are you sure that chicken is supposed to be cooked?

By Mr_Carfax on Sunday, March 10, 2002 - 06:53 pm: Edit

Beef Liquor...maybe not so strange...I have an old English recipe for Cock Ale, which calls for a cooked chicken carcass to be thrown into the ferment.

By Verdigris_Harpy on Sunday, March 10, 2002 - 05:27 am: Edit

Hmmm
Liqour made of beef...Is that really what the
red absinthe is made of?

Beef marinated in absinthe? Sounds like "Beef" the dude in
Phantom of the Paradise.

Noxious weeds?Wormwood? Heresy!

What happens if you order Mari Mayans?
Do Spanish flies land on your bottle and stick?
Ima scared.....The MIB are gonna come and
bug my yellow telephone.......

By Petdekatkrewe on Tuesday, March 05, 2002 - 11:13 am: Edit

Thanks for the decoding, Jack. Same tape on my re-wrap.

Sounds like a non-issue. I wonder what they think is crawling out of Spain...

By _Blackjack on Tuesday, March 05, 2002 - 09:21 am: Edit

Looking at the label in the picture, we actually know that the package was inspected by APHIS, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, specifically by PPQ, the Plant Protection and Quarentine program. It would appear that they were looking for insects or noxious weeds which might endanger American plantlife.

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/ppqmission.html

By Petdekatkrewe on Tuesday, March 05, 2002 - 08:48 am: Edit

FYI...

Ordered standard 5 bottle set from SC 2/19/02
Notified of shipment by SC on 3/1/02
Two packages arrived intact 3/5/02

Both packages had been opened & resealed by USDA, apparently on 3/4/02...

USDA photocopy of external shipping label stapled to enclosed shipping manifest marked "RELEASED 03 04 02 USDA MEM."

That is all...

By Mvario on Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 08:42 pm: Edit

23 days (since he shipped)and counting... and still waiting for my Wolvie's

By Drbeer on Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 07:52 pm: Edit

Ok LL it's up! Go read!

By Verawench on Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 07:48 pm: Edit

mmmm... metwurst.

By Mr_Carfax on Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 07:47 pm: Edit

"Interestingly, Customs seemed to be more interested in food than anything else. "

Mark, I bet you've also experienced this with Australian airports...

Nothing worse than armed customs officers with basset hounds sniffing at your crotch for contraband fruit and metwurst.

By Drbeer on Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 06:46 pm: Edit

I haven't had a chance to try it yet. Been busy doing stuff that I need to be sober for...

however I did open the bottle! I'll put the rest in a different thread in a vain attempt to stay on topic (when does that ever actually happen?)

By Louched_Liver on Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 04:24 pm: Edit

Dr. Beer,

Lets hear the skinny man!

By Drbeer on Thursday, February 28, 2002 - 02:10 pm: Edit

I got my bottle of la bleue from Wolvie today. Had not been opened by anyone or anything. The box was beat up a bit, and it took about 24 days, but it's safe and sound ready for consumption!

By Elbongo on Wednesday, February 27, 2002 - 05:20 pm: Edit

Just got my SC care package. It arrived intact, unmolested, and in just 13 days. SC rocks!!!!

By Absinthesque2 on Monday, February 25, 2002 - 06:17 am: Edit

FWIW I just returned to the States through Newark Airport and found that the Customs process has changed considerably. The Agriculture Department now has big X-ray machines, and they are doing random checks. I was not selected for this, but the person just ahead of me was.

Interestingly, Customs seemed to be more interested in food than anything else. I had bought some jewelery abroad and was well over the $400 duty free exemption; I declared everything. The customs officer asked if I had food, and I said "no". I was waved through and did not have to pay any duty.

By Pablo on Monday, February 25, 2002 - 02:38 am: Edit

Oh shit! I probably shouldnt have ordered that side of beef with my latest shipment from SC!

By Larsbogart on Saturday, February 23, 2002 - 12:09 pm: Edit

Are you saying we have to live in fear of customs agents and right wing Islamic cows showing up at the front door? Has Betty really gone that far?
Larsbogart

By Mr_Rabid on Saturday, February 23, 2002 - 11:14 am: Edit

Thank God!

No more will I live my life in fear of some right wing Islamic cow showing up at my front door with a manure-bomb!

And I bet they'll finally bring that cell of terrorist rutabegas to justice.

Thank you, Lord, and thank you Tom Ridge- my tax dollars are Saving The World!

By Mvario on Friday, February 22, 2002 - 11:39 pm: Edit

The USDA has just gotten a big chunk of money for "homeland security"

http://www.usda.gov/news/releases/2002/02/0059.htm

I feel safer already

By Pikkle on Friday, February 22, 2002 - 04:56 pm: Edit

just get some parrafin and some perc, you can make your own...

By Mr_Rabid on Friday, February 22, 2002 - 04:07 pm: Edit

Fill lava lamps with absinthe and ship it that way!

No one the wiser... of course, that would no doubt further raise the shipping costs. And there would be that whole unsightly blob of wax in your booze thing too.

Dammit!

By Don_Walsh on Friday, February 22, 2002 - 04:00 pm: Edit

There's no need to get your knickers in a twist. Blackjack is right. Some USDA inspectors are looking for Spanish fly or something an if there's nothing vegetable or insect or animal in your package, it's tape tape tape and on its way. Booze does not signify.

The Men in Black are not going to batter down your door and zap you with a reververating carbonizer, or even a noisy cricket.

Besides, just what do you think SC can do about it, anyway? Hmm? Declare as "Nothing of USDA Interest"?

By Petdekatkrewe on Friday, February 22, 2002 - 03:30 pm: Edit

Has anyone emailed SC about this? It's beginning to look like more than simple random coincidence.

By _Blackjack on Friday, February 22, 2002 - 03:27 pm: Edit

What is clearly going on here is that the USDA (which has no jurisdiction over alcohol imports) has been checking packages looking for some agricultural product or other, and, not finding it, sending things along. They don't give a shit about absinthe, clearly.

Now, I wonder what it is that they THINK is in the packages. Beef?

By Raschied on Friday, February 22, 2002 - 03:07 pm: Edit

Got my SC order - same tape. USDA opened for inspection. Import slip had something else on it other than alcohol - I'll refrain from saying what. That might have something to do with it, though.

By Larsbogart on Friday, February 22, 2002 - 02:41 pm: Edit

Despite mangling, and your order was intact does this mean no customs agent will come banging down your door?
If this is the case...
[in a high pitched voice]
someone might be going out of business...
larsbogart

By Mr_Rabid on Friday, February 22, 2002 - 01:19 pm: Edit

Well, it's either that or buy an airline ticket, for those of us in the USA...

By Heiko on Friday, February 22, 2002 - 12:29 pm: Edit

"I just ordered from SC's website. I'm placing another order today so we'll see what happens."

Huh? Next time you want to get rid of money, just send it to me rather than paying two times the shipping costs ;-)

By Heiko on Friday, February 22, 2002 - 12:26 pm: Edit

"I wonder if USDA is "watching" somebody..."

If they were "watching", they'd either confiscate the bottles, or open the package in a way that nobody could see it has been opened.
Just my 0.02 Euro ;-)

By Paul on Friday, February 22, 2002 - 09:25 am: Edit

Blue,

I just ordered from SC's website. I'm placing another order today so we'll see what happens. I'll post again in 7-10 days when the package arrives.

By Paul on Friday, February 22, 2002 - 09:18 am: Edit

Blue,

I just ordered from SC's website. I'm placing another order today so we'll see what happens. I'll post again in 7-10 days when the package arrives.

By Giovannigray on Thursday, February 21, 2002 - 07:50 pm: Edit

Hmmm.. Got my SC order last week, intact, as shipped.. Just placed another order with them last night. We shall see.

By Auntieminda on Thursday, February 21, 2002 - 03:16 pm: Edit

SC here...

-Auntie M

By Blue on Thursday, February 21, 2002 - 02:50 pm: Edit

Auntie, Paul -- where did you order from? I wonder if USDA is "watching" somebody...

By Auntieminda on Thursday, February 21, 2002 - 12:21 pm: Edit

Hi all,

Just got my first shipment in as well, and mine had also been opened and inspected by the US Department of Agriculture. Same mangling, same gov't tape. And all my order present and accounted for. Whooo!

Smiles,
Auntie M

By Iamadonut on Tuesday, February 19, 2002 - 11:29 am: Edit

[casting journalist hat aside]

yikes -- i hope my order from wolvie's gets here ok!

[dusts off hat, puts it back on]
Department of Agriculture, huh? I'll try giving them a call this afternoon...

with tongue firmly planted in cheek,
ian

By _Blackjack on Tuesday, February 19, 2002 - 12:31 am: Edit

The USDA no less? I hadn't even thought to put them in the equation. Of course, their only concern was whether it was unauthorized vegetables...

By Destiny on Monday, February 18, 2002 - 09:51 pm: Edit

See what you did, Donut.

The sky is falling, the sky is falling!

By Paul on Monday, February 18, 2002 - 10:51 am: Edit

there we go, thanks for the image posting tip.

By Paul on Monday, February 18, 2002 - 10:49 am: Edit

By Paul on Monday, February 18, 2002 - 10:46 am: Edit

/image

By Wolfgang on Monday, February 18, 2002 - 10:31 am: Edit

your picture doesn't work...


and I also found out a long time ago that it helps to rename your .jpg files as .jpeg while posting images on this board... ???

By Heiko on Monday, February 18, 2002 - 10:09 am: Edit

better description of what to write:

\ image{whatever}

without the blank.

By Heiko on Monday, February 18, 2002 - 10:05 am: Edit

to post and image type *backslash*image{whatever} and your browser should give you a file-selection box after you clicked "post meassage".

If it doesn't, wrong browser...

By Paul on Monday, February 18, 2002 - 09:01 am: Edit

Yep thats right my first order of absinthe arrived today completely mangled & covered inside & out with official US Govt tape, it seems the US Department of agriculture decided to open it for inspection, realized it was only absinthe & kindly repacked everything up & it arrived completely safe & intact via FedEx this morning.

I'll try to post a pic if it doesnt work use this link

http://us.f1.yahoofs.com/users/e11f4162/bc/Friends/__hr_Dsc00030.jpg?bc4_Xw8AulA.TZnS

OK I have no idea how to post pics here.

Anyway has anyone else encountered this? Is it normal?