Don't mention the war!

Shoppers in Germany might feel a little embarrassed about asking for "Ficken" schnapps by name – after all, the drink is named after the German word for "fuck".

But last week, Germany’s Federal Patent Court ruled that the word 'ficken' can be registered as a trademark,” Der Spiegel reports. The case was taken to the country’s highest patent court after attempts to get the name registered with the German Patent and Trademark Office failed. As a result, the company now owns the 'Ficken' trademark for clothing, mineral water and fruit drinks, in addition to alcoholic beverages. The Federal Patent Court explained that the name is not "sexually discriminatory" and "does not violate public morals", although it is unquestionably in poor taste.

The word "ficken" is quite possibly the source of the English "fuck", as demonstrated by Monty Python's Uses Of The Word Fuck sketch.

Found in The Globe and Mail on Sep. 20, 2011.

A man on a mission ...

The Belgian Beer Odyssey is the tale of one man's effort to drink 1,000 different Belgian beers. I am ashamed to say that on my recent 2-day visit to Brussels I managed only 6 or so, although that was a work trip. Silly me, I should have stayed in Belgium for the weekend as well...

Gilpin Family Whisky

In Australia, "piss" can be used as slang for alcohol. James Gilpin, a researcher who has diabetes, takes this to a whole new level with his Gilpin Family Whisky:

Sugar heavy urine excreted by diabetic patients is now being utilized for the fermentation of high-end single malt whisky for export.

The source material is acquired from elderly volunteers, including Gilpin's own grandmother. The urine is purified and the sugars are added to the mash stock to accelerate the whisky's fermentation process. According to this article:

The original idea came from an (unverified) story he heard about a pharmaceutical company that supposedly set up a factory next to an old people's home and would swap cushions and soft toys for the residents' urine. They'd then process the urine to remove the chemicals that had passed straight through the dilapidated endochrine systems of the patients, which could then be put straight back into new medicine.

Given that astronauts drink recycled urine, who can complain?

Crystal Head Vodka

In a momentary departure from home-made alcohol, let me introduce Dan Aykroyd's Crystal Head Vodka. Yes, Dan Aykroyd.

Designed by an American landscape artist (John Alexander), the container was inspired by a fascination with Day of the Dead ceremonies and Aykroyd’s long-time interest in the occult. It was originally something of a lark, but with retail sales of over $40 million people now line up at stores wherever Dan Aykroyd shows for bottle signings. The one place they won't line up is in Ontario, the only state or province in North America to ban the bottle from store shelves.

Further details can be found in this article.

Stout can be used for more than just drinking ...

Since I've been sitting on a large batch of stout, waiting for bottles to become available for filling from the carboy, I've been investigating other uses for stout. So far, I'm happy to report success with recipes for "Stout and Ginger Muffins" and "Beer Bread"; the recipes follow:

Stout & ginger muffins

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder
375ml stout (room temperature)
2 eggs, lightly whisked
75g butter, melted

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C.
Sift the flour into a large bowl.
Stir in the sugar, ginger, baking powder and salt.
Make a well in the centre.
Add the stout, egg and butter, and stir until just combined.
Spoon the muffin mixture evenly among the prepared pans.
Bake in oven for 15 minutes.

Beer Bread

Ingredients

3 cups plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp white sugar
~400 ml stout

Method

Mix and bake at 200°C for about 45 minutes.

There are many simple beer bread recipes out there, so I plan to try a range of breads in the coming weeks.

Another hell of a stout

The first stout turned out so well that it basically disappeared in only a few short weeks (a small number of bottles have been put aside for cellaring). So we've put down another, more adventurous batch, which should be ready for drinking quite soon. Changes to the original recipe are in bold.

1x Coopers Dark Ale mix
1x Coopers Stout mix
1kg Coopers Brew Enhancer #2
1kg Light Dry Malt Extract
1 mug Percolated Espresso
8 tsp Cocoa
4 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Garam Marsala

The aim with this recipe is an even blacker and richer stout, with some additional bitterness and a slightly spicier palate. The additional malt should push this to 10.5% ABV, which will hopefully make it last a bit longer than the first batch.

One hell of a stout

1x Coopers Dark Ale mix
1x Coopers Stout mix
1kg Coopers Brew Enhancer #2
500g Light Dry Malt Extract

This bad boy took just less than a week to ferment, with foam consistently pouring out the top of the carboy for three days. The result was a pitch-black stout with a dark, chocolate head and an alcohol percentage of about 7.5% ABV. It was very drinkable straight from the carboy (yes, at room temperature) and was well carbonated in 3-5 days. It has a strong, rich palate, with chocolate and coffee flavours present and essentially no bitterness. Excellent when served without refrigeration and I was especially surprised to note that the head itself has a delicious coffee flavour.

Verdict: 10/10 -- Full marks, will definitely make it again (the first batch is almost gone already) and I am interested in experimenting with adjuncts such as cocoa and cinnamon.