OT: West Virginia Moonshine

[StickyBun]

A tradition in WV:

http://www.espn.com/college-football/sto...-tailgates

Have any of you had it before? I have, had an Uncle in Upper Michigan that made it. So f@#$ing strong you can't believe it. You'll get messed up on it in quick order. 

[Guest]

We used Everclear on occasion in high school. But only to mix; not straight up.  I remember thinking it was 190 proof. Not sure if I'm remembering it right. I also have a vague recollection of 151. But that was in California. I've never tried moonshine.

[Guest]

Yup, and had the massive hangover to prove it.  A shot or 2 of that opened the door to way too much regular alcohol.

[Guest]

No "moonshine" per se as those hillbillies make it in Mason jars and plastic milk jugs but in Missourah, we had...


McCormick has since re-labeled these jugs as moonshine.  We'd pass around the jug at frat parties.  Corn squeezin's....It will mess you up!
Just to show you the fad nature of it, our local liquor store here in WI expanded a whole section for moonshine a few years back.  Once the fad peaked after the TV series went away, that section has been reduced to a couple of offerings.  An employee told me that once one jar was bought nobody came back for another!

[Guest]

@greediron said:
Yup, and had the massive hangover to prove it.  A shot or 2 of that opened the door to way too much regular alcohol.

Ahhh...a "gateway" alcohol!

[Guest]

Alcohol fads are interesting. When I first moved to Denver in the middle 90s everyone was drinking Scotch. 40s-themed lounges, Vespa culture and Frank Sinatra were really big. Then for whatever reason it went in the opposite direction when irony became the drug of choice. Hipsters listening to lo-fi music in dive bars. Everyone thrift-store chic. And a PBR to wash it all down. PBR made billions over that period. I think PBR's OK, but it tastes better when consumed un-ironically. Then the craft beer craze hit and craft breweries, every one featuring some ridiculously over-hopped IPA, popped up on every corner. The more hops you had in your beer the bigger your dick was. I guess. Never mind that if you're over 40 like me you probably need to pop a Pepcid AC after every pint. Then a couple years ago, bourbon's spicy cousin, rye whiskey, started becoming very popular. I was at a bar in Vail couple years ago. 4 folks at the bar. All of us were sipping craft Ryes brewed in the Vail Valley. I've heard that this is some sort of return to the "cocktail culture" of the 40s. So here we go round again. I guess moonshine makes some sense now. Clearly, irony is next up...

[Guest]

@MaroonBells said:
Alcohol fads are interesting. When I first moved to Denver in the middle 90s everyone was drinking Scotch. 40s-themed lounges, Vespa culture and Frank Sinatra were really big. Then for whatever reason it went in the opposite direction when irony became the drug of choice. Hipsters listening to lo-fi music in dive bars. Everyone thrift-store chic. And a PBR to wash it all down. PBR made billions over that period. I think PBR's OK, but it tastes better when consumed un-ironically. Then the craft beer craze hit and craft breweries, every one featuring some ridiculously over-hopped IPA, popped up on every corner. The more hops you had in your beer the bigger your dick was. I guess. Never mind that if you're over 40 like me you probably need to pop a Pepcid AC after every pint. Then a couple years ago, bourbon's spicy cousin, rye whiskey, started becoming very popular. I was at a bar in Vail couple years ago. 4 folks at the bar. All of us were sipping craft Ryes brewed in the Vail Valley. I've heard that this is some sort of return to the "cocktail culture" of the 40s. So here we go round again. I guess moonshine makes some sense now. Clearly, irony is next up...

I was big into Irish whiskey for many years but over the last two been almost exclusively rye.  Never been a big bourbon fan but you're right...scotch was big in my college days. Pre-90's, BTW!
Don't get me started on IPA's...I was buying a 6 pack of Gose about a year ago and a store clerk wanted to know what it was like.  "It's an acquired taste," I told him.  "It's my anti-IPA beer."

[Guest]

@Ralphie said:

@MaroonBells said:
Alcohol fads are interesting. When I first moved to Denver in the middle 90s everyone was drinking Scotch. 40s-themed lounges, Vespa culture and Frank Sinatra were really big. Then for whatever reason it went in the opposite direction when irony became the drug of choice. Hipsters listening to lo-fi music in dive bars. Everyone thrift-store chic. And a PBR to wash it all down. PBR made billions over that period. I think PBR's OK, but it tastes better when consumed un-ironically. Then the craft beer craze hit and craft breweries, every one featuring some ridiculously over-hopped IPA, popped up on every corner. The more hops you had in your beer the bigger your dick was. I guess. Never mind that if you're over 40 like me you probably need to pop a Pepcid AC after every pint. Then a couple years ago, bourbon's spicy cousin, rye whiskey, started becoming very popular. I was at a bar in Vail couple years ago. 4 folks at the bar. All of us were sipping craft Ryes brewed in the Vail Valley. I've heard that this is some sort of return to the "cocktail culture" of the 40s. So here we go round again. I guess moonshine makes some sense now. Clearly, irony is next up...

I was big into Irish whiskey for many years but over the last two been almost exclusively rye.  Never been a big bourbon fan but you're right...scotch was big in my college days. Pre-90's, BTW!
Don't get me started on IPA's...I was buying a 6 pack of Gose about a year ago and a store clerk wanted to know what it was like.  "It's an acquired taste," I told him.  "It's my anti-IPA beer."

Germans seem to know what they're doing don't they? My favorite style of beer is Kolsch and I think the best brewer in the world is Paulaner. My favorite cheap beer is Grain Belt from Mpls. It tastes like football. 

[Guest]

No moonshine, but I've had a Scandinavian drink called glug...that'll put you on your was in short order

[Guest]

@MaroonBells said:i

@Ralphie said:

@MaroonBells said:
Alcohol fads are interesting. When I first moved to Denver in the middle 90s everyone was drinking Scotch. 40s-themed lounges, Vespa culture and Frank Sinatra were really big. Then for whatever reason it went in the opposite direction when irony became the drug of choice. Hipsters listening to lo-fi music in dive bars. Everyone thrift-store chic. And a PBR to wash it all down. PBR made billions over that period. I think PBR's OK, but it tastes better when consumed un-ironically. Then the craft beer craze hit and craft breweries, every one featuring some ridiculously over-hopped IPA, popped up on every corner. The more hops you had in your beer the bigger your dick was. I guess. Never mind that if you're over 40 like me you probably need to pop a Pepcid AC after every pint. Then a couple years ago, bourbon's spic
y cousin, rye whiskey, started becoming very popular. I was at a bar in Vail couple years ago. 4 folks at the bar. All of us were sipping craft Ryes brewed in the Vail Valley. I've heard that this is some sort of return to the "cocktail culture" of the 40s. So here we go round again. I guess moonshine makes some sense now. Clearly, irony is next up...

I was big into Irish whiskey for many years but over the last two been almost exclusively rye.  Never been a big bourbon fan but you're right...scotch was big in my college days. Pre-90's, BTW!
Don't get me started on IPA's...I was buying a 6 pack of Gose about a year ago and a store clerk wanted to know what it was like.  "It's an acquired taste," I told him.  "It's my anti-IPA beer."

Germans seem to know what they're doing don't they? My favorite style of beer is Kolsch and I think the best brewer in the world is Paulaner. My favorite cheap beer is Grain Belt from Mpls. It tastes like football. 

August Schell brewery! Good ol' Grain Belt!  In fact, their Gose was the one I was looking for that day.