The first time I went to Germany was on a class trip. It was a group of us and our teacher from Columbus, Ohio and a second group from St. Louis and their teacher. Our teacher had told our parents (those parents who cared) that he was not going to try and keep us from drinking alcohol while in Europe. That this was something parents needed to discuss with their children before departure. The teacher from St. Louis on the other hand was going to try and make sure none of her kids got any alcohol at all. When we went to a beer distillery (I can’t recall which one) they gave us certificates for free beverage samples at the end of the tour. She asked that they only serve us soda. How can you go on a tour of beer distillery in Bavaria, Germany and not try the beer? I’d also like to note that I visited at least three different distilleries that claimed to be the oldest beer producers in the world.
I’ve been thinking about alcohol and such since reading Colorado Luis‘ Saturday Beer Blogging. As I started to look for independent breweries, I thought back to my last visit with my ex Bombo. He is incarcerated in Mexico and when I visit him (particularly without Alexi) drinks are brought out and set up on a table, sometimes sent by a “friend” or “socio” of Bombo’s. I don’t know Bombo’s relationship with the person that sends me drinks and snacks but I think it is someone who is up to no good, who Bombo does work for. Anyway, last time I went some kind-of drink in a tupperware bottle was brought and Bombo asked for it to be taken away. “You won’t like it” he explained to me “It is alcohol”. “You are allowed alcohol today?” I asked knowing that on some holidays or special days the guards let the prisoners drink beer and rum. “No, this was made here.” I still didn’t understand. “What do you mean made here?” He began to explain that they took orange juice and yeast and some other “stuff” mixed it, placed it in big buckets and hid it in large pipes (I have no idea what kind of pipes or where they were) and let it “rot”. This rotting process allowed it to turn into nasty tasting alcohol—or so he said. I found this whole idea kind of funny. Why make it when you could work for one of the guards and get paid in alcohol?
I think the only homemade “brew” I’ve ever had was in Mexico. And I am not sure exactly what I had. I will tell you people and you can help me decipher what it was.
I went to Café Sasha. I really don’t like Café Sasha its vegetarian options are always something like “Pan Bimbo con aguacate y frÃÂjol” 30 pesos. Man, I can make that at home but I wouldn’t want to eat it. Sometimes its other options might be something like Chinese stir fry and I have NEVER had good Chinese stir fry in Mexico. I am getting side tracked.
I went to Sasha’s on my way home I was tired and I figured some Gringo friends of mine who were leaving town would be there for one last hurrah. I was right, I found them with their Italian friend. He was tall, really cute, stinky as all hell and could drink like no one I’ve ever meet. And while he was cute his face had that look that he had spent all 25 years of life living in excess. Sasha’s tends to attract a “I am different and unique person no one else is like me. I want friends who are just like me.” type of crowd. There are a lot of travelers who get together and will spend most of their time intoxicated or high, these people are the one’s that go to Sasha’s.
The Italian had this small plastic water bottle, label torn off. I can’t recall what color the liquid was. He took a big swig and everyone was shocked. The bottle was passed around and tiny sips were taken. It got to me and I was told “It is good stuff. Homemade Mescaline.” I took a sip thanked them and headed home.
Until recently, I had no idea what mescaline was. Also that couldn’t have been mescaline, right? They probably meant Mezcal, right?
This story reminds me that the American Homebrewers Association had a “Prison Brew Contest” at their last convention where the rules were you could use only ingredients you would expect to find in a prison. Pretty much all of the entries were really nasty (or so I read, I’ve never gone to the convention) and they are thinking they won’t repeat that particular contest.
I used to be a brewmaster and to clarify beer is made in breweries, wine in wineries, and hard liquor in distilleries. Distilling is the process of removing the alcohol from the wash to make a concentrated alcohol.
It was probably mescal unless you had hallucinations. It depends on where you were though b/c it could have been sotol.
It’s relatively easy to make an alcoholic beverage. Beer existed in almost every culture and predates Egyptian society. All you need is a sugary liquid and yeast. Yeast metabolize the sugar and emit alcohol and CO2. It’s not rotting, it’s fermenting.