Reflections From a Murky Pond

In America the federal government demands that warning labels be put on all beers. These labels warn of the potential hazards that drinking too much beer can cause and were forced upon breweries by the The Alcoholic Beverage Labeling Act (ABLA)

GOVERNMENT WARNING: (1) ACCORDING TO THE SURGEON GENERAL, WOMEN SHOULD NOT DRINK ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES DURING PREGNANCY BECAUSE OF THE RISK OF BIRTH DEFECTS. (2) CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES IMPAIRS YOUR ABILITY TO DRIVE A CAR OR OPERATE MACHINERY, AND MAY CAUSE HEALTH PROBLEMS.

The required warning makes it very clear to everyone exactly what the US government is concerned about.

Before & After – Gentlemen Beware

The Rinkuškiai Brewery in the Biržai region of Lithuania, while not required by their government to put such warning labels on the beers, chose to provide very practical warnings anyway on bottles of their Beers.

I don’t know about you, but I think that Rinkuškiai’s warning looks to carry a lot more weight with drinkers than what the US government requires.

Gentlemen, drink responsibly or you may face some ugly consequences.

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In days not so long gone by Obama has showed an interest in holding beer summits, presumably to foster the idea that he’s one of the people instead of a Ivy League educated “1%’er” with little or no connection with- or understanding of we, the People.

In itself that’s no problem; Presidents are rarely from the masses. If Obama plans to revisit this campaign tactic though, it’s going to take reworking similar to his wealth redistribution campaign plank and the Obama Girl.

Obama leads a charmed life though and, thanks to the Lagunitas Brewing Company, there’s the perfect beer for his next iteration of a beer summit – Wilco Tango Foxtrot.

Like Obama, WTF is rich and brown, but carries a harsh, bitter bite that is not normal in an American product. In the beer’s case it comes from Californian hops sensibilities

It’s noteworthy and apropos that Wilco Tango Foxtrot was supposed to be named “2010 Recovery Ale” but they said, “It’s 2011 and it STILL doesn’t look like we’ll be there anytime soon.”

If you can still afford it and tolerate the bite, hoist a glass of WTF in Obama’s “honor.”

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The first rule in an emergency is to stay calm. 99% of the time panic is not the right answer. Frankly, 99% of time that there’s an emergency you should have already panicked and gotten the hell out of whatever you were. So, if you’re already in the emergency situation, there’s no point in panicking anymore.

Stay Calm. Beer Is Here

Fortunately, some good Samaritans have decided to provide an emergency service to help the rest of out of these situations.

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