Newsday: Booze

[Reginald McGraw]

I'm sure it's just so they can nail you if you start a liquor store in your house.

[nacho]

Like me!

[Reginald McGraw]

This really seems like an area where the government could stop regulating.  But hey, I guess they are a little.

[nacho]

I know it's a stupid gimmick, but I love what Schlitz and, now, Genesee are doing with the "classic packaging" thing.


http://mybeerbuzz.blogspot.com/2011/05/genesee-beer-revives-classic-packaging.html?spref=fb

[RottingCorpse]

Like I needed a reason, but okay!

Drink Alcohol, Live Longer? Works for Worms

Scientists have surprisingly discovered that a mere trace of alcohol doubles the lifespan of a tiny worm that has become a workhorse in biochemistry laboratories around the world.

The dramatic finding by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, suggests that the availability of ethanol -- the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages -- may play an important role in delaying the aging process, at least in the life of C. elegans, a benign worm that is less than .04 of an inch long.

The discovery was described as "shocking" by biochemist Steven Clarke, senior author of a study published in PLoS One, a peer-reviewed journal published by the Public Library of Science.

Clarke, who described the research with the almost giddy excitement of a man who is pursuing a great scientific adventure, admits he doesn't know why alcohol would have such a dramatic increase in the worm's lifespan, but he's certain of one thing -- it didn't take a lot of booze to trip whatever makes this tiny critter live so long.

The amount that worked best was roughly equivalent to a tablespoon of ethanol in a bathtub full of water, he said. Or for beer drinkers, that translates into one bottle of suds diluted with 100 gallons of water.

That's "basically nothing," Clarke said in a telephone interview, but it was enough for the tiny worm. The worm normally lives for only about 15 days, but a trace of alcohol extended that to up to 40 days, according to the study. If that worked for humans, we could sniff a little booze first thing in the morning and stick around for a couple of centuries.

That, unfortunately, is a really long shot. But the possibility is tantalizing, because we have much in common with C. elegans.

First, a word about the hero in this story. Half a century ago molecular biologist Sydney Brenner suggested that the tiny worm could be very useful to researchers, and the creature has since played a big role in science. It reproduces quickly during its short life, so many generations can be studied in a relatively brief period of time. It is a very simple organism, making it easier to study, yet it shares many biological systems with humans.

It has been described as "non-hazardous, non-infectious, non-pathogenic, and non-parasitic," and "transparent," and it has constantly amazed scientists. During one four-month period alone 73 articles about the worm appeared in international science journals.

The worm is particularly useful in the study of aging, and it has been at the forefront in research in Clarke's lab. Clarke and his colleagues -- Paola Castro, Shilpi Khare and Brian Young -- were using the worm to study the effects of cholesterol, which is crucial for humans but dangerous in the bloodstream. The first hint of what lay ahead came when the researchers put C. elegans larvae in a solution of ethanol, which works as a solvent, and cholesterol.

That research led to a paper showing that the cholesterol increased the lifespan of worms. But a phone call from a colleague at the California Institute of Technology introduced the first twist in this scientific journey.
Drinking Linked to Longevity in Worms

How, the colleague asked, was Clarke sure the increase was due to the cholesterol and not the ethanol?

Back to the lab, where the researchers experimented with various concentrations of ethanol, with and without cholesterol. It turned out that the cholesterol wasn't what was making the difference. It was the ethanol. Booze, in today's vernacular.

"We saw that the life extension was entirely due to the ethanol," Clarke said. "That got us going. How could a typical solvent diluted 1,000-fold have this profound effect?

"Then we found that it would work at 20,000-fold dilution," or one part ethanol to 20,000 parts water, he added. "That level was basically nothing."

The worms, incidentally, apparently enjoyed the trip. Castro, who is the lead author of the study and is now in the doctoral bioengineering program at the University of California, Santa Cruz, described it this way in releasing the study:

"What is even more interesting is the fact that the worms are in a stressed developmental stage. At high magnifications under the microscope, it was amazing to see how the worms given a little ethanol looked significantly more robust than worms not given ethanol."

In nature, the worms live in the soil and dine on bacteria, mainly from the decay of vegetation. But during the first phase of their lives, there may not be enough bacteria to keep them from starving.

"They are in the soil, no one is making it nice for them, they've got to make it nice for themselves and find bacteria to survive," he said. But it turns out that if there isn't anything there to eat, they can "arrest their growth and just hang out and hope for better conditions," possibly for as long as 10 days.

However, ethanol is frequently present in the soil from the decay of organic material, suggesting that maybe the tiny amount used in Clarke's lab was just enough nourishment to kick-start their lives. Possible, but not likely, Clarke said.

The researches experimented with various amounts of ethanol, but the worms took up only a tiny amount. They didn't pig out on all that was there. Maybe they were like binge drinkers who know they've reached a point where they should stop.

The actual mechanism that extended their lives remains pretty much of a mystery, but one is left with the question: So what? Worms are worms. Will it help us?

Clarke sees a path toward an answer. But it will take years. First, the researchers need to understand exactly how it works in the worm. Then, perhaps, they can move up to a mouse, if there is reason to believe a mouse shares a similar mechanism to that found in the worm. And then, finally, maybe to humans. But that, Clarke emphasizes, is a long shot.

"One of the most dangerous things you can do is try to make extrapolations from one organism to another, especially over this evolutionary distance," he said. But he is haunted by the fact that numerous research projects have shown that a limited amount of alcohol is beneficial to the human cardiovascular system.

That's still under debate, and alcohol is a dangerous drug, so the benefits -- if they are real -- do not come without liabilities. But if the life-extending mechanism can be found, perhaps some other compound, with fewer liabilities, will also work.

"We are excited," Clarke said.

[nacho]

We don't need worms. Human studies say that moderate drinking reduces the risk of strokes, heart attacks, enlarged prostates, some cancers, and dementia. Of course, moderate = one normal drink a day and no more. But, still...

There's a reason we've been brewing for 10,000 years. The making and consumption of alcoholic beverages predates written language. There are some contingents who believe that the shift to agriculture was more focused on brewing and distilling (primarily for religious purposes) than the pursuit of food. Though that's a heated argument...

[RottingCorpse]

Whatever justifies my AM snort of Wild Turkey.

[nacho]

Well...

But, on that topic, "cocktails" pre-prohibition were breakfast drinks. We still see that lingering a bit (mimosas and bloody marys).

So, if this were the 19-teen's, then...well...we'd still be concerned.

[nacho]

Inbev buys out Modela (and Corona):

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-06-29/ab-inbev-seals-20-billion-modelo-purchase-to-gain-corona-owner

[RottingCorpse]

Doesn't take much to get a Brit up in arms, does it?

Heineken, official Olympic beer, condemned by British politician/pub advocate

London conjures images of crowded pubs, which conjure images of pints of beer, which conjure the taste of … Heineken?

Well, not really. Which is why having the Dutch brewery's lager as the official beer for the London Olympic Games has drawn the ire of Greg Mulholland, a Liberal Democrat MP and chair of the "All Party Parliamentary Save the Pub Group," whose meetings we simply must attend one day.

Mulholland recently blasted the IOC for its selection of Heineken, claiming it was an affront to the celebration of British culture that are the London Games, saying:

    "Beer is the UK's national drink and the country has a strong and ancient tradition of brewing; by choosing a mass produced bland foreign lager, the committee has ignored all the wonderful, traditional beers that the UK has to offer and instead gone for the company with the biggest cheque book.

    "The Olympic Games is a prime opportunity for Britain to showcase the best of British, including the opportunity to promote its traditional beers and its thriving brewing industry. By opting for Heineken as the official beer, the opportunity has been lost. The decision is completely at odds with the strong positive British identity of the bid and the forthcoming London 2012 Olympics."

Mulholland tabled a Commons motion (essentially a topic for debate) this week that labeled the IOC's choice of Heineken as a "wholly inappropriate decision" with "the UK being one of the world's leading brewing nations."

(The Netherlands, for the record, exports a greater percentage of the beer it produces than any country in the world — 50 percent.)

Facing this type of political pushback, Heineken released this statement via The Drink Business:

    "As the UK's leading beer and cider business, Heineken is proud to have been chosen as an official supplier and partner to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, building on an association that goes back 20 years.

    "We are unequivocally committed to the responsible marketing of our beers and ciders and our long track record of sponsoring international sporting events like the Heineken Cup, Uefa Champions League and the Rugby World Cup bears testimony to this."

It released a short statement to the Guardian as well:

    "In addition to Heineken lager, we will supply London 2012 venues with the nation's favourite ale, British-brewed John Smith's, and the nation's favourite cider, British-made Strongbow."

So Heineken is a Dutch import, but the other two brands offered at Olympic sites are made in the U.K.

But they still aren't the type of brews that symbolize London's love of beer, at least in the eyes of advocates like Greg Mulholland. The IOC should have chosen something like Carling … which is owned by Molson Coors, of course. (Awkward.)

We'll just go ahead and assume that this protest against Heineken has something to do with beer costing 7.23 pounds (or just over $11) at Olympic venues. Because on top of paying that for beer, Londoners are paying that for Dutch beer.

[nacho]

It's a big problem. The big companies are basically destroying the local pub experience... And have certainly irrevocably changed it already. It's one of those things where the only thing that stands between every pub being a chain owned by Inbev or somebody is an NPO with an aged membership (and me!).

And you should join, too!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campaign_for_Real_Ale

[monkey!]

Most 'lagers' taste like shit. A good English ale, or German/Slavic Pilsner should always be chosen.

[monkey!]

In Paris there is a chain of English bars, the "Frog" pubs - e.g. Frog & Rosbeef, Frog & Princess - each of which has a micro-brewery serving 4 or 5 of their own beers/ales alongside the mass produced stuff.

Tasty fun for Sunday afternoons.

[nacho]

In Paris there is a chain of English bars, the "Frog" pubs - e.g. Frog & Rosbeef, Frog & Princess - each of which has a micro-brewery serving 4 or 5 of their own beers/ales alongside the mass produced stuff.

Tasty fun for Sunday afternoons.

And Monday mornings!

[monkey!]

They don't open until midday I think.