"Celebrate the great bonnet". I'm obviously in a folk phase at present. I find this spell binding stuff. (PS This is recent footage - in case you're wondering)
A blog featuring whatever I fancy, often on the Christian faith but not exclusively
Hùg Air A' Bhonaid Mhòir
Drink Dr Pepper
I was not really aware of Dr Pepper growing up. It was an American drink. It is seen more often here now. It's okay. The most interesting thing about it is that it was invented before Coca Cola. Wikipedia has a long article. Part of it is reproduced here.
Dr P is a well known soft drink marketed in the Americas and Europe by the Dr Pepper Snapple Group. It was invented by Charles Alderton. The HQ is in Plano, Texas, a Dallas suburb. There is also a diet version, as well as a line of flavoured versions first introduced in the 2000s. W W Clements, former Dr P/7-Up CEO and president, described the taste as one of a kind, saying "I've always maintained you can't tell anyone what Dr Pepper tastes like because it's so different. It's not an apple, it's not an orange, it's not a strawberry, it's not a root beer, it's not even a cola. It's a different kind of drink with a unique taste all its own." (Sounds like fair comment to me - if you've ever tasted it).
The exact date of Dr P's conception is unknown, but the US Patent Office recognises December 1, 1885 as the first time Dr P was served. It was introduced nationally in the USA at the 1904 Lousiaian Purchase Expo as a new kind of cola, made with 23 flavours. Contrary to popular belief, Dr P was far from being the first carbonated soft drink, or even the first soft drink in the US for that matter. Vernors Ginger Ale and Hires Root Beer share the title for first American-born soft drink, both debuting in 1866. However, Dr P's introduction in 1885 did precede the introduction of Coca-Cola by one year.
It was formulated by German pharmacist Charles Alderton in Morrison's Old Corner Drug Store in Waco, Texas. To test his new drink, he first offered it to store owner Wade Morrison, who also found it to his liking. After repeated sample testing by the two, he was ready to offer his new drink to some of the fountain customers. Other patrons at Morrison's soda fountain soon learned of Alderton's new drink and began ordering a "Waco". Alderton gave the formula to Morrison. A popular belief is that the drink was named after Morrison's former employer in Texas, but this has been disputed by the Dr P company itself.
There is also a Dr P Museum in downtown Waco located in the downtown Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company building and opened to the public in 1991. The AMBC building was the first building to be built specifically to bottle Dr Pepper. The building was completed in 1906 and Dr Pepper was bottled there until the 1960s. The museum has three floors of exhibits, a working old-fashioned soda fountain, and a gift store full of Dr Pepper memorabilia.
Dr P almost became a Coca-Cola brand in the mid-to-late 1980s. Dr P became insolvent in the early 1980s, prompting an investment group to take the company private. Several years later, Coca-Cola attempted to acquire Dr P, but was blocked from doing so by the US FTC. Around the same time, 7-Up (watch this space) was acquired from Phillip Morris by the same investment company that bailed out Dr P. Upon the failure of the Coca-Cola merger, Dr P and 7-Up merged (creating Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc., or DPSU), giving up international branding rights in the process. After the DPSU merger, Coca-Cola obtained most non-US rights to the Dr P name (with PepsiCo taking the 7-Up rights).
It was formulated by German pharmacist Charles Alderton in Morrison's Old Corner Drug Store in Waco, Texas. To test his new drink, he first offered it to store owner Wade Morrison, who also found it to his liking. After repeated sample testing by the two, he was ready to offer his new drink to some of the fountain customers. Other patrons at Morrison's soda fountain soon learned of Alderton's new drink and began ordering a "Waco". Alderton gave the formula to Morrison. A popular belief is that the drink was named after Morrison's former employer in Texas, but this has been disputed by the Dr P company itself.
There is also a Dr P Museum in downtown Waco located in the downtown Artesian Manufacturing and Bottling Company building and opened to the public in 1991. The AMBC building was the first building to be built specifically to bottle Dr Pepper. The building was completed in 1906 and Dr Pepper was bottled there until the 1960s. The museum has three floors of exhibits, a working old-fashioned soda fountain, and a gift store full of Dr Pepper memorabilia.
Dr P almost became a Coca-Cola brand in the mid-to-late 1980s. Dr P became insolvent in the early 1980s, prompting an investment group to take the company private. Several years later, Coca-Cola attempted to acquire Dr P, but was blocked from doing so by the US FTC. Around the same time, 7-Up (watch this space) was acquired from Phillip Morris by the same investment company that bailed out Dr P. Upon the failure of the Coca-Cola merger, Dr P and 7-Up merged (creating Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc., or DPSU), giving up international branding rights in the process. After the DPSU merger, Coca-Cola obtained most non-US rights to the Dr P name (with PepsiCo taking the 7-Up rights).
Thomas Adams on Psalm 71:18
I just posted this here. Worth taking note of - especially we older ones.
18 Forsake me not; until, etc Apostasy in old age is fearful. He that climbs almost to the top of a tower, then slipping back, hath the greater fall. The patient almost recovered, is more deadly sick by a relapse. There were stars struck from heaven by the dragon's tail (Re 12:4); they had better never have perched so high. The place where the Israelites fell into that great folly with the daughters of Moab, was in the plain, within the prospect of the Holy Land; they saw their inheritance and yet fell short of it. So wretched is it for old men to fall near to their very entry of heaven, as old Eli in his indulgence (1 Sam 2); old Judah in his incest (Gen 38); old David with Bathsheba; old Asa trusting in the physicians more than in God (2 Chr 16:12); and old Solomon built the high places. Some have walked like cherubs in the midst of the stones of fire, yet have been cast as profane out of God's mountain. Eze 28:14, 16. Thus the seaman passeth all the main, and suffers wreck in the haven. The corn often promises a plenteous harvest in the blade, and shrinks in the ear. You have seen trees loaden with blossoms, yet, in the season of expectation, no fruit. A comedy that holds well many scenes, and goes lamely off in the last act, finds no applause. Remember Lot's wife (Lu 17:32): think on that pillar of salt, that it may season thee.
As found in Spurgeon's Treasury of David
As found in Spurgeon's Treasury of David
Drink Root Beer
Okay now it's almost a series. Alan was slightly ahead of me but I had thought to cover root beer next. Like him my first experience of it was in MacDonald's (Golders Green in my case). In the early years (typical Americans) your choice was root beer, coke or something else. They eventually caught on. It reminded me of the dentists. I'd not realised that taste is cloves. According to Wikipedia root beer is the same as sasparilla (which I thought was going to be next in my series) and is a carbonated beverage originally created from sassafras. Root beer, popularised in North America, comes in two forms: alcoholic and non-alcoholic.
The soft drink version is generally made using extracts or flavoured syrups diluted into carbonated water. It is not as widely popular as other soft drinks and constitutes only 3% of the US soft drink market. The alcoholic version is made by fermenting a solution of extract and sugar with yeast. Typically this will yield a beverage with about 0.4% alcohol, compared to more than 4% for most regular beers. Root beer extract may contain a variety of flavours, coming from the wide range of ingredients. Bark from the roots of the sassafras tree was the typical flavour in root beer historically, and is the primary flavour most individuals associate with the beverage. It is slightly red at times. Sassafras bark was banned in the US in 1960 because of the carcinogenic properties of its constituent chemical safrole. A safrole-free variety is now used, with some claiming that it has a weaker flavour than the pre-1960 variety (they would). Acacia is also used.
There are hundreds of root beer brands in the USA, produced in every US state and there is no standardised recipe. The primary ingredient, sassafras, is complemented with other flavours, common ones being vanilla, wintergreen (which is why it tastes like germoline - did you get that Alan?), cherry tree bark,liquorice root, sarsaparilla root, nutmeg, anise, molasses, cinnamon, clove (that;'s what I thought). Homemade root beer is usually made from concentrate, though it can also be made from actual herbs and roots. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic root beers have a thick and foamy head when poured, often enhanced through the addition of yucca extract.
Root beer was sometimes used as a herbal medicine. Throughout history, the beverage was often mildly alcoholic. As a medicine it was used for treating cough and mouth sores.
Commercial root beer was developed by Charles Elmer Hires in 1866. Hires presented root tea powder at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, and in 1893 he began selling bottled, carbonated root beer. His choice of a name seemed unfortunate at the time, as the word "beer" drew the wrath of the temperance movement. However, Hires had his product tested by a laboratory, and trumpeted their conclusion that root beer contained less alcohol than bread. His His beer became the "Temperance drink"— among other slogans. There was an upsurge in the popularity of root beer in the US during Prohibition. It was at its most popular in the period during and after prohibition, and has since declined in popularity. Today, root beer is often mixed with ice cream as a root beer float.
The soft drink version is generally made using extracts or flavoured syrups diluted into carbonated water. It is not as widely popular as other soft drinks and constitutes only 3% of the US soft drink market. The alcoholic version is made by fermenting a solution of extract and sugar with yeast. Typically this will yield a beverage with about 0.4% alcohol, compared to more than 4% for most regular beers. Root beer extract may contain a variety of flavours, coming from the wide range of ingredients. Bark from the roots of the sassafras tree was the typical flavour in root beer historically, and is the primary flavour most individuals associate with the beverage. It is slightly red at times. Sassafras bark was banned in the US in 1960 because of the carcinogenic properties of its constituent chemical safrole. A safrole-free variety is now used, with some claiming that it has a weaker flavour than the pre-1960 variety (they would). Acacia is also used.
There are hundreds of root beer brands in the USA, produced in every US state and there is no standardised recipe. The primary ingredient, sassafras, is complemented with other flavours, common ones being vanilla, wintergreen (which is why it tastes like germoline - did you get that Alan?), cherry tree bark,liquorice root, sarsaparilla root, nutmeg, anise, molasses, cinnamon, clove (that;'s what I thought). Homemade root beer is usually made from concentrate, though it can also be made from actual herbs and roots. Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic root beers have a thick and foamy head when poured, often enhanced through the addition of yucca extract.
Root beer was sometimes used as a herbal medicine. Throughout history, the beverage was often mildly alcoholic. As a medicine it was used for treating cough and mouth sores.
Commercial root beer was developed by Charles Elmer Hires in 1866. Hires presented root tea powder at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, and in 1893 he began selling bottled, carbonated root beer. His choice of a name seemed unfortunate at the time, as the word "beer" drew the wrath of the temperance movement. However, Hires had his product tested by a laboratory, and trumpeted their conclusion that root beer contained less alcohol than bread. His His beer became the "Temperance drink"— among other slogans. There was an upsurge in the popularity of root beer in the US during Prohibition. It was at its most popular in the period during and after prohibition, and has since declined in popularity. Today, root beer is often mixed with ice cream as a root beer float.
Drink Dandelion and Burdock
Now I didn't actually promise not to do a series and three's not a series anyway so indulge me with a quick look at Dandelion and burdock as seen in Wikipedia. I haven't had the stuff in years but it is a childhood memory.
It is a traditional British soft dink, traditionally made from fermented dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) and burdock (Arctium lappa) roots (no surprises there then) and is naturally fizzy. However the "dandelion and burdock" drink for sale in many retail outlets usually contains neither plant (nor surprises there either). The retail drink is often carbonated and contains artificial sweeteners. An alcoholic version, the 'DB&G' is made by mixing dandelion and burdock with gin. There have been a small number of stories concerning its origin, most now widely considered to be apocryphal. One notable example has it that St Thomas Aquinas, after praying for inspiration for a full night, walked from his place of prayer straight into the countryside and, "trusting in God to provide", concocted the drink from the first plants he encountered. It was this drink that aided his concentration when seeking to formulate his theological arguments that ultimately culminated in the Summa Theologica.
Dandelion and burdock shares a historical origin with a number of drinks originally made from lightly fermented root extracts, such as (don't tempt me) rootbeer and sa(r)s(a)parilla. They were included for a supposed health benefit. The dominant flavour in these drinks is usually sassafras or wintergreen, both now derived artificially rather than from the plant itself, in part because during the 1960s safrole, the major component of the volatile oil of sassafras, was found to be carcinogenic. All of these drinks, while tasting similar, do have their own distinct flavour. Dandelion and burdock is most similar in flavour to sa(r)s(a)parilla. It is best served chilled and is a light refreshing soft drink popular amongst children. The drink has recently seen an increase in popularity after previously poor sales. Like many other mass-produced soft drinks, commercial dandelion and burdock drinks often contain a source of phenylanine because they are sweetened with aspartame. This is marked on the containers because it is a risk for sufferers of the congenital condition phenylketonuria. This ingredient is not, however, essential. A dandelion and burdock drink contains basic ingredients found in most other similar drinks including carbonated water,high fructose corn syrup, sugar, manmade colourings, phosphoric acid, citric acid, manmade flavourings.
Dandelion and burdock shares a historical origin with a number of drinks originally made from lightly fermented root extracts, such as (don't tempt me) rootbeer and sa(r)s(a)parilla. They were included for a supposed health benefit. The dominant flavour in these drinks is usually sassafras or wintergreen, both now derived artificially rather than from the plant itself, in part because during the 1960s safrole, the major component of the volatile oil of sassafras, was found to be carcinogenic. All of these drinks, while tasting similar, do have their own distinct flavour. Dandelion and burdock is most similar in flavour to sa(r)s(a)parilla. It is best served chilled and is a light refreshing soft drink popular amongst children. The drink has recently seen an increase in popularity after previously poor sales. Like many other mass-produced soft drinks, commercial dandelion and burdock drinks often contain a source of phenylanine because they are sweetened with aspartame. This is marked on the containers because it is a risk for sufferers of the congenital condition phenylketonuria. This ingredient is not, however, essential. A dandelion and burdock drink contains basic ingredients found in most other similar drinks including carbonated water,high fructose corn syrup, sugar, manmade colourings, phosphoric acid, citric acid, manmade flavourings.
Hunt the links
I noticed this interesting link over at Jonathan's new wordpress blog (not my cup of tea musically I'm afraid). I was also interested in what Jeremy Brooks had to say as I was dubious (like Jonathan) about a man leaving the pastorate. See here.
Vashti Bunyan
There is a series on Radio 4 at present on lost albums fronted by Pete Paphides. (See here). I enjoyed the one on Beach Boy Denis Wilson's album but hardly listened to the Duran Duran one. Then today I caught most of one on an album by a woman called Vashti. It was a very poignant tale. She had been depressed, travelled to Scotland, made an album, had a bad review and then not picked up her guitar for 30 years! The only Vashti I had heard of was Vashti Bunyan whose name I'd seen on a track in my son's i-pod. At the end of the programme they played her most famous song (Diamond Day) which I knew from the T-mobile advert. Anyway I checked her out in i-tunes and Wikipedia as I do. All very interesting.
This English singer-songwriter has been labelled "the Godmother of Freak Folk". Her 1970 debut LP, Just Another Diamond Day, is considered an important album in the psych folk genre. Following the release of this LP, Bunyan disappeared from the music industry until interest in her music was reignited in the early 2000s.
The surname rings an obvious bell and yes she is directly descended from the author of Pilgrim's Progress. Vashti was born in London in 1945 to John and Helen. In the early sixties she studied at The Ruskin School of Drawing and fine art at Oxford University but was expelled for failing to turn up to classes and spending her time writing songs. At 18 she travelled to New York and discovered Bob Dylan through The Freewheelin Bob Dylan album and decided to become a full-time musician. Returning to London she was discovered by Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham and in June 1965, under his direction, she released her debut single, "Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind" (by Jagger and Richards - their own version is on the outtakes compilation Metamorphosis) for Decca. Released using simply the name Vashti, it was backed with her own song "I Want to Be Alone". The single and her follow up "Train Song", released on Columbia in May 1966, produced by Canadian Peter Snell, received little attention. Her only other performance of this time to find release was her distinctive vocal on "The Coldest Night of the Year" with Twice as much (which eventually turned up on their second and final LP, That's All, on Oldham's Immediate label in 1968). After recording further songs for Immediate Records, which remain unreleased, and making a brief appearance in the 1967 documentary Tonite let's all make love in London, performing her song "Winter Is Blue", she decided to travel with her boyfriend Robert Lewis by horse and cart to the Isle of Skye to join a commune planned by friend and fellow folk singer Donovan. During the trip she began writing the songs that would eventually become her debut album.
During a break from her trip at Christmas-time 1968, she met Joe Boyd through a friend and he offered to record an album of her travelling songs. A year later Vashti returned to London and recorded her debut LP with assistance from Simon Nicol and Dave Swarbrick (Fairport Convention), Robin Williamson (Incredible String Band) and string arranger Robert Kirby, today best known for his work on Nick Drake's first two albums. The album appeared on Philips to warm reviews in December 1970, but struggled to find an audience. Disappointed, she left the music industry and moved to The Incredible String Band's Glen Row cottages, then Ireland. Much of the ensuing 30 years were spent raising her three children and tending animals. In this time, entirely unbeknown to her, the original album slowly became one of the most sought-after records of its time. It has sold on eBay for as much as $2000.
In 2000, Just Another Diamond Day was re-released on CD (with bonus tracks), assuring her influence over a new generation of folk artists. She has now had an influence on a new generation of folk musicians. Details at Wikipedia. A second album (35 years on) was well received by critics and fans alike. Her music reached a much wider audience when "Just Another Diamond Day" was used in a TV advert for a mobile phone company.
During a break from her trip at Christmas-time 1968, she met Joe Boyd through a friend and he offered to record an album of her travelling songs. A year later Vashti returned to London and recorded her debut LP with assistance from Simon Nicol and Dave Swarbrick (Fairport Convention), Robin Williamson (Incredible String Band) and string arranger Robert Kirby, today best known for his work on Nick Drake's first two albums. The album appeared on Philips to warm reviews in December 1970, but struggled to find an audience. Disappointed, she left the music industry and moved to The Incredible String Band's Glen Row cottages, then Ireland. Much of the ensuing 30 years were spent raising her three children and tending animals. In this time, entirely unbeknown to her, the original album slowly became one of the most sought-after records of its time. It has sold on eBay for as much as $2000.
In 2000, Just Another Diamond Day was re-released on CD (with bonus tracks), assuring her influence over a new generation of folk artists. She has now had an influence on a new generation of folk musicians. Details at Wikipedia. A second album (35 years on) was well received by critics and fans alike. Her music reached a much wider audience when "Just Another Diamond Day" was used in a TV advert for a mobile phone company.
Drink Ginger Beer
Far from wanting to start a series here I happened to buy and drink a bottle of ginger beer yesterday and thought I might check out some details from our friends at Wikipedia here.
Ginger beer is a type of carbonated alcoholic or soft drink, flavoured primarily with ginger, lemon and sugar. It originated in England in the mid-1700s, and reached its peak of popularity in the early 1900s. It became very popular in Britain and North America, with, in 1935, 3000 breweries in Britain, 300 in the USA (which had been affected by Prohibition) and 1000 in Canada. It is often sold as a nonalcoholic soda; an example being the Regatta brand. The original recipe requires only ginger, sugar and water, to which is added a gelatinous substance called "ginger beer plant" (see below). Fermentation over a few days turns the mixture into ginger beer. Lemon may be added.
Instead of using the ginger beer plant, some other form of live culture may be used to produce fermented ginger beer. This is often baker's or brewer's yeast but can also be a culture of lactic acid bacteria, etc. Ginger beer is fizzy due to carbon dioxide. The alcohol content when produced by the traditional process can be high, up to 11% though it is possible to ferment ginger beer in such a way as to produce little alcohol. Ginger beer may be mixed with beer (usually a British ale of some sort) to make one type of shandy and with rum to make a drink, originally from Bermuda, called a Dark 'n' stormy. The soda version of ginger beer is the main ingredient in the Moscow Mule cocktail.
The beverage produced industrially today is often not brewed (fermented). Such ginger beer is carbonated with pressurized CO2, does not contain alcohol, and is sold as a soft drink. Ginger beer is similar to ginger ale except that it has a significantly stronger ginger taste, often being described as ginger ale with a kick to it. Its other distinctive properties include its traditional cloudy appearance, its predominately citrus sour taste base and its spicy ginger bite.
Instead of using the ginger beer plant, some other form of live culture may be used to produce fermented ginger beer. This is often baker's or brewer's yeast but can also be a culture of lactic acid bacteria, etc. Ginger beer is fizzy due to carbon dioxide. The alcohol content when produced by the traditional process can be high, up to 11% though it is possible to ferment ginger beer in such a way as to produce little alcohol. Ginger beer may be mixed with beer (usually a British ale of some sort) to make one type of shandy and with rum to make a drink, originally from Bermuda, called a Dark 'n' stormy. The soda version of ginger beer is the main ingredient in the Moscow Mule cocktail.
The beverage produced industrially today is often not brewed (fermented). Such ginger beer is carbonated with pressurized CO2, does not contain alcohol, and is sold as a soft drink. Ginger beer is similar to ginger ale except that it has a significantly stronger ginger taste, often being described as ginger ale with a kick to it. Its other distinctive properties include its traditional cloudy appearance, its predominately citrus sour taste base and its spicy ginger bite.
It became very popular in Britain and North America, with, in 1935, 3000 breweries in Britain, 300 in the USA (which had been affected by Prohibition) and 1000 in Canada. It is often sold as a nonalcoholic soda; an example being the Regatta brand.
It was brought to the Ionian Islands by the British Army in the 19th Century and is still made by older villagers in rural Corfu as a local specialty, along with plum pudding.
It was brought to the Ionian Islands by the British Army in the 19th Century and is still made by older villagers in rural Corfu as a local specialty, along with plum pudding.
Drink Malta
I don't normally drink this stuff but our Nigerian friends brought some to the fellowship lunch on Sunday. If you like stout it's too sweet but I like it. It's very popular in West Africa. Wikipedia says:
Malta is a type of brewed but non-alcoholic soft drink. A carbonated malt beverage, it is brewed from barley, hops, yeast and water much like beer. Corn and caramel colour may be added. It is similar in colour to stout (dark brown) but very sweet, generally described as tasting like molasses. Unlike beer, ice is often added to malta when consumed. A popular way for Latin Americans to drink it is mixed with condensed/evaporated milk (increasing the drink's already high caloric value).
Most malta is brewed in the Caribbean and can be purchased in areas with substantial Hispanic populations. It is also popular in Colombia and Venezuela (with a Caribbean Coast). However, malta is brewed worldwide and is found in many parts of Africa eg Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and the Indian Ocean. Malta Guinness is brewed under license internationally.
Malta originated in Germany, as Malzbier (malt beer), a malty dark beer whose fermentation was interrupted at circa 2% ABV, leaving quite a lot of residual sugars in the finished beer. Up to the 1950s, Malzbier was considered a fortifying food for nursing mothers, recovering patients, the elderly, etc. Malzbier in its native form was finally superseded during the 1960s by its modern form, formulated from water, glucose syrup, malt extract and hops extract, which had been on the market since the latter half of the 19th Century, notably in Denmark. Such formulated drinks are to be called Malztrunk (malt beverage) according to German law, since they are not fermented. In colloquial use, Malzbier has nevertheless remained, along with other nicknames such as Kinderbier (children's beer). Some native Malzbiere can still be enjoyed in Germany, notably in Köln, where the taps of breweries Malzmühle and Sion sell it alongside their traditional Kölsch. Many German breweries have a malta in their range, sometimes produced under licence (eg Vitamalz).
Malta is also occasionally called "champagne cola" by some brands. However, there is a separate type of drink with this name, having a flavour and consistency more akin to cream soda. Despite this appellation, neither drink is achampagne or a cola.
Due to its distinctive colour, malta is sometimes known as black brewed beer. It is high in B vitamins. Some breweries, eg Albani Breweries Ltd of Denmark, fortify their non-alcoholic malta beverages with Vitamin B complex. Albani claim on their website to have been the first brewery to create non-alcoholic malt beverages in 1859.
Most malta is brewed in the Caribbean and can be purchased in areas with substantial Hispanic populations. It is also popular in Colombia and Venezuela (with a Caribbean Coast). However, malta is brewed worldwide and is found in many parts of Africa eg Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and the Indian Ocean. Malta Guinness is brewed under license internationally.
Malta originated in Germany, as Malzbier (malt beer), a malty dark beer whose fermentation was interrupted at circa 2% ABV, leaving quite a lot of residual sugars in the finished beer. Up to the 1950s, Malzbier was considered a fortifying food for nursing mothers, recovering patients, the elderly, etc. Malzbier in its native form was finally superseded during the 1960s by its modern form, formulated from water, glucose syrup, malt extract and hops extract, which had been on the market since the latter half of the 19th Century, notably in Denmark. Such formulated drinks are to be called Malztrunk (malt beverage) according to German law, since they are not fermented. In colloquial use, Malzbier has nevertheless remained, along with other nicknames such as Kinderbier (children's beer). Some native Malzbiere can still be enjoyed in Germany, notably in Köln, where the taps of breweries Malzmühle and Sion sell it alongside their traditional Kölsch. Many German breweries have a malta in their range, sometimes produced under licence (eg Vitamalz).
Malta is also occasionally called "champagne cola" by some brands. However, there is a separate type of drink with this name, having a flavour and consistency more akin to cream soda. Despite this appellation, neither drink is achampagne or a cola.
Due to its distinctive colour, malta is sometimes known as black brewed beer. It is high in B vitamins. Some breweries, eg Albani Breweries Ltd of Denmark, fortify their non-alcoholic malta beverages with Vitamin B complex. Albani claim on their website to have been the first brewery to create non-alcoholic malt beverages in 1859.
Nice weekend
It was a good weekend. We had well attended clubs for the children and young people on Friday night as we began again after half term. I was leading both, looking at Paul before Felix. In the younger group we had a spaghetti quiz and they decorated biscuits with icing sugar, etc.There's always plenty of preparation to do on a Saturday - working on the sermons, choosing the hymns, preparing the notice sheets. In the evening Eleri and I drove down to Hook near Surbiton where my old LTS friend Paul Pease was celebrating his fiftieth birthday. He used to be nearby in West Kilburn and we would meet once a week but since he's moved to Hook EC we rarely see each other. The women had to dress up town and the boys downtown (some really went to town with workmen's reflective jackets, etc). Fifty candles, as you can see, presents a genuine fire risk! It was mostly family and church members (Hook adn som W Kilburnites) who we don't really know but it was nice to chat to Ian (ex-LTS) and Lynn Rees who confessed that they sometimes visit the blog (hello again - sorry we didn't say 'bye properly!). The church gave Paul a nice chair for his study and he spoke of his thankfulness to God. We enjoyed it but sloped off once the dancing started.
The Lord's Day was good. I preached on the woman with the issue of blood in the morning to around 40 I guess. Two of our Nigerian families were away for different reasons but another one was out in force as one of them was presented with her PhD this last week. There was a party on the Saturday which some members had attended. We couldn't go because of the prior arrangement but we were kindly given goody bags marking the occasion and others had special pens.
We had lunch in church together. That's always a happy time although I often think we could make better use of the time together and do something more. The rest of the family and several others then headed off down to Sidcup where there was a baptism of two young men who grew up here but have with their family been down at Days Lane, Sidcup, for a few years now. One of them is Tom - a regular visitor to the blog and even a contributor on occasion. I was sorry not to be there but I felt we should have an evening service. In the end we were eight all told (representing as many as five [seven if you divide the home nations] different nations would you believe) including one lady who is new to us.
Free £5 notes
I was pointed to this item here. The exercise is concerned with attitudes to money but I think there is some interest here as far as the gospel is concerned. What seems like an asset - that it is totally free is not seen in that way by some.
Brits Fail To Cash In On Free £5 Notes
• Just 28 people took free fivers in two busy crowded streets
• Just 28 people took free fivers in two busy crowded streets
• And further research shows that half of all Brits claim they would also turn down free cash
The full extent of Britain’s financial inertia was laid bare today when passers-by in London and Manchester were offered a free £5 note, no strings attached.
Representatives from a price comparison website wandered the streets this morning wearing sandwich boards offering a free £5 note to anyone who asked. Despite encountering over 1800 people, only 28 passers by bothered to take advantage of the offer.
Even when those few plucky souls claimed their free booty it didn’t spark a stampede. The exercise was designed to illustrate that, credit crunch or no credit crunch, Brits are unwilling to take even the simplest steps to improve their financial situation.
Additional research found that more than half of all Brits (53%) admit they too would not be bothered to claim their £5 if they were in the same situation. This finding suggests that people actually overestimate their own likelihood of acting in such a situation, given the poor take up of the offer on the streets of London and Manchester. ...
The experiment also found a stark difference in the attitudes of men and women. On the streets of London and Manchester, all but 7 of the people who claimed the free cash were men and the research backed this up further. In a poll of 2000 people almost two thirds of women (64%) said they would not claim the free fiver, compared to 41% of money-shy men.
Additionally, the experiment found that Londoners were more reserved than their Manchester counterparts. Whilst just 1.2% of people took advantage of the offer in London, this figure increased to 3.1% on the streets of Manchester.
The research also found that the older the person, the less likely they would be to act on the free offer. Whilst some two thirds of under-twenties say they would claim the free cash, this steadily drops the older we get, declining to only a third (35%) of over 70s who claim they would ask for a free fiver.
Why do Brits believe they would fail to take up the offer?
Representatives from a price comparison website wandered the streets this morning wearing sandwich boards offering a free £5 note to anyone who asked. Despite encountering over 1800 people, only 28 passers by bothered to take advantage of the offer.
Even when those few plucky souls claimed their free booty it didn’t spark a stampede. The exercise was designed to illustrate that, credit crunch or no credit crunch, Brits are unwilling to take even the simplest steps to improve their financial situation.
Additional research found that more than half of all Brits (53%) admit they too would not be bothered to claim their £5 if they were in the same situation. This finding suggests that people actually overestimate their own likelihood of acting in such a situation, given the poor take up of the offer on the streets of London and Manchester. ...
The experiment also found a stark difference in the attitudes of men and women. On the streets of London and Manchester, all but 7 of the people who claimed the free cash were men and the research backed this up further. In a poll of 2000 people almost two thirds of women (64%) said they would not claim the free fiver, compared to 41% of money-shy men.
Additionally, the experiment found that Londoners were more reserved than their Manchester counterparts. Whilst just 1.2% of people took advantage of the offer in London, this figure increased to 3.1% on the streets of Manchester.
The research also found that the older the person, the less likely they would be to act on the free offer. Whilst some two thirds of under-twenties say they would claim the free cash, this steadily drops the older we get, declining to only a third (35%) of over 70s who claim they would ask for a free fiver.
Why do Brits believe they would fail to take up the offer?
• Six in 10 people say they their cynicism would prevent them from asking for free cash as they would suspect a catch or trick
• 20% of people would simply not believe the offer was real – a trend which increased with age. Almost a third of over 60s claimed they wouldn’t believe the sandwich board wearer
• Just over one in 10 people said they would feel too embarrassed and 3% of people said that £5 wasn’t worth the effort
See here
Perkins Lecture
Over 40 of us gathered last night at the Evangelical Library in Chiltern Street to hear Dr Jonathan Moore give an excellent lecture on "Predestination and Evangelism in the Life and Thought of William Perkins". After briefly acquainting us with what little is known of Perkins' life (he was born 450 years ago and died at only 44 in 1602) and at various points impressing upon us the stature of the man Dr Moore proceeded first to set out Perkins' very high supralapsarian Calvinism (as set out chiefly in his Golden Chain) and then to flesh out his undoubtedly evangelistic spirit exemplified in an opening section where he is seen pleading with a man about to be hanged and leading him to Christ. Emphasising how the two strands were held together not by seeing it as a paradox but with a high view both of God's sovereignty and of the visible church, Dr Moore demonstrated something that has often been seen in the history of the church - that a very high view of God's sovereignty and a biblical emphasis on election, far from destroying evangelistic fervour actually excites it. A decent question time followed with various questions arising from the central thesis and other matters. It was good to put the Evangelical Library in the shop window once again and to benefit from the work of a scholar. Dr Moore was able to pitch things at just the tight level for such a public gathering. His message was enlivened by the use of two or three visuals, including Perkins' famous Golden chain diagram, which I will include in another post. Meanwhile if you would like to chase up Perkins begin here and here. Also see here. Dr Moore is the author of the book on Puritan John Preston "English Hypothetical Universalism". See here.
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