Re: The price of beer
 

Well, i suppose my knowledge is dated. In my day real ale came in wooden barrels and the contents had to be exposed to the air for at least 24 hours before serving. Is nothing sacred?

Re: The price of beer
 

I have never heard of that before... maybe you are getting confused with the fact you have to let real ale settle for 24 hours (or more in some cases) before it can be served? it is a living organism after all.

Re: The price of beer
 

must be why I used to get so many stomach upsets when I drank the stuff. I appreciate it depends on how it's kept, but still it doesn't make it an appealing beverage. Luckily nowadays I don't get the urge to drink much (too busy doing other things, believe it or not), but when I fancy a beer it's always continental lager. Why take the chance?

Re: The price of beer
 

Yep, much better to drink chemicals eh?

Re: The price of beer
 

You'll find it's the Germans who had the purity law (and thus no chemicals).

Re: The price of beer
 

Thats one (maybe) out of all the continentals...

Re: The price of beer
 

Arse!

Re: The price of beer
 

I tried a Carlton coldie once in Cairns that nearly froze my tongue to my throat, and removed half the enamel from my teeth. :eek:

Re: The price of beer
 

Going back a century and more, many workers relied on traditional ale as their main source of nourishment.
It was rightly considered to be food as well as drink, and most industrial and busy city areas had pubs deliberately located close to the workplace for a mid-day pint or two.
A typical example would be the big markets of central London where there was much heavy work such as carting stuff around, which was mostly done by porters.
Hence one local brewery began producing a top quality dark beer known as Porterblack.
This later came to be known as the famous Guinness, after the recipe crossed the Irish sea and came into the hands of a certain Arthur Guinness.
However another important reason why traditional ale was so popular,Steve, was because it was considered very safe to drink, much safer in fact than most local water and foods of dubious origin and age.
This drinking tradition was still quite common in areas of heavy industry, right up till the 1950s.
A quality traditional ale, just like a beautiful woman has a lovely body, unlike many modern day tasteless lagers which are more akin to gassed-up tap water, than real ale.
However looking at some of todays weak and wimpish younger generation, I doubt if many of them could handle a proper drink, so maybe best just to leave them to their gassy water and alcopops.;)

Re: The price of beer
 

It was safer to drink than water... plain and simple.

Re: The price of beer
 

The trouble with glorifying the old days of workers drinking real ale during their lunch breaks arises when you look at their life span compared to these days of cool, clear and healthy lagers.

Those workers quaffing their ‘living’ beer were lucky to get to 50, they didn’t need old age pensions, they never lived long enough.

Re: The price of beer
 

Yeah.. it was all about the ale that... all about the ale.

Re: The price of beer
 

I am not trying to glorify those days in any way.

It's fairly common knowledge that the limited life span at that time, was due mainly to dreadful working conditions,industrial accidents and diseases, in addition to the limited medical treatment that was then available.

To say it depended on what sort of beer they drunk ,would be somewhat ridiculous.

In any event due to the demanding nature of their work back then, any of the much needed extra calories taken aboard, were probably burned up and soon worked off.

Re: The price of beer
 

I know that there were other factors controlling the life spans of our forefathers, but drinking yards of sludge on a daily basis couldn’t have helped. The women didn’t do much better in those days, especially in London, they were knocking themselves out with cheap gin.

It’s a fact that a healthy Mediterranean diet prolongs your life, and real ale is absent from it.

I remember trying to integrate a few years ago down in Andalucia. A lot of the Spanish all around me drank ‘Calimucho’ (I’m sure the spelling is wrong), which was red wine mixed with Coke. It was horrible, and perhaps one of the reasons my integration attempt failed, again. I used to have to drive 20 miles for a decent pint of Fosters.

Re: The price of beer
 

Anyone mind if I mention the price of beer?:(

There was some confusion earlier on about measures. A pint is about 57cl. A tubo glass contains 33cl therefore two tubos is bigger than a pint and this is one of the reasons that I charge 1.20 for a tubo and 2.20 for a pint. A canya (I haven't got a Spanish keyboard either) doesn't have a specific size but generally it is smaller than a tubo - usually about 25cl. I someone asked me for a canya I would give them 25cl and charge them 1.20.

Incidentally has anyone ever seen a Spaniard finish a beer?