What are you eating/drinking right now?

[LitNetIsGreat]

I am eating some Nutty Nibbles and drinking Armagnac brandy which is the oldest brandy in France and according to it's equally old publicity: "It makes disappear redness and burning of the eyes, and stops them from tearing; it cures hepatitis, sober consumption adhering. It cures gout, cankers, and fistula by ingestion; restores the paralysed member by massage; and heals wounds of the skin by application. It enlivens the spirit, partaken in moderation, recalls the past to memory, renders men joyous, preserves youth and retards senility. And when retained in the mouth, it loosens the tongue and emboldens the wit, if someone timid from time to time himself permits."

You won't do better than that, although I don't relish the idea of using it to restore the paralysed member by massage.

Wow that stuff sounds like the stuff.

I'm drinking a bottle of Franziskaner Weissbier. I quite like the wheats at the moment and I might have a few in town tomorrow.

[prendrelemick]

The wife's home made bread.

[Emil Miller]

Wow that stuff sounds like the stuff.

I'm drinking a bottle of Franziskaner Weissbier. I quite like the wheats at the moment and I might have a few in town tomorrow.

Yesterday I was offered an American wheat beer called Blue Mountain but as I haven't drunk weissbier for some time I don't recall whether I liked it or not, so I had a Stella instead.

[Heidy]

Yes, i am so nervous because of admission test for university that i have eaten the whole cookie pach. That was my luncheon :P

[LitNetIsGreat]

Tea, toast and jazz at the moment (Twinnings and wholemeal) because I'm having a break in proceedings, but when I get back to it I'm going to have a Golden Hen and maybe another Brooklyn lager. I must say that for a while I have been impressed by the American 'craft' beers, the ones that I can get hold of that is. I had an Anchor Steam beer today famous in San Francisco, apparently, which grew on my as it went down. The Brooklyn beers aren't bad though, the Brooklyn Brown is pretty good. If I had to stick to only one English beer at the moment is would definitely be the Golden Hen, top beer.

[Paulclem]

I celebrated the start of the premiership today with a Kloppenburg Pear cider. I followed up, a bit later, with some peanut M&Ms.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm crunchy.

[Emil Miller]

Tea, toast and jazz at the moment (Twinnings and wholemeal) because I'm having a break in proceedings, but when I get back to it I'm going to have a Golden Hen and maybe another Brooklyn lager. I must say that for a while I have been impressed by the American 'craft' beers, the ones that I can get hold of that is. I had an Anchor Steam beer today famous in San Francisco, apparently, which grew on my as it went down. The Brooklyn beers aren't bad though, the Brooklyn Brown is pretty good. If I had to stick to only one English beer at the moment is would definitely be the Golden Hen, top beer.

Yes steam beer features in Frank Norris's great novel about San Francisco 'McTeague' which is where I first came across the beer.
Here's the opening to the story:

It was Sunday, and, according to his custom on that day, McTeague took
his dinner at two in the afternoon at the car conductors' coffee-joint
on Polk Street. He had a thick gray soup; heavy, underdone meat, very
hot, on a cold plate; two kinds of vegetables; and a sort of suet
pudding, full of strong butter and sugar. On his way back to his office,
one block above, he stopped at Joe Frenna's saloon and bought a pitcher
of steam beer. It was his habit to leave the pitcher there on his way to
dinner.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Yes steam beer features in Frank Norris's great novel about San Francisco 'McTeague' which is where I first came across the beer.
Here's the opening to the story:

It was Sunday, and, according to his custom on that day, McTeague took
his dinner at two in the afternoon at the car conductors' coffee-joint
on Polk Street. He had a thick gray soup; heavy, underdone meat, very
hot, on a cold plate; two kinds of vegetables; and a sort of suet
pudding, full of strong butter and sugar. On his way back to his office,
one block above, he stopped at Joe Frenna's saloon and bought a pitcher
of steam beer. It was his habit to leave the pitcher there on his way to
dinner.

Oh great, it's not just advertising lies then? I didn't think it was but you never know. Yes I could have a pitcher of the beer myself as it was quite good, light and refreshing, uncomplex but a nice subtle after taste, very drinkable, not too dissimilar to Golden Hen actually.

[Emil Miller]

Oh great, it's not just advertising lies then? I didn't think it was but you never know. Yes I could have a pitcher of the beer myself as it was quite good, light and refreshing, uncomplex but a nice subtle after taste, very drinkable, not too dissimilar to Golden Hen actually.

I didn't know that steam beer was available over here but now that I do I think I will try it as a salute to a great American novel.

[LitNetIsGreat]

I didn't know that steam beer was available over here but now that I do I think I will try it as a salute to a great American novel.

It's probably not easy to find, though I'm sure you will be able to find it some place in London, probably in some decent real ale shop somewhere or specialist pub. I've only ever seen it available at the Devonshire Cat in Sheffield, which is by far the most well stocked place here, perhaps even in the whole of Yorkshire? We're talking about 120-140 beers most of which come served in it's own glass (as the steam ale did) at the correct temperature with attractive and knowledgeable barmaids as standard! Though while you think that must be heaven, and it is my church, the atmosphere inside is very hit and miss - light jazz and quiet one day, pop music and football crowds the next?? Nevertheless the beer choice is unsurpassed.

Edit: It's not an overwhelming beer, you won't drink it and think 'wow' like you might with some of the Belgians, but it does grow on you with ever sip subtly. At least that was my impression of it anyway. I imagine that if you drank pitchers and pitchers of it over time it would be very addictive stuff.

[prendrelemick]

A Warburton crumpet. Has anyone else tried these? They have slipped the surly bonds of crumpethood and soared to sublime new heights. Like chewing on hot buttered clouds.

[Buckthorn]

I love crumpets but rarely eat them for some reason, I am having them each night at the moment as my bedtime snack (although I am having Kingsmill rather than Warburtons).

[prendrelemick]

kingsmill are fine as a step along the path of enlightenment toward the crumpet Nirvana of a Warburtons no1 Thick and Fluffy.

[qimissung]

McDonalds hot cakes and sausage. Not bad, actually. And coffee, yum.

[Emil Miller]

It's probably not easy to find, though I'm sure you will be able to find it some place in London, probably in some decent real ale shop somewhere or specialist pub. I've only ever seen it available at the Devonshire Cat in Sheffield, which is by far the most well stocked place here, perhaps even in the whole of Yorkshire? We're talking about 120-140 beers most of which come served in it's own glass (as the steam ale did) at the correct temperature with attractive and knowledgeable barmaids as standard! Though while you think that must be heaven, and it is my church, the atmosphere inside is very hit and miss - light jazz and quiet one day, pop music and football crowds the next?? Nevertheless the beer choice is unsurpassed.

Edit: It's not an overwhelming beer, you won't drink it and think 'wow' like you might with some of the Belgians, but it does grow on you with ever sip subtly. At least that was my impression of it anyway. I imagine that if you drank pitchers and pitchers of it over time it would be very addictive stuff.

I ran into a neighbour in the supermarket today and he loaded up about two dozen bottles of an American beer called Sierra Nevada that were being sold cut price for a limited time. It seems that American beers are making increasing inroads to the UK market.