No good Beer groups on Usenet?

Can't speak for everyone, but for me drinking beer is much more interesting than writing about beer. And I've written a beer review or two in my time. (not professionally)

That said, I think most of Usenet has the problem of too many groups and not enough people. There are always exceptions, of course.

So, what is your favorite beer and which is your favorite bar?

Usenet is dying. Folks are much more interested in web forums. Check out RateBeer.com, BeerAdvocate.com, the Burgundian Babble Belt, etc. for more active discussions.

--NPD

True, but one of the greates things about beer is that it is an experience to share!

agreed. I usually hang out on news:alt.drinks.beer which is pretty cool as far as groups go.

Well, I don't really have any 1 favorite beer. I think beers are often situational. eg: I love Guinness draft! That is a solid beer - delicious deep malt roast flavor with a good balance hop bitters for a sharp tang at the finish. and that rich creamy head!!?? mmmm . . . . Still, not at a picnic!

As for bars, same thing. If I was interested in drinking Guinness, let's say tonight, I would probably pop on over to The Corner Stage for some live jazz and a nice cigar (Cuban robusto if you can get them, the Guinness perfectly salves the spice of the cigar, if not, Cuban seed).

I also enjoy a a beer fresh-poured in my favorite pilsner glass at my house. That has the added attraction of allowing me to choose whatever I want (beer or foodwise to complement) and I can do some reading or writing while drinking.

-H

-- news:alt.drinks.beer

Pop in for a Pint!!

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I can't say I have 1 favorite beer either. I've a fondness for Stoudt's Abbey Trippel, Victory Hop Devil, and Stone Arrogant Bastard.

My favorite bar by far is The Sharp Edge in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, USA.

50 taps, 200 bottled beers. Some years ago they were voted the best Belgian beer bar in the USA. The staff is required to be knowledgable about the beers. Good food.

When at home I normally drink from the bottles. I like to purchase variety packs from various breweries.

This is the second time today I have heard of Victory Hop Devil, I think it is going on my list.

I just remembered this great place in Richmond - can't remember the name. (J??) It was a barbecue restaurant/brew pub, with a brewery right in the restaurant. Now, normally I am a little leary of these places because the beer usually sucks, but I took my chances and ordered a chocolate porter. The waiter brings me a glass of something murkier than NY harbor with what looks like a greasy cesspool floating on top. WOW! was that a good beer - absolutely floored me.

hmm . . . I used to drink frombottles, but I can't anymore. Pinching up my face makes me miss the taste of the beer.

-H

-- news:alt.drinks.beer

Pop in for a Pint!!

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There are way too many sites that have great forums ... and very active ones at that. But way too many egos and false accounts made Usenet quite absurd and well ... useless. Plus your email is out there unless you fix it ... lots of Spam is indirectly from UseNet.

Top three in no particular order:

Ratebeer.com:

The BBB:

BeerAdvocate.com ... we average 600-700 posts a day, not including the regional groups.

Groups average 150-250 a day.

-- Jason Alstrom

-- BeerAdvocate.com Extreme Beer Fest

01.17.04 - The Cyclorama @ The Boston Center for the Arts

More active, certainly. More useful? I'd argue not. There's even more anonymity, there's more dilution of good, informed information, and now the biggest ("most active") sites are run by the kind of people whose egos prevented them from spewing over USENET without being called on it. (Some more so than others, of course.) You get much, much more noise with the signal. I still get more useful information from people whose opinions I trust from USENET.

-- Joel Plutchak | Boneyard Union of Zymurgical Zealots

"I don't like beer. I tried it once and thought it was terrible." - Overheard at a restaurant

These days, a posted question on usenet frequently waits a couple of days for an answer at all, and usually gets answered snidely. I can't speak to other sites, but on ratebeer, answers come quickly and are generally knowledgeable. And the "noise" is generally confined to an "off topic" forum. Cursory browsing of BA suggests that things aren't much different in that parallel universe. Kind of like what things were like here up until a year or so ago.

What do we have, 4 or 5 people here who really know their beer? And how often do they check in?

Where's the "signal" here right now? All I see is a crossposted rant about waitresses in English pubs. That's been about it for a week.

I miss usenet; it's a much nicer interface than web forums if you learn how to use it. Unfortunately, there are few decent groups anymore, as nobody takes the time to learn what usenet is about.

--NPD

That may be true here, but rec.crafts.brewing is a phenomenal resource for homebrewers. The most helpful, friendly newsgroup I've ever seen (and still incredibly active). Usually answers are posted/emailed within minutes of posting.

But in general, I do agree that usenet ain't what it used to be, which is a shame. I don't really care for web boards and chats that much.

Bill

Wnat an active NG ? check it.hobby.birra, for example... only they all post in some weird language few foreigners understand :o)))

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Do you mean..........No good beer, groups? Or no good, beer groups?