Top 10 weird headlines of 2013

We can’t resist a good headline at db, and 2013 did not disappoint providing us with a slew of brilliantly bizarre and baffling headlines from the world of drinks.

From a pickled snakes and stolen penguins to bar-going bears and drunken pigs – all kinds of peculiar headlines have made it onto the db website.

Here we round up some of the most weird and wonderful stories from 2013. 

Scroll through to see some of our favourites…

10. “Family of bears drink 100 cans of beer”

In August, a family of bears broken into a holiday cabin in Norway and drank over a hundred cans of lager after climbing in through a window.

The bears then proceeded to empty the families supply of food including more than 100 cans of beer, before smashing up the furniture.

9. “Snake preserved in wine bites woman”

September brought us one of 2013’s most popular stories, the bizarre tale of a snake preserved in wine that jumped out of the bottle and bit a woman in northern China.

Remarkably, the snake, which had been pickling for three months, was still alive – so it’s claimed.

8. “Brits admit to lack of sober sex”

An alarming revelation from Brits emerged in August after a poll found that 66% of weren’t “in the mood” unless they had had a drink

In a poll conducted by online pharmacy UKMedix.com, as many as 11% of 1,811 adults questioned said it was more than six months since they had made love without being under the influence of alcohol.

7. “Drunk tourists fined for stealing penguin”

Surely one of the most amusing drunken anecdotes of 2013 was the story in May of two British tourists in Australia who went on a vodka binge, stole a penguin and went swimming with dolphins and then let off a fire extinguisher in a shark enclosure.

6. “Brewer creates beer from his beard”

Taking the prize for one of the most stomach-churning stories of the year was John Maier who in September 2013 created a beer using yeast found in his beard.

5. “A bear walks into a bar”

It sounds like the start of a bad joke – but was not so funny when a giant black bear actually walked into the Lonigan’s Bar in Colorado in July.

The bear’s walk was captured on CCTV and although it does sound like a terrifying situation, apparently most customers failed to notice the giant intruder.

4. “Python ate drunken man in India – or did it?”

This story about a python eating a drunk man in India back in November turned out to be a hoax – as the snake in question also stands accused of eating people in China, South Africa, Malaysia and Indonesia.

But still, it’s a great photo. Where will the ophidian serial killer strike next?

3. “Wine for cats goes on sale in Japan”

Cats got their very own wine in October 2013 after a Japanese pet food maker launched Nyan Nyan Nouveau – a wine made especially for cats.

The wine doesn’t contain any alcohol and is made with the juice of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and also contains traces of catnip and vitamin C.

2. “Canadian drinker downs pickled toe”

If you thought a beer made from beard yeast was bad, then hold on to your stomach.

In August, a man in Canada left fellow drinkers stunned after downing a human pickled toe at The Downtown Hotel in Dawson City, Yukon, as part of its “Sourtoe Cocktail” – a tradition that dates back to the 1970s.

Those who are brave enough can have the toe dropped into their drink, in order to become a member of the “Sourtoe cocktail Club”.

But you’re not meant to drink it.

1. Pig steals beer and starts fight with a cow

Our favourite headline of the year goes to the boozed-up pig that stole some beer and then heroically started a fight with a cow back in September.

This story spawned not one, but two follow ups with the pig sadly dying soon after, and a plan later emerging to erect a plaque in its honour to promote road safety.