photo courtesy of Shanghaiist.com

Hey there, campers! Did you get through all of the leftovers in your fridge? We did… and now our ugly Christmas sweaters are a bit snug around the middle. Oh well. It was a big week for celebrity booze, spirits winning trophies, and beers in space. On to the links!

Congratulations to all of the recently-announced medal winners of the 2011 New York International Spirits Competition.  We see a lot of our favorite brands on that list!  Special thumbs up to Becherovka, the herbtastic Czech liquor that grabbed the only gold medal in its category.

So, Hanson’s MMMhop IPA is happening. We could tell you that our inner middle schoolers didn’t squeal for joy about this, but that would be a lie.

The first beer in space is the first one you drank in college.  Natty Ice has gone supernova.

And finally, in the super-spendy wine category, we have Yao Ming Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. At $289 per bottle, this wine is being sourced from a handful of vineyards around the valley, and isn’t even intended for US consumption.  Yao’s hoping that Chinese wine drinkers will pay top dollar for Lafitte, DRC, Mondavi, and… basketball wine.

Last but not least, jump on over to our calendar in the right-side column. There are a handful of fun events going on this weekend that  you won’t want to miss!