Any of you like drinking ale with your smokes? Personally I do. And IMHO us brits do it best. Old Speckled Hen, Special London Ale, Hen's Tooth, Black Sheep, London Pride, all spring immedialy to mind. All very fine bottled conditioned or on draught, and gutsy enough to stand up to a good smoke. Get some if you can find them.
Any good north american ales or bitters that I'm missing out on?
"You want WHAT on the fu<king ceiling?" - Michelangelo, 1566
I like British beer, and I like the temperature of pub beer. On a warm day, I enjoy a lager. But if I can't have spirits with my cigar, I will want a full-flavored ale, not something light and fizzy. Just my 2 cents.
Posts: 622 | Location: Connecticut | Registered: September 06, 2002
I was stationed in Cornwall for three years and joined a group called Campaign for Real Ale (CamRA). From joining this group I became a huge fan of British ales. One that I'll never forget - even though I wouldn't call it a favorite - is Dog's Bollucks.
My favorite, aside from these types of ales would have to be Guinness, preferably from the tap!
We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made. -M. Acklam
Posts: 780 | Location: New England | Registered: August 03, 2007
Guiness is a funny drink. I used to drink a lot when I lived in London. Now i live in Dublin and barely ever drink it. I just muh preferred London Guiness, it had much more of a bitter kick to it than the St. James' stuff. (I'd say perhaps they had to put buckets of chemicals in it to sterilize the c**p out of the thames water.) Unfortunately for me they stopped making it about 3 or 4 years ago. Now it's all made in Dublin.
Having said that, the smell of roasting barley on the wintry air from St James' down the road is sublime.
"You want WHAT on the fu<king ceiling?" - Michelangelo, 1566
I was stationed in Cornwall for three years and joined a group called Campaign for Real Ale (CamRA). From joining this group I became a huge fan of British ales.
Couldn't agree more SubChop. CAMRA are a great group. And some of their events are just fantastic.
"You want WHAT on the fu<king ceiling?" - Michelangelo, 1566
I remember working one of their events in the winter one year. It started about 10 AM. Just before closing for lunch, the most requested ale was a half pint of "winter warmer" - at about 8% alcohol.
First thing after lunch, the most popular ale was a PINT of the "winter warmer". You can tell the Cornish love their ales
We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made. -M. Acklam
Posts: 780 | Location: New England | Registered: August 03, 2007
Originally posted by did64: Having said that, the smell of roasting barley on the wintry air from St James' down the road is sublime.
Spot on, there's nothing like it. I'm about a mile and half east of it and I often get it. To think Diageo was considering selling James's Gate. As for London Guinness vs the Dublin stuff, I don't know many people who would share your opinion but it's fair enough, it's a matter of what you're used to I suppose. Guinness has ruined me for other stouts and I'm sure there are some very good ones, to me they taste like bad Guinness. When I lived in Liverpool, I didn't try many of the ales. I was a poor student and it was cheap lager for me. Tenants was on the menu a lot, £1 a pint in the students union.
"If it was raining soup, the Irish would go out with forks." Brendan Behan
Posts: 889 | Location: Dublin | Registered: November 29, 2006
Bass is our Prime Minister's favourite beer. Smithwicks is more popular here, I find it a little too sweet. You're in good company though, recognise the bottle at the bottom right of this Manet painting? http://www.uv.es/hmr/manet/manet21.jpg
This message has been edited. Last edited by: AnRyan,
"If it was raining soup, the Irish would go out with forks." Brendan Behan
Posts: 889 | Location: Dublin | Registered: November 29, 2006
Guiness is a classic, of course, but I recently fell in love with the London Pride ESB. They have it available these days in Quebec.
Otherwise, I fancy exploring the different ales from the many regional microbreweries. In the British style ales, I just tried the yearly special vintage ale from St. Ambroise made from Goldings hops and Munich malt. Hmm ! Info here : http://www.mcauslan.com/en/
Don't care for regular Guiness. It's bitter & rather low in alcohol. BUT, in many Caribbean islands, they sell Guiness Foreign Export, which is sweeter & 7.5 % alcohol. That stuff is great.
On leaving college I moved to London. Found it very difficult to like English beer. Then found out that the Scottish beer I had been drinking was extremely bad, but as a student, you did not know any better !! So I found CAMRA bars and had some good real ale. Got a taste for that and loved it. Moved back to Scotland and found out Scotland also had some decent beers- not of course the ones students drink.
I then moved to Dubai where you legally can drink but woul dnot want to drink anything other than a refreshing, but tasteless, larger-type drink. Still it is 5% so good to get a gallon or so down your neck. But no high-spot on the beer's drinkers world map.
Then on to Belgium to live. Different beers again and such a range to choose from. I will say no more as other have already said it - apart from actually being there. Lots of trips around Europe - Germany and Czech to name the best beer spots.
Now I am back in Scotland and the beer has been replaced by malts.
So what have I learnt?
To me the best beer is usually located near where it is brewed. The best beer always come from a barrel (van het vat, of, van de tap in Nederlands). The best beer is always served by somebody who knows how to keep a beer and look after it. But most importantly, the best beer is served when you are with friends.
Best wishes to all. Keep puffin' ... and drinking.
------------------ Hi, I'm Plenty." Bond: "But of course you are." "Plenty O'Toole." Bond: "Named after your father perhaps."
