Daniel and drinking: looking for help

[fignewton]

I'm turning to my f-list, and anyone else who might wander by, for some help.

I'm working on the next installment of Canon vs. Fanon, which includes Daniel's fondness for chocolate/candy and alcohol. I'm having a little trouble with my research, and I hope that some of you out there might be able to clarify things for me.

I know very little about alcoholic drinks. Aside from the occasional half-glass of semi-dry or dry wine, I don't drink; my husband drinks even less, so he's no help, either. :) I know nothing about beer, American or otherwise. I can't tell the difference between light beers or dark ones or imports or whatever else is different about them. I have this vague idea that canned beer is less classy than bottled beer, but I don’t know where I got that assumption, or whether or not it's true.

I know even less about hard liquor, whether it's whiskey, vodka, tequila, scotch, rum, or whatever else might exist out there. I've never stepped foot in a bar, so I don't know how to identify the glasses or drinks in any given scene to determine what the characters are drinking.

Can anyone help me? I've already gotten some nice info out of princessofg regarding Upgrades, although I have to admit that I don’t actually know what a pilsner is. :) But to be really thorough, it would be ideal if I knew exactly what the characters are drinking. Since fanon makes various assertions regarding imports and microbrews – which, as I've said, mean absolutely nothing to me – it would be enormously helpful if all you knowledgeable people out there could tell me precisely what kinds of beer, liquors, and other alcoholic drinks are consumed by Daniel, or in Daniel's company, or by other members of SG-1.

As far as I can tell, the episodes in question are as follows (reference to one small S9 spoiler from Ethon):

COTG. Beer at Jack's. Can anyone tell from the shape of the bottle or the label what brand they're drinking?

Upgrades. Daniel drinks beer – princessofg identifies it as dark beer – and the others are drinking something else – pilsner? – and Jack has a shot of something a little stronger. Any more clarification?

2010. They drink champage at the ceremony and there are used wineglasses at the dinner table. I'll touch on Teal'c in the actual post.

Absolute Power. Daniel opens champagne. Anyone know which label costs $2,000 per bottle?

Threads/Moebius. Teal'c and Daniel carry a cooler between them as they join Sam and Jack on the little dock of the fishless/fish-filled pond by the cabin and Daniel pulls out two beers. Can't see a label, but maybe someone with better resolution can spot it.

Season Nine Spoiler! Ethon. Mitchell offers Daniel a beer (in a can) in the closing scene. Which brand? Can anyone tell? Is there a difference in quality/snobbishness/taste between bottled and canned beer?

Besides that, Jack offers Daniel a Budweiser in Shades of Grey; they're drinking Guiness in Lost City; and he's bringing Heinekin into the house in the opening teaser of Citizen Joe. Jack is, apparently, not very particular. Can someone who drinks beer explain the differences between the brands, if any? (Some of this info is from the transcripts at Gatenoise, BTW.) And what brand was Jack pouring in Fire and Water when he flashed back on Daniel's "death"?

While I intend to touch upon them in the final post, drinks offered off-world, whether or not Daniel drinks them, don't offer any indication towards preference, as the team usually isn't in a position to do anything other than accept or decline. On a similar note, I'll expand on the problems inherent on relying on episodes like 2010, Upgrades and Absolute Power for absolute canon.

Thanks to all of you in advance! :)

Comments

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Why do you think they don't want us to see labels? To make it more obscure? To make it easier to pretend they're in Colorado Springs when they're really filming in Canada with Candadian beer? :)

Wait, wait, he's drinking from a bottle, but he pours from Sam from a can? Bit lacking in the hospitality department, isn't it?

And I like the idea of continuity with the brand. Surely most people stick to one brand out of preference?

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

I think it has something to do with brand trademark/copyright that television shows try to obscure/alter label names. They don't want to end up paying some kind of fee.

Of course, that's since turned around with "product placement" and now companies PAY to have their products shown on tv shows.

I wouldn't doubt Moosehead is available in Colorado. It's been imported to the US for a while. I had it on tap at the real "Cheers" bar when I visited Boston *cough* years ago.

I think people tend to have brand preferences for beer, but may be willing to try out different types. Like sometimes not in the mood for Heineken. Or more in a mood for Guinness. I live in an area where we have seafood feasts. Some people only like a kind of beer for that. Others prefer any kind. My ex-boyfriend who was a rabid beer drinker preferred coke/pepsi when doing the feast. So maybe it depends on the occassion?

But I'm not a beer drinker myself, so it's hard for me to judge.

[shutthef-up.livejournal.com]

Snap. aurora_novarum got it in one. They don't want to pay a fee for using the logo on television.

You'll sometimes see 'fake' labels show up on shows, too, but I can't remember them ever doing that in Stargate.

Morley brand cigarettes is probably one of the more famous 'fake' brands, from the X-Files television program. And I can't remember where it was, but I saw Morleys show up on another program of the same era.

[redbyrd-sgfic.livejournal.com]

Surely most people stick to one brand out of preference?

I don't think it's any different than other beverages. Some people nearly always drink the same thing, some like variety. I drink tea, coffee, water, juice (various kinds), soda or milk on a regular basis. My husband drinks cola, cola and more cola. He rarely drinks alcohol. I'll drink wine, beer, sherry, port or hard cider. Depends on what I'm eating, what I'm in the mood for, and what's available. I don't drink a *lot* of alcohol- it's expensive, high in calories, and I'm behind the wheel of a car a lot, and don't drink at all when I'm driving. But I like variety when I do.

[sg-fignewton.livejournal.com]

Yes, and I touched upon this in the final posting: Jack's choices are probably affected by his mood, what's on the menu, or possibly what's on sale! :)