Beer babe’s favorite European bars

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Katarina Van Derham, the 2009 St. Pauli Girl spokesmodel, doesn’t like to spend all her time in one place. The Slovakia native now lives in Los Angeles and still loves to get out on the road as much as possible. When she’s home, her favorite place to grab a pint is Barney’s Beanery in Santa Monica. She can have a relaxing drink on the patio, which is a prime people-watching spot. Of course, she has favorites on the other side of the Atlantic, as well.

The 2009 St. Pauli Girl spokesmodel‘s European Favorites are:

Morrison Pub (Cannes, France): there’s always live music and a welcoming crowd; Cannes’ “beautiful beaches and relaxed vibe” help

Phanas Pub (Rijeka, Croatia): Phanas is a great party place with rock music piped in; Katarina came here while shooting a music video for a Slovakian band

Mermaid Bar (Ibiza, Spain): this bar caters to an international crowd, has clear water and a great club scene

U Medvédku (Prague, Czech Republic): a house beer and authentic Czech food are served, and you’re only footsteps from the city’s stunning architecture

CK Browar (Krakow, Poland): grab a beer at this bright brewery before shopping at the outdoor street fairs on Saturdays

Salm Bräu (Vienna, Austria): located in a charming old building, this bar is a great stop en route to Slovakia (since Vienna has the nearest international airport)

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Newest “St. Pauli Girl” wins popular vote

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Katarina Van Derham is the newest St. Pauli Girl spokesmodel. Unlike her predecessors, the latest to carry this honor won through an online election. The people have spoken, and Van Derham will bring them their beer! The election was conducted via Maxim.com and consisted of four finalists. The competition was fierce, but one look makes it clear that beer goggles will not be necessary in 2009!

Van Derham is a native of Slovakia and grew up in a small village in the woods – a story that seems to add to the mystique. More than just a pretty face, she speaks five languages and bears a striking resemblance to the young lady on the bottle’s label. As a result, she is now the 26th person to carry the responsibility of being the world’s hottest ambassador of malted beverages. “Being named the 2009 St. Pauli Girl means the world to me,” said Van Derham. “I am very honored and look forward to meeting St. Pauli Girl fans all over the country.”

The latest beer gal moved to the United States when she was 22 years old and had no intention to become a model. As a waitress in Los Angeles, though, she caved to the peer pressure four years later, and the rest, as they say, is brewing history. Van Derham became a U.S. citizen last year and voted for the first time in the U.S. presidential election in November. Now, in addition to modeling, she works in web design for an architectural graphic design firm.”

Let’s all welcome her into our hearts … and stomachs!

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[Photo via St. Pauli Girl]

365 days of beer come to a close

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Two people just finished drinking a hell of a lot of beer. Married couple Chris Nelson and Merideth Canham-Nelson left home in Carmel Valley, CA to hit every major beer destination and festival in the world … in only one year. Ninety breweries and 15 destinations later, they closed out the excursion at the Belgian Kerstbierfestival in December. Along the way, they stopped in Oregon, England, German and (of course) San Diego.

I mean, who doesn’t see “San Diego” and think “beer”?

So, what do you do when a “Year in Beer” comes to a close? Duh, you try to write a book! Until it hits the shelves, if it ever does, you can learn more about these heroes at yearinbeer.com.

[Via USA Today]

Eggnog: Where does it come from?

by Brenda Yun on

I’ve long been a fan of spiced ‘nog. It’s one of the creamiest, best tastes in the world. For over 300 years, eggnog has been a Christmas staple, and I just had to get to the bottom of the mystery of ‘why’? What I discovered in my research of the origin of eggnog was quite startling. While ‘nog definitely came from Europe circa early 17th century, the term “eggnog” and the etymology of the word is perhaps the more interesting story.

The original eggnog was a mixture of milk, egg, spices, and wine (in parts of Europe like France), beer (in England), or sherry (in Spain). The alcoholic portion of the drink depends on how you interpret the “nog” in the name. That is because “nog” could mean the Old English term for a strong beer, or it could be interpreted from Middle English as “noggin,” the wooden mug that the drink was served in.
It seems quite unusual (and kind of unappetizing) to me that, before it arrived on America’s shores, eggnog was made with wine, beer, or sherry. Americans — the drunks that we are — decided to spike the drink with more concentrated spirits such as rum and brandy. Our first President, George Washington, would make the drink so strong that only the burliest of drinkers could handle it. The term for rum is actually “grog,” but “eggrog” doesn’t sound very good at all, now, does it? (It makes me think of a lumpy, spiked oatmeal — yuck!) Americans also boil their eggnog so as to avoid getting salmonella from the raw egg.

Even more variations of traditional eggnog are popping up around the globe. In Louisiana, they replace the rum with bourbon. In Puerto Rico, they add coconut milk. In Mexico, it’s a hard drink, as it’s mixed with grain alcohol. In Peru, it’s made with “pisco,” a local brandy.

Whatever the form or unique flavor, drinking eggnog is a Christmas tradition because of its warming effect and generally sweet, smooth, and spicy taste which make it a perfect holiday drink.

[Information was gathered from Wikipedia, About.com, and TheKitchenProject.com]

The Dutch by numbers

by Jamie Rhein on

This month’s issue of Holland Herald, KLM’s in-flight magazine is devoted to a numbers theme. For example, California’s Highway 1 is touted as being one of the world’s most scenic drives in an article devoted to pointing out the highway’s finer points.

Another article was perfect for in-flight reading. By browsing two pages filled with random statistics, I found out several interesting facts about the Dutch that might be useful to toss out at parties if there is absolutely nothing left to talk about.

Here are five of them:

  • In 2008, Sophie has been the most popular name for a girl, and Daan the most popular for a boy.
  • On average, women don’t marry in the Netherlands until age 32.7, and men don’t marry until 35.8.
  • When the Dutch want to go on a vacation, France is their number one destination.
  • The average Dutch person eats 16.7 kilos of cheese per year.
  • On average, a person in the Netherlands drinks 77.4 liters of beer per year. This is a considerable drop from the 300 liters the same person would have downed during the Middle Ages.

Here’s one more fact about the Dutch I found out. Each year, they produce 3 million pairs of clogs.