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April 2008

75 years now since the 13 years, 10 months, 19 days, 17 hours and 32.5 minutes of Prohibition.
April 7, 2008 - See Below

Reminders -

April 26, 2008 - Three Floyds Dark Lord Day. 11am-10:30pm.

May 3 - The First Annual Indy Craft Beer Festival,  - 2pm to 6pm, Hot Shotz Ale & Grill parking lot, 4705 E 96th St, Indianapolis, IN 46240

May 4 - Ticket go on sale for Great Taste of the Midwest

 America’s Brewers, Importers and Beer Distributors Celebrate ‘75 Years of Beer’ April 7, 2008

75th Anniversary of Legal Beer in America

  BOULDER, CO – March 12, 2008 – On April 7th, brewers, beer importers, distributors and beer lovers across America will celebrate 75 years of beer that has been flowing legally since the drought of Prohibition. The date will be marked with specially brewed commemorative beers, brewery tours and events at many of America’s 1,400 plus breweries.

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Historians note that Prohibition officially ended on December 5, 1933, with the ratification of the 21st Amendment. But earlier that year, newly-elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt took steps to fulfill his campaign promise to end the national ban on alcohol. He spurred Congress to modify the Volstead Act to allow the sale of 3.2 percent beer in advance of Prohibition’s ratification. Thus on April 7, 1933, Roosevelt himself received newly legalized beer at the White House to toast what was the beginning of the end for Prohibition. In the 24-hours that followed, more than 1.5 million gallons of beer flowed as Americans celebrated. http:www.75YearsofBeer.org

“April 7th is a day to recognize the past 75 years of beer and the beer community’s contribution to American's quality of life. The explosion of creativity and innovation by those who make beer is an American success story,” said Charlie Papazian, President of the Brewers Association.

“As we celebrate this significant day in the history of beer, we also recognize the incredible contributions beer has made to our nation and the economy over the last 75 years,” added Jeff Becker, President of the Beer Institute. “Today, our industry contributes nearly $190 billion annually to the U.S. economy and provides more than 1.7 million jobs to our nation’s workforce.”

“April 7th is the perfect time to highlight the entrepreneurial spirit and economic contributions America’s beer industry brings to our country. Americans now have access to nearly 13,000 labels of beer – within the safest alcohol distribution system in the world - because of the state-based regulatory system that was established 75 years ago,” added Craig Purser, president of the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA).

To mark this special anniversary, breweries across the country will hold ‘75 Years of Beer’ events for all consumers, employees, and their families. Numerous breweries are planning 75th anniversary celebrations including: dedicated festivals, special cask pre-prohibition beers, viewing parties of the historical documentary “The American Brew” – a film commissioned by “Here’s To Beer”, brewery tours, scheduled toasts and more.

For more information and a list of brewery celebrations by state please visit: www.75YearsofBeer.org

Beer Goggles" Effect Explained

Scientists believe they have worked out a formula to calculate how "beer goggles" affect a drinker's vision, BBC reports. The drink-fuelled phenomenon is said to transform supposedly "ugly" people into beauties - until the morning after.

Researchers at Manchester University say while beauty is in the eye of the beer-holder, the amount of alcohol consumed is not the only factor. Additional factors include the level of light in the pub or club, the drinker's own eyesight and the room's smokiness.
The distance between two people is also a factor.

They all add up to make the aesthetically-challenged more attractive, according to the formula:


An = number of units of alcohol consumed
S = smokiness of the room (graded from 0-10, where 0 clear air; 10 extremely smoky)
L = luminance of 'person of interest' (candelas per square metre; typically 1 pitch black; 150 as seen in normal room lighting)
Vo = Snellen visual acuity (6/6 normal; 6/12 just meets driving standard)
d = distance from 'person of interest' (metres; 0.5 to 3 metres)

The formula can work out a final score, ranging from less than one - where there is no beer goggle effect - to more than 100. Nathan Efron, Professor of Clinical Optometry at the University of Manchester, said: "The beer goggles effect isn't solely dependent on how much alcohol a person consumes, there are other influencing factors at play too.

"For example, someone with normal vision, who has consumed five pints of beer and views a person 1.5 metres away in a fairly smoky and poorly lit room, will score 55, which means they would suffer from a moderate beer goggle effect." The research was commissioned by eyecare firm Bausch & Lomb PureVision. A poll showed that 68% of people had regretted giving their phone number to someone to whom they later realised they were not attracted. A formula rating of less than one means no effect. Between one and 50 the person you would normally find unattractive appears less "visually offensive".
Non-appealing people become suddenly attractive between 51 and 100. At more than 100, someone not considered attractive looks like a super model.

Ed-note – An alcohol unit is 10ml or 8 grams of pure alcohol. The number of units in a drink depends on what you're drinking - how strong it is and how much there is. You may have seen examples of drinks that contain one unit, but these examples are often out of date, for instance: Half a pint of 3.5% beer/lager is one unit BUT many continental lagers are closer to 5% while extra strong lagers can be as strong as 9%! One small (125 ml) glass of wine at 9% is one unit BUT who uses small glasses? Certainly not pubs and probably not at home either. Plus most wines are now about 11-13%.

Factoids:

-On the basis of volume, Beer accounts for 87% of all alcoholic beverages consumed in the United States. Wine accounts for 8% and distilled spirits for 5%. 

 Cheers!