Being a bartender and bar school instructor I've heard many interesting stories about liquor. Have you heard any of these?
"Dude, there's deer's blood and heroin in Jagermeister."
"My dad's brother's friend almost died after drinking Goldschlager because the gold flakes cut up his intestines!"
"If you eat the worm in tequila you will begin tripping because the worm is soaked in mescaline!"
Just as some people refuse to stop believing that the first moon landing was staged, you will always find gullible people wanting to believe these outrageous stories. There are some strange things in liquor abroad but not in the FDA controlled U.S.
1. Jagermeister: This 70 proof 56 herb-liqueur from Germany is a popular college party favorite. The word "Jagermeister" does in fact mean "hunt master" but could you imagine the FDA allowing blood of any kind in something we drink? Mmmm, "Could I please have a shot of hepatitis?" I guess it has something to do with the vampire obsessed culture of young America. And heroin? Well, once upon a time in the early 1930's when it was first introduced it did contain Opium. But sorry not anymore--just like Coca Cola had the fun stuff, it can only be purchased illegally on the streets these days. Some say that Jager tastes just like Nyquil. Well, think about it..what's the number one ingredient in cough syrup?..alcohol. And since it also contains herbs it does make a nice remedy for those sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, nighttime I need some rest remedies.
2. Goldschlager: This 87 proof Swiss cinnamon schnapps does contain real 24 gold karat flakes. But if you haven't noticed they're in the liqueur business. The gold flakes are so thin, soft and malleable they just dissolve into your system and do not cut up your intestines. If someone did once die while drinking Goldschlager, it was because they just drank too much. The gold is just a novelty. I wonder however, if gold is an essential mineral?
3. Worm in tequila: Tequila is a Mexican spirit made from the blue agave plant. Many people believe that the worm at the end of a bottle is somehow bloated with the drug mescaline. Well, it's actually not even a worm. It's the larva from a moth--gross huh? This larva lives in the blue agave plant, and so it's to commemorate where the tequila came from. Some also say it's proof that the tequila's alcohol content is high since the "worm" stays preserved. You don't find this tequila in many restaurants and bars in the U.S. because it very unappealing. Typically, makers of "Mezcal" (tequila made from a different agave species) is bottled with the worm. So forget about hallucinogenic qualities in this worm at all.
If you go to some far off countries there are even more strange things in liquor. In Cambodia there is a tarantula brandy made with newly dead tarantulas--aaahhhhhh! In rural Korea some farmers infuse their rice liquor with mouse carcasses (I don't know why) and also with dead snakes--supposedly the liquor neutralizes the venom. I say, if you're drinking this stuff, you must already be tripping.
So how and why do these urban myths get started? I suppose because everyone wants to have an interesting story to tell. This desire to know secret bizarre things about alcohol only contributes to the growth and development of an urban myth. And although the start of these stories may be partly factual, the truth only gets exaggerated by the whisper-down-the-lane affect.
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The Bucks County School of Bartending
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Thursday, October 14, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
History of Philadelphia's Beer Brewing Roots
My interest in everything beer has led to a great interest in the history of breweries in the area of my home town Philadelphia. I have found that the city of Philadelphia played a sigificant part in the industrialization of beer in the U.S. and still does today.
Outrageous as it sounds, by the end of the Revolutionary War Philadelphia housed a tavern for every 25 men. Along with Boston, this concentration of taverns was more than anywhere else in the English speaking world at the time (talk about pub crawl). One notable tavern still in existance is The Old City Tavern built in 1773.
If you didn't already know, Philadelphia was the resting place of many German immigrants. They brought with them their love for beer and of course, started the famous Philly pretzel craze. At first, Germans set up breweries along the Schuylkill River. The river provided a spot the Germans needed to dig caves in order to keep their beer cold (or lagerned) during fermentation. With the advent of refrigeration these brewers purchased a 10 block area in North Phila. (north of Girard Avenue and West of 30th Street near Fairmount Park) where they built many breweries. This neighborhood became known as "Brewerytown." At one point there were about 100 breweries located in this area. Some of the major breweries at the time were:
Bergner & Engel
Arnolt & Schaefer
George F. Rothaker
George Keller
J & P. Baltz
Bergdoll
The Brewerytown neighborhood easily thrived due to it's proximity to the river and railroads--helping to distribute the beer throughout the country. By the end of the Civil War beer making was one of the top 5 sources of income for the city. But in 1920 Brewerytown was destroyed by Prohibition. In fact, almost every brewery in the country was forced out of business.
Yuengling Brewing Company in Pottsville Pa. however, did survive Prohibition. Originally called "Eagle Brewing Company" and established in 1829 the Yuengling family (which sounds Chinese--but is actually of German descent) changed it's name, but kept the eagle emblem for their bottles' labels. Yuengling survived by selling "near beer" which had less than .5% alcohol--they called it "Yuengling Special." In addition, the Yuenglings operated a dairy farm. Today, Yuengling is the oldest (surviving), but one of the fastest growing beer companies in the United States. In March of 2010, President Obama sent the Prime Minister of Canada a case of Yuengling Beer to settle a wager on the outcome of the winter olympics.
So what happened to Brewerytown? Every brewery in the town eventually disappeared from existance. What remains are some of the magnificent buildings. Being a predominately poor residential neighborhood now, a lot of these buildings and homes have either been destroyed or are in need of major repair. I recently took a driving tour through the area to view the German-styled architecture. The breweries have red-brick facades and elaborate trim. The surrounding townhomes that were built to house the brewery employees are obviously modeled after the breweries with their red brick and unique trim. In 1991 the National Registry of Historical Places recognized 380 buildings in the district.
A multi-million dollar project to repair and construct a "Brewerytown" square with premium shops, restaurants and housing has been put on hold due to a lawsuit and opposition from the AABRA (African American Business & Residents Association). The AABRA claims that this project would ultimately force the lower-income residents from their neighborhoods. I don't know much about the AABRA and their position, but it seems to me that this project would only up the value of the resident's homes and in the end be a benefit to the people of the community.
In the past two decades Philadelphia has seen a major boom in micro breweries. Today we have one of the highest concentration of craft breweries in the United States--and a reputation for making some of the world's best beer. Ironically enough, none of these new breweries are located in Brewerytown. Here are a few popular brewers in the area:
Philadelphia Brewing Co.
Yards Brewing Co.
Nodding Head
Dock Street
Manayunk Brewery
Sly Fox
Stoudts
Victory
Triumph
So for all beer lovers and history lovers alike please remember that Philadelphia certainly has history that includes more than just the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross and Independence Hall.
Bergdoll Brewery
Outrageous as it sounds, by the end of the Revolutionary War Philadelphia housed a tavern for every 25 men. Along with Boston, this concentration of taverns was more than anywhere else in the English speaking world at the time (talk about pub crawl). One notable tavern still in existance is The Old City Tavern built in 1773.
If you didn't already know, Philadelphia was the resting place of many German immigrants. They brought with them their love for beer and of course, started the famous Philly pretzel craze. At first, Germans set up breweries along the Schuylkill River. The river provided a spot the Germans needed to dig caves in order to keep their beer cold (or lagerned) during fermentation. With the advent of refrigeration these brewers purchased a 10 block area in North Phila. (north of Girard Avenue and West of 30th Street near Fairmount Park) where they built many breweries. This neighborhood became known as "Brewerytown." At one point there were about 100 breweries located in this area. Some of the major breweries at the time were:
Bergner & Engel
Arnolt & Schaefer
George F. Rothaker
George Keller
J & P. Baltz
Bergdoll
The Brewerytown neighborhood easily thrived due to it's proximity to the river and railroads--helping to distribute the beer throughout the country. By the end of the Civil War beer making was one of the top 5 sources of income for the city. But in 1920 Brewerytown was destroyed by Prohibition. In fact, almost every brewery in the country was forced out of business.
Yuengling Brewing Company in Pottsville Pa. however, did survive Prohibition. Originally called "Eagle Brewing Company" and established in 1829 the Yuengling family (which sounds Chinese--but is actually of German descent) changed it's name, but kept the eagle emblem for their bottles' labels. Yuengling survived by selling "near beer" which had less than .5% alcohol--they called it "Yuengling Special." In addition, the Yuenglings operated a dairy farm. Today, Yuengling is the oldest (surviving), but one of the fastest growing beer companies in the United States. In March of 2010, President Obama sent the Prime Minister of Canada a case of Yuengling Beer to settle a wager on the outcome of the winter olympics.
So what happened to Brewerytown? Every brewery in the town eventually disappeared from existance. What remains are some of the magnificent buildings. Being a predominately poor residential neighborhood now, a lot of these buildings and homes have either been destroyed or are in need of major repair. I recently took a driving tour through the area to view the German-styled architecture. The breweries have red-brick facades and elaborate trim. The surrounding townhomes that were built to house the brewery employees are obviously modeled after the breweries with their red brick and unique trim. In 1991 the National Registry of Historical Places recognized 380 buildings in the district.
A multi-million dollar project to repair and construct a "Brewerytown" square with premium shops, restaurants and housing has been put on hold due to a lawsuit and opposition from the AABRA (African American Business & Residents Association). The AABRA claims that this project would ultimately force the lower-income residents from their neighborhoods. I don't know much about the AABRA and their position, but it seems to me that this project would only up the value of the resident's homes and in the end be a benefit to the people of the community.
In the past two decades Philadelphia has seen a major boom in micro breweries. Today we have one of the highest concentration of craft breweries in the United States--and a reputation for making some of the world's best beer. Ironically enough, none of these new breweries are located in Brewerytown. Here are a few popular brewers in the area:
Philadelphia Brewing Co.
Yards Brewing Co.
Nodding Head
Dock Street
Manayunk Brewery
Sly Fox
Stoudts
Victory
Triumph
So for all beer lovers and history lovers alike please remember that Philadelphia certainly has history that includes more than just the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross and Independence Hall.
Bergdoll Brewery
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