Well, as a non-drinker, I couldn't say. But I have a friend who developed a simple rule in college: never drink cheap beer, only quality stuff. His theory was that, as a broke college student, he couldn't afford to get trashed that way, but could afford to actually enjoy what he was drinking.
When he graduated and got a real job with real pay, his theory developed a slight flaw. Then he got married and they had a couple of kids. Now his theory is operational again.
I just pulled the celebratory lasagna out of the oven. And I just finished off my pre- meal gin and tonic (a double). I might not be awake by midnight myself….
Anyway, I think there are absolutely certain occasions where cheap beer is not only justified, but damn near required. This would most often be when quantity is more important than quality.
A few occasions that come to mind:
Mid summer baseball games
Fish fries
Any situation involving Polkas
Early season football tailgating (and up to late season in the Sunbelt states)
Crab or shrimp boils
Bowling
High school dances (not an endorsement, kids)
NASCAR races
It's 48 Fahrenheit here. Which means about 9 Celsius/Centigrade, for you commie bastards who love the Metric System. It's also raining like crazy. Only mad dogs and Englishmen would be out and about on a night like this in Michigan.
So tell me: why is it that I feel the need to strip off my shirt, stride out onto my front porch, let the rain hit me full force, watch the lightning, and yell, "YAAAAAARGH!!!"??
I love a good rainstorm. A rainstorm in January is even better.
"I use public chat rooms so seldom that I just hadn't noticed. I guess it's somewhat understandable, if disappointing."
Tell me about it, Dean! I have been trying to reinstall my Yahoo chat and get ready for tonight. I have not done instant chat in so long that I reinstalled and boom, trouble with trying to get anything. I guess it is the NY Eve. thing going on and all.
Cheap beer? I have some cheap wine I just opened. "Arbor Mist; Island Fruits, Pinot Grigio!"
Good news about Y!IM: it's now compatable with MSN messenger. Anyone wanting to add me can do so with "punningpundit@gmail.com" (my MSN messenger ID). I've had some problems being added by Y!IM, though. For some reason it keeps inviting me to open a yahoo! account...
Doing a little family thing here at one of the local pubs. The band is good, and the snacks are nearly as good (thank goodness for the bad beer - makes the snacks taste better). We'll watch the ball drop (did someone say "pickle"?) on the big screen, kiss a few fools, and then head home.
Yeah, speaking of rainstorms, it's been in the mid-40s and raining pretty much the past 24 hours over here in Iowa, too. Insane for 31 December. The gravel road I live on has been reduced to soupy mud and slippery muck. Thank God I've got a Jeep with four wheel drive...
"Then he got married and they had a couple of kids. Now his theory is operational again."
Yes, Martin. The kids do change a few things materially. Back to cheap wine and beer, and I am a young grandma ;-)
Jams! A new Mustang! I love Mustangs! They are cool cars. I have an old Thunderbird and she drives like a charm. She will soon be ten years old and she still leaves black strips on the road ;-)
Owen said,
"Cheap beer, frozen burritos, and bad movies. A typical saturday night in 1983."
Now I gotta ask ya, what happened in 1983? A good year for wine?
So tell me: why is it that I feel the need to strip off my shirt, stride out onto my front porch, let the rain hit me full force, watch the lightning, and yell, "YAAAAAARGH!!!"??
Because you're not just going to New Hampshire. You're going to South Carolina and Oklahoma and North Dakota and New Mexico, and you're going to California and Texas and New York. And you're going to South Dakota and Washington and Michigan. And then you're going to go to Washington DC ... and, well, you probably know the rest.
NO DEan, I did not get my Arbor Mist out of a gumball machine ;-) I went to my local, Shop and Joy! Seriously, it is called that. It is owned by a Musim family and he is so good to me. I was, $1.16 short on a bill and he told me I could pay it another day. Well, it took me about three days to pay him. He just knows me well from stopping in there.
Arnold,
I am drinking wine tonight and Dean has to tease me. Soooo, I am alone and drinking cheap wine, WTF!?!?!?!?!
Hahahahaha, I feel good, like I knew that I would. So good, so good, I got you!
Arnold, your birthday was in Novemember right? Mine is coming around the corner (when she comes, when she comes. January 18th to be exact!
I must be honest! I had TWO, Seagrams and Seven drinks before I started this ARBOR MIST!!! I am alone (well, with two cats)so I better pace myself. Why!?!?!
We were the BF Strawberry Hill, dump into the Coleman cooler, add ice, add chunked up watermelon, add any other wines anybody else managed to scrounge up, call it Bansai and listen to CSN&Y from our $2 lawn seats at Saratoga Performing Arts Center kind of kids.
Man - to take a trip back to a summer concert in '72....! I can smell the weed wafting on the breeze.
Those black marks are NOT from anything but my big bad mean tires! I take good care of my ole' gal, kinda like me. The more mileage, the better she gets. You are funny ;-)
Oh, I am so full of myself and have not started in on my cheapo wine ;-)
Michael: Sure sign that you're not a native son of Georgia is that you did not think to make a special trip to Alabama to pick up sufficient hooch for the weekend.
Random thoughts:
- New Year's Eve, among the Pearson clan, is made for one thing and one thing only, and that is watching football. Anybody else pulling for Nevada to give the U one more black eye on the blue turf?
- My beverage of choice as the new year turns over - lime sherbet in ginger ale. Another teetotaling family tradition.
- I laughed at the Paul Lynde/Charles Nelson Reilly line too. Something like that would just give me great joy to say, for no useful reason whatsoever.
Casey Tompkins, if you happen by before midnight, check your email! Seriously, it will be worth your while. Ask Dean if you don't believe me. But hurry!
As for the rest of you wonderful folks... I hate to miss out on all the fun; but since none of you are going to kiss me at midnight (don't even think about it, Dean), I have to leave for the in-laws. Sandy's already there, but I'm getting some last minute work done.
Oh, and before I sign off... Happy New Year, Dean! Happy New Year, Rosemary! Happy New Year, Jake! Happy New Year, Draco! Happy New Year, MJ! Happy New Year, Ron! Happy New Year, Ali! Happy New Year, Aziz! Happy New Year, matoko! Happy New Year, Kevin! Happy New Year, Tyrone! Happy New Year, Michael! Happy New Year, the other Michael! Happy New Year, yet another Michael! (Too many Michaels for me to keep straight...) Happy New Year, Tim! Happy New Year, mikeca! Happy New Year, maggie! Happy New Year, Andrew! Happy New Year, Arnold! Happy New Year, Elisha! Happy New Year, naftali! Happy New Year, Durbins! Happy New Year, Casey! Happy New Year, Trudy! Happy New Year, Dave! Happy New Year, the other Dave! (Too many Daves for me to keep straight, too...) Happy New Year, Celia! Happy New Year, Jerry! Happy New Year, Mary! Happy New Year, Rudy! Happy New Year, Shay! Happy New Year, Barnes! Happy New Year, Vic!
And if I missed you, Happy New Year to you, too! I'm reaching the limits of my memory, here, and my sister-in-law just called to say food's on!
DEAN enjoys that very much when somebody is good to me. I can see him laughing. He will tell ya, she is a nice woman and I love her. You talk to her all you want and say what you may. That's Dean for ya. If we weren't so close in our ways it would be different but we are not. He just called me on the phone and it was really nice to talk to him. He is not one for small talk on the phone.
Anybody can say anything to me and I do love it. Arnold will tell me when he thinks I am wrong. Arnold has been here for a couple of years like me and he too will get a kick out of people talking to Dean's Mom. That is just the way it is.
I just got off the phone from my daughter in Washington as well. She is going out to a singles party. She is really a cool gal. She got married young and had a kid like I did. Her oldest is eighteen! (BOOM, BANG!!! I just fell off my chair)and he is a handful! Anyway, I will be 57 and it really is awesome that I have a 40 year old son and so many grandkids. Guess I started the gene pool pretty early ;-)
Dean: dunno if you're checking email tonight, but I just got off the phone with Martin (hey, I work every New Year's Eve! I'm lucky it was only a Sunday this year, else I'd get out after midnight). He told me about you and the coupon. You want me to send you an email to remind you to hook up the next couple of days, if you can transfer it? That would be killer.
Ok. On to the silly stuff.
Martin, it all depends on what you call "cheap" beer. Are we talking Rolling Rock, or just non-German? :)
Actually, Cincinnati used to have some of the best regional brewries in the United States, including Hudepol and Schoenling. I'm hoping someone will eventually re-introduce some decent German heritage here.
Myself, I used to be a big fan of Genesee Cream Ale, but it seems to have disappeared from southwest Ohio. Robin Hood Cream Ale wasn't too bad, either.
Once the Genesee vanished, I was in agony; definitely not a Bud fan over here. One of my best friends likes to call it "eagle piss." Heh. I was lucky in that I decided I like the flavor of Icehouse; and cheap? I can get a 30-pack of cans at Kroger's for $10.99!
My question is: is Icehouse a cheap (crappy) beer, or just an inexpensive beer?
I do have one nit to pick about those beautifully economic 30-packs: I far, far prefer the flavor of a cold longneck bottled beer than from the can. The Icehouse 12-pack longnecks run around $8.99 around here, so you see my dilemma. Usually parsimony wins out, and I get the cans. Heh.
Dean: right now it's a lovely 53 F (12 C for the techno-fascists) here, and a light rain. MUCH better than the 2 feet of snow Colorado just got!! It felt damn good when I got out of the kitchen an hour ago.
Actually, when I see a good lightning storm, I want to sit on the back porch with a friend, some cold ones (there's that damn cheap beer again!!), and listen to Jean-Luc Ponty. Don't ask me why, I just think his stuff goes well with live-action Tesla phenomena...
Hey, TallDave! How would you describe Sam Adams to some of the more well-known beers? When I do go for quality, I prefer St. Pauli Girl, or Beck's (light), although New Zealand Lager comes close. If you really want to go "high end," you can always try the St. Pauli (or Beck's) dark. There used to be a couple of local-company Bock beers as well.
BTW, I like Sandi's suggestion about the weekend chat.
..... and it's a NEW YEAR as I click "post comment"
What Martin means is that Red White and Blue is right out. Wiedimans is also forbidden. Pabst and Bud are ok in a pinch. Michelob and Molson are pretty darned alright. Rolling Rock, Coors and other sentimental favorites are fine on holidays. Not that I would know or anything...
Man, you're fair south of me! I'm up in Fairfield, just a few minutes away from downtown Hamiltucky (er) Hamilton. In fact I live just a few miles away from the Great Miami river where it's crossed by Route 27.
Remind me to add you to my bloglist. Gotta keep up with the local boys. :)
BTW, Dean: just caught Jerry Pournelle's take on the "laptop-gate" "controversy;"
Golly. I didn't get one to keep. IBM wants their unit back. Sigh.
Myself, I used to be a big fan of Genesee Cream Ale, but it seems to have disappeared from southwest Ohio
We're in Gennesee country here, it's the brand the locals love. "I'll have a Genny" is just about the most common saying in these parts, unless you're under 30yrs old. None of the young folks will touch it, but the oldsters consider it their hometown beer.
And the Cream Ale, with the green label? That's for the middle class locals, so they don't get confused with the woodchuck locals.
Brewed in the only brewery they own, in Rochester NY.
Been brewing beer since 1878.
Ranked the 7th largest brewery in the US, despite it's beer being sold in only half the US (26 states, 2 Canadian provinces).
Genesee distributes 8 beers under the Genesee name. Included among these are Genesee Beer, Genny Light, Genny Cream Ale, Genny Bock, Genny 12 Horse Ale, Genny NA (non-alcoholic), Genny Ice, and the newest in the Genesee line-up, Genny Red.
Genesee Cream Ale: Fermented at higher temperatures, aged longer and brewed with a special top-fermenting yeast, Genesee's brewmasters take the extra step of kraesening which produces natural carbonation, resulting in a true ale with an exceptionally smooth flavor. "Genny Cream" has the distinct honor of winning two consecutive gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival. Genesee Cream Ale was introduced in 1960.
Genesee also owns the Michael Shea brands (Irish Amber, Black &Tan), as well as the Fred Koch Brewery (Golden Anniversary) and JW Dundee's Honey Brown Lager, my personal favorite.
Did I mention we did the Anheiser Busch tour on our recent visit to St. Louis? What an interesting place! VERY modern and clean, and the technology is amazing. It was my first time in a brewery (other than the little micro-brew places), and it was incredible. The only drawback was the tour moves very fast. I would have loved to gone through again, or gone through slower on the first time. It was very impressive.
Ah, memories (or not). Born and raised in upstate NY. If you see someone weaving on the road, it is most likely because they were too broke that day to buy anything to drink – not used to driving sober.
Anyway, plain old Genny was the every day beer. 12 Horse was for very special occasions. Losers drank Pabst :)
MD20-20? Once again, memories (or not). Some of the nastiest stuff ever sold across the counter I believe.
A Thunderbird? Hehehe. My mental image of you just got revised. I can see you, tooling through Austin in that sleek car, windows open to enjoy the balmy Texas New Year's Day. Burn some rubber for us folks here in the cold wet north.
And a New Year kiss back at ya!
Linda:
Paul Lynde wishes he were Charles Nelson Reilly.
In Hawaii.
Well, since Paul Lynde is dead, that's a bit of a theological matter. But I can certainly see how he might be jealous of Charles Nelson Reilly's ongoing success.
And Happy New Year, Linda! Hope you enjoyed the evening despite being DD. (As a non-drinker, I know the feeling.) And I hope the radio never beeped all night.
pennywit:
So tell me: why is it that I feel the need to strip off my shirt, stride out onto my front porch, let the rain hit me full force, watch the lightning, and yell, "YAAAAAARGH!!!"??
Because you're not just going to New Hampshire. You're going to South Carolina and Oklahoma and North Dakota and New Mexico, and you're going to California and Texas and New York. And you're going to South Dakota and Washington and Michigan. And then you're going to go to Washington DC ... and, well, you probably know the rest.
Hehehehe! Thank's for that laugh. And Happy New Year!
Happy New Year, triticale! Happy New Year, jaymaster! Happy New Year, Sandi! Happy New Year, McKiernan! Happy New Year, Owen! Happy New Year, Paul! Happy New Year, Lessa! Happy New Year, Rex! Happy New Year, Scott! Happy New Year, OCSteve!
Dr Chuck Pearson:
- My beverage of choice as the new year turns over - lime sherbet in ginger ale. Another teetotaling family tradition.
You know, that sounds like something I'll have to try. Thanks, and Happy New Year!
rammer:
What Martin means is that Red White and Blue is right out. Wiedimans is also forbidden.
Wiedimans should always be forbidden. When I was having bottle-room nightmares, the stench of stale Wiedimans permeated the dreams. That was the brand that one guy brought in by the pallet load to finance his new rifle. Really: do we want a guy who drinks Wiedimans by the pallet to have more firearms?
Pabst and Bud are ok in a pinch. Michelob and Molson are pretty darned alright. Rolling Rock, Coors and other sentimental favorites are fine on holidays. Not that I would know or anything...
And what was the brew that was disgorged on those church steps again?
Michael Demmons:
Too many Michaels for me to keep straight...
Yeah, uhmmm, don't worry about it! ;-)
Well, in your case, I would never even try, of course. Live and let live works for me.
Aren't politicians and philosophers all poopy-heads when you get right down to it????
And that reminds me of an ad campaign. EZ Car Loan Center is an auto financier with a billboard campaign that consists of putting billboards all up and down I-96 in the Grand Rapids/Lansing area. Each billboard contains nothing but a large, memorable URL, and EZ Car Loan Center in small print below. The URLs are simple English phrases, not the name of the dealership or anything like that; and each billboard has a different URL.
I laughed myself silly when I saw the billboard with PoopyCredit.com. There's a memorable URL!
I had so much fun reading all the fun people here ;-) I drank a little bit of my wine and feel fast asleep. I did hear firecrackers going off as I was laying in bed.
Martin,
You've got the perfect image. I love to open my windows and fly in my bird...
Happy New Years to everyone ;-) 2007, let us hope it will be a good one for all.
Oops! I got my Texas cities mixed up. I shoulda said Houston, of course. I remember you said you were down in that neighborhood when we were discussing Apollo capsules. Apollo 17 is down there at Johnson. That's one of the ones I haven't gotten to see yet. I've seen 7 of the 12 Apollo capsules, plus the Apollo-Soyuz test capsule. I still have to see 6, 10, 11, 12, 15, 17, the real Apollo-Soyuz, and the Skylab capsules.
If I can get down there, I'll see if you're up to a tour.
I blame my annual New Years Eve champagne for confusing the cities. I always try a glass, just to participate in the toast. Last night's was just non-vile enough that I could actually finish it. (Usually I sip for a toast, then give it to Sandy.) An hour later, I had the most bizarre feeling of dizziness. I can't believe people enjoy that stuff.
I think I will be in Houston with my son. He has a home there, and I did tell him I wanted to go to NASA. I am hoping we can do this around my birthday which is the 18th. He has quite the schedule with his job as an undercover agent. He is working on that case I talked about that the guy he arrested had killed over 20 illegals in a gruesome way. He has other hard cases as well, so we will see.
I drink twice a year. I just don't think about it. I have a few on Christmas and then New Year's. I may have one or two for my birthday with my son but not sure.
Oh, yes it was me that talked about the Apollos. I'd love a tour when I go to Houston so I will mention it as time passes and I know if I am going. Thank you, that would be very nice of you ;-)
1.1.2007 2:39pm
Commenting on Dean's World is a privilege, not a right. Dean is your host, you are his guest, and you should behave in that fashion. Dean is not your babysitter, nor is he your punching bag. Please remember this. In general, you are free to disagree with anyone on any subject you wish, but abusive behavior will not be tolerated.
Of course we all lose our tempers now and then. Dean freely admits to being imperfect in this regard, which is why regulars to this establishment will generally be cut more slack than people who we don't know very well.
Still: behave like an adult, or go find somewhere else to play. Thanks.
I get off work in only 1.5hrs...
When he graduated and got a real job with real pay, his theory developed a slight flaw. Then he got married and they had a couple of kids. Now his theory is operational again.
Anyway, I think there are absolutely certain occasions where cheap beer is not only justified, but damn near required. This would most often be when quantity is more important than quality.
A few occasions that come to mind:
Mid summer baseball games
Fish fries
Any situation involving Polkas
Early season football tailgating (and up to late season in the Sunbelt states)
Crab or shrimp boils
Bowling
High school dances (not an endorsement, kids)
NASCAR races
Good times.
So tell me: why is it that I feel the need to strip off my shirt, stride out onto my front porch, let the rain hit me full force, watch the lightning, and yell, "YAAAAAARGH!!!"??
I love a good rainstorm. A rainstorm in January is even better.
Tell me about it, Dean! I have been trying to reinstall my Yahoo chat and get ready for tonight. I have not done instant chat in so long that I reinstalled and boom, trouble with trying to get anything. I guess it is the NY Eve. thing going on and all.
Cheap beer? I have some cheap wine I just opened. "Arbor Mist; Island Fruits, Pinot Grigio!"
Arbor Mist? Arbor Mist? You're drinking Arbor Mist? What, did you get that out of a gumball machine???
(Joking)
What's that, Ted Allen in Hawaii??
Guess who gets to be DD again?
Linda
Yes, Martin. The kids do change a few things materially. Back to cheap wine and beer, and I am a young grandma ;-)
Jams! A new Mustang! I love Mustangs! They are cool cars. I have an old Thunderbird and she drives like a charm. She will soon be ten years old and she still leaves black strips on the road ;-)
Owen said,
"Cheap beer, frozen burritos, and bad movies. A typical saturday night in 1983."
Now I gotta ask ya, what happened in 1983? A good year for wine?
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
Paul Lynde wishes he were Charles Nelson Reilly.
In Hawaii.
Because you're not just going to New Hampshire. You're going to South Carolina and Oklahoma and North Dakota and New Mexico, and you're going to California and Texas and New York. And you're going to South Dakota and Washington and Michigan. And then you're going to go to Washington DC ... and, well, you probably know the rest.
--|PW|--
Arbor Mist? That's Boones Farm for people who want to think they're grownups.
MaryJ, I hope those black strips aren't oil slicks!
Dean, you're definitley not an Englishman. So you might ought to take the "mad dog" part under consideration.
Speaking of which, did somebody mention cheap wine? I know I mentioned high scool dances.
Mmmmm. MD 20/20.....
It takes about 2 seconds to build a chat at EveryWhereChat.com and they host it using just one javascript line for your post.
I just put one on my blog as a test to see how it works (but will delete it later).
-- RDC (hopeful sot)
Ha HAAAAAAAA!!!!!
First you believe in Santa Claus.
Second, you don't believe in Santa Claus.
Third, you are Santa Claus.
Fourth, You look like Santa Claus.
Arnold, What happened to the mary folk, the jesus folk, the moses folk and the mohammed folk this year ? You must be losing it.
Arnold,
I am drinking wine tonight and Dean has to tease me. Soooo, I am alone and drinking cheap wine, WTF!?!?!?!?!
Hahahahaha, I feel good, like I knew that I would. So good, so good, I got you!
Arnold, your birthday was in Novemember right? Mine is coming around the corner (when she comes, when she comes. January 18th to be exact!
I must be honest! I had TWO, Seagrams and Seven drinks before I started this ARBOR MIST!!! I am alone (well, with two cats)so I better pace myself. Why!?!?!
We were the BF Strawberry Hill, dump into the Coleman cooler, add ice, add chunked up watermelon, add any other wines anybody else managed to scrounge up, call it Bansai and listen to CSN&Y from our $2 lawn seats at Saratoga Performing Arts Center kind of kids.
Man - to take a trip back to a summer concert in '72....! I can smell the weed wafting on the breeze.
Arghhhhh! I'm getting old!!! Make it stop!!
Those black marks are NOT from anything but my big bad mean tires! I take good care of my ole' gal, kinda like me. The more mileage, the better she gets. You are funny ;-)
Oh, I am so full of myself and have not started in on my cheapo wine ;-)
I got my wife exactly what she asked for, for Christmas:
A pair of balls.
She says they work great but must be used together.
Local Pubs are so nice. I have a family owned one by me but do not get by there. I love how they get a local band to ring in the New Year!
You Canadian Import, you!
A very handsome Canadian from what I understand!
- New Year's Eve, among the Pearson clan, is made for one thing and one thing only, and that is watching football. Anybody else pulling for Nevada to give the U one more black eye on the blue turf?
- My beverage of choice as the new year turns over - lime sherbet in ginger ale. Another teetotaling family tradition.
- I laughed at the Paul Lynde/Charles Nelson Reilly line too. Something like that would just give me great joy to say, for no useful reason whatsoever.
Yes, the MD 20/20 was probably after your time a bit. Circa 1982 vs 1972.
10 Years After! Another good band, IIRCC.
As for the rest of you wonderful folks... I hate to miss out on all the fun; but since none of you are going to kiss me at midnight (don't even think about it, Dean), I have to leave for the in-laws. Sandy's already there, but I'm getting some last minute work done.
Keep layin rubber, babe!
I hope Dean doesn’t rebuke me for saying such a thing to his mother.
BTW, I just discovered there’s a Hee Haw marathon on CMT! Now that’s some good TV.
Uummh, a peck right on your cheek! YOU have a great time with the in-laws ;-)
And if I missed you, Happy New Year to you, too! I'm reaching the limits of my memory, here, and my sister-in-law just called to say food's on!
DEAN enjoys that very much when somebody is good to me. I can see him laughing. He will tell ya, she is a nice woman and I love her. You talk to her all you want and say what you may. That's Dean for ya. If we weren't so close in our ways it would be different but we are not. He just called me on the phone and it was really nice to talk to him. He is not one for small talk on the phone.
Anybody can say anything to me and I do love it. Arnold will tell me when he thinks I am wrong. Arnold has been here for a couple of years like me and he too will get a kick out of people talking to Dean's Mom. That is just the way it is.
I just got off the phone from my daughter in Washington as well. She is going out to a singles party. She is really a cool gal. She got married young and had a kid like I did. Her oldest is eighteen! (BOOM, BANG!!! I just fell off my chair)and he is a handful! Anyway, I will be 57 and it really is awesome that I have a 40 year old son and so many grandkids. Guess I started the gene pool pretty early ;-)
Amen ;-)
Arbor Mist is for people who are not grown up?!?! You got that right ;-)
I drive a mean Ford with some big bad tires and am thinking of getting a fen for the back of it. I will hang on to her forever ;-)
Michael Bush sure liked those balls! I want some too ;-)
New Year begins in 1:35....
I love my country.
I’m, going to try to record the sounds for you all.
Dean: dunno if you're checking email tonight, but I just got off the phone with Martin (hey, I work every New Year's Eve! I'm lucky it was only a Sunday this year, else I'd get out after midnight). He told me about you and the coupon. You want me to send you an email to remind you to hook up the next couple of days, if you can transfer it? That would be killer.
Ok. On to the silly stuff.
Martin, it all depends on what you call "cheap" beer. Are we talking Rolling Rock, or just non-German? :)
Actually, Cincinnati used to have some of the best regional brewries in the United States, including Hudepol and Schoenling. I'm hoping someone will eventually re-introduce some decent German heritage here.
Myself, I used to be a big fan of Genesee Cream Ale, but it seems to have disappeared from southwest Ohio. Robin Hood Cream Ale wasn't too bad, either.
Once the Genesee vanished, I was in agony; definitely not a Bud fan over here. One of my best friends likes to call it "eagle piss." Heh. I was lucky in that I decided I like the flavor of Icehouse; and cheap? I can get a 30-pack of cans at Kroger's for $10.99!
My question is: is Icehouse a cheap (crappy) beer, or just an inexpensive beer?
I do have one nit to pick about those beautifully economic 30-packs: I far, far prefer the flavor of a cold longneck bottled beer than from the can. The Icehouse 12-pack longnecks run around $8.99 around here, so you see my dilemma. Usually parsimony wins out, and I get the cans. Heh.
Dean: right now it's a lovely 53 F (12 C for the techno-fascists) here, and a light rain. MUCH better than the 2 feet of snow Colorado just got!! It felt damn good when I got out of the kitchen an hour ago.
Actually, when I see a good lightning storm, I want to sit on the back porch with a friend, some cold ones (there's that damn cheap beer again!!), and listen to Jean-Luc Ponty. Don't ask me why, I just think his stuff goes well with live-action Tesla phenomena...
Hey, TallDave! How would you describe Sam Adams to some of the more well-known beers? When I do go for quality, I prefer St. Pauli Girl, or Beck's (light), although New Zealand Lager comes close. If you really want to go "high end," you can always try the St. Pauli (or Beck's) dark. There used to be a couple of local-company Bock beers as well.
BTW, I like Sandi's suggestion about the weekend chat.
..... and it's a NEW YEAR as I click "post comment"
Yeee hawww! (heh)
Am I bad, or what? Heh heh heh....
And that's really hard to take, honestly.
Happy new year, all.
It was LOUD!
2007!!!!
Now I'm watching Heeeeee Haaaaw!
Casey,
It's not a German brew, but you might try and find some Mt. Carmel. You can pick some up at The Party Source.
Triticale,
lmao!
You a Cincinnati boy?
I can navigate through Bridgetown or Hyde Park with equal ease. I'm in NKY currently, but looking to get back on the correct side of the river, lol.
If you want to get a Mt. Carmel on tap some time e-mail me.
Remind me to add you to my bloglist. Gotta keep up with the local boys. :)
BTW, Dean: just caught Jerry Pournelle's take on the "laptop-gate" "controversy;" Heh.
We're in Gennesee country here, it's the brand the locals love. "I'll have a Genny" is just about the most common saying in these parts, unless you're under 30yrs old. None of the young folks will touch it, but the oldsters consider it their hometown beer.
And the Cream Ale, with the green label? That's for the middle class locals, so they don't get confused with the woodchuck locals.
Linda
http://www.history.rochester.edu/class/beer/genny.htm
Brewed in the only brewery they own, in Rochester NY.
Been brewing beer since 1878.
Ranked the 7th largest brewery in the US, despite it's beer being sold in only half the US (26 states, 2 Canadian provinces).
Genesee distributes 8 beers under the Genesee name. Included among these are Genesee Beer, Genny Light, Genny Cream Ale, Genny Bock, Genny 12 Horse Ale, Genny NA (non-alcoholic), Genny Ice, and the newest in the Genesee line-up, Genny Red.
Genesee Cream Ale: Fermented at higher temperatures, aged longer and brewed with a special top-fermenting yeast, Genesee's brewmasters take the extra step of kraesening which produces natural carbonation, resulting in a true ale with an exceptionally smooth flavor. "Genny Cream" has the distinct honor of winning two consecutive gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival. Genesee Cream Ale was introduced in 1960.
Genesee also owns the Michael Shea brands (Irish Amber, Black &Tan), as well as the Fred Koch Brewery (Golden Anniversary) and JW Dundee's Honey Brown Lager, my personal favorite.
Did I mention we did the Anheiser Busch tour on our recent visit to St. Louis? What an interesting place! VERY modern and clean, and the technology is amazing. It was my first time in a brewery (other than the little micro-brew places), and it was incredible. The only drawback was the tour moves very fast. I would have loved to gone through again, or gone through slower on the first time. It was very impressive.
Linda
In a moment of brain-pause, I wrote:
<i>I would have loved to gone through again, or gone through slower on the first time.
That just reads poorly, doesn't it? Do over.
I wish I could have gone through the plant at a slower pace, or at least do the tour twice to see what I might have missed the first time around.
It's 2:20am, it still sounds wrong, and I'm not going to try to figure it out at all.
Linda
Ah, memories (or not). Born and raised in upstate NY. If you see someone weaving on the road, it is most likely because they were too broke that day to buy anything to drink – not used to driving sober.
Anyway, plain old Genny was the every day beer. 12 Horse was for very special occasions. Losers drank Pabst :)
MD20-20? Once again, memories (or not). Some of the nastiest stuff ever sold across the counter I believe.
Happy New Year all.
A Thunderbird? Hehehe. My mental image of you just got revised. I can see you, tooling through Austin in that sleek car, windows open to enjoy the balmy Texas New Year's Day. Burn some rubber for us folks here in the cold wet north.
And a New Year kiss back at ya!
Linda:
Well, since Paul Lynde is dead, that's a bit of a theological matter. But I can certainly see how he might be jealous of Charles Nelson Reilly's ongoing success.
And Happy New Year, Linda! Hope you enjoyed the evening despite being DD. (As a non-drinker, I know the feeling.) And I hope the radio never beeped all night.
pennywit:
Hehehehe! Thank's for that laugh. And Happy New Year!
Happy New Year, triticale! Happy New Year, jaymaster! Happy New Year, Sandi! Happy New Year, McKiernan! Happy New Year, Owen! Happy New Year, Paul! Happy New Year, Lessa! Happy New Year, Rex! Happy New Year, Scott! Happy New Year, OCSteve!
Dr Chuck Pearson:
You know, that sounds like something I'll have to try. Thanks, and Happy New Year!
rammer:
Wiedimans should always be forbidden. When I was having bottle-room nightmares, the stench of stale Wiedimans permeated the dreams. That was the brand that one guy brought in by the pallet load to finance his new rifle. Really: do we want a guy who drinks Wiedimans by the pallet to have more firearms?
And what was the brew that was disgorged on those church steps again?
Michael Demmons:
Well, in your case, I would never even try, of course. Live and let live works for me.
And that reminds me of an ad campaign. EZ Car Loan Center is an auto financier with a billboard campaign that consists of putting billboards all up and down I-96 in the Grand Rapids/Lansing area. Each billboard contains nothing but a large, memorable URL, and EZ Car Loan Center in small print below. The URLs are simple English phrases, not the name of the dealership or anything like that; and each billboard has a different URL.
I laughed myself silly when I saw the billboard with PoopyCredit.com. There's a memorable URL!
Martin,
You've got the perfect image. I love to open my windows and fly in my bird...
Happy New Years to everyone ;-) 2007, let us hope it will be a good one for all.
If I can get down there, I'll see if you're up to a tour.
I blame my annual New Years Eve champagne for confusing the cities. I always try a glass, just to participate in the toast. Last night's was just non-vile enough that I could actually finish it. (Usually I sip for a toast, then give it to Sandy.) An hour later, I had the most bizarre feeling of dizziness. I can't believe people enjoy that stuff.
I drink twice a year. I just don't think about it. I have a few on Christmas and then New Year's. I may have one or two for my birthday with my son but not sure.
Oh, yes it was me that talked about the Apollos. I'd love a tour when I go to Houston so I will mention it as time passes and I know if I am going. Thank you, that would be very nice of you ;-)
Of course we all lose our tempers now and then. Dean freely admits to being imperfect in this regard, which is why regulars to this establishment will generally be cut more slack than people who we don't know very well.
Still: behave like an adult, or go find somewhere else to play. Thanks.