I lov e good science, but this one is wacky. In the August 2009 edition of Journal of Health Economics, researchers studied the purchasing behavior of households near an international border with lower taxes on the other side. They should have called me first, I could have told them the answer. Supermarkets near the border had lower sales of alcohol and tobacco than those stores further away from the border. I was shocked! Please note sarcastic use of punctuation. Also households near the border reported buying 37% more beer than those further away from the border. The researchers found these results, "straightforward and intuitively pleasing." These results dissipated when the drive was over 2 and 1/2 hours long.

There was one interesting finding; there were more drunk driving arrests nearer the border. This is does not really prove anything, but provides more empirical evidence that higher taxation of alcohol leads to fewer alcohol related highway crash deaths.


Midas Touch Dogfish Head

Ratebeer 3.51 88th percentile
Beer Advocate B+

This brew is based on an ancient Turkish recipe. Apparently it is brewed using the original ingredients from the 2700 year old drinking vessels discovered in the tomb of King Midas.

Taste +3

The nose is sweet white grape juice, cane sugar and a slight floral smell (saffron). The orange coloured liquor slips about the mouth leaving a sweet grape and honey flavour everywhere. This is followed by an alcohol warmth and slight tartness. It reminds me of a barley wine.
Aftertaste +1

It is sweet and warming but ends quickly and clean.

Alcohol Content 9% +1

Value 0

It was a nice beer/mead beverage, but I would not get it again. Just a tad on the sweet side.

Ingame Enhancement 0

It is getting harder to drink while playing NFS-Shift on the PS3. The driving action is too quick.

Overall 5/10

This is a very interesting brew for a new taste adventure, but not something you want to bring to a poker party.

Routes Des Spice (Dieu Du Ciel)
Palo Santo Marron