The Happy Thread

[marcuspnw]

Is bitter an acquired taste?

Yes, at $8.99 a six pack.

In summer, I drift toward lager/pilsner, then in autumn, back to ales. Unless, someone else is treating. Must be polite you know...

Stay hoppy Tim!

[StillSearching]

The other day, I listened to a story on NPR about sap beer, a formerly common concoction made by farmers in the American northeast. The method for brewing it almost completely disappeared in the late 20th century, but it is seeing a resurgence in popularity and the methods are being resurrected. Has anyone tried sap beer? If so, a brief description of your experience would be interesting. I'm going to scour the interwebs and see if there's any way to get my hands on some.

Here's the NPR story, in written form.

[Moonwood the Hare]

So you wouldn't really recommend "Finnegan's Wake" then, KTR? BTW, this has sort of turned into the Hoppy thread.

It's a very challenging book; hard to say if I'd recommend it. It's more of an acheivement to read it, lol-- climb a mountian because it's there.

Last year I read what's left of Stephen Hero. Joyce could write, and that was a really great straight forward read - would I have enjoyed it if I hadn't read Portrait of the Arist? Not sure. And some of those short stories like The Dead - I mean the man could write but I guess it was all too easy. Even Ulysses has good bits alongside that same sense of climbing a mountain.

[Moonwood the Hare]

Is bitter an acquired taste? I tried it for about 2 weeks but still didn't like it, so gave up and went back to lager. The sophisticated gents also took Mild and 'Brown and Mild.' I'm probably not quite old enough to be nostalgic over these things (39.)

I think Guinness is still doing well, though I don't like it much either.

Well, I was a teenager when I first tried it and it took time. It depends on the bitter. It has to be draft and I prefer an XB to a straight bitter - slightly stronger.

[StillSearching]

I'm good for one pint of Guinness, but beyond that it doesn't agree with me. I do love Bass Ale though. Does that qualify as a bitter Moon?

[StillSearching]

Just doing some light reading on beer, and found this at Wikipedia:

"The Hymn to Ninkasi", a prayer to the Mesopotamian goddess of beer, served as both a prayer and as a method of remembering the recipe for beer in a culture with few literate people.

If that's not proof positive of the power of prayer, I don't know what is.

[mitchellmckain]

I don't know if what they call guinness over here is anything like the real thing, but that isnt very interesting to me. I will splurge and buy some Stout occasionally and I like that a lot. A long time ago, there was a Phillipino beer, San Miguel dark, that I really liked too, but I don't see it any more. But those are the only ones for which I will even put up with the alchohol content, and so I might as well drink Odouls or something else without alchohol.

[marcuspnw]

I'm good for one pint of Guinness, but beyond that it doesn't agree with me. I do love Bass Ale though. Does that qualify as a bitter Moon?

No, it's a pale ale but bitters and pale ales share similar characteristics and are closely related as beers are classified. Most of us would have difficulty discerning between
the two if blindfolded.

[marcuspnw]

I don't know if what they call guinness over here is anything like the real thing, but that isnt very interesting to me. I will splurge and buy some Stout occasionally and I like that a lot. A long time ago, there was a Phillipino beer, San Miguel dark, that I really liked too, but I don't see it any more. But those are the only ones for which I will even put up with the alchohol content, and so I might as well drink Odouls or something else without alchohol.

From what I can tell, you have to be near the east coast from Toronto to Washington D.C. Mitch, you might try Negra Modelo. Or keep an eye scanned for a local, micro-brewery that offers a dark lager if Utah allows such establishments.

[StillSearching]

Mitch, you might try Negra Modelo.

Yes, this is one of my favs and I recommend it too. Darker color and fuller body but the flavor is still what I would consider to be on the lighter side (read: not overly bitter).

Has anyone tried sap beer?

No takers on this one, eh? Well, I've discovered that it's damn near impossible to come by unless you live in New England. Guess I'll have to plan a trip sometime. Any excuse to visit Vermont.

[Moonwood the Hare]

I think Bass do a bitter. There'a a story about Tennyson and Bass. While he was Poet Laureate, on the occasion of his visit to the International Exhibition of 1862. He had written an ode to be sung by a choir of four thousand at its opening; he enquired: 'Is there anywhere in this damned place where we can get a decent bottle of Bass?'

My favourite pale ale is Timothy Taylor's Landlord. It's quite strong. Gravity about 1050. And sadly it does not taste the same as it once did. Why it became less sweet in the mid nineties no one knows.

[JustJim]

Negra Modelo is excellent! And if you're in areas where you can get it, Yuengling Black and Tan is also very rich and deep.. almost a contradictory 'sweet' bitterness.... One review commented on its taste as follows:

Tastes of roasted coffee, butter, and nuttiness on the front end. Toffee and corn-like malt sweetness dominate that back end.

I agree, but I'd call it a very strong roasted coffee... Gently burnt toffee and roasted corn-like malt sweetness..... <<burp>>

Jim

[Tim-the-Hermit]

Brief aside: The deaf signs for 'vicar/clergyman' and 'Guinness' are similar, I'm sure you can work out why!

[Rian]

Funny! About how many signs have two uses like that?

[Tim-the-Hermit]

There are quite a few that are similar, but not identical; SL has nuances very much like English. BTW, I was mightily impressed with your US President here!:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/2 ... 69118.html