:lol: There's no point in shaving some parmesan over the salad then?Quote:
Originally Posted by Emil Miller
Look out for the Brooklyn lager it's worth a go.
I'm just finishing my Duvel, putting off the moment when I have to surrender another day.
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:lol: There's no point in shaving some parmesan over the salad then?Quote:
Originally Posted by Emil Miller
Look out for the Brooklyn lager it's worth a go.
I'm just finishing my Duvel, putting off the moment when I have to surrender another day.
Just had a couple of biscuits and a jasmine tea to relax after a nasty incident when my neighbour's cat walked in with a large gash in the side of its neck.
The neighbour wasn't in so I took it to the vet to get it cleaned up and given an antibiotic injection. A cup of tea is always welcome after something like that.
Anyway, I have just googled Brooklyn lager and it has quite an interesting background, so If I decide to go to the supermarket today, I'll try to get hold of a bottle.
coffee at my local cafe, the idiot me just found out that I can connect to the internet there.
I am eating pastrami flavoured Bagel Chips and drinking Theakston's Old Peculiar. This will be followed by a bottle of Duvel and also one of Brooklyn lager.
Oh super, you managed to get a Brooklyn lager then? I'm somewhat jealous I think it is a fine little drink and I am hoping to get hold of one or two tomorrow. You must report back.Quote:
Originally Posted by Emil Miller
I'm going with the Leffe Blonde tonight, just two or three bottles because I have a full-on day tomorrow, work followed by uni, so must be semi-fresh I suppose. Work and all of that is such a bore. Instead I'm thinking of making money by playing quiz machines and selling bananas.
I was surprised to see that Sainsbury's stocked Old Peculiar as it's not available in Waitrose where I normally shop; neither is Brooklyn although they do stock Fursty Ferret. I wouldn't recommend Old Peculiar as it is a dark beer and only for those of catholic tastes. The Brooklyn was quite strong and had a good body: unlike those French and Italian lagers such as Peroni which, for the most part, seem to be made for women and children; the words weak and insipid spring to mind. Brooklyn is described on the bottle as a pre-prohibition beer which I think must be a different recipe and post-dates the original brew that, ironically, was started by two men who made it secretly for themselves when working in Saudi Arabia, which doesn't allow alcohol at all.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neely
The work front is something I no longer have to put up with thank God. It wasn't so much the work as the getting there with all those glum (none glummer than mine) faces on public transport five days a week. Some of the work was quite interesting but you will never beat doing your own thing and the nine to five ritual runs contrary to human nature in my view. It's the ritualistic nature of work that's most disturbing and nothing makes a person feel only a number than being part of the rush hour where human beings are literally swept along in a great mass of people whose individuality has been totally submerged in pursuit of the bare necessities. Obviously this is the price we pay for living in a structured society as opposed to one of dissolution which has all kinds of other horrors but, providing they don't resort to criminality and live off everyone else, I do admire those people who turn their back on the whole issue and are able to live according to their lights rather than simply exist. That's one reason why The Moon and Sixpence is my favourite novel.
Yes Old Peculiar is a beer that you can usually get hold of without too much difficulty. I was going to say that I probably wouldn’t have drunk it before the Duval personally, because of the contrasts in taste and style, but no major harm.
I agree lager beers like the Peroni/San Miguel are light fizz in comparison and not worth bothering with at all. That Brooklyn lager is a whole different thing and it makes me want to try more of the specialist American brews, probably only available in more specialist pubs like my own Devonshire Cat. Here they have an extensive range 20+ American beers probably more so, or equal to, the Belgian varieties – prices have rocketed this year though, some as much as 50-100% in the last 12 months.
I more than agree with your points about work. It disenfranchises individuality, but as you say it is the price we have to pay, seemingly.
Right now I am drinking water from a cooler machine but thinking of Brooklyn…
a cup of tea.
I am enjoying an egg salad with prawns, which rather rules out red wine, so I have got a Domaine Louis Moreau 2008 Chablis to go with it; a bit pricey but a very nice wine that compliments the meal admirably.
After a 15+ hour day I feel I am well within my rights to quickly down a Brooklyn beer and then an Organic Westons.
!5+ hour day! No wonder you reached for the booze. I am at the keyboard eating some 'steak and ale pie' crisps would you believe, and they are being washed down with Fullers 1845 Ale which is very flavoursome indeed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neely
Next in line is a Ruddles county ale which I used to drink regularly before it became something of a rarity in pub draught beers. I also have a Brooklyn lined up as I went to the supermarket again today, ostensibly because my cat was getting low on Go Cat. My neighbour knocked to say thanks for taking care of his injured cat yesterday and insisted on buying me a bottle of wine as recompense. I said as long as it was red and from Europe anything would be OK: this in the wake of a news broadcast about large amounts of fake Blossom Hill Australian wine being discovered because the fraudsters had misspelled Australia on the label. You couldn't make it up.:D
:lol: It does raise the question though if the fake stuff actually tasted better than the real thing in the case of Blossom Hill. I say 15+ hour day, this is true with work and uni (not getting in while 10.50pm!) but it did include a pub lunch in-between, naturally, where's the expenses account when you need it? A 13/14 hour day today; a lazy one, an Easter break now though and just three sessions after that and I'm done with all that nonsense.
I'm glad the trip to purchase Go Cat resulted in some quality beer. I have not had the Fullers 1845, I've had other Fuller brews but not that one I think, I'll keep an eye open. I'm not a fan of the Ruddles County, too much of a standard session beer, but it might be better in bottles, they can be totally different brews, take for example the pretty good ale Black Sheep, it's a standard session ale (4.2%) on tap, but about 5% and a whole better drink from the bottle. Glad next door neighbours cat is well.
Currently, I've just had a Leffe (which went down well) and now I've just cracked open a Brooklyn.
I should apologise for misreporting that Blossom Hill was the wine involved when it was actually Jacobs Creek. As this is an American website, some might take offence that one of the best selling Californian wines was mentioned in error. Nevertheless I think Blossom Hill is a rather twee name for a wine, it's obviously aimed at the distaff side of the market; the wife of a friend drinks it but only at mealtimes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neely
I think that Ruddles fell out of favour down here because its countrified persona was at odds with the cosmopolitanism of London where lager rules the roost, except for those who really know their beer. A plethora of spotty youths means that any beer that hasn't been implanted in their shallow mindset by mass advertising is beyond their ken and, consequently, Fosters, which is the equivalent of the Sun in journalistic terms, sells more than most decent beer sales added together.
There is a criticism of your last post in the serious discussions thread that touches on this subject but perhaps you have already seen it.
I'm about to sink a Titanic Iceburg. I hope it goes down well.
I'm also thinking about the Pickled Partridge I have safely stuffed away in the fridge, that and the Dark Lord and the blonde, and the...and the...
I also have a top tip for you all in the National tomorrow. V-neck. Apparently it's an excellent jumper.
(I texted that one to my brother earlier and this was his reply: "OK, thanks I've not looked at the horses yet I'll keep that in mind. Do you fancy a drink tomorrow?")
Titanic used to be sold on draught in London but I haven't seen it around for a couple of years. I must say that whatever the name of the horse, if I were to back the animal it would come in last. I never bet on anything other than certanties, which means I don't bet at all. Nothing ventured, nothing lostQuote:
Originally Posted by Neely
would seem to be the best option.
"Do you fancy a drink tomorrow?" must be the most rhetorical question known to man.
I'm back on the white wine for this evening, a simple Soave 2010 from the reliable vintners Pasqua of Verona.
Oh yes, backing winners in the National is neigh on impossible.
Lays French Cheese
A Gouda cheese sandwich and a mug of Green tea.
However, Neely did it, to the grand old sum of £1ew at about 20/1! Beer money!Quote:
Originally Posted by Neely
I've just had a light pasta and spinach salad (my own spinach) and washed it down with Copella apple juice - the best apple juice in town!
Does that mean you grew your own Spinach?Quote:
Originally Posted by Neely
I have dined on salad and Beaujolais-Villages 2009 from the celebrated vineyard of Louis Jadot, which was reduced by a couple of pounds and very fulsome and fruity it is: Burgundy to suit any but the most refined of palates, and I'm hoping it guaranties a good night's sleep after watching the Masters golf championship at Augusta.
Black beans and rice and a nice refreshing glass of cherry limeade.
Yes I have a row of Spinach on the front. I like flowers and all of that business (have some nice tulips) but you can't eat them. I like my garden to at least give me something back aside from visual enjoyment. I have on the go: tubs of carrots starting, three large potato barrels, some lettuce, beetroot, strawberry plants, some leeks in the borders, various herbs, some inch high tomato plants and two chili plants.Quote:
Originally Posted by Emil Miller
I would have thought that the wine was not needed to send you to sleep after watching golf. I'm pretty sure I've had that wine before. It's a little light for my taste in red wine. I think that's because I like the more heavy body reds. When I have red wine it is always drank with heavy food though, red meats, spicy stuff, pizza etc.
(Oh, I also have garlic and three onions.)
Oatmeal raisen crisp with almond milk
Nuts.
Raisin' Hell with Creamy Buttered Raisin Toast - then on to the Pears and Neapolitan Icecream (Chocolate, Vanilla, and Pink), a Hot Cuffee (Moccha Chocolate and STRONG Coofee from Amaraikakka Ammayaa Beans - rrrrrreallly Gooodd fr ththe nnnnnnnnerrrrvessss!)))
Mmmm, nice tea. I've just had a massive steak (well done) cooked in garlic and onions, boiled potatoes (well done until they are almost crumbled with lots of butter), a bit of spinach and chives for a salad. I washed this down with a large glass of Canti Italian red.
For dessert I had a large portion of Tesco value triffle.
Off to the opera in a bit, Mozart's Tito!
cup of tap water.
I've just finished the rest of that average sort of red after greatly enjoying the opera tonight. I love the ETO - great organisation.
I am just finishing an Italian salad and drinking a wine from Fronton in the South West of France, it's Chateau Bouissel 2008 and organically produced.
It won a gold medal from the French ministry of agriculture in 2010 and is a super little red. Lighter than a Burgundy and very flavoursome.
That sounds pretty good actually, though I prefer a bit of body on my wines like my...oh, never mind.Quote:
Originally Posted by Emil Miller
I have myself just finished off a bottle of red, but not a very good one - why can't I get hold of decent wine? Something called Frontera, from Chile, it couldn't have been any good at £4+ but there were really nothing much else to go with, only Australians and cheap US wines (despite having a "choice" of about 20/30 wines) no French, no Italian etc - never mind, it wasn't particularly bad, just nothing special.
I think that I have had the taste for red wine because of the excellent opera last night (where you pay £3.80 for a wee glass, and it wasn't up to the mark!?! - a whole mm off). I always drink wine at the opera and it has followed into today.
I might go one extra and finish off the day with a Leffe, I don't have to get up in the morning anyway - I've even took the bin out. Oh the joy.
What are those Paul Mason thingy funny top wines like?
I agree that, as a food person, you should drink appropriately well-bodied wines with your meals and French for preference. As for Paul Masson, as with American wine in general, don't go there. Here is an extract from a website that tells you all that you need to know:
The Paul Masson brand is best remembered for its 1970s marketing association with Orson Welles, who promised for Masson: "We will sell no wine before its time." An infamous outtake for one commercial from the Orson Welles campaign features Welles attempting to deliver his lines while very severely inebriated. Despite a lucrative contract which included a clause allowing for generous quantities of free wine, Welles was subsequently sacked from the Paul Masson commercials in the early 1980s after admitting on a US talk show that he never drank Paul Masson wine.
This is understandable considering that Welles was a worldly personage who had probably wined and dined in the best restaurants in Europe and had drunk the most exquisite wines such as the US had never known.
In the words of P.T.Barnum: "There's a sucker born every minute," and the enormous scale of American advertising clearly demonstrates the veracity of his statement.
Interesting, I didn't know it had so much history and connection to Orson Welles! I'm not surprised that it's a poor wine though. Is it me though or is ther a definite increase in the amount of US/Aus/SA/ wine over tradititional Frence/Italian fair? Whatever, I don't seem to be able to pick up a decent red wine to suit my tastes - only in bars at cost.Quote:
Originally Posted by Emil Miller
I'm surprised that you are unable to get a decent red wine. Surely there's a good range of wines in most supermarkets nowadays. They even stock high quality wines in a special rack. My neighbour bought me a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape yesterday for taking care of his cat and although it's about £16 per bottle it's an excellent wine that goes very well with cooked meats and is available in most stores. It's a long time since I last drank it but I remember how good it was. The Oddbin chain of shops has gone into liquidation due to losing trade to the supermarkets, so there's another outlet that was always good for interesting wines that will shortly be missing from the high street.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neely
The trouble with New World wines is that they lack the class of their European counterparts. They are either too sweet, as in the case of American wines, or they are rather insipid and lacking in body. I haven't had one that I really liked and some have been awful. It's true that they are taking over the market but it's because most people don't know anything about wine and go for the cheapest and most heavily advertised brands. As you know, it's exactly the same story with beer although, if you are prepared to pay the price, there are some good bottled beers available.
Peppermint tea and an apple fritter. Yum.
I have just finished drinking a (dare I say it ) Fursty Ferret ale accompanied by pastrami flavoured Bagel Chips. Sitting atop the lazer printer is a bottle of Blandford Fly, not to be confused with Spanish Fly which is another thing entirely.
Hey, hey Fursty Ferret (though I think I have gone off it now). Had the Blandford Fly too, that's not bad.Quote:
Originally Posted by Emil Miller
Just had a Duvel and I'm off to the fridge to get another - magnificent. After that, I'm down to stealing Mrs Neely's fizzy cider because there's nothing else left. Don't worry whe doesn't drink anyway. I had a day off drinking last night because I overdid it the night before.
The Fursty Ferret was quite good but the Blandford Fly is absolutely disgusting. It literally tastes like that stuff that kills 99% of household germs.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neely
It will have to be thrown away but I think that, by and large, it is better to stick to lager beers. I should have bought the duvel instead. I also had a night off yesterday because I overdid it with two red wines on consecutive nights ,which really told on me yesterday and I was reduced to drinking pepsicola.
Ha, ha. I might be mixing up the Blandford Fly with something else. If it is the one with ginger in it, I ended up pouring it down the sink. If not, I don't think I minded it, can't remember now.Quote:
Originally Posted by Emil Miller
Yes I have the Duvel but only two and then I'll all out - should have gone up to the Tesco and got some today, but I've not left the house in three joyful days. I'm off to the pub I think tomorrow though, and maybe the library if have to.
Yesterday I was reduced to drinking Jamaica hot Ginger Beer.
Caesar salad, fruit and water.