Anti-Theft System - 1955

So who needs a microwave, laser-guided security system with satellite tracking and data uplink to Interpol? 
Here is a decided low-tech system from the mid-1950s. Certainly works for me - I wouldn't come near that MG.

Powered by dog treats.

Powered by dog treats.

Gin from Scotland - Wonderful Idea

Here is another quick link to an article on the BBC. Apparently there is quite a surge of gin distilleries making some darn good gin - in Scotland, of all places. It's a bit of a renaissance, if you will. Now, I like nothing better that a frigid Bombay Sapphire Martini (and yes a put a couple of drops of vermouth in mine), but I would certainly be open to trying any one of these.
Click here, for the story.

Found It - Grant's Ale Cask Finish Scotch Whisky

Well, it was only natural that after I read the story of Innes & Gunn beers - please see our beer list - I would like to try the scotch whisky so closely connected with these beers. After checking the stocks of my local proprietors I came up bust. It seems that Grant's whiskies - any of their varieties - were simply not stocked in my local area. I know how the big, over controlled booze distribution system works - if it is not on their list, then it can't be had. 
Leave it to my favorite independent bottle shop - Bamboozle (give it a click) - to come through for me. I had almost forgotten that I had made a search request.  So I walked in the other day and the owner said, "Hey, I got in that whisky you were looking for."
Here it is - Grant's Ale Cask Finish Blended Scotch Whisky. (All you single malt purists please stop groaning.)
I will give it a taste and let you know what I think. Truth be told, I think I am predestined to like it.

  The story of this whisky is really quite fascinating. This whisky is aged in oak casks that originally held American bourbon, then the Innes & Gunn ale, then Grant's whisky. Talk about a complex set of tastes.

  There is good little video about the whole process on the Grant's website. Click here and take a look. Sipping a Grant's whisky is optional, but highly recommended - Cheers!

Cast your vote in a pub, get a free burger...

  Imagine a federal election where you could swap the school hall for a ballot booth at your local pub or snag a free burger just for showing up to vote.
  So begins an online article on ABC - the Australian Broadcasting Commission.

  It seems that in Australia, as here in the U.S., there is a problem with large chunks of the population simply not coming out to vote. A study of the problem came up with a number of ideas have been presented to the Australian Electoral Commission, including placing polling stations in local pubs (my favorite idea), and giving out free rewards for voting - such as a hamburger. The latter idea would be sponsored by venders in exchange for advertising rights. 
  For many folks voting is seen as a civic responsibility, however the disconnect between the voter and the whole election process is certainly understandable. Perhaps an idea like this would get a few more people involved in this process. Personally, I tend to vote all the time, but coming out of a voting booth to a cool pint of ale would be nice.

Read the full story here. Cheers! 

 

 

Conga Cuddling, Dwile Flonking and Aunt Sally

  And speaking of games...What better way to pass the time in a pub (like just being in a pub is reason enough) one can always perk things up with a couple of pub games. Now, there are the more well known contests, like darts, cribbage and dominoes. But, what about the games listed above. 
  Log on to the British Beer and Pub Association website - click here - and check out these old and rather obscure pub games.
  And, be sure to look up Rhubarb Thrashing - sounds like fun.

Guinness Potato Chips - Yes, Please

  I have been a potato chip fiend since I was a little kid. As such, one thing I have always liked about running around in the UK and Ireland is the wide variety of potato chips - Ok, crisps - to be enjoyed. Back in the U.S. there are the basic flavors, but nothing compared to what they have over there.
  So, I was walking through the aisles of my local international food store - here in the U.S. - the other day when what do I spy - Guinness flavored potato chips. And before I go any further Burts calls these chips, not crisps. Turns out the folks at Devon-based Burts Chips got together with the folks at Dublin-based Guinness and combined the potato chip with the flavor of Guinness Stout - this is the result. Thick cut and made by hand, these do  actually have roasted barely malt extracts as an ingredient. Actually, very good crisps, or chips, with a subtle hint of Guinness.
  It turns out there are more Guinness flavored chips from Burts. Unfortunately, I have yet to find any others here in the U.S. Click here to check out Burts website. Cheers!

More Crisp News: 4 July 2016
  Well, it seem that the lifestyle police are at it again - this time taking aim at Gin and Tonic flavored crisps. Yes, that's right Gin and Tonic flavored crisps. Click here for the story from the folks at Sky News.
  I wonder if it's Ok to have a Gin and Tonic with your Gin and Tonic crisps?

So, How Well Do You Know Your British Accents?

  I just found this quiz in the travel portion of BBC website. In the preface it says that in the UK alone there are some 50 distinct regional dialects. Basically, although all of us speak English, we don't always find it easy to understand each other.
  I took the quiz, and got 7 out of 10. Ok, so I guessed on a few, but having worked in the UK for a number of years I found a couple quite easy. Others, such as Ireland, were very obvious. One accent - the Newcastle accent - I got because I have watched a lot of the Inspector Morse series on television (actually, I have watched them all about ten times over) and remembered that Morse was always giving Lewis a hard time about talking like he - Lewis - was from Newcastle, which he was.
  The author of the piece, Rowena Henley, asks the reader, "Do you know your Cockney from your Geordie?"
  Click here, take the quiz, and find out. Cheers.

Beer and Irish Whiskey - Oh, Yes Please...

The other day I was tweaking the entry on this site for the Innes & Gunn range of beers, when I thought to myself I should go and find a bottle of the Grant's whisky that started the whole thing. I like the beer, so it stands to reason that I would like the whisky. So, I went to a couple of my local venders, and, alas, could not find anything but the basic Grant's whisky. I even spoke with a distributor who happened to be in one of the shops, and he had never heard of Grant's nor its connection with Innes & Gunn beers. So much for knowing your product line.
Anyway, the day was not a total loss, not any where a total loss. I found a variety of Innes & Gunn that I had never heard of, let alone sampled. What I found was Innes & Gunn Irish Whiskey Aged Beer. Hmmm - Irish whiskey and beer - sounds good to me. So I bought a four pack and will give it a taste tomorrow. 
Keep up the good work Innes & Gunn - I really appreciate it. Cheers!

And, Speaking of Thunderstruck...

You have to check these guys out - called 2Cellos. Yes, they are rock cello players - rock cellists, if you will. It's two guys from Croatia - Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser - that can do some wild stuff on the cello.  So log on here, and find the video for Thunderstruck. Great stuff.

Bagpipes With an Attitude

  Have you ever heard of "Bagrock" - No? Well you gotta check these guys out - The Red Hot Chili Pipers - and yes, you read that correctly.
  A few days ago my wife, who works coordinating fund raising efforts for the local public television station, came home and told me about an act that had recently come to her attention. What she does is try to dovetail some fund raising in with various acts that pass through town. Anyway, this group was called The Red Hot Chili Pipers, and of course, the first thing I said was "what?"
  Yep, The Red Hot Chili Pipers - a rock band that features rock bagpipes. Don't believe me? Check out their website here, or go to Youtube and watch a few videos. I recommend the song "Thunderstruck." Yea, Bagpipes With an Attitude.
  Unfortunately, they are not coming through our town in the near future - so no backstage passes for me - pity.