The beer (and occasionally wine) thread

ddraver

Then you need to go to belgium again...

DeVlaeminck

Like Rick I find a lot of modern craft beers overly hippy or grapefruity - I just don't find them pleasant.

Depends how much I'm drinking - if it's 2-3 pints I'll try some small brewery porters, stouts or whatever dark beers they've got. I used to like Ruddles County back in the day. I tend to avoid anything much over 5% not to avoid getting pissed but I rarely like the taste.

If we are out for the night so 5 pints or more I prefer to stick to what I'd call traditional beers - Bass, Everard's Tiger, Trooper or at a pinch Pedigree are the ones they serve in my regular haunts. Sometimes Burton Bridge do some nice ones. Not sure what category they'd fall under.

If it's hot then a cider or a lager is nice.

orraloon

There is the Trappist Dutchie De Koningshoeven branded as La Trappe.

I've been a regular visitor to West Vlaanderen over past 3 decades 😳, while there it's always sip and enjoy, not chuck pints down yer gullet. Which mode now suits me in UK pubs, like ordering a 1/2 pint of 6.5% + rather than high volumes of 3.9%.

rick_chasey

Mad_Malx said:

ddraver said:

There's this place there that has all the best beer and food . If I recall correctly it's called...erm..."Belgium"

I’m not convinced Vlaamse frites are the pinnacle of culinarily excellence

It is all relative to the Dutch tbf.

Mad_Malx

Everard’s Tiger - that takes me back.
Growing up in the east Midlands those were my introduction to good beers.
I remember Kimberley being good too, but I think now gone.

webboo

I don’t mind these Continental beers but a pint of Wainwrights or Black Sheep is pretty good.

veronese68

Aunt Bessie's beer anyone?
https://www.northernmonk.com/products/aunt-bessies-mixed-pack-4-x-330ml

MidlandsGrimpeur2

Good Lord! Northern Monk are actually a really good brewery. Is this genuine, not some kind of joke or tongue in cheek remark on the more off the wall aspect of 'craft' brewing?

Stevo_666

Beer - maybe. Food - no.

ddraver

Crossing streams somewhat but...

something that is keenly felt in a beer culture built around constant change and some esoteric beers. “We’re seeing less of the crazy beers – the triple IPAs and the 10% pale ales, cans for more than £10, that kind of thing. So we’ll see lower-strength beers and less hypey hops.”

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/aug/19/craft-beer-boom-uk-firms-bust-brexit

skyblueamateur

ddraver said:

Crossing streams somewhat but...

something that is keenly felt in a beer culture built around constant change and some esoteric beers. “We’re seeing less of the crazy beers – the triple IPAs and the 10% pale ales, cans for more than £10, that kind of thing. So we’ll see lower-strength beers and less hypey hops.”

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/aug/19/craft-beer-boom-uk-firms-bust-brexit

Yep. The duty changes, which are mental as well will have a huge impact

bobmcstuff

MidlandsGrimpeur2 said:

Good Lord! Northern Monk are actually a really good brewery. Is this genuine, not some kind of joke or tongue in cheek remark on the more off the wall aspect of 'craft' brewing?

Not the first time NM have done this and yes they are really good

bobmcstuff

gethinceri said:

Deya ales.... too hoppy, ruining the taste and using "IPA" is a misnomer.
Tiny Rebel.... trying to be "in", I'm clearly not.

Deya - that's just like, your opinion, man... They're one of my favourites for that soft chalky NEIPA style. I don't think their use of IPA is particularly any more or less of a misnomer than anyone else's use of it.

Tiny Rebel - I think they're overrated. Happy to drink Clwb tropica. I think the Stay Puft is overrated, there's better sweet stouts out there.

briantrumpet

I'll try to remember to take a photo of the amazing selection of beers in the local U Express - everything from the strong Trappist stuff, through Brewdog, to the several local microbreweries producing organic bottle-conditioned beers. I think if you drank one beer a night, it would take you about six months to try each one.

veronese68

I heard that the French now drink more beer than wine per capita. That surprises me if true

briantrumpet

veronese68 said:

I heard that the French now drink more beer than wine per capita. That surprises me if true

A bit of a generational thing, which isn't good news for wine producers. From the marketing, it certainly seems that beer isn't aimed at oldies.

https://www.vitisphere.com/news-98665-beer-continues-to-gain-ground-compared-with-wine-in-france.html

Up until now, France has been the home of wine enthusiasts who have always outnumbered beer lovers. Every year, the French drink an average 40 litres of wine, compared with 32 litres of beer. But the trend could be reversed.

According to the latest report by the French Observatory for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT), 10.56 litres of pure alcohol were sold in France in 2021 per capita (aged 15 and above), a sharp decline compared with the 26 litres recorded in 1961. The fall is mainly due to the continuous dwindling of wine purchases, which have fallen from 20 to 5.74 litres in 60 years, while beer and spirits consumption remains stable overall, at 2.4 and 2.3 litres respectively.

Of the 6 million hectolitres of pure alcohol marketed in 2021, wine accounts for 54% of the total, beers 23%, spirits 21% and other alcoholic beverages 2% (ciders, port, etc.). According to Kantar panels, the significance of wine in purchases by the French across-the-board fell in favour of beer between 2014 and 2021. The shift is made all the more significant due to the fact that consumers are younger. Among the under-35s, still wines fell from 31% to 23% of beverage alcohol purchases, while beers rose from 24% to 39%. For 35-49 year olds, still wines dropped from 40% to 32%, beers jumped from 17% to 28%. For 50-65 year olds, still wine purchases fell from 50% to 42%, while beer rose from 13% to 18%, and for the over 65s, still wines fell from 55% to 50%, while beer consolidated its position by moving up from 9% to 12%.

briantrumpet

Mind you, the selection of beers here does reflect the enormous number of Dutch tourists that flood the area in the summer. The fact that there's only one token British beer (it used to be Doom Bar) probably isn't surprising, since I've seen just four UK number plates in three weeks, and I'd not be surprised if they were after the Côtes de Rhône anyway.

veronese68

I went to a beer shop in Padova a few years back and the only British beer they had was Tennents. Not the best choice imho.

ddraver

France are still stuck in the "pre-brexit weird" stuff though...

Ah oui monsieur, je prends le "stout de egg fried rice"...

rick_chasey

I’d drink more wine if it was more regularly sold in half bottles.

surrey_commuter

rick_chasey said:

I’d drink more wine if it was more regularly sold in half bottles.

I am struggling with how long you must take to finish a bottle

rjsterry

rick_chasey said:

I’d drink more wine if it was more regularly sold in half bottles.

It will keep till the next day you know.

rick_chasey

surrey_commuter said:

rick_chasey said:

I’d drink more wine if it was more regularly sold in half bottles.

I am struggling with how long you must take to finish a bottle

I struggle to finish a bottle period. Booze doesn't agree with my wife and even if she does partake, it takes most of the week to drink most of it and by the end we have about the final quarter left that's been in the opened bottle for a week.

Can use it for cooking etc, but still.

surrey_commuter

rick_chasey said:

surrey_commuter said:

rick_chasey said:

I’d drink more wine if it was more regularly sold in half bottles.

I am struggling with how long you must take to finish a bottle

I struggle to finish a bottle period. Booze doesn't agree with my wife and even if she does partake, it takes most of the week to drink most of it and by the end we have about the final quarter left that's been in the opened bottle for a week.

Can use it for cooking etc, but still.

you need to buy better wine

ddraver

surrey_commuter said:

rick_chasey said:

surrey_commuter said:

rick_chasey said:

I’d drink more wine if it was more regularly sold in half bottles.

I am struggling with how long you must take to finish a bottle

I struggle to finish a bottle period. Booze doesn't agree with my wife and even if she does partake, it takes most of the week to drink most of it and by the end we have about the final quarter left that's been in the opened bottle for a week.

Can use it for cooking etc, but still.

you need to be an alcoholic

Ftfy...

webboo

rick_chasey said:

surrey_commuter said:

rick_chasey said:

I’d drink more wine if it was more regularly sold in half bottles.

I am struggling with how long you must take to finish a bottle

I struggle to finish a bottle period. Booze doesn't agree with my wife and even if she does partake, it takes most of the week to drink most of it and by the end we have about the final quarter left that's been in the opened bottle for a week.

Can use it for cooking etc, but still.

Get one of those pump and rubber cork sets that pump all the air out. The wine will last a week or so. I’ve seen them being used in vin yards and they are not going use something that would put you off buying their wine.

rick_chasey

webboo said:

rick_chasey said:

surrey_commuter said:

rick_chasey said:

I’d drink more wine if it was more regularly sold in half bottles.

I am struggling with how long you must take to finish a bottle

I struggle to finish a bottle period. Booze doesn't agree with my wife and even if she does partake, it takes most of the week to drink most of it and by the end we have about the final quarter left that's been in the opened bottle for a week.

Can use it for cooking etc, but still.

Get one of those pump and rubber cork sets that pump all the air out. The wine will last a week or so. I’ve seen them being used in vin yards and they are not going use something that would put you off buying their wine.

Yeah I do have one. Only works so much though.

Plus over the week you're not always eating stuff you want red wine with. And I don't like drinking wine on its own.

pblakeney

You need to buy better cheese to go with your better wine. 😉
One bottle of wine is only 6x125ml. Hardly alcoholics for 2 people over several days.

monkimark

A pub near me serves wine by the glass with a gadget that sticks over the top of the bottle with a spike through the cork and then it fills the empty space with Argon as it pours, which is supposed to keep the wine 'fresh'.
No doubt for the price of it, it'd be cheaper to just throw away 1/3 of a bottle each time.

Stevo_666

https://store.bessich.com/en/wine-box-en/merlot-11-box-en

The stuff in boxes lasts 2 months after opening according to this.