05 April, 2006

463 Billion Kilometers (288 Billion Miles) of Beer

Well, not quite. But the discovery of a cloud of alcohol of those proportions sure gets one's attentions.

Astronomers say they have spotted a cloud of alcohol in deep space that measures 463 billion kilometres (288 billion miles) across, a finding that could shed light on how giant stars are formed from primordial gas.

The vast bridge-shaped cloud of methyl alcohol has been spotted in a region of our galaxy, the Milky Way, that is called W3(OH), where stars are being formed by the gravitational collapse of concentrations of gas and dust, the discoverers said in a press release.

Methanol, an organic (carbon-based) molecule, is a cousin of ethanol, which is found in alcoholic beverages. Methanol is not suitable for human consumption.


Well, it's a cousin of ethanol, at least.

While I'm on the subject of ethanol, I had me a Founder's red ale made with rye last night. It was da bomb! It had a big rye flava wit tasty citrus undertones. Fantastic beer. I also had a milk stout from Lake Louie. Quite tasty as well. Great balance of milky smoothocity and bitterness.

Walking around Steve's Wine Market yesterday, I realized that I know fuck-all about wine. I could probably spend months going through their riesling selection but, beyond knowing what I like, I know little else about wine. Does anyone know of any Wine 101 hoolies around town? I'd love to learn more.

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