Charles, with your background, I’m thrilled to hear you say that the HCSB “gets it right!” One of the things I noticed right away about the HCSB was its willingness to use the words we use, like “beer” instead of the awkward “strong drink.” I’ve got to say just browsing around your blog, I’ve found your studies, your work and your blogging fascinating. I look forward to reading more.

Will

Thanks for your great interview!

Charles:

Unless someone is drinking a Sam Adams Utopia (54 proof), no beer that I know of would even qualify as “strong drink.”

Thanks, too, for the card. It made my day after coming from some grueling finals.

Amen, Charles.

Jake — Now that I have lost my tolerance, practically anything Belgian qualifies, as does Trois Pistoles and its Canadian ilk.

Some beers are actually fairly high in alcohol (higher than Sam Adams, though not approaching distillates). Whether beer in antiquity was particularly strong would depend on the alcohol content. Do we have any way of knowing what that was?

Also, beer is technically made from grain. There is also mead, which is “beer” made from honey. I’m not certain whether there is a separate word for this in Hebrew or Akkadian.

Another good resource on drink in antiquity is “Drink and be Merry,” an exhibition catalogue from the Israel Museum. Although it deals mostly with classical periods.

“Some beers are actually fairly high in alcohol (higher than Sam Adams, though not approaching distillates).”

I’m not sure if this was in reference to my statement about Sam Adams Utopia. If so, what beer is stronger? I’ve always heard that the Utopia was the strongest commercial beer.

http://www.timesreporter.com/index.php?ID=74950

PS. I have a bottle.

I once had this beer called Old English Ale, or something like that. It was thick and strong. I didn’t care for it that much.

Ooops. Read too fast and didn’t see that you were talking about the Utopia. I was thinking of some Belgian ales, but they don’t come close to 54 proof.

P.S. What’re ya saving it for?

Angela —

Was it, perhaps, “a land flowing with milk and *mead*”?

My brother-in-law when he visits in a few days. I also had to wait for a special Riedel glass in the mail. It looks like a scotch glass. My family includes some pretty serious foodies. My wife regularly gets to drink Petrus, Latour, Conti, D’yquem as a budding sommelier, and her parents have the unfortunate habit of taking us to 5-star (Mobile) restaurants (e.g. French Laundry, Per Se, Le Bec Fin, Inn at Little Washington, etc.). We should have a merry Christmas.

I hope you weren’t one of the many who vomit at Per Se.

“More people vomit in Per Se than in `your average college bar,’ according to Phoebe Damrosch. She waited tables at the three-starred Michelin venue”

For the story:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aGpMr9s01q4k

I know about the book and I don’t think this is at all accurate. In fact, a previous captain at my wife’s restaurant went onto work at Per Se, and via a mutual friend, that claim was nothing more than nonsense. My wife works at a restaurant with a similarly sized menu and never sees that happen, nor did I see it happen at Per Se.