Alcohol

[Randomizer]

From the Wall Street Journal:

 

What would Jesus brew, a look at local churches attracting new members by making their own beer.

 

I waiting for Lilith to stop ROFL.

[Student of Trinity]

Well, the gospels do explicitly mention his reputation as a drinker, and not to deny it. But wine was evidently his drink. He probably never tasted beer.

[Randomizer]

To show the Wall Street Journal is balanced, here is an earlier piece on Jewish services:

 

Kiddush

 

"It is perfect," says Rabbi Lipskar, whose synagogue is part of the Hasidic Lubavitch movement. "God didn't make the delicious stuff only for non-Jews." Those who want a shot of hard liquor—they don't say "let's have a drink," but "let's have a L'chaim," he says, referring to the traditional Jewish toast "to life."

[Tyranicus]

Well, the gospels do explicitly mention his reputation as a drinker, and not to deny it. But wine was evidently his drink. He probably never tasted beer.

 

My uncle, a staunch teetotaler and member of the fundamentalist Church of God, always maintained that the wine that Jesus and his disciples drank was a special kind of nonalcoholic wine that we have forgotten how to make.

[Student of Trinity]

Interesting; I hadn't heard that theory before. The more familiar one is that 'wine' in the New Testament simply meant unfermented grape juice. I've never been able to see any remotely plausible reason to believe that, other than the prior assumption that drinking alcohol is wicked, so Jesus could not possibly have done it. The idea seems unlikely even simply within the text, however, because the references to Jesus as a wine-drinker are clearly meant to be pejorative. His opponents held it against him that he drank wine at parties. Why would it be an accusation, if the wine was non-alcoholic?

[Seasons of Destiny]

Can't tell if this is going to be off-topic or not, as it is technically alcohol, but I also now just noticed that oosquai tag. How could I resist mentioning it? I'm reading the series that it originated from, after all.

[Tridon]

I traveled to Tenerife in December, and bought two bottles of locally produced rum. One is fairly basic, though well known for quality there, and one is honey-rum. I haven't tasted them yet, but when warmer weather approaches, they are ripe for harvest When I get home from work I can see if I remember to check the brands and names.

 

Also tasted Solbacka, the Finnish cherry wine recently, and except the fact that it was a tad too sweet to the taste, it was surprisingly good Very good both at room temperature, and when cooled down.

[Alorael at Large]

My uncle, a staunch teetotaler and member of the fundamentalist Church of God, always maintained that the wine that Jesus and his disciples drank was a special kind of nonalcoholic wine that we have forgotten how to make.

This seems like an odd claim. Wine is necessarily fermented; if it hasn't been fermented it's grape juice, not wine. You can remove the alcohol in post-production; that's even done for non-alcoholic wines, but it requires either very modern techniques and technology or you have to distill your wine, which probably leaves it tasting awful. It's conceivable that Jesus and his disciples drank burnt wine, but it's an odd claim given the omnipresence and sacramental importance of wine.

 

—Alorael, who knows that oddness and religion often go hand in hand. Maybe even necessarily from the perspective of outside observers trying to figure out the religion. And no, you can't distill it out.

[Soul of Wit]

It's annoying being 20 and having friends who are all 21. Some day, some day...

Man up and bribe your older friends to buy for you. I can't tell you how popular that guy in my freshman dorm was who had been in the military before attending uni. His going rate was one six pack for him, regardless of how may people chipped in to create a massive purchase.

[Soul of Wit]

... I never had to deal with tobacco, but when my company decided to start carding for all credit purchased over $25. Countless people have sworn at me or just walked out. People are delightful! ...

People should get upset. The only requirement to use a credit card is your signature. As far as I know, merchants do not have the option to add restrictions.

[Soul of Wit]

I can't even stomach gin, or brandy for that matter. Although, the worst alcohol I've tried is a "beer" called Pabst Blue Ribbon. I've accidentally drank spoiled milk before, and I would rate that experience as more pleasant than that foul substance.

The US is now the microbrew center of the universe. People come from Europe to learn how we do it. Stop trying that corporate swill and hie thee to the local microbrewery.

 

And a gin & tonic is a fine beverage—and low in calories (relatively speaking.)

[A less presumptuous name.]

People should get upset. The only requirement to use a credit card is your signature. As far as I know, merchants do not have the option to add restrictions.

I just did some looking, and it does indeed turn out that both Visa and Mastercard merchant-card agreements prohibit the refusal of sale when ID is not presented. While I acknowledge that this is binding, I still think that it's stupid. Electronically recorded signatures are horrible, and many people just scribble. With the amount of credit card fraud going on, this restriction seems unfair to retailers.

 

(Also, people shouldn't take their frustration out on the employee. Such policies come from corporate offices, and complaints should be taken up with said offices as well as the card company.)

[keira]

 

Man up and bribe your older friends to buy for you. I can't tell you how popular that guy in my freshman dorm was who had been in the military before attending uni. His going rate was one six pack for him, regardless of how may people chipped in to create a massive purchase.

 

Excuse me, good sir. I believe that, in my official capacity as a Global Moderator of the Spiderweb Software Message Boards, it would not be Prudent for you to recommend such an idea to one of your board peers.

 

The actions you recommend are illegal (and carry very stiff penalties) in your peer's jurisdiction (23 U.S.C. §158) and thus are probably not a good idea. In addition, recommending such actions is a violation of this Board's Code of Conduct (rule 1).

 

Please do not repeat this infraction. Thank you!

[The Reverend]

Some of my favorites:

• Good craft brews, of pretty much any style. I've recently started to dabble in brewing my own. Not nearly up to the standards of the microbrews I frequent, but much better than the aforementioned PBR. And I'm hoping to improve with practice.
  
• Pisco (a grape brandy made in Peru and Chile) - Pisco Biondi is my personal favorite, but I'm a bit partial because the first taste I had of pisco was in Moquegua, Peru, home of Pisco Biondi.
  
• Calvados (French Apple Brandy) - my French father-in-law gave me what he calls a "Wuudy Wuudpeckaire" (my attempt to write Woody Woodpecker with a French accent) the first time I visited by pouring me a few too many servings of this ...
  
• Eau de vie de Poire William (pear brandy, also French). I prefer the bottles with a whole pear inside - much more appetizing than the tequila bottles with the worm inside.
  

[Cairo Jim]

One thing I really want to try is mead. Another thing I want to try is to make mead. Should be quite enjoyable.

 

 

I traveled to Tenerife in December, and bought two bottles of locally produced rum. One is fairly basic, though well known for quality there, and one is honey-rum.

 

Is that the one in Brisbane by any chance?

[Lilith]

One thing I really want to try is mead. Another thing I want to try is to make mead. Should be quite enjoyable.

 

I'm pretty sure I tried it once. It can't have made much of an impression on me, or else I'd be very sure I'd tried it.

[Student of Trinity]

Mead is not bad at all, but nothing so fantastic. A bit sweet, though only a bit.

[Alorael at Large]

Hard cider often tastes like de-sweetened apples. Mead tastes the same, but replace the apples with honey.

 

—Alorael, who could take it or leave it. He has friends who love it. It's one of those drinks that's much stronger than it tastes, though, and if you get drunk you're fairly likely to start trying to pillage monasteries.

[Student of Trinity]

That's why monasteries are built strong, so they can serve as fortresses in time of mead.

[Cairo Jim]

It's one of those drinks that's much stronger than it tastes, though, and if you get drunk you're fairly likely to start trying to pillage monasteries.

 

Since I have longish blonde hair, I might actually look the part.

[Soul of Wit]

I just did some looking, and it does indeed turn out that both Visa and Mastercard merchant-card agreements prohibit the refusal of sale when ID is not presented. While I acknowledge that this is binding, I still think that it's stupid. Electronically recorded signatures are horrible, and many people just scribble. With the amount of credit card fraud going on, this restriction seems unfair to retailers.

 

(Also, people shouldn't take their frustration out on the employee. Such policies come from corporate offices, and complaints should be taken up with said offices as well as the card company.)

Businesses agree to accept credit cards with only a signature as a convenience to their customers. It's a tradeoff—more business vs. the risk of being on the hook for fraud. Ideally, the agreement between the merchant and the card issuer would protect the merchant, provided that they follow the agreed-upon procedures.

 

The best way to deal with irate people is to kill them with kindness (it's also a great form of job security.) If someone is upset about your employer's credit card policies then simply say that you will be sure to mention it to your supervisor the next time that the two of you speak (and then actually do so.) Such a comment would go a long way towards calming me down. The other option is to memorize the customer complaint/ombudsman phone number that many larger businesses have.

[Tridon]

Is that the one in Brisbane by any chance?

 

It's one of the Canary Islands outside the north west coats of Africa The Brisbane one is Teneriffe with two f's if Wikipedia is right. If you're making rum, you need to be an old Atlantic colony.

[nikki.]

In the UK, credit/debit cards are only accepted with the PIN: no signatures, and no ID. I don't know if it's more secure (each PIN can be guessed incorrectly three times before it needs resetting through the bank the card is attached to), but it's certainly a lot easier than checking signatures and dealing with people who don't carry identification.

[The Reverend]

How did a thread about alcohol get sidetracked into a discussion about credit card policies? I thought all other conversations were supposed to get sidetracked into discussions of alcohol, not the other way around!

[Randomizer]

You obviously haven't been drinking enough.

[A less presumptuous name.]

How did a thread about alcohol get sidetracked into a discussion about credit card policies? I thought all other conversations were supposed to get sidetracked into discussions of alcohol, not the other way around!

 

It's all my fault.

1) This thread was intended to prevent topic drift elsewhere. Thus, I figured it needed its own healthy does of liquor topic drift.

2) I like to complain about people.

 

 

In the UK, credit/debit cards are only accepted with the PIN: no signatures, and no ID. I don't know if it's more secure (each PIN can be guessed incorrectly three times before it needs resetting through the bank the card is attached to), but it's certainly a lot easier than checking signatures and dealing with people who don't carry identification.

That sounds delightful. Actually.