Blizzard's venture into fighting games, and other stories from today

Sorry if the title got your hopes up, but today is 1 April. As such, here is a collection of three of my favourite pranks from this morning:

1. The League of Beers - Craft beer syrup

"Thought of dappling in some home brewing? It just got a whole lot easier with our new syrups. Carbonate your own craft beer in the comfort of your own home. Go on what are you waiting for?"

This idea might actually work for non-alcoholic beers, but who drinks non-alcoholic beers anyway? 

2. Kulula.com - Braai in the sky

"Straight from the flames onto your tray with kulula’s in-flight sky braai! We are proud to announce another world-first from kulula.com. We’re taking South Africa’s favourite pastime to new heights. Going forward, our customers will be able to select their fav meat or veggie skewer and have it braaied in the sky."

Who doesn't enjoy meat cooked over an open flame? Kulula is renowned for their sense of humour, as well as being "the most South African airline." What better way to make a flight more South African, than with an on-board braai, or barbecue for those not in the know?


3. Blizzard Entertainment - Blizzard Outcasts: Vengeance of the Vanquished

"We're proud to announce Blizzard Outcasts - Vengeance of the Vanquished! Watch the trailer →"

Blizzard are known for their elaborate April Fool pranks, and this year was no different with the announcement of a new game and optional controller, complete with a video and website filled with character biographies and concept art. Clearly a lot of thought and effort was put into this.

Beer versus coffee

Here's a neat infographic featuring two of my favourite beverages; beer and coffee:

Source: I Love Coffee

I'd imagine you could substitute 'beer' in the above infographic for any other alcoholic beverage, since it's the alcohol content of the beer that makes it a 'creative juice.' In which case, why not kick of a productive day with an Irish coffee!

Prank of the year!

A bunch of blokes in New Zealand pulled off one of the most well thought out pranks ever. They rigged the plumbing in a friend's house so that all the taps poured cold beer. Epic way to invite yourselves around for a party too.

Around the World in 80 Beers

Following on from the maps of the United States' favourite alcoholic beverages and how to say 'beer' in Europe, here's a map by PureTravel entitled 'Around the World in 80 Beers.'

 Larger version, and close up of each continent available at PureTravel

While I haven't nearly as many countries as I would have liked to, I have had the fortune of drinking several of these (as well as other local brews) on my travels.

How to say 'beer' in Europe

Here's a map by Feòrag NicBhrìde showing the various word(s) for 'beer' in the local language(s) for the whole of Europe. You can also download it as a PDF or PNG file.

I'll definitely be consulting this before my next trip to Europe.

Happy 4th of July!

Especially for the American readers:

Source: Thrillist - Red, White and Booze

My American geographical knowledge isn't the best, but I will definitely keep this map in mind for my intended trip to New York, Boston and Los Angeles later this year.

A day and a half in Franschhoek

After a busy weekend showing Em around my hometown, we've ventured beyond the shadows of Table Mountain, to the winelands of Franschhoek for the night. We're spending the night at Lavender Farm, which is a lovely little guest house just beyond the main strip in town. Our room is very spacious, and faces a small field planted with lavender with the mountain in the distance. Hopefully there'll be a break in the rain so that we can take some more picturesque photographs.

We had springbok pies for lunch at the Franschhoek Station Pub, which is situated towards the lower end of the Main rain. The pie was quite good, although a little dry, as there was no gravy in the filling, but as a result there was more shredded meat present. 

After lunch we went went for a brief walk down the main road of the village, visiting the Huguenot Memorial, and popping into a few of the curio shops. After having walked of our lunch, we decided to go on a wine tasting trip to the Dieu Donné and Haute Cabrière vineyards. Em and I tasted eight wines at Dieu Donné, a micro-brewed beer at the neighbouring Roca Restaurant, and three wines and a potstill brandy at Haute Cabrière. Neither of us had heard of Dieu Donné prior to the trip, but since we were offered a free wine tasting as part of our nights accommodation, we decided to take advantage of the deal.

Dieu Donné's wines were pleasant, but none of the eight we tasted, made me go, "Oh, wow! I really need to buy a bottle of this so I can drink it again." In contrast, at Haute Cabrière, Em couldn't decide on how many of each bottle she wanted to buy. In the end she went for the 2012 Chardonnay Pinot Noir, and 2011 Unwooded Pinot Noir.

Following an afternoon of strolling through the village, and sipping on some wine, it was time for dinner. Earlier in the day while chatting to the barkeep of the Franschhoek Station Pub, she had suggested a few restaurants to have dinner at. One of those was The Grillroom, which was an exceptional dining experience. Em and I both decided to have the "Local's set menu," which has two-, and three-course options.

I'll continue writing this post (and add pictures) tomorrow, after we've finished our tour of Franschhoek, and have arrived back in Cape Town.