A couple of my friends attended a wine festival last weekend and the first thing they thought to mention when discussing it wasn’t a red, a white, or even a particular winery. They were so excited to tell us about their opportunity to take Breathalyzer tests before leaving that they didn’t mention much about the wine at all.

Police were administering free tests for festival-goers as they left the site and from what I heard people thought it was pretty cool. In fact, many of them voluntarily assessed their blood alcohol content, even if they weren’t driving. I guess people are curious to know how just how drunk they actually are. I was at a bar/brewery in Montreal once and although we’d taken a train and walked several blocks to get there, I couldn’t resist the Breathalyzer machine outside of the bathroom. Something about it was just so fascinating.

It’s no wonder I was captivated when I saw the headline "Not Sure If You’re Too Drunk to Drive? There’s an App for That" in an email newsletter. Yep, that’s right – Dutch brewing giant Grolsch has used the iPhone’s motion-sensing accelerometer to develop an iPhone application that can help drinkers determine their level of intoxication, by challenging their ability to walk in a straight line.

The app is not an actual alcohol test but it does encourage drinkers to monitor their consumption in a "fun, innovative way" and share it with their friends.

It’s a smart move by the Grolsch and all in all a great idea. Now they just have to create a version for the US market!

TAGS [ ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION APP | BREATHALYZER APP | HOW DRUNK ARE YOU? ]