File this one in the pile of obscure, antiquated words that we should try to resurrect. I found this one on the blog, Obsolete Word of the Day.
Gambrinous adj. Drunk; full of beer.
There’s also a secondary meaning according to Wordnik, which is “adj. Of or pertaining to Gambrinus.”
Hat tip to Rob DeNunzio for this one, who used to write the beer blog Pfiff!, but has taken some time off since his second child Leo was born, almost three years ago. Happily, he knows me well enough to know that I would love this list of Collective Nouns. In case you were absent that day from school, or have the memory of Ten-second Tom (see 50 First Dates), a collective noun is “the name of a number (or collection) of people or things taken together and spoken of as one whole.” Well-known examples include a “pride of lions,” a “murder of crows” or a “school of fish.” When you think of collective nouns, it seems that most of them have to do with animals, though that’s not necessarily the only ones. There are even a few beer- or drink-related ones, such as a “round of drinks,” I was thrilled to learn. I haven’t run into these before but will be sure to add them to my quiver of arrows (see, there’s another one) for writing about beer.
And when my colleagues and I get together, we become a “worship of writers.” If only.
At the bottom of the list they also suggest some that may not have caught on yet, such as a “bevy of alcoholics.” I’m not so sure about that one.
In doing some further searching, other suggestions have been made, such as a “case of beer” or a “keg of beer,” but those don’t seem like collective nouns as I understand the definition. Those are simply packages that denote size, though those are tame compared to the silly beer, beers and brewers suggestions at all-sorts, a linguistic experiment.
Here’s another list of The Collective Nouns, with ones that people of submitted, a few of which are truly inspired. And Wikipedia has a list, too.
Did I miss any? Any you can think of?
Today’s infographic is from the BJCP, showing the color range for each of their defined styles, though I found the chart through a link at the Home Brew Manual, where you can download a very large pdf. It’s got their logo on it, so it’s probable they created it with the BJCP data.
Friday’s ad is for Anheuser-Busch, from 1913. It’s a beautiful illustration, but the way the boy is pointing down at the field coupled with the authoritarian-sounding “Anheuser-Busch Will Buy This Barley” (say it with a Colonel Klink accent), it almost feels ominous. And does anybody know if A-B only uses Bohemia’s Saazer hops, or ever did exclusively? Stan? But a cool image.
While I had a logic class in college, and dabbled in debate, I’ve probably forgotten more than I ever learned. But I still love the notion of breaking down the thought process. My son, who’s 11 and autistic, often has trouble understanding humor. As a result, I increasingly find myself trying to explain the punchline of a joke — why it’s funny — and I’ll break it down for him. What invariably happens, of course, is that in that process, the joke is stripped of its humor and is no longer funny. For some reason, that never deters me. I’ve always had a thing for jokes and thinking about why they’re funny. If I wasn’t so damn shy I would have loved to have tried my hand at stand-up comedy back when I was a younger man. I think that’s why I loved The Aristocrats so much. Ninety minutes breaking down and re-telling one joke. What’s not to love?
So check out the comic strip below. It’s mildly amusing, at least to me. You most likely won’t laugh out loud, but you may smile, at least. But from the point of view of logic, it’s also quite correct, and instructional. It was originally posted by Spiked Math Comics, who admits he doesn’t know the strip’s original creator.
But here’s where it veers headlong into geekdom. It was picked up by a Danish University linguistics student, Emil Kirkegaard, who posted Three Logicians Walk Into a Bar: A Formal Explanation, a breakdown and analysis of the joke, complete with formulas, and explanation of the logic principles behind it.
Here’s one expressing the root problem: E↔(Wa∧Wb∧Wc)
The whole explanation is just as funny as the original strip, to me at least, in its own right and certainly does explain the joke, although if you didn’t think it was funny to begin with, this probably isn’t going to help. But us geeks have to stick together, no matter what geekworld we belong to.
Today’s infographic is yet another Periodic Table of Beer Styles, this one of unknown origin.
Thursday’s ad is for Country Club Malt Liquor, from 1966, brewed by the Pearl Brewing Company of San Antonio, Texas and St. Joseph, Missouri. The selling points seem quite odd, like “it’s short on head, but long on what you drink malt liquor for,” which of course is for the “walloping good taste.” Uh-huh. That’s why people drink malt liquor. I always wondered that.
Here’s an interesting addition to the historical record of craft beer. The Brewers Association has created an audio record of stories from their early days, as related by “some of the major players in the industry,” and recorded by newly appointed Brewers Association Board of Directors Chair, Sam Calagione, who quips. “We’re lucky to be in an industry that’s only 30 or so years young—so vibrant and growing—but that our pioneers are still so active in our industry. We have a great opportunity to record the beginnings and evolution of our industry from the folks who started it.” Even though it’s a YouTube video, there’s no video, but instead a still image appears of the person speaking, so you can follow along with who is talking. The whole thing lasts two-and-a-half hours! Enjoy.
Today’s infographic was created by the Beer Drinker’s Guide to Colorado, showing the family tree of beer styles.
Wednesday’s ad is for Old Vienna, the Canadian O’Keefe’s brand, from 1953. While painting the floor red — why?, only heaven knows — the family dog knocks over both the painter and the can of paint. What to do next? The ad suggests that you “cool off” and “open a bottle of sparkling, light-bodied Old Vienna Beer. Is that before or after you smack the dog with a rolled-up newspaper?
