Beer And Beer Drinking
- Thread starter luka
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Slothrop
Tight but Polite
@ Tea:
It's not just that the beer's meh, it's that they're taking over the world by buying up independent breweries, shutting down their brewing operations and removing any trace of individuality from the running of their pubs (including keeping guest ales on lockdown so you have no bloody choice about drinking their meh beers).
I tend to reign in my natural geekery and go with the flow when it comes to pubs, but I do avoid GK pubs as much as possible.
It's not just that the beer's meh, it's that they're taking over the world by buying up independent breweries, shutting down their brewing operations and removing any trace of individuality from the running of their pubs (including keeping guest ales on lockdown so you have no bloody choice about drinking their meh beers).
I tend to reign in my natural geekery and go with the flow when it comes to pubs, but I do avoid GK pubs as much as possible.
Mr. Tea
Let's Talk About Ceps
Yeah, there was a piece in the Guardian a couple of years back about an almost stereotypically excellent pub - loads of real ales from different breweries, publican who knew all his regulars, proper heart-of-the-community type boozer - that was bought out by GK, to the outrage of regulars. And this was a pub in Sussex having its beer choice dictated from what, Norfolk? Then there's the brewery takeovers, as you mention.
I think the worst thing about it is that, to the untrained eye, GK pubs look like 'proper old-fashioned pubs' rather than the face of globalised homogenisation - at least you know where you stand with O'Neills, Yates' etc. (i.e. as far away as possible, if you've got any sense).
scottdisco
rip this joint please
you're all OTM re GK's predatory practices. (though i allow myself a blind spot re that XX Mild, i must say.)
meanwhile, in Britain, Magners are launching a perry.
hmm.
their cider's not that so i can't think their 'pear cider' will be.
Copper Dragon has really rolled out across the north in the last year or so. that Golden Pippin is choice. i've had a bit of
of late, which seems decent, though not enough to perhaps form a fair opinion.
though for nostalgia, nothing may beat the pub i first tasted Copper Dragon in: Skipton's lovely Narrow Boat.
Matt: you sound like a guy who enjoys summery ales.
Scorcher is a light beer (not in the US sense) from JW Lees and whenever i've had it in Lees pubs it's been splendid.
(though a quick google reveals a damning review from one London gaff.)
meanwhile, in Britain, Magners are launching a perry.
hmm.
their cider's not that so i can't think their 'pear cider' will be.
Copper Dragon has really rolled out across the north in the last year or so. that Golden Pippin is choice. i've had a bit of
of late, which seems decent, though not enough to perhaps form a fair opinion.
though for nostalgia, nothing may beat the pub i first tasted Copper Dragon in: Skipton's lovely Narrow Boat.
Matt: you sound like a guy who enjoys summery ales.
Scorcher is a light beer (not in the US sense) from JW Lees and whenever i've had it in Lees pubs it's been splendid.
(though a quick google reveals a damning review from one London gaff.)
matt b
Indexing all opinion
I am indeed, Scott- I'll have to keep a look out for that.
Narrow Boat is a fine pub too.
I like this label.
matt b
Indexing all opinion
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scottdisco
rip this joint please
@ Sick Boy!
the British and Northern Irish pub chain Wetherspoons (that those of us familiar have mainly been slagging off in this thread
), they do at least support local independent breweries and so on and so forth.
well i just wanted to say for a recent festival of theirs, they had the brewmaster from the Yukon Brewing Co come over and do a beer.
not tried it myself, but his interview in their in-house mag does make fascinating reading, tbf.
(i realise 'Trano's about as far from the Yukon as Dublin is from Moscow and don't want to sound like some wanky 'oh well if you're from x country then you must know y person'-trope, but thought it may be of some small same nation-state based interest, albeit we are all harmonious residents of the multinational Planet Sauce.)
idk where the YBC are based, presumably Whitehorse?
anyroad.
the British and Northern Irish pub chain Wetherspoons (that those of us familiar have mainly been slagging off in this thread
), they do at least support local independent breweries and so on and so forth.well i just wanted to say for a recent festival of theirs, they had the brewmaster from the Yukon Brewing Co come over and do a beer.
not tried it myself, but his interview in their in-house mag does make fascinating reading, tbf.
(i realise 'Trano's about as far from the Yukon as Dublin is from Moscow and don't want to sound like some wanky 'oh well if you're from x country then you must know y person'-trope, but thought it may be of some small same nation-state based interest, albeit we are all harmonious residents of the multinational Planet Sauce.)
idk where the YBC are based, presumably Whitehorse?
anyroad.
scottdisco
rip this joint please
Benelux pr0n
choice, Immryr!
i was in a Belgian bar earlier and feel compelled to pic spam some other faves.
(cough. rolls up sleeves. etc.)
the kid sibling of lmmryr's pick.
cripes.
i'll have to break this up in to two methinks.
incidentally a pal of mine says his mate is coming back from the USA bearing gifts for him, and these gifts are a couple of bottles of Trappist-style beer from the Frank Zappa estate (?!)
all i could tell him was - wrt 4linehaiku and Andy - that Scottish 'spoons do Deuchars for 99p or - in my own recent experience - English ones retail Ruddles for £1.39.
i think he won that one.
choice, Immryr!
i was in a Belgian bar earlier and feel compelled to pic spam some other faves.
(cough. rolls up sleeves. etc.)
the kid sibling of lmmryr's pick.
cripes.
i'll have to break this up in to two methinks.
incidentally a pal of mine says his mate is coming back from the USA bearing gifts for him, and these gifts are a couple of bottles of Trappist-style beer from the Frank Zappa estate (?!)
all i could tell him was - wrt 4linehaiku and Andy - that Scottish 'spoons do Deuchars for 99p or - in my own recent experience - English ones retail Ruddles for £1.39.
i think he won that one.
scottdisco
rip this joint please
possibly my favourite stout
Hanssens!
hard like D T or Lucifer
much love for Dolle Brouwers in general
Hanssens!
hard like D T or Lucifer
much love for Dolle Brouwers in general
scottdisco
rip this joint please
scottdisco
rip this joint please
scottdisco
rip this joint please
listee
in a clumsy attempt to provoke debate (well shouting anyway) my take on the five best beer producing countries in terms of who just has the greatest stuff, overall (1 obv uncontroversial but hopefully you'll disagree w' the running order otherwise)
1. Belgium
2. England
3. Germany
4. USA
5. Czech Republic
i know 5 is the source for the style of beer that about, ooh 90% of humanity drinks, but 4 is just so vital in the 'vibrant/thrusting' sense
in a clumsy attempt to provoke debate (well shouting anyway) my take on the five best beer producing countries in terms of who just has the greatest stuff, overall (1 obv uncontroversial but hopefully you'll disagree w' the running order otherwise)
1. Belgium
2. England
3. Germany
4. USA
5. Czech Republic
i know 5 is the source for the style of beer that about, ooh 90% of humanity drinks, but 4 is just so vital in the 'vibrant/thrusting' sense
hmm tough one. belgium is obviously number one, by a mile! it's really hard for me to list england, there are of course a lot of amazing beers but so often when i go into a pub and order a random pint of ale it is awful insipid stuff. i generally use the 'higher percentage is probably the one with most flavour' as a rule of thumb when ordering random stuff from england - this way at least if you don't like it, you know it's going to get you pissed.
america seems to have a lot of exciting things going on, brooklyn and goose island are excellent and from what i understand there are loads of microbreweries doing similarly good things that are unavailable or certainly less available here.
i'm a little biased against germany cause i'm not drinking wheat beers any more cause they seem to give me a dodgy stomach - and they were previously my favourite german beers.
czech beers i don't have that much to say about, i see them as similar to polish beers - quite nice and refreshing, but i'd usually choose something else.
america seems to have a lot of exciting things going on, brooklyn and goose island are excellent and from what i understand there are loads of microbreweries doing similarly good things that are unavailable or certainly less available here.
i'm a little biased against germany cause i'm not drinking wheat beers any more cause they seem to give me a dodgy stomach - and they were previously my favourite german beers.
czech beers i don't have that much to say about, i see them as similar to polish beers - quite nice and refreshing, but i'd usually choose something else.
Mr. Tea
Let's Talk About Ceps
Hmm, I would have to say England, ultimately - not for patriotic reasons, there's just something so right about a really good pint. And Belgian beers cannot, in general, be drunk by the pint! I accept Immyr's point about there being a lot of naff ones out there, but if you avoid the ones you know are going to be naff - London Pride in most pubs, Greene King, Tetley's (boik!) - I think you're more likely than not to end up with something nice. And to be honest I find a lot of Belgian beers are nice and strong and malty, but don't really have that much to distinguish between them beyond that. Of course there are Lambics and geuezes and whatnot, but in England there's bitter, stout, porter, old ale, IPA, barley wine, mild as well as spiced or fruit beers like they do in Belgium.
I dunno. I guess I just, in general, prefer something you can casually sup a pint of to something very expensive and strong you drink out of a little glass with a stem. Not that beers like that aren't great sometimes, it's just a slightly different thing.
Edit: talking of stout, has anyone here had this:
?
It is AMAZING. Probably my favourite Fuller's beer and possibly my favourite stout. (Heh, what was I saying about stemmed glasses?)
I dunno. I guess I just, in general, prefer something you can casually sup a pint of to something very expensive and strong you drink out of a little glass with a stem. Not that beers like that aren't great sometimes, it's just a slightly different thing.
Edit: talking of stout, has anyone here had this:
?
It is AMAZING. Probably my favourite Fuller's beer and possibly my favourite stout. (Heh, what was I saying about stemmed glasses?)
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