Beer and Grapefruit

[mechman48Participant @mechman48]

Posted by Geoff Theasby on 15/09/2018 04:04:17:

Long term strong lager drinker here. However, I do like Speckled Hen, Abbotts Ale, Bishops Finger, and, of course, Old Peculier and Taylors Landlord. Something I can wrap my tongue round.

I don't like cold beer, it gives me brain freeze and takes away the taste.

Geoff

Snap! … Lager doesn't like me & the feeling is mutual, +1 for the above beers but my preferred beer is Guinness, an acquired taste for some… or if not available… Murphy's / Kilkenny. I generally have a glass ( or two ) of Merlot through the week.

George.

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

Duncan’s reference to beer from the cellar served via an enamel jug reminded me of a pub we stopped at in North Yorkshire, just off the A1, where the landlady disappeared down to the cellar and came back with an enamel jug, it was a cracking good bitter. Sadly my internal organs have taken a disliking to gluten and even the gluten that carries over in the brewing process is enough to provoke an unwanted reaction if I drink beer, a real blow as I used to enjoy “real” bitters, alas no more I have to resort to red wine which I can tolerate, there are some very nice red wines around, as a confirmed bitter drinker I never thought that I would be saying that.

Dave W

[Jon LawesParticipant @jonlawes51698]

I love a good local ale, Butcombe and the like are a great relaxing by the pub fire beer. But I've increasingly been enamoured of the Belgian ales, especially as the stronger they get the better they taste. Strong traditional british ale I find rather chewy, the Belgian beers seem to get lighter and fruitier the stronger they get… I know thats not everyones thing but sometimes it really hits the spot.

Visiting a Beer Museum in Bruge meant trying quite a few of the local varieties, they seem to have mastered they technique over the last few hundred years…

[Anthony KnightsParticipant @anthonyknights16741]

I live a few miles from Tadcaster where there are THREE breweries. One was Bass which is now owned by Coors. The second is John Smiths, now owned by Heineken Carling or some such conglomerate. The third is Sam Smiths, an independent brewery currently owned by the somewhat eccentric Humphrey Smith, Eccentric he may be, but he only uses malt, hops and water from the brewerie's own well, to make his beer. The beer is also sold at least £1 cheaper than any one else. Unfortunately the local Sam Smiths pub is closed for refurbishment at the moment, so I'm having to drink the rival stuff.

They also sell several flavors of Belgian style fruit beer in bottles. Not tried it myself as fruity beer just doesn't appeal to me.

Edited By Anthony Knights on 15/09/2018 13:38:37

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Mike Poole on 14/09/2018 23:14:38:

they are a bit coy about owning up to being part of Miller Coors,

Who bought out Bass Charrington many years ago now.

[MeunierParticipant @meunier]

Posted by SillyOldDuffer on 14/09/2018 10:44:27:

…/Old Man's Wiggler…

Dave

Is that an apparatus for producing lager, Dave ?
DaveD

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

I wasn't intending to contribute to this thread, but … I have just enjoyed a rather fine burger, with a glass of Shepherd Neame 1698, and would consider it 'a marriage made in heaven'.

MichaelG.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

.

 

 

Actually based on a song from Bob Godfrey's cartoon 'Great' about Isambard Kingdom Brunel (which isn't in the trailer…)

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 20/09/2018 22:10:47

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Nobody brew their own in here? I'm a bit surprised

My grandad did until he was banned by grandma

He was a bit mean and used screw tops instead of corks or water locks, it was a week or two before the first bottle exploded in the living room cupboard and gave us a bit of a turn

The cupboard door stayed locked shut for another couple of weeks after that first explosion, until it seemed safe to enter

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

–I'll drink anything that's wet but unless the muppet behind the bar actually knows what cellar management means then I'll only drink from the top shelf.

My local's beer is truly abysmal but even they can't ruin whisky.–

Any proper working class area with lots of pubs will have good beer

Leith Walk in Edinburgh has some fabulous places, they look like crap inside but the beer is to die for

If you sell rubbish then you go bankrupt, so standards are maintained

[Mark RandParticipant @markrand96270]

Posted by Ady1 on 20/09/2018 23:10:56:

Nobody brew their own in here? I'm a bit surprised

I'm currently having to brew supplies of ginger beer for SWMBO. I don't know if it has been the European shortage of CO2, due to all the producers having the same Summer shutdown or the failure of the Australian ginger crop over the last two years, but there's been no bottled ginger beer available in any of our shops for the last two months or so. She was drinking ginger beer because it was zero calorie and zero alcohol. Unfortunately, my homemade stuff is very definitely neither…

[RevStewParticipant @revstew]

Butterknowle Conciliation ale was the best beer ever brewed by the hands of man. Now sadly no longer made. Mention it in pubs around here and people just nod reverently and stare into the middle distance for a while.

[Perko7Participant @perko7]

Been no shortage of ginger beer in Australia, at least not the fizzy non-alcoholic variety. There are a couple of major and minor brewers in Queensland who seem to be able to meet demand.

I remember attempting home-made ginger beer many years ago, stacked the bottles in the laundry where it was relatively cool. Lost nearly all of them one hot summer night, they were going off like pop-corn. Laundry floor was a sticky mess for weeks but the ones that survived sure tasted good.

[JC54Participant @jc54]

As there is no pub in our little village I brew my own beer. Very similar to Newkie brown a bit darker. Advantages,,, 50p a pint, not drinking and driving, We brewed ginger beer as a youngster using a "Ginger Beer Plant" we bottled it in any bottle we could find, beg or steal. It exploded in the airing cupboard that put a ban on brewing at home…. Mother was not amused but Dad could be seen snickering when he thought we couldn't see him. John

[VicParticipant @vic]

Back on the Lager v Bitter topic, I’ve recently returned from an all inclusive and in one of the restaurants the Lager was on self service from 11:30 till late. If you wanted Bitter you had to wait for the bar to open. Looking round the clientele I reckon only about 10 to 15% were bitter drinkers the rest were drinking one of the four or five Lagers available.

[Tim StevensParticipant @timstevens64731]

Well I never, when offered lager now (help yourself) or beer after a serious wait, most opted for the lager.

So obvious there was no need to paint anything on a red bus …

Tim

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Nah.

Any fool can serve lager, it takes an expert to serve beer

N.

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

Being a Brit I like my beer in pints, pints of lager tend to be a bit warm at the end and I find warm lager not very nice, the continentals may have a point with their 250ml serving but I find this a bit of a nuisance as I need to visit the bar or catch a waiter twice as often. A bitter does not seem to suffer going from cellar to room temperature. As my pace and purpose of having a beer have changed somewhat since my youth I now look for a beer that is enjoyable to drink and taste is important. It is a bit unfortunate that a nice beer is often a strong one but 47 years of beer drinking I do know my limits but sometimes forget how to count higher than three, if my wife is with me she takes on the task of keeping count and reminding me but beer seems to cause deafness as well.

Mike

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

Posted by Vic on 22/09/2018 16:07:34:

Back on the Lager v Bitter topic, I’ve recently returned from an all inclusive and in one of the restaurants the Lager was on self service from 11:30 till late. If you wanted Bitter you had to wait for the bar to open. Looking round the clientele I reckon only about 10 to 15% were bitter drinkers the rest were drinking one of the four or five Lagers available.

I imagine you were abroad and this is when you would find me drinking lager as well so perhaps not a solid survey. I would be surprised if the alternative to the lager was a cask ale, more likely to be Boddingtons or John Smiths so I might pass and have a lager in the hot weather. The Bitter lager debate will rumble on just like the Brit vs Jap motorbike one did, I doubt many people change their mind but youngsters do seem willing to try a whole range of beers lagers and ciders, I couldn’t guess what my sons will order but they know I will have a bitter if possible.

Mike

Edited By Mike Poole on 22/09/2018 20:51:21

[JonParticipant @jon]

Might like the Abbott Confessions Neil 8.5% served in halves, worth a try but not to my taste.
Not many light ales i rave about i usually turn my nose up at IPA yet alone AmericanPaleAle.

Worst ever had considering i will try almost anything Titanic Iceberg and thats citrus.

Much prefer a full bodied dark ale guarantee will love the Bellhaven Burns, not rated strong but does me in.

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Theakstons Old Peculier was the stuff that did me in when I drank

Don't do much now, just a few ciders now and then so no hangover issues

Just can't afford to lose the day after anymore

 

Never liked the strong stuff, they call it 90 shilling beer up here, pretty horrible and usually served in half pints

Probably the nicest real ale I've ever tasted was something called Latitude

On the Lager front that Peroni stuff is quite exceptional, brewed by Italians

Edited By Ady1 on 23/09/2018 19:24:58

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Jon on 23/09/2018 17:13:10:

Might like the Abbott Confessions Neil 8.5% served in halves

Ever had Santa Claus Beer?

I have had a few barley wines but they tend to be a bit sickly, to be honest. I think between 4.5% and 6% is the best tasting range for a beer if you are only a having one or two.

At the other end of the scale, my steplad introduced me to Bud Light which when cold enough is quite pleasant on a hot summer evening, although I prefer honest Budwieser Budovar ('Beer of Kings&#39 to Bud ('King of Beers&#39.

N.

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

There's a Canadian bar in a French alpine resort I frequent where the weakest beer available is 5.5%. All the others are 8%+. I remember a pundit opining that making a good tasting beer was easy at 5% but making a great tasting beer at 3.5%, like Brakespears, was where the real skill lies. Fortunately for me, Ringwood brewery is now just down the road and Badger ( I'm particulary fond of Fursty Ferret – pity about the name) is not far away.

Rod

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

It must have loads of wheelbarrows parked outside to take the patrons home after a session.

Mike

Edited By Mike Poole on 23/09/2018 23:30:49

[ChrisHParticipant @chrish]

Theakston's Old Peculier – when first introduced to that (about 40 + years ago) was told you drink 2 pints then go and lie down in a darkened room!

Like 'proper' bitter in a pub, served not cold, although in the recent hot summer did make an exception and have my cans stowed in the fridge (were in France and only able to get decent ale in cans – the EU has a lot to learn!).

Now into brewing my own bitter, but can drink it faster than I can brew it. My version of Timothy Taylor's Best Bitter and Landlord drunk very well, as did Exe Valley Autumn Glory. Got a slightly hopped up version of TT's Best Bitter fermenting as we speak: must start another brew very soon.

Used to drink larger when I was young and serving in hot climes, especially when visiting Aussie where everything is served straight from the freezer it seems. Enjoyed it then, but prefer a proper English bitter now.

Chris

PS.  Those Yankee beers brewed with grapefruit and other citrus stuff are awful, shouldn't be allowed, should be banned on the grounds of bad taste, literally – not a proper brew at all, just a wet for poncy posers who don't appreciate a proper beer.

 

Edited By ChrisH on 23/09/2018 23:57:06

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