BrewDog: yet another hip company using 'rebel' language to sell its stuff

[JimW]

I hanker for weak session bitters out here in foreign parts Though it is true I am an old man.

 

[brogdale]

Bitter is rank. Old man's beer. I only drink pales or stout. Anything brown looking is to be avoided.

So many levels of wrong.

 

[brogdale]

I hanker for weak session bitters out here in foreign parts Though it is true I am an old man.

That was the beauty of cask Mild back in the day; at around 3.2% & bags of flavour you could steam away all night on it!

 

[JimW]

That was the beauty of cask Mild back in the day; at around 3.2% & bags of flavour you could steam away all night on it!

Yes, also closely associated with my brothers coming home and us spending a long day in the pub getting only pleasantly wrecked.

 

[hitmouse]

I reckon bitter's alright if you're unfortunate enough to be drinking somewhere where they don't have a proper drink like Somersby on tap.

 

[brogdale]

Yes, also closely associated with my brothers coming home and us spending a long day in the pub getting only pleasantly wrecked.

Yep, all of that...and, of course, back then we all had that amazing capacity that the young have to just keep on drinking...

 

[Part 2]

I remember drinking 'mixed' for a short period when I was trying to find out what beer I liked....half bitter half mild. Never liked lager until I the last few years when I discovered it's the best park drink.

 

[brogdale]

I reckon bitter's alright if you're unfortunate enough to be drinking somewhere where they don't have a proper drink like Somersby on tap.

Away with your yokel fuel.

 

[Serge Forward]

How old are you two?

Draught lager has been around since the 60s. In the 70s it became quite common (Skol, Carling, Harp).

Probably not as old as you, fella. Sure, we had lager round our way in the 70s, but it tended to be... ahem... a "lasses drink" (e.g. lager and black) or for lads who wanted to show off and appear cultured. Bitter was the staple though, and sometimes mild. To be honest though, most 70s pub beer was rubbish (apart from Joseph Holts - which was also the cheapest too) compared to some of the ales available now. I think the big advertising campaigns of the late 70s/early 80s managed to shove bitter off its north England pedestal, and the rest is history... with some of the more bobbins pubs now just stocking a number of variations of yer ice cold yellow piss

 

[hitmouse]

Probably not as old as you, fella. Sure, we had lager round our way in the 70s, but it tended to be... ahem... a "lasses drink" (e.g. lager and black) or for lads who wanted to show off and appear cultured. Bitter was the staple though, and sometimes mild. To be honest though, most 70s pub beer was rubbish (apart from Joseph Holts - which was also the cheapest too)

Saw an FCUM design recently saying "Holts Not Hate", solid bit of Mancunian imagery that.

 

[Serge Forward]

That's sooooo FCUM If I remember correctly, the bar at Broadhurst Park is mainly Holts.

Ever since I left Salford, a few decades back, I've often pined for a pint of Holts. Mind you, whenever I visit, I realise either my taste has changed or modern Holts is a completey different pint.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Probably not as old as you, fella. Sure, we had lager round our way in the 70s, but it tended to be... ahem... a "lasses drink"

If you were drinking in the 70s then you are older than him.

 

[campanula]

70s drinking = barley wine. Even Abbots was acceptable and i still retain a lasting fondness for the only decent thing to ever emerge from Watney's - those little red-foil capped bottles of Stingo. (Used to wander home from the Queen's tavern in Crouch End with one in each duffel-coat pocket) Course, as a druggie, (and only occasional daytime drinker), what do I know.

 

[brogdale]

70s drinking = barley wine. Even Abbots was acceptable and i still retain a lasting fondness for the only decent thing to ever emerge from Watney's - those little red-foil capped bottles of Stingo. (Used to wander home from the Queen's tavern in Crouch End with one in each duffel-coat pocket) Course, as a druggie, (and only occasional daytime drinker), what do I know.

Oooh my lord...barley wine! (7 - 12%)

 

[Serge Forward]

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but if not, I worked as a window cleaner up in Farnworth for a bit in 1978 or 1979. My round was all elderly women and they used to invite me in for a bottle of stout and Mr Kiplings cake. One of them always set aside a bottle of Gold Label with some manor house cake. Anyway, by the time I got to the end of the round, I was pissed as a fart and in danger of a serious industrial accident. Fortunately, I wasn't in the job for very long.

 

[krtek a houby]

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but if not, I worked as a window cleaner up in Farnworth for a bit in 1978 or 1979. My round was all elderly women and they used to invite me in for a bottle of stout and Mr Kiplings cake. One of them always set aside a bottle of Gold Label with some manor house cake. Anyway, by the time I got to the end of the round, I was pissed as a fart and in danger of a serious industrial accident. Fortunately, I wasn't in the job for very long.

Might have seen this film back in the day

 

[JimW]

Oooh my lord...barley wine! (7 - 12%)

That went half and half with stout or bitter in our pub.

 

[campanula]

Urgh, Gold label. Wrong colour for a start. Oddly, I was also a window cleaner (1978-9) and did indeed fall through a customers upstairs window after a pub -lunch...although I maintain to this day that it was all down to an unfortunate ladder angle because of the downstairs bay windows.
apols for apostrophe fails

 

[Spymaster]

What's your tipple again?

Beer-wise it's pretty broad. I even drink Euro-fizz occasionally. It has its place. An ice-cold Stella or Estrella, when you're lying by a pool in 30 degrees can be just the ticket; although of course the correct drink would be a well chilled dry cider. They're not proper beers though. Proper beers don't have gas added to them, have to be raised by hand-pump, and are mainly consumed by boring blokes wearing jumpers with elbow patches. The only exception to this is Guinness, which when well kept and poured, is probably the finest pint on the planet.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

Whilst I can appreciate Guinness, it’s pretty bland in terms of stout.

 

[Spymaster]

Bitter is rank. Old man's beer. I only drink pales or stout. Anything brown looking is to be avoided.

See, you've been spending to much time hanging out in wine bars with blokes called Algernon.

 

[souljacker]

Saw an FCUM design recently saying "Holts Not Hate", solid bit of Mancunian imagery that.

I saw this in a pub in Preston recently:

 

[Magnus McGinty]

See, you've been spending to much time hanging out in wine bars with blokes called Algernon.

It tends to be stronger stouts that have more complex flavours. Tap rooms or even a ‘spoons occasionally.

 

[Spymaster]

Probably not as old as you, fella.

I worked as a window cleaner up in Farnworth for a bit in 1978 or 1979.

Unless you were a child labourer, you are older than me

 

[Spymaster]

It's one of the few British beers widely available here. I'd rather drink Greene King, which says a lot.

70s drinking = barley wine. Even Abbots was acceptable ...

I've honestly never really got the Greene King hate. Abbot Ale is a very reasonable, big flavoured, beer, and Abbot Ale reserve, if you can find it, is a proper treat.

 

[hitmouse]

Beer-wise it's pretty broad. I even drink Euro-fizz occasionally. It has its place. An ice-cold Stella or Estrella, when you're lying by a pool in 30 degrees can be just the ticket; although of course the correct drink would be a well chilled dry cider. They're not proper beers though. Proper beers don't have gas added to them, have to be raised by hand-pump, and are mainly consumed by boring blokes wearing jumpers with elbow patches. The only exception to this is Guinness, which when well kept and poured, is probably the finest pint on the planet.

I did get told off recently for doing an anti-Irish microaggression for saying that Guinness was vile. Although I'd not touched the wretched stuff for a very long time, and when I did try some recently, it wasn't as bad as I remembered. Still though, it's hardly Strongbow Dark Fruits is it?

I saw this in a pub in Preston recently:

I appreciate the sentiment, but also I can't condone craft brews under any circumstances.

I've honestly never really got the Greene King hate. Abbot Ale is a very reasonable, big flavoured, beer, and Abbot Ale reserve, if you can find it, is a proper treat.

And as pub chains go, Greene King seem... well, I'm sure Greene King are probably bastards, but their owners seem less keen on using their pubs to push a weirdo agenda than Wetherspoons or Sam Smiths? I wouldn't walk a thousand miles to go to a Greene King pub but certainly wouldn't say no to visiting one either?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Guinness is rank, turns your shit to gloop and takes ages to pour, wasting every fucker's time.
Bitter, mild, IPA etc. are bogging too, drunk by wankers with weird facial hair whose main topic of conversation is driving directions. And their latest trend is to ask for a fucking sample of the stuff before committing a whole three quid to a pint, thus taking up the bar-person's time and therefore wasting mine.
It's got to be lager, a decent >5% one, so Stella's fucking well relegated now. San Migel, Krone, Estrella all work nicely, not too much flavour and get you pissed.
Can't be a lager lout without lager!

 

[Spymaster]

... it's hardly Strongbow Dark Fruits is it?

And as pub chains go, Greene King seem... well, I'm sure Greene King are probably bastards, but their owners seem less keen on using their pubs to push a weirdo agenda than Wetherspoons or Sam Smiths? I wouldn't walk a thousand miles to go to a Greene King pub but certainly wouldn't say no to visiting one either?

Agreed. They're nothing particularly special but a pretty solid chain. You know you'll get a decent beer, and if they've got Abbot Reserve on, come out steaming!

 

[JimW]

I've honestly never really got the Greene King hate. Abbot Ale is a very reasonable, big flavoured, beer, and Abbot Ale reserve, if you can find it, is a proper treat.

It was only ever a guest beer round our way and isn't great in tins here but not anything against it in principle. Some of the best stuff widely available its Tennents Scottish Ale in bottles which probably wouldn't look at at home.
Few microbrew places but last time I visited horrible overstrength murk.

 

[hitmouse]

Guinness is rank, turns your shit to gloop and takes ages to pour, wasting every fucker's time.
Bitter, mild, IPA etc. are bogging too, drunk by wankers with weird facial hair whose main topic of conversation is driving directions. And their latest trend is to ask for a fucking sample of the stuff before committing a whole three quid to a pint, thus taking up the bar-person's time and therefore wasting mine.
It's got to be lager, a decent >5% one, so Stella's fucking well relegated now. San Migel, Krone, Estrella all work nicely, not too much flavour and get you pissed.
Can't be a lager lout without lager!

What would you do if you get dragged to one of them ale pubs where they don't have cheap lager? Would you pay the extra "lager tax" and get something fancy German pilsner or whatever or would you just try and find a cheap bitter? I used to be the former but I'm the latter nowadays. God help anyone in a pub where they don't have cheap bitter cos it's either fancy pilsner or hoppy IPAs, though.