A Minor 10 Gallon experiment..kick off 7.30am today.

[prodigal2]

I hear he is getting into the pub game, with good english dishes and a good selection of beer, and he does not want to hear the word Gastropub to describe the venture. which is a step in the right direction.

but talk is cheap, we'll see.

[SteveD]

There is no doubt that the general public conception in most countries is that Wine is a loftier drink than beer. Wine is for savouring and appreciating, and beer is to be chucked down the neck cold, when you're thirsty.

The only place where I do not believe this to be the case is in Belgium where beer is accorded the proper respect it deserves. Even in Germany the general public chuck it down their necks without knowing much about what they're drinking. The Czechs are a great beer nation too, but I've never been there, so I can't comment.

But Belgium...beer is served with care and respect, in appropriate glasses, and surroundings. No wonder Michael Jackson is in love with the place. There it is still commonly brewed at gravities we gave up on as we hit the 20th century.

Beer is as noble as wine, more difficult to make, more varied, with a longer history, caused the industrial revolution in this country, and is indeed the foundation upon which civilisation was built...that's what I think. Discuss

Aggh.....got to put the carrots on....will post re last night later!

[SteveD]

ps SteveD...try doing the carrots over the spuds, in a metal colander covered with the lid, they take about 5 mins and taste great. (better than steaming in the microwave )

Yep, I've got a carrot back with a rounded false bottom and two handles on the sides which strangely also works well as a colander!

Totally agree with what you say about wine. The major consideration is location, then, the weather. If they're both good, everything else follows on. With beers, there are far more variables. Also, I think that standing shoulder to shoulder beer wins out in flavour at comparable strengths.

Try a 12% ABV beer next to a 12% ABV wine, both with the same bottle age...see which one has more impact on your tastebuds! Which has more flavours and aromas happening, more body, more mouthfeel. Not the wine, I'll wager, unless it was one costing £100/a bottle.

[Scooby]

You sound like a group of grumpy old me and boring old farts

Get out and enjoy your beer and the pub culture we have here instead of making sweeping statements like 'the trouble with the UK is" or 'try a 12%ABV beer next to a 12% ABV wine", what a load of old crap.

You sound like the fu****g 'hurray henrys' your moaning about.

[SteveD]

You sound like a group of grumpy old me and boring old farts

Get out and enjoy your beer and the pub culture we have here instead of making sweeping statements like 'the trouble with the UK is" or 'try a 12%ABV beer next to a 12% ABV wine", what a load of old crap.

You sound like the fu****g 'hurray henrys' your moaning about.

That's because I am a grumpy old you and a boring old fart. I plan to be enjoying beer and pub culture tomorrow night as it happens. So there It will be a Sam Smiths pub, and not some plastic theme trendy lager hole that passes for a 'pub' these days.

All we were doing was defending beer, m8. Why get irate about that?!

[Belto]

Hi SteveD
waiting in anticipation, or are the carrots getting in the way or Friday night is boy's night?

[Andy]

That's because I am a grumpy old you and a boring old fart.

Quality!

[Scooby]

That's because I am a grumpy old you and a boring old fart.

Quality!

[SteveD]

Ah yes. Hmmmm. Not quite according to plan. The official tasting ceremony was underway and then Jen burnt the lamb curry...irretrievably. This was a first and was due to incorrectly seating the pressure cooker lid thus allowing steam to escape, and therefore the pot never coming up to pressure, with no telltale hissing to tell her to turn the heat down. She forgot..it burnt. I blame the three kids aged between 2.5 and 5 yrs old distracting the womenfolk by re creating WW2 in the living room.

Tasting stops as myself and my 'brewer's acolyte' (Andy) leg it to the takeaway for replacement curry.

Tasting resumes with dinner (take 2). Beers are going down well. The favourite is the Windsor yeast/dry hopped version. The fresh hop aroma and flavour is very noticeable particularly next to the Saf-04/non-dry hopped version, which comes over maltier with a bigger 'middle' and slightly sweeter. In both there is a nice underpinning of bitterness. I like 'em both.

Dinner over then disaster strikes!! 4 pints each and tiredness sets in...we grind to a halt...and sink into a vegetative state on the sofa. The End.

We should have retreated to the shed and stayed there!

[Andy]

4 pints of good beer with a cuzza sounds like a good night to me Steve!

[Scooby]

I've been working hard at becoming a grumpy old man....the perseverance must be paying off

However, I would never say 'the trouble with the UK is.....' I live in England, the lands occupying the British Isles haven't been less united in 300 years and that's fine by me

I'm still only an apprentice have reached the irate stage

[Andy]

I'm still only an apprentice have reached the irate stage

We will nurture you to full grumpyness - it's all part of the service

[SteveD]

Master of Grump be I. You've only got to look at my avatar.

Steve

[SteveD]

4 pints of good beer with a cuzza sounds like a good night to me Steve!

It was, for sure. It's just that usually Andy and I end up as a pair of gibbering giggling wrecks when we hit the sauce. This was quite restrained by comparison.

[prodigal2]

Is it safe to come out????