Augustiner is my favorite.

If I can't find Augustiner then I drink Grolsch.

I started drinking beer as a Yute. You could have mistaken my blood for beer in college in the early 80's. By the time I went to grad school, my consumption of the product went down, but my quality level went way up.

I was sucked into the whole microbrew trend of the 80's and early 90's. Became a real beer snob. Started brewing my own and sharing with other poor grad-sutdents. Made both thick ESB-styles as well as pure honey, brut sparkling meads. Got pretty good at the craft and even considered opening my own Meadery when I moved to CA in the early 90's. Started the permit process and everything.

This was around the same time I discovered real wine!! Now, ten years later, after smelly gastrointestinal problems associate with all that raw yeast - I do not drink beer anymore, except an occasional light beer like Corona for refreshment. Talk about a 180-turn. The microbrew industry all but collapsed - only the strong survived and they are still fighting over a diminishing market. That is not to say there isn't better product generally available compared to the 80's. Personally, I can't drink real beer anymore - it tears my stomach up and make my girl hate being around me and the yeast-generated stench!!

Bass

Basslice - "smelly gastrointestinal problems associate with all that raw yeast" YIKES!

And what's a "yute"?

Lilac,

Sorry, I've been home in bed all day with the flu. My humor level is not quite on.

Yute = youth

"smelly gastrointestinal problems associate with all that raw yeast" YIKES!"

Tell me about it. GASSSSSSSS. Enough to make Saddam proud!

Bass

Yute=youth only in Brooklyn.

basslice, Do you know the Brooklyn alphabet?

hey youse guys

I gotta ask: what is the Brooklyn alphabet?

My brother is into brewing mead, and as a consequence I have a couple cases of it in my cellar. I'm not sure when to drink it. I've heard all sorts of stories, all funny in an ugly kind of way. I was thinking about giving it to my daughter to take to a party, but then realized that she would be at the party ....so it sits in my cellar.

Mead- now that stuff is lethal.

F'n A, F'n B, F'n C, etc...

Even I know that down here in the Great American Outback.

Lilac -

Haven't you seen "My Cousin Vinny?" "The two yutes" ... a classic Joe Pesci line.

Duke, you probably want to let the mead sit and age for about three or four years and then drink it up. It's good stuff when aged.

Duke,

I like sparkling Mead. One day I'll have to make it again. I came up with an interesting recipe that involved honey, certain specialty yeast growth vitamins, a specific champagne yeast culture and, believe it or not, fresh lemons. I was told that citrus in fermentables was a no no, but I got it to work and aged the meads method champagnois. The stuff was mildly dry and very good. I prefer it to real champagne.

I've had the sweet, still meads and spiced meads and don't really care for them. I don't know what kind your brother gave you, but both styles tends to age well for a long time. I remember reading that still meads can sit for >10 years.

Bass

What I've got is still mead. My brother won a nation gold medal for mead and I have some of the medal-winning stuff and some of his earlier sttempts. It all 3-4 years old now.

I'd pop one open and see what it tastes like. Or alternatively you could bring it to the SF Bay Area on your next trip down. I'd be interested in trying some (I usually like mead).

Will do on both counts, although I don't know when I'll be down your way next.

Mdriver,

DOH! Of course! That's one of the funnier scenes in the movie too. Hermann Munster as the judge, "'Yutes'? What is a 'yute'?"

That whole movie made me laugh.

A beer thread?? I was going to start one of these over you-know-where. Ones you all know:

Becks
Budvar
Heineken/Amstel (Dutch only)
Bass (Staffordshire only)
Guinness (preferably Irish draft)

Less likely to be known:

Leffe (Blond and Brun)
Ansells Bitter (hand-drawn barrel only)
Marston's Pedigree draft
Ruddles County draft
Old Peculiar
Owd Roger
Fuller's London Pride (the only drinkable London beer)
Courage Directors
Sam Smiths
Old Speckled Hen
Bishop's Finger

I once got surveyed on British beer and was asked if I knew and/or had any of the list that they showed me. The answer was "Yes to all".

I may come back here.

I think I might have had old peculiar before. Could you describe it to me?

Anbody who would drink a beer called "Old Speckled Hen" would run around naked, spear peanut butter in their hair, and howl at the moon!