Aladdin Sake Bottles

These lovely bottles were spotted by the Notcot staff while shopping at Mitsuwa Marketplace. The bottles were so uniquely shaped and colored that I just had to share them here with you. They’ve indeed got sex appeal. Mitsuwa Marketplace, by the way, is a great place to shop for Japanese goods in the good ol’ United States. It probably is the next best thing to actually flying to Japan to do your grocery shopping. You can find a Mitsuwa Marketplace in California, Chicago and New Jersey. And if you decide to stop by at one of their location, maybe you can seek out one of these sake bottles and let me know what it tastes like!

Via Notcot.

How Bottle Color Affects Beer Taste

Beer is typically packaged in one of three different bottle colors: brown, green and clear. Now, selection of the bottle colors usually boils down to a marketing decision – what looks good with the corresponding label and logo. From a beer protection standpoint, brown bottles offer the most bang for the buck.

The brown tint of the glass protects (but not completely) the beer from wave-lengths of blue light that cause beer to become skunked. Green and clear bottle offer virtually no protection from damaging light and therefore make the beer much more susceptible to becoming skunked.

Beer bottles that use completely opaque bottles and therefore keeping light away from the beer offer the best protection. Think of opaque bottles as the ultimate Trojan equivalent for beers.

In short, light exposure is bad, bad, bad when it comes to beer. Even beers that are sitting in the grocery store under flourescent light is susceptible to damage, especially those in lighter colored bottles.

A Few Commercial Beers and the Color of their Bottles:

Brown Bottles: Bass, Brooklyn Lager, Dos Equis, Negro Modelo, Pacifico, Quilmes, and Red Stripe.

Green Bottles: Becks, Heineken, and Molson.

Clear Bottles: Corona, Sol, Tesoro

What does skunky beer taste/smell like?

Here’s an experiment that you can do: Take two fresh non-skunked bottles of a hoppy beer such as Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and pour one bottle into a drinking glass and keep the other bottle away from direct sunlight. Let the one in the glass sit in the sun for 5-10 minutes an then smell and taste both the glass of beer that was exposed to sunlight and the beer that was not exposed. You should get an idea of what skunked beer tastes like from the sun exposed glass of beer.

So How Does A Beer Become Skunked?

Ultraviolet light is the uber enemy when it comes to beer. Hop-derived molecules known as isohumulones (they contribute to the bitter taste of beer) are torn from each other when exposed to UV light causing them to bind to sulfur atoms and in effect producing the skunked aroma.

Why is it called “skunk”, “skunky”, “skunked”?

It’s because the odor is reminiscent of the smell that skunks release when they are in defensive mode. In other words, skunked beer is unappealing to the taste buds.

Wine 101: Demystifying Wine Bottles

Wine is a complicated drink, we know this and that is why at Call Me Thirsty we have the Wine 101 Series! Our aim is rid the confusion that comes with wine so that we can enjoy this wonderful drink without being totally confused by it. In this Wine 101 post I hope to demystify a few things about wine bottles. To do this I’ve created a little graphic for you all to enjoy, that includes six of the major bottles shapes that wine comes packaged in. Intertwined in the graphic you’ll find some fun facts about the bottles.

Click on the graphic and take a closer look at it!

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Bottle Types

German wine bottles tend to be narrow and tall. You’ll also find that Rhine, Mosel, and Alsace wines are packaged in these narrow and tall bottles that have little or no punt (see below for a description of what a punt is). If you’re picking up a Riesling, chances are that it is packed in this bottle type. This type of bottle is also known as having a Hock shape.

Champagne bottles must have thick walls to withstand the pressure of the carbon dioxide bubbles inside of it. These bottles are typically described as having sloping shoulders. Champagne bottles typically have a very pronounced punt.

Red and White Burgundy bottles tend to have a tall shape with sloping shoulders. You’ll find Pinot Noir and Chardonay packaged in this bottle type. This bottle has a small punt and thicks walls to help contain the pressure of these wines.

Sherry, Port and Bordeaux bottles feature straight sides and high shoulders. Red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec feature this bottle shape, as do white wines like Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. These bottles have a very pronounced punt. The Bordeaux type bottles has also been called a Claret and Souterne.

Chianti bottles are reserved for the red Italian wine produced in Tuscany. These bottles feature a squat bottle that is usually enclosed in a straw basket.

Sizes

The graphic above shows some of the most popular wine bottle sizes. A standard bottle of wine contains 750 mL (or 0.75 cL).

On The Ladder:
Quarter ( aka Piccolo) = 0.188 Liter (smallest)
Half = 0.375 Liter
Full = 0.75 Liter
Magnum = 1.5 Liter

On The Floor:
Jeroboam = 3 Liter
Methuselah = 6 Liter
Salmanazar = 9 Liter
Balthazar = 12 Liter (largest)

There even more bottle sizes but the above are the most common and the most important for you to know.

Wine Bottle Colors

Dark Green: These bottle are said to be able to protect the wine from sunlight. You’ll usually find red wine packed in dark green bottles.

Light Green: Dry white wines are often kept in light green bottles.

Brown: Wine produced in Mosel (regions in France, Luxembourg, and Germany) and Alsace (Alsace region in France) often come packaged in brown bottles.

Clear: These bottles have generally been reserved for sweet whites but have also come to be used for whites in general.

Sometimes wineries use non-traditional colors to individualize their wine. An often used non-traditional color is blue.

What’s a Punt?

A punt is the little dimple or “kick-up” that you’ll find at the bottom of the wine bottle. Historically, the punt originated from the free blowing technique used to make the wine bottles. The punt also aids in preventing the bottle from tipping over when it is standing up and consolidates the collection of sediment at the bottom of the bottle.

Beer Cupcakes Made From Newcastle, Guinness and Blue Moon

Etsy member, Cacao Bakery has been offering up some very unique basked items at her online bake shop. She calls them Beer Cupcakes, and as you might have guessed, they are cupcakes made from beer! She offers them in three flavors, Chocolate Guiness, Chocolate Newcastle, and Orangey Blue Moon. The cupcakes are handmade from scratch and she even offers to perfect a recipe for you if you’ve got a favorite beer that you’d like to see made into a cupcake! I need to taste these.

“12 cupcakes ship with frosting in a separate container (so they aren’t smashed in shipping). Alcohol is cooked out during baking so anyone can enjoy them! All of our gourmet sweets & treats are handmade from scratch using all natural and organic ingredients and are always fresh to order, so please allow 2-3 days before shipping.”

Buy Beer Cupcakes from Cacao Bakery for $30 per 12 pack.

Dissecting Beer

Let’s dissect our favorite drink, beer! No need for a scalpel, the hard work has been done. Just follow this chart provided by Call Me Thirsty and dissect your way through this frosty glass of beer. We start with the aroma of the beer and work our way down to the frothy head of the beer. Color is also important as is carbonation. We all enjoy a good flavorful beer but the alcohol is probably what most people look forward to when enjoying a cold one.

Wine 101: The Components of Wine

For many of you, wine might be a favorite drink. It might taste good, it might make you look sophisticated, it might be good for your heart, but … do you really know what you are ingesting? The simple answer is grapes. Sure, but there’s a lot more to it. In this first part of the Wine 101 series, I take a look at the components of wine.

Water

Surprisingly, wine is mostly water. Yes, water. But not tap water, instead, it’s water that comes naturally from the grapes used in the wine making process. For many people long ago, alcoholic beverages were a way of safely consuming non-contaminated and safe to drink water. Luckily today we can buy bottled water making wine no longer a necessity but more so something to be enjoyed.

Fruit

You might use grapes to make wine but the key in this wine component is to find noble grapes that evoke aromas of fruits other than grapes. The wine making process helps to break down the organic acids and alcohol which forms compounds that imitate the aroma of other fruits.

Alcohol

Wine typically consists of 10-15 percent ethyl alcohol. For you chemists, thats C₂H₅OH.

Sugar

No all sugars become fermented in the wine making process. Some sugars remain and these are known as residual sugars. The more residual sugars that remain the more than sweetness becomes apparent.

Tannin

Tannin is considered a sort of natural preservative and is the key component in allowing wines to improve with age. Tannin is extracted mainly from grape skins.

Glycerin

You wouldn’t want to drink watery wine now would you? Glycerin gives wine a bit of drinkable thickness if you will. The glycerin is a by-product of the fermentation process.

Oak

The oak here is in reference to oak barrel used in the fermenting process. The type of oak used has an effect on the final wine product. Taste can change depending on barrel aging, using new or old oak and even using oak from different parts of the globe. Oak adds character to the wine.

Carbon Dioxide

Carbon dioxide is yet another by-productof the fermentation process. Although allowed to escape during the wine making process, some CO₂ remains in the end product which adds a bit of a fizz to the wine.

I hope you enjoyed this first part of the Wine 101 series! Please feel free to leave any questions or comments below. And if you know someone that loves wine but isn’t really sure what it’s made of then be sure to pass on a link to this article!

Photo courtesy of Flickr user 2create.

Hijos De Villa Pistol Reposado Tequila

Imagine for a second taking your favorite shot of tequila from a shot glass. Now imagine someone actually shooting a shot of tequila into your mouth with a glass tequila pistol. That dream almost becomes a reality with Hijo De Villa Pistol Reposado Tequila. Although it’s bottle is shaped like a pistol, it doesn’t actually shoot the tequila like a pistol. You still need to pour it into a shot glass. It’s still is a nice conversation starter and collectible for any serious tequila collector.

Buy the Hijos De Villa Pistol Reposado Tequila from Napa Cabs for $28.95.

Crystal Head Vodka

Crystal Head Vodka was first introduced a little over a year ago by comedian extraordinaire, Dan Aykroyd. The human skull packaging was designed by Long Island based designer, John Alexander. The Crystal Head is an obvious tribute to the 13 Crystal Skulls that are thought to be found in various locations around the world.

“This Pure Spirit, vodka triple filtered through polished crystals known as Herkimer diamonds, free of additives, is exquisite any time of the year but perhaps ideal for October. Brought to us by Dan Aykroyd, known for his fascination with the invisible world, Crystal Head Vodka ties in with the story of the 13 Crystal Heads that have been unearthed at various times on our planet… from the Yucatan to Tibet. The Heads are believed to emit positive energy, good will and prosperity. Crystal Head Vodka is perfect as a lone shot, chilled or served in signature cocktails. Unlike most vodkas in today’s marketplace that use additives, glycol, citrus and sugar to improve smoothness and flavor, Crystal Head Vodka is a pure spirit with no additives. It is quadrupled distilled and filtered three times through charcoal followed by triple filtration over Herkimer crystals from one of the planets rarest deposits of close concentrated semi-precious stones.”

Buy Crystal Head Vodka from Napa Cabs for $44.95.

Hudson Manhattan Rye Whiskey

The unique packaging for this bottle of whiskey makes it look as if it is coming to you straight from the period of prohibition. This whiskey is pot distilled from rye grain and features 46% alcohol. Live in New York? Do me a favor and visit Tuthilltown Spirits and ship me a bottle.

“Until Prohibition New York was known for its rye whiskey. This feisty spirit was the basis for the legendary Manhattan cocktail, made famous by Jenny Churchill (Winston’s Mum). Rye had not been produced in New York for over 80 years, but Tuthilltown Spirits’ Hudson Manhattan Rye Whiskey signals the return of the quintessential New York Whiskey. Our rye is made from whole grain rye one batch at a time. It is not the blended rye whiskey your parents used to mix with soda. This is honest rye whiskey. Hudson Manhattan Rye Whiskey is bottled at 92 proof. It is fruity, floral and smooth, with a recognizable rye edge that leaves no doubt the origin of the spirit. Each bottle is hand filled, capped, waxed and numbered. Enjoy the return of this classic American spirit.”

Karlsson’s Vodka

The bottles for the Karlsson’s Vodka line is a thing of beauty and it should be since Karlsson’s collaborated with the man behind the svelte Absolut bottle.

“To ensure this new and unique concept for vodkas was presented in a relevant and appropriate way, Peter Ekelund contacted another old partner from the Absolut launch: Hans Brindfors, the key person behind the Absolut bottle. Mr Brindfors created a new unique package for the Karlsson’s vodka, based on a standard laboratory bottle. This unique design drives the focus to what is inside the bottle rather than to the bottle itself (a bold move for a designer).”

The packaging alone begs me to have a taste of of this vodka made of potatoes and cultivated at the Bjäre peninsula in Skåne, Sweden. Sexy.

Buy Karlsson’s Gold Vodka from K&L for $27.99.