Fermenting A Discussion, Part Deux

[Autumnpuma 0]

For years I've looked at Russ' avatar and read his interests as 'Adnams Broadside'. I always thought it was a darned shame that such an intelligent guy couldn't even spell 'Adams' correctly. I recently found out that he not only could spell like the spelliest speller, he also had great taste in beer. I had been browsing the English aisle at the local Bev'Mo and spotted the name and was shocked it was a beer. I had assumed it was one of those whiskies with a strange name.

Of course I had to get it. It poured with an average head, and had a dark red appearance and was utterly tasty. Very sweet and fruity with just enough bitter to wash it down and not kick your tastebuds in the a## on their way through. This last point is good, and exceedingly rare in American-brewed beers these days and I'm happy to find English beer is still more sensible about the hops. This is a beer that is properly brewed and balanced with enough complexity to keep you buying more bottles.

Interesting to note that a respected American beer review website, beeradvocate.com, gave this beer a lower score on average that I would have. I chalk this up to the rather simplistic and narrow view we Americans have about beer. If it doesn't fit squarely into a category, it's not liked, regardless of the taste. Also, beers with lots of hops are all the rage over here these days and there seems little room in our collective beer palate for a sweet beer.

Though it was fun imagining Russ as a horrible splellerr, it was more fun discovering this beer.

[Grabthaw the Hammerslayer 4]

I would love to join in this discussion but as a coeliac I'm allergic to gluten so beer is off limits Yes, it is about 10 years since I had a proper beer (how depressing is that?!)

There are a growing number of gluten free beers but not a lot, they are fiercely expensive and don't have the depth/quality of taste that proper beer has.

[Quiet One 15]

I drink...diet coke...

A week or so ago I went to a gastropub. A Polish gastropub. No, seriously. They served me absinthe. Tastes like moonshine distilled from mouthwash. I thought they served it because, you know, it's so 19th century and Lord Byron and Oscar Wilde...it turns out that they never heard of Lord Byron, apparently they think that absinthe is actually a fine spirit, because it comes in a bottle designed by some italian and thus, it must be fashionable and exquisite.

Good god...

[Jem of the Shire 0]

Only cider will do for me. I drink it every single night at home so I look forward to having a red bulbous nose in 20 years.

[Autumnpuma 0]

I would love to join in this discussion but as a coeliac I'm allergic to gluten so beer is off limits Yes, it is about 10 years since I had a proper beer (how depressing is that?!)

There are a growing number of gluten free beers but not a lot, they are fiercely expensive and don't have the depth/quality of taste that proper beer has.

What about the Asian beers? Different taste to the rice-based stuff, but not bad.

[monza gorilla 1]

All hail to the ale. We don't see any US craft beers around these parts, Mike, which is a shame. There's some stuff which purports to come from those shores, but only as far as "made in the USA" on the label. I'm currently enjoying Wychwood Hobgoblin and Dark Side of the Moose (from the Purple Moose Brewery, or Bragdy Mws Piws as they insist on calling it in Wales).

Jem, I thought cider drinking was almost a national sport where you live?

[BradSpeedMan 6]

I drink...diet coke...

A week or so ago I went to a gastropub. A Polish gastropub. No, seriously. They served me absinthe. Tastes like moonshine distilled from mouthwash. I thought they served it because, you know, it's so 19th century and Lord Byron and Oscar Wilde...it turns out that they never heard of Lord Byron, apparently they think that absinthe is actually a fine spirit, because it comes in a bottle designed by some italian and thus, it must be fashionable and exquisite.

Good god...

ok, you got me here, are you actually serious?????? or not????

[BradSpeedMan 6]

Interesting to note that a respected American beer review website, beeradvocate.com, gave this beer a lower score on average that I would have. I chalk this up to the rather simplistic and narrow view we Americans have about beer. If it doesn't fit squarely into a category, it's not liked, regardless of the taste. Also, beers with lots of hops are all the rage over here these days and there seems little room in our collective beer palate for a sweet beer.

America probably like "their" beer Millers the best Mike. Not that it's anything like beer, but anyway...

I'm not a big beer drinking and don't enjoy the tasting austhetics of it, it just does'nt gel with me. I have a beer then I run to the loo...figures

[Quiet One 15]

ok, you got me here, are you actually serious?????? or not????

About what? The diet coke part? The absinthe part?

[BradSpeedMan 6]

About what? The diet coke part? The absinthe part?

lol the The absinthe part

[Insider 0]

In the 70s, we English rock bands called most US beer 'weasel p**s'. The first tour had a minus zero budget, so Olympia was our staple. I started late, 24 years in when I had my first pint of Guiness at the Tally Ho in Kentish Town. By the time I was 50, I'd been through most designer hops, [Adnams Broadside and Wadworths Bishop's Tipple the favourites] and I was consuming a gallon a day and not getting drunk! This is when you know you have a problem. I gave up on the spot and 18 years later I can't say I miss it though I certainly couldn't afford to drink nowadays. I do miss the Marlboros which went the same way five years later but right now I would be looking at @£40 a day to support the habits I had. Madness. Nevertheless, real ale is a thing of beauty though devilishly habit-forming and should be treasured. I believe lager should be banned completely. Disgusting stuff!

[Autumnpuma 0]

All hail to the ale. We don't see any US craft beers around these parts, Mike, which is a shame. There's some stuff which purports to come from those shores, but only as far as "made in the USA" on the label. I'm currently enjoying Wychwood Hobgoblin and Dark Side of the Moose (from the Purple Moose Brewery, or Bragdy Mws Piws as they insist on calling it in Wales).

Jem, I thought cider drinking was almost a national sport where you live?

That *is* a shame. Plenty of great small breweries around here. One in particular, New Belgium, is one of the finest. I wonder if you can get Canadian beers over there? One of the best I've ever had is from those Frenchier-than-French quebecois over at the Unibroue brewery called 'trois pistoles' (le fin du monde is good too). If I were to offer anyone a beer to represent North America, trois pistoles would be the one.

In the 70s, we English rock bands called most US beer 'weasel p**s'. The first tour had a minus zero budget, so Olympia was our staple. I started late, 24 years in when I had my first pint of Guiness at the Tally Ho in Kentish Town. By the time I was 50, I'd been through most designer hops, [Adnams Broadside and Wadworths Bishop's Tipple the favourites] and I was consuming a gallon a day and not getting drunk! This is when you know you have a problem. I gave up on the spot and 18 years later I can't say I miss it though I certainly couldn't afford to drink nowadays. I do miss the Marlboros which went the same way five years later but right now I would be looking at @£40 a day to support the habits I had. Madness. Nevertheless, real ale is a thing of beauty though devilishly habit-forming and should be treasured. I believe lager should be banned completely. Disgusting stuff!

ugh. Olympia. Only slightly better than Hamm's. Tip 'o the hat to a fellow former Marlboro man; I gave up that habit year ago (even put up my pipes...tho I still smell the bowls now and again..)