BoingBoing reader Wayne Yankee says,
In your post about the 50's kitsch restaurant "XXX", Joe Berkemeier mentions the Duane Pervis All-American (hamburger with peanut butter) as one of the most popular items. Back in my hometown (and that of fellow blogger Jimwich), these special dishes have been a popular item at another wonderful establishment that's been around since 1947. Only at the Wheel-Inn in Sedalia, MO it's the famous "Guber Burger". Although the Guber Burger can be ordered with the works, most people order theirs with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. It's also served with a side of golden brown onion rings. Just don't forget the vanilla Coke to go with it. You can belly up to the U-shaped counter or sit in your car and have it delivered to you by car-hops. The Wheel-Inn is one of a few landmark 50's kitsch restaurants in the town where old and young alike have hung out for burgers, fries, shakes, and just cruising around in their cars.
Darryl Grant says,
Along with your xxx links I thought I'd send you a link to XXXX ( pronounced Fourex ) Brewery which is the most popular beer by a large margin in Brisbane, Australia. The Brewery has been going since 1878 and still stands on it's original site. Being so popular in Brisbane many pubs also sport XXXX logos all over them. The distinctive and jaunty "Mr. Fourex" has become a popular icon of Brisbane making an appearance on the signage of many if not most pubs. The Brewery originally produced XXX Sparkling Ale from 1878 and the extra X was added around 1924. People from outside Queensland like to cast aspersions on Queenslanders by claiming that the beer is called XXXX because we couldn't spell Beer.
Link.
And Dave Hardin ("Previous chemist and descendant of a long line of Alabama moonshiners") says,
Previously:Just wanted to correct a readers comment. The XXX on moonshine jugs was not because "they hadn't learnt their letters". It was to indicate how many times the product had been distilled. With distilled alcohol, the more times product is sent through a distillation apparatus (or "still), the higher the alcohol content. Three "X"s indicated a triple-distilled product, also signifying a very high alchol content (likely above 120-150 proof).
Yet another '50s kitsch restaurant called "XXX"
Reader comment: Dan Novy says,
While Dave is technically correct about each "x" representing the number of times through the distillation process, it wasn't the moonshiners that came up with the system. It was English tax collectors. The "x" simply meant that the tax had been paid. Alcohol was taxed according to potency, so a barrel of triple distilled whiskey got taxed three times, and it was the tax collector that actually put the marks on the barrel.
Reader comment: isoldgold from Seattle says,
Hold the phone! it's XXXXX Beer (That's five X's, kids). To expand the "suggestive/misunderstood X's" theme, you should know about this local monsoon season brew, XXXXX Stout. It's pretty much the best damn stout I've ever consumed. Brewed only for Winter distribution, we here in jet city actually have something to look forward to when the rain starts falling. Best served as-cold-as-possible, in a chilled mason jar. You can track down 5X Stout- and Pike Brewery's other tasty beers- through their distributor Merchant Du Vin.Link
Reader comment: Shaun says,
hamburgeramerica.com is the official site of the documentary film "Hamburger America" directed by a friend of mine, George Motz. The film features "some of the best burgers in America, and the people behind them" and it includes a segment on the "Guber Burger" in Sedalia, MO. The trailer is here. I thought folks might enjoy this film. I certainly did.
Reader comment: Dave Hulbert says,
Forget your XXX, XXXX and 5X. In the UK we have 6X beer! Made in Devizes (near Swindon) by a company called Wadworth (Link).
