Day 391: On Skulls and La Fin du Monde

The following is an actual email exchange between me and my good friend Beth. I wish I could say exchanges like this are rare, but they're not. We are two strange birds and it's probably why we get along so very well.

Subject: Strangeness on Southwest

Beth: Read this story. Two questions here – 1) if you are transporting 40 heads, wouldn’t that be really heavy? 2) What the hell are “anatomical gifts?”

Brief summary of the article if you don't want to follow the link: In June 2010, a Southwest Airlines employee called police after finding human heads in a package set to be transported to a Fort Worth medical research company, the airline said. "It wasn't labeled or packaged properly," said Ashley Rogers, a Southwest spokeswoman. "They called the local authorities." The incident happened in Little Rock, Ark., last Wednesday, she said. Little Rock police turned the package over to the county coroner, who questions where they came from and if they were properly obtained. "We've come to the conclusion that there is a black market out there for human body parts for research or for whatever reason," said Pulaski County coroner Garland Camper.

Me: I heard about this on the drive in. If I remember the line from Jerry Maguire correctly, I believe the human head weighs 8 pounds. That would make that a heavy, heavy package. Plus it would be a huge box or crate. I doubt regular cardboard would do. Anatomical gifts means when you donate your body to science.

Beth: Hahaha, I was think it was more like skulls and stuff you may put on your mantel. So when they asked at the counter if someone gave you something to transport….How can you fly with a 320 lb package? What?

Me: The story said a courier dropped it off claiming not to know what was inside. Does that mean they were using a Southwest flight like Fed Ex? I didn’t know that was possible.

Beth: Who knows…maybe you should figure that out by trying it.

Me: You know I would do terrible in jail…

Fast forward to today...

Beth: Look at this bizarre old email exchange I just came across. I like how I think people keep skulls on their mantels...


Only the weirdos keep them on their mantels. Normal people keep them in their bathrooms.

So what do you email your coworkers about?

And I think that story segues nicely into a review of La Fin du Monde...you know, the dark arts, end of the world, and such.


La Fin du Monde is a Tripel brewed by Unibroue in Chambly, Quebec. It pours a rich oaky color with a thin white head. It smells of citrus, honey and rich brown sugar. The flavor is boozy with lots of candi sugar and a hint of pepper. It's also very carbonated, which adds to the tingly drinking sensation. This is probably one of my favorite tripels out there.

Beer stats
Style: Tripel
ABV: 9%
IBUs: 19
Rating: Excellent

Previously reviewed from Unibroue
Thoughts on Maudite (Belgian strong ale) from me and Gary

Beer 50: Unibroue Maudite or Holy Shit!

Wow.  Beer #50!  That feels like a major milestone in this adventure.  Looking back at the first fifty days, I’ve realized that I have no ability whatsoever to remember what I’ve drank.  Thank god for GoogleDocs and my iPad.  I may look like the nerd in the beer store, but at least I’m not going to have another “How did I forget I’ve already sampled Norwegian beer” double posting moment.  I’m also going to have to ease up on adding things to my Top 25 list.  I have nine tagged already.

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Today we drink Unibroue’s Maudite.  (Sorry I forgot to snap a photo but hopefully this picture from Unibroue’s website will satisfy you.)

It smells of hops and Belgian beer sugar.  The head was slightly off-white and craggy.  The beer itself was reddish brown and cloudy.  The taste is fantastic -- cinnamon, nutmeg, hints of yeast, fruit.  It is an amber red ale that drinks quite smooth despite the 8% ABV and the medley of strong and complex flavors.  It finishes dry, leaving me wanting more and very happy that I have the 750mL bottle!

Canada: Land of Mind Control Hockey and Flying Canoes

Beer #16 Maudite/ Unibroue, Chambly, Quebec, Canada
Last day of the "official" Christmas holiday, before it's back to work tomorrow for a busy year-end.  From our holiday weekend, allow me to recommend 30 Minutes or Less and Crazy Stupid Love.  Both great films, definitely worth the effort.  In all, its been a great past few days.  Hopefully these good vibes carry through New Year's and kicks off 2012 with some positive momentum.

Today's beer is our first Canadian offering, Maudite.  A Belgian Strong Ale with a nice amber color in the glass, and an excellent combination of sweet and malt flavors.  Citrus notes with spice, and a clean, crisp taste.  Excellent choice, and really interesting bottle art of some dudes riding a canoe through an eerie orange sky while a demon glares in the foreground.  My vision of a fun night, to be sure.  "Maudite" means "Damned", and the ancient legend behind the beer stems from lumberjacks in remote Canada who made a pact with the Devil to fly them back home at the holidays to visit their families.  As you can imagine, the flying canoe thing didn't end too well.  Should have probably went for Southwest airlines, where bags fly free.

Interesting note: yet another big beer M&A story, as Unibroue was bought by someone called Sleeman Brewery in '04, and then Sleeman was bought in '06 by Sapporo, a Japanese brewery.

Thing to Think About Today:
If we're thinking about Canada, we're thinking about the best movie ever made about Canada: Strange Brew.  What better movie to tie into a blog about a beer adventure, right?   I won't spoil the ending, but this film is the epic tale of the McKenzie brothers, two inept idiots who unwittingly uncover a mind-control scheme.... and hilarity ensues and a lot of beer is consumed along the way.  This scene won't make sense if you haven't already seen the movie, but watch it anwyay:

Take off, you hosers.  No use steering now.   Beauty.