PIVO

How Do People Room-Party in Hangzhou

2011-06-25T05:41:00.003Z

Last weekend our company organized a team building trip to Hangzhou, a southeastern Chinese provincial capital which used to be the national capital back in the Song Dynasty (1000 AD). Last minute notice but it turned out awesome. A noteworthy event was a room party we threw in our hotel at a colleague's room - 7 ppl with limited alcohol and a retarded card game but we made the best out of it. And below is a priceless discover we made:

The alcohol purchasing group went down to the grocery shop and brought back this:

Hang on, hang on, Jenny, you know we have a no-alhocol-no-kofola-no photo rule on this blog, right? That's a frikking rice sack!
Yes I'm crystal clear about this rule but I F*CKING MADE IT (YEAH)! But wait and hear me out, let's take a look at what's inside:

Yes baby, the grocery store didn't have anything big enough except for a 50kg rice sack (which can be used to bag cement lime as well, by the way) to bag those beers.

WE LOVE HANGZHOU.

PS. Those are West Lake Beer - world_pivo strikes again!

Will & Lindsey sparkling!

2011-05-03T15:58:00.001Z

Will & Lindsey sparkling!, a photo by jennyhu on Flickr.

So Will and his friend Lindsey come to China, right? The first thing they saw and drank when landed in the airport was a can of Tsingtao beer that greeted them at the gate. Everyone reckon this was a good start, eh? It gets better.

Day 1, without even a glance of Shanghai, they are shipped to the coastal city of Xiamen. And again, without even a peek of the beach or sea, they are tossed into a rental car and driven to a rural village of Hakka people. By this time they have been traveling on the road for like 36 hours with only a short interval of a 5 hour nap in a hotel room.

So we get to this town and what do we see? Cold beer and sparklers. What better can we do!

Xiamen Local Beer

2011-05-03T15:52:00.001Z

Xiamen Local Beer, a photo by jennyhu on Flickr.

Homemade Hakka Rice Wine. BEST. RICE. WINE. EVER.

2011-05-03T15:46:00.001Z

dinner in a #tulou - homemade rice wine. Best I've had EVER!, a photo by jennyhu on Flickr.

The four of us finished a litre over dinner that night between beers. It made the night drive to the tulou viewing points more fun!

Chongqing expedition

2011-04-07T02:10:00.003Z

It's been a while since I last went on a solo trip, so I thought I could use the past long weekend holiday to have a date with spicy hotpot and cold beer in spring time. So, Chongqing it is!

Shancheng beer is the local brew. Shancheng literially means "city of mountain" in Chinese, or "city in mountains", or "mountains in city"... whichever way you like to call it, it will never fail to help picture the city layout for you. It's literally a city built on hills and mountains along the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers. Amazing view and amazing heartbeat when you are in a local taxi/bus racing up and down winding through the city streets on hills and tunnels with the gorges and rivers just underneath. I don't even know how the city's cartographers make their living in a 2-D map world because the city is practically vertical!

Anyway, back to the business. A photo for your edification on how the locals spend their day - hotpot and cold beer withe a window view of the Yangtze river.

[Eat your heart out]

Why it is important for the ordinary to carefully read government report and understand the impact

2011-03-23T08:26:00.003Z

I'm not sure if I'm the only one who spotted this and felt this a crushing affect to our normal life, but I think this deserves some quick actions and petitions!

Booze

If the government applies the duty escalator, raising the price of alcohol faster than inflation each year, it could add up to 7p to the cost of a pint of beer from April. (UK Budget 2011)

Are you tired of hearing how beer is good for your health yet?

2011-02-28T05:27:00.002Z

Well, here's more to come. After helping on heart problem, here's beer's contribution to your blood sugar level - a brewmaster's formula for insulin production.

I'm more shocked to know that I didn't know that before!

2011-02-24T08:39:00.002Z

Beer to be classified as alcohol for first time in Russia. (news)

How come I never knew that it was NOT alcohol before in Russia - I would have been more proactive to visit that country! The last lost land!

Seoul, Korea

2011-01-30T06:24:00.003Z

This time it's Seoul! One would need courage and a special mind to voluntarily go to Seoul in the heart of winter to be caught in a middle of a blizzard. However you would be surprised that I did think that a Korean winter is more bearable than the damp coldness in Central-Eastern China that soaks into your bones! Even better, warm stew, soup and BBQ with all those beers, sojus and makkoli's would just make it way more than bearable - they are pleasant!

[First Encounter with Korean Local Brew]

[Korean Beer with Pork BBQ. Oh how good was the pork belly!]

[Soju Finally!]
Side story:
Setting - Team dinner, majority of the visitors female, and majority of the Korean local team male.
Action - A pinkish bottle of drink was brought in and we were told that it's strawberry flavored makkoli, soft and sweet, "just perfect for girls".
Trigger - Not a fan of strawberry flavored stuff, I kindly turned down the second serving of the pink drink after the first taste and requested for more soju.
Response from the local male audience - "Oh no, come on, soju is for guys, Makkoli is for girls!"

[Makkoli, original flavor. NOT PINK!]

[Cass in Bottle]

[Cafri in a cute (but strange) 2nd floor cafe on a side street of Myeong-Dong]

[New Ad Slogan: Cass in Jug, best with Half-an-Hour Shisha!]
Oh, that's where I saw a MP in full army gear patrolling Seoul bars, for the first time in my life!

WHY WOULD ONE WANT THAT!

2010-12-24T00:54:00.003Z

Alcoholics May Stop at One Drink With Help From Lundbeck Anti-Abuse Drug (article)

Seriously, I mean, do drug makers really have too much time and money on their hands? Like, as if anyone had told them we needed that drug!

On a related note, Merry Christmas kids!

[Beer and BBQ Meat Combo, All in American Size!]

A Life-changing Beer Experience. - From Qingdao with Love

2010-12-02T00:54:00.003Z

Ladies and Gentlemen, My Dear Friends,

Please allow my self-indulgence here and be patient with what I have to say in the following minute, because I am going to say it three times:

Qingdao Yuanjiang Beer is the best beer in China and one of the best I've ever had in the world!
Qingdao Yuanjiang Beer is the best beer in China and one of the best I've ever had in the world!
Qingdao Yuanjiang Beer is the best beer in China and one of the best I've ever had in the world!

I have to say that I didn't expect it to be that good when I planned my trip. All I heard was how people drink it in plastics bags (and we did it too!) and how it's different in Qingdao from other places... Well, the truth is, it is ONLY AVAILABLE in Qingdao! "Yuanjiang" means "original" in Chinese, and it is the unpasteurized version of the famous Qingdao beer so it's only sold locally due to the strict requirements to keep it fresh and good. It is so refreshing in summer and best with all those awesome fresh and fat seafood available in Qingdao, let alone those street-side restaurants, beaches, 1900 European style buildings and MOST FRIENDLY PEOPLE AND CUTEST ACCENT ever!

You can tell that I have much love for Qingdao and I bet you would be too if you were there - well preferrably with us to have an even cooler travel experience.

The below photos are contributed by Hu's Fabulous Tour Qingdao Chapter (meaning beer sessions from 10am to mid-night, daily) for your edification. Eat your heart out.

We all miss Qingdao. And I will be back.

Lots of Love,
HU

World_Pivo Attacks West China

2010-10-03T00:38:00.002Z

World's First Sexy Beer

2010-05-11T05:59:00.004Z

Bavarian Brewery Claims to Spice Up Sex Lives

A brewmeister in Bavaria is convinced that he has come up with the "world's first sexy beer," a tipple that will not only boost libidos, but also fertility and potency. Will "Erotic Beer" prove to be better than Viagra? (article)

Well, what if he drinks the beer and takes Viagra?

Back in Japan

2010-03-24T15:08:00.003Z

Finally! It seems that it doesn't really matter whether I'm "back in Japan" or not, point is I'm BACK ON DOBREPIVO! A celebration was duly held with a small bottle of chilled sake with yakitori, grilled seafood, rice with seafood...

It's a celebration, bitches!

More in Vietnam

2010-03-24T15:03:00.003Z

IMG_9428
Originally uploaded by jennyhu

Uncle-in-laws didn't think Fang could drink - Fang was supposed to be shy and hardworking and clean like all Long My girls. That was no longer true to them after she had demanded a beer on the banquet night. The next morning someone knocked at her door at 8:30 and she was invited to a morning party with the uncle-in-laws. She liked 333, apart from the ice.

in vietnam

2010-01-10T03:47:00.001Z

IMG_9350
Originally uploaded by jlovegren

this is an entry to commemorate the expansion of the pivo network into vietnam. the beer bottle depicted is from long my, hau giang province.

new years in shanghai

2010-01-10T03:44:00.001Z

IMG_9301
Originally uploaded by jlovegren

fang cannot make posts, but i am going to reconstruct this picture based on second-hand information, writing pretending as if it were fang writing: (imagine a british accent)

"so actually you know i met li ping recently, it was in shanghai for new years. and many of the cities were closed, the bund, the public transport network was paralyzed because of the mass of people wishing to celebrate, so we couldn't go there, but we wanted to go see the countdown, and we took a cab and oh my god thirty minutes but we finally got there and we realized oh my god we don't have any alcohol, so we went and bought two bottles of wine you know to celebrate and for the countdown. it was so boring, and by the time we reached back to the hotel and finally opened the bottles of wine the countdown was already starting. i mean you want to have one or two drinks to build up the atmosphere, you know so you can feel festive for the countdown, but we had no time to do that. so yes li ping is doing quite well, she is no longer a good employee."

Down Under

2009-12-01T14:30:00.003Z

All the short and boring bi-weekly early morning flights between Prague and Brussels have finally paid off - a free flight to Down Under with the miles would just do! A glorious return to Sydney for Raphael and Michela's wedding and a dream-like visit to New Zealand brought us a new list of sampled beers by pivo terrorists!

Australia:

New Zealand:

(Bay's - Nelson's local brew)

Angkor Beer in Angkor Wat

2009-10-03T10:43:00.003Z

Cambodia is amazing and Angkor Beer is not too shabby - apart from the fact that they add ice to the glass because it's too hot out here.

One more country in Asia, my fellow pivo terrorists. Way to go!

[Angkor Beer]

[Angkor Beer and Amok Fish by the Mekong]

[Dinner in my favorite local pub in Siem Reap, Angkor beer and clams fried with fresh basil watching a Chinese action movie!]

[Second visit to the restaurant - becoming a regular!]

Pivo Map

2009-08-23T13:23:00.002Z

Was it just me or World66 messed up our pivo map? I tried to restore some countries but can't remember where everyone has been. RAH! Can the pivo kids here update the map with your countries again prosim?

Oh and I can only access this blog only when I'm out of China because blogspot is blocked there. Bleah!

Just as you thought we'd stopped...

2009-06-09T10:21:00.004Z

A quick trip to Tokyo turned out not to be so quick after two extensions. Finally got to sample the real Japanese food with reasonable prices. Japanese beer might not be the most famous but pivo terrorists are not supposed to let any suspects get away, are we? A good portion of legendary sake was had too although without photo evidence. Either way, eat your heart out!

[Asahi]

[Nikko]

{A weekend trip to Nikko got me drenched but luckily there is the local Nikko beer for a Sunday brunch coming to rescue!}

[Kirin]

{Free booze from work!}

The face of Chinese beer

2009-06-04T12:11:00.002Z

A bit of history of our beloved Qingdao beer. Well shouldn't we all be proud!

Beer in China.

This is when you know things are getting really bad...

2009-01-26T09:33:00.002Z

SABMiller, the second-biggest brewer in the world, reported a surprise 1 percent drop in volume shipments in the last three months of 2008, compared with a year earlier. Its lager volumes in Europe fell 1 percent, led by a 22 percent drop in Russia. In the United States, volume sales of its MillerCoors joint venture with Canada’s Molson dropped 2.3 percent.

The Danish brewer Carlsberg announced it was cutting about 275 jobs in Europe. Diageo, which makes everything from Cuervo tequila to Guinness, put on hold an $840 million expansion of beer production in Ireland. The British Beer and Pub Association reported that pubs were struggling across the country as beer sales fell to their lowest in 70 years. (article)

It's time for us to get real serious and tackle this together. If there is one thing we can do to directly contribute to the rescue of ecomony, apparently getting a beer after work (or at work) is the right thing to do now!

More eating and drinking delight in Peru

2009-01-20T12:04:00.000Z

Cibecha (civecha) is the traditional coastal Peruvian food - raw seafood marinated in lime juice and served with corns (as big as quarters!) and sweet potato. SOOOOOO GOOD!

Oh and of course it's even better washed down by a gulp of Cusquena!

Are you worth your weight in pivo?

2009-01-14T21:50:00.002Z

I came upon this article on the BBC today.

-----------

excerpt:

US father sells daughter for beer

A man has been arrested in California after allegedly arranging for his 14-year-old daughter to marry a neighbour in exchange for beer, meat and $16,000.

-----------

Beer, meat and money sounds like a fair tradeoff for a person- more varied and valuable than just trading people for camels or something.

This article made me think- are you worth your weight in pivo? How much beer do you think could be fairly traded for your person?

Expidition

2009-01-14T15:20:00.005Z

When the north starts to snow,

You naturally seek sun, ... and cold beer, in the south.

PORTUGAL
Ginjinha from the oldest store in Lisboa that sells it - not too shabby. Even a cherry flavor hater like me liked it, especially at 10am!

BRAZIL
I honestly didn't do much in Rio except drinking caipirinhas on the beach - what else is one supposed to do?

Passion Fruit Caipirinha - exquisite!

More Brazilian pivos sampled:

[I was just very excited at the beer bottle holder which is novelty to me. And what's inside the holder is really a bottle of Kaiser and Skol, not the lame SOL!]

PERU
Pivo Love - Peruvian edition.

Cusquena - apparently from Cusco. National brew that you can find everywhere in the country.

Whereas Arequipena is only available in the south - obviously mostly around Arequipa.

And in the meantime Lima's ambitious 2 year old new brand Franca wants a share too!

[Oh, and Inka Kola is THE soft drink in the country. Apparently Peru is the only country in the world that the American Colas are not leading the market. Guess who's the winner here?]

Ukrainian Goodness

2008-11-11T16:44:00.000Z

Beer for Life

2008-11-11T08:48:00.003Z

'Bio-Beer' Designed to Extend Life

BioBeer, as it's called, has three genes spliced into special brewer's yeast that produce resveratrol, the chemical in red wine that is thought to protect against diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's and other age-related conditions.
(Discovery)

Beat you to it, Kent.

2008-11-06T11:46:00.002Z

Dober Dan from beautiful Slovenia!

Lasko

Sokol (Restaurant home brew)

Union

Ukraine and Moldova, Bitches!

2008-10-22T13:23:00.002Z

I've officially conquered Ukraine and Moldova. They are now on the pivo map. Pictures of Ukrainian pivo to come, although no evidence of Moldova. You still believe me, right?

Milestone

2008-10-10T08:57:00.004Z

It's official. Pivo Terrorists have conquered Oktoberfest, with pride.

[It's a beer tank with tap on my head!]

Pivo Terrorists hit London- in photos

2008-09-06T14:17:00.010Z

In an attack, the likes which has been unseen for the past 2 years, pivo terrorists hit London in late August.
These smiling faces conceal hardened and dangerous pivo terrorists, who are almost as unpredictable as the crazy bar owner at World's End pub who terrorized a hot dog vendor's cart with a fire extinguisher.

United by a love of pivo, as well as personalized dance moves, they pay homage to the pivo any time possible.

Years pass, the location of training camps change, but the message of the pivo terrorists remains the same--- just drink bitch.

Despite the harsh training schedule the pivo terrorists still found time to let loose and indulge in a favourite past-time. Shaking it like a polaroid picture.

These pivo terrorists are wily creatures indeed, dispelling the adage "you can pick a terrorist and you can pick a nose, but you can't pick a terrorist's nose".

They were seen parting ways quickly, leaving pivo behind to catch transport out of the attack zone. When will they attack again? All we can do is wait, but 2009 may be a year to remember.

beamish

2008-08-24T05:13:00.001Z

beamish now comes in a can at my local beer store.

What happens in Barcelona stays in Barcelona

2008-08-19T20:40:00.001Z

The Ten Best Summer Beers

2008-07-22T13:00:00.002Z

A biased list like all others. But Budvar gets in anyway.

Armenia Diary - Kotayk Style

2008-07-11T12:16:00.001Z

Kotayk
Originally uploaded by jennyhu

Day 1, after arrival, Armenian friend sends a message asking what our plan was. Reply: we will just hang around, see the city and drink beer in the parks.

Day 1 evening, met up with Armenian friend. Asks us what we did and how we liked Yerevan so far. Reply: tried Kotayk and it was good.

Day 2, during the day, Armenian friend sends a message asking what we were doing and if we needed any help. Reply: we are sitting in a cafe drinking - enjoying ourselves a lot.

Day 2 night, Armenian friend gave up asking and took us clubbing. Armenian friend left at midnight, we partied till 3am.

The Onion Breaking News

2008-06-16T11:50:00.001Z

New Beer Brand Claims To Be Colder Than Other Beer Brands

WTF?

2008-06-05T09:18:00.000Z

Czechs no longer brew top pilsner
Australian brewer now makes world's best Bohemian lager

At this year’s World Beer Cup in San Diego, California, the largest competition of its kind, the gold medal for “Bohemian-style lager” did not go to a Czech brewery for the first time since 2000, when the competition was smaller by nearly half and dominated by North American brewers.

Rather, the world’s best pilsner beers can be found in two unlikely places: Portland and Sydney. (more sadness)

Moroccan Beer

2008-06-02T03:18:00.001Z

gushing

2008-04-04T20:13:00.002Z

i was cleaning out some bottles from an old batch of beer that got infected. this is a sure sign that something has gone wrong. gushing:

Conquering Smallest Countries in Europe

2008-03-29T22:57:00.005Z

My Italian friend only learnt from me that San Marino, that little town in the middle of Italy next to Rimini, is actually a country on its own, legitimately. Little did she know that ever since I had my first passport San Marino has been the No.1 on my must-visit country list all these years, simply because it is the only country in the whole world that a Chinese normal passport does not need a visa for, not at all. I really wasn't expecting much, until I knew the following. Besides being the world's oldest surviving republic, another shocking fact of that hidden gem is that it's got its own local brew. I didn't think it was possible so when I sat down in the restaurant and asked for a drink I had to ask for clarification when she offered their local beer.
"You mean, local as in San Marino?"
"Yes, it's Sammarinese and everyone likes it!"
Then I looked around and realized that there is this weird looking bottle on almost every table.
"OK, I'd like to have one, too."
"Large, half a litre."
"Yes, please."
And it's not a bad beer at all. Amberish color, reminds me of the Belgian Quak, though more yeasty. And the bottle was just so well designed and convenient to use it's so far the best beer bottle I've seen and used. Take a close look at the beer label. Impressive, eh?

[From San Marino with love]

Just as I thought San Marino would be my record of the size of the country I drink in, it also became the shortest lived record, lasting for only 24 hours. Here's how it happened.
"Hi, em... may I ask, em.... do you serve alcohol here today?"
"Excuse me? Do you need a menu?"
"Er well, I thought, you know, because today is the Easter Sunday, and the Pope's Mass is still going on, and it is Vatican, you know... Anyway, I can see that you don't have a problem with that. Can I have a beer, please?"
"Sure."
The Holy See never ceases to impress me.

[From Vatican City on Easter Sunday with love]

Sample the Beer Before You Buy It

2008-03-11T12:47:00.001Z

Washington lawmakers have approved a pilot program that will allow beer and wine tasting in 30 grocery stores statewide in an effort to market local products.

The one-year program, strongly supported by the state's microbrewery and wine industries, allows shoppers to sample as much as 4 ounces of beer or wine. Supporters say it allows small wineries or breweries with no marketing budget to get their products out to the public. (AP)

Delirium

2008-03-02T16:11:00.003Z

While our pivo alphabet game is stuck at 'I", I decided I should seek more information sources out in the world.

Delirium is a legend in Brussels, well, at least for beer drinks. Ever since my first trip to Brussels, actually even before I went to Brussels, I had had people tell me that one HAS TO check out Delirium when in Brussels, something like we say you have to see Great Wall when in China. Yeah it's that big of a deal.

If you wonder why, Delirium has an official Guinness certificate proving that on this planet they have the most beers commercially available in a bar. So we go and attempt to verify. We ask for their full menu, and the guy come and put this book down in front of us, with this evil grin in his face as if to say you are not the first one who didn't believe it dumbass. We realized that the fatal flaw in our plan was that we went on a Sunday night and we both had an early working session to catch the next day so we couldn't afford to sample all their beers, timewise and financewise. School girl error.

Having said that we did make our effort to taste as much as we can. Here are the proof. Thanks to them I was able to recap some of my hazy memories. Cheers to the cameras...

But hang on, I still haven't found an iBeer!

Mir wölle bleiwe wat mir sin

2008-03-02T15:44:00.004Z

Luxembourg's national motto, means "We Want to Stay What We Are." Quite proud, isn't it? Well they deserve to be. Lots of people don't believe in the official statistics that Luxembourg has the world's hight alcohol consumption per capita, and it's won the title for several years in a row. But ladies and gentlemen, it can well be the truth if you consider the fact that 60% of the Luxembourg's residents are not Luxembourgish nationals and the ratio has gone up so high the government has allowed those non-national residents to vote. Impressive.

Longing to verify that fascinating rank as well as tick one more item off my countries-to-visit/drink-in list, I took a short day trip last weekend to sample Luxembourg's old city center (a UNESCO World Heritage site) and its local brew. Props to Marie, my superb host who didn't mind me dragging her around taking photos like a typical Asian tourist and making her take photos of me drinking. That's a tough job, I'm sure all of you are aware.

So, turns out Luxembourg is a beautiful city, details of which you can browse here. What I hope to officially introduce here is the three (actually, two) Luxembourg local beers that I sampled during my 4 hour tour of the country/city.

Battin, light lager, not too shabby, good for washing down a heavy lunch meal, which I did.

Apparently Mousel and Diekirch are more famous and traditional Luxembourgish brands but I didn't have enough time to sample both. On my way to catch my train back to Brussels I saw a sign outside a cafe saying they served both. I thought it was brilliant, and again, dragged Marie with me who initially only wanted some waffles with coffee. Nice try of her. We ended up both having beers, of course. The only problem is that when I ordered a mousel, it was served in a Diekirch glass instead. So here, two birds with one stone. Isn't that great? Mousel wasn't bad at all. Heard that Diekirch isn't too hard to get in Brussels. Ahhhh how curious. I shall inquire!

From Luxembourg with love, kids!

World_Pivo back in the game

2008-02-22T10:09:00.003Z

Pivo Terrorists' attack in China, aka the Middle Kingdom.

[Sagres, Portuguese dark beer with special discount in Macau. Score!]

[Yanjing, Beijing local brew, in Beijing, of course.]

[Australian beer in Beijing! I'm sure you can see the excitement in this photo.]

[I can't believe I didn't take a photo of Qingdao beer in China and had to tag Paulaner here instead. Not that Paulaner isn't worthy though. It rocks.]

[Ah so we did try Qingdao after all. With yummy food in Hong Kong... the accumulation of coolness.]

This is how bored Canadians get when having their ass frozen off...

2008-01-31T13:58:00.000Z

A local brewing company says the time has come to find an answer to one of life's most perplexing questions: How long can beer sit outside in winter before freezing?

But hey, this is what I can find out in the middle of the blizzard in China in a few days!

Let's Play a Little Game

2008-01-30T13:09:00.000Z

We have the English alphabet. We have a diverse array of beers.

Is there a beer name for every letter in the alphabet?

If you thought "X" was difficult, luckily Azerbaijan sports "Xirdalan" as its main brew.

A Belgian Classic

2008-01-21T11:17:00.001Z

Kwak. Piece of art.

I Hope You're Happy, Jenny.

2008-01-18T09:54:00.000Z

Is that better, or are you going to claim that it's in fact apple juice and not beer?

I can tell you that it is unpasteurized Polish beer. Mmm...

lambic

2008-01-15T21:35:00.000Z

despite what some members of our community believe, i think lambic beers deserve serious consideration by pivo enthusiasts. they are brewed with wild yeasts instead of the usual cultured strains, so their taste is strikingly different from other beers. they are a bit acidic and have a dry finish. they also lend themselves to the addition of fruit during the brew, so they can make a beverage that is a bit sweet, fruity, and retains its dignity. this cannot be said for most other fruit flavored drinks.

i had a cherry one last night. i encourage everyone to seek out different styles and flavors of lambic beers and report back here on your impressions. most importantly, you can help settle an argument i have with jenny about whether it's a beer "that you can drink throughout a long night"

Public humiliation

2008-01-15T11:04:00.000Z

I just realized that some people have defied the Picture Posting Rules of this blog. You can find examples in some previous posts. Tsk tsk tsk. I'm not going to say anything or impose any penalty, but I believe the power of reputation can restrict and help regulate people's behavior so as to secure their social statuses. That's all I want to say.

The Passion that Never Dies...

2008-01-11T23:18:00.000Z

Almost two years ago, the face was lit up with joy when they first met. That moment, we believed in love at first sight.

Of course there is certain price to pay, for example burning your best student's exam paper during your affair. But we say no pain no gain.

And finally, after all these they've been through...

All respect Jerry. Have a great time. We'll all be there in spirit.

The Absinthe Ritual

2008-01-09T10:21:00.000Z

After the first glass, you see things as you wish they were. After the second, you see things as they are not. Finally, you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.

- Oscar Wilde describing drinking absinthe

How to drink absinthe.

A Reunion Filled with Beer

2008-01-04T12:12:00.000Z

"Hey Jenny."
"Hey Kent. You finally made it. What took you so long?"
"I'll explain later. Ready to get drunk?"
"I thought you'd never ask."

It was 4pm and already pitch black. What better way to celebrate sunset than to drink much too early?

See the below blog post for visual details. Not surprisingly, I don't remember the names of any of the bars we went to.

Where are we meeting up next year, Jenny?

5 Bars and a Shisha Shed Later, She was Still Holding my Drink

2008-01-04T12:01:00.000Z

Porter!

2008-01-03T02:43:00.000Z

a pamphlet published in 1798 begins as follows:

To the PUBLIC

It has always been the fate of Persons, who, despising private interest, had no object in view but the public good, to meet with a host of enemies : prejudice, interest, influence and a thousand other obstacles oppose their endeavlours, and nothing but the conviction of truth could effectually secure their success. The author of this small tract, cannot ther fore expect to escape his share of obloquy and defamation, for exerting his small abilities to serve the labouring part of mankind, and, to render their situations more comfortable by a considerable reduction to their domestic expences.

what inflammatory, revolutionary idea is he to propose? read on...

The natural constitution of man, requires a portion of liquid aliment to assist digestion and nutrition ; and the hard-working branches of the Community receive from it support, spirit, and strength ; it is no wonder then, the ingenuity of man has exerted to produce liquors at once pleasant to the palate, reviving to the spirit, and productive of support. Gin, Brandy, Rum, Wine, Ale, Cyder, Mum, Perry, &c. &c. are proofs of the amazing invention of man to supply the defects of nature ; but, perhaps Porter for celebrity, universal use and estimation has not been equalled by any other liquor. The method of producing this beverage, and the ingredients of which it is composed, have been long kept an impenetrable secret ; if we consider the immense profits accruing from this secrecy, which perusal of this Treatise will prove incontrovertibly to any one, it will only be matter of wonder that any person should disclose it to the public ; and indeed had the author a private interest to serve, he could more profitably promote it by allowing the public still to be blinded, and the veil of mystery to remain unremoved from the art of Porter Brewing; but regardless of interested censure, or prejudiced dislike, he determines to exert his small powers, for the general benefit of society, and particularly for the lower classes.

The intention of this Treatise, is to induce the Tradesman, the Artizan, and the Mechanic, to turn their attention to the possibility of supplying themselves and families with a beverage much cheaper, and more nutritive than Porter, and yet retaining all its good qualities, and excluding its noxious ones. This may be done in the smallest families, in the smallest quantities and with the fewest conveniences, at little more than one-third of the present expence of Porter.

US & Canada beer

2007-12-31T21:03:00.000Z

look at this website. if you happen to be travelling or living in a major city in the US or Canada, you can find good beer using google maps. if you are in europe, you don't have to look too hard.

hops

2007-12-20T20:00:00.000Z

hops protect beer against contamination. they also improve the taste of the beer.

hops boiled for a long time add to the bitterness of beer
hops boiled for about 15 minutes give it a "hoppy" flavor, which could be many things depending on the type used.
hops boiled for just 5 minutes add to the aroma of the beer, giving it resinous floral aroma, somewhat akin to hashish.

these are two ounces of styrian golding hops

So, the evil wins this time?

2007-12-19T12:07:00.000Z

I have mixed feelings after reading this. Sure I'm not religious and haven't been to a midnight mass for ages and I understand the church's concerns, but still... Is this a compromise? Couldn't the police do better than advising to change the time? What's next then?

Drunks force churches to cancel midnight mass

A growing number of Catholic churches are cancelling midnight mass and holding Christmas Eve services earlier in the evening due to fears of disruption from drunken revellers.

Clergy are also concerned about worshippers trying to make their way home in the face of the threat of street violence and drunken driving. The move is reported by the Roman Catholic magazine, the Tablet.

It said: "Gun crime, rowdy crowds leaving pubs and dangerous drivers have forced many churches to celebrate their first Mass of Christmas Day in the early evening of Christmas Eve. (Guardian)

Hero... or retard

2007-12-14T15:05:00.000Z

A man nearly died from alcohol poisoning after quaffing a liter (two pints) of vodka at an airport security check instead of handing it over to comply with new carry-on rules, police said Wednesday. (news)

But he didn't die after all. I wonder which vodka it was...

frasier

2007-12-02T19:56:00.000Z

hard cider and "amber" ale. unspoiled.

cost of beer?

2007-11-25T20:40:00.000Z

here is some data on costs for all US commercial brewers in 1990.

value of beer produced: $47 bn
cost of malt: $616 mn
cost of grains: $280 mn
cost of hops: $40 mn
cost of cans: $2.8 bn
cost of bottles: $1.1 bn
cost of other packaging materials: $900 mn
brewery payroll: $2.378 bn
brewery maintenence: $1.12 bn
energy costs: $220 mn
wholesale payroll: $2.674 bn
advertising: $1.161 bn
federal taxes: $1.71 bn
state taxres: $1.72 bn

Source: Handbook of Brewing. 1995. Hardwick ed.

combined ingredient costs are less than almost every other line item!

new advances in brewing

2007-11-25T19:40:00.000Z

Japanese scientists produce a tomato beer

Beer in a Plastic Bottle...

2007-11-22T15:57:00.000Z

What will they think of next?

appalachia

2007-11-08T22:44:00.001Z

bottled beer. this picture was taken a week ago. it turns out that they have all gone bad, because there is a bacterial infection from the siphon hose i used to fill the bottles.

It's no Colombia...

2007-11-07T15:39:00.000Z

That Latvians know a thing or two about beer. If you're ever in that part of the world, sit down for a pint. It'll make the already gorgeous women even better....

Pivoing in Colombia!

2007-11-06T18:59:00.000Z

I spent the last week of October in Colombia as an elections observer for the regional elections. It was quite hectic, but I still managed to make some time to have a pivo or two between dodging bullets and shooting coke. Just kidding, that's a lie, obviously I had more than one or two pivos!

Seriously though, I didn't actually have that many pivos because during election time, they have this thing called the ley seco or dry law. That means that no booze can legally be sold between 6pm Thursday on the week of the elections and 6am Monday (the election took place on Sunday).
The operative word here is "legally" because I still saw some drunks roaming the streets.

Most of my pivo intake happened on the last night. After training, travel, observing the elections, writing reports and debriefing it was time to unwind. My friend Fer (pictured above) and I somehow ended up being the only girls in a crowd of 10-15 of our male friends. It wasn't too bad, we always had someone to dance with and got one or two free drinks!

While I can't remember, in detail, the taste of the two types of Colombia pivo I tried in order to produce a complex analysis, I can remember this: it was dobre! Definitely recommended.

pivo lab

2007-10-22T23:37:00.000Z

on the left, we have a heffeweissen ale, which has been fermenting for two days. it is made with wheat rather than barley, though it has some different kinds of roasted malted barley for flavor, and has hallertau hops for bitterness and aroma. on the left is a belgian abbey ale at 8 days. it will be quite strong (10-11% alc), partially because of the addition of brewer's candi. each of these will produce 40-48 bottles of high-quality, homemade pivo

Welcome

2007-10-22T20:21:00.000Z

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Please join me in welcoming a new Pivo Terrorist in the club - Mr. Jesse Lovegren, who has impressed us with his ability and passion in beer / alcohol in various occasions around the world (see attached photos as evidence). With Mr. Lovegren's contribution, we can see that our world_pivo empire's map is expanding rapidly and, especially, invading unconquered land massively. Keep up the good work, kids. Live the dream.

Open your eyes and get in action. It's our time for a reward.

2007-10-19T23:32:00.000Z

A New Zealand brewer is offering a lifetime supply of free beer in exchange for the return of a laptop stolen in a break-in. (article)

Japanese beer for kids

2007-10-19T09:07:00.000Z

I bet Gokkie will love this.

Life Is Far Too Short To Drink Cheap Beer - 10 Ways To Maximize Your Beer Value

2007-10-17T15:32:00.000Z

First, stop thinking of beer as a commodity. It’s not toilet paper, or screws, or an all-you-can-eat buffet. Stop thinking of beer in terms of the bland, yellow, fizzy beverages foisted on the American public by huge brewing conglomerates.

Beer is a food. It is made from grain (almost always barley), hops, yeast, and water. Except for the hops, and if the grain was milled into flour instead of malted for brewing, you’d have a basic bread recipe. When is bread best? As fresh as possible. It is just as true for beer. To stretch the beer as bread analogy a little further, industrial-brewed American light lagers are the beer equivalent of Wonder Bread. Don’t you want a nice, hearty loaf?

And here goes the 10 ways. Awesome.

Beer losing its appeal

2007-10-12T07:18:00.000Z

British men are due to call time on the pint within a generation, according to a study published today which shows they are more prepared than ever before to give up beer in favour of burgundy.

As male drinkers steadily leave behind their traditional tipple, the report claims that by 2039, when today's schoolchildren are well into their drinking years, there could be more men quaffing wine than downing pints in pubs and clubs. (article)

WTF is up with British men???!!!

Enta Ya Habibi - Paulaner Weisbier

2007-10-11T05:10:00.001Z

Need I say more? This is far and away my favourite beer on the planet. U Fleku beer gets close, but I'll take a pint of Weissbier and a bratwurst any day of the week.

My first experience with the stuff was at the Munich airport. I was on a short layover to Cologne, so I decided to sit down at one of the many places to get beer. I ordered one of the meals. It came with a couple of white Munich sausages, a pretzel, and a beautiful pint of beer. When I first saw it, I was in love. The glass was huge, the head was perfect, and the cloudy nature of the beer made it so drinkable.

I sat there in bliss consuming every last drop. It was the first of many in Germany. Every time I went to a restaurant, I was sure to order a weissbier. It's just so good. So much so that I had a friend bring me some when she came to visit me in Egypt.

Rating: 5 - Yes, if it and bratwurst were the last things on earth, I would choose the beer.

(that wraps up my beer ratings. Stay tuned for more as a new journey begins.)

Kostrizter Schwarzbier

2007-10-11T05:04:00.000Z

Unlike those other beers, I can tell you that this was a fine beer. Schwarzbier in German refers to Black or Dark beer. And this variation, the Kostritzer variation, is a fine version of the Schwarzbier. It is a very satisfying finish and great almost any time of the year or day.

There was a slight sweetness to it, but the mildly bitter aftertaste reminded you that it was in fact so black you couldn't see through it. Not like Guinness, mind you, but close enough.

Rating: 4

Altenmuster Winterbier

2007-10-11T04:50:00.001Z

Yet another seasonal beer. The only thing I know is that it had had the old-school openning style. Caps were too good for this bottle.

I remember little about this beer as well, other than that it went down a lot easier than some of the earlier beers. We're in a sad state when beers can no longer be distinguished.

Rating: 3.5

Beihnachts Bier

2007-10-11T04:42:00.000Z

Christmas beer is good right around Christmas. I don't know why. Just because it has a picture of Father Christmas on the bottle, doesn't make it special, does it?

Well, apparently it does. Of all the beers I sampled during my week of sampling time, this is the beer I remember least. Luckily, I have a sheet that tells me how I rated each beer. Otherwise, I'd probably forget everything.

Based on my rating, I would say that this was a fine beer. Given its novelty, I would suggest sampling this beer when it becomes available. It'll help break the monotony of your everyday beers, but probably leave you begging for the same monotony after two weeks.

Rating: 3.5

Don't Forget: Drink a Beer—Or Two—Daily!

2007-10-09T15:25:00.000Z

Hurrah! Yet another reason to drink pivo!!

Thank you science, for telling us something we already know. Pivo is awesome.

"You may be hard-pressed to recall events after a night of binge drinking, but a new report suggests that low to moderate alcohol consumption may actually enhance memory.
"There are human epidemiological data of others indicating that mild [to] moderate drinking may paradoxically improve cognition in people compared to abstention," says Maggie Kalev, a research fellow in molecular medicine and pathology at the University of Auckland in New Zealand and a co-author of an article in The Journal of Neuroscience describing results of a study she and other researchers performed on rats. "This is similar to a glass of wine protecting against heart disease, however the mechanism is different." "

Nazdravi!!

Cooooolest - Beer Diet

2007-10-09T07:47:00.000Z

The title says all.

Kostritzer Edel Pils

2007-10-01T23:34:00.000Z

A typical Thuringen Pils is Kostritzer Edel Pils. When I look back at that sentence, I realize that there are at least three words I am unable to pronounce correctly. Give me three or four of these beers and I probably couldn't prounce any words in that sentence correctly.

What do I remember about this beer? Very little. It could've been the the quantity of alcohol I had consumed that evening. Who knows? What I do know is that there was a box of this stuff on Johanna's parents' house for most of my time there. Surprisingly, the contents of the box steadily disappeared each day.

The beer is, to its credit, a gentle pilsner. Goes down easy without much in the way of harsh flavour. But once again I must state my general distaste of pilsner to the predominantly naturalized Czech readers of this blog. I'm really asking for it, aren't I?

Rating: 3.5

It's between winning and losing - living and dying

2007-09-27T07:44:00.000Z

Recent Czech press reports allege that Anheuser-Busch had been in talks with a close, though unofficial, adviser to the Czech Prime Minister about buying the last major post-communist brewery still in state hands — which also happened to be the Czech namesake of its flagship brand. (Time)

Brothers and sisters, it's time for us to stand up and fight, fight for every gulp... the 0.5 litre in front of your face.

Jenny Never Looks Drunk

2007-09-18T04:42:00.001Z

How come Jenny never looks drunk?

Apoldaer Festbock

2007-09-08T02:49:00.000Z

I don't know what either of the two words in the beer's name mean. "Apoldaer" sounds like the name of a high-speed chairlift at a ski hill, while "Festbock" seems like a festival of some sort. That said, the picture of the cute little goat on the label makes it an inviting beer.

And inviting it was. I felt like having a festival while drinking the veritable central Geman pilsner (I hope it is from central Germany). That said, it didn't quite reach the level of "Oktoberfest," it was more of a Fall Fair.

Rating: 3.5

Wernesgruner Pils

2007-08-30T20:18:00.001Z

Pilsner is definitely a popular beer in the central part of Germany. It may not be consumed in the volumes of Czech pilsner (on a per capita level, at least), but it can hold its own when stacked up against its competitors.

I looked at this beer and thought, "Hmm...I see the word 'legende' which is probably something like 'legend.' This beer must be good then...it's like 'legendary pilsner.'" As you can see, Highlander is looking on in the background probably confident of its malty brew, but secretly nervous of what my tastebuds might think.

To tell you the truth, the Wernesgruner went down okay. Nothing special, that's for sure, but this wasn't a beer I had a distaste for. Take that Highlander.

Rating: 3

Belated - June travels

2007-08-24T14:17:00.000Z

A tip of the iceberg of my fun Europe trips in June...

[From Paris with love]

[From Budapest with love]

[From Vienna with love]

[From Frankfurt with love]

Sorry for being absent from most of the photos. I was too busy having fun and keeping up with the drinking!
More photos here.

Dangers of Pivo Consumption

2007-08-23T20:43:00.000Z

Pivo can make you more likely to do many things that are fairly harmless:
-Talk to people you wouldn't normally talk to
-Try to dance
-Make out with people
-Go streaking
-Fall asleep in unlikely places
-Vomit
-Think you can sing

The list goes on and on. These things are not that serious.

However, at times consuming too much pivo can make you do something you will regret into eternity. Because you will be dead. Like this guy. He decided to try and play with bears.

Bears eat man at beer festival
"BELGRADE, Serbia (Reuters) -- A 23-year old Serb was found dead and half-eaten in the bear cage of Belgrade Zoo at the weekend during the annual beer festival.

The man was found naked, with his clothes lying intact inside the cage. Two adult bears, Masha and Misha, had dragged the body to their feeding corner and reacted angrily when keepers tried to recover it.

"There's a good chance he was drunk or drugged. Only an idiot would jump into the bear cage," zoo director Vuk Bojovic told Reuters.

Local media reported that police found several mobile phones inside the cage, as well as bricks, stones and beer cans."

A Tragedy Indeed....

2007-08-22T20:12:00.000Z

Devastating news as received by a friend who wrote:

I almost cried when I saw this picture. It is absolutely gut wrenching.

A friend sent this photo of a horrible highway accident in Germany. The picture may be kind of hard to take for some of you. If you look closely you can see what appear to be some survivors of the accident still in the wreckage. Although the picture is quite graphic, it makes you realize how quickly our loved ones can be taken from us. My friend stayed on the scene to help and even though he performed mouth to mouth on quite a few of them, none apparently survived.

------
I have confidence that if this were to happen around any of the pivo terrorists, we would work quickly and diligently to save as many friends as possible.

Beer on a stick

2007-07-19T07:11:00.000Z

After 3 hours in the freezer, Beer as ice cream confection isn't so far-fetched.

Beeripop?

And the Romantical Break-Up on Charlie Bridge

2007-07-11T12:11:00.000Z

Dobre Pivo Lil reunion

2007-07-11T11:14:00.000Z

You know you've been traveling way too much when your guest is having a family reunion at your flat, throwing a dinner party, inviting your friends, and sending you a facebook wall post "we are cooking at yours, you are invited, BYOB, hope you can make it."

What drink should I bring though?

Missing kegs...

2007-07-03T10:16:00.000Z

With metal prices rising, beer makers say they expect to lose hundreds of thousands of kegs and millions of dollars this year as those stainless steel holders of brew are stolen and sold for scrap. (Details)

Oh no!

On a related note, how soon do you guys estimate the beer industry will get into trouble with missing beer glasses? ...at our stealing rate, of course.

Beer power

2007-06-13T07:10:00.000Z

What else can you do with the hundreds of empty beer bottles besides walking your ass off carrying them to the supermarkets for 3 kc each?

This.

Call us Chinese genius.

Rock God Al's last and only gig in Praha

2007-06-03T16:46:00.000Z

Good show, Al. You made us proud. And I liked the look on the passers-by's faces when I walked back home with your bass at midnight... made me almost convinced and impressed with myself.

Lubzer Urkraft

2007-05-30T21:46:00.000Z

At 6%, a couple of Lubzer Urkrafts will set you down a solid path to happiness. Unfortunately, that path is filled with bitter tastes and one hell of a finish.

I'm not sure to say about this beer other than that it should probably be avoided if you're into milder beers. For those that like a little bit of punch, though, this may be the beer for you.

Rating: 2

Method #189 of Ingesting Pivo

2007-05-30T02:46:00.000Z

KEG STAND aka KEG DIVE

Procedure

1. The person puts both hands on the keg.
2. Friends pick up the person by the legs and tip them upward, as if they were doing a handstand on the keg.
3. The person wraps their lips around the tap, opens it, and drinks.
4. The surrounding audience and awaiting participants chant the number of seconds for which the person is drinking.
5. The person shakes their leg (or head) to signal to friends when they can't drink anymore and need to get down.
6. Repeat.

**7. Do not let drunk people suspend their friends, there is the chance they may drop them onto the keg. This may result in a plethora of injuries from bruised ribs and slight internal bleeding to a concussion.

When you think keg you usually think undergraduate students, possibly in a fraternity, drinking irresponsibly. What you got was a bunch of master's students in their early, mid and late twenties who had never done keg stands before (I was not one of these people). Much like Claireski's smazeny syr cherry was popped on camera, there were many photos representing the keg cherry popping on camera. Good times all around. Highly recommended!

How people from one same island make fun of each other's accent

2007-05-21T12:21:00.000Z

You know too much vodka and Red Bull has been served when Claire's talk-to-random-strangers-on-the-street bug comes out and strikes again.

4:30am
Claire: Where are you from?
Brit stranger devouring gyros: Sheffield. You?
Claire: Manchester.
Brit stranger devouring gyros: What do you do here?
Claire: I teach English.
Brit stranger devouring gyros: AND you talk like THAT!

Lausitzer Porter

2007-05-18T18:55:00.001Z

Lausitzer Porter. A dark beer. I seem to recall it being a tough finish. It's one of those meal beers you should only drink on a partially-full stomach, not after a filling German meal full of rostbratl and bratwurst. Mmm...bratwurst.

Unfortunately, this beer just wasn't for me. Other black beers have been fine, but there was something about this one that just didn't work.

Rating: 2

It's a lifestyle thing

2007-05-17T10:38:00.000Z

Indeed.

Start looking for cheap tickets to Canadia?

2007-05-16T03:25:00.000Z

Just up our alley, the Beer Fest in Montreal!

It's "the brewing event of the year for beerlovers and gourmets!" Daily activities include the Beer Playoffs and Cheese Workshops! Whoohoo. I'm checking my wallet to see if I can make it to this one. Will be sure to tell you alllll about it!

Beer and pizza in one bottle? Yeeeewwww

2007-05-15T14:43:00.000Z

Beer and pizza are tastes that, for many of us, just seem to go together. But, beer that tastes like pizza?

Something’s brewing in a garage in St. Charles. Tom Seefurth is mixing up a concoction he'll eventually pour out as beer – pizza beer. (details)

Honestly I'm quite disgusted and feeling a bit sick now. For me this is just wrong. What do you guys say?