Of Beers

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david_h
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Re: Of Beers

Post by david_h »

Innocent Bystander wrote:The real local brew in Oldham, UK, is J.W.Lees. It is dire.
Could you be be more specific - as you might be for, say, Pepsi :poke:

I have been very tempted over the last few days to have a rant on the 'argument' thread along the lines of "why can't people dry drink proper beer rather than drinking this boutique stuff and cockatiels ?"

Last week I had my first pint of J.W.Lees for about 20 years, having known it and its reputation for over twice that time. It was the fault of this thread because I had resolved to simply ask for 'a pint of bitter' and see what came. It was all right. I had another half. There was no choice. I suspect if I had remarked on that barman would have told me to p*ss off back to Wetherspoons.

I thought Boddingtons has left Manchester. Is it back?

I like Doom Bar though.
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Re: Of Beers

Post by AaronFW »

Nanohedron wrote: Nope. US Upper Midwest, born and bred. I always thought oleorezinator was from across the Pond from me. But I never did really know for sure, now that you mention it.
Ah alright. I myself am not sure either. Since his last post was slightly ambiguous. But his blinking-eye avatar always seemed very American to me.
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Re: Of Beers

Post by Dan A. »

Innocent Bystander wrote:My wife would like me to mention "Old Tom". Do not order a pint of Old Tom. Order a half. You will still be able to stand up afterwards.
Are you referring to Robinson's Old Tom? If so, 8.9% ABV wouldn't faze me.
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Re: Of Beers

Post by Nanohedron »

AaronFW wrote:But his blinking-eye avatar always seemed very American to me.
Why, so it does, then, doesn't it. Hmm.
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Re: Of Beers

Post by Innocent Bystander »

Yes, It's Robinsons Old Tom. Well done you. It's not a competition.... :D

J.W.Lees can be all right (maybe) if the landlords clean out their pipes or whatever it is, but I've had a few bad pints of it and I'd just rather avoid it in future. Perhaps it's just the pubs that I end up in... It is telling you say there was no choice. J.W.Lees pubs are just a teensy bit monopolistic. (Like Greene King. Scoundrels.)

I don't know if Boddingtons has left Manchester - you're probably right - but it still has the Bee logo, which was a focus of much sentiment after the recent bombing. Now you see cars with Bee logo stickers, people with Bee logo tattoos, umbrellas, teeshirts, you name it. So because it still has the Bee logo it is sold in Manchester in cans by the dozen, and by the gross. And on draught, too, though less so.

The Diggle Hotel is a good place for all kinds of real ale, and although I enjoy what I try when I'm there, I can never remember what it was. Old Tom was one exception. The Globe in Glossop is another good place for Real Ale (and Vegan Food!).
Rob Adams (I think it was) used to be on the tasting panel for Doom Bar - since he lived in Bude - but his wife made him give it up for reasons of increasing girth.
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Re: Of Beers

Post by Dan A. »

Innocent Bystander wrote:Well done you. It's not a competition.... :D
I know. It's just that the description of Old Tom made me think it would be a lot stronger that it is.
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Re: Of Beers

Post by benhall.1 »

Nanohedron wrote:
AaronFW wrote:But his blinking-eye avatar always seemed very American to me.
Why, so it does, then, doesn't it. Hmm.
I've always taken it as a given that oleorezinator was States-side. The avatar, as has been mentioned, seems very American. The turns of phrase he uses don't strike me as being British - and definitely not continental European - and (I've just looked) the many IP addresses from which he posts all seem to return a US origin.

Still, I rather like the aura of mystery surrounding our very own oleo. :thumbsup:
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Re: Of Beers

Post by Tunborough »

oleorezinator wrote:This overly hopped
beer flavored alcohol delivery system that's passed
off as beer that's swilled so greedily in America now
is simply awful. What do you beer drinkers from across
the pond think of this stuff?
I think it's clear from this that oleo is asking non-North-Americans about American beer-styled beverages, as someone surrounded by the stuff.

And I can't say for sure, but isn't that avatar from the back of a U.S. dollar bill?
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Re: Of Beers

Post by AaronFW »

Tunborough wrote:
And I can't say for sure, but isn't that avatar from the back of a U.S. dollar bill?
Presumably, yes. It is at the least The Eye of Providence. The Eye of Providence (including the one on the back of the dollar bill) shows up in a lot of conspiracy theories too. Mainly because it is a creepy eye that shows up on US government related things, which may or may not suggest that the US government is actually run by a lot of crazy psychos who think they are gods.
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Re: Of Beers

Post by Nanohedron »

Tunborough wrote:And I can't say for sure, but isn't that avatar from the back of a U.S. dollar bill?
Yep. Which says that the "Anthracite Curtain" would presumably be Northeast Pennsylvania. Silly of me.

All right, all right; so for a moment there my brain fell out of my head.

All I can say in my defense is that I had a knee-jerk reaction: To my memory, on this site the majority of past negative commentary on US beers has come from decidedly antipathetical non-US citizens and, in one case at least, from someone who'd never even set foot on our shores, such was his authority on the matter. Probably tasted Bud Lite once and concluded that was all he needed to know. So without weighing surrounding evidence, I just reactively assumed it was more of the same. Now thrash me.
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Re: Of Beers

Post by AaronFW »

All that being said, we do still need a non-American perspective on American Craft Beer.


I other news, I had occasion to go to an Irish Pub in Fort Wayne, Indiana (USA) and try Old Speckled Hen, an English Ale. I found it to be pretty pleasant and satisfying. The pub had a wide range of beer including beer from Weihenstephan. They have a monthly session too, though I was there for the beer and food. (I have the alcohol tolerance of a mouse. So, unfortunately, I was only able to try one beer.)
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Re: Of Beers

Post by Kade1301 »

Seems as good a thread as any to introduce myself, so...

I was born in Munich, and whereas I wouldn't call myself a beer expert, I believe in the "Reinheitsgebot" (purity rule) - a Bavarian rule from 1516 of what beer can be made of: barley, hops and water. Nothing else (well, yeast somehow sneaked in). No caramel for colouring (I think it pretty scandalous in whisky, too, btw), no fruit, no chili peppers. Fortunately, in France (where I live now) they sell German beer, and there's also French breweries who stick to the same basic ingredients.

In Munich it's the "fifth season" right now - "Starkbierzeit" (strong beer period). It lasts over Lent - the idea being that when you aren't allowed to eat, you need to drink. And if it's to replace food, it had better be a very rich beer... So a special kind of beer was brewed, malty with high alcohol content. Traditionally the names end in "ator" (I quite like the Paulaner Salvator) - so I suppose the Celebrator Doppelbock mentioned on page 1 wants to be one (not a German name, though...) And I suppose Märzen - März being German for March - also wants to connect to the topic, as Lent generally is in March.

Oh, and I came here because I'm planning of trying the thin whistle (after working on learning the recorder for 5 years).
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Re: Of Beers

Post by AaronFW »

Kade1301 wrote:Seems as good a thread as any to introduce myself, so...
Welcome to Chiff & Fipple. :)
Kade1301 wrote: I was born in Munich, and whereas I wouldn't call myself a beer expert, I believe in the "Reinheitsgebot" (purity rule) - a Bavarian rule from 1516 of what beer can be made of: barley, hops and water. Nothing else (well, yeast somehow sneaked in). No caramel for colouring (I think it pretty scandalous in whisky, too, btw), no fruit, no chili peppers. Fortunately, in France (where I live now) they sell German beer, and there's also French breweries who stick to the same basic ingredients.

In Munich it's the "fifth season" right now - "Starkbierzeit" (strong beer period). It lasts over Lent - the idea being that when you aren't allowed to eat, you need to drink. And if it's to replace food, it had better be a very rich beer... So a special kind of beer was brewed, malty with high alcohol content. Traditionally the names end in "ator" (I quite like the Paulaner Salvator) - so I suppose the Celebrator Doppelbock mentioned on page 1 wants to be one (not a German name, though...) And I suppose Märzen - März being German for March - also wants to connect to the topic, as Lent generally is in March.
It sounds like I need to get me some German Beer. Thanks for sharing about Starkbierzeit; I had never heard of it before.
Since I am a novice as it comes to beer, do you have a recommended German beer or German brewery?
Maybe this would help me understand the value of Reinheitsgebot. :)
Last edited by AaronFW on Sun Mar 04, 2018 9:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
Kade1301
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Re: Of Beers

Post by Kade1301 »

Of course I'm a fan of Bavarian beers: Paulaner, Franziskaner, Augustiner, Erdinger, Hacker Pschorr, Weihenstephaner are the big names that are easily available here (i. e. France). Of these, my favorites are Paulaner Salvator, Franziskaner Dunkel (a dark "Weissbier" (top-fermented wheat beer)) and Franziskaner Hefeweisse (the light-coloured version). Though I've never really done a beer tasting where I'd open several bottles and do a direct comparison, but these are the ones I always come back to. And of course Lidl's brandless strong beer (if you have a Lidl close by - have they crossed the Atlantic yet? - you might check it out, it's a black can, the name is Perlenbourg in France, Perlenbacher in Germany, alcohol is 7.9 % and it's amazingly good for its very low price).

If you can't easily get hold of Bavarian beers, I'd just have a look at the list of ingredients - with a bit of luck a local brewery works to German standards.

Finally, to slightly modify the Scottish saying about whisky: There is no such thing as bad beer, they'll all get you drunk!
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Re: Of Beers

Post by AaronFW »

Kade1301 wrote: Finally, to slightly modify the Scottish saying about whisky: There is no such thing as bad beer, they'll all get you drunk!
I don't actually drink to the point of being drunk. Perhaps that is why Reinheitsgebot doesn't strike me as an attractive policy and why I have more tolerance and delight for flavorful-beers?

That being said, I will look for your suggested Bavarian beers. It doesn't sound like one could go wrong with any of those.
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