An Earth Day shout-out to some special weirdos

An Earth Day shout-out to all my fellow inebriates: may your Earth Day be filled with planet-friendly choices such as the following:

  • Do not drive. How? you ask. How will I manage not to drive anywhere? That’s easy. Hand your keys to a friend and get really drunk.
  • Eat a vegetarian diet. OMG! you say. What things can I consume that don’t derive from animals? Why, beer of course. You can practically live off beer.
  • Be kind to animals. I love animals! you say, and that’s wonderful. Demonstrate it by giving alcohol to any bears who might ask you for it.

No Thetans on me

And now a shout-out to those special inebriates who believe certain weird things about our planet:

Earthlings are infected by Thetans, evil souls loosed on the planet by the galactic hegemon Xenu 75 million years ago. If you suspect one of these entities is plaguing you, make haste to the nearest scientology outfit and pay $7,000 to get clear like Tom Cruise.

All plants, animals, and humans sprang fully formed into existence 6,000 years ago. For many this makes much more sense than the ridiculous scientific notions of evolutionary biologists such as Richard Dawkins who posit that life developed on a geologic time scale. Notably, these macro-evolution doubters usually hasten to the doctor for their annual flu shot because, dontcha know it, those germs mutate pretty darn fast.

The sun revolves around the earth. Don’t feel embarrassed if you believe this—you’re in good company. One in five adult Americans subscribes to this 17th-century theory. I bet most bears believe it too.

Global warming is a hoax. Deniers come in all stripes, although they’re usually not climatologists. Even a group of astronauts has gotten in on it lately, challenging NASA’s endorsement of the broadly accepted climate-change model. Perhaps those hungry for a good conspiracy theory should ask themselves what lobby groups are behind these movements to generate controversy where there shouldn’t be any. For example, Larry Bell, one of the most prominent climate-change skeptics in the U.S. and a Tea Party darling, has the support of Exxon-Mobil. Getting to the truth of climate change is like peeling an onion.

We can’t afford to stock our liquor cabinet. I call bullshit on this one, Dad.

BIG ROCK DUNKELWEIZEN—Drink it quickly, even if the ball won’t drop again

Score another point for the Mayan calendar: With the End of Days imminent and presumably no more Times Square big-ball drops remaining, there was no longer any earthly use for the famously well-preserved Dick Clark. Dead of a heart attack at 82, Clark leaves our little blue planet hurtling toward the apocalypse without his squeaky-clean morals to guide us.

Even though Dick Clark mainstreamed the devil’s music, he drew the line at Elvis’s public thrusts, requiring the King to be filmed from the waist up during his American Bandstand gig, and thus rescuing American teenagers from thinking about bumping, grinding, or sex. Clark’s death is a sad blow for the American right wing with which he was so proudly aligned.

James Brown is dead.
He looks happy, though. —AP Photo

Celebrity open-casket shots are rare, and if the news is correct, Clark has already been cremated, leaving the world to wonder what he must have looked like in repose. Doubtless he looked charmingly waxen, if not happy, the way James Brown did.

Caskets really creep me out. After searching in vain for a picture of Dick Clark dead or in a coffin and finding all kinds of other freaky things instead (a child’s Hello Kitty coffin, OMG), I needed a drink. Lucky for me there was one beer left: BIG ROCK DUNKELWEIZEN DARK WHEAT ALE.

As you know, my fellow inebriates, if a beer is the last beer in the house I am absolutely going to drink it, and this was the case with DUNKELWEIZEN, even if I wasn’t crazy about it being a wheat ale. I’ve never found a hefeweizen I loved, mainly because of their light citrusiness, but I thought a dark wheat beer might be different. And it was.

DUNKELWEIZEN is a lovely dark color with a garnet tinge and a fizzy white head. Billed as a blend of five distinctive malts, its aroma is rich and toffee-like with espresso predominating. Malty sweetness hits the tongue first, then unmistakable coffee, chocolate, and vanilla notes. These flavors are none too subtle, mind you; they tend to redouble with each sip and stick to the palate, making the beer less refreshing than it could be.

That having been said, DUNKELWEIZEN is drinkable. I could pound six of them if I needed to—say, if the Canucks were getting reamed and I felt sad. The mouthfeel isn’t terribly heavy, the alcohol percentage is an acceptable 5%, and the flavors are harmonious, even if they do suggest a Big Rock–Starbucks collaboration.

Like a lot of beers that aren’t perfectly right, low temperature is essential to enjoyment of DUNKELWEISEN. Give it ten minutes in the freezer prior to opening, drink it quickly, and you’ll probably love it—the deeper flavors won’t have a fighting chance to punch through the icy cold. But if this beer is allowed to sit, those heavy flavors get a bit rowdy and start behaving like coffee instead of beer.

A beer that needs to be slammed back quickly is not a bad thing. I feel a bit guilty pounding a really sublime beer fast so I can get loaded, but DUNKELWEIZEN lends itself to chugging. So I did pound the bottle, forgetting that it was the last beer in the house, which made me melancholy and prompted me to look at coffin pictures again.

Check it out, it's Elvis.

This one doesn't have anybody in it, but it is decorated with a bacon motif.

This one has Kim Jong-Il in it.

A wine-themed casket. Way to show people you loved life.

There goes Whitney Houston.

Would Dick Clark have liked this gay-themed coffin?

Going out in style, Michael Jackson.

ASTROLIQUOR for April 20-26—What the stars say you should drink!

My Fellow Inebriates,

Here’s your booze horoscope:

Listen carefully to those around you this week, Aries. Someone is going to share the secret of an easy life. So keep your ears open…who knows, somebody might advise you to drop your entire paycheque on lottery tickets, and this is your week. Do it! Your best days for reckless investing are Monday and Tuesday. Pick the right numbers and you could be awash in vodka and champagne.

Taurus, life has been rough lately but this week brings a small reprieve. Not only do you feel calm; you feel strengthened by past challenges. Your new confidence will in turn attract people, ending your recent loneliness. What does this mean? You got it—you should start showering again. Don’t forget, because even though vodka is fairly odorless, the cranberry vodka vomit on your greasy old sweatpants isn’t.

Emotions ramp up at work, Gemini, as your colleagues prove what you’ve always suspected: they are dicks. You’ll find one ally among them, however—a Scorpio who shares your best interests but isn’t very smart. Does that mean your own interests aren’t very smart? That depends. Do they involve drinking a lot of rum on the job?

The usual advice is not to spread yourself too thin, Cancer. But this week is different. Try to be in as many places as possible so you always have one or even several alibis. This is an excellent time to ask people for money, as long as you get them drunk first. Try vodka and creme de bananes.

Leo, your brain is on fire with ideas this week. You find yourself at the pub nightly, talking a mile a minute, bothering other people for  money, then blowing the borrowed money on buying rounds. This is going to get you beat up.  The only ingredient that could make things more dangerous for you is Red Bull. Do not under any circumstances combine it with equal portions of Frangelico and Malibu.

It’s time to cut costs, Virgo, which means making your own booze. You’re hesitant, though, because of the well-known Virgo penchant for expensive liquor. Okay, so no dandelion wine or moonshine for you. But don’t you have a neighbor with a plum tree? Steal those plums and age them with some vodka, brandy, and sugar. While you’re waiting two months for your plum liqueur, you can drink Bud. You’re welcome.

Libra, this week features a happy ending of some sort. Make sure you enjoy it thoroughly before embarking on something new. You’ll be basking in the quiet admiration of others while you navigate your work life like a star. That’s the power of vodka in a flask. Just don’t take that confidence to the casino or you’ll get flattened.

A recent infatuation has dissolved, Scorpio, leaving you with the dry heaves. Try not to forget that this person did have some positive qualities, even if his/her best quality right now is absence from your life. Just as well; that person was all wrong. You need someone who won’t be fazed by the bedside bucket full of gin, vodka, triple sec, tequila, and limoncello.

Sagittarius, communication is your strong suit this week. You can tell anyone anything without fearing a bar fight. Your clear vision of the big picture allows you to disregard small details and accomplish projects that have been on the back burner. It’s a power week! Get all your shit done and congratulate yourself with some champagne.

There’s a shady Taurus in your immediate circle this week, Capricorn, so avoid spilling your dirty laundry;  it could come back to bite you. This might mean easing off on the beer consumption—at least around the questionable Taurus. Around anyone of any other star sign, you can get totally pissed.

Aquarius, you’re being provoked by other people, especially Cancers and Virgos. Just ignore them; they are total douchebags. Instead keep your eyes open for a Leo. This Leo wants to mate, but your stars are much better lined up for friendship. Share a 46er of rum and see what happens.

Pisces, you’ve got everything working on autopilot at work, which leaves you free to hang out with friends. It’s been a while since you’ve felt competent at work. Carry the momentum into the dating sphere, but take it super-casual, at least until June, when you’ll meet someone interesting. Vanilla vodka will be involved. And the good news? No one will have to call the police.