"A Late One"

Anyone who has spent some time at Red River Gorge knows what I'm talking about.

Here is a little trivia for those wondering where the name of this indigenous Kentucky soft-drink came from.

"Still a closely guarded family secret, the Ale-8-One formula was developed by G.L. Wainscott in the 1920’s after experimentation with ginger-blended recipes he acquired during extensive travels in Northern Europe. He sponsored one of America’s first “name the product” contests, and “A Late One” was the winning entry. The drink’s logo, Ale-8-One, was adopted as a pun of its description as the latest thing in soft drinks."

source: ale8one.com/history

I brought some back with me from my RRG trip this past weekend... Some of those recipes on the Ale8one website sound good! ale8one.com/recipes

-Glenn

i got so addicted to that stuff that i drove to the bottling plant and bought 6 cases before heading home. so good. thanks for the trivia!

I love that stuff! Last time I was at the red I brought back a bunch.....only lasted a few days

Same here. My first stop coming into the Red is to load up on the Ale's at Shell station AND a couple jars of the Ale8' sweet salsa. It's really good too.
As for recipes, my favorite to use at Mig's is to take the first swig of the Ale8, and then top off bottle with some tasty raspberry, watermellon, or strawberry vodka. And then I don't need to wrap my bottle in aluminum foil.

My pilgrimage

i love this stuff, and drink unhealthy amounts of it whenever i come across it.

Sure, Ale 8.1 is tasty, but sugary soda never helped anyone send hard sport routes.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but ALE81 is simply gingerale + Mountain Dew.

it is sugar and or corn sweetener it says. I wish you would have told me i have like 2 6 packs in my fridge. I would have brought you one yesterday. lol

Ryan Palo wrote:Sorry to burst your bubble, but ALE81 is simply gingerale + Mountain Dew.

If you put a gun to my head I would say it’s like an unholy union between ginger ale and Mountain Dew, but that’s not quite it either. I don’t quite know how to describe it, except to say that it makes me vaguely uneasy.

Chris treggE wrote: Guess I'll stick to real ale.

Good call. (Though that probably won't help with hard sends either.)

I actually had a "difficult relationship" with sugary sodas for a long time. My vice was Mountain Dew. It got to the point where I was drinking six cans per day.

About 7 years ago, I gave up The Dew for Diet Coke. Directly because of this change, I promptly lost 15 pounds, and redpointed a number grade harder. I have since given up Diet Coke in favor of seltzer (it's just water and bubbles).

I've even given up beer as of late. Though I will occasionally have a glass of wine, I've gotta say that I feel great since I've been off the beers.

So, the point is, be careful with that Ale 8.1. It could be a gateway.

I was down at the RRG a few weeks ago and took the opportunity to buy a few cases. I had grand visions of selling them to deprived N.E. climbers, but unfortunately (or fortunately) my plans for hawking Ale 8.1 by the pack in the Rumney parking lot never came to fruition, as I succumbed to my vice and promptly drank them all. Oh well.

Chris Drover wrote:I was down at the RRG a few weeks ago and took the opportunity to buy a few cases. I had grand visions of selling them to deprived N.E. climbers, but unfortunately (or fortunately) my plans for hawking Ale 8.1 by the pack in the Rumney parking lot never came to fruition, as I succumbed to my vice and promptly drank them all. Oh well.

Well done!

Jay Knower wrote:I've even given up beer as of late.

So if I give up beer I climb one number grade harder? Hmm...

Nope, not gonna happen. :)

Chris treggE wrote: So if I give up beer I climb one number grade harder? Hmm... Nope, not gonna happen. :)

I'd gladly give up one or two grades just to keep suckin' down beers and Ale8. You gotta prioritize things in life....

Timothy Nolan wrote:i love this stuff, and drink unhealthy amounts of it whenever i come across it.

Me too. Unfortunately, having virtually endless access to this stuff (i.e.- it's even in the vending machine at work)has its potential pitfalls. Mainly uncontrolled twitching after a six pack or so...

On the upside, Ale-8 + Bourbon = Heaven!

I never saw the allure in Ale8. I think that most of its draw to climbers is the association with the Red, nothing more.

It's just carbonated corn syrup, no different than other sodas; I'll keep associating the RRG with the fine selection of different fermented beverages at the Torrent Beer trailer.

Jay Knower wrote:Sure, Ale 8.1 is tasty, but sugary soda never helped anyone send hard sport routes.

Uhh, yu've not climbed at the Red I assume, for there are many climbers there sucking down bottles of this juice at Miguels endlessly, and sending 5.14's every day. Just check out the pile of empties out back sometime. It is our 'blood of life', and yes I admit my serious addiction too. I spike mine with cherry vodka or bourbon.