Now that winter has finally struck the northern hemisphere, my thoughts drift to the friends in Australia, New Zealand, South America, Brazil, and Antarctica that are now entering the height of the beer consumption under the Southern Cross.
Steinwielder Mark of Oz, upon receipt and taking his stein for test drive back in July, declared “How many thousand of these have you sold to Queensland? This thing is brilliant.” When I told him that he was holding one of four, he shook his head in dismay and said, “I think that in the depth of winter, Australians have forgotten what summer is like and what it does to beer. We need this.” This echoes the sentiment of a gentleman in Arizona that has built a shrine to his 1900ml stein as it has allowed him to have a consistently frosty margarita by the pool in the inferno of Flagstaff summer.
I am reliably informed Darwin is now running at 30C. Well, Queensland, what’s your plan for your beer?
Oh, and if any of the crew down at McMurdo and Pole are reading this, have a hoot at the Midsummer/New Years party. May the US team not take many injuries as they lose yet again to the Kiwis for the annual rugby game.