Purchase question
 

dave weil wrote:
On Mon, 23 May 2005 16:35:52 GMT, (Don Pearce)
wrote:

There are certainly areas in the US that are beer wastelands with
nothing available but Budmillorcoors, but visiting somewhere like
Portland OR will quickly change your mind about American beers.

I don't think Belgium beats the UK for variety.

Probably not. But they still produce what I think are the two
ultimate
beers, the Lambic and the Trappist ale.

I'd say that the US far surpasses the UK interms of variety though.
You can get anything from hefeweissen to IPAs. Every world style is
covered somewhere in pretty large quanties in the US. It's hard to
make that case for the UK. Still, the UK has some of what I would
call
"ultimate" versions of certain styles like brown ale and stout. It's
hard to beat Samuel Smith and Guinness, two brands that are available
(if not nearly as good, especially Guinness) here in the US.

I used to love Guinness. Now that new carbonated bomb stuff tastes
like ****. Sam Adams Stout is far more palatable IMO.

ScottW

Purchase question
 

ScottW wrote:

I used to love Guinness. Now that new carbonated bomb stuff tastes
like ****. Sam Adams Stout is far more palatable IMO.

ScottW

Don't feel too bad. The real stuff is still only sold in Europe.
And, yes, real Guinness at a pub is like nothing they sell over
here.

Purchase question
 

dave weil wrote:
On Mon, 23 May 2005 16:19:22 GMT, Briel wrote:

In article ,
says...

"George M. Middius" wrote in message

Nath said:

Still spending your dole on ale for the mates?

At least we have real beer, not your **** flavoured attempt at
it...

American beers and ales are now the best in the world.

George, please tell me you were high when you made the above
assertion.

While I wouldn't go so far as George in his praise of American
beers,
there is no doubt that the craft brewing industry in the US has
created
a beer scene with more diversity and quality than any country
outside of
Belgium.

There are certainly areas in the US that are beer wastelands with
nothing available but Budmillorcoors, but visiting somewhere like
Portland OR will quickly change your mind about American beers.

First of all, ale IS beer.

Second of all, I would say that many American beers are now AMONG the
best in the world. There are planty of really fine beers being
produced here. Still, subject to the fact that this is opinion, the
most sterling examples of the different styles still reside in other
countries for the most part. Steam beer would be the only
counter-example that I can think of.

However, the beer industry in the US has come light years in the past
two decades. With beers like Sierra Nevada and Anchor Steam, it's
been
shown that America can mass-produce beers of world class quality.

Sierra Nevada is ****. Beer has to pass the aftertaste test and after
3 Sierras I'm wondering who puked in my mouth and kicked me in the
head. My sister-in-law left a case of Sierra Oktoberfest Ale in my
frig. I couldn't give that nasty crap away. I'd rather drink Killians
Red than Sierra Nevada.

Stone Brewery's Arrogant ******* Ale has more flavor, doesn't taste
like crap after a couple and isn't an instant headache. Newcastle is
unusually smooth for an ale which I admire but certainly won't impress
in the sip and taste contests.

And,
as noted, there is a multitude of micro-breweries that offer world
class product that produce smaller quantities of great beer. We
probably have the most vibrant and adventurous beer industry in the
world at the moment. Yet, the shelves are FULL of mediocre beer just
waiting to be quaffed by uneducated US consumers.

In my humble town of Nashville, there are FIVE microbreweries that
offer fresh beer in a multitude of styles, brewed right on the
premises and pumped directly from the holding tanks into the glass.

Couldn't count 'em in San Diego. There are pizza parlors out here
brewing their own. The county fair has a major home brew contest with
hundreds of entries.
I think there are at least 5 home brew hobby centers around town.

One of them even offers a daily selection of cask-conditioned
British-style ale served at an approriate cellar temperature. They
produce only a pony keg a day and when it's gone it's gone (it
usually
only lasts about 2 hours max). That particular brewery is one of only
a handful of breweries in the world that produced the old German
style
stone beer. It's always available in sufficient quantites to be
offered as a standard menu item.

Microbrewery has lost some meaning. Stone Brewery and Karl Strauss
like to call themselves micro while brewing a lot of beer. As far as I
am concerned, if you can buy a 6 pack of it in the store... it ain't
micro brewed.

ScottW

Purchase question
 

On 23 May 2005 11:07:36 -0700, "ScottW" wrote:

Sierra Nevada is ****. Beer has to pass the aftertaste test and after
3 Sierras I'm wondering who puked in my mouth and kicked me in the
head. My sister-in-law left a case of Sierra Oktoberfest Ale in my
frig. I couldn't give that nasty crap away. I'd rather drink Killians
Red than Sierra Nevada.

Well, that's your opinion. I happen to like their Pale Ale. A lot.
It's got just the right amount of hops for a Pale Ale.

I've never drunk their Oktoberfest.

Purchase question
 

On 23 May 2005 11:07:36 -0700, "ScottW" wrote:

Microbrewery has lost some meaning. Stone Brewery and Karl Strauss
like to call themselves micro while brewing a lot of beer. As far as I
am concerned, if you can buy a 6 pack of it in the store... it ain't
micro brewed.

Microbrew has a certain technical meaning which isn't bound by law but
has a pretty common shared expectation among those who care. Some
companies like Sam Adams abuse the term. But I disagree about not
being able to buy their (microbrews) product in the store. To me, it's
more about the care taken in the brewing process. And there are plenty
of "small" breweries like Flying Dog and Abita that have a fairly wide
spread of distribution but still offer a fine, wellmade, almost craft
beer product.

BTW, San Diego is a pretty large place so it's no wonder that they
have a lot of microbrews. I'll say this though, from reading about the
city on wait peoples' sites, it's a horrible restaurant town full of
undertipping guests. Most wait people don't like working there. I've
read quite a few disses of the place.

Purchase question
 

In article ,
dave weil wrote:

On 23 May 2005 11:07:36 -0700, "ScottW" wrote:

Sierra Nevada is ****. Beer has to pass the aftertaste test and after
3 Sierras I'm wondering who puked in my mouth and kicked me in the
head. My sister-in-law left a case of Sierra Oktoberfest Ale in my
frig. I couldn't give that nasty crap away. I'd rather drink Killians
Red than Sierra Nevada.

Well, that's your opinion. I happen to like their Pale Ale. A lot.
It's got just the right amount of hops for a Pale Ale.

I like the Pale Ale, and the Porter, too.

I've never drunk their Oktoberfest.

I've never heard of it, but some dude at beeradvocate.com doesn't seem
to like it: "Astringent."

Better to wait for the Celebration Ale.

Stephen

Purchase question
 

dave weil wrote:
On 23 May 2005 11:07:36 -0700, "ScottW" wrote:

Microbrewery has lost some meaning. Stone Brewery and Karl Strauss
like to call themselves micro while brewing a lot of beer. As far
as I
am concerned, if you can buy a 6 pack of it in the store... it ain't
micro brewed.

Microbrew has a certain technical meaning which isn't bound by law
but
has a pretty common shared expectation among those who care. Some
companies like Sam Adams abuse the term. But I disagree about not
being able to buy their (microbrews) product in the store. To me,
it's
more about the care taken in the brewing process. And there are
plenty
of "small" breweries like Flying Dog and Abita that have a fairly
wide
spread of distribution but still offer a fine, wellmade, almost craft
beer product.

BTW, San Diego is a pretty large place so it's no wonder that they
have a lot of microbrews. I'll say this though, from reading about
the
city on wait peoples' sites, it's a horrible restaurant town full of
undertipping guests.

Horrible restaurants getting undertipped. Oh the horror!

Tourist town. I thought the service in the SD tourist districts was
crap when I first moved here too. I guess people from all over the
country agree with me. Amzed me they could be so bad and still have
lines waiting. Too much demand = poor service I guess.


Most wait people don't like working there. I've
read quite a few disses of the place.


Why don't you tell 'em what you pull down in Nashville? I'm sure
that would that would shut them up.

ScottW

Purchase question
 

On 23 May 2005 13:41:29 -0700, "ScottW" wrote:

Horrible restaurants getting undertipped. Oh the horror!

Well, it's your town. I'm sorry that you suffer horrible restaurants.

Purchase question
 

MINe 109 wrote:
In article ,
dave weil wrote:

On 23 May 2005 11:07:36 -0700, "ScottW"
wrote:

Sierra Nevada is ****. Beer has to pass the aftertaste test and
after
3 Sierras I'm wondering who puked in my mouth and kicked me in the
head. My sister-in-law left a case of Sierra Oktoberfest Ale in my
frig. I couldn't give that nasty crap away. I'd rather drink
Killians
Red than Sierra Nevada.

Well, that's your opinion. I happen to like their Pale Ale. A lot.
It's got just the right amount of hops for a Pale Ale.

I like the Pale Ale, and the Porter, too.

I'll have to try the Porter. The Pale Ale has gotten so popular the
last few parties I went to had kegs of it... noticed everyone quit
drinking beer pretty early. The women mostly hated it and made a
tequila run, once the blender was running and the shots flowing the keg
lost attention. I know its nothing special but I've grown to like Sam
Adams Stout.. Its consistently pleasant, but not the cream though,
yuch.

This thing looks like fun
http://www.allaboutbeer.com/wbf/index.html

ScottW

Purchase question
 

dave weil wrote:
On 23 May 2005 13:41:29 -0700, "ScottW" wrote:

Horrible restaurants getting undertipped. Oh the horror!

Well, it's your town. I'm sorry that you suffer horrible restaurants.

It's a big town as you said, there are plenty of great places if you
have the time to find them. Come to think of it.. my favorite places
are family owned and operated. I doubt they do much posting on
waiters boards.

So, are you telling these unhappy guys on the boards how well they can
do in Nashville? We need to move some of this excess disgruntled labor
into the heartland.

ScottW

Purchase question
 

In article .com,
"ScottW" wrote:

MINe 109 wrote:
In article ,
dave weil wrote:

On 23 May 2005 11:07:36 -0700, "ScottW"
wrote:

Sierra Nevada is ****. Beer has to pass the aftertaste test and
after
3 Sierras I'm wondering who puked in my mouth and kicked me in the
head. My sister-in-law left a case of Sierra Oktoberfest Ale in my
frig. I couldn't give that nasty crap away. I'd rather drink
Killians
Red than Sierra Nevada.

Well, that's your opinion. I happen to like their Pale Ale. A lot.
It's got just the right amount of hops for a Pale Ale.

I like the Pale Ale, and the Porter, too.

I'll have to try the Porter. The Pale Ale has gotten so popular the
last few parties I went to had kegs of it... noticed everyone quit
drinking beer pretty early. The women mostly hated it and made a
tequila run, once the blender was running and the shots flowing the keg
lost attention. I know its nothing special but I've grown to like Sam
Adams Stout.. Its consistently pleasant, but not the cream though,
yuch.

Blender drinks are the natural enemy of good beer.

This thing looks like fun
http://www.allaboutbeer.com/wbf/index.html

I just missed this local event:

http://www.txbrewersfestival.com/

Stephen

Purchase question
 

On 23 May 2005 14:21:36 -0700, "ScottW" wrote:


dave weil wrote:
On 23 May 2005 13:41:29 -0700, "ScottW" wrote:

Horrible restaurants getting undertipped. Oh the horror!

Well, it's your town. I'm sorry that you suffer horrible restaurants.

It's a big town as you said, there are plenty of great places if you
have the time to find them.

Glad you got out of the tourist area, which is where you were hanging
out right after you moved there. It's the opposite of what I would do
if I just moved to a new place, but there ya go. You're more of the
pedestrian type.

Come to think of it.. my favorite places
are family owned and operated. I doubt they do much posting on
waiters boards.

Well, nobody talked about working in chains.

So, are you telling these unhappy guys on the boards how well they can
do in Nashville? We need to move some of this excess disgruntled labor
into the heartland.

No, mostly I commiserated with them. It wasn't my idea to lord my good
fortune over them.

Purchase question
 

"dave weil" wrote in message

So, are you telling these unhappy guys on the boards how well they can
do in Nashville? We need to move some of this excess disgruntled labor
into the heartland.

No, mostly I commiserated with them. It wasn't my idea to lord my good
fortune over them.

Dave,

You're not really comparing Nashville and San Diego are you? Please don't.

Purchase question
 

Joseph O'Blather said:

And, yes, real Guinness at a pub is like nothing they sell over
here.

Where are the DBTs?

Purchase question
 

dave weil wrote:
On 23 May 2005 14:21:36 -0700, "ScottW" wrote:


dave weil wrote:
On 23 May 2005 13:41:29 -0700, "ScottW"
wrote:

Horrible restaurants getting undertipped. Oh the horror!

Well, it's your town. I'm sorry that you suffer horrible
restaurants.

It's a big town as you said, there are plenty of great places if
you
have the time to find them.

Glad you got out of the tourist area, which is where you were hanging
out right after you moved there. It's the opposite of what I would do
if I just moved to a new place, but there ya go. You're more of the
pedestrian type.

When I moved to SD, the company that was hiring me put me up in a
resort hotel for 3 months while I made housing arrangements. It
happened to be a nice little suite with a kitchen right across the
street from the bluff above the beach. Beautiful ocean view from the
patio. I guess you can consider that pedestrian... walking out my door
to the beach :).


Come to think of it.. my favorite places
are family owned and operated. I doubt they do much posting on
waiters boards.

Well, nobody talked about working in chains.

So, are you telling these unhappy guys on the boards how well they
can
do in Nashville? We need to move some of this excess disgruntled
labor
into the heartland.

No, mostly I commiserated with them. It wasn't my idea to lord my
good
fortune over them.

I don't think revealing your annual compensation would disqualify you
from commiserating with these disgruntled waiters. Might actually make
them feel better about their situation.

ScottW

Purchase question
 

Fort Collins produces some nice beer. Our two largest breweries are
New Belgium and Odells. NB Fat Tire is probably the most popular beer
in town and definitely worth a try. They distribute it everywhere. I
don't know whether it's considered a pale or an amber. It doesn't have
much toast flavor. Odells has a new pale called 5 Barrel which is
extremely hoppy. I'm a big fan. I don't think Odells is as widely
distributed, but look for it if you like hoppy.

Purchase question
 

"MINe 109" wrote in message

I just missed this local event:

http://www.txbrewersfestival.com/

Stephen,

A couple of cool things that I checked out when I was a grad student at UT
was Bocktoberfest in Shiner and Wurstfest in New Braunfels. Both were great
fun. Great wurst, great beer.

Purchase question
 

Signal said:

American beers and ales are now the best in the world.

That's a rare statement. Most American beer tastes like watered down
gnats ****. Maybe "the UK" isn't famil. with the beers and ales of
which you speak... what do you recommend?

Are you hopping the pond? Ask for what to get in the area you're visiting.
Around here, Foggy Bottom, Old Dominion, and the aforementioned Wild Goose
are widely available. Those are regional brewers though, so they're likely
not available everywhere. We also have some brewpubs in Virginia and maybe
one in Maryland.


Sorry Guy but for my personnal taste American beer and Ale are far far
far from being the best in the world. It might be the best in the world
for an American.

Good for washing down Mackie D's... probably ;-)

Seriously, some American brews do rank with the best. Even Samuel Adams,
company that's far exceeded its "micro" roots, has put out some excellent
craft brews at times.

You probably won't find superior microbrews at a bar in a chain hotel.

Purchase question
 

In article ,
"Schizoid Man" wrote:

"MINe 109" wrote in message

I just missed this local event:

http://www.txbrewersfestival.com/

Stephen,

A couple of cool things that I checked out when I was a grad student at UT
was Bocktoberfest in Shiner and Wurstfest in New Braunfels. Both were great
fun. Great wurst, great beer.

Yeah, there's a lot of German and Czech local flavor I miss out on. I
had more time on my hands this spring and found stuff like free wine
tasting at UT where I first heard the phrase "cat-pee on gooseberries."

Stephen

Purchase question
 

In article ,
says...

[..]

Even Sluttie has acknowledged the flowering of the microbrewery industry. I was
indulging in hyperbole originally, but on reflection, I'd say there are some
American beers that are unsurpassed anywhere in the world. Not necessarily
pilsners -- Belgium can keep the crown for them.

Actually, I'd give that crown to the Czech Republic. Having just
travelled there, I found that they really know how to brew a pils! They
do some stunning dark lagers, too. But Belgium has given us Wit Bier,
Lambic, all the Trappist styles...

Around here, one of the leading regionals is Wild Goose. Their IPA is to die for.

Ah, I can't get Wild Goose where I live, but I did have the pleasure of
trying several of their brews a few years ago - phenomenal!

--
Bill

Purchase question
 

In article , says...

You might be surprised to learn that America is not the only country where
micro-breweries proliferate local communities.

Given how much I travel I wouldn't be at all surprised ;-)

I have had the good fortune
of sampling some astonishingly good local brews in places like India, Peru,
Zambia and Uzbekistan.

However, in my opinion, only the Netherlands matches America's record at
making diluted horse **** concoctions commerically successful (Heineken,
Amstel, Coors, Miller, Budweiser).

Well, I'd say almost every country has a similar mainstream beer or two
- you can get plently of that bland fizzy beer the UK, in Belgium, and
certainly in the countries you mention above. Let's face it - those
beers sell.


Belgium notwithstanding, Germany, Denmark, Austria, Britain, Ireland all
offer some fantastic beers.

Well, I like your list, though I found Ireland to be decent but somewhat
limited in its beer offerings. I recently returned from the Czech
Republic, and I'd definitely add that country to top beer destinations
of the world.

fwiw, I'm not American, nor do I live in the US, but I really do find
the beer offerings superb in many places that I visit there.

--
Bill

Purchase question
 

"Don Pearce" wrote in message
...

I don't think Belgium beats the UK for variety.

Good beers though.

I was under the impression that Germany had the greatest number of small
breweries, protected from the chemical companies by Germany's food purity
laws.

However, I've only been to Germany once, and I find I really can't assess
more than three beers in a session ... after that I seem to get them muddled
up ... :-)

Tim

Purchase question
 

In article ,
says...
"Jocelyn Major" emitted :

American beers and ales are now the best in the world.

That's a rare statement. Most American beer tastes like watered down
gnats ****. Maybe "the UK" isn't famil. with the beers and ales of
which you speak... what do you recommend?

If you can, check out the Great British Beer Festival in Olympia,
London. I've worked at it a couple of times, and it's a fantastic beer
festival which includes approx 700 real ales. What's that got to do with
American beers you ask?

Well, at the Bières Sans Frontières bar, a decent number of American
micros and craft beers are featured. There are usually some absolute
gems there.

I don't actually know what gets sent over to the UK - I thought I heard
that some Rogue beers were making the trip. If so, they are highly
recommended.

--
Bill

Purchase question
 

On Mon, 23 May 2005 14:39:36 -0700, "Schizoid Man"
wrote:


"dave weil" wrote in message

So, are you telling these unhappy guys on the boards how well they can
do in Nashville? We need to move some of this excess disgruntled labor
into the heartland.

No, mostly I commiserated with them. It wasn't my idea to lord my good
fortune over them.

Dave,

You're not really comparing Nashville and San Diego are you? Please don't.

Yes. and quite favorably.

Purchase question
 

On 23 May 2005 15:25:20 -0700, "ScottW" wrote:


dave weil wrote:
On 23 May 2005 14:21:36 -0700, "ScottW" wrote:


dave weil wrote:
On 23 May 2005 13:41:29 -0700, "ScottW"
wrote:

Horrible restaurants getting undertipped. Oh the horror!

Well, it's your town. I'm sorry that you suffer horrible
restaurants.

It's a big town as you said, there are plenty of great places if
you
have the time to find them.

Glad you got out of the tourist area, which is where you were hanging
out right after you moved there. It's the opposite of what I would do
if I just moved to a new place, but there ya go. You're more of the
pedestrian type.

When I moved to SD, the company that was hiring me put me up in a
resort hotel for 3 months while I made housing arrangements. It
happened to be a nice little suite with a kitchen right across the
street from the bluff above the beach.

How cute for you.

A "resort hotel" isn't my idea of paradise, if you get my drift.

Beautiful ocean view from the
patio. I guess you can consider that pedestrian... walking out my door
to the beach :).

I'm not really much on the beach, so no it doesn't do a lot for me.
Plus, I like seasons. I also don't like most beach areas. Too toursity
for me. If I were going to live on the ocean in the states, it would
probably be in Oregon, or Washington State or Maine. It certainly
wouldn't be in SoCal.

Come to think of it.. my favorite places
are family owned and operated. I doubt they do much posting on
waiters boards.

Well, nobody talked about working in chains.

So, are you telling these unhappy guys on the boards how well they
can
do in Nashville? We need to move some of this excess disgruntled
labor
into the heartland.

No, mostly I commiserated with them. It wasn't my idea to lord my
good
fortune over them.

I don't think revealing your annual compensation would disqualify you
from commiserating with these disgruntled waiters. Might actually make
them feel better about their situation.

Frankly, my making $40 grand a year here is far better than them
making their $50k (if they even make THAT), since I can actually buy
scads of nice houses for under a hundred grand. Since you guys have to
spend $300,000 for a starter house, I think that puts me way ahead.
Plus, it takes me 8 minutes to get to work. Or downtown. Or out in the
country. Of course, it takes me 20 minutes to get to the airport. That
sucks.

Purchase question
 

ScottW wrote:

Sierra Nevada is ****. Beer has to pass the aftertaste test and after
3 Sierras I'm wondering who puked in my mouth and kicked me in the
head. My sister-in-law left a case of Sierra Oktoberfest Ale in my
frig. I couldn't give that nasty crap away. I'd rather drink Killians
Red than Sierra Nevada.

Damn that *is* desperate. Killians is pretty vile stuff.
Me, I think the best U.S. pseudo-microbrew is from a small
company in CA. Called Anchor(not Anchor Steam - totally
different company).

Still not half as good as beer from Australia, which
should tell you a lot. Well, there are 1-2 good Australian
beers, but they are nearly impossible to get in the U.S.

Microbrewery has lost some meaning. Stone Brewery and Karl Strauss
like to call themselves micro while brewing a lot of beer. As far as I
am concerned, if you can buy a 6 pack of it in the store... it ain't
micro brewed.

Exactly.

Purchase question
 

dave weil wrote:

On 23 May 2005 11:07:36 -0700, "ScottW" wrote:


Microbrewery has lost some meaning. Stone Brewery and Karl Strauss
like to call themselves micro while brewing a lot of beer. As far as I
am concerned, if you can buy a 6 pack of it in the store... it ain't
micro brewed.


Microbrew has a certain technical meaning which isn't bound by law but
has a pretty common shared expectation among those who care.

Hey! Just like audio! Whatever crap you can get away with
among the anal believers. Too bad 95% of it isn't the
real thing. Hey! Just like audio!

I knew this related to audio somehow.

Purchase question
 

Joseph O'Blather said:

the anal believers

Finally, Harold has achieved a convert.

Purchase question
 

"George Middius" wrote in
message ...
Joseph O'Blather said:

the anal believers

Finally, Harold has achieved a convert.

Yet another sad case of Middius externalizating his fecal
obsession.

Purchase question
 

Mr. **** squats another potfull™ of Krooglish.

externalizating

It just occurred to me that maybe you're the reason Lionella can't learn proper
human language. What else did you teach her, Arnii? ;-)

Purchase question
 

ScottW wrote:
dave weil wrote:

On Mon, 23 May 2005 16:19:22 GMT, Briel wrote:


In article ,

says...

"George M. Middius" wrote in message

Nath said:


Still spending your dole on ale for the mates?

At least we have real beer, not your **** flavoured attempt at

it...

American beers and ales are now the best in the world.

George, please tell me you were high when you made the above

assertion.

While I wouldn't go so far as George in his praise of American

beers,

there is no doubt that the craft brewing industry in the US has

created

a beer scene with more diversity and quality than any country

outside of

Belgium.

There are certainly areas in the US that are beer wastelands with
nothing available but Budmillorcoors, but visiting somewhere like
Portland OR will quickly change your mind about American beers.

First of all, ale IS beer.

Second of all, I would say that many American beers are now AMONG the
best in the world. There are planty of really fine beers being
produced here. Still, subject to the fact that this is opinion, the
most sterling examples of the different styles still reside in other
countries for the most part. Steam beer would be the only
counter-example that I can think of.

However, the beer industry in the US has come light years in the past
two decades. With beers like Sierra Nevada and Anchor Steam, it's

been

shown that America can mass-produce beers of world class quality.


Sierra Nevada is ****. Beer has to pass the aftertaste test and after
3 Sierras I'm wondering who puked in my mouth and kicked me in the
head. My sister-in-law left a case of Sierra Oktoberfest Ale in my
frig. I couldn't give that nasty crap away. I'd rather drink Killians
Red than Sierra Nevada.


I've never even heard of Sierra putting out an Oktoberfest Ale, but
their top beers are Pale Ale, Celebration Ale and their summer Pilsner.
Their Amber is good, but certainly not the best in its category.
California ales are incredible. Breweries worth nothing are North
Coast, Anderson Valley and Russian River, who makes great Belgium style
ales as well. Anyone who thinks California isn't one of the finest ale
producers in the world just doesn't know ale, period.

-JC

Purchase question
 

dave weil wrote:

I don't think revealing your annual compensation would disqualify
you
from commiserating with these disgruntled waiters. Might actually
make
them feel better about their situation.

Frankly, my making $40 grand a year here is far better than them
making their $50k (if they even make THAT),

$40K now.. wow... did you get a raise? Must be almost paying your
share of the federal budget. My kid was bussing last summer at a
pretty low end seafood place and he would have pulled in $25K full time
on his 15% of the tips share. Not bad for a part time summer job.. the
waiters and waitresses of course did better but most of them were
college kids. I don't think they were planning on making a career of
it.


since I can actually buy
scads of nice houses for under a hundred grand.

Really, if that is the case... why were you cramming those huge
Klipsch into your living room?


Since you guys have to
spend $300,000 for a starter house,

Last time we went over this you were claiming a trailer house was a
starter home. Anyway, now 300K might get you a condo. ASP for a
single family home was just about 500K in San Diego last month.

I think that puts me way ahead.

Lot of folks use that 500K for retirement.. whats your plan? Oh yeah,
you're a social security dependent. I hope it works out for you.

Plus, it takes me 8 minutes to get to work. Or downtown. Or out in
the
country.

8 minutes to everywhere. I see Nashville is a rapidly growing
community.

Hey, I'm not going to knock living in hicksville... it definitely has
its perks. Unfortunately (or fortunately for you) hi-tech job
opportunities isn't something Nashville is known for. If it was, those
nice houses would be a lot nicer and a lot more expensive.

ScottW

Purchase question
 

"JC Martin" wrote in message

I've never even heard of Sierra putting out an Oktoberfest Ale, but their
top beers are Pale Ale, Celebration Ale and their summer Pilsner. Their
Amber is good, but certainly not the best in its category. California ales
are incredible. Breweries worth nothing are North Coast, Anderson Valley
and Russian River, who makes great Belgium style ales as well. Anyone who
thinks California isn't one of the finest ale producers in the world just
doesn't know ale, period.

Agreed. Russian River is superb, Sierra is superb. Another cracking brewery
here in San Francisco is the Speakeasy.

Purchase question
 

On Mon, 23 May 2005 07:34:18 -0700, "Schizoid Man"
wrote:

[ . . .]

Isn't it a bit rich of you to say something like this after blowing (please
do pardon the pun) your children's college fund on sexual tourism in
Amsterdam?


The real trick is getting someone else to pay for the trip. It's easy
if you know how.

Purchase question
 

On 23 May 2005 08:10:35 -0700, George Middius
wrote:


Don Pearce said:

Q. Why is American beer like making love in a punt?
A. They are both ****ing close to water.

You've changed the text without authorization. The original version referred to
Australian beer.

The folks in Oz know how to brew beer.

Purchase question
 

On 24 May 2005 09:46:23 -0700, "ScottW" wrote:


dave weil wrote:

I don't think revealing your annual compensation would disqualify
you
from commiserating with these disgruntled waiters. Might actually
make
them feel better about their situation.

Frankly, my making $40 grand a year here is far better than them
making their $50k (if they even make THAT),

$40K now.. wow... did you get a raise?

Actually I did.

Must be almost paying your
share of the federal budget. My kid was bussing last summer at a
pretty low end seafood place and he would have pulled in $25K full time
on his 15% of the tips share. Not bad for a part time summer job.. the
waiters and waitresses of course did better but most of them were
college kids.

Like I said, if they make $50K, then great, but let them try to buy a
house.

I don't think they were planning on making a career of
it.

That's a shame, because restaurants could use more career people.

since I can actually buy
scads of nice houses for under a hundred grand.

Really, if that is the case... why were you cramming those huge
Klipsch into your living room?

Because this is the house that I bought...for $49.5 BTW (now worth
about $75k). I didn't buy the house to put around a stereo system. Why
do YOU have YOUR listening room in a sub-optimal situation? Why?
Because you are working with what you have.

Since you guys have to
spend $300,000 for a starter house,

Last time we went over this you were claiming a trailer house was a
starter home. Anyway, now 300K might get you a condo. ASP for a
single family home was just about 500K in San Diego last month.

Thank you for putting an exclamation point on MY point. I was being
generous. Here, $500,000 will buy you an acre, 3500 SF, a swimming
pool and all of the nice touches.

I think that puts me way ahead.

Lot of folks use that 500K for retirement.. whats your plan? Oh yeah,
you're a social security dependent. I hope it works out for you.

Yes, it probably will. My needs have always been pretty simple.
However, how are your waiters going to get that $500,000 into a house
in the first place?

Plus, it takes me 8 minutes to get to work. Or downtown. Or out in
the
country.

8 minutes to everywhere. I see Nashville is a rapidly growing
community.

It is. I just don't like to live in the sprawling suburbs.

Hey, I'm not going to knock living in hicksville... it definitely has
its perks. Unfortunately (or fortunately for you) hi-tech job
opportunities isn't something Nashville is known for.

No, it's just home to a huge medical and music industry. I know tht
it's not as "hi tech" as building cell phones, but what the hey? We
only build cars here and run hospitals across the country and do
significant medical research at Vanderbilt, a school that is
considered the equivalent of Ivy league. We also sell billions of
dollars of music. Frankly, it's a great place to live. Just ask folks
like Mark Knopfler, Cher, Peter Framton, Ben Folds, and countless
other musicians.

I'll stick to "hickville" as opposed to living in a rather souless
place like San Diego. I'll give you one thing though - you have a
great zoo. Probably the best in the country.

If it was, those
nice houses would be a lot nicer and a lot more expensive.

Oh, we have our share of those as well. Lots of million dollar
mansions that would cost upwards of $10,000,000 there in San Diego. In
fact, a community only 5 miles from where I live is one of the
wealthiest in the nation. Belle Meade's average income is $190,000.
About 18,000 people live there.

Finally, one of the great things about living here - no state income
tax. And a state with a surplus. I'm quite happy here for the moment.

Purchase question
 

"dave weil" wrote in message

I'll stick to "hickville" as opposed to living in a rather souless
place like San Diego. I'll give you one thing though - you have a
great zoo. Probably the best in the country.

Compared to San Francisco, yes, San Diego is pretty dire. Typical suburban
sprawl.

If it was, those
nice houses would be a lot nicer and a lot more expensive.

Oh, we have our share of those as well. Lots of million dollar
mansions that would cost upwards of $10,000,000 there in San Diego. In
fact, a community only 5 miles from where I live is one of the
wealthiest in the nation. Belle Meade's average income is $190,000.
About 18,000 people live there.

Even so, I don't think the best of Southern California compares what we have
up here. The Bay Area really is ridiculous. Forget places like Pacific
Heights or any of the trendy San Francisco neighborhoods, a cookie cutter
house out in the wilderness of Fremont (east of the city) or Mountain View
(south of the city) will set you back by at least $500,000.

It's even worse if you head up north into Marin, being the wealthiest county
in the country now.

Finally, one of the great things about living here - no state income
tax. And a state with a surplus. I'm quite happy here for the moment.

True. But then, we have Lake Tahoe in the winter, Monterey in the summer and
Napa Valley all year round, great weather and the beers in the nation.

Purchase question
 

In article ,
says...

I don't think Belgium beats the UK for variety.

Well, I do - but I'm not knocking UK beers: Cask bitter is my favourite
beer style (and it's one that American brewers generally don't do well).
But you can go into a cafe in most towns in Belgium and select from
close to 300 beers! imo it's beer nirvana :-)

There are even small
bars in London's West End with their own brewery on site. They tend to
specialize in bitter beers heavy in hops, toasted to their own recipe
for a "house" flavour.

Well, what American brewers tend to do well is brew heavily hopped beers
- occasionally too heavily and out of balance, but when the balance is
right they are really superb.

But British brewers are the world's best at brewing low gravity (or
ordinary) bitters with astonishing complexity and balance for the
strength.

Cheers,

Bill

Purchase question
 

In article , dweil2
@bellsouth.net says...

First of all, ale IS beer.

Of course...


Second of all, I would say that many American beers are now AMONG the
best in the world. There are planty of really fine beers being
produced here. Still, subject to the fact that this is opinion, the
most sterling examples of the different styles still reside in other
countries for the most part. Steam beer would be the only
counter-example that I can think of.

I'd largely agree with that - I just got back from the Czech Republic,
and the pilseners and dark lagers there were better than any American
versions that I've tried.

Likewise, I have yet to find American cask bitter as balanced as what I
find in the UK.

But you can find examples of virtually all styles of beer brewed
somewhere in the US today.

While not distinct styles per se, there are several "sub-styles" that
have evolved in the US and are fairly unique. APA (American Pale Ale)
has evolved from English pale ale, but is generally much hoppier and
always uses very distinct American hops (the signature American hop is
Cascade which has a very citrusy nose and flavour). I think APA is a
terrific beer style/

I also happen to think that US IPAs are the best in the world - some
English IPAs simply aren't hopped enough to warrant the title.

btw, In case you are interested in beer styles, a good source is the
beer judge certification org: http://www.bjcp.org/stylecenter.html

--
Bill

Purchase question
 

Schizoid Man wrote:
"dave weil" wrote in message

I'll stick to "hickville" as opposed to living in a rather souless
place like San Diego. I'll give you one thing though - you have a
great zoo. Probably the best in the country.

Compared to San Francisco, yes, San Diego is pretty dire. Typical suburban
sprawl.

If it was, those
nice houses would be a lot nicer and a lot more expensive.

Oh, we have our share of those as well. Lots of million dollar
mansions that would cost upwards of $10,000,000 there in San Diego. In
fact, a community only 5 miles from where I live is one of the
wealthiest in the nation. Belle Meade's average income is $190,000.
About 18,000 people live there.

Even so, I don't think the best of Southern California compares what we have
up here.

I hate the So Cal & No Cal term though I have used it. Kind of
implies Monterey and Oakland are on par. Or San Diego and Compton.

The Bay Area really is ridiculous. Forget places like Pacific
Heights or any of the trendy San Francisco neighborhoods, a cookie cutter
house out in the wilderness of Fremont (east of the city) or Mountain View
(south of the city) will set you back by at least $500,000.

Is this a good thing?



It's even worse if you head up north into Marin, being the wealthiest county
in the country now.

Finally, one of the great things about living here - no state income
tax. And a state with a surplus. I'm quite happy here for the moment.

True. But then, we have Lake Tahoe in the winter, Monterey in the summer and
Napa Valley all year round, great weather and the beers in the nation.

and a teachers union spending 18 million on political self interest :)

ScottW