Seeing Red

Occasionally, The Beer Revolution will drift off the topic of beer and into social and political areas of drinking in Ireland (but not too often - it's not much fun!).

Having previously lambasted the much loved pint, what is my target this time as the cause of 'binge drinking' and the alcohol fuelled breakdown of society? It is the monster that is Red Bull mixed with alcohol.

All joking aside, I do have serious misgivings with the common misuse of alcohol and energy drinks (primarily Red Bull). I'm not going to get into a food and drug discussion on taurine, caffeine or glucuronolactone (all active ingredients in Red Bull) but rather talk about my own observations and experiences regarding Red Bull and alcohol.

Now, I'm no fan of prohibition. Red Bull, drunk in moderation, is probably no more malign than coffee. In fact, Red Bull suggest a comparison to coffee as a usage guideline (one can of RB contains about the same caffeine as a cup of coffee) and a RB spokesperson has been quoted as saying "We have always recommended drinking one to two cans of Red Bull to have the optimum effect on performance in times of need." But despite the fact that in Canada and Sweden, it is expressly recommended that Red Bull is not mixed with alcohol, we, in Ireland, happily sell it by the case load from branded fridges in pubs.

What harm? You might say. Have you ever seen somebody after several double vodka and Red Bulls? I have and it's not a pretty sight. Alcohol is a depressant. If you drink too much of it, you will, eventually, fall asleep. Add a stimulant drink into the equation and the sleep part doesn't come into play. More and more alcohol can be consumed without the sleepy side effects. The result is an extremely inebriated, wound up ball of energy who either wants to fight you or be your friend (sometimes at the same time!). Both very unpleasant options. I know this from experience.

From one, ok two, first hand, long past, experiences, I know what the combination of Red Bull and alcohol is like. I know that it tasted horrible, cost a small fortune and left me with parts of my night missing on both occasions. As a younger man, I probably did indulge in alcohol more than was good for me, on occasion, but to loose my memory was a very, very rare thing. The only two times I mixed Red Bull with alcohol, memory loss was a factor. Not nice.

It is my personal theory that much of the violence on our streets which is blamed on cocaine use, is, in fact, the result of the abuse of alcohol and Red Bull type drinks. Please note that I use the term 'abuse'. Red Bull isn't in its own right a problem. The excessive consumption of it with alcohol is the problem.

Obviously, as a beer enthusiast, I'm not in favour of "sweety shots" and "alcopops" and feel that they don't give younger people a respect for alcoholic beverages but my problems with RB and alcohol are more fundamental.

To put it bluntly, I think Red Bull and similar stimulant drinks should be banned from sale where alcohol is sold. If, a few years down the line, the kids are getting completely out of control on espresso and vodka, we'll review that then!

Interestingly, Red Bull is banned in Norway, Uruguay, Denmark, and Iceland while Switzerland and Finland have lifted previous bans. Personally, it wouldn't affect me if it were to be banned here entirely but The Beer Revolution is all about choice and personal responsibility, therefore I only suggest that it is not sold with alcohol as that particular mix tends to diminish one's ability to be personally responsible.

I hope you like the picture of a red bull at the top.

Here's an interesting thread on the subject

My last drink was; Weihenstephaner Hefeweiss, 5.4%abv, 50cl

Drink Small, Stay Fresh

The Beer Revolution has been busy the last few days and hasn't updated the blog. Apologies.

Now here's a crazy idea and I've a feeling it won't be very popular but it kinda makes sense to me.

Nobody seems to disagree that we have a problem with alcohol in this country. This is a subject that TBR will discuss periodically. We have a problem with under age drinking and with binge drinking.

What people can't seem to agree on is what measures to take, if any, to tackle this problem.

It is my belief that what is needed is a paradigm shift in the relationship with alcohol and the manner in which it is consumed. There is no quick fix solution. You cannot change the habits of a large sector of the population overnight. No single measure will cure the problem. A somewhat more holistic approach is needed.

My, possibly unpopular, idea is not a cure for Ireland's drinking problems, it is simply one of many possible measures (I may discuss more in the future) which may help to slowly change the drinking culture.

Here goes; I want the standard, most commonly used measure for beer to be the half pint. I don't want the pint banned - I simply don't want the default measure to be the pint. It seems that the easiest way to influence people's behaviour is to hit their pockets.

Currently most bars charge more for two half pints than for one pint. I simply wish to reverse this trend. This could be done with a tax imposed on larger measures but as I suspect the unpopularity of this scheme of mine already, I don't wish to exacerbate the situation by adding more tax onto alcohol. Passing legislation that ensures a pint costs, for example, 20c more than two half pints would probably do the trick (let the publicans do the maths).

But why do this?
Because of our 'pint' culture, there seems to be a machoism associated with the larger measure - it's not considered 'manly' for a man to drink halves and conversely considered unladylike for women to drink pints. Let's move on from this place, folks.

If people habitually drank glasses, I believe, there would be a more social focus on drinking rather than a quantity focus. Rounds become cheaper and less intimidating and people would be more inclined to drop out if they've had enough, not having forked out a fortune for their round. The notion of 'one for the road' is less harmful. Something similar could be done with spirits.

I don't naively think this will reduce peoples drinking significantly - what I'm after is a subtle and gradual change to our habits. Most European countries typically serve beer in 25 - 30cl glasses. Anyone ever been to Cologne? Their local beer style, Kolsch is served in 20cl glasses - in Germany! Almost everyone looks to a more 'European' style of drinking.

Is there anything worse than a flat, dead pint of stout, than a warm, headless lager. Drink small, stay fresh! Have as many as you see fit, drink pints if you want to pay the difference - the choice would be yours. 'Can I buy you a glass?' That won't break the bank!

I tentatively publish this post awaiting the backlash.

P.S. I'm not crazy about the standard half pint glass, there are many other designs to choose from.

My last drink was; Maradsous Bruin 8%abv 33cl.