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Of Sheep-Dip, Rot-Gut, and Furniture Polish. The worst of the worst.

filfoster

One Too Many
Southern discomfort

JimWagner said:
Hope I don't step on anyone's toes, but Southern Comfort is pretty bad to me.

Welcome to the Lounge, JimWagner. I can recall liking it when I was younger, I think because it was something we underage drinkers could get our hands on at the drive-through. I imagine many of us have 'moved on' now. I see it as an ingredient in some cocktails that don't look too hideous.
 
Messages
11,579
Location
Covina, Califonia 91722
Bastardizing the brewer's art. Across the US for many states there is catch all for beer that is marginal to unacceptable, they go by the name of "Malt Liquor." This is a beer brewed with excessive amounts of sugar that leads to a washed out malt flavor and a coinsiding strange almost electorlysis chemical "wang" flavor plus a greater potential for headaches.

Some time ago beer of a high alcohol percentage was simply labled Malt Liquor or stamped as such on import into the States, so some of the high end German or non-US brews were given the term malt liquor. I don't know if other states have changed their ratings but in California the recognized styles of high percentage beers such as barley wines and bock beers are no longer labled Malt Liquor.

BUT! The section known as Malt Liquor such as Colt 45, Mickey's and others continue to be produced as a cheap buzz source with little redeeming flavors. Following those other trends in flavored liquors have also been applied to malt Liquor with such memorable ones as MENTHOL flavored Malt Liquor. Menthol - I dare not comment further, but I am surprised that there was no outcry as to stereotyping the market.

The idea of lime flavor beer is repugnant, to reduce the concept of serving a lime wedge with the bottle and incorporating it with the beer defeats the original concept.

And while we are on flavored beverages - a flavored vodka is the antithisis of the concept of vodka! :eusa_doh:

Sadly too few companies have gone broke uderestimating the American market for bad ideas.
 

Chas

One Too Many
Messages
1,715
Location
Melbourne, Australia
In Harlem, back in the day, they drank something called "Top And Bottom" which was red wine mixed with cheap gin. Brrrrr.

This is wonderful - James Mason plugging Thunderbird.
[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0xY7mBQrzXU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0xY7mBQrzXU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]
 
Chas said:
In Harlem, back in the day, they drank something called "Top And Bottom" which was red wine mixed with cheap gin. Brrrrr.

This is wonderful - James Mason plugging Thunderbird.
[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0xY7mBQrzXU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0xY7mBQrzXU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]


Thunderbird "Apertif wine?!" Riiiiiggghhhtttt. :rolleyes:
It's delightful for your gas tank. :rolleyes:
What's the word?
Thunderbird.
What's the price?
Thirty twice.

The only thing that was good about Thunderbird was the price. It was cheap for furniture cleaner. ;) :p
 

filfoster

One Too Many
Wrong on so many levels

Chas wrote:
Chas said:
In Harlem, back in the day, they drank something called "Top And Bottom" which was red wine mixed with cheap gin. Brrrrr."


This must have yielded something akin to the horrific 'sloe gin' which has been, and will be, a favorite chestnut of mine. Its evil effect on society and body cannot be overrated.
 

filfoster

One Too Many
Grab yer .45

John in Covina said:
Bastardizing the brewer's art. Across the US for many states there is catch all for beer that is marginal to unacceptable, they go by the name of "Malt Liquor." This is a beer brewed with excessive amounts of sugar that leads to a washed out malt flavor and a coinsiding strange almost electorlysis chemical "wang" flavor plus a greater potential for headaches.

Some time ago beer of a high alcohol percentage was simply labled Malt Liquor or stamped as such on import into the States, so some of the high end German or non-US brews were given the term malt liquor. I don't know if other states have changed their ratings but in California the recognized styles of high percentage beers such as barley wines and bock beers are no longer labled Malt Liquor.

BUT! The section known as Malt Liquor such as Colt 45, Mickey's and others continue to be produced as a cheap buzz source with little redeeming flavors. applied to malt Liquor with such memorable ones as MENTHOL flavored Malt Liquor. Menthol - I dare not comment further, but I am surprised that there was no outcry as to stereotyping the market.

The idea of lime flavor beer is repugnant, to reduce the concept of serving a lime wedge with the bottle and incorporating it with the beer defeats the original concept.

And while we are on flavored beverages - a flavored vodka is the antithisis of the concept of vodka! :eusa_doh:

Sadly too few companies have gone broke uderestimating the American market for bad ideas.

Malt Liquor is champaigne compared to the short lived, insipid 'Zima'. Many of us can recall the illicit, low life pleasure of malt liquor. At least it tasted something like beer.
 

Bustercat

A-List Customer
Messages
304
Location
Alameda
Ooof. Anyone remember Crazy Horse?

Normal malt liquor, but sickly sweet. The packaging looked like arizona tea and the brand was shutdown in part due to a lawsuit by Crazy Horse's descendents for appropriation of his image (and due to public outrage for its pretty shameless exploitation of Native American alcoholism)

Settlement was seven horses, 32 blankets, some tobacco and sweet grass, and an apology. No money.


crazyhorsecase.jpg
 

Boodles

A-List Customer
Messages
425
Location
Charlotte, NC
Southern Comfort or?

JimWagner said:
Hope I don't step on anyone's toes, but Southern Comfort is pretty bad to me.

Given that you are from Durham Mr. Wagner, I was a bit surprised that you did not mention its affectionate name, "Sudden Discomfort." You are, I expect, way too young to know this. Back a thousand years ago, we'd go through Shoney's Drive Inn and pick up a fountain Cheerwine, pour out a bit, then replace that with the SC. Perfectly nasty but totally undectable except for the morning after headache. Woo wee. This mixture would ruin sheep's wool.
 

Ethan Bentley

One Too Many
Messages
1,225
Location
The New Forest, Hampshire, UK
jamespowers said:
Thunderbird "Apertif wine?!" Riiiiiggghhhtttt. :rolleyes:
It's delightful for your gas tank. :rolleyes:
What's the word?
Thunderbird.
What's the price?
Thirty twice.

The only thing that was good about Thunderbird was the price. It was cheap for furniture cleaner. ;) :p

When I first saw the word "Thunderbird" I was expecting some strange merchandise tie-in with the TV program - Tracey Island on the label perhaps? Given that it was children's show probably would have been non-alcoholic.

I once had a soda with jelly beeds floating in it, that was pretty awful.
 

JimWagner

Practically Family
Messages
946
Location
Durham, NC
Boodles said:
Given that you are from Durham Mr. Wagner, I was a bit surprised that you did not mention its affectionate name, "Sudden Discomfort." You are, I expect, way too young to know this. Back a thousand years ago, we'd go through Shoney's Drive Inn and pick up a fountain Cheerwine, pour out a bit, then replace that with the SC. Perfectly nasty but totally undectable except for the morning after headache. Woo wee. This mixture would ruin sheep's wool.

Well, I'm in my 60's, so probably not too young :)

My crowd tended more towards PJ (Purple Jesus) and the Green GD (which I won't spell out) for our rotgut. Both of which depended on Everclear for their kick and various fruit juices and Ginger Ale for color.
 

Boodles

A-List Customer
Messages
425
Location
Charlotte, NC
Sudden Discomfort

JimWagner said:
Well, I'm in my 60's, so probably not too young :)

My crowd tended more towards PJ (Purple Jesus) and the Green GD (which I won't spell out) for our rotgut. Both of which depended on Everclear for their kick and various fruit juices and Ginger Ale for color.

Whoops, sorry Mr Wagner, I missed on the age thing totally. At 63 I always assume to be older than about anyone.

PJ - We used to go uptown in Charlotte to Tanner's to buy the purple fruit juice made in house. That stuff was purple already. With the addition of some amount of Everclear we had instant PJ. With a reasonable amount of Everclear or even Smirnoff the stuff was not half bad. With unreasonable amounts of hootch or if you consumed mass quantities, bad news.
 

drafttek

New in Town
Messages
25
Location
Virginia Beach
A few I remember from my days in the beer biz was Zima Gold and Jack Daniels Hard Cola. Zima Gold puts regular Zima to shame in the nasty ratings. Imagine a product rollout meeting with 30 beer salesmen sampling this stuff and trying to be polite to the Coors reps. It had a bit of a whiskey aftertaste. We were all saying someone at the brewery is going to lose their job over this one. They did. As the codes expired on it we had to pick it up throughout the market. We had pallets of the stuff returned just sitting in the warehouse. Mercifully it was all destroyed.
The Jack Daniels Hard Cola didn't fare any better, though it failed on a much smaller scale. It had no whiskey in it, tasted more like a cream soda and you could taste the alcohol.
 

filfoster

One Too Many
Zima

drafttek said:
A few I remember from my days in the beer biz was Zima Gold and Jack Daniels Hard Cola. Zima Gold puts regular Zima to shame in the nasty ratings. Imagine a product rollout meeting with 30 beer salesmen sampling this stuff and trying to be polite to the Coors reps. It had a bit of a whiskey aftertaste. We were all saying someone at the brewery is going to lose their job over this one. They did. As the codes expired on it we had to pick it up throughout the market. We had pallets of the stuff returned just sitting in the warehouse. Mercifully it was all destroyed.
The Jack Daniels Hard Cola didn't fare any better, though it failed on a much smaller scale. It had no whiskey in it, tasted more like a cream soda and you could taste the alcohol.

I am glad you found the Lounge, drafttek. Finally, another Lounger acknowledges the horror of Zima and reveals the distributors knew better! I disparage it at every opportunity. A few years ago, friends left a few bottles at our home after an evening of cards. I opened one and tasted it. I could not believe people were pretending to like it. It made any malt liquor I ever drank as a teen taste like Veuve Cliquot. I am glad the world is safer now that it has been destroyed like some science fiction plague. I only hope the Chinese won't try to revive it.
 

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