Food and Drink

A few stats from this year's Oktoberfest: > Some 6 million litres of beer -- enough to fill around six Olympic-sized swimming pools -- were downed by the 6.1 million visitors to the festival in the Bavarian capital. That was about 100,000 litres below the 6.

A list of the ten most expensive wines on the market. Number Ten: > Château Lafite Rothschild Pauillac 1996 - app. $287 Talk about being at the right place at the right time. In the mid-18th century, a French politician was about to be shipped off overseas, but not

> Alcoholics who smoke appear to lose more brain mass than alcoholics who don't smoke, according to a study at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. > It is already well-known that the brains of long-term alcoholics atrophy and shrink, the study authors say, but the new findings

This should go under "Brews You Can Use," but by next Friday, it'll be stale, and stale beer is horrible. This link [http://www.heartheissues.com/americanson-alcoholicbeverages-g.html] provides a detailed analysis of the recent poll that showed wine has become the favored drink among Americans.

It's the time of the year for pumpkin ale: > The spicy suds were originally brewed by early New England colonist who sought to stretch their supply of costly imported malt by fusing it with fresh indigenous ingredients. > The trick of this adult treat is sweetening the

Ten reasons beer is better than wine: > 10. Beer doesn't rely on a piece of wood to give it character. > 9. The French don't set the standard for beer-making and food-pairing. > 8. Beer is richer, better looking and has a better body. >

> Most people who seek treatment at hospital emergency departments claiming their drinks have been spiked are simply drunk, a new study has found. Link [http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,16685758-13762,00.html].