Guardian - Beer-v-Wine with food.

Following up to Steven Pampling

What marketing bilge have I fallen for exactly? Are you telepathic?

If you are trying to say that this would have been more appropriate:-

then that's fine by me, but irrelevant to my beer drinking.

About 20 years ago one of the 2 giant breweries in Canada (Molson or Labatt, I can't remember which) announced with great fanfares that they were going to brew Loewenbrau under licence. However, they were altering the recipe to suit Canadian tastes!!!!!!!!!!!

Graham

Following up to Graham

yep, the news that something is to be produced under licence instead of imported is likely to be bad news.

Argh! If I hadn't read (some of) this I never would have believed it. Beer. Gack. So much folderol.

Since the thread started with comparison of wine and beer on sale in various outlets I take it we are talking about the available items on sale in various places including the proverbial off-licence.

Like wine there is a lot of tat around which you can conveniently label "lager" but in those same offies you find various items of properly made beer of a style that doesn't match the normal UK standard brew.

To call it lager would be a major insult for the reason I already given (that there is no such thing except in the minds of some Brits) and that it grossly over simplifies the available taste range.

For me "lager" tastes like something the cat left, those continental beer styles are a different story though. My usual tipple is something from a range of UK brews but that doesn't mean it's the only group of beer styles I like.

The discussion started with wine and beers and the globally available styles. Some people persist in labelling the likes of Northampton Carlsberg as "lager" and associating it with beer.

As I have repeatedly said it sullys the word beer to mention it alongside that stuff.

It was an enquiry. I shall make it shorter. Are you trolling?

I don't expect any kind of serious answer of course.

The group seemed suitably polite until this thread.

You seem to be speaking in terms which associate things produced in two different locations to two different recipes as one and the same product.

The thing is that it's not a case of "go to Denmark and drink the decent stuff" the same product appears here in the UK provided you know where to look and what to look for.

Which I think comes back to earlier assertions that there's an awful amount of tat around but since the offies and pubs are more likely to have a decent beer than a decent wine it's easier to find decent beer in the UK.

Back under the bridge please.

Following up to Judith Umbria

well, Judith, you're just plain wrong! :-)

| Argh! If I hadn't read (some of) this I never would have believed it. | Beer. Gack. So much folderol.

Keep it up Judith, Beer Ugh, even the smell makes me feel sick.

Dave F

Following up to Steven Pampling

No problem there.

If I go in the pub that is what will happen. Words mean what usage defines they mean.

This is difficult. It exists. Its what is available. Like McDonalds and burgers, the existence of something better does not make it go away.

Of course i'm not.

Why on earth not?

Same at this end of the xpost.

Following up to Steven Pampling

This may well be so. As I'm not looking I can't comment. I drink bitter and other British beer, wine, whisky and brandy and hate pubs that don't have good bitter. My knowledge of, er, bottom fermented yellow coloured beers does not extend beyond the occasional cold glass in Spain.:-)

PS and gin.

Following up to Steven Pampling

No, Judith is not trolling either, she is in Italy and has never had the benefit of coming off the winter hills and standing at the bar of the Wasdale Head amongst like minded souls taking gulps of Old Peculier (or nowadays the product of their own brewery) while wildly exagerrating deeds of derring do on the hills. It is her loss that she has to get by with Chianti and Amerone, pasta, pizza and truffles served by inplausibly beautiful waiters, we should pity her :-)

Following up to Dave Fawthrop

Get back unbeliever! What do Yorkists know!

Following up to Steven Pampling

while i've got a few minutes spare I can do the serious answer. I don't know why you think that? IIRC I introduced a xpost to food as the thread seemed of common interest, all this lagering nonsense came from various follow ups to my comment explaining what CAMRA etc was all about (to a food subscriber in Italy who has no interest or liking for beer), every syllable of which was jumped on to by various beer ped... er, enthusiasts. ditto hand made shoes, me founding CAMRA and other nonsense. I suggest concentrating on the original and more interesting issue.

Anybody having beer with Xmas lunch? Me? No chance. Champagne, Amerone, Sauturne.

Yes, Cannon Royall's King's Shilling

In message , Reid writes

If my belly isn't too full I intend to have a Grimbergen dubbel with the Christmas pud.

In message , Dave Fawthrop writes

That is because you don't drink, Dave. Well-kept beer is lovely.

In message , Reid writes

I hadn't realised until recently the Courage Best is regarded as real ale. A committee of CAMRA meet regularly in our local pub. Having said all that, the landlady keeps a really excellent pint. I have left in the cross-posting (my usual newsgroup is uk food+drink) as I feel it is relevant.

Old Peculiar is lovely but when in Cumberland I prefer to drink Jennings.

I've not given this much thought, but I will . . . I might have Dogfish Head "Raison d'Etre" with xmas pud (strong Belgie-type ale with Raisins, from an excellent brewpub, microbrewery & micro-distillery in Delaware, US - currently in UK Safeways alongside a few other really good US beers) & for in front of the fire

- a 5+year-old bottle of Westvleteren 12 (rare Belgie Trappist-monk brewed Quadrupel/Barley-wine - poss available from specialists, e.g. White Horse, Parson's Green SW6, or Pitfield Beer Shop, N1 London). I recently found another equally excellent strong belgian monk-brew - Westmalle Tripel at Oddbins; one of only a handful of decent brews on their shelves.

for easier drinking I've got a few to choose & from closer to home - including bottle-conditioned RCH Double Header, new in Asda (but who's bottling it? - do you know Freeminer-Don?), Cain's 2008 Ale (brewed to support & then celebrate Liverpool's Capital of Culture bid/win & currently in Cain's pubs & Thresher's in the NW at least), Taylor's Landlord, & a minikeg of ZeroDegrees Black Lager that's been (ahem) lagering since a year last August & is probably now undrinkable :~) but once was lovely IMO.

I may also open a couple of strong English-brewed "Russian" stouts (one from Harvey's of Lewes a few years back & the other brewed by Courage in 1993).

may your chestnuts never get too close to the fire, & your stout be as black as your christmas is white, Mike'Elfin'McG