Ben Goldacre likes to bring up whenever you're in the pub with him and order red wine "because it's good for you". Plain old wine isn't strong enough for some, however, who like their drinks to have a higher alcohol content. For them, there is fortified wine; some of these are good (e.g.

sherry, madeira, port), but for the most part fortified wine is also known as bum wine (American English) or tramp-juice (English English). For folks that like an even higher alcohol content, wine can be distilled, at which point it's called brandy. [ edit ] Spirits (Not the spooky kind, the libatable kind!) There are many kinds of spirits, such as whisky , whiskey, gin, rum, baijiu, vodka, tequila, arak, et cetera. Overconsumption is dangerous, and can cause RationalWiki editors to produce mildly abbreviated posts like the one below:.. Gloag's gin. Nuff said! “”Take a bottle of dry London Gin & a bowl of blackthorn berries (sloes); add the former to the latter and stir; pour into two bottles & cap; leave for two to four weeks; filter and decant liquor; (make trifle with berry mush?) drink liquor; sleep.

— Susan Garlick (RIP:[) Overindulgence followed by editing binges can also result in the necessity of profuse apologies to other editors, whether one likes them or not, for the swill left on their talk pages and pet articles. Ardbeg Ten (Islay) single malt whisky is announced World Whisky of the Year on October 30 2007. [15] [ edit ] Mead See the main article on this topic: mead Mead is made from honey or, if you're lucky you can get it from the goat Heidrun . Alternatively you can make your own following RationalWiki's instructions . [ edit ] Cider See the main article on this topic: Cider Cider is made from apples and is popular with teenagers. In pre- prohibition United States, cider was the most popular beverage. Once alcoholic beverages were banned, the term cider was re-purposed to refer to certain types of non-alcoholic apple juice. In order to convert modern American "cider" into what the rest of the world calls "cider", you need to follow these instructions . Scrumpy is a stronger, rougher variant of cider.

Despite what advertising companies would have you believe, there is no such thing as "Pear Cider". Fermented pear juice is called Perry [16] . Pear-flavored ciders do exist, however, but the base of the beverage is still apples. [ edit ] Kumis Kumis (also spelled kumiss, kymyz, and other ways and known in Mongolia as airag) is made from fermented milk, traditionally from horses, but nowadays cows' milk is more commonly used. It is primarily drunk in Central Asia. Yes, many people in Central Asia are Muslims. Alcohol ban? What alcohol ban? What else are you supposed to do with mare's milk? The fermentation process has the additional benefit of converting most or all of the the lactose in milk into a small amount of alcohol, causing it to no longer aggravate those with lactose intolerance (a metabolic problem far more common in Central Asia than elsewhere) and making the milk's nutritive value accessible to far more people. It has an alcohol content low enough to be drinkable more or less continuously throughout the day without ever causing impairment. It has a slight fizz to it and has been fairly described as tasting like a mixture of yogurt and champagne.

William of Rubruck, a Flemish missionary who visited Mongolia in the thirteenth century CE, described it as a drink that “”...makes the inner man most joyful and also intoxicates weak heads, and greatly provokes urine. [ edit ] Alcohol and health They're slurring everything again! “”Excessive alcohol use led to approximately 88,000 deaths and 2.5 million years of potential life lost (YPLL) each year in the United States from 2006 – 2010, shortening the lives of those who died by an average of 30 years. 1,2 Further, excessive drinking was responsible for 1 in 10 deaths among working-age adults aged 20-64 years. —The Center for Disease Control [17] A couple of units [18] of beer a day is good enough for you that it could medically be considered a vitamin. A doctor said this, so it's true. We were down the pub and several drinks down by this time, but that hardly refutes unimpeachable medical science.

The view of alcohol being particularly good for you is based on cohort studies of drinkers and non-drinkers and found that drinkers were, on average, in healthier condition. This has been attributed to things like red wine containing anti-oxidants, but that is mostly bullshit . Science writer and columnist Ben Goldacre argues that such studies between non-drinkers and drinkers don't constitute a properly controlled test as he describes teetotalers as, frankly, abnormal. People who avoid drinking entirely are non-normative, and usually do so for particular reasons, particularly medical reasons, or by virtue of being recovering alcoholics. As a result, those in the cohort inclined to not drink tend to be plagued by underlying medical conditions — such as obesity due to years of alcoholism — and this would skew the results in favor of making it appear that drinking makes you healthier. Consuming large amounts of alcohol quickly in order to achieve intoxication is called binge drinking, which can harm your health, cause amnesia (a blackout), or make you sleep with people you ordinarily wouldn't find attractive (beer goggles). It can also make you cause traffic accidents, and otherwise makes you act like a real dickhead.

Alcohol is physically addictive, and withdrawal from alcohol is one of only a very few forms of substance withdrawal that is potentially fatal. A person addicted to alcohol is known as an alcoholic or dipsomaniac, or, less formally, a drunk. Chronic heavy alcohol use is poisonous to pretty much every vital organ in the human body, and is a major cause of stomach, esophogeal, and liver cancer , as well as pancreatitis, hepatitis, and fatty liver disease. This makes alcohol far more potentially dangerous than cannabis . [ edit ] Misconceptions There are a few misconceptions regarding alcohol consumption and how it affects people. One of the major ones is that mixing types of drinks — or even just the type of drink — changes how drunk someone becomes. This applies to both mixing over time and mixing in cocktails, indeed this is often referred to as the "cocktail effect". However, none of this is true; with all other factors being equal (body mass, tolerance, food consumption) the only factor in drunkenness is the amount of alcohol consumed. Also of particular importance is the rate that it is consumed — as the body can only oxidise and break it down at a set rate.

In addition to the obvious placebo effect of adding a sparkler or mini-umbrella to a glass, "mixing" drinks often means mixing shorter spirits with longer drunks like beer. Obviously short shots are consumed rapidly and often in addition to an otherwise steady stream of beer. In this case, it is not the mixing that has done anything, but the fact that the amount of alcohol in a particular time has increased dramatically. People will often underestimate their consumption when mixing like this, seeing the small quantity of a shot glass as unequal to their much larger pint glasses. That said, like any drug, the way it's administered can have dome different effects on the imbiber. It differs from person to person, but beer is generally a lighter buzz than liquor. Spirits tend to have a stronger sedative effect, but also can be more likely to bring out anger (the "mean drunk" is often a liquor drinker). Still, whether you're happy, sad, or mad, or whether you're dancing on the table or sipping quietly with friends, you're not any more or less drunk than if you had ingested the same amount of a different type of alcohol. And being wide awake doesn't mean you're safe to get behind the wheel.

It's also not true that alcohol dehydrates the body. While alcohol is a diuretic, the additional water lost through the effect is compensated for by the water in the drink — in all but the strongest of spirits, at least. The same is true of caffeine containing drinks such as coffee and tea. There are other mechanisms of water loss: vomiting, sweating while dancing and so on, and these often contribute greatly to the dehydration effect, so consuming water in between drinks is still advisable. The only sure-fire way of becoming dangerously dehydrated is by drinking salt water. Adequate or abundant hydration does, however, prevent or alleviate hangover by increasing urinary output and thus the rate at which byproducts of alcohol metabolism — notably various aldehydes — are flushed from the body. Consuming significant amounts of water with alcohol does, therefore, have its benefits; the misconception lies in the mechanism attributed. Alcohol does not warm the body up; the old image of St. Bernard rescue dogs with brandy barrels around their necks is a myth as strong alcohol is the last thing you'd want to consume if stranded in the snow.

When cold, the body closes off numerous arteriole sphincters that shut off blood supply from the extremities: fingers, arms, legs, and so on, conserving body heat to the head and torso where it's needed most. While this generates the feeling of being cold, it is actually (potentially) saving your life. Alcohol prevents this mechanism from working, opening up the arteriole sphincters and allowing blood to flow to all parts of the body. This may generate a feeling of being warm, but is actually indicative of losing substantial amounts of body heat. Thus the "beer jacket" is actually quite a bad thing in a life-or-death situation. Sexual performance is another thing associated with alcohol consumption but it is a complete myth that it improves performance. While alcohol loosens inhibitions dramatically, its effect on all measures of sexual performance is anything but positive; in fact it only creates an illusion of better performance. So while you may be thinking you were totally awesome, your more sober partner would likely disagree — unless, of course, you're so blitzed that "more sober" is not a particularly relevant term. In which case, kudos — not on your sexual prowess, mind you, but rather your tolerance.

You still suck in bed while drunk, and not in the good way. As William Shakespeare put it in Macbeth, "Strong drink giveth the desire but taketh away the ability." Few diets are completely free of alcohol. All leavened breads [19] and many fruits (especially juices) contain small amounts of alcohol. [20] [ edit ] Prohibition See the main article on this topic: Prohibition “”It's not a coincidence that Omar Khayyam, rebuking and ridiculing the stone-faced Iranian mullahs of his time, pointed to the value of the grape as a mockery of their joyless and sterile regime. Visiting today's Iran, I was delighted to find that citizens made a point of defying the clerical ban on booze, keeping it in their homes for visitors even if they didn't particularly take to it themselves, and bootlegging it with great brio and ingenuity. These small revolutions affirm the human. — Christopher Hitchens , Hitch-22: A Memoir The alleged evils of alcohol led to its being prohibited in the United States from 1920 to 1933.

This authoritarian law resulted in a substantial increase in crime and led to the creation of criminal gangs which may still be in existence today. Interestingly there are currently other drugs which are no more harmful than alcohol (or even less so ) which you can still go to jail for possessing — but life's like that. Besides, not as bad as . The substance remains prohibited in a number of authoritarian Islamic states for religious reasons, which is rather strange when you realize that the name "alcohol" originated in Arabic as "al-kohl". Contrary to popular belief, however, most Muslim countries do not place an outright ban on alcohol, and even in those that do, the stuff is rather like marijuana in the West: despite being illegal, somebody always seems to have some (to paraphrase Earth: The Book ). Alcohol, even if not forbidden, has also been prohibited to use in a number of sports disciplines, such as air sports and archery, if used to compete with other members and may not exceed the doping threshold of 10 g/l. [21] At least it's good to know that it is forbidden when other people might get hurt from one's lack of coordination.

That all said -- and while Prohibition was wrong on every level — alcohol and smoking may well have contributed to Christopher Hitchens' death from esophageal cancer at age 62. As he was struggling with the cancer, he told CNN's Anderson Cooper that his father (who also died of esophageal cancer) had been an alcoholic, and declared: “”[T]o anyone watching, if you can hold it down on the smokes and the cocktails you may be well advised to do so. [22] Apple Day 2015: 10 best British bottled cider | The Independent Apple Day 2015: 10 best British bottled cider Celebrate our home-grown harvest with a special tipple Tuesday 20 October 2015 16:00 BST Click to follow The Independent Online Apples are in huge demand this time of year. Unlucky ones will find themselves smothered in toffee, with a stick shoved unceremoniously up the calyx – others may be forced to bob about in a bucket of water, awaiting small children to bite them free from their watery graves.

Only the lucky ones get to be picked, pressed and fermented into delicious, mouth-puckering booze. British Ciders can be broadly categorised into two distinct styles, which are determined by the apples used. West Country ciders are predominantly made from cider apples, which produce a tannin rich, low acid cider, whilst the eastern counties’ style is crisp and sharp tasting, due to the predominance of eating and cooking apples thrown in the mix. Here’s our pick of the best British bottles, and there is more information on everything apple-related on our Two Thirsty Gardeners blog , a project combining our two passions: booze and gardening. 1. Handmade Cider, White Label, 4.8%: £32.40 for 12x500ml bottles, bristolcidershop.co.uk Chippenham, Wiltshire With each apple lovingly chosen for pressing by his own juice-stained hands, champion cider maker Denis France won gold for his Normandy-style cider at this year’s prestigious Bath & West Cider competition. Commendations don’t get higher than that. 2.

Severn Cider, Medium Sparkling, 6.3%: £14 for six bottles, severncider.com Newnham, Gloucestershire Pressed and fermented beside the snaking River Severn, this small family business has been scrumping from local orchards for three generations. They produce a dazzling array of blended and single variety ciders, but this one is top of the pips. 3. Oliver’s, At The Hop, 5.5%: £4 for 500ml, oliversciderandperry.co.uk Ocle Pychard, Herefordshire Legendary cider-maker Tom Oliver has won more prizes for his ciders than there are wasps in his apple store. Not content with sitting on his bushels, Tom keeps on pushing the envelope, producing majestic, cutting-edge ciders. This booze is infused with Cascade hops for a bittersweet meeting of apple and flower. 4. Perry's, Ilminster, Farm Pressed Medium Cider, 6.5% £2.40 for 500ml, perryscider.co.uk Ilminster, Somerset Tucked away in deepest Somerset sits Perry’s cider farm.

Competing with the likes of Hecks, Honeys and Burrow Hill to produce Somerset’s finest tipple, this unfiltered, naturally fermented cider is the pick of the bunch. 5. Once Upon A Tree, Putley Gold, 7%: £4.60 for 750ml, onceuponatree.co.uk Ledbury, Herefordshire This is marketed as a 'table cider', but could easily turn into an ‘under the table’ cider without self-restraint. It’s an expertly blended, golden wonder with the perfect balance of tannins and acidity and a super-smooth finish. 6. Worley’s Cider, Special Reserve, 5.4%: £30 for 6x750ml bottles, worleyscider.co.uk Shepton Mallet, Somerset ‘Keeving’ is a complicated process that creates a naturally sparkling cider with subtle caramel flavours. Neil Worley is a master of the art and his Special Reserve lends an appley fizz to special occasions. 7.

Fowey Valley Cider, Sparkling Vintage Cider, 7.5%: £12 for 750ml, ewwines.co.uk Fowey, Cornwall A delicate, Champagne-style cider made by the Methode traditionelle – a two-year labour of love resulting in a crisp, effervescent drink that will knock most sparkling wines into a cocked vat. Pop the cork carefully so you don’t waste a drop. 8. Hallets, Real Cider, 6.0%: £30 for 12 x 500ml bottles, halletsrealcider.co.uk Crumlin, Caerphilly Hallets is a standout among a growing number of Welsh cider makers. This variety has an initial natural sweetness giving way to a satisfyingly crisp, tannic finish. 9. Kent Cider Company, Russet, 8%: £17 for 5lts, kentcider.co.uk Canterbury, Kent A sublime example of a single variety eastern counties cider, made with finest Kent desert apples, squeezed on an old oak press.

The Kent Cider Company has won plaudits with its extensive range of craft ciders – this robust russet beauty is up there with the best. 10. Dunkertons, Black Fox, 7%: £2.29 for 500ml, waitrose.com Pembridge, Herefordshire Hand-crafted in Herefordshire, Dunkertons’ skilled cidermakers mix over 30 traditional apple varieties to create this tasty, tannic treat. Just go easy – at 7% abv, this fox packs a potent bite. Buy now Verdict Thanks to the innovation and skill of the current crop of cider-makers, the future of this classic British booze is looking very rosy indeed. The standard of cider coming from the UK’s producers is truly outstanding. It’s difficult to choose a favourite, but you’d be hard pressed to find a nicer drop than Denis France’s Handmade Cider . 'Brew it Yourself' by Rich Hood and Nick Moyle contains more information on brewing your own booze IndyBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage.

The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testing More about: · December 7, 2016 · Were you able to get your hands on some of the now sold out Dark Matter Coffee featuring our Winterruption? They kindly sent some up to us at the farm and we are fans. Can't wait to see what they come up with next! · December 5, 2016 · Happy Repeal Day! It was on this day 83 years ago that Prohibition was lifted. Our "special" farm cider is what kept the JK's family orchard in business during those years and served as the recipe for the Scrumpy we still make today! The story goes that mixed gender drinking, the invention of modern dating and cocktails came to exist due to Prohibition. Men and women began to drink together at speakeasies and dinner parties, opening up opportunities to meet people they never would have crossed paths with before. Cocktails became popular as a way to make the crude moonshine more palatable! Drinking Cider | Cider Glossary Alcoholic Warming taste of ethanol and higher alcohol’s.

ALSO – Alcoholic is a broad term used for a person with a problem with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker’s health, personal relationships, and social standing. It is medically considered a disease, specifically an addictive illness. A nickname for sweet alcoholic soft drinks that target the entry level alcohol consumer market with pre-mixed drinks. Commercial examples: Mikes Hard Lemonade, Smirnoff ICE, Bacardi Breezers. Ale Yeast Top fermenting yeast strains, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The top fermenting yeast perform at warmer temperatures than do bottom fermenting yeast’s used to brew lagers, and their byproducts are more evident in taste and aroma. Fruitiness and esters are often part of an ale yeast’s characteristics. Apple Engine in the old days a horse used to walk round a solid granite trough to crush the apple. Then ingenios were originally designed with men turning wheels and cogs, and the apple was crushed between wooden teeth or granite rollers. Now high speed mills do the job fed by an elevator. Definition From Farnum Hill : APPLE JUICE: 1) from raw apples.

Once termed ‘sweet cider,’ it was re- dubbed ‘cider’ in the U.S. during Prohibition. 2) A stabilized, clarified juice product sold year-round, usually made by diluting apple juice concentrate. Apple Juice Concentrate APPLE JUICE CONCENTRATE: a stable syrup reduced from raw juice. Heat & fans evaporate 90% of the water; filters remove suspended fruit solids, Concentrated used for cider may be generic (from any varieties available) select (made from specified apple varieties) or bitter-sweet (made from tannic cider apples). Bottom Fermenting Yeast One of the two types of yeast used in brewing. Bottom-fermenting yeast works well at low temperatures and ferments more sugars leaving a crisp, clean taste and then settles to the bottom of the tank. Also referred to as “lager yeast”. Bright Tank Used in the fermentation process, a Bright Tank is a liquid holding vessel in which cider is held after primary fermentation for maturation, clarification and also to naturally carbonate the beverage through a secondary fermentation. May also be called a secondary tank, or conditioning tank. French term for Dry – lacking sweetness in Cider or Perry.

Most cider and perry is fermented to be naturally dry, as most of the sugar gets fermented out. Often these dry ciders are sweetened to produce medium or sweet ciders. Commercial example of Brut Cider: Clos Normand Brut Cider (FRANCE), Crispin Brut (USA) Cheese refers to neat layered mounds of chopped cider apple and straw which is built in situ within the press. Now cheese cloths are used, first horsehair then hessian, now nylon. In large farms the cheeses are built on small trolleys and wheeled in, pressed and then out. They weigh about a ton. Cider Cider can mean many different things depending on where you are. In the United Kingdom cider refers to an alcoholic beverage made from fermented apples. In the USA cider refers to a sweet, unfermented apple juice and the term Hard Cider refers to the fermented alcoholic beverage from apples. Definition From Farnum Hill : Cider: an alcoholic beverage fermented from apples, as wine is an alcoholic beverage fermented from grapes. The cider-making & wine-making crafts have much in common. Prohibition devastated both in the U.S, but only cider lost its true name. In the U.S.

‘cider’ has only begun to reclaim its worldwide meaning. The process of adding hops to fermenting or aging cider (or more commonly beer) to add or increase hope character and aroma. Commercial examples of dry hopped cider: Colorado Cider Company Grasshop-ah, Woodchuck Dry Hopped Ester A volatile flavor compound naturally created in fermentation. Often fruity, flowery or spicy. Esters are created by the reaction of acids and alcohol and develop during fermentation. The chosen yeast strain and temperature used for fermentation determines what esters may be produced during fermentation. Cider that is said to be “Estery” has an Aroma or flavor that is reminiscent of flowers or fruits, which could be desirable. FMB FMB’s are Flavored Malt Beverages, this could be a wine cooler, fruit ale or other alcoholic beverage made from a fermented malt base. Many of these many have fruit flavors, like apple, but they are not ciders made from fermented fruit juice. Young tree that has grown from a pip from pomace thrown out at last year’s pressing. Hops Hops are an herb added to cider (or more commonly beer) to add bitter aromas and flavors.

The hops used for flavoring are the female flower of the plant Humulu Lupulus. There are many varieties of hops and they have unique flavors and aromas. Keeving A method of making cider which allows some of the natural sweetness to remain.This is traditional both in Western England and the northwest of France, but whereas it has virtually died out as a commercial proposition in the UK, it is still very much alive for the production of ‘cidre bouché’ in France. The underlying principle is to remove nutrients from the juice by complexation with pectin at an early stage, to ensure a long slow fermentation which finishes and can be bottled while still sweet and without any fear of excessive re-fermentation later.

Question: What type of drink is "scrumpy"?
Answer: Cider