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jaysin

Lifer
Feb 8, 2012
1,083
1
Indiana
there is a company I have ordered real Absinthe Garenteed deverly I do not know how they do it but they do.

Ive got 3 bottles from them never did see that damn green fary not for a lack or trying now my buddy on the other hand was tripping his ass off and it was funny as hell when he sai he couldnt put his drink down because every time he tryed the table would move on him.LOL

 

baronsamedi

Lifer
May 4, 2011
5,688
6
Dallas
People always exaggerate the "wormwood effect". There is actually more Thujone in the common herb Sage than in Wormwood. Some are sensitive to it, some are not. It is like the nic kick in some baccys. It blows some folks head off and doesn't affect others. When a Texas Liquor distributor had a pre-ban Absinthe reverse engineered he found that the thujone content was less than the 10 ppm prescribed in the import ban. This is the main reason the import ban was lifted. I reccommend googling The Wormwood Society and checking out their site and forums. They will dispel a lot of myths and probably make you go broke wanting to try Absinthe. I also reccommend my book "Brew or Die", which includes my full essay on the subject.

 

baronsamedi

Lifer
May 4, 2011
5,688
6
Dallas
Yep. Lawrence has created many wonderful brews with the help of my book! I just bottled a case of Cranberry Mead by the way. It's almost 2 years old. The chocolate wasn't ready. Maybe another year. Back in the closet.

 

brian64

Lifer
Jan 31, 2011
10,050
16,105
Regarding the thujone issue, (and I certainly could be wrong...wouldn't be the first time) it does seem to be the case that higher levels are legally allowed in the EU than in the USA. Here is what it boils down to as near as I can tell:
"Stringent labelling regulations are enforced, and absinthes with more than 10mg but less than 35mg of thujone, which are legal in the EU, are still not legal in the US."
Above quote is from:
http://www.thujone.info/index.html
EDIT: and that is referring to mg/l

 

baronsamedi

Lifer
May 4, 2011
5,688
6
Dallas
Certainly! There are "absinths" (mainly Czech crap) that purposely elevate Thujone levels, but they widely aren't recognized as legitimate Absinthes. During the time since the ban in Europe and the import ban in the US, Tzsechoslovalia (more specifically, what is now the Czech Republic) did not participate in the ban, and instead of actually making real Absinthe, steeped wormwood and other commonly used herbs in vodka or grain alcohol and sold it as "Absinth".
Once the hype about the "wormwood effect" became more commonly known than the actual characteristics of a drinkable Absinthe (nose, flavor, louche, not poisoning people, etc.) Certain companies in that arena started steeping with absurd amounts of wormwood to hype on the so-called "Absinthe High". What they made is a drink that tastes like 150° bug spray and one that is not real Absinthe. They still actually sell that garbage and you can get it shipped here, but I'd rather you have an experience that doesn't suck.
Though there are legitimate (and usually expensive) pre-ban Absinthes with the spelling "Absinth", the general rule is to avoid it, along with anything Czech and anything with green plants floating around in the bottle.
Here is a great FAQ from some guys who really know their stuff! http://www.wormwoodsociety.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=184&Itemid=235

 

baronsamedi

Lifer
May 4, 2011
5,688
6
Dallas
Literally, elevating the Thujone levels is kind of like spraying paper with nicotine, mixing it into cigarettes and calling it "tobacco". Just like nicotine has nothing to do with the quality of tobacco, thujone content has no place in evaluating an Absinthe.

 

brian64

Lifer
Jan 31, 2011
10,050
16,105
Ah, I see...thanks for the clarification on that Baron...makes sense. I've never had any form of the stuff yet myself. It does seem to be primarily the Czech stuff that claims high thujone levels.

 

baronsamedi

Lifer
May 4, 2011
5,688
6
Dallas
Here's a review page of the very Absinthe I tried in Montana and I think they are spot on! Not quite the level of Duplais, which is my favorite of all time, but this one makes America a serious contender in the Absinthe world!
http://www.wormwoodsociety.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=581:ridge-verte&catid=20:traditional-absinthe&Itemid=275

 

baronsamedi

Lifer
May 4, 2011
5,688
6
Dallas
Last time I did was in 2005. I'm over due. I got to take the wife to Germany and show her around. She'd never been to a country where English wasn't the chief language and comedy often ensued.

 
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