ADULT BEVERAGES & THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM

[nmhunate]

What the heck is wrong with you all?

Gin is where its at. Gin, gin, gin... it goes down smooth and tastes great!

James Bond did a major disservice to the world when he ordered a vodka martini... A vodka martini! Come on! A martini is Gin and you show the gin to a bottle of vermouth. Not Vodka

[jonesthecurl]

There are three things (and I'm a long-time drinker) I will not drink except if the party has run dry otherwise.
Guiness
Gin (not even the best slightly-blue Geneva or Vickie specials)
Pernod

[tauno]

I usually drink beer ( well, I live in Belgium, it would be foolish not to wouldn't it? ), whiskey when I want something stronger and the occasional absinthe ( but its quite hard to get your hands on a decent bottle where I live, so I have to last a year with the bottles I bring back from France in the summer).

[Backglass]

What the heck is wrong with you all?

Gin is where its at. Gin, gin, gin... it goes down smooth and tastes great!

My wife is a Tanqueray drinker. Personally, I think it smells/tastes like Pine-Sol.


Speaking of "T", while visiting London 8 years ago my wife ordered a Tanqueray & Tonic and the bartender looked at us like we had three heads. "Tanqueray?! What's that?" We ass-u-me'd that this "Imported London Dry Gin" would actually be available in London, but quickly learned it isn't popular in the UK and was made mainly for export to the US, much like Fosters in Australia. It was basically Beefeater or Gordons then. Any Brits confirm or deny this is still the case?

[MrDizzle]

Drinking some 312 right now....not a bad little beer

[jonesthecurl]

In NY yesterday, I had a beer in the ESPN club while the kids were throwing my money into various arcade machines.
The bar staff could tell me no more about the beer than I could see on the pump handle - but it was very nice.
It was a Winter Bourbon Cask Ale.
I guess it was made or kept, or at some point passed through, wooden casks that have been used in the Bourbon-making process. It gives a distinct twang to the beer. I only regret that it was served so cold that half the taste was gone.

Anyone know any more about this one?

[Shatners Bassoon]

Alcoholic perfection....just add ice,coke and lots of fresh lime

[Iz Man]

The bar staff could tell me no more about the beer than I could see on the pump handle - but it was very nice.

The lack of knowledge of the brews barkeeps serve is unfortunate. This even occurs at brew fests, including the immense GABF (Great American Beer Festival), where many servers just don't know anything about what they're serving.
Which is why I'd like to see brew pub & craft brewery bartenders be certified as official "Cicerone Servers". http://www.cicerone.org
I certainly would not apply this to a "Joe's Bar" barkeep; but if you're serving beer at an establishment that say, "prides itself", on its beer selection, you should know what you're serving.
You can take a free 10-question test to see if you qualify as a "Server" on the Cicerone website, BTW.

It was a Winter Bourbon Cask Ale.
I guess it was made or kept, or at some point passed through, wooden casks that have been used in the Bourbon-making process. It gives a distinct twang to the beer. I only regret that it was served so cold that half the taste was gone.
Anyone know any more about this one?

Well two things:
A cask conditioned ale means the beer is unfiltered, unpasteurized, and allowed to naturally develop its carbonation in the keg with the yeast that is left in suspension (sometimes additional yeast is added to "help out"). These are also referred to as "Real Ales".
A pump is used to assist dispensing because CO2 is not used as in "normal" keg dispensing systems. Sometimes they're gravity fed. They must be consumed quickly as oxidation can occur from the air used to pump (once again, as opposed to CO2).
Most Real Ales are on the malty side (versus hoppy), but there are no restrictions as to what can or should be cask conditioned. You're right about the serving temp. If a beer is served too cold, the temp inhibits the flavors. Which is why one needs to drink Coors Light at 33deg F...

Bourbon Barrel aging has become quite popular over the past few years. The wood (oak) lends a great character.
Homebrewers have access to oak cubes or oak chips that we add to the beer to simulate wood barrel aging (barrels can be expensive). Last year I made a Porter (~6.7%ABV) that I added oak cubes to. I soaked the cubes in a fifth of Maker's Mark Bourbon before adding (with the bourbon) to the beer. It turned out to be one of my favorites, and a crowd pleaser too.
Right now I have an English Old Ale (~8.5%ABV) that has some oak that I soaked in Jameson prior to adding. Looking forward to this one....
That "twang" you describe could be contributed to the bacteria (good bacteria) that live in the barrel. These bacteria also help to add a "flair" to beer that is very hard to achieve without aging in a barrel.

They're quite yummy.....old school....just like I like it....

[Megadeth666]

THIS IS FOR YOU IZ

[jonesthecurl]

Beer is evil, I'm trying to defeat it. I've seen off about 2000 gallons so far, but they keep getting reinforcements.

[jonesthecurl]

The bar staff could tell me no more about the beer than I could see on the pump handle - but it was very nice.

The lack of knowledge of the brews barkeeps serve is unfortunate. This even occurs at brew fests, including the immense GABF (Great American Beer Festival), where many servers just don't know anything about what they're serving.
Which is why I'd like to see brew pub & craft brewery bartenders be certified as official "Cicerone Servers". http://www.cicerone.org
I certainly would not apply this to a "Joe's Bar" barkeep; but if you're serving beer at an establishment that say, "prides itself", on its beer selection, you should know what you're serving.
You can take a free 10-question test to see if you qualify as a "Server" on the Cicerone website, BTW.

It was a Winter Bourbon Cask Ale.
I guess it was made or kept, or at some point passed through, wooden casks that have been used in the Bourbon-making process. It gives a distinct twang to the beer. I only regret that it was served so cold that half the taste was gone.
Anyone know any more about this one?

Well two things:
A cask conditioned ale means the beer is unfiltered, unpasteurized, and allowed to naturally develop its carbonation in the keg with the yeast that is left in suspension (sometimes additional yeast is added to "help out"). These are also referred to as "Real Ales".


A pump is used to assist dispensing because CO2 is not used as in "normal" keg dispensing systems. Sometimes they're gravity fed. They must be consumed quickly as oxidation can occur from the air used to pump (once again, as opposed to CO2).
Most Real Ales are on the malty side (versus hoppy), but there are no restrictions as to what can or should be cask conditioned. You're right about the serving temp. If a beer is served too cold, the temp inhibits the flavors. Which is why one needs to drink Coors Light at 33deg F...

Bourbon Barrel aging has become quite popular over the past few years. The wood (oak) lends a great character.
Homebrewers have access to oak cubes or oak chips that we add to the beer to simulate wood barrel aging (barrels can be expensive). Last year I made a Porter (~6.7%ABV) that I added oak cubes to. I soaked the cubes in a fifth of Maker's Mark Bourbon before adding (with the bourbon) to the beer. It turned out to be one of my favorites, and a crowd pleaser too.
Right now I have an English Old Ale (~8.5%ABV) that has some oak that I soaked in Jameson prior to adding. Looking forward to this one....
That "twang" you describe could be contributed to the bacteria (good bacteria) that live in the barrel. These bacteria also help to add a "flair" to beer that is very hard to achieve without aging in a barrel.

They're quite yummy.....old school....just like I like it....

Thanks for the assist - it turns out "cask" and "keg" mean the same as in the UK.

A coupla decades ago, I was a barman for a while, and I earned a gold lapel badge, ironically I don't recall what I had to remember to earn it.

The lever on the tap showed a snowman sitting on a wooden barrel with the afore-mentioned wording.
Brewery or any other details anyone?

[Iz Man]

Beer is evil, I'm trying to defeat it. I've seen off about 2000 gallons so far, but they keep getting reinforcements.

Keep up the fight....the only thing we can do at this point is to keep drinking......

Heavily.......lest we all drown in beer.....

Which reminds me of a story:

October 17, 1814
London, England

A huge vat which held over 135,000 gallons of fermenting beer succumbed to the wounds of age, and let its bounty loose with explosive force. The impact caused several other vats in the same building to rupture, and almost instantly the combined 323,000+ gallons of ale crashed through the brick structure and poured into the London parish of St. Giles...

The impact of this massive wave of beer was disastrous. Men and women were caught in the wave, tossed against walls and buried in debris. The beer completely destroyed two homes, and flooded many others. A wall at a nearby pub crumbled under the force, burying a barmaid there for several hours. Nine people were killed by the drink that day, all but one due to drowning. The ninth died of alcohol poisoning.

BUT WAIT.......THERE'S MORE !!! (the best part, I think)

Soon after the flood, survivors rushed in to save what they could of the precious ale, collecting it in pots, cans, and kettles. Some simply used their cupped hands to lap up the tepid pools of dirty beer.

It took weeks for the stink of beer to completely fade from the area. The brewery was later taken to court over the accident, but the entire event was determined to be an "Act of God" by the judge and jury, leaving no one responsible.

A merciful God......if you're gonna go, might as well be drunk...

[got tonkaed]

you seem like the man to ask...

Im heading over to Tokyo for lunar new year next week, and i figured id try some of the local beer...(alright i didnt figure it per say but its bound to happen). What should i be on the look out for, ive already tried Sapporo.

[Iz Man]

Im heading over to Tokyo for lunar new year next week, and i figured id try some of the local beer...(alright i didnt figure it per say but its bound to happen). What should i be on the look out for, ive already tried Sapporo.

When I was in Japan I lived on Asahi Dry. Of course, this was before I was "saved".....
Asahi Dry is quite popular in Japan, but it won't impress you; at least no more than Sapporo did.
Same goes for Kirin...
Japan has come a long way in producing craft beers though; and while I haven't indulged, here are some you may wish to try that my friends over at http://www.ratebeer.com have talked about:

Harvest Moon Brewery makes a plethora of styles. Including a Valentine Stout, a Barleywine (their highest rated on ratebeer) and a "Yuzu Ale".

A couple other breweries: Hitachino Nest (which seems to be popular over there), Mikuni, and Momokawa.
Now Momokawa is known for their Sake, but I think they make a few beers too, but I'm not sure.
Sake, by the way, is beer, not wine; because it is fermented from grain, not fruit.
Just a nice fun fact to throw in there.

In Tokyo, there's a restaurant/bar called Kura-Rin Ginza Lounge: Niigata Japanesque
website: http://www.swanlake.co.jp/main/kura_rin_ginza_info.htm
If you get a chance to go there, it appears they have a wide variety of craft brews.
Let me know how you did in Tokyo, its been a while since I've been there.
Happy beer-hunting !

[Iz Man]

well if you're going to bump a post so old, it'd better be about drinking......

[notyou2]

Cheers

[KoolBak]

IZ!! Are you back? Miss ya brother.....

[Iz Man]

IZ!! Are you back? Miss ya brother.....

yeah, figured what the heck....
have to spectate a couple of games before I jump back in. Things have changed quite a bit.

[Dukasaur]

well if you're going to bump a post so old, it'd better be about drinking......

http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=200797

[Serbia]

I miss many from this thread.

Bollocks.

[notyou2]

One vote is not enough. I need 5 votes or more in this poll.

[Timminz]

One vote is not enough. I need 5 votes or more in this poll.

I was going to say two (beer and whisky), but after reading the list more thoroughly, I would probably pick wine.

I mean, if bourbon doesn't count as whisky, and wine includes mead and cider...

[2dimes]

You two are doing it wrong. You're not restricted to your choice, that's just not how IZ rolls.

Vote your favorite, then drink any thing you like to celebrate how much you love it, even though at the moment you feel like something else.

Booze freedom!

[nietzsche]

Canadian break.