It can also be seen in the world of alcohol. An overwhelming shift into the world of retro can be seen in the popular speakeasies that seem to be popping up all over the place. They’re so hip and retro that when you’re there you are expected to pretend that the Volstead act was never repealed.

What’s more fun than pretending that the “fuzz” could show up any minute and take an ax to all of your hooch while you’re busy doing the Charleston? There’s a speakeasy in my city calledCheshire. I’ve never been there and I don’t know where it is, but hopefully someone will take me and show me the secret knock. Oh no, I’ve said too much.

It’s not just trendy clubs getting on the retro bandwagon though. It’s also cool to grab a classic drink at your local watering hole.

Sailor Jerry Rum: Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins was a Tattoo artist inHawaii. He is often referred to as the “father of old school tattooing”. After he died in the 70’s his spiced rum recipe was unearthed. The bottle is adorned with the work of Sailor Jerry while the rum is the essence of who the man was.

Jack Daniels: JD might not seem very retro. It’s pretty much been the most popular bourbon in theUS for as long as I can remember. What you might not know is that one of the coolest crooners of all time was famous for imbibing it. The chairman of the board, Frank Sinatra claimed to drink at least a bottle per day. He was even buried with his beloved Jack along with a pack of smokes and a stack of dimes so he could call all his friends in the after life.

Martini: If it was cool enough for James Bond, then it’s cool enough to be called retro. I’ve never ordered a martini at a bar. But, if I did, I would do it while speaking with a British accent while wearing a tuxedo.

Moonshine: It’s rumored that while vacationing inGeorgia, FDR purchased and drank moonshine during prohibition. There’s nothing more retro than drinking the same thing that the president illegally acquired while it was banned. You can go the underground route and buy stuff that could make you go blind or you could buy some from one of the many distilleries that make legal moonshine. Personally, I suggest you grab a bottle of Ole Smoky Cherry moonshine.

If you order these other drinks you will seem more hip than your friends:Manhattan, Zombie, White Russian, Tom Collins, Sidecar, Gimlet and Cuba Libre.

I put out an APB to all my Facebook friends for their favorite retro drinks. This is the message I received from my friend Alyssa Belasco:

“Stormy Morning Cocktail: St. Germain + Creme De Violette + Cava + Lime Juice = Alyssa feels classy, even when she’s being a sloppy sally. And it’s delicious. I go to Chesire onSouth Ave(inRochester,NY) for this, above Solera Wine Bar. I feel like I’m at a speakeasy from back in the day, sometimes the bartenders wear bowties. I just might show up there soon in a red flapper dress.”

What retro drinks did I leave off my list? Throw me a message @chrisosburn on twitter orcosburn@thefatherlife.com 

*This article originally appeared on DrinkingMadeEasy.com. Chris writes an article for the site every other week.

Rob turned to Ed and said “Why don’t we make our own”? That’s where the idea for Fireman’s Brew began. That was back in 2000 and today they brew their own brand of beer in Woodland Hills, California.

The Fireman’s brew site touts their beer as the perfect choice to “Extinguish Your Thirst” and “Ignite the party”. I’m always a big fan of word play so I immediately was all in on this one.

They make three styles. Fittingly, they are named after women. There’s the Blonde, Redhead and the Brunette. They don’t just dabble in wobbly pops, though. They also sell coffee and root beer.

Also, with every product sold, Fireman’s Brew donates a portion of its profits to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation in emmitsburg, Maryland. So, you can enjoy a delicious brew and feel like you actually helped out a little bit. That’s what I call a win-win.

The fine folks at Fireman’s Brew were kind enough to send me some samples of their brew since (as of right now) it’s not available on the East Coast.

Blonde (Pilsner Style Lager 5% ABV): This pale, yellow pilsner has a floral and fruity flavor that is extremely refreshing on a hot day. It didn’t have any fruit additives, but it was reminiscent of Magic Hat’s #9. I can definitely see how someone would want one of these while in the midst of a wildfire.  I drank it on my porch and when I was done I definitely wished I had a few more.

Redhead (Red Amber Ale 5.5%ABV): The Redhead is true to its name. It’s very dark amber in color and poured with a big and frothy head. Right away, a strong malty, coffee flavor comes through. It almost tastes more like a light porter than a red ale. This fire-haired vixen would be a great accompaniment to a nice grilled steak on a hot, summer day.

Brunette (German Doublebock 8% ABV): Last but certainly not least is the Brunette. I received two each of the other styles. But, sadly, one of the brunettes didn’t make it all the way to the east coast and I only got to enjoy one. It’s almost completely pitch black in color and should immediately make you realize that should receive the respect it deserves. This is not a beer to be taken lightly.  Its high ABV does not come through in strong alcohol flavor, though. It’s very malty with a smooth dark, chocolate taste.

*This article originally appeared on DrinkingMadeEasy.com. Chris writes an article there every other week.

Don’t worry, I’m not judging you. I like to drink my Jameson on the rocks, but I also like a good Jack and Coke every now and then.  Nobody drinks Everclear on its own. It tastes horrible. That’s why it’s always mixed with Kool-Aid. Let’s face it, not all alcohol is hand-crafted, triple distilled, liquid magic. Some is cheap, harsh and not very tasty on its own. That’s where our good friend “the mixer” comes in.

“The mixer” is not to be confused with the character of “The Cooler” that William H. Macy played in the movie of the same name. This is not a person who sits down at blackjack tables and immediately gives everyone bad luck. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

Say you bought a ten dollar handle of vodka. There’s no way you’re going to drink that on its own. You have to mix it with something. Maybe you like it with tonic water, your favorite energy drink or cranberry juice. A mixer is anything that you add to your alcohol to make it taste better or to add to the overall flavor. I’m not talking about a fancy mixed drink with tons of ingredients. I’m speaking of alcohol on the simplest scale. One kind of alcohol and one mixer, nothing else.

The usual suspects:

Sour Mix: This sometimes cloying sugary, sour liquid is usually added to whiskey to make it more palatable and jazzy. Feel free to add a cherry to this so you have a tasty treat saturated with alcohol to enjoy after your finished your drink.

Tom Collins: This is pretty much like lemonade mix. People usually mix it with gin to make an alcoholic lemonadey treat. I actually just tried to find out who this Tom Collins was. From what I gather, the drink was invented in the 1870’s and it seems that there never was a Tom Collins. Who knows? Whoever he was, he sure made a delightful, summery drink.

Bloody Mary: The only drink that screams “lets drink with breakfast!” more than the mimosa is the bloody Mary. Bloody Mary mix is kind of a cop out. All you need for a decent bloody Mary is tomato juice, hot sauce and vodka. The mix saves you the immense energy of having to mix one more ingredient (although I’d add hot sauce because I like it spicy).

Mojito: I get why people would buy pre made mojito mix. The real thing takes a ton of work. Who has the extra minutes to make simple syrup and muddle fresh mint? Not me, I’m busy with my pop and lock classes and staring into the sun. A little mojito mix and some rum and you have instant summer in a glass. Use bourbon instead and you have a mint julep. Drink that while you watch the ponies.

Margarita: Nothing says “happy day thatMexico beatFrance in the battle ofPuebla (Cinco de Mayo)” like a good, old fashion margarita. Mix this with your favorite (or cheapest) tequila and put on your giant, comically stereotypical sombrero. You may not know anything about one of the most famous battles in Mexican history, but at least you’re buzzed now.

Energy drink: I’m not going to mention the most famous energy drink. It rhymes with Med Wool. Any energy drink will do. Mix with your favorite vodka, gin, Southern Comfort, pool water, whatever you want.

Soda/juice: If you’re like Nacho, you’ll mix cola with rum. But you can really mix any soda or juice with any complimentary liquor. I asked my facebook friends to give me their favorite mixed drinks. Brandon Sheffer from the band Mochester said that he likes, “Captain with root beer. Everyone must try this!” Others said tonic with absolute and Sailor Jerry with Dr Pepper. It’s all up to you what you try. Maybe you’ll randomly come across your favorite new drink this weekend by mistake.

*This article originally appeared on drinkingmadeeasy.com. Chris writes a new article there every other week.

But, in the last year, a new brewery has started to take center stage in the Flour City. Three Heads Brewing Company is taking the area by storm with their quirky beer names, flavors and bottle artwork. Not to mention the fact that their brews are incredibly well balanced and delicious.

I had a chance to ask Three Heads’ Geoff Dale a few questions about this up and coming craft brewing operation.

What is the history of three heads? How did it get started?

It all started when Dan’s native planet Krypton exploded….oh wait…wrong origin.  It does all start with Dan Nothnagle.  He has been an avid craft beer drinker for fifteen plus years.  He traded online and always was out trying to get his hands on any new and exciting beer he could.  Todd Dirrigl, my bro in law, and I moved into the neighborhood and the three of us started hanging out.  We’d watch the UFC, football and hockey while drinking these great beers.

About 6 or 7 years ago, we decided we should try brewing our own beer.  That is where 3HB really was born.  We would do these brew nights on Friday or Saturday and our buddies would come along.  Dan would bring his great beers he traded for and the party would start.  We’d make beer, drink beer, listen to music and played foosball.  It was a great time and I think we all sort of miss those days a little bit.

What sparked the next step was our friends.  We started to notice they would grab our beers first over these beers Dan was bringing over.  So, on a lark, we entered five of our beers into a homebrew competition.  We ended up winning four medals (three golds and one bronze).  We then entered twenty or so more beers into other competitions over the following year and won sixteen medals (including a best in show over four hundred and thirty other beers inBuffalo).  That was the point where we realized we might be doing something right and that it was time to think about going to the next level.

Who does the artwork for the bottles and who thinks up the names of the beers?

Our artist is Allen Firlit.  Todd and I are in a band and Al is the bro in law of one of our members.  Al had done some posters for our shows and we loved his style.  It was a logical fit to have him come over and handle the labels.  The naming of the beer is a collective effort.  Many times it will be Dan coming up with an idea and then Todd and I either shooting it down or coming back with a different option.  Some of the names have been around since the early stages of this whole process and others just happened.  Like most things with this business, we are a group and we all work on it together.

Where do you see three heads in five years?

First off, I need to express how blessed and lucky I feel we already have been.  We never anticipated the success we have had and could never have imagined to be this far along in this amount of time.  That being said, I can dare to dream on where we are going and where we will be in five years.  For certain, I expect we will have our own brewing facility by that time….hopefully much sooner.  We currently contract brew with Custom BrewCrafters and it has been a great relationship.  But it would be nice to have our own place.  I would be shocked if that was not the case in 5 years.

I also see us opening our own tasting room/bar that is not at the same spot as the brewery.  Music is a huge part of who we are and we want to be able to have a room open where we could help support the local original scene.  We do a lot of events currently with great local bands like The Moho Collective, Audio Influx, Roots Collider, The Filthy McNastys and our own band Extended Family.  We would love to keep that vibe going.  The bar would also be a place to drink all of our beers as well as a place we would put on other local brews.  There are a ton of other great breweries in town right now.

So locally, the goal will be to open our own brewery and room within five years.

Out of the Rochester market?

I would like to see us continue our expansion of where we distribute to.  Currently, we are shipping our beer toChicago,Boston,D.C.and the surrounding areas.  We will be adding down state by May as well.  I would love to see us adding all ofNew Englandand the rest of the states in between these places we are currently shipping to.  To be able to distribute to the whole Northeast would be awesome.  But the important thing we always focus on is making sure we always take care of home first.  That will never change.

Tell me a little bit about the different beers available.

Here we go.  We came to market with 4 beers originally.

• The Kind IPA, which is an American style IPA.  It is our number one beer and it brings together all the things we love about hops minus that hop burn that many IPAs offer.  Light in body and color.
• The Skunk Black IPA is another IPA but it uses dark malts.  This gives it a darker, black color and also adds some roastiness to the flavor. It has a very complex taste that seems to be enjoyed by many wine drinkers.
• The Java Sutra Coffee Porter.  The irony of this beer is that Dan, who came up with the recipe, does not drink coffee.  It has some chocolate undertones and roastiness in the flavor.  It is a smooth beer and not to heavy in body like many other dark beers are.
• The Blimey was the last of the original four, but we have ceased production on it at this time.  It was a nice nutty English style pale ale.
• We also have tried to come out with a new seasonal beer every quarter.  We started last summer and have created the following beers.
• The Ontario Coast IPA, which is a Belgian style IPA.  That allows for a spicy flavor and a somewhat bubbly mouth feel.  It is a nice clean beer that is perfect for the summer.  We stopped making it in fall, but we have plans on bringing it back again soon.
• The Bromigo Smoke Maple Amber is my favorite beer that we make.  It has a smoke flavor and maple, but both are just parts of the flavor.  Too often, smoked beers are like licking an ashtray.  We wanted to not fall victim to that pitfall.  The amber body also allows it to be a lighter beer than many other smoked beers.  This is like a campfire breakfast.
• The Common Man Special Lager is our most recent offering.  All the other beers we have made are 6% or higher with the ABV and are bold flavors.  These are more for the craft crowd.  The Common Man is actually a beer we hope can bridge the gap between the craft scene and your every day macro drinker.  The response we have seen with this beer makes us think we might have hit our mark.
• We are also going to be releasing our Cobbs Hill Black Lager in June for Rochester Beer Week.  We were voted best beer at last years Real Beer Expo.  It is going to be a smooth and easy drinker that is perfect for summer.

Is there anything else you want our readers to know?

We love Rochester.  All three of us are born and raised here.  We hope we can continue to keep having this kind of success and hopefully help putRochestereven more on the map with regards to beer.

We would also like people to keep their eyes out next January as we do our second annual Home grown fest.  It was huge last year and this year is going to dwarf that event.  Cheers!

*This article originally appeared on drinkingmadeeasy.com. Look for Chris’s articles on wine, beer and spirits there every other week.

Although, that doesn’t mean you, the MLB fan, can’t enjoy a beer (or three) while you watch your favorite team battle it out in lawn covered stadiums all over the country.

The best way to show pride for your favorite team is to drink the beer that is brewed in that city. Unless you live in St. Louis and you need to pour one out for the loss of Albert Pujols, stay away from yellow, fizzy beers if at all possible. Welcome the new season by imbibing something that you have never tried before. You never know, it could become your new go-to beer.

Here is a list of MLB teams and some breweries that are located in or near each respective city:

1. Boston Red Sox: Beantown is very well known for its breweries. You can root for gritty Dustin Pedroia and the boys by hoisting a Samuel Adams Boston Lager from the Boston Beer Company. If you want to try something different, grab a Harpoon IPA from the Harpoon Brewery. Other breweries in the Boston area include: Rock Bottom Brewery, Boston Beer Works and Cambridge Brewing Company.
2. New York Yankees/Mets: New York State is a Mecca of brewing with the Empire State brewing trail rivaling the wine trial for alcohol supremacy. In the Metro area, you can cheer on the former employer of George Costanza by throwing back a Brooklyn Lager or Pennant Ale ‘55 from the Brooklyn Brewery. Other breweries in the greater NYC area include: Sixpoint, Greenpoint Beerworks, Chelsea Brewing Company, Heartland Brewing Company, Harlem Brewing Company and Bomb Beer Company. If you want to drink a beer from the oldest bar in the city, grab a six pack of McSorley’s while you wonder how AJ Burnett is enjoying Pittsburgh.
3. Milwaukee Brewers: Just hearing the word “Wisconsin” makes me think of deep-friend cheese and giant mugs of frothy beer. Milwaukee is most famous because of the likes of Miller, Pabst and Schlitz. But, it is also home to a slew of great craft breweries. They include: Rock Bottom Brewery, Lakefront Brewery, Sprecher Brewing Company and dozens more.
4. Philadelphia Phillies: We move from one area saturated with beer (not literally) to another. Philadelphia is a booming area when it comes to beer production. In terms of passion, the folks in Philly have it. I mean, they even booed Santa Claus.  I mentioned Troegs in my last article, but try something from the Victory Brewing Company while you cheer on Chase Utley and company. Grab a Victory Lager or Headwaters Pale Ale and dress up in your Philly Phanatic costume and fight Charlie Kelly. Other breweries in the area include: Triumph Brewing Company, Yards Brewing Company and Philadelphia Brewing Company.
5. San Diego Padres: We are flying over to the left coast for our last stop on this MLB beer tour. While rooting for the Carlos Quentin and the pads, enjoy a Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale (My favorite beer) from Stone Brewing Company. Other breweries in the San Diego area include: AleSmith Brewing Company, Alpine Beer Company, Port Brewing Company, Green Flash Brewing Company, Iron Fist Brewing Company and Mission Brewery.

Other MLB areas with great breweries include: Minnesota (Surly, Leinenkugel), Chicago (Goose Island, Metropolitan Brewing, Piece Brewery and Revolution Brewing), Colorado (Great Divide, Flying Dog, Breckenridge) and Cleveland (Great Lakes, Buckeye Brewing, Market Garden).

*This article originally appeared on drinkingmadeeasy.com where Chris writes an article every other week.

Beer has been the topic of choice for almost all of my previous articles. I’ve plunged into the land of Italian Amaro and even drank at the table of Jeremiah Weed, but for some odd reason I’ve strayed away from wine for the most part. That changes right now. Today I’m going to tell you about the odd history and the wines of Bully Hill Vineyards.

Bully Hill was the first wine I ever tried and because it’s delicious, affordable, local and available at every liquor store in my area, I continue to enjoy it to this day. Also, it’s pretty cool because it has ties to professional sports teams and we all know how much I love sports. It’s the official wine of the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins. It also has a pretty strange and unique history.

Bully Hill Vineyards is located in Hammondsport, New York in the Finger Lakes Wine region. The Vineyard is near Keuka Lake, home to many wineries, including Rooster Head Vineyards, Keuka Spring Vineyards and Heron Hill Winery.

Greyton H. Taylor and Walter S. Taylor started the vineyard on land that they had purchased from a man named Lloyd Sprague in 1958. The interesting thing is that the Taylor Wine Company had sold the land to Sprague back in 1920 only to buy it back from him thirty-eight years later. In 1970, Walter was fired from the Taylor Wine Company and, along with his father Greyton, formed Bully Hill Vineyards on the land.

When Greyton died, Walter took over full ownership of the Winery and Vineyards. At this time, he started the first wine museum in the United States. Also during this time, other winery owners began to take heat from Taylor because of his claims that many used grapes shipped in from other states instead of growing their own. People began to think that Taylor had become (pun intended) drunk with the power that he had accrued with his own winery. This was just the beginning of the strange history of Bully Hill Vineyards, though.

After the Taylor Wine Company merged with the Coca-Cola Company in 1977, they sued Walter Taylor over the use of his name. This is where things started to get really interesting. U.S. District Judge, Harold P. Burke, actually agreed with the suit and he said that Bully Hill could no longer use the word “Taylor” in their packaging or advertising. The name was then crossed out on all the previously printed labels and packaging

The really funny part about this whole debacle is the fact that clearly Taylor is Walter’s last name. The court ruling pretty much said that because the Taylor Wine Company didn’t want him to, he couldn’t even use his last name to promote his products. In fact, until the day he died, Walter would often tell people that his name was “Walter S. Blank” to poke fun at the court ruling.

Eventually, the ruling was changed and he was allowed to use his name as long as he added a disclaimer that he had no connection to the Taylor Wine Company along with a long list of stipulations as to how and where his name could appear on his labels. He was instructed to bring all of the old labels to Taylor Wine Company so they could be destroyed. After this was done, his court room troubles would be over and he would be free to make and sell his wine without fear of prosecution, Walter complied on November 8^th, 1979, but also decided to throw a parade as well as a party to mark the monumental day.

Instead of being mad about all of his court troubles, Walter used all of the press to create a buzz for his winery and his products. Nowadays, Bully Hill is the second largest wine producer in New York State and that’s mostly because of the notoriety the winery received during the lawsuit.

Some of the forty or so wines available from Bully Hill include: Chardonnay Elise, Fish Market White, Goat White, Space Shuttle Red, Walter S. Red, Love My Goat, Le Goat Blush and many more.

*This article originally appeared on drinkingmadeeasy.com. I write an article there every other week. Check them out. I write about beer, wine and spirits.

For more information, visit: BullyHill.com

“Sippin’ as smooth as a southern drawl that wants something from ya.” Those are the words of Jeremiah Weed. If you don’t know who Jeremiah Weed is, don’t feel too bad. I have to admit that up until about a month ago I had never even heard of Jeremiah Weed or his products. If you had mentioned the name Jeremiah Weed I would have assumed you were talking about some Civil War General that I had completely glossed over in middle school or some brand of herbal pharmaceutical popular in California. Technically, Jeremiah Weed is a brand of bourbon whiskey based products manufactured at the Jeremiah Weed Distilling Company of Norwalk, Connecticut. But, who is Jeremiah Weed?

There are many legends surrounding the so-called creator of this brand, Jeremiah Weed. According to an article published in the Syracuse Post-Standard in 1981 (the year I was born), Weed was a loner, a female magnet, a prankster and a soft-spoken gentleman. The writer, Bob Greene based this on print advertisements at the time. He pointed out that Weed seemed like “a guy I felt like knowing”. Sadly, he would never get a chance to meet Weed. Just like the Dos Equis guy (who is really just an actor who isn’t all that interesting if you still don’t know), Jeremiah Weed was never a real person.

“We wanted to create an image to associate with this new brand,” said then brand manager David Boyle. “We wanted something to compete with Wild Turkey and Yukon Jack and the rest.” They figured that if they created an image of a rugged, fun, ladies man who people would want to hang out with, they didn’t even need to stress how good the product actually was.

In a marketplace literally (figuratively) saturated with bourbons and whiskeys, they needed to find a way to make their product more desirable than others. Creating a person named Jeremiah Weed was the way to do it. Unlike the “most interesting man in the World”, Weed never even appeared in television or radio commercials. They banked on using the mystery of whether or not he existed to sell the product.

Jeremiah Weed makes blended bourbon whiskey (90 proof), cherry mash flavored blended bourbon whiskey (90 proof), bourbon liqueur (100 proof), original sweet tea (with vodka), sweet tea peach (with vodka), sweet tea bourbon (with vodka and bourbon), lightning lemonade premium malt beverage (5.8% ABV), spiked cola premium malt beverage (5.8% ABV) and roadhouse tea premium malt beverage (5.8% ABV).

The reason that this brand is relevant right now is because of the fact that the company’s malt beverages were just recently released in 2011 and are very popular among twenty and thirty-somethings (At least in the northeast where I live). I haven’t had a chance to try it, but I have seen multiple people imbibing JW’s spiked cola and everyone seems to enjoy it. I’m not a big fan of malt beverages, but it’s on my list of beverages to try.

Although there are many legends about the man himself, there are also many legendary (and true) stories involving the bourbon itself. Apparently, every United State Air Force fighter squadron has a lounge where pilots hang out and drink beer and play cards after completing missions. In the refrigerator of every single lounge is a bottle of Jeremiah Weed. The story goes that in the 70’s two pilots survived a plane crash during a routine mission and discovered a bottle of Jeremiah Weed upon their return to their base. They decided to drink the bourbon after every completed mission for good luck and ever since every USAF fighter pilot has adopted the same superstitious routine.

*This article originally appeared on drinkingmadeeasy.com. I write a column about what’s going on in the World of Alcohol every other week.

It appears that many brewers agree with my craving for something more exciting in the world of beer. Multiple breweries have added over-the-top, goofy beer styles to their repertoire. Some of the odd ingredients include Oysters, Chili peppers, milk and one that includes excavated ingredients from an ancient Egyptian tomb.

The Porterhouse Brewing Company’s Oyster Stout: This 5.2% ABV Irish stout is actually brewed with oyster shells. When I first heard about it, I assumed it tasted like Budweiser’s beer and clamato combination brew. I’ve never ventured to try this, but I have heard that it is the most awful tasting alcoholic beverage in the history of the World. Luckily, Porterhouse’s Oyster Stout doesn’t taste like oysters. You probably wouldn’t even notice they were used in the brewing process if you didn’t know.

 Pizza Beer Company Mamma Mia! Pizza Beer: I love pizza and I love beer. So, why not enjoy them together at the same time? Personally, I would rather just make the pizza dough with beer. But, that wouldn’t be strange enough for this article. This beer is actually made from pizza. According to the company’s website: a margarita pizza is made into a mash and steeped like a tea bag. They actually use a real pizza in the process. I just figured they threw the ingredients in and hoped for the best. The pizza has tomatoes, oregano, basil and garlic on it. The rest of the process is really complicated and just makes it sound kind of gross. This beer is 4.6% ABV and shouldn’t be tried if you can’t handle a brew with a strange spicy, buttery taste.

Original C Cave Creek Chili Beer: This beer might be a little too strange (and spicy) for the average craft beer fan. It’s only 4.2% ABV. But, what it lacks in alcohol, it makes up for in heat and odd flavor. The first thing you would notice about the bottle is the fact that there is actually a chili pepper floating in the beer. The flavor is similar to a poor man’s corona or sol, but with a ton of heat. The flavor is way too intense for most people to handle. I doubt the average person can even finish a whole bottle.

Tutankhamen Ale: This is actually the most expensive bottle of beer in the World. The first bottle sold for an estimated $7,686 at an auction. There is a reason for this. This might be the strangest beer ever brewed. Archaeologists from Cambridge, along with Scottish and Newcastle breweries developed this beer from brewing remnants found in ancient jars in the Sun Temple of Queen Nefertiti. They only made 1,000 bottles and sold them for auction at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Here are some other very strange brews:

 Kwispelbier: A non-alcoholic beef flavored beer from the Netherlands. Oh yea, it’s only for dogs.

Bilk: A Japanese beer that mixes beer with milk. Apparently, the Japanese people weren’t consuming enough milk. It only made sense to mix milk with beer because everybody loves beer. Now the Japanese can build strong bones while being drunk.

*This article originally appeared on drinkingmadeeasy.com. Chris writes a bi-weekly article for this online drinking magazine.

Mexican drink michelada. This drink consists of a beer base, something like sol or pacifico or dos equis would work, spicy tomato juice or hot sauce, lime juice, spices and peppers. Similarly to a margarita, it is served in a chilled, salt rimmed glass. If you aren’t into all that fanciness, you can ditch the salt rim and drink it as is.

There are many stories about the origin of this drink. Most believe that the michelada came to be at Club Deportivo Potosino in the city of San Luis Potosi in the Mexican state of the same name in north-central Mexico. This sports club is famous for its high level of competitiveness in swimming and tennis as well as being the origin of the michelada. It was supposedly created by member Michel Esper who would commonly ask for his beer with salt and lemon juice and it eventually became known as the michelada in his honor. Clearly, it has changed a lot since then, but that was the start of the drink that is now not only popular in Mexico, but all over the United States as well.

The michelada is so popular that two major American beer companies decided to get in on the action and released their own versions a few years ago. They decided to take a step down, though and released their take on the michelada’s distant cousin the chelada. The chelada is similar, but it lacks some of the kick. It is a stripped down version that drops the Worcestershire sauce, pepper and hot sauce. It’s usually just beer with lime and salt added. Actually, very much like Michel Esper’s original michelada.

Miller produces Miller Chill, a chelada style beer with lime and salt. They decided to forego the spice and pepper for a smoother beverage. I’ve had it a few times and it really just tastes like kind of like lime soda. The lime flavor is a bit cloying and it doesn’t have enough saltiness. You also completely forget that you are drinking a beer after a few sips. It isn’t terrible, but if you are a fan of Smirnoff ice or hard lemonade you might like it.

Budweiser chelada is also on the market and, frankly, this drink kind of frightens me. This combination of lager, clamato juice (clam and tomato juice), lime juice and salt got a “D-“  from beer advocate and should probably be avoided unless you are feeling extremely adventurous. I also don’t know why they call it a chelada when the addition of tomato juice most likely pushes it into the realm of michelada.

It would probably just be easier to make your own michelada or chelada at home than settle for mass-produced imitations. That way, you can decide what ingredients to add and what to leave out (clamato juice).  All you need is a 12 ounce beer, fresh lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabaasco sauce, black pepper and salt. Use two dashes of Worcestershire sauce, but one of everything else. Add more Tabasco if you like it muy caliente. Fact: michelada’s taste better in chilled glasses. So throw that mug in the freezer for a little while before making your own michelada.

Chris Osburn’s super awesome (and spicy) michelada recipe:

-One 12 oz. beer of your choosing (Sol, pacifico, corona, tecate or any lighter beer you want)

-¼ cup of fresh lime juice

-Two dashes of Worcestershire sauce

-Two-four dashes of your favorite hot sauce. Get crazy and use a really hot one

-One pinch of black pepper

-One pinch of salt

*This article originally appeared on drinkingmadeeasy.com

In honor of the brewery’s thirtieth anniversary, Redhook is unveiling a jazzy new look. They’ve changed the bottles, labels, bottle caps and packaging. I must say, the new look is pretty sleek and flashy and brings the brand back to where it started. “There seems to be a movement within the craft beer community where a lot of breweries are trying to ‘out craft’ each other,” said Robert Rentsch, brand manager at the brewery. Redhook isn’t about that. Of course we’re brewing great beer, but we’re just as interested in having a great time. We think our new look reflects our personality well.”

Just as Redhook is getting new packaging, I’m noticing that I have new “packaging” on top of my head. For a long time, I buzzed my hair. I didn’t let it grow for about four years and just recently have begun growing it out. I’m noticing that grey hairs are popping up randomly. I’ve never seen this before. There isn’t a ton, but I’ve noticed them and I’m strangely OK with it. So, while Redhook’s packaging is retro and flashy, my hair color is classic and distinguished (old and balding).

Just like me, Redhook Brewery was born in 1981. I was “founded” by my parents Bob and Patty Osburn in Rochester, New York. Redhook was founded by Paul Shipman and Gordon Bowker in Seattle, Washington. Bowker was actually also one of the founders of Starbucks, so he’s a fairly important citizen of Seattle. Ron Burgundy would say that he’s “kind of a big deal”. Shipman and Bowker decided that they were tired of the giant, conglomerates deciding what beer people should drink. They wanted the city of Seattle to have a beer of its own to be proud of.

They started brewing out of an old auto body shop in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. Their first batch was called Ballard Bitter. That beer evolved to eventually become Long Hammer IPA (My favorite Redhook brew). They also started brewing what would become the company’s flagship brand, their ESB (extra special bitter). Since they beat most craft brewers to the punch, Redhook was the first ever nationally distributed craft beer.

Eventually, they realized that they had become too big for their proverbial britches so to speak. “We realized we weren’t celebrating the big personality that Redhook is in the way it deserved to be celebrated,” said Rentsch. That’s when the ideas started flowing about a few changes. Just like a mid-life crisis, the gang at Redhook decided that it was time to reinvent their brand. You can see the changes at your local supermarket. Just look for the snazzy new bottles and packaging. If I was you, I’d grab some Long Hammer.