bipedaldave (hello, i will definitely be posting something about Canadian beers sooner or later, just not quite got round to it yet, thanks for your patience):
>Q: What does American beer and having sex in a canoe have in common?
>A: They're both fucking close to water!
i like it!
also, given that there are around 1,500 breweries in the USA but, alas, only about 3% of American beer product is made by the micros, the joke is also mostly true, i guess
it's certainly the case that American versions of the same beer are often made weaker than the versions they sell in Europe (this ranges from one end of the spectrum where it doesn't really matter such as in the case of the French beer Belzebuth Pur Malt, which is 13 in the USA and 15 in Europe, to the other end where i guess it would make a difference, e.g., is it really true that Budweiser elsewhere is a couple of percentage points stronger than the Bud their people make for their domestic market? i've heard that so many times but unlike say the case of the Pur Malt i don't know if it's true or just an urban myth. i'd be very grateful to anyone who can drop some knowledge on my ass in this instance).
though the USA does produce some very strong beers, there's an IPA or a stout or something that's about 21% (Dogfish? Doghead? something like that), and Sam Adams produce a limited-edition (and expensive!) beer that is about 24.5.
>Something you really never hear about over here, or perhaps i just don't travel in classy enough beer drinking circles
i think it's just you can't get it hardly anywhere. 'tis a shame.
Backjob on Hue:
>I didn't get to visit there cos my stoopid ass chose to go to Hoi An instead which was a dump. Or are you referring to a beer? In which case, >no.
either will do
Hue is the only Vietnamese beer i'd ever heard of. are there no recommendations to make, or are they a bit minging?
i was watching Ian Wright (not the ex-Arsenal poacher) on Lonely Planet last night on thee grainy telly and he was taking the waters at a general market near the banks of the Mekong somewhere in Laos. this place looked like it could compete for the title of WORLD'S BEST.
lot of different stuff.
sorry off-topic but i like the Rambler's food/drink forum suggestion (Luka could post about cheese)
awh cheers for some Leeds lowdown mattb.
my source for bourbon's is certainly not the cnutishly trendy type but i think he mentioned something similar to that himself once, so i guess one would have to tread carefully. something about students he said (though he'd just stopped being one himself he had worked in a tapas bar in Seville for six months after leaving Leeds so we'll let him off...).
i am quite fond of a fairly small pub down a side-street that is fairly CAMRA-ish in its fixtures and fittings style. very central Leeds. couldn't think how to describe it, except i know it's near a Starbucks. i think it's away from the station end of things.
the next time i'm in Leeds i'll go.
i do like some of the trad' arr' alehouses of Leeds; in Hull there are about four really beautiful old mannish pubs in the small but perfectly formed 'old' part of the town centre.
as for cocktails i guess my current favourite is a nice mai tai - i heard about a white cosmo the other day. a lot of the better cocktail places in Manchester tend towards the pricier end of the spectrum but sometimes that's what is called for (if you're not in the partying mood, i wouldn't begrudge you not wishing to set out for cheap shooters/mixed at a Baa Bar, say).
you couldn't recommend a good Leeds bar could you? all i've ever really been to in Leeds is clubs, caffs, and boozers.
cheers.
Pearsall, i have had Brooklyn Lager now and again yeah
i like it! it's pretty easy to come by in the UK, i think (FYI, in bottles round my way you're looking at the equivalent of about four bucks twenty for it, which i admit is not cheap, but hey we don't tip the barstaff...).
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is also very very nice. in the Chicago area the only craft products you're assured of seeing in all supermarkets are from the Sierra Nevada stable and that local company, Goose Island.
in general these days i'm of the opinion pretty much
any IPA put before you by an American brewery that knows its onions is going to be delicious, they love a bit of it over here.
you may be interested to see the link below, one of my local breweries did this beer as a sort of tribute to Brooklyn Lager (and American beer more generally actually).
i've never had it but it's supposed to be excellent (and it uses "American hops").
http://www.wordforwine.co.uk/jwlees/beer_detail.asp?Code=SA5BB&Beer_Type=Seasonal 2005
have to SECOND red_shift on Deuchars IPA.
an award-winning beer [
http://www.caledonian-brewery.co.uk/awards/deuchars.htm ], for my money it and Greene King IPA are the best beers of their kind in the world.
also Harviestoun's is a wicked brewery. i've not had Schiehallion but i am going to soon oh yes
Old Engine Oil sounds fabulous
i've never had the 80 shilling ale mentioned myself, but i know it has a very very good rep.
i'm up for a malt whisky thread.
i know the Rambler likes his.
let's start now. what does anyone like?
my personal prefs?
generally, Isle of Jura, Oban, Laphroaig.
since i'm in the USA, i should state my bourbon knowledge is non-existent.
i know enough to know i like Maker's Mark just fine...
...oh and i am sorry, to everyone, for how long my posts go on, but i'm loving all these posts and this thread.
thanks.