We’re very proud of reaching the 100k mark in just two weeks. That’s the nerdy equivalent of a gold record, right? If you haven’t heard yet, we recently launched pour1out, a free iPhone application.

Pour1out is an iPhone application paying homage to the street tradition of pouring out some of your 40oz to commemorate fallen homies. The main feature is a motion-sensitive 40oz beer bottle that pours out when you tilt the iPhone. Users can select any of 40cozy’s beer koozies to add to the virtual beer. The greatest feedback involves the one-click button that finds the nearest liquor store, utilizing the iPhone’s GPS functionality.

We initially had some glitches in the first version, but I guess that’s what you get when you pay the developer in beer. We’ve released a newer version with better coding and we’ll keep working to improve the app.

While we’ve received some very positive reviews from several beer-drinking sites, it seems some of the iPhone users are slightly less impressed. We’re pretty sure they don’t get the tongue-in-cheek, ironic beauty of an application inspired by a $2.45 beer for a $300 phone. It has a button that finds the nearest liquor stores… and it’s free! Are you not entertained?

Perhaps they think we’re a slick corporate company trying to capitalize on the street cred of the 40oz. Well, we’re not. The app was created by Scott, our resident tech-savvy guy, in under two weeks. He filmed the 40 oz pouring out beer in his garage, dusted off his programming textbook, slapped at a keyboard for a long time, and behold: 40cozy’s pour1out.

We’re proud of it and we hope you enjoy it. We’re already working on another iPhone app for drinkers that’s going to blow every other app out of the water. That’s right, developer bitches, get ready for more genius from 40cozy.

So I do a lot of beer-releated web-browsing during the work-week. Part of that is because I’m a slacker and part of it is because of where I work. One of the funniest things I’ve found during these productive days is the surprising amount of robots designed and built to do something involving beer or drinking. I’ve put together a list of five of my favorites in no particular order.

1: Beer throwing fridge!

This one made it on letterman. Its a fridge that launches a beer to you! I don’t see how you would ever open it after the toss though, the foam would spray all over.

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In my days before the 40cozy and after college I did a lot of world-wandering. I’ve backpacked through four continents and over twenty-five countries on a very limited budget. Along the way I drank a lot of different things but probably the most memorable was snake wine. It was during my days in Nam, taking a tour up the Mekong Delta that I happened upon this wonderful beverage.

Snake wine is made by taking your best Vietnamese whiskey, and then going out in the jungle and finding a snake. Along the way you pick up any roots, herbs, scorpions and whatever other tasty tidbits you want to add. You take your snake, whiskey and random goodies, put them all together in a great big jar and let them sit there covered for about six months. At the end of six months its ready to drink.

The Vietnamese say snake wine is good for all kinds of things. Its the medicine of the people. Some say its “good for your banana”, while others say it cures rheumatism and arthritis. Others just tell you it gets you nice and drunk. There is no question, however, that after drinking snake wine you feel it. You feel it in your veins and in your mouth and in your head. Everything has a hard-to-explain buzz to it. And the flavor… what can I say about the flavor? Probably the best way to describe it is it tastes like rotten scales and whiskey. Thats a funny thing about snake wine; if you take a shot of it, you’ll probably agree that its the worst thing you’ve ever tasted in your whole life. Everyone who takes a shot agrees on that, but then about ten minutes later you’ll find yourself strangely yearning to take another.

I drank snake wine when I was in Vietnam but I’ve also had it back here in California. I got a couple bottles through customs and in the early days of 40cozy.com we cracked open one at a party. All of the 40cozy crew that was present took a shot and its been in our veins ever since. A few days after that bottle was opened and everyone was still feeling it, one of our designers, Carlos, gave me a gift. He had stuffed a rubber lizard into a 40 as a memento to the snake wine, a California version of a drink none of us will forget.

As we all prepare for New Year’s, I’d like to share with you a great article on CNN retelling some of history’s greatest drinking stories. Consider it inspiration for tomorrow evening. My favorite one discusses the ongoing battle of an Indian army outpost that constantly has to deal with a herd of elephants raiding their base and drinking their rum. Plastered pachyderms are much funnier in theory, I’d imagine.