I normally don’t dig slide shows, but this one is worthwhile.  Forty-nine varieties of chile peppers, from Saveur.

http://www.saveur.com/gallery/Chile-Pepper-Gallery

I need a beer.

It’s a phrase uttered by many contemporary workers after a long day at the office, but new research shows that ancient cultures were probably using the alcoholic beverage to treat much more than the stress of everyday life.

Anthropologists have found that thousands of years before the 1928 discovery of penicillin, people in ancient Nubia were using beer as an antibiotic to treat everything from gum disease to infected wounds.

It has been known for some time that the kingdom of Nubia, located south of Egypt in present-day Sudan, valued its brewers. More recently, however, scientists began to suspect that Nubian beer may have been brewed to contain more than just alcohol.

The suspicion arose after archeologists unearthed some unusual physical evidence. In 1980, George Armelagos, an anthropology professor at Emory University in Atlanta, led a team that discovered what seemed to be the antibiotic tetracycline in nearly 2,000-year-old Nubian bones.

http://www.mercurynews.com/health/ci_17494393?nclick_check=1

In the 1920’s, Detroit roared like no place else. Bootleggers, Gangsters, Flappers and Feds converged on the city as it supplied 75% of the illicit liquor that poured into America during Prohibition. Unprecedented revelry could be found with a secret knock at any of the 25,000 blind pigs and speakeasies. Even Mayor John Smith thumbed his nose at the bluenosers and was once busted at a Mack Avenue juice joint.

Inspired by this rebellious swagger, Valentine Vodka Founder and Master Distiller Rifino Valentine decided to take a stand against mass-produced vodkas by using old world techniques and equipment to create a hand-distilled vodka with a proprietary multi-grain blend. This defiant approach has won awards at international competitions for its special taste and smooth drinkability.

http://valentinevodka.com

Walgreen’s quietly rolled out its own a private label beer in December. Big Flats 1901 has a suggested retail price of $2.99 for a six-pack of cans and is now available in more than 4,000 locations. The beer is made by High Falls Brewing in Rochester, N.Y., which also makes Genesee brand beers. After trying the beer on his Comedy Central television show comedian Stephen Colbert declared himself not drunk enough to enjoy it, but suggested it might be the perfect beer to drink AFTER drinking beer that “costs more than a carnival goldfish.”

Drawing on their brewing expertise, the team at New Holland Artisan Spirits has launched “Brewers’ Whiskey”, a series of small-barrel whiskeys twice distilled from a “beer wash” and laid down in small casks with a heavy char.

Fermented from 100% 2-row malted barley, Double Down Barley is first in the series and is available now. Double Down Barley is described as a bright spirit with a caramel nose, balanced with hues of cocoa & coffee before a spicy, clove finish. The limited release of less than 500 375ml bottles, each hand-signed by head-distiller Dennis Downing, will be followed by other whiskey styles in the series.

Aging whiskey in small barrels is an innovative technique that increases the whiskey to wood contact, enhancing and accentuating the flavors drawn from the oak barrel. For New Holland, this has created opportunities for several Brewers’ Whiskey releases in addition to the distillery’s flagship whiskey, Zeppelin Bend, which spends more than three years in full size barrels and releases twice a year. New Holland Artisan Spirits expects to release at least four new Brewers’ Whiskeys in 2011, each coaxing unique and interesting flavors from an artfully brewed “beer wash.”

The regional distillery is dedicated to discovering the artful nuances in the distilling process while delivering unique and interesting spirits in their most tasteful form. Proud distillers of whiskey, gin, rum, vodka, hopquila and brandy since 2005. “The Spirited Life Deserves a Spirited Drink”.

Double Down Barley is currently available in MI, with Missouri and Illinois shipping soon.  Look for the next release in the series in February of 2011.