Greene King IPA - How did it become a CBoB finalist?

Michael Jones wrote in uk.food+drink.real-ale on Tue, 28 Sep 2004

Doesn't formal grammar have a rule about not starting a sentence with a preposition?

Yes. I'm leaving myself room to improve.

Isn't it amazing how people just expect a beer to be ready to drink and in perfect condition a matter of hours after it was delivered?

Christine wrote in uk.food+drink.real-ale on Wed, 29 Sep 2004 13:25:22

Yes. Just as amazing as the expectations of the people who serve it in this condition, I suppose?

Well no. A beer comes in as a late delivery and can be placed on stillage to settle. If it settles quickly then it can be served but it may not be quite as good as it would be if left until the following day or even the day after that. Now I'd be quite keen to have these beers brought in on the Friday and placed somewhere that they can be served to those present on the Sunday - but then *I'm* going to be in the building and you lot aren't :-P

In article , Dave Hillam writes

No. And Mr Jones's comments would have been accorded more respect if he knew the difference between 'course' and 'coarse'.

Well I do know the difference actually, just not 100% of the time, especially late at night. This whole digression does however neatly illustrate one of my pet hates about news groups. Even if one is interested in the thread topic it always seems that about 90% of the posts are pointless and off topic. Yes including this one.

In message , Michael Jones writes

It's the off-topic chat that gives a group its groupness. That includes pedantry, nitpicking and a reasonable amount of trolling.

Sadly I've forgotten exactly what What's Brewing called Roy, but anyway there's no need to take his grumbles too seriously.

If I might belatedly join in the pedantic fun, that should be try /to/ improve your grammar.

d.

I've no idea when it was delivered, This was Friday, I assumed it was some that had been held back for the later evening session. As it was being served at Camra's premier national event I don't think it unreasonable of me to expect beer to be served in good condition.

We just had a similar experience with Pale Rider in Leicester, all 3 pints were promptly returned to the bar and exchanged for something properly matured.

My GBBF experience was much,much worse. I had to have the unfermented malt extract pretending to be a Stonehenge beer tipped away, still green on the Saturday but being served.

At least the pub has the excuse that the manager was on holiday and they took the beer off immediately (so I wont name it). No such excuse for GBBF and they did nothing about the syrup ;(

In article , Sue writes

They honoured me with the title, 'the uncrowned king of Grumpy Old Men'.

Stonehenge do a number of beers brewed to old recipes. One such was a green beer - coloured green, but not by vegetable dye, but one of the ingredients. Also they did a beer flavoured with alecost, a traditional brewing herb. This beer was, to my palate, almost intolerably sweet, because they had used a recipe that predated the use of hops in this country. I reckon you had this beer, and if you did, then no wonder they "did nothing about the syrup".

We just can't win. I well remember being slagged off something rotten for not having additional supplies of the beer that won BOTY brought in and on sale at the festival. IIRC it was Cottage's Norman Conquest, a 7% beer that to my certain knowledge had not been brewed for 6 months (this was in the days before we had a Winter Beer of Britain). At the time I was running a beer agency, and we knew for a fact that we could not get the beer for at least a week while they brewed it again, and that if we did get it at that time, it would taste nothing like an old ale that had had 6 months maturing in the cask, which is what Norman's Conquest had had. Much aggro ensued, both for my business and the beer festival.

And so we changed the procedure. If a beer wins Champion Beer of Britain we immediately despatch a wagon to the brewery to get some more of the beer so that we can have more of it on sale after the buggers drink all the original stuff.

And so we get slagged off for not having allowed this beer to condition on the stillage long enough. Perhaps we should go back to the old days and not bother bringing stuff down to the festival to keep those who can't get there until late on happy.

In message , Christine writes

Unfortunately for your little attempt at distraction the beer was not the green coloured one, it was probably Danish Dynamite (but its been a while). But of course you knew what I meant by green but decided evasion was better than explanation.

Before jumping in with both feet I think you ought to re-read the text Paul. The explanation was of "a number of beers..." One such was a green beer..." and as a separate sentence: "Also they did a beer flavoured with alecost..."

No attempt to mislead evade or distract that I can see, and just to add to the fun you can't actually remember which beer it was anyway (except it wasn't coloured green). Perhaps it was indeed one of the unhopped recipes.

In message , Steven Pampling writes

Paul has a need to win every argument. Get a hogshead in before you start with him, because you could still be going when next year's staffing form comes!

In message , Christine writes

You can't have a set procedure for that, and you've shown why - it depends what the beer was and what's available. Punters are going to feel frustrated if they can't get a pint of the champion. Maybe we aren't good at explaining why, but on the other tentacle, many punters aren't good at coping with frustration.

That's what the festival quotes board's for:-

Staff (from Battersea, never been here before, "volunteered" at the door): "Apparently they're saving the last one for tomorrow"

Punter (looks & sounds like John Cleese): "But its champion beer of the festival, why didn't you order more of it? Eh? Eh?!?"

Staff: "Didn't know what'd win, did they?"

Cleese:"It's Just Not Good Enough!!!"

In message , Roy Bailey writes

The crown'd be a flat cap with pointy bits, lined with whippet fur.

Or maybe lined with hair shirts, I'll have a word with the committee.