Since there have been SOOOO many beer posts here, I felt that you stumpwater imbibers might be delighted to learn that the Russian government is upset because beer has become the "trendy" drink among many Russian youth, supplanting the traditional vodka. Many don't even consider it to be an alcoholic beverage, says DW News this afternoon. I wonder if they sell it in school vending machines?

When CW was visiting Chicago, we had dinner together at the Russian Tea Room. I had an excellent Russian beer, though I can't remember what it was now. I hadn't expected that at all.

On the other hand, my daughter was recently in Barcelona, and she went to a liquor store to bring us back some "good beer." The clerk said not to bother as Spain doesn't have any good beer! She brought us some wine instead.

I have to say I'd be concerned if I were the Russian Government, too! What are the teaching the kids these days? Vodka IS superior to beer - even GOOD beer!

Vodka IS superior to beer - even GOOD beer!

Ahem! Remember the Russian Tea Room? That Russian beer was awfully good!

And so was that vodka! Na Zdorovie!

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Vodka IS superior to beer - even GOOD beer!

If your intent is simply to get Brahms, then I agree. If your intent is to enjoy your drink then there are many superior drinks to the colourless, odourless and almost tasteless liquid that is Vodka. Malt Whisky for one.

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simply to get Brahms

Do you mean drunk?

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Do you mean drunk?

Yes. See http://www.cockneyrhymingslang.co.uk/cockney/letter/B.aspx

I wonder why there are so many words for drunk. According to my Words by Paul Dickson, in 1733 Benjamin Franklin came out with the Drinker's Dictionary that contained 228 terms for intoxicated. Over the years many writers added to this list, and Dickson has 2,231 entries in his Words book! Good grief!

Here are some of them from Franklin's book:

"He's right before the wind with all his studding sails out"
"He's a king"
"He drank till he gave up his halfpenny"
"He's as good conditioned as a puppy"
"He's heat his copper"
"He's kissed black Betty"
"Has drank more than he has bled"

...and the list goes on.

All things that are common, slightly frowned on if made too public, but enjoyed by most seem to generate many euphemisms.

I wonder whether the total number of euphemisms for sexual intercourse is greater than that for drunkenness?

Quite often one euphamism transfers to the other, as in "Last night he got all fucked up drinking vodka."

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He drank till he gave up his halfpenny"

Over here that would have a different (sexual of course) meaning, although it would only be something a woman could do.

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Originally posted by Caterwauller:
Vodka IS superior to beer - even GOOD beer!

I can't agree with you on this. Beer is a noble beverage and might just be the progenitor of civilization itself. Man settled down in order to grow the grains to brew beer. There is nothing quite as enjoyable as a fine brew. Preferrably cask conditioned.

Welcome to Wordcraft, Chaz!

For those of you who don't know Chaz, he is a great gentleman whom Richard and I know through the realbeer.com board, where he has even more posts than I do here. [Chaz, you have caught up to me!]

I so agree with Chaz, though, about beer. There are so many different kinds and flavors. I have begun to like beer better than any other alcoholic drink. Now, is there a word for that?

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I can't agree with you on this. Beer is a noble beverage and might just be the progenitor of civilization itself

It seems likely that wine was the first alcoholic drink since it is very simple to produce. Take some grapes, squash them, leave them for a few weeks, drink when clear. Maybe not fine wine, but wine nevertheless.

Beer is more complex since the barley grains must first be germinated, then killed and sparged (sprayed with water) to dissolve the sugars formed. Then it needs to be fermented until ready for drinking. Just adding water to barley (or any other grain) will simply produce more barley plants, not beer.

Incidentally, many people do not realise that the world's most popular spirit, Whisky, starts life as beer (as Brandy starts life as wine).

And weclome, chaswyke, to this board. Will you be at GBBF this year? I will be there with some Wordcrafters on 05 August - from 1200 at the Young's bar.

I do think that beer will someday be seen as sophisticated as wine. I just heard on TV last night that Sam Adams is making an "after-dinner" beer, called, "Eutopia" that is 25% alcohol and costs $100 for a bottle. You see...it is starting!

Paul Dickson is incorrect. Franklin published his article containing the Drinker's Dictionary in the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1737.

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Originally posted by Kalleh:
I wonder why there are so many words for drunk. According to my Words by Paul Dickson, in 1733 Benjamin Franklin came out with the Drinker's Dictionary that contained 228 terms for intoxicated. Over the years many writers added to this list, and Dickson has 2,231 entries in his Words book! Good grief!

Here are some of them from Franklin's book:

"He's right before the wind with all his studding sails out"
"He's a king"
"He drank till he gave up his halfpenny"
"He's as good conditioned as a puppy"
"He's heat his copper"
"He's kissed black Betty"
"Has drank more than he has bled"

...and the list goes on.

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Paul Dickson is incorrect. Franklin published his article containing the Drinker's Dictionary in the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1737.

Thanks, JSB. According to my bit of reasearch, it was January 13, 1736/7.

I'm not sure what this slash means. Which year was it?

Anyhow, it only seems fair to share the list!

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He is Addled; He's casting up his Accounts; He's Afflicted; He's in his Airs; He's Biggy; Bewitch'd; Block and Block; Boozy; Bowz'd; Been at Barbadoes; Piss'd in the Brook; Drunk as a Wheel-Barrow; Burdock'd; Buskey; Buzzey; Has Stole a Manchet out of the Brewer's Basket; His Head is full of Bees; Has been in the Bibbing Plot; Has drank more than he has bled; He's Bungey; As Drunk as a Beggar; He sees the Bears; He's kiss'd black Betty; He's had a Thump over the Head with Sampson's Jawbone; He's Bridgey; He's Cat; Cagrin'd; Capable; Cramp'd; Cherubimical; Cherry Merry; Wamble Crop'd; Crack'd; Concern'd; Half Way to Concord; Has taken a Chirriping-Glass; Got Corns in his Head; A Cup to much; Coguy; Copey; He's heat his Copper; He's Crocus; Catch'd; He cuts his Capers; He's been in the Cellar; He's in his Cups; Non Compos; Cock'd; Curv'd; Cut; Chipper; Chickery; Loaded his Cart; He's been too free with the Creature; Sir Richard has taken off his Considering Cap; He's Chap-fallen; He's Disguiz'd; He's got a Dish; Kill'd his Dog; Took his Drops; It is a Dark Day with him; He's a Dead Man; Has Dipp'd his Bill; He's Dagg'd; He's seen the Devil; He's Prince Eugene; Enter'd; Wet both Eyes; Cock Ey'd; Got the Pole Evil; Got a brass Eye; Made an Example; He's Eat a Toad & half for Breakfast; In his Element; He's Fishey; Fox'd; Fuddled; Sore Footed; Frozen; Well in for't; Owes no Man a Farthing; Fears no Man; Crump Footed; Been to France; Flush'd; Froze his Mouth; Fetter'd; Been to a Funeral; His Flag is out; Fuzl'd; Spoke with his Friend; Been at an Indian Feast; He's Glad; Groatable; Gold-headed; Glaiz'd; Generous; Booz'd the Gage; As Dizzy as a Goose; Been before George; Got the Gout; Had a Kick in the Guts; Been with Sir John Goa; Been at Geneva; Globular; Got the Glanders; Half and Half; Hardy; Top Heavy; Got by the Head; Hiddey; Got on his little Hat; Hammerish; Loose in the Hilts; Knows not the way Home; Got the Hornson; Haunted with Evil Spirits; Has Taken Hippocrates grand Elixir; He's Intoxicated; Jolly; Jagg'd; Jambled; Going to Jerusalem; Jocular; Been to Jerico; Juicy; He's a King; Clips the King's English; Seen the French King; The King is his Cousin; Got Kib'd Heels; Knapt; Het his Kettle; He's in Liquor; Lordly; He makes Indentures with his Leggs; Well to Live; Light; Lappy; Limber; He sees two Moons; Merry; Middling; Moon-Ey'd; Muddled; Seen a Flock of Moons; Maudlin; Mountous; Muddy; Rais'd his Monuments; Mellow; He's eat the Cocoa Nut; Nimptopsical; Got the Night Mare; He's Oil'd; Eat Opium; Smelt of an Onion; Oxycrocium; Overset; He drank till he gave up his Half-Penny; Pidgeon Ey'd; Pungey; Priddy; As good conditioned as a Puppy; Has scalt his Head Pan; Been among the Philistines; In his Prosperity; He's been among the Philippians; He's contending with Pharaoh; Wasted his Paunch; He's Polite; Eat a Pudding Bagg; He's Quarrelsome; He's Rocky; Raddled; Rich; Religious; Lost his Rudder; Ragged; Rais'd; Been too free with Sir Richard; Like a Rat in Trouble; He's Stitch'd; Seafaring; In the Sudds; Strong; Been in the Sun; As Drunk as David's Sow; Swampt; His Skin is full; He's Steady; He's Stiff; He's burnt his Shoulder; He's got his Top Gallant Sails out; Seen the yellow Star; As Stiff as a Ring-bolt; Half Seas over; His Shoe pinches him; Staggerish; It is Star-light with him; He carries too much Sail; Stew'd; Stubb'd; Soak'd; Soft; Been too free with Sir John Strawberry; He's right before the Wind with all his Studding Sails out; Has Sold his Senses; He's Top'd; Tongue-ty'd; Tann'd; Tipium Grove; Double Tongu'd; Topsy Turvey; Tipsey; Has Swallow'd a Tavern Token; He's Thaw'd; He's in a Trance; He's Trammel'd; He makes Virginia Fence; Valiant; Got the Indian Vapours; The Malt is above the Water; He's Wise; He's Wet; He's been to the Salt Water; He's Water-soaken; He's very Weary; Out of the Way.

---

"Nimptopsical"? I like it!

Gave up his halfpenny? Heat his copper? I think the general rule is that you can take any description, use it in context, and it means drunk.

Welcome, JSB! Please stay with us!

I'm always glad to be corrected. Thank you!

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He's contending with Pharaoh... His Shoe pinches him... Been to a Funeral... Spoke with his Friend

These are some very absurd ones. How would one actually refer to the last two events without implying drinking?

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He's Prince Eugene;

I assume there's an interesting story behind this.

This isn't beer in Russia...but it's beer in Turkey. Interestingly, there is a new beer, Roj that is getting a lot of hate mail and "a torrent of insults invoking mothers, sisters, dogs, blood, and 'dreamers like you.'"

Brewed in Vienna, Roj is proudly identified as "Kurdish beer" on its cans. Apparently the problem is compounded by the beer's name. In Kurdish Roj means sun, but that name is also used by a Kurdish-language satellite television station that broadcasts from Denmark. The TV station is accused of supporting a terrorist organization.

The beer is a light, malty lager, reportedly with a clean finish...containing, according to the manufacturer, no political ingredients.

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I'm not sure what this slash means. Which year was it?

I think it is because of the late adoption of the Gregorian calendar.

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The beer is a light, malty lager, reportedly with a clean finish

Steer well clear of any beer that has this kind of description. What it actually means is:

Light - tasteless
Malty - it has some malt in its recipe
Lager - it is yellow (but not lagered)
Clean finish - no finish at all

Every standard chemical fizz beer made has this kind of nonsensical description.