After the musicians do their thing on stage, we should have @Lewdog and @Garball do some stand-up comedy. For the record, I have a really, really deep and manly voice, so make sure you guys read all my posts with the manliest voice you can imagine.
Does apple juice count? It might not be an especially strong drink, but you can't deny that it does look almost identical to beer.
I'm with @Wreybies - rent the hall and bring us all! Of course, as a moderator, I can't play favorites, so I have to be diplomatic about this. Of course, I'd love to grab a beer with my fellow mods, not just so we could talk mod talk, but because I think they're all such cool people, and they're from places that are exotic to me. I'd like to have a beer with @Andrae Smith, but that would be illegal 'cause he's still under 21 (right, Andrae?). I'd like to have a beer with @EdFromNY, because he seems just so darn sane. And because he's raised a couple of kids with special needs - that would be interesting to hear about. (Don't worry, Ed! I won't ask you for tax advice!) @GingerCoffee would be fun to go to the pub with, except we couldn't - we'd have to meet at a library instead because she'll use it to support her points. @jannert would be a great one to have a beer with, not just because I like her, but because she'll take me to the best pubs in Scotland and we could hear some of that folk music we both love so much. @obsidian_cicatrix would be fun, too, even though I don't like tattoos. It turns out there's actually an interesting person under those tattoos! I'd love to drink beer with @Lemex, because we'd start by talking about epic poetry, but after the third pint or so we'd just be slagging Harry Potter. I'll mention more of you, I'm sure, when I get a chance.
I'd go for Smithwick's. It has a slight grape flavor to it that I really like. Of course, if we were doing this in Victoria, BC, we could have some Buckerfield's Best Bitter - a terrific beer, but local.
I'm with @Wreybies, let's rent a hall and we can have a big reunion! We'd need screen-name tags though. There's lots of people here I'd like to have a beer with, if I could drink. 7 years and one month to go...... @jannert and @obsidian_cicatrix, you two got to meet in real life? That is so cool!
Augustiner Brau, Staropramen, Weihenstephaner. These are the best of the ones I already did try. Weißbier (wheat beer) is very good! There is a brewery in my country that makes wheat beer and adds a bit of orange, just for a taste and they are good. Human fish is the name. Local beers are almost always excellent!
Oh, bloody hell. Smithwick's. That's the beer I was drinking with @obsidian_cicatrix !!! Truly. Just discovered it a couple of days before I met up with her. Great taste, and SMOOTH finish. Hey ...you can be in my gang my gang my gang...
No, because I was beginning to feel like a drunk. I'm sure we as a community could work something out.
I'd say it depends on what you like. Ahem, where to start... If you're into flavor, few "off-the-shelf" -beers can top Chimay Blue, the dark Belgian trappist. It's like an explosion of flavor in your mouth, but all the flavors are awesome and really smooth. And you'd never guess the alcohol content was 9%! You really can't taste the alcohol in that one, so be careful with it. If you prefer whiter beers, you can't go wrong with König Ludwig, the best weiss bier I've ever tasted. It's almost sweet in its milky whiteness. If lager is your thing, I'd try the Czech standard, Budějovický Budvar (what Budweiser should be), but if you can find it (not sure if they even make it anymore), you must try Platan Knížecí 21, a Czech lager, 10,5% strong, and so sturdy, it's orange. Anyway, that is by far the best lager I've ever tasted. Mainly because it's almost like a light ale and ales are my thing. And if you're into ales, Anchor Liberty Ale is pure fruity awesomeness while for a British experience, Fuller's London Pride or Extra Special Bitter and salted peanuts is a surefire combination. Then again, if you prefer darker ales and want something that's still made like they used to hundreds of years ago, Gouden Carolus Classic is a fantastic choice from Belgium, and its 8,5% alcohol content adds just a touch of bite to the robust, nutty flavor. Oh, and for stouts... if you want blond and easy, Caffrey's is simply amazing. I used to love to finish the entire pint in one go just because it felt so good to down huge gulp after huge gulp of the refreshing caramelly stout, but... if you're a real badass, you'll go for the darkest side, i.e. Founder's Imperial Stout. That one beats even Gouden Carolus and Chimay Blue when it comes to the amount of flavors that fill your mouth with just one gulp; it's like a party in your mouth and nobody's puking. I think that's about all I can think of right now. It's a shame I don't like alcohol anymore 'cause I remember how much I enjoyed drinking those beers, not to mention whiskeys and whiskys (12yo Bowmore and 10yo Ardbeg forever!).
@minstrel... well, ta... I am more than the sum of my ink, after all. This actually reminds me of when my tattoo association had a convention on a cruise liner. We all met up in Miami, from all corners of the globe and spent the next week picking each others' brains, eating and drinking way too much and generally having a blast. We never thought we'd pull that one off... but we managed it. @Duchess-Yukine-Suoh We did indeed, a couple of months back. @jannert was visiting a friend elsewhere and had to swing past Belfast on her way home, so we took full advantage. It was an amazing experience and, strangely enough, it wasn't like two strangers meeting. @Everybody else Never mind beer... where are the whiskey drinkers.?
Of course we could. We're writers; we're smart! (Of course, in this thread we're drinking, so whatever it is we work out might not turn out for the best...)
@T.Trian Caffrey's... *sighs* chance would be a fine thing... can't even remember when I last saw it. I'm starting to think I was the only person who drank it.
Bowmore (my dad's favorite), Macallan (matured in sherry wood!), Laphroaig (for when I need a swift kick in the pants - this stuff is industrial-grade!). Crown Royal when I want a break from scotch. Everybody, just stay away from bourbon, okay?
I'd say 16-year-old Lagavulin is probably my favourite, although I haven't tried a ridiculously wide range. Talisker 10 is a great young one. In Colombia, I'm severely restricted in what I can get hold of, and am basically "stuck with" Glenfiddich 18 and Glenlivet 18, which are both very good, if a bit mainstream. I really like beer too, though.
Yeah, I love Caffrey's too. I used to buy it in the 'draught' cans, but haven't seen these in a while. I've got to say, if you like beer, Ireland and Scotland ...well, actually the whole UK ...is a pretty darn good place to be.
