BEER

[sgt.null]

free beer is always good.

[Zarathustra]

One of the bouncers in a pub/club that I worked in in London had most of the end of his nose cut off right in front of me by some over-enthusiastic drunk with a glass bottle.

Wow. I'm stunned. I just can't imagine being angry when I've got something so beautiful and delicious as a beer in my hand. Maybe it's not the glass . . maybe there's something wrong with their beer?

[Prebe]

It's Britain Malik. Something IS wrong with their beer Though, I'm afraid the roots of the problem must be sought for elsewhere. But hey, this thread used to be so pleasant....

[Zarathustra]

Prebe, at the risk of starting a flame war, I don't care too much for British (or Irish, or Scottish) beers. However, I recognize their contribution to the history of beer. Porter was invented in England. So were IPAs (Indian Pale Ales). So were bitters, pale ales, and Imperial Stouts.

However, American homebrewers have revolutionized the beer industry. They are truly the current pioneers in this hobby. Just look at the micro or craft industry started in the U.S. by homebrewers. Thousands of people experimenting one 5-gallon batch at a time. We've taken all the traditional styles and pushed them to the extreme, inventing Imperial IPAs, American Strong Ale, Wheat Wine, Imperial Porter, and many bizaare hybrids that defy categories.

But I do like Fullers. They make one of the best porters. And their Vintage Ale is excellent--though expensive ($7 per bottle).

[Marv]

I've never had homemade beer. I was wondering, can you put specific ingrediants in it to make it taste different? Nutmeg, ginger, lemon etc. Or is just adjusting the levels of the standard ingrediants that changes the flavour?

[danlo]

Liquid Assetts-a local micro-brew here has a line of Ambers called Isotopes (yes named after our AAA baseball team that was first named on The Simpsons) Isotope Blond is wonderful! And only $2 a glass!

If you want to have fun-find a new bartender at a fancy "pub" that serves Murphy's Irish Stout in a can and have him/her pour it for you--it'll go all over the place if they don't know how!!!

I don't know why but Carlsberg Elephant really kicks my ass! Two bottles + and I'm out of it!

I must have a cast iron liver cause I can mix drinks right and left-and it really freaks people out: Beer, JD, Wine, Beer, Tequila, Wine...I guess it's these damm Scottish genes-I had 10 beers and 15 shots of Tequila at my Bachelors party and was still standing at 5am in the morning-so they tied my shoelaces together as pushed me on the floor to try to get me to pass out

[Cail]

I deplore beer pricks.

Bud isn't the most popular beer in the world because it tastes like shite. I like all sorts of beers, but a cold Bud on a hot day is manna from Heaven.

[danlo]

Are you calling me a "beer prick"?

[Cail]

Not at all....

Look, I'll admit, Bud isn't the best beer in the world, but I can't stand when people dis it, because, like I said, it does happen to be the most popular....

[sgt.null]

the best beer i have ever had was a budweiser. back in '89 after walking from chelsea to battery park in nyc. in august.

[Zarathustra]

Cail, you can go ahead and say it, I'm a beer prick. My friends drink Miller Lite and call me a beer snob. I don't know where my obsession came from, but I absolutely LOVE beer.

it does happen to be the most popular....

Well, McDonalds might make the most popular hamburger, but I wouldn't call it "gourmet." Popularity doesn't mean something is good.

A couple of pages back, I outlined the history of today's watered-down, yellow, fizzy, pseudo-pilsner that most mass-producing breweries make. It was not due to public suddenly craving beer with little flavor. It was partly an attempt to appeal to women (men were off fighting a war, leaving many more women than men in America). It was also the process of big business: local breweries were bought up or shut down by emerging large breweries after the end of prohibition, resulting in much fewer choices and variety. Once the accountants started dictating beer production, breweries created beer with as little ingredients as possible to cut costs. That's why there is very little malt presence, and virtually zero hops. Bud is even made with rice. Yuck. And since this is the beer most people try first, and get used to, they think this is just how beer is supposed to taste. Try Pislner Urqell for the original pislner. That's how a pislner is supposed to taste.

I was wondering, can you put specific ingrediants in it to make it taste different? Nutmeg, ginger, lemon etc. Or is just adjusting the levels of the standard ingrediants that changes the flavour?

You'd be amazed by what you can do with malted barely, hops, and yeast. Yeast, specifically, can produce fruity esters which impart fruit flavors (pear, apple, melon, banana, etc.). Also, most people don't realize what hops can do because there are such few hops in macro-swill. Hops can taste like citrus (orange, grapefruit), earthy (musky, woody, etc.), piney, grassy, spicey, etc. And the kind of malt you use can impart toasty, bready, coffee, chocolately, flavors. So there is great variety which can be achieved with the basic three ingredients.

However, you can add any "adjunct" you like. People use peppers, ginger, fruit, vanilla extract, spices, etc. There are literally thousands of different flavors beer can have. For this reason alone, I am saddened that nearly every major mass-produced beer tastes like Bud.

[The Laughing Man]

Black and Tan, from a wooden keg, at the Renaissance Faire in San Berdo....lets just say the wenches were rubbing my sweaty nipples with ice cubes.....at the counter....now that's GOOD beer.....

[Cail]

Hey, don't get me wrong, I like a lot of the fancy, shmantzy beers. But for my "I'm hot and sweaty from cutting the grass, I need a frickin' beer" beer, I'll take an ice cold Bud or Corona before I take a triple-bock.

[Zarathustra]

But for my "I'm hot and sweaty from cutting the grass, I need a frickin' beer" beer, I'll take an ice cold Bud or Corona before I take a triple-bock.

Of course! I might even prefer a Bud to a triple bock after mowing the lawn, too. Or at least a crisp IPA like Bell's Two Hearted Ale, or an American Kolsch like Goose Island's Summer Ale. Every style has its season. Summertime is for light lagers, pale ales, and maybe a Belgium wit.

[Marv]

man, sometimes, and i do mean sometimes, when you take that first sip and relax into a big comfy chair after a hot day you cant help but think its bloody great to be alive.

[Avatar]

Try Pislner Urqell for the original pislner. That's how a pislner is supposed to taste.

My GF is very partial to that one. There's a great German restuarant near us that serves it. I drink their Weiss Bier when we go there.

--A

[Zarathustra]

Avatar, she sounds cool. I've gotten my wife to try lambics (sour ale). While sour doesn't usually sound desirable, think Jolly Rancher candy, and you'll have a rough idea. Lambics are the perfect chic-drink. (God, I'm going to get in trouble for that!) They are usually flavored with cherries, peaches, rasberries, etc. So the sourness is tempered with a delicious sweetness and wonderful malt complexity. There is NOTHING else like them. Every time I pop one open, I have to ask myself, "This is BEER?" Yes! They are!

If you think you know what I'm talking about by trying various "fruit beers," you don't. Lambics are fermented with wild yeast naturally occuring in the Belgium air. They are unlike anything else you've ever tasted. Wild . . .

[sgt.null]

my wife does not like beer at all. but when i order a draft she always takes the first drink. it's a tradition. and i love dark beer, so she doesn't often like my choices.

[CovenantJr]

Damn it, after reading this thread I'm really craving beer. I'm not generally much of a beer drinker, but I'm going to have to stop at the offy later.

[sgt.null]

i'll be mowing the lawn today and then anjoying a frosty glass of SHipyard Ale