To try and calm racial tensions stemming from the arrest of African-American professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. by Cambridge police Sgt. James Crowley earlier this month, President Obama threw a good old fashioned beer drinking session at the White House yesterday.

Lets take a look at the beverage of choice for each of these men and see what we can glean from what they drink.

Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Beer: Red Stripe
Brewery: Desnoes & Geddes Limited
ABV: 4.7%
A Jamaican lager with a distinctive stubby brown bottle. Red Stripe conveys a “Let’s all just relax mon” state of mind. Continue Reading »

In a raid last year at a Malaysian nightclub, part-time Muslim model Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno was caught drinking a beer. The consumption of alcohol is a punishable offense in Malaysia for Muslims, though usually the punishment is a fine. After pleading guilty, Shukarno was sentenced to six lashes from a Malaysian court. The lashings are carried out by whipping the exposed seat of the offender with a four foot rattan stick that has been soaked in water. Does this seem like a reasonable punishment for such an offense?

Via AP – Muslim Woman To Be Flogged In Malaysia Over Beer

Age verification pages on websites are insane to me. They are the equivalent to a blind, deaf, paralyzed old woman working the door of a nightclub. They baffle me. It’s the ultimate example of going through the motions…Obviously the alcohol companies don’t have much of a choice in the matter, so you can’t fault them. Here are ten age verification screens for your viewing pleasure. Continue Reading »

As much as we love technology here at Mutineer Magazine, it always seems to turn on us when we hit the road. Our Powerbook has suffered a tragic and mysterious death, and all of our photos from the epic 2009 Wine Bloggers’ Conference and elsewhere are trapped in our camera until we return to our dependable desktop computers…but they are coming!

In other news, if you are in Los Angeles tonight, come by the indescribably cool Edison bar downtown for the Mutineer Magazine Issue 7 Release Party. Some of America’s top bartenders will be on hand mixing as part of the Radio Room series, which also happens to be the Issue 7 cover story! Synergy FTW!

Okhotsk Blue Draft is made from melted icebergs and colored using seaweed. So cool.

Via Geekologie – Blue Beer From Melted Icebergs, Seaweed

The Guinness 250 year anniversary contest is awesome. Three prizes: a trip to space with Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic (remember the cola wars?), a ride in a deep sea submarine with a luxury bar, and an exclusive concert/meet and greet with Black Eyed Peas. I don’t know if the Black Eyed Peas can compete with a trip to space, that seems a little off. They should have the Black Eyed Peas perform in space…You can enter the contest on the Guinness website Did you know that the first case of Guinness didn’t arrive in New York until 1840? History is great.

Via Telegraph – Guinness offers drinkers chance to win space flight