I've tried Stella Artois. Not a bad swill.
Hopefully will be available at Bud's pseudo brew pubs.
Bud is coming out with a pseudo-microbrew and pseudo-brew pubs?
I'd like to know if anyone's tried the michelada-in-a-bottle I've seen advertised on billboards around here.
Speaking of which, can anyone suggest a spot in midtown Manhattan where one might drink whiskey, watch the VP debate, and howl with laughter without offending anyone?
The homepage of Peter DeFazio, my MIL's pugnacious representative, has a link to the House Small Brewers Caucus. I imagined a bunch of home-brewing legislators sharing tastes and tips and swapping hops across the aisle, but it appears to be just a bunch of reps with breweries in their districts. Only one of my current two favorite breweries is in a member's district, but I don't know what if anything to make of that. Must just be a lapse on the part of the esteemed gentleman from Delaware.
I would be astounded if Budweiser's American Ale were even 10% as good as Sam Adams, and I don't say that because I love Sam Adams so much.
My friend the one a.m. radio made a good remix of "Reckoner". It has handclaps. Vote for it! Also, to avoid having to use the dreaded pause play keys, I'm going to link to dsquared on Budweiser.
5: Yeah, I could. But all the hipsters, they want to be at least 15 to 20 blocks southeast from a subway stop, or something.
4: I've always felt airports should smell more like breweries. Maybe they will waft the pseudo-smell from their pseudo-brewing tanks.
Friggin' White Sox.
Actually, I rather like the White Sox and Old Style-brand beer. So nyah.
The Palin thing is getting bizarre. It seems too over the top, like it's a trick or something. Who the hell can't name a newspaper or magazine? "Uh, I read most of them." WTF?
A celiac friend has discovered that the gluten-free beer by Budweiser is by far the best of their products. Not that that's necessarily saying much.
personally, i much prefer Sam Adam's boston ale to their lager. Also good: their honey porter and cream stout. Their black ale is fine, but not on par with Fat Tire's 1551, which is fantastic. Yesterday I bought a pack of Michelob's Pumpkin Ale. I think it's a fine thing, but I love all thinks pumpkin
15: Best I can figure is that she's totally spooked now and afraid to say anything specific about any topic.
and cream stout
Yeah, the cream stout is good. Me, I have no respect for wimpy beer.
When it rains, I fold all newspapers and put them over my head to create an umbrella of job creation. I've been doing this since second grade. It makes me seem a lot like Obama.
When it rains, I spill salt behind me.
My theory is that Palin got asked a lot of hard questions that she tried to bluster her way through, and then suddenly realized when Couric asked her what news she reads that C thinks she's a moron. You can't answer a question that insultingly dumb without admitting that it's obvious everyone thinks you're dumb.
Plus, of course, whatever paper she names is going to be partisan in some way that McCain will slap her around about later. He's a vicious dude.
Stella's pretty good, Sam Adams is lame. I'm drinking Kennebunkport Pumpkin myself these days because, like Michael, I love pumpkin. Pumpkin soup for dinner tonight, pumpkin bread for breakfast this morning.
Plus, of course, whatever paper she names is going to be partisan in some way that McCain will slap her around about later. He's a vicious dude.
My God, how I loathe Sam Adams. How fucking Generic American Beer(tm) can you get? You try moving from SF to Boston sometime; try moving from the land of "Sierra on tap everywhere" to the land of "Sam's on tap everywhere." It's insulting. The good news is that I'm 3 hours from the land of the Unibrow (Unibroue.)
I've tried Stella Artois. Not a bad swill.
My favorite rhyming slang: "Nelson" = Nelson Mandela = Stella.
When it rains, I fold all newspapers and put them over my head to create an umbrella of job creation.
We are familiar with all newspaper traditions.
Ben! I said hey to your sister, but it was the end of the other thread.
I align myself with 7.
27: Positively stellah.
I've been trying to popularize "Benny"=Benny Hill=chill, but to no effect so far.
Sam Adams is very variable depending on what regional brewery it comes from. Sam Adams in Massachusetts, which is brewed in Pennsylvania, is generally much better than Sam Adams in California.
22: if she were free to speak her own actual mind, she'd say things that at least referred to the questions asked
You sure?
Also, Sierra Nevada tastes like ass.
Right now I'm drinking a very very nerdy beer, and enjoying my ever-more-nerdy stereo. Ahh, vaguely pointless connoisseurship.
Nerdy whiskey is nerdier than nerdy beer, nerdy nerd nerd. And Ratatat is the nerdiest band ever.
I rarely drink beer these days, but I drank vast amounts of Harp Lager when I was up at Cambridge. For reasons unknown, I can drink it all night and barely get a buzz. But I like its hoppiness. And I like some IPAs. Also for their hoppiness. Back in the 70s, a friend of mine brewed his own; I miss it.
35: this isn't a nerd-piss contest, nerd.
Ratatat is fairly nerdy but I dunno that's some stiff competition right there. Any band that got their start remixing the likes of Clipse can't be that nerdy.
If you decline to name-check your beer or your av receiver, you are not a connoisseur, you are an aficionado. It's like being a connoisseur, but less snobby.
22: Palin answers questions with Bush-like condescension, but she lacks his confidence, so she can't quite pull it off. The perky midwest speaking style doesn't help; she expresses even less gravitas than he does. To her credit, unlike Bush she doesn't sound as though she's either drunk or developing some speech/neurological disorder.
38: Clipse got their start from one half of The Neptunes, who met at a jazz workshop and were members of a marching band. Q to the E to the muthaphucking D.
Also I'm not in the world of AV receivers, here. I'm pricing hi-fi tube preamp kits so I can actually control the volume on my new (to me) power amp.
Is being a connoisseuse more or less snobby than being a connoisseur? I'm prepared to do what's needful but I want to make sure of the effects.
42: look how much coke do I have to do before I transcend all those D&D games, is all I'm asking?
Given that blind taste tests of beers generally show a preference for malt liquor, Heineken, or 89c cans, beer snobs are the most pathetic sort of alcohol snobs.
44: It's just faggier. Not-that-there's-anything-wrong-with-that-har-harrr.
45: Just think Tony Montana. To several orders of magnitude. Sure, you'll be dead, but you won't have to make a saving roll to avoid becoming undead.
Gonerill, you'd best leave that stuff to dsquared. He's not likely to appreciate the trespass.
I was pleasantly surprised at Budweiser's American Ale. It's a light amber/brown ale, some hops, balanced but not super flavorful. Still, not the watery or lager-like pap I was expecting. Overall, a quite drinkable option if you're stuck in the sort of dire bar that doesn't carry anything apart from macrobrews (as I was on Friday night).
Also, there are totally nerdier bands than Ratatat. A huge number. Autechre for start.
Is being a connoisseuse more or less snobby than being a connoisseur?
More, because the ability to engender/genderize words is rare and thus elitist.
I was asking about the being, foolishmortal, not the employing of the terms.
A connoisseuse is a being that inquires about its being.
I don't think Autechre is really a "band".
And what is it with British people choosing beer as their venue for reverse snobbery? Honestly, there are different types of beer, which taste reliably different from each other, and people do enjoy some more than others as a result of their different tastes appealing to different people. This is not a myth, it is reality.
My God, how I loathe Sam Adams. How fucking Generic American Beer(tm) can you get? You try moving from SF to Boston sometime; try moving from the land of "Sierra on tap everywhere" to the land of "Sam's on tap everywhere." It's insulting. The good news is that I'm 3 hours from the land of the Unibrow (Unibroue.)
Are you saying Sierra Nevada is somehow in a category with Unibroue, instead of being in a category with Sam Adams?
You have something against gerunds?
beer snobs are the most pathetic sort of alcohol snobs.
No, that would be MD 20/20 Snobs.
42: Who also has a full sleeve tat and produced for Ol' Dirty Bastard. ODB is the Philosopher's Stone of nerdiness, converting it into pure mack merely through his presence.
Also foolishmortal is discounting the wide availability in his environs of Harpoon, which is pretty delicious, and the fairly wide availability of Dogfish Head, which is fucking great.
56: Only the incorrect ones. The correct ones, I'll be loving all night long.
ODB is the Philosopher's Stone of nerdiness, converting it into pure mack merely through his presence.
So right.
But Sifu still needs to do a lot of coke.
A lot more? Oh man. Blume's not gonna like this.
What? It can totally be a newlywed thing.
64: It's cool, I'll help out. I've got vacation time coming up, and it's about time I really buckled down and set my mind to something.
It's good to have goals.
No way, man. Overpriced audiophile components in kit form are my new drug.
I concede the Harpoon point. I will not pretend, however, that a statement like 33 does not severely impact the author's credibility.
Oh, Sifu, like you've ever done drugs.
35: this isn't a nerd-piss contest, nerd.
Well, it could be. And in that case you'll be chastened to learn that in blind taste-tests, the classic MIT vintages score no higher than the boxed stuff from Wisconsin-Stout.
69: I'd wager that in this situation, the correct answer for Sifu would be a different thing from the true answer.
68: dude I would take Anchor Steam over Sierra Nevada Pale Ale at this point. There, I said it.
Oh sure, I was incredibly excited to realize that Sierra Pale was $4 a six-pack cheaper in California, but after having consumed a very large but still finite number of cases of it just to be sure, I can tell you that it tastes like malty, skunked ass.
Especially compared to the unbelievably delicious beer made by other companies in the Sierras. It's sad, really.
Oh, Sifu, like you've ever done drugs.
Master Tweety has majored in "Dude, do you know how fucking high I am right now?" His academic success depends upon the precision with which he can answer that question.
72.1 gets it right. I am saddened to learn that many of you apparently lack access to excellent beer.
God damn but my nerdy-ass speakers can just reproduce the living shit out of "Shake Your Rump".
And 76 makes 74 more relevant than ever; what the hell are you talking about, DS?
Huh, I guess 79 means 76 is wrong.
Damn, I could do this all night.
49: An interesting review. Given our past beer conversations, I will try it the next time I see it available.
Yeah. Just don't expect a craft brew. So long as you've got that Sam Adams / more-watery-Fat-Tire sort of level in mind, you shouldn't be disappointed. I'm afraid I didn't catch the price (someone else bought that beer for me), but I certainly hope they're not charging microbrew prices.
Also, I would brag about the beers currently in my fridge, but just as surely as 82 negates 78, I've got class.
72: Did you just diss Sierra and then fucking Anchor Steam in the same sentence? You must be coked up. I had to deal with that shit in Bolivia all the goddamn time and it's annoying.
Anyway, Anchor Steam is the bomb. No argument there. But pretending that Sam's is somehow comparable to Sierra is a category failure. One is an internationally marketed beer. The other is an overextended microbrew. Sam's is a good beer, not a great one.
Dude, Anchor Steam is deeply average. I feel like you should get yourself to Deep Ellum post-haste and drink some of the beer there.
re: 43
Recently, I've been pricing kits to make my own tube amp. As a project for when I am done with this interminable thesis [this month!]. Might never happen, though.
You can't answer a question that insultingly dumb without admitting that it's obvious everyone thinks you're dumb.
Why is the newspaper question insultingly dumb? Bush made a point of talking about the papers he didn't read and the McCain campaign has talked about which sources they find credible and which not. (This largely reduces to No NYT for us! for both Bush and McCain.) Or do you object to the way Couric phrased it?
87: yeah I dunno if my tube preamp will happen. But soon enough I'll have no volume control, so maybe that'll be incentive.
But pretending that Sam's is somehow comparable to Sierra is a category failure. One is an internationally marketed beer. The other is an overextended microbrew. Sam's is a good beer, not a great one.
Neither of them is a "beer". Sam Adams makes like 15 different beers, and Sierra Nevada makes...six? and both of them market and sell their product throughout the United States. And both of them make beers within the standard range of American microbreweries, without any adventurous things like the smaller microbreweries do.
this interminable thesis [this month!]
Woo! Hook 'em! [And other things that we yanks say to express delight at both projects.]
I'm with Sifu, genuinely good beer > Anchor Steam > Sierra Nevada. Boont is my default for California beer by the pitcher.
While we're on the booze subject: can we do a mini-Ask the Mineshaft about apple brandy? Anyone have experience making it?
re: 89
I picked up a little DAC that I mostly use as a headphone amp. It doubles as a simple pre-amp [it has two outputs, one with a fixed level and one adjustible]. I've contemplated buying or building a little power amp and using that as a pre-amp until I can get round to getting a proper pre-amp. So whatever I do, I have a stop-gap pre-amp.*
This is probably idle fancy, of course. But I would like a little tube amp [SET or whatever] to play around with.
* my integrated amp works perfectly fine, anyway.
90: that's not really true. Both Sam Adams and Sierra have made wacky small-batch beers (cf. Sam's undrinkable Triple Bock).
92: Boont is freakin' terrific. I'll take their IPA anytime.
Following up on 88 (for the non-beer drinkers), turns out Bush actually did/does read some of the papers:
Aware of the facts'
The media's questionable Vietnam analogies are just one reason Mr. Bush does not pay much attention to press coverage of his administration.
"I don't watch the nightly newscasts on TV, nor do I watch the endless hours of people giving their opinion about things," the president said. "I don't read the editorial pages; I don't read the columnists."
Yet Mr. Bush regularly monitors the news pages of a select few daily publications.
"I get the newspapers -- the New York Times, The Washington Times, The Washington Post and USA Today -- those are the four papers delivered," he said. "I can scan a front page, and if there is a particular story of interest, I'll skim it."
The president prides himself on his ability to detect bias in ostensibly objective news stories.
"My antennae are finely attuned," he said. "I can figure out what so-called 'news' pieces are going to be full of opinion, as opposed to news. So I'm keenly aware of what's in the papers, kind of the issue du jour. But I'm also aware of the facts."
Those facts are extracted from news stories each day and presented to the president by a half-dozen aides, Mr. Card among them.
My dad used to make apple liquor. But not in the sense that he distilled the liquor from fermented apples -- he put apples in a jar with some vodka and sugar and some other things, covered up the jar and put it away for a couple of months.
He did the same thing with red plums and Concord grapes. All pretty tasty, to my twelve-year-old palate.
97: he put apples in a jar with some vodka and sugar and some other things, covered up the jar and put it away for a couple of months.
Hmmm, interesting. Any guesses on the "some other things"? Herbs and such?
I am so fond of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It was the first beer off which I would regularly get drunk. I haven't tasted it in years.
88: I don't object to the question. I just think it looked like a situation in which Couric was getting frustrated with Palin's insistence that she (a) has a "world view," but (b) cannot describe in human language what that "world view" is, at least not in a way that wouldn't creep everyone right the fuck out, so Couric gave her a "So do you know anything at all about anything" question. And a question like that doesn't freak out Bush or McCain because they were/are running for executive positions, and whatever weirdo crap they say becomes their ticket's stance. Palin can't just be "mavericky" like McCain and say shit like "I dunno if we can meet with Zapatero. I don't know if he's our ally" and then expect everyone to fall in line. She also can't say, as Bush did, that her favorite political philosopher is Jesus Christ. She's number two, so she has to sound either bland or within the boundaries McCain keeps changing.
Briefly, my answer is, I blame McCain. The way that dude switches positions on absolutely everything every few hours has got to make it pretty fucking impossible for Palin (no quick study on these issues in the first place) to constantly remember what the talking points are this particular minute.
94: you know, what I'd really love is something that took ToSlink in, did one of those CD-warming-line-stage dealies, and then output stereo, and did it cheaply. That's what I've been looking for, but everything's either a PAIA kit that's likely not very well sourced components or costs an inexplicably huge amount of money.
To put my nerd cards on the table, I have an Adcom power amp on the way, and I stream music from an airport express, and I'd like to put some deliciously warm DAC/tube goodness between 'em.
97: sounds a bit like apple-infused vodka which, while delicious, is a rather different animal than apple brandy.
Speaking of which, I had this cocktail? On monday? That was made with roast pepper-infused vodka? Oh my fuck.
98: I don't know what other necessary ingredients there were, if any. As far as herbs or other additives go, he at least once put cinnamon sticks and whole cloves in it, and at least once put ginseng or ginger in it. I think he usually made it plain.
96: eb, I like apo and AWB upthread on the question. apo:
Best I can figure is that she's totally spooked now and afraid to say anything specific about any topic.
AWB:
My theory is that Palin got asked a lot of hard questions that she tried to bluster her way through, and then suddenly realized when Couric asked her what news she reads that C thinks she's a moron. You can't answer a question that insultingly dumb without admitting that it's obvious everyone thinks you're dumb.
Plus, of course, whatever paper she names is going to be partisan in some way that McCain will slap her around about later. He's a vicious dude.
100: Ah, I agree with you on that. Palin has the added problem that Biden doesn't in that she's still being "defined": Biden and Obama can disagree on some things, but Biden's already known and people have an idea of how he's developed his views.
Yeah, I think apo and AWB are right. She's not a total moron -- she's been given an impossible job and she's totally at sea. Damn it AWB, don't make me feel sorry for her. That's just inches away from liking her. And you know, as an American, I am constitutionally obliged to vote for whichever candidate I find most "likable."
You can't answer a question that insultingly dumb without admitting that it's obvious everyone thinks you're dumb.
See, though, to refer to above, I don't think that's true; you could say "well, I wish the Anchorage Daily News could rise among some of their biases, but of course I read all the hometown papers. And the Washington Times does a great job. And, you know, just to be covered, I have my staff make sure they're reading all the web sites, all the blogs, that sort of thing, and getting back to me with whatever the current kind of trends are in coverage. And of course I have access to a lot of information your average news reader doesn't."
Easy-peasy, reconfirming my theory that within the subset of "people who have gone to more than more than four institutes of higher education while obtaining one or less degrees" I rank much higher than Sarah Palin on the "qualified to be vice president" metric.
105: Yeah, and how gross was it that Palin made that "joke" about how old Biden is? It sounded like nervous jealousy, for exactly your reason in 105, eb.
Never mind my puzzlingly extraneous use of "of".
Um, you all know I was only objecting to the assertion that the "what papers do you read" question is an insultingly dumb question? It seems like a fairly common, not usually very revealing, question in political interviews.
The other problem is, it's very easy for me to say, with confidence, that I read, say, The New Yorker. If you ask me about a particular article, as a follow-up question, I probably read it, or at least know what you're talking about. If you skim a lot of news sources for quick info and someone asks a follow-up about whether you like this or that coverage in a particular source, you probably have to say something like "I don't read [whatever section]" or "I... guess I... refresh my memory?" and Palin has pulled both of those moves way too many times.
I was especially weirded out by her response to "What did you think of Tina Fey's SNL sketch?" She, bless her soul, claims to have really liked her impression, but watched it with the SOUND OFF. (a) No one believes her about the sound, and (b) there is no way she wasn't really fucking insulted, but (c) she can't say shit about Tina Fey because everyone loves her.
re: 101
This little DAC/headphone amp that I have takes TosLink in and outputs stereo. No warming stage gubbins, though. Although the guy who makes them sent me a mod that can be made that will fatten it up a bit [which I'll do soon]. I have this connected to the external breakout box on my soundcard via digital co-ax rather than TosLink. This is on the 'kitchen' stereo.
It's one of these:
http://www.compudio.ca/2007/04/beresford-tc-7510-mkiii-dac-reviewed.html
[audio review bollocks within. I got mine supercheap via ebay]
I was streaming my music to my main hi-fi with a little Phillips box, which is able to take FLAC as input with the right UPnP server software. But we had a power surge or powercut or something, and it died. So I am back to playing CDs or vinyl.
92 and Tweety have me feeling like I'm drinking in a different universe. How Anchor Steam isn't America's national beer is mysterious to me.
110: Considering how that interview was going, and Couric's increasingly irritated responses, it looked like Palin thought she was being accused of not knowing anything. Look how defensive she gets about Alaskans being out of touch (blushing and voice cracking), and, around :38, Couric's "can you believe this dumb bitch?" glare at the sound guy.
102.1: Right. I'm okay with that. Basically I need to do something with all these apples.
111: She, bless her soul, claims to have really liked her impression, but watched it with the SOUND OFF.
Oddly enough, I can believe that.
Couric's "can you believe this dumb bitch?" glare at the sound guy.
Which, come on, completely understandable.
114: Right, that's why I was asking if you meant the way Couric asked the question. I can see what you mean from watching the interview.
116: I'd have walked out on the interview long before. Couric is a hero to me this week. To reiterate, I don't think it's Couric's fault that her increasingly simple pleas for clarification made Palin lose her shit and act crazy, but I don't totally think Palin is like this all the time, or that she's never heard of a newspaper or whatever. I blame McCain.
I was streaming my music to my main hi-fi with a little Phillips box, which is able to take FLAC as input with the right UPnP server software.
I recently switched to an airport express, which takes a lossless stream from iTunes, which is awesome, but has a kind of meh DAC. I just learned that it ALSO secretly (literally; the optical jack is inside the 3.5mm jack) has s/pdif, so if I'm actually going to be running a stereophile power amp/tube preamp kit kind of a setup, I might as well be getting my digital to the analog domain with a similar level of obsessiveness.
118: I blame McCain.
Well, fine, but she was so simple she didn't think she'd be asked questions about basic points of national interest? Not good.
you could say "well, I wish the Anchorage Daily News could rise among some of their biases
around :38, Couric's "can you believe this dumb bitch?" glare at the sound guy.
Having been present at the same sort of two-camera interview (for Dateline NBC), my impression is that the reporters do this all the time and it is edited in when they feel like it, whether or not it occured at that moment in the interview.
Huh, ttaM thanks for the tip; that Beresford sounds hot.
re: 119
The think I liked about the Phillips box is that it has a little screen, so you can navigate through your music collection without having to be near a computer, which is good for me since my computer is in a different room.
It has its own DAC, though, and can't be bypassed. So when I replace it (soon) I'm probably going to go for a bigger box with optical/digital outs and which can do video as well.
Iceland just did the right thing. Krugman got a bit snarky. Nothing else happened.
124: ah, I have solved that problem; I browse my library from my phone, which interface is complete with album covers, volume control, and even, if I really feel like using it, Genius playlists.
BOW BEFORE JOBS! ALL IS JOBS! HAIL JOBS!
Doesn't help me with video, tho'.
I actually "watch" most web clips like interviews or the Tina Fey stuff with the sound on, but the visuals off (I'm usually reading something in another tab/window).
The cbs video, which I hadn't seen, includes Palin saying that she's a feminist. I hadn't heard her say that explicitly before (but then I haven't been following all of the interviews).
re: 123
Stanley Beresford sent me a mod which apparently fattens up the sound a bit. I've never gotten round to doing it as I'm OK with how it sounds anyway, but it is pretty simple. I think the mod might be only for people who want to use the fixed line-out on the DAC.
130: I'd be curious to see it. Given that you have one of those anyhow, you might look at an airport express as a music solution; pretty cheap way to get wireless digital audio propagated out.
Dude, Anchor Steam is deeply average. I feel like you should get yourself to Deep Ellum post-haste and drink some of the beer there.
If anchor steam is good enough for bill cosby in "mother, jugs and speed", it is good enough for me.
re: do you have an email address I can send to?
I'm afraid he sent me two PDFs and I only have the latest. The mods are slightly different, and I'm pretty sure the values for the components are only listed in the other PDF. I can send it anyway if you like. iirc, the first mod involved disconnected one of the pins on each stereo out and connecting in a capacitor. The current mod he sent involves bypassing a couple of components on the board and soldering in a resistor to bridge the gap.
He is very responsive to emails. If you email him at:
Stanley@homehifi.co.uk
I'm sure he'll send you all the relevant information. I've emailed him a few times and he's a nice guy to deal with. My PSU conked out [not his fault, the ebay seller I bought the DAC from had attempted to 'modify' it] and he sent me a new PSU quickly and at cost price.
Also, airport express wouldn't be good for me. I'd have no way of controlling it [no fancy Apple phone for me] and I don't use iTunes. There are other cheapish wireless players that can talk to Twonky, though.
This might be a good moment to ask: is anyone aware of reasonably priced kit to receive audio from a home server over ethernet? I've seen the Logitech ones, but the pricing is ridiculous. I'm after the generic knockoff version.
re: 135
The Buffalo one does.
http://www.dabs.com/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=4K4X
I've been thinking of buying one myself to replace the Phillips one I had that died. Needs to be connected to a telly as well as a stereo, though [it uses the TV as a screen for navigation and setup].
Sam Adams cherry wheat beer is pretty good.
I didn't consider myself much of a beer snob, but I was sort of figuring that Sam Adams was the minimum standard for beer. So, I go to my wing nut uncle's house and the only beer he has in the fridge is Dos Equis and Rolling Rock. Dos Equis may just be a matter of taste, but I can't understand how an adult could drink Rolling Rock.
Washington, DC people: A friend of mine is getting rid of several IKEA bookcases, an IKEA sofa, and who knows what else, free for the taking. Contact him at his blog for more details.
Sam Adams is lame.
Granted. But I still have some affection for it. I remember when Sam Adams was the only "microbrew" available. Back in the day, you drank Sam Adams and you liked it, goddammit.
(Currently, Ommegang Abbey Ale and the Ommegang Three Philosophers are my go-to beers of choice.)
122: That segment, the newspaper one, is a one-camera, with no edits.
I also blame - and I love - and I'm counting on - the fact that Sara Palin is a terrible test-taker, based solely on the fact that it took her six years and five colleges to get a degree.
I don't think she's dumb. But there's no way she's awesome at cramming for high, high stakes debates.
I wonder how o'doul's tastes. maybe I'll out-contrarian derauqsd by touting its improbable superiority to real beer.
Sam Adams is very variable depending on what regional brewery it comes from.
Another point in Anheuser-Busch's favor. They have quality control down to a science.
The cbs video, which I hadn't seen, includes Palin saying that she's a feminist.
Yeah, but it's followed by comments that seem to suggest women already can do anything they want and don't face any sort of barriers or anything.
re 112: This little DAC/headphone amp that I have takes TosLink in and outputs stereo.
if you have some sort of ToS-linked input on your home stereo you must be busy editing the feed all the time.
Hakkebeck, the Becks NA, is pretty good. I got some by mistake once and was half way through the bottle before I realized that it wasn't real.
I wonder how o'doul's tastes. maybe I'll out-contrarian derauqsd by touting its improbable superiority to real beer.
Beck's non-alcoholic is surprisingly non-awful when drunk in the right context (i.e. when it's minimum 90 degrees fahrenheit outside and you're sweating, which shouldn't be a problem for Narnia residents). I sometimes drink it in preference to real beer when I want to quench my thirst and I know that pouring two or three beers into a dehydrated body will cause incapacitating drunkenness.
On preview, pwned by Emerson in 145.
I went through a period of drinking a hell of a lot of Kaliber (the non-alcoholic lager from Guinness), and it wasn't bad, but you do tend to put on a lot of weight really quickly.
What on earth for? I can see drinking things other than beer, if you don't want the alcohol, but why non-alcoholic beer?
I can't understand how an adult could drink Rolling Rock.
I have a lingering soft spot for Rolling Rock, which during my youth in Deep Redstatia was the only bottled beer (apart from the execrable MGD) available at certain local stores.
145: I accidentally ended up with 2/6 bottles of Hakkebeck, and I was not fooled. Yech.
as an alcoholic, I have to say I'm reading 146 with a sense of confused wonderment. you say you wanted a beer...but you didn't want to get really drunk...no, no, I've lost you there.
150: Yeah, these discussions continually remind me that I don't have a palate. I don't like Miller or Bud (barring hot weather and thirst), but I'll drink a Rolling Rock and like it fine, likewise Ynglyng or however you spell it. I don't defend this as good judgment, but it does make me a cheap date.
It's 'cause beer tastes awesome.
yes, beer does taste awesome, and it's one of the few things I ever look at wistfully: I'm eating spicy food outside and near me someone has a refreshing, glistening bottle of tiger...looks good. but the "getting you drunk" thing is a really salient aspect of beer. like, if you don't want to get a buzz at all, you don't drink a beer, but instead enjoy a lime juice or something. although I guess there's a gap in the non-sweet, non-alcoholic refreshment category. here people drink barley water, or slightly sweetened green tea, but there's not much besides beer that's thirst-quenching and *savory* in that way..
Hops infusions taste awesome. So does tonic water.
I came for the taste I stayed to get drunk. That said, there is something about fake beer that just has me screaming for real beer and then the getting drunk. Funny, tonic water doesn't do that to me even though I loved G&Ts.
Back before the internets, I traveled more for business, and found by far the cheapest source of high-quality reading material was a newspaper, especially one of the bigees. If I traveled through O'hare the Chicago Tribune would last me a long way, especially the Sunday edition. The London Times was the same way. Living in England I read the Sunday Times religiously.
I couldn't really understand about a quarter of it, because you needed to know the backstory to really get the point, but it was great stuff nonetheless.
In all my years I never did develop a taste for the full-bodied beers. I've always preferred the beers that are like making love in a canoe. You may jeer at me now. I'm used to it.
BR got divorced when her husband came out of the closet.
On our first date, she looked at me with great concern when I told her that I did not like beer.
That's when Will took to ordering bourbon straight up.
I find it, personally, nearly impossible to get drunk on beer. I can't drink it quickly enough to get drunk. So I like beer because it is refreshing and not sweet.
That's when Will took to ordering bourbon straight up.
We are frequently at dinner parties where we are the only straight couple. I regularly get mocked due to BR being the traditional man in the family. (She drinks beer, fixes garbage disposals, installed our chandelier, installed a bathroom vanity complete with plumbing, etc...)
163: if you want to get drunk on beer, I can recommend some varieties that'll do the trick for sure.
if you want to get drunk on beer, I can recommend some varieties that'll do the trick for sure.
La Fin Du Monde.
I regularly get mocked due to BR being the traditional man in the family.
Perhaps she would be interested in hosting the Dutch women's rowing team Knecht mentioned turning down.
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Procrastinating due to huge report due next week. This screams Unfogged somehow.
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Be sure to read the comments.
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133: tfunkin at the internet mail service offered by teh google.
169: I suspect we've had that thread before. More than once. (Doesn't mean it's not time to revisit --- after all, isn't that what we do?)
Damn, a beer thread and I'm coming in late. Fortunately, it looks like Sifu has my position well-covered.
In local beer news, I'm very, very excited about a new beer bar opening in an obscure corner of Cambridge. Meetup as soon as it's open!
Regarding the Budweiser American Ale - I'm curious to try it. I've had surprisingly good things from the experimental part of their Virginia brewery at festivals here. Iooked for the American Ale at a major liquor store last weekend; they had the marketing materials but not the beer. As md says in 142, A-B does have quality control down to a science; they can make exactly what they want in immense quantity. That they choose to sell mostly tasteless cheap pisswater is what's fashionable and profitable, but if public tastes change, I have no doubt that they can keep up. Several of the better local micros in New England have brewers who did stints at the local A-B plant, and I think it served them well.
On our first date, she looked at me with great concern when I told her that I did not like beer.
Fleur had a "gay scare" with me for a while. I can't remember what set it off. I recall that she was somewhat reassured when our joint trip to Ikea revealed that I have terrible taste in soft furnishings.
Portland, Oregon, is the place to go for good beer, of course. Jesus and I have hit two of the top places, and there are others. One of them served about 30 Belgian beers alone.
Will,
I regularly get mocked due to BR being the traditional man in the family. (She drinks beer, fixes garbage disposals, installed our chandelier, installed a bathroom vanity complete with plumbing, etc...)
I'm sure you don't need to hear this from me but you hold onto BR. She is a 'keeper' for sure and you are one lucky man.
Knecht,
I recall that she was somewhat reassured when our joint trip to Ikea revealed that I have terrible taste in soft furnishings.
Just this weekend I made my first trip ever to Ikea. If you have any doubts about whether some people like to "gather" (on the veldt) go to Ikea. That place is a gatherer's paradise, complete with meandering paths through the landscape as one gathers and compares, backtracks, compares again, and then meanders some more.
Stuff like that literally wears out my brain. I swear I get physically tired by it. I think for me it is visual overload. Some people though, like my wife, thrive on it.
179: please don't feed. fwiw, I suspect it's almost, but maybe not quite, replaceable by a markov chain at this point
183: It's been done -- I couldn't find you the link offhand, but someone made a simulator and linked at J&B's.
184: was it good? You'd be able to get a pretty good prior, anyway.
ToS invents new words, talks nonsensically, not communicative, can't exercise self-control, ToS has Wernicke aphasia!
if ToS can repeat words after others, maybe it's not that Ds and he's just a spoiled lonely kid
his portrait?
anyway, he can't help himself to be who is he, so people being mean to him what if it's something like showing the same attitude towards for example leprechauns? just saying
if i knew how to help maybe i'd suggest you some advice, ToS, but i'm afraid it's organic
now, come on prove it's the wrong Ds
187 just made my morning, read.
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Booze thread is close enough to food. On less depressing front that market meltdowns, I'd totally forgotten how yummy ricotta salata could be.
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I bought another muskmelon with a rotten spot yesterday, and my theory is still good. The 90% that wasn't spoiled was the intensest tasting muskmelon I'd ever had. It's too hard to judge from the outside -- wait till there's a soft spot. It's like buying any other kind of food with some wastage (bone, rind, husk, etc.). I got 10% less but 200% better.
I got 10% less but 200% better.
Something like this is achievable with an astonishing array of foods, with varying ratios.
Actually, I shouldn't be astonished since the food supply has for decades been applying something like at 10% more but 25% crappier approach, iteratively and as widely as possible.
It's not as if, though, they confine the 25% crappier in the 10% more section, which is offhivable.
so, ToS, just to wash my hands of it so to speak
i think i won't try to talk to you anymore if you don't want, okay
try to say something about yourself, not others
that could be like a little therapeutic for you
for example, maybe like this
you are a religious being, believe in hell and you hold in esteem Thomas Aquinas and Ezra Pound, and some others, i forgot who you mentioned else
you majored in philosophy maybe, you follow current economics and politics, have some republican leaning views, know about marxism, what else? see, you are an interesting being
your abusive words can be dismissed like something you use to draw people's attention
so try it and good luck
so people being mean to him what if it's something like showing the same attitude towards for example leprechauns?
Best thing I've read all day.
so people being mean to him what if it's something like showing the same attitude towards for example leprechauns?
Best thing I've read all day.
so people being mean to him what if it's something like showing the same attitude towards for example leprechauns?
Best thing I've read all day.
Most redundant thing I've read all day.
I'm the Inspection Inspector from the Department of Redundancy Department.
I like the Wernicke's aphasia diagnosis in 187.
Texas has some good breweries, Saint Arnolds in Houston is very good, but it is certainly not the northwest.
For me, Sierra Nevada > Anchor > Sam Adams, no matter which of their brews we are speaking of.
I think that Hop Wallop from Victory is my favorite beer, but their Hop Devil, which is available year round, is very good, but not quite great.
Seriously, Palin's last answer in the video in 202 is amazing. She couldn't have at least said "Dred Scott" or something? Like Bush in one of the 2004 debates?
Maybe McCain hasn't given her the go-ahead to disagree with Dred Scott. She might alienate an important part of the Republican constituency.
The part that I found really amazing is where she agrees that there's a federal constitutional right to privacy, but then says that federal constitutional rights should be applied or not at the discretion of state governments. This is crazy making. It's not just fucked up and wrong, it makes no sense whatsoever.
For god's sake, she's been cited for excellent debate performance for her word salad. Give it a rest.
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What did I do today?
Oh, not much. This guy just decided to drive his car into me while I was biking to school.
He felt bad enough that he gave me an autographed copy of his book.
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214: So basically, he tried to rapture you himself.
My God, how I loathe Sam Adams. How fucking Generic American Beer(tm) can you get?
It was such a huge improvement when the Generic American Beer moved from Miller to Sam Adams. Kids today don't know how good they have it.
Also, Sierra Nevada tastes like ass.
Sifu only pops in these days when he sees an irresistible opportunity to be a Masshole.
Holy shit, Cubs getting killed.
The Cubs have always been the true lovable yet doomed cursed team. The Red Sox were always a fraud in that department, now revealed.
It was such a huge improvement when the Generic American Beer moved from Miller to Sam Adams.
This is true. I remember it! This is not to say that there aren't still plenty of dive bars with pool tables that are actually open and available, but which have only what I still think of as the generic American beers. They will not have Sam Adams.
Not that I go to them any more, but damn it was a transitional period when I realized that I sort of couldn't, any more, because it was all Bud, Bud Light, Miller, etc. Never, of course, ask in a place like that whether they have any "amber" or god forbid "dark" beers.
I got another nerdynerd beer tonight. No Sierra for me, hater haters!
Japanese Sage Beer and Venezuelan Beaver Beer are hard to get in the States, but don't pass them up if you get a chance.
There's an old guy around here who played with Yogi Berra in high school. I just thought I'd tell you that.
220: Just be glad while you can still afford it, elitist.
Actually, I don't like beer very much. Though. Makes me feel bloated, see.
223: the credit markets are still buying up beer debt.
Beer is tax deductable, but bartenders hate to give out the receipts so they won't tell you that.
Pantene! We're going to Scholz's tomorrow to watch the debate if you happen to have a babysitter handy (or want to show the kids a good laugh).
Drop me an e-mail: mypseud at gee mail either way, wouldja?
222: I'm near positive you've told us that before, Emerson. Not that it isn't fascinating the 2nd time around.
I need somebody to watch the debate with. I'll be damned if I'm going to sit through that on my own.
No, no, no. I just found out today.
A list of stories I have told more than once is to be found at Standpipe's blog.
I did just run into someone from Memphis who had a catfish story, but you people hate catfish stories.
233: You'll need to be in Boston at 9 to hold Sifu's hand.
My head's not actually in Boston. Neither is the rest of me.
Sif! Come to New York. We'll have whiskey.
234: That's a no go, as I have class until 9:30.
Sadly, Carp, New York is almost as far away from me as Boston is. Which is to say very far.
You're in the land of the fish taco already?
I'm actually inside a fish taco as we speak.
Er, it had been my impression that Sifu had gone back to CA to finish college (again, or finally, or for the last time) or something? This was admittedly a vague impression. Anyway, if that's right, he might could get his stuff out of storage before it burns up.
I thought Sifu's college was in Boston.
Sifu's peripetations will be the end of me.
I need somebody to watch the debate with.
Look on the bright side: you don't have to watch it with my only-vaguely-politically-informed grad school friends.
I just came back from a homebrew club meeting, which included both many homebrews and many commercial lambics (the style to explore for the evening). I am nerdy Becks style. (Figure out how to apply the grouping to that yourself).
244: oh my goodness. I'm not sure my only-vaguely-informed irritating undergrad friends are better, though, even if they do have weed.
245: so discuss the difference between sour and fruity lambics. Is there one?
243: Well, I don't know. I thought he was from Boston, or the Boston area, and had been in college in CA. Then maybe he took the fall semester off to stay in Boston and be with Blume! But now he had to go back! Who Knows!
245: so discuss the difference between sour and fruity lambics. Is there one?
Some are sour and the others are fruity.
A lot of lambics made with fruit are also quite sour; it's only Lindemans (the kind Trader Joe's sells) that's both made with fruit and really sweet.
Did I ask you, Ben?
Are you Becks-style?
Well.
Oh, edit to 248: That'd be the taking the spring semester off to stay with Blume. I hadn't thought about it before. Who knows.
247: Of course there's a difference; it depends upon the ambient bacteria, like SF sourdough. Duh.
246: But they have very good weed indeed, do they not? So there's that.
Omnibus reply:
5,10. pub to watch VP debate: look at ny.myBarry . org/meetup
Actually I think a number of pubs/sportsbars cashed in on the great Colorado stadium speakage.
(ob Northern: in the Canadian primaries, youth delegates ages 12-18 compete in terms of beer and pizza). $66 million per month should buy a round in a just world.
20. Umbrellas can be cheaper than newsstand newspapers.
http://btobphotosupplies.com/st/scripts/prodlist.asp?idcategory=159
26. Sierra in SF Bay? I recall Gordon Biersch everywhere.
Everywhere I went, at least.
100. How to color campaign within McCain's lines. Speak in evasive generalities.
122. William Hurt could do that with a one camera crew.
128. I tried using YouTube as a streaming cheap Napster substitute. The sound quality is horrible !
160. But they make great umbrellas ! Or are transitively made into umbrellas. See 255.2
Holy shit, Cubs getting killed.
They do, it turns out, sell Budweiser American Ale at Wrigley. It's not half bad. Which is more than I can say for the Cubbies tonight. Who were at least half bad.
256: It's probably time to join me in rooting on the White Sox, Di. I think that'd make a whole two of us.
Come over to the dark side, eh? I'll try, Stanley. For you, I'll try.
the fact that Sara Palin is a terrible test-taker, based solely on the fact that it took her six years and five colleges to get a degree
A day late and a lot of tuition short, but this isn't a fact.
It was such a huge improvement when the Generic American Beer moved from Miller to Sam Adams. Kids today don't know how good they have it.
It's true, we don't. I kind of like it this way.
Went to a buddy's place tonight with an Arrogant Bastard Ale, a big bottle of Achel, and a couple Bell's Kalamazoo Stouts. He supplied excellent Swedish stabs at American microbrew styles (mostly IPAs and double IPAs), and a shitload of indian food. The other two guys merely supplied star power. I'm now so stuffed I doubt I can lie on my stomach.
(And thanks Stanley. We need at least one person cheering for the Chicago team with a chance.)
Okay here's what a particular and odd sort of beer snob I am: in the field of "giant, unsubtle American beers with a fuckton of hops" I think Arrogant Bastard is... fine. Really, just fine.
Di: Come over to the dark side, eh? I'll try, Stanley. For you, I'll try.
PMP: And thanks Stanley. We need at least one person cheering for the Chicago team with a chance.
The movement thrives!
261: Well, damn straight. It's got interesting hops, and a really nice malt balance through the entire sip. It tastes of goddamn ripe pineapples, and should be loved for that alone.
Ok, sleep now.
I like Arrogant Bastard. I have some promotional pint glasses from them around here somewhere. They're pretty cute and say offensive things on them.
263: yeah, no, though, I meant "fine" as opposed to "reallly good". I mean, compared to most mass-market beers, it's terrific, but put it up against e.g. Dogfish Head's 60 minute IPA or Racer 5 or Hop Wallop or something from Bear Republic and, eh, it's fine.
Something besides Racer 5, I guess.
Arrogant Bastard isn't bad. With a name like that, you'd expect them to coast on it; but no! they actually bother to brew a decent beer.
265: So what are your all-time beers? I mean, cooperstown-level beers. Me, I go with Chimay Bleu, proper Guinness on tap, and a pyramid porter similarly dispensed. In that order. And you?
Arrogant Bastard is yummy, no question. One of the great pleasures of the Amtrak Surfliner is that they sell 22s of Bastard for a very reasonable price on the train.
268: one of the ommegangs (not sure which -- not three philosophers), bear republic Racer X, and Samuel Smith's oatmeal stout. No order implied.
Ayinger Celebrator is an old favorite of mine.
Great Lakes Holy Moses
Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald
Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale
Erie Railbender Ale
Anderson Valley Oatmeal Stout
Fuller's ESB
Paulaner Salvator
And from the world of opulence, I get Leute Bok at the baronial Belgian beer bar.
I think I've said this before, but I had a bourbon barrel ale at the Lexington airport that I still think of longingly sometimes.
Oh well if I can go past three I'll add Anderson Valley Boont IPA as a standby, Paulaner, Victory Hop Wallop and... how many can I do, here?
God I'm embarrassing.
Great Lakes makes some fine beers. When I lived in Cleveland, I subsisted largely on Dortmunder Gold. Mmm.
So a lot of you try your best beers (or ales, or what have you) at airports? And then you become fans? Pathetic.
Perhaps it is you who is the one who is pathetic. And a hippie to boot! But you won't boot me.
CN, I'll just tell you straight up: I'm trolling you.
Perhaps it is me who is the one who is trolling.
Booted on your own petard! Quelle dommage! Lo siento.
Booted on your own petard!
This is just giving me quite a ... what? What? response. Good work.
You have to admit that CN was actually quite charming there, jms. He's been a sourpuss for a while now, so this is better.
Cannot recall many specifically by name:
Penn Märzen - best of the Penn Brewery beers IMO.
Prior Double Dark - I think this is long gone. Believe it was brewed by Schmidt's in Philly.
I like some of the Great Lakes brews.
Also some stuff from Pyramid and Grants (this last may just be nostalgia/thrill of discovery) up there in Ecotopia.
In Texas, I liked Shiner Bock (very uneven quality though).
Yacht Club Beer from the old Erie Brewing Co (*not* the new beer faggot approved Erie Brewing Co., this one went under in 1978). I think it was something like $3.99 a case when I was in college, so I may be biased.
My first taste of Flat Tire was when one of the owners ended up in our group on a raft trip down the San Juan River in SW Utah (he brought a lot of extra along). Great way to discover it, rafting in a hot, dry canyon.
I tried a raspberry lambic the other day. I think it was a Lindeman's, because it was super sweet, potent and did not taste of alcohol. Someone else got the peach which I thought could be gross but was better than the raspberry.
I'm interested in trying more fruity beers.
I just drink whatever continental lager is on tap in the pub. I don't even mind bog standard mass produced stuff like Carling or Foster's. Although I'd prefer something like Staropramen, Becks or Grolsch.*
I clearly don't belong in the beer connoisseur league ...
* what I'd actually prefer is Krusovice, but I only know a few pubs that do Krusovice on tap.
My son liked the Russian beers, which were very cheap and sometimes very good and sometimes not. The breweries originally Communist bureaucracies, so the different styles are enumerated, with no cute names. His favorite was Baltika Number Nine, IIRC. Baltika Number Seven was also good, but Baltikas 1-6 were total crap.
Or something like that. I imagine that people developed brand identifications, with the Niners sneering at the Sixers and so on.
Baltika is owned mostly by Carlsberg. Wiki tell me that it was founded in 1990, so it's actually post-Conmmunist. The nomenclature must be a nostalgia thing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltika_Breweries
I mean, cooperstown-level beers.
The funny thing here, of course, is that Brewery Ommegang is in Cooperstown.
A few favorites: Bluebird Bitter (on cask), Anderson Valley oatmeal stout, Dogfish 60. Harpoon IPA makes a fine bar staple. And, of course, the stuff I make.
I have pretty weenie tastes but make it up with quantity. I like Continental lagers and ales -- basically American style beers, but better. Some brands are Becks, Pilsner Urquell, and Stella Artois, but there are lots. (Also Hefeweisen). I don't especially like dark beers, really don't like over-hopped beers like IPA, and don't really like porters and stouts. I enjjoy experimenting with odd Belgian beers, but haven't found one I'd drink every day even if I could afford it.
Has the decadent rich guy with a beer cellar full of Belgian beer showed up in the movies or on TV yet?
Yuengling sounds like a Chinese word. They should work it into their advertising. Yung (close enough) means lots of things, and Ling means "magical, miraculous".
the Niners sneering at the Sixers
To be sure, it's an unfair match-up, what with shoulder pads and helmets on the one side, and tank tops and gym shorts on the other.
Not in any order:
Ommegang's Chocolate Indulgence
Piraat
Tyrena's Dirty Old Man Imperial Rye Porter Aged in Rye Barrels
Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout
Bell's Hopslam and Oberon
...
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What I actually routinely drink is swill when I'm budgeting, good local beers when I'm not (Henry's Ale in Portland, Leinenkugel Honeyweis in Minnesota), continental lagers and ales when splurging, and Belgian beers on special occasions.
Hmm... This is a tough one
Favorite "normal beers" (can be picked up fairly easily around the Midwest at a regular price):
Bell's Two Hearted Ale (ipa)
Bell's Kalamazoo Stout
Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald (porter)
Victory Hop Devil (ipa)
Three Floyds' Robert de Bruce (brown ale)
Hoegaarden
I actually haven't tried many beers that are hard to find here.
Isnt it time to discuss wine?
Trying to start a fight, will?
After putting 1500 lbs. of Merlot through the crusher last night, we relaxed with cold Mirror Pond Pale Ale. Sometimes you just need a beer.
This is not to say that there aren't still plenty of dive bars with pool tables that are actually open and available, but which have only what I still think of as the generic American beers.
I went into a place near me called the Tune Inn and asked what beers they had on tap, and the bartender glared at me and said "Bud, Bud, and Bud". But I think that may be an authenticity selling point for them, it's not like this is a poor ethnic neighborhood.
to most mass-market beers, it's terrific, but put it up against e.g. Dogfish Head's 60 minute IPA
comity! That stuff is great.
There's a new Texas brewery called Live Oak, which is quite good. The Big Bark is excellent.
297: Isn't it lousy with Hill staffers? Not as bad as Hawk & Dove, but still.
Sorry, read. There's less there than meets the eye. He's pure evil.
297: But I think that may be an authenticity selling point for them, it's not like this is a poor ethnic neighborhood.
Nice -- I don't, or we don't in this country, normally think of "Bud, Bud and Bud" as ethnic. Maybe we should.
He's pure evil.
Oh come on. PGD's not *that* bad.
Isn't it lousy with Hill staffers? Not as bad as Hawk & Dove, but still.
All the bars in my neighborhood are (except for the lesbian bar on Penn & 7th). The Tune has a mixed crowd of hill staffers and crusty old alcoholics. Emerson liked the place when he visited and it immediately became his hangout, so I think it passes some kind of authenticity standard.
304: Really, he's not. He probably wants his pool cue not to wobble all over the universe like a hump-backed whale, but it's not his fault; raised that way, I'm sure.