Hey, Mabel, Black Label

All those who have ever downed a Carling Black Label beer, raise your hand. OK, we see a sprinkling of unenthusiastic older readers, and -- full disclosure -- we, too, sampled Carling in our younger, less discriminating days. This one-time big seller from Cleveland is hard to find these days, but here's a shocker: Carling is Britain's best-selling alcoholic beverage; has been since the 1970s. Among U.K. lagers it has 22 per cent of the market, well ahead of Australia's Fosters and Belgium's Stella Artois. (The ascendancy of unremarkable lagers in a country with world-class ales is yet another symptom of Britain's descent into Third-World status, but we won't bring that up, because we don't wish to offend.)

Carling began life in Ontario in 1840, grew rapidly and entered the American market 40 years later. The regional brewer that ranked 62nd in sales in 1949 made the top ten six years later. By the 1960s, it was sold in all 50 states and more than 50 countries. But in the '70s, Carling, like most breweries, was outmaneuvered by Miller and Anheuser-Busch. The Carling brewery in Cleveland was sold in 1971 and torn down in the late '90's. Carling is now owned by Molson/Coors, which wants to get the U.S. rights to the brand from Pabst or sell Carling in the U.S. as a British import, which is rich in irony. You can get a Carling Black Label in cans if you look hard enough. (Info from The Mail of London and the fascinating heymabelblacklabel.com.)

Getting the village drunk to save it

It's not Carling's fault, but the United Kingdom has a serious alcohol problem. Deaths from alcohol-fueled violence are up 18 percent since 2000. So to counteract the problem, the government is allowing pubs to stay open 24/7. Come again? The powers-that-be argue that because pubs have to close at 11, people speed up their drinking before last call, then stagger out looking for trouble, The Mail reports. The proposed solution, more in line with continental Europe, is based on the theory that people who drink with less urgency get less drunk. The police think that notion is bonkers, particularly with the holiday season upon us, and one politician called it "a formula for disaster." Among the new regulations: an on-the-spot fine of roughly $150 for being drunk and disorderly.

Pancakes and ale, please

From the AP
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If you think a 24-hour binge-drinking was invented by American college students, guess again. Historians say that 12th century Londoners drank up to a gallon of ale a day, starting with breakfast. They weren't all trying to escape the rigors of pre-modern life. It seems there was no bottled water back then. And ale, because it was boiled, was safer than water and milk, and tea and coffee were unknown in England at the time. We know this from a BBC report on a Museum of London exhibit. London had over 1,300 alehouses in the 12th century -- one for every 50 residents. It cost only a penny per gallon but was much weaker than the beers we drink today. According to one bluenose in 1542, beer drinking was "to the detryment" of many Englishmen since it "doth make a man fatte, and doth inflate the belly." The first low-carb beer, MuttonRoste Lite, as we understand it, was invented shortly thereafter.

Don't you mean pot plant?

Mexicans have set up a shrine at a plant pot at a Cozumel resort because it is said to depict Jesus. A receptionist at the Occidental Grand noticed the image on the planter after Hurricane Wilma whipped through a month ago. Local media are calling it a miracle and draw a link between the apparition and the fact that none of the 200 guests, who huddled for three days in a shelter, had suffered so much as a bruise during the storm that tore up other beach resorts on Cozumel, bit holes in concrete buildings, ripped up sections of highway and flattened trees. (This item comes from an oddball New Zealand Web site via fark.com, which has a cornucopia of fascinating stories 24/7, and twice on Sundays.)

On the Web

If you would like to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, particularly the 400 living in Pittsburgh, check out www.beenthereclearinghouse.com. If you have furniture, clothing or a Thanksgiving dinner to give, the Web site will connect you with someone in need. Read more about the clearinghouse in the Nov. 19 Morning File.