32 replies to this topic

[Jeff B]

Don't mix well.

 

Last evening after dinner on my back porch, I had a nice pour of a  new-to-me bourbon, Old Forrester 1897 "Bottled In Bond".  It's 100 proof.  I have not made up my mind on it yet, which means I probably will not be buying more, but it is a pleasant bourbon with a small bit of ice to tame the rather alcohol-up-front initial presentation.  After that I sat there enjoying the sunset.  What a pleasant evening, very dry and very clear.

 

So, I decided to open up the observatory. 

 

And I brought another pour of the bourbon with me.  

 

After rolling the roof off, uncovering the objective, installing an 8" aperture stop over the 10" LZOS, taking off the eyepiece caps (I leave the CZAS viewer with Denk Power Switch attached) and powering up the mount (all of which took ~5 minutes...I've been timing my self).  I dialed up Arcturus, slewed to it, inserted the X-hair eyepiece in one of the viewer's collet and did a careful "recal".  I then reinstalled the other Denk 21mm LOA Neutral eyepiece and had a look at "low" power, ~136X.   Yup, I'll use the mask for a bit as the lens is cooling a little since I opened the roof after sunset.  

 

I had a sip, sat back and took in the beautiful evening for a spell.  Then I slid the power switch to give me ~200x.

 

Hmm.  I had trouble merging the images.  Well, sometimes I do so I had another sip, fiddled a little with the eyepieces...and it got worse.  Really!?

 

Looking up at Arcturus, I had a little trouble too.  Hmm.  Picked up my glass....and dawn broke over Marblehead.  I put the glass back down.

 

Sure enough, the alcohol was subtly messing with my eyes, ever so slightly crossing them.  It reminded me a lot of when wearing a tighter hat in the winter time.  That pressure on my forehead can shift my eye positions slightly, making merging of the images difficult.  The "solution" was the same too, I could slightly push just below my eyelid of either eye to merge the image.  But that sucks.  So I put the glass off to the side and observed with just one eye.

 

Sure enough, as the mild bourbon buzz wore off, my ability to merge the images improved, until, about a half an hour later, everything was fine.  The scope had settled out thermally too, the seeing became very steady and very clear (I could even see hints of the summer Milky Way), and I could get an excellent airy disk at full aperture.  So I enjoyed an exceptionally pleasant night of M objects and double stars (which the LZOS is just superb at).

 

After buttoning everything up at around 1 AM, I finished the glass.

 

Anybody else notice similar effects when mixing cocktails/beer/wine with bino-viewing?

 

Jeff

[Rich V.]

Some of us in the binoculars forum have had the same issues with alcohol and our eyes going out of "collimation".     For me, binos and alcohol don't mix as much as you may want them to...

 

Rich

[ckwastro]

Fortunately I have not had that issue while sipping bourbon at the eyepiece, and I use a binoviewer almost exclusively. All I can say is it’s a good thing you weren’t drinking the Old Forrester 1920 Prohibition Style. 115 proof and it’ll sneak up on you. You may have even nodded off out there!  

 

The 1897 is my least favorite of the Whiskey Row series. Try the 1910 Old Fine Whisky (93 proof) and the 1920. Good stuff. 
 

Cheers!

Edited by ckwastro, 18 June 2022 - 11:08 AM.

[eyespy]

Hi Jeff,

 

Same issue for me. Even less than half a shot of Bourbon or anything else will affect my binoviewing !! Fortunately, single eye viewing remains unaffected.

 

Doug.....

[petert913]

You had me at "10" LZOS"

[Jeff B]

Fortunately I have not had that issue while sipping bourbon at the eyepiece, and I use a binoviewer almost exclusively. All I can say is it’s a good thing you weren’t drinking the Old Forrester 1920 Prohibition Style. 115 proof and it’ll sneak up on you. You may have even nodded off out there!

 

The 1897 is my least favorite of the Whiskey Row series. Try the 1910 Old Fine Whisky (93 proof) and the 1920. Good stuff. 
 

Cheers!

Yes, me too!   

 

The 1920 Prohibition is one of my favorites!  A "sneaky" bourbon.  I like it with just a bit of ice/spring water.  I like the 1910 to sip straight up on.

 

My current favorites are the 1920 & 1910 Old Forrester, Knob Creek 120, and Bookers.  My go to bourbon is good old Knob Creek Small Batch.

 

Jeff

[ckwastro]

Yes, me too!   

 

The 1920 Prohibition is one of my favorites!  A "sneaky" bourbon.  I like it with just a bit of ice/spring water.  I like the 1910 to sip straight up on.

 

My current favorites are the 1920 & 1910 Old Forrester, Knob Creek 120, and Bookers.  My go to bourbon is good old Knob Creek Small Batch.

 

Jeff

 All great choices! I don’t see Bookers that much anymore around here, but I usually grab it if it’s on the shelf. So many good bourbons, so little time! 

[Reid W]

Seeing "bourbon" and "LZOS" caused me to jump to the end of the post.

 

A few years ago I poorly clamped my C6 and when re-positioning the mount, the tube popped out and smashed on the cement drive.  All of this after a few glasses of wine.

 

There's a lot of great *available* bourbon out there.  You can even try blending certain brands.  Wild Turkey Rare Breed blended with the lower proof, less expensive Russels Reserve 10 gives a near perfect 103 proof and a very nice flavor profile.  

[doug mc]

Yes,  apparently the first muscle in the body to go, are the ones controlling our eyes. This is why if you have way too much, the ceiling above our beds won't stay still.

[Jim in PA]

Don't mix well.

 

Last evening after dinner on my back porch, I had a nice pour of a  new-to-me bourbon, Old Forrester 1897 "Bottled In Bond".  It's 100 proof.  I have not made up my mind on it yet, which means I probably will not be buying more, but it is a pleasant bourbon with a small bit of ice to tame the rather alcohol-up-front initial presentation.  After that I sat there enjoying the sunset.  What a pleasant evening, very dry and very clear.

 

So, I decided to open up the observatory. 

 

And I brought another pour of the bourbon with me.  

 

After rolling the roof off, uncovering the objective, installing an 8" aperture stop over the 10" LZOS, taking off the eyepiece caps (I leave the CZAS viewer with Denk Power Switch attached) and powering up the mount (all of which took ~5 minutes...I've been timing my self).  I dialed up Arcturus, slewed to it, inserted the X-hair eyepiece in one of the viewer's collet and did a careful "recal".  I then reinstalled the other Denk 21mm LOA Neutral eyepiece and had a look at "low" power, ~136X.   Yup, I'll use the mask for a bit as the lens is cooling a little since I opened the roof after sunset.  

 

I had a sip, sat back and took in the beautiful evening for a spell.  Then I slid the power switch to give me ~200x.

 

Hmm.  I had trouble merging the images.  Well, sometimes I do so I had another sip, fiddled a little with the eyepieces...and it got worse.  Really!?

 

Looking up at Arcturus, I had a little trouble too.  Hmm.  Picked up my glass....and dawn broke over Marblehead.  I put the glass back down.

 

Sure enough, the alcohol was subtly messing with my eyes, ever so slightly crossing them.  It reminded me a lot of when wearing a tighter hat in the winter time.  That pressure on my forehead can shift my eye positions slightly, making merging of the images difficult.  The "solution" was the same too, I could slightly push just below my eyelid of either eye to merge the image.  But that sucks.  So I put the glass off to the side and observed with just one eye.

 

Sure enough, as the mild bourbon buzz wore off, my ability to merge the images improved, until, about a half an hour later, everything was fine.  The scope had settled out thermally too, the seeing became very steady and very clear (I could even see hints of the summer Milky Way), and I could get an excellent airy disk at full aperture.  So I enjoyed an exceptionally pleasant night of M objects and double stars (which the LZOS is just superb at).

 

After buttoning everything up at around 1 AM, I finished the glass.

 

Anybody else notice similar effects when mixing cocktails/beer/wine with bino-viewing?

 

Jeff

In my experience, this is pretty normal.  Everyone is different but I can't tolerate even small amounts of alcohol while at the eyepiece, bino-viewing same thing.  Not a big deal for me.  I do enjoy a good bourbon, but if I want to relax with one I know its better if I do that after I've stowed my gear for the night.

Edited by Jim in PA, 19 June 2022 - 02:10 AM.

[ckwastro]

There's a lot of great *available* bourbon out there.  You can even try blending certain brands.  Wild Turkey Rare Breed blended with the lower proof, less expensive Russels Reserve 10 gives a near perfect 103 proof and a very nice flavor profile.  

That’s being done with the OF 1920 and 1910 as well to make a “1915” 104 proof. Have not tried that yet.

 

Most often I never have anything while at the eyepiece. If I’m doing lunar planetary, which is mostly what I do from home in my Bortle 8.6 sky (17.8 -18.0 mpsas) I’ll just leave it inside the house and take a sip when I’m taking a break from the observing. 

[Retired Dave]

Its not enjoyable having to close one eye when binoviewing!  I learned my lesson.

[Doug Culbertson]

I used to enjoy a nip or two, or three of Old Forester 1870 Original Batch, Elijah Craig or, when I could find it, Eagle Rare while spending a night under the stars, but never tried it while binoviewing. I'm 2.5 months sober now, so I'll have to enjoy it vicariously these days. I miss the taste more than the buzz. 

[ckwastro]

I like the 1870 too. Congrats Doug on the 2.5 months. 

[Jeff B]

I used to enjoy a nip or two, or three of Old Forester 1870 Original Batch, Elijah Craig or, when I could find it, Eagle Rare while spending a night under the stars, but never tried it while binoviewing. I'm 2.5 months sober now, so I'll have to enjoy it vicariously these days. I miss the taste more than the buzz. 

Well done sir and keep going.

[Cali]

Pappy Van Winkle,  before it cost more than a Tesla.

[Jeff B]

And it's not just bourbon for me, beer will do it too.  Had a nice home brew stout from a brother-in-law, about 8.0%,  so fairly high test.  Same thing.  I also noticed that, even in mono vision, I had a tiny bit of trouble with some eyepieces that require careful and steady head  placement, especially when standing.  My balance is rather terrible at night anyway, the beer didn't help.   

 

I'll next have to try caffeine in the morning should I choose to get up early for the planets.

 

I find it interesting too as I never liked listening to my hi-fi system after alcohol either.  The sound just seemed distorted to me, especially the "imaging" with the soundstage flatter and less precise.  Tonal balance would seem a little harsh at times too.

 

Jeff 

[Jim in PA]

Hi Jeff,

 

I've found caffeine to be an inhibitor as well.  Believe it or not, what seems to help me a little is the lowly Aspirin.  When I'm sleep deprived (usually due to observing) I experience head pain and vision problems.  The caffeine helps with slight pain but doesn't help motor skills.

 

Re: beer, one night I went out with an IPA to the scope.  It was inexpensive so I just assumed it had low ABV.  20 minutes later I was having issues and lost concentration, so I just went in and went to bed.  Next day, happened to look at the can:  9.0% ABV! 

[Dan5209]

I’m going to have to conduct my own tests. I’ll get a bottle and come over to look through that 10 inch.
Perhaps a BYOB star party?

[MarMax]

A very interesting find Jeff. And I'd say that you have switched on a light bulb for me. I've not done any visual observation for a while and the last time I did with the CZAS in the 160mm I was having trouble merging and was actually seeing double. My thing lately has been triple IPA's and I'll bet on that night I must have had two.

 

Typically I save the beer or bourbon for after the viewing session, but once in a while I can't resist.

 

My favorite is Basil Hayden when I'm on a bourbon kick. Lately I've been enjoying the Japanese whiskeys.

[Jeff B]

A very interesting find Jeff. And I'd say that you have switched on a light bulb for me. I've not done any visual observation for a while and the last time I did with the CZAS in the 160mm I was having trouble merging and was actually seeing double. My thing lately has been triple IPA's and I'll bet on that night I must have had two.

 

Typically I save the beer or bourbon for after the viewing session, but once in a while I can't resist.

 

My favorite is Basil Hayden when I'm on a bourbon kick. Lately I've been enjoying the Japanese whiskeys.

Bingo!

 

Another funny thing to, as I was also seeing double through the viewers (yes, I tried several to make sure it was not the CZAS viewer) but I also found  it made focusing each diopter a bit easier.  Focusing was fine, merging, not so much.  Go figure.

 

Jeff

[ABQJeff]

I am a Scotch guy myself, but I am surprised no mention of Angel’s Envy or Blantons.

And yes, drinking will interfere with a serious observing session…which is totally fine when doing a Star and Whisky party with friends

Edited by ABQJeff, 23 June 2022 - 08:05 PM.

[ckwastro]

Both of those are darned good too, along with the AE finished rye. 

 

What Scotches? I drank Scotch for 20+ years before getting into bourbons. Still enjoy them once in a while. My favorite has to be the Aberlour A’Bunadh. I also like their 16 year for its uniqueness of baked apples.

 

For Lowland I really like Auchentoshan Three Wood. For peated Islays I love the Isle of Jura Prophecy as well as Ardbeg Uigeadail.

Edited by ckwastro, 23 June 2022 - 08:54 PM.

[ABQJeff]

Both of those are darned good too, along with the AE finished rye. 

 

What Scotches? I drank Scotch for 20+ years before getting into bourbons. Still enjoy them once in a while. My favorite has to be the Aberlour A’Bunadh. I also like their 16 year for its uniqueness of baked apples.

 

For Lowland I really like Auchentoshan Three Wood. For peated Islays I love the Isle of Jura Prophecy as well as Ardbeg Uigeadail.

AE Rye is my favorite Rye.  And I have a bottle of the Aberlour A’Bunadh.  My favorite Scotch, as listed in my signature: MacAllan 18, Glendronach 21, Dalmore KAIII, Highland Park 18, Lagavulin 16.  

 

For Ardbeg, the Corryvrecken is my favorite (although I lean towards non-peated Speyside sherry, port and wine finished barrels.)

 

Favorite Irish whisky: Red Breast 12 (like it better than the 15 or 21).

[Doug Culbertson]

I am a Scotch guy myself, but I am surprised no mention of Angel’s Envy or Blantons.

And yes, drinking will interfere with a serious observing session…which is totally fine when doing a Star and Whisky party with friends

Never liked Angel’s Envy myself; not a fan of the port notes. I loved Blanton’s, but it’s become nearly impossible to find other than the secondary market. I paid over $100 for my last bottle a couple of years ago, but it did snag me the hard to find N’ cork, thus finishing my collection.