David Bois: Gonna Party Like It's 999 B.C.

Two items inspire my current offering to the Tonic News community. One is Sebastian Clayton's homage to fromage from a few days ago. I too love cheese, and hope our friends across the pond are enjoying British Cheese Week. The second is a field research study on the cutting edge of the social hour sciences that Editor Dan and I have been kicking around and, which still begs for our attention; stay tuned for details.

I am a fan of beer. Half a lifetime ago, "beer" frothed its way out of a room temp keg in the fraternity basement, and in hindsight, conjures up thoughts less of beer itself than of a primary anticipated result of its consumption. I've aged, my tastes have followed suit. West coast life presents an embarrassment of riches of well-crafted regional beers. I've also developed a fondness for Belgian bottle fermented ales: stuff that one doesn't pound as if at a kegger, one savors, much like a good wine. And in line with an environmental sensibility, the variety of organic beers is wonderful to behold. To all who appreciate beer, I highly recommend Beer Advocate as a reference. A search on "organic" nets over 200 results! You just might find something new and fantastic and earth-friendly (if not altogether liver-friendly) in your area.

Two items simultaneously ticked my beer palate and my inner science geek this week that I'd like to share. The first dovetails nicely with another favorite topic of conversation and consumption: chocolate. Anthropological findings indicate that Mesoamericans were drinking fermented brews made from chocolate at least 3000 years ago, which is 500 years before the previously thought first use of chocolate. Here's where a working time machine would be a thing of beauty: zip back to Aztec-era Central America for a tall frosty chocolate one (aren't you curious as to what it tasted like? I certainly am...), and then jet back before getting sucked into any potential human sacrifice imbroglio. The second one is almost beyond belief, and can only be described as Jurassic Park for barflies. Check this out:

A tiny colony of yeast trapped inside a Lebanese weevil covered in ancient Burmese amber for up to 45 million years, has been brought back to life in barrels of beer.

Part of [the beer's reportedly unusual, spicy] taste comes from the yeast's unique metabolism. "The ancient yeast is restricted to a narrow band of carbohydrates, unlike more modern yeasts, which can consume just about any kind of sugar," says [Cal Poly Professor Raul] Cano.

I think, with these two articles, we are witnessing the emergence of a new and exciting field of inquiry and knowledge: Ale-eontology. But whatever happens to be on tap for you, have a good, safe, fun, happy, weekend ... and don't forget to tip your servers and bartenders!