A Most Unusual Gin

Taking a cue from Sir Dayvd of Oxfordshire when he shared how the English switch from the heavy beers to a more refreshing "summer drink" like Pimms No.1 Cup, and his latest adventure at Tesco, I had to go to Sam's Club to replenish my office supplies and came across this Gem of a Gin.

Of course, being in marketing, a was an immediate sucker for their positioning statements: A Most Unusual Gin, Loved By a Tiny Handful of People All Over the World, It's Not for Everyone, A Gin Made Oddly, Preferred By 1 out of 1,000 Gin Drinkers.

Now, how can a guy like me resist such a temptation to be 1 of a 1,000 Unusual and Oddly Made Person of the World. I wasn't disappointed when I opened the cork top and poured my first drink on a balmy 90 degree Friday afternoon!

Hendrick's is a hand crafted gin made in Scotland, where the technique they use "bathes" the gin in vapours instead of boiling, and as they say, "The fact is no other gin tastes like Hendrick's, and this truth only enhances the experience."

From their advert, "Despite the possibilities of surprise, most people shy away from what is odd. Our gin is for those rare individuals who are excited by what is strange and different." Sounds like a battle cry for the Knights of Moleskine, Spirit and Ale!

Best of all, they compare the odds of drinking Hendrick's like two people in love. "When you meet is everything. You must encounter Hendrick's at a time in your life when you are fully open to the deliciousness of new possibilities, no matter how unusual they may be."

Lady Allwinky and I sat by the pool like two people in love and toasted the evening away by encountering life and all it's delicious new possibilities while Hendrick's Gin and Jimmy Hendrix helped us to "Kiss the Sky"!

Cheers,
Sir Hook the Odd of Warrick

History 101 - BEER

In reviewing the information on Franziskaner's website after a Knight of general joy and mayhem, I found a section where they share the history of beer and how it led up to the current Weissbier of today. Seeing how my brain cells are in recovery, I thought it best to let the Monk Professor, not to be confused with the Monk Confessor, teach us about BEER!

Weiss Beer - a Beer with a Long Tradition The Most Important Facts From a Millennia-Old History.
2000 BC - Marduk, the Beer-Brewing God of the Babylonians The age-old tradition of weiss beer (wheat beer) can be traced back to the ancient Babylonians. The earliest known brewer's emblem is the pickaxe wielded by the Babylonian god Marduk. 1600 BC - Beer in the Realm of the Pharaohs The first description of a brewery can be found on a clay tablet from ancient Egypt. 800 BC - Beer on German Soil A beer amphora from the early Hallstatt Period, discovered near the town of Kulmbach, proves that beer was brewed on German soil as early as 800 BC. 4 BC - Beer Conquers the Teutons By the time of Christ's birth nearly all the Germanic tribes knew how to produce beer and enjoyed drinking it. Even the Romans, who called it a barbaric concoction, were not averse to a sip.
600 - Beer Sacrifices in Bavaria By the early Middle Ages the art of beer brewing was already being practiced in the foothills of the Alps. An Irish missionary travelling through the lake district of Bavaria records beer being sacrificed to a heathen god. 719 - Lex Alemannorum In his code of law, the 'Lex Alemannorum', Duke Lantfrit decrees that all bonded peasants must pay tribute in beer to their lords. 815 - Beer in Munich The earliest evidence of beer brewing in Munich dates from the year 815.
1363 - Franziskaner Beer in Munich First documentary evidence of the 'brewery near the Franciscans' in the Residenzstrasse. Franziskaner is thus the oldest privately-owned brewery in Munich.
1380 - Bottom-Fermentation Beer from Bohemia Until now beer was primarily top-fermenting, with the advantage that it could be brewed throughout the year and at very short notice. Unfortunately, due to improper use of 'wild yeasts' floating in the air, it quickly turned sour. Now bottom-fermentation beer arrived in Germany from Bohemia. Although this beer can only be brewed in the cold months of the year (the brewing temperature has to be kept low), it is not nearly as perishable. 1516 - The Bavarian Purity Law Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria issues the Purity Law. Now beer can only be brewed from malt, hops and water.
1520 - Wheat Beer from Bohemia Top-fermentation weiss beer ('wheat beer') arrives in Germany, once again from Bohemia. This beer can be brewed throughout the year, but violates the Purity Law by using yeast.
1567 - Weiss Beer Prohibited Being perishable, weiss beer is declared unhealthy and finally banned altogether by Duke Albrecht IV of Bavaria. 1602 - Weiss Beer Brewing Becomes a State Monopoly Duke Maximilian I of Bavaria recognizes that weiss beer, far from being hazardous to health, is an ideal refreshment for the population. He gradually places every Bavarian brewery that produces top-fermentation weiss beer under state ownership, thereby creating a state monopoly on the brewing of weiss beer. His goal is to balance the state budget, for since 1572 weiss beer has been taxed four times as heavily as brown beer. In compensation for violating the Purity Law, Duke Maximilian agrees to pay a fine to the chamber of representatives.
1683 - Bavarian Troops Drunk with Victory The Bavarian troops stationed at the gates of Vienna to fight the Turks are supplied with weiss beer via the Danube. They win in the end.
1798 - End of the Bavarian Weiss Beer Monopoly Weiss beer becomes less and less important during the 18th century as beer drinkers gradually turn to brown beer. In consequence, Prince-Elector Theodore of Bavaria suspends the weiss beer monopoly. 2000 - Weiss Beer on the Upswing Weiss beer witnesses a steady upsurge from the 1960s. More and more breweries add this Bavarian speciality to their range of products. Today the Bavarians are once again world champions in the art of brewing weiss beer. The former aristocratic monopoly has become the pleasure of the entire world. Thanks to its constantly high quality, Franziskaner weiss beer too has found many admirers all over the globe and has emerged as one of the world's leading weiss beer brands.

Sir Hook the Beer Professor Confessor of Warrick

Three Monks, Fish Bowls & Two Ladies of the Knights

The Tale of the Three Monks, Fish Bowls & Two Ladies of the Knights begins on a post stormy evening on the west side of Evansville at the Gerst House...where you can get guns, ammunition, food and plenty of great German Bier! Actually, you can't get guns and ammunition anymore since it was converted from an old neighborhood hardware store into a haven for the worlds finest beers.

Spaten North America, Inc. put on a Knight of authentic German bottle openers made in China, a drawing for a logo bicycle and a trip for two to Munich. Of course they also made sure that the evening was full of big breasted bar maids, thirsty Arians and Bratwurst. Greg Pilch, Regional Manager of Spaten North America was our gracious host who promises to send us glassware for a mention in our blog!

Here are the Three Monks of KMSA, Sir Bowie, Sir Hook and Sir John. Sir Bowie and Sir John are actually brothers, if you couldn't tell, and of mostly German stock. I on the other hand are what you affectionately call a Mutt. On a scale of 10 I am 5 parts English, 2 parts Cherokee Indian, 2 parts German and 1 part Irish. I prefer to just think of myself as a Tomahawk Wielding Germanic Celt with Manors. As you can see Sir Bowie and Sir John look strikingly ready to enlist in the great tradition of Monastery Brewers. I on the other hand look ready to enter into an Anteaters Contest.

A great tradition of Evansville Bars and Taverns is the Fish Bowl, roughly the same as a pint in size and named as such because you can fill it with water and gold fish if you rather. Proudly displaying the Knights of Moleskine, Spirit and Ale coaster, a glistening Fish Bowl of Franziskaner Weissbier is being readied to take the Sir Hook Express!

Of course, as in any fine drinking establishment, the girls all get prettier as the beer flows and the clock turns. However, in our case, our girls are already pretty. Here is Lady Allwinky, the better half of Sir Hook, and Lady Suzanne, the better half of Sir Bowie, joining us in a Fish Bowl Toast to all things KMSA!

Sir Bowie captures the essence of the evening with his Fish Bowl Glow and shit eating grin. A fine Knight for a fine night. We didn't win the bike, the trip to Munich isn't drawn until November, but we did do the Knights proud in an evening of fun, laughter and great beer. After all, our mission is to Think, Drink and Be Merry!

Sir Hook the Drunken Monk of Warrick