The 3.2 Flu Is Fast Becoming A Thing Of The Past

Raise your hand if you've ever heard the phrase '3.2 Flu'. But just raise your hand, if you stand up quickly, you might fall down.

Now, there's a pretty good chance you haven't heard of it. But I have. Let's just say there's a small, tiny, itsy bitsy possibility I was hampered with it at one or two points in my life many years ago.

You see, there used to be 3.2 beer. I guess what it technically was, was a beer that 3.2% alcohol by weight. Put another way, it's weaker beer, not as potent, in fact, a lot of people would disdainfully call it 'colored water'. It, uh, wasn't favored by what I would call the real beer drinkers.

Anyway, if you had a 3.2 beer, then followed it with another and another and another and then a couple-three more, you might well wake up the next morning with what we affectionately referred to as the...

3.2 flu. A fancy name for a hangover.

The reason I bring this up is twofold: 1) To relive those hazy memories, and 2) Minnesota is apparently the only state in the nation still selling 3.2 beer.

I came across an article at StarTribune.com from last winter that talked about how 4 other states that used to sell it have stopped, leaving the Gopher State as the Lone Wolf of 3.2 beer. So I suspect it won't be around long.

I might just have to make a quick trip across the border to my old stomping grounds and drop in on Luverne, Hardwick, Pipestone, Trotsky, or Hatfield and see if I can rustle up some 3.2 for old times sake.

But I better not take too many sips. I don't want to wake up with the 3.2 flu.