Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy

[britbloke]

Good beer, really good beer is on a whole 'nother level to what most Americans consume which is frankly what the Budweiser Clydesdales produce! In England we used to judge a mans level of culture, or lack of same, by his choice of beers and it goes way beyond the light, dark, warm, cold nonsense which is really totally irrelevant.

First you have to know the difference between beer, ale and lager. Beer is really a generic term for any drink brewed from fermented cereals. The terms Ale and Lager refer to the brewing process more than the end product. its all down to the fermentation, lager is produced by a top fermenting process, ale by a bottom fermenting process. The colour and gassiness are irrelant, you could have a dark flat lager or a golden gassy ale.

The real magic enters the picture when you start to consider first the cereal to ferment, then the malt and finally and most importantly, the hops. Hops are a cousin to marijuana and some varieties add psychoactive traces to the beer. There are 'trippy' beers most of them specialist winter brews or rather they were but nowadays modern production methods arising from a more scientific analysis of the whole brewing procedure allows beer of any kind to be made at any time though traditionalists - like me - would argue that the old brewmasters best still beat even the best modern brews.

Making really good ale is as much to do with 'magic' as science and technology. Its like the difference between the very best solid state amplifiers which scope out to perfection and those tube amps made by companies like Quad which though they dont scope out to perfection produce a quality of sound which beats solid state hands down no contest (depending on what you listen to).

Intoxication - which is the whole point of beer - is NOT a simple matter of scrambling your brains with alcohol, the esters (to keep it simple) produced as part of the brewing and fermentation process are what differentiate between the headachy cheap Bud head and the complex layered high of a good ale, one of my favourites is the real ale (NOT the canned export variety) version of Greene Kings Abbott Ale which is a very strong and heady brew.

This business of the subtle esters (Again, to over simplify) is what makes the difference between the choice of someone who really likes and understands their booze from the simple drunk or alcoholic who'll quaff anything that 'does the job'.

Take liquor, for example. There's a vast difference between the variety of Highland single malts and even a good blend like Johnny Walker. Frankly I have to interject that I think Jack Daniels is as much bullshit as Budweiser, its basically swill but marketed with a skill they should have saved for the manufacturing. Wild Turkey or Old GrandDad are far better bourbons.

Esters do more than add subtlety to the taste, they modify the effects of the alcohol and thats where the real magic comes into the picture. A man fortunate enough to own a wide selection of good drinks can pick one that will have the desired effect even on someone - like my wife - to whom alcohol is anathema.

For example if I'm feeling a bit down in the dumps and off colour not wishing to risk a gut full of beer sloshing around to add to my troubles, I'll be considering a good brandy, or a green Chartreuse to soothe the tum and uplift the spirits. I never drink rum unless I think a fight isnt too far off with someone and for the same reason I usually avoid Scottish whiskies except after dinner as a digestive though brandy is preferred.

Each drink or group of drinks has a general kind of effect which you can fine tune knowing your partners susceptibilities, so for example, I avoid giving my wife any of the more aggressive choices and instead look for soporifics.

It used to be that this sort of knowledge was part and parcel of a mans upbringing, my father taught me how to drink wisely and how to gauge what drink to use for which circumstances. I never had his income though so its a skill set I can rarely use and have forgotten most of. We used to brew our own beer too though more for fun than because we needed to. There's so much more to drinking than just getting blasted!

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Good beer, really good beer is on a whole 'nother level to what most Americans consume which is frankly what the Budweiser Clydesdales produce!

Well, of course it is! Bud is right up there with:

In England we used to judge a mans level of culture, or lack of same, by his choice of beers and it goes way beyond the light, dark, warm, cold nonsense which is really totally irrelevant.

Well, I might have to disagree on the temperature thing - that directly influences the impact of the various aromas and hence flavors of the more complex beers. I've had many that simply were not all that good when served erroneously at just above freezing that improved vastly upon warming a just chilled, and quite a few that change in flavor with temperature. Those same esters and all are impacted by temperature quite a bit

modern production methods arising from a more scientific analysis of the whole brewing procedure allows beer of any kind to be made at any time though traditionalists - like me - would argue that the old brewmasters best still beat even the best modern brews.

I think that therre's been a very healthy merging of the two - traditionalists and scientists and that some very fine results have been made available. I do think that palates are in great need of an education though.

green Chartreuse

Use to keep a bottle of that about myself -- got some pear liquors from Germany on the shelf now to try.

It used to be that this sort of knowledge was part and parcel of a mans upbringing...................... There's so much more to drinking than just getting blasted!

Quite!

[Friscosteam]

Good beer, really good beer is on a whole 'nother level to what most Americans consume which is frankly what the Budweiser Clydesdales produce!

To our eternal shame here in STL. Folks have no idea that a trip to Belgium can reap sooooo many rewards... I went in 2008 for a company trip, met a Dutch pal there and while others in the company were sleeping, I went and sampled some fine Belgians like Duvel, etc at the first place... in Antwerp. then we took a lil trip to Brasserie Cantillion in Brussels...

Here in US there are a couple Goose Island, New Belgium, Bells, and so forth that are decent, and Smithwicks too.

It used to be that this sort of knowledge was part and parcel of a mans upbringing, my father taught me how to drink wisely and how to gauge what drink to use for which circumstances.

My dad passed it to me (somewhat) and my boys will get it full monte. Make a HUGE difference!

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Here's a black lager for you all...........Duck Rabbit!

[rogruth]

Rufus,

Where be the clowns?

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Rufus,

Where be the clowns?

The clowns ran away to the circus for awhile,

The face palm lemur seemed more appropriate for the moment.

Rest assured that the clowns will return after a much needed rest.

In the meantime, enjoy some quality beer!

[jlong]

Take liquor, for example. There's a vast difference between the variety of Highland single malts and even a good blend like Johnny Walker. Frankly I have to interject that I think Jack Daniels is as much bullshit as Budweiser, its basically swill but marketed with a skill they should have saved for the manufacturing. Wild Turkey or Old GrandDad are far better bourbons.

The quality of Burbon has as much to do with body chemistry and alergic reactions as it does the way it is stilled. Jack Daniels definately ranks up there with the quality stuff. It is something I can sip straight out of the bottle after two on the rocks and it goes down smooth as silk. No nausea, headaches, etc. Wild Turkey gives me migrains. Old GrandDad marrys me to the toilet seat. Aquaintances I know have the opposite experience.

[britbloke]

Thats a good point John and one I should have realized myself! I apologize for dissing your favourite booze. You are spot on about the way drinks react with different body chemistries. I love Southern Comfort which most of my drinking friends cant stand and say its far too sweet.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Have to say this was a disappointment.....



reminded me of regular, ok, well above average, US beer with a bit of food coloring added, but nothing here to make a Scat jolly unless he drank a case or 2.

[gregj410]

In keeping with Martins theme I've been digging this seasonal ale lately

[Rufus T. Firefly]

A Porter in a can.............and really quite tasty, too!

[MurphOnMillerAve]

This spate of flavored beers apparent these days, even the thick ones called "Mud" are proof the slop tastes awful.
Murph
Jus' sayin...

[Rufus T. Firefly]

What tastes truly awful is that dreadful yellow piss in a bottle/can that gets sold as beer; it's horror is only exceeded by any of the whiz in a bottle/can with the appelation "Light" or "Lite" on the label. You have to drink it at near freezing to kill the taste,

We've forgotten what decent beer and ale really looks, tastes and smells like in the country.

A good Porter or Stout just hits the spot with a decent meal, a televised sporting event, and good read.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

...the whiz in a bottle/can with the appelation "Light" or "Lite" on the label. You have to drink it at near freezing to kill the taste,

Man, that's really true. I've had better tasting green tea than those brewskis.
Of course, it's all just a matter of personal taste, isn't it.
Murph
P.S. For really cutting through the oils and grease of vein-clogging dishes, like pizza (perhaps my favorite food on Earth, besides ice ceam ,) I prefer the chem-lab mysteries of Coca-cola to uncoat the tongue, and let one breathe normally again.

I think it's amazing we manage to stay alive as long as we do.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

......the chem-lab mysteries of Coca-cola....

Whatever they are, I remain a Pepsi addict............