Nostalgia makes the classic Nintendo gaming system fun for people in their thirties and forties, but developing a breathalyzer controller for a homemade NES game is pure genius:

Drunken NES - Nintendo Breathalyzer from EM Dash on Vimeo.

[Laughing Squid]

Lindy’s at Redline Sports Grill will hold its official opening tomorrow, with 80 cent draft beers and a 1980s-themed party.

The restaurant is located in the old Pearl nightclub location on the corner of Oracle and Wetmore roads, and it looks like the entire place has been overhauled. It’s done in an automotive theme, sort of like Sir Veza’s Taco Garage, only with burgers and no low-rider references.

The restaurant’s under-construction website is here. More on Facebook here.

I had no idea there was such a thing as a beer sweater (not a sweater for your beer, which is also a pretty good idea, but a sweater knit with the logo of a "classic" beer brand), but now it's all I can think about. So cruel, life. So cruel.

[AJ Fosik's Beer Sweaters via Dangerous Minds]

Owners Travis Reese and Nicole Flowers are revamping the patio behind 47 Scott and adding a patio to Scott and Co., the cocktail bar next door that specializes in interesting twists on pre-Prohibition cocktails.

Reese says the goal is to make the patio behind 47 Scott an extension of the indoor dining area by adding lighting and more shade. They’ve also leveled the space and will add more seating by the time the renovation is complete sometime this spring.

The outdoor area being added to Scott and Co. will have the same “hidden, speakeasy-ish” feel seen inside, said Reese. It will be a smoking patio, so they’re also working to increase the air flow through the area.

The only change that will take place as far as food and drink is that Scott and Co. will no longer serve coffee during off-cocktail hours. Those services wrap up tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 26.

There’s more information about the restaurant and the cocktail bar here and here.

[Note from web producer Dan Gibson: While the Strong Beer Festival in Phoenix isn't exactly a Tucson-related event at first glance, the Tucson brewers were in attendance and it's always good to have a list of new beers worth trying, so here's a report from Range contributor Jordan Green who was there for a day of miserable weather and a lot to drink on Saturday.]

There were about 45 minutes, from the time I entered the gate to the point where 30 mile per hour gusts were threatening to send beer tents flipping through throngs of people, when the 11th Annual Arizona Strong Beer Festival was nearly perfect.

Tough break, Georgians. Sure, we both can buy booze at restaurants on Sundays, but of all the things wrong with Arizona, at least we can still buy a six pack on the Christian Sabbath and drink our sorrows away.

Creative Loafing Atlanta:

This was supposed to be the year that state lawmakers would finally do something about Sunday sales.

They'd been handed a common-sense proposal — one that allows cities and counties to vote on whether booze could be purchased on the Sabbath in stores — that offered political cover. Poll after poll showed strong support for the measure. Gov. Sonny Perdue — who for years had vowed to veto bills involving Sunday alcohol sales — had left office. Nathan Deal, Perdue's successor, said he wouldn't nix the measure if passed. Hell, he even dropped the golden quote "I don't drink — I simply believe in democracy."

Still, lawmakers found a way to muck it up. Via the AJC:

The chances of a Sunday sales bill passing this year took a major hit on Thursday when Senate Republican leaders said the measure lacks the support necessary among the majority caucus.

"It's a decision the Republican caucus made to not move forward with it," Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-Athens, the Republican caucus chairman, said.

For the past several days, Senate Republicans have been wringing their hands over the measure that just a few weeks ago seemed destined for passage. Social conservatives apparently started applying pressure, causing lawmakers to get antsy.

First, the good news: Victoria beer is coming to town! The brew—which has been produced in Mexico since 1865—has been described as having just a hint of bitterness and a light brown color. It makes its Tucson debut from 5 to 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 17, at the downtown El Charro. Samples and snacks will be served.

Now the bad news: We tried Big Flat 1901 for the first time last week. Our expectations for a beer made by Walgreens and sold for $2.50 were low ... and we were still disappointed.

Most upsetting is the fact that the “It’s the water that makes it” slogan is a blatant rip-off of the Olympia beer slogan “It’s the Water.” It is shameful and uninventive of Walgreens to rip off another cheap beer like Olympia. Whatever happened to solidarity? Why not pull a Robin Hood and rip off some fancy-pants beer, like Budweiser? What’s wrong with these people?

Furthermore, the sixer went down with almost no noticeable effect—as in, I was as sober as a crossing guard after finishing the entire thing. So if you like beer with no flavor, no color and no noticeable physiological effects, we highly suggest Big Flat 1901.

Scottish brewer Brewdog is responsible for one of the worst beers I've ever tasted (one they seem to no longer make, which is good because it tasted like the ashes left over after a campfire), but in the era of "extreme" brewing, they've certainly upped the ante as far as alcohol content goes. Move over, Dogfish Head and your hop-heavy IPA's, Sink the Bismarck takes alcohol levels to a new height, reaching 41% by volume. By comparison, Jack Daniel's is 80 proof, or 40% alcohol by volume.

I'm going to guess Sink the Bismarck probably doesn't taste great, and you're supposed to sip it like hard liquor, so it's barely even beer, but I think I'm willing to take one for the team and our loyal readership and track down a bottle to try for myself, although it might take some negotiating around my house to convince my wife that a $65 bottle of beer is a "business expense".

Updates to come.

[Daily Mail]

While any popular vote poll can be a little suspect, it's nice to see that the readers of Good magazine recognize that Tucson has the rest of our state beat on the micro-brewery front. However, if the best Florida has going for it is Landshark, that's another reason for me never to move there.

Tavolino Ristorante Italiano will donate the proceeds from two happy hours during the coming week to help those affected by the tragedy last month. The restaurant was located in the Safeway shopping center where the shooting took place before moving to its current location at 2890 E. Skyline Drive.

“The Safeway shopping center is where we got our start. We felt a sense of community with the other businesses and patrons of the center,” said Tavolino owner Massimo Tenino, via a press release issued last week. “We wanted to do something to pay our respects to the victims and their families.”

All proceeds made during the happy hour from 3 to 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 7, will be donated to a fund for victims of the shooting. All proceeds from the happy hour from 3 to 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 8, will be donated to the Christina Taylor Green fund.

Call 531-1913, or visit Tavolino's website for more information.