If you were to follow the timeline of beer, one would at the same time see the progress of humanity. Beer has quenched the thirst of countless individuals since antiquity, lubricating society as it has pushed forward to leave their mark in the annals of history.

Within the earliest accounts of civilizations around the globe, beer or beer like libations can be found in most early cultures. A gift from the gods in some cultures, a healing potion in others, the brew has been wetting the whistles of just about everyone from the pharaohs all the way down to the peasants for many millennia.

Throughout history, the consumption of beer and the ritual surrounding it has taken many forms. The Egyptians drank beer from a large vessel with long straws made of reeds, the Germans passed laws stating that a lid must adorn their steins to keep flies from falling in them during the bubonic plague, beer bongs offered up a quick delivery system, and beer pong made a sporting event out of imbibing and brought “exercise” to the “table” as it were.

It has been said that Henry Weinhardt himself lobbied to have beer pumped into a fountain in downtown Portland Oregon at one point, but was vetoed by a fire chief who knew that folks would merely poke holes in the fire hoses that were piping it in instead of making the journey to where the fountain was.

Bottom line is that consuming beer, or the ritual of consuming beer, has taken many forms throughout the ages; so hold on to your tankards and adjust your beer goggles because it’s about to get a little…different.

Now, I’d be lying if I said that I have never had a beer in the shower. We all know that rack that hangs from the shower head is just as good of a cup holder as the one in your Camaro or Prius or whatever it is that you happen to drive.

But this is entirely different.

Welcome to the Czech Republic, home of the beer bath. Yes, beer bath. Tubs with taps at the end that allow the potential bather to fill up their tub and fill up their mug at the same time. The beer for bathing is approximately 37° C (98.6° F) so you’re not exactly freezing in ice cold brew during this unique experience.

Now it’s not that far of a stretch that this form of ablution would come from a society that every year achieves the highest per capita beer consumption, consuming approximately 338 pints per EVERY Czech citizen!

This bathing experience is in full swing and has become a trend in the Czech Republic since mid 2006 when the Chodovar brewery opened the countries first beer bath.

Many may read about this and think, “Why waste good beer?!” But a quick visit to PragueTouristGuide.com reveals that there may be curative bi-products to bathing with suds. The site touts the benefits as, “successful treatment of psoriasis, cellulitis, and acne. Outstanding anti-stress treatment. Support of skin regenerative capacity, overall modulation of dermatic problems and mental disharmonies, drop of blood pressure and improvement of circulation in the periphery.”

Beer contains a B complex that just happens to be very good for the skin. The beer baths at the Chodovar brewery also contain 50% mineral water, which is said to be good for the skin because of the high silica content which strengthens the spongy cells in between collagen and elastin fibers, and slows down the formation of wrinkles.

The site goes on to state that these tubs full of wonders to behold are not suitable for those with high blood pressure, after heart surgery folks, pregnant woman after their third month of pregnancy, or children below the age of 12; so use your better judgment before tapping a keg to fill up that inflatable kiddie pool that’s been collecting dust in the garage.

A quick search into beer baths on the web conjures up an interesting way to “cleanse” one’s self of the evil eye.

The evil eye, or Malochia as it is referred to, is passed to an individual when the person who is giving this glance of malice is jealous, envious, or possessive. Instances of Malochia have been deciphered in ancient texts of Babylonia and Egypt, so this concept has been around a long time. Although different cultures all call the evil eye something different, the end results are similar, and one must have a remedy against this insidious stare. Further research states that the most effective way to remedy the Malochia is to take a beer bath to remove the traces of it!

So whether you are jet-setting over to Prague to engage in a relatively new ritual of beer consumption, cleansing yourself of the evil eye, or burgling your kid’s inflatable pool to give this a shot, bathe responsibly!

So what do you think? Would you take a beer bath?

Be honest.

Have you ever drank a beer while running on the treadmill?

Yeah…me neither…I was just asking.

The point is, drinking and exercise are generally considered polar opposites to one another, and many “experts” would scoff at the idea of allowing alcohol to be present in any serious dieting and exercise program. But with every aspect of the human experience, there is always at least one person who tweaks their nose at established conventions as he or she blazes new trails.  One such man is Lüc Carl.

Lüc Carl, (yes his name has umlauts in it like Mötley Crüe) is the author of the book, The Drunk Diet: How I Lost 40 Pounds…Wasted. This book is a rated “R” memoir of a spandex clad rocker on a mission to achieve ultimate “sexiness” without giving up alcohol, least of all his beloved Budweiser, (or ‘red and white dynamite’ as the author affectionately calls it.)

The medical disclaimer at the front of the book lets the reader know right from the beginning that this is a book to be enjoyed for the story that it tells, a “middle finger” as the author puts it, to the other diet books that grace the shelves at your local bookstore. It is a fun story that is in a class all of its own because it showcases a diet that allows the consumption of alcohol. There are parts where the story goes off on a tangent about Mexican prisons, squirrel rabies, and other alcohol induced debauchery, but the author eventually brings the reader back to focus on his mission of achieving total “sexiness.”

There are times when the reader gets the impression that perhaps Carl is trying to start a fight with the individual reading his book, but then the author turns around and throws a piece of helpful info into the text, or even a recipe for a healthy dish that the author learned to make during his transformation.  The back of this colorful work contains a cook book of sorts, which compiles all of the recipes for the dishes that are scattered around the book, and yes, there are even a few recipes for lower calorie cocktails included as well!

Carl hits the pavement teased, feathered, and lethal in his jogging shoes and AC/DC or Jack Daniels T-shirt as he informs readers on a good way to lose the spare tire without giving up the “Fat Tire”.

Lüc Carl’s Appetite For Destruction had turned him into a bloated, unhealthy person who was ready for a life change. Much like a bum jug of Nightrain wine, this book is not for the faint hearted or the easily offended as it sends the reader on a dizzying adventure of drunken, but at times lucid, logic.

Forget the fact that Carl is the on again off again boyfriend to the Rocket Queen Lady GaGa, this work is colorful enough on its own without all of the gossip!

At times the author’s discussion about the diet ends in sentences pertaining to healthy bowel movements, which, although fitting nicely with the bombastic nature of the work, may be off-putting for those not comfortable discussing another person’s Mr. Brownstones!

Upon reading, it is clear that Anything Goes for this author who has managed to turn a decadent lifestyle into a personal triumph.

With sprinklings of sanity in an otherwise beer soaked tale of one man’s journey to “sexiness”, this may not be the diet for you. But Lüc Carl has succeeded in creating his own personal Paradise City with a high octane diet and exercise routine that helped him keep his “eye on the tiger” as he shed 40 pounds…wasted.

The Drunk Diet: How I Lost 40 Pounds . . . Wasted: A Memoir is available for pre-order on Amazon and starts shipping March 13th. If you have a sense of humor, love hair bands, or get a kick out of people calling you names, you can order a copy today (not for the easily offended).

It’s Christmas eve which means it’s also the final day of my 12 Days Of Christmas Beer Fun series. To end it off I came across a video which seemed fitting for the occassion.

The “real” 12 days of Christmas sung by Bob and Doug, 2 regular canadian guys. If you’re like me and not from Canada, here is some Canadian to English translation that will help to understand the video a little better:

Back Bacon = Canadian Bacon

Toque = Knit Cap (beanie)

Two Four = A Case Of Beer (24 pack)

Have a Merry Christmas! I’m going to be taking Christmas day off from the blog so have an amazing day!

I tend to get excited about beer this time of year, especially since winter beers are by far my favorite seasonals. I love drinking, reading, smelling, looking at, and hearing about Christmas brews.

While a lot of the posts in my 12 Days of Christmas Fun series have looked at more interesting and humorous stories related to Christmas and beer, today I wanted to highlight some chat going on about the actual beers of the season.

One thing great about the beer community online is that there are some really amazing people blogging about the industry. I’ve enjoyed reading a lot of great posts and series related to Christmas beers from some of my favorite beer blogs and decided I’d share them with you.

So without further introduction, here are a few of the great must read posts and series from some great beer bloggers.

Beer Advent Calendar 2011

This is a great series written by 2Beerguys.com and Seacoastbeveragelab.com highlighting 31 of the best winter/holiday beers presented by multiple beer bloggers.

12 Beers of Christmas – Better Beer Blog

This is a series from Peter at Better Beer Blog which reviews winter seasonal beers 12 days in a row. It looks like it should be 24 beers of Christmas though since there are two beers reviewed each day with some nice photos.

50 Must Taste Winter Beers for 2011 – Brewpublic

An awesome list of 50 great winter beers to try. If you need help coming up with idea of what to drink, just take a look at this list.

Holiday Craft Beer Cocktails – CraftBeer.com

I don’t write much about Craft Beer cocktails, but they always sound pretty good. Here are a few cocktail ideas you can make with beer for the holidays.

A Christmas Poem – Beer Nut

Just a little fun poem written by Beer Nut. He may not be the next Shakespeare, but still a great take on beer poetry.

On the 10th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…beer. That’s right, beer is one of the greatest gifts you can give to your loved ones and friends.

If you need a last minute gift idea, just put together a 12 pack of some of your favorite beers. If you need help, just head to your local bottle shop as they generally love to help you out.

I came across a great way to give your gift called Beer-y Christmas. Unfortunately it looks like it won’t be ready until next year, but I at least wanted to put it on your radar because it’s a cool little box.

Basically it is an advent calendar where you just have to add the beer and wrap it. They have pretty well done promo videos to check out below.

Have yourself a very beer-y Christmas!

Today is day 9 in my 12 Days of Christmas Fun series, which means it’s only a few days away from the big day.

Yesterday I had a guest post on Christmas dinner beer pairing that should help you decide on what to drink on the 25th. However I don’t want to leave Santa out of the planning.

Generally kids leave out cookies and milk for the big guy, but I have a feeling he gets a little tired of that.

I’m sure Santa would enjoy a nice craft beer on Christmas eve. He’s got a lot of work to do so it might take the stress out of his routine.

For me and my family, I think we will be leaving out a Deschutes Jubelale for him.

Instead of giving you a long list of suggestions, I’m turning the tables on you today and asking you for your thoughts.

In the comments section below, let me know what beer(s) you’re going to be leaving out for Santa this Christmas.

Over the past few days I’ve had a few posts in my 12 days of Christmas series that the following video could have fit ntot. Yes I could have added it to my Christmas beer commercials post yesterday, but I thought it was so good it needed its own day on the blog.

On the second day of Christmas I showed you the Bowen Beer Bottle Band and what they did with some Christmas tunes.

Today I give you a commercial from Grolsch that combines a beer bottle orchestra and a bottle Christmas tree. It’s a very cool commercial, enjoy.

During the holidays if you have time to flip on the TV you will most certainly be bombarded with Christmas & winter themed commercials. While many of these are beer commercials, very few if any are from craft breweries.

Below are a few craft beer Christmas and winter commercials, as well as a few from the big guys, just because they are well done.

Enjoy.

Flying Dog (I don’t think this aired anywhere, but still good)

Widmer Brothers

Stella Arois

Guiness

Heineken

Miller

Bud Light (still a funny commercial)

One thing I like about country music is they don’t hold back singing about beer, even on Christmas.

I came across this song from country singer Sunny Sweeney called “One More Christmas Beer” and it definitely puts me in the mood for the holidays.

Click here to listen to it.

Here are the lyrics to follow along with.

It’s that time of year
When we all get together
And afterwards we wonder why
Cause the later it gets
The drunker we are
Someone always ends up in a fight

Well you’d think that a family
Could try to get along
At least this one day here
But the fact is we cant
We never will
So pass me one more Christmas beer.

If you cant beat em, join em
Get drunk and annoy em
Im usually the one who tries to hold it together,
But someone smoked up all my Christmas cheer
We dont know any better
Same thing, different year
God bless the family, cant wait til its over
Pass me one more Christmas beer

Scottys got JB down in a head-lock
Mike just got decked in the hall
Over somethin bout NASCAR and who had the fast car
And who put Junior into that wall

Well grandmas b*tchin
About paintin the kitchen
Its a good thing my grandpa aint here
Ive tried to stay sober but this party aint over
So pass me one more Christmas beer

If you cant beat em, join em
Get drunk and annoy em
Im usually the one who tries to hold it together,
But someone smoked up all my Christmas cheer
We dont know any better
Same thing, different year
God bless the family, cant wait til its over
Pass me one more Christmas beer

We dont know any better
Same thing, different year
Hallelujah and Happy {hic} Holidays
Pass me one more Christmas beer

What better way to decorate your Christmas tree than with beer Christmas ornaments. With most trees decorated with traditional ornaments and lights, why not stand out a little.

I searched around and there are some cool bottle and can lights to go along with your ornaments on the perfect beer drinkers tree, but unfortunately they are generally made with the macro beer brands, so not a lot of representation from craft beers.

However I’m sure you could be creative and make some truly amazing (or tacky) Christmas trees.

Christmas Mug of Beer Ornament	Glass of Beer Ornament	Acrylic Beer Stein Ornament
3 Beer With Cup Set	Beer On Ice Ornament	Bud Light Christmas Ornament
Great Catch Ornament	Santa In A Beer Keg Ornament	Hofbrauhaus Beer Keg Ornament
Beer With Cap Ornaments	Beer With Pretzels Ornament	Beer Mug and Keg Ornaments
Beer Mistletoe Ornament	I Love Beer Ornament	Glass 6 Pack Ornament
Mug Lights Set	Budweiser Light Set	Duff Beer Light Set

If you’re looking for even more, check out Amazons selection of Beer Christmas Ornaments.