One night only! London, England!

[CingularDuality]

Short notice, but I'll be in London sometime on Thursday. Any of you Brits want to show me what a fine English beer is all about? I wish I had my itinerary, but I won't get that until tomorrow. All I know is that I'm staying overnight Thursday.

[Root]

Sounds like an excuse to drink beer to me.

[Sir_Brass]

Originally Posted by Root

Sounds like an excuse to drink beer to me.

And that's a problem why???


I've had some brittish beers myself, and I find I like their beer mixes (as in two beers poured together). My mom likes the Shanty (lager or cream ale + sprite), but that's too light for me. However, I LOVE a strong black and tan. Then again, make it nice and dark with some good roasted or chocolate malts and I'm generally happy (assuming competant brewing skills).


<--- learned to love beer at a local pub/brewery (death to cheap, crappy beers)

[Trooper]

Originally Posted by Root

Sounds like an excuse to drink beer to me.

like you needed an excuse

[CingularDuality]

Well, the trip wasn't as great as I had hoped. The short notice sucked. Root couldn't make it up to London. The beer was not all that I had hoped it to be. The lack of time to sightsee was a huge disappointment. And I've stayed in $30 motels that were nicer than the hotel I stayed in...

I got to my hotel, the Radisson near Heathrow, Thursday evening after I called Root and he said that he couldn't make it. Went to a pub around the corner called The Pheasant and had a delicious dinner of Yorkshire Pudding, Roast Beef and Potatoes. Before I ordered that, though, I first got a beer. I was fairly excited to finally be in England, as that's where one of my favorite beers, Bass Ale, is from. The pub didn't have it on tap. In fact, they didn't have it at all. So, I decided that I wanted to try something else that I had never had before. I pointed to a tap called Strongbow and said I'd try a pint. Just the day before, I was talking to Root about a (chick) beer we have over here called Zima. Well, this Strongbow Cider tastes almost EXACTLY like a Zima. It was good, but certainly not what I wanted. I finished that pint and went up and got a Guiness Extra Cold, which tasted just like the Guiness on tap back here. It was delicious and perfect to drink with dinner, but I was expecting it to be so much better, not just the same stuff that I drink back home. So, after dinner, I had a pint of London's Best and I was thoroughly satisfied with that. My next pint was a favorite of the guy that I went to London with, I think it's Belgian, called Stella. It was a bit more bitter than I prefer. We headed back to the hotel after that and went straight to the hotel bar. I had my first Carling there, and was impressed. Impressed enough to have three pints before I finally went up to my room! Long flights, full belly and 7 pints of beer made the bed with springs poking out not matter. I woke up 4 hours later to take care of the 3 S's and catch a ride back out to the airport. I can understand not having free shuttle buses from the hotels to the airport, but charging 4 lbs ($8!) a person for the short ride was a bit ridiculous... I had about 80 lbs left to spend so I bought gifts at the airport, and that was the extent of my trip to London, England.

[Obi]

Originally Posted by CingularDuality

Well, the trip wasn't as great as I had hoped. The short notice sucked. Root couldn't make it up to London. The beer was not all that I had hoped it to be. The lack of time to sightsee was a huge disappointment. And I've stayed in $30 motels that were nicer than the hotel I stayed in...

I got to my hotel, the Radisson near Heathrow, Thursday evening after I called Root and he said that he couldn't make it. Went to a pub around the corner called The Pheasant and had a delicious dinner of Yorkshire Pudding, Roast Beef and Potatoes. Before I ordered that, though, I first got a beer. I was fairly excited to finally be in England, as that's where one of my favorite beers, Bass Ale, is from. The pub didn't have it on tap. In fact, they didn't have it at all. So, I decided that I wanted to try something else that I had never had before. I pointed to a tap called Strongbow and said I'd try a pint. Just the day before, I was talking to Root about a (chick) beer we have over here called Zima. Well, this Strongbow Cider tastes almost EXACTLY like a Zima. It was good, but certainly not what I wanted. I finished that pint and went up and got a Guiness Extra Cold, which tasted just like the Guiness on tap back here. It was delicious and perfect to drink with dinner, but I was expecting it to be so much better, not just the same stuff that I drink back home. So, after dinner, I had a pint of London's Best and I was thoroughly satisfied with that. My next pint was a favorite of the guy that I went to London with, I think it's Belgian, called Stella. It was a bit more bitter than I prefer. We headed back to the hotel after that and went straight to the hotel bar. I had my first Carling there, and was impressed. Impressed enough to have three pints before I finally went up to my room! Long flights, full belly and 7 pints of beer made the bed with springs poking out not matter. I woke up 4 hours later to take care of the 3 S's and catch a ride back out to the airport. I can understand not having free shuttle buses from the hotels to the airport, but charging 4 lbs ($8!) a person for the short ride was a bit ridiculous... I had about 80 lbs left to spend so I bought gifts at the airport, and that was the extent of my trip to London, England.

Stella is sometimes called "wifebeater" although I'm not sure why. Personally I can't stand the stuff. I'm not very well educated with respect to beer but I will say that Carling is generally my drink of choice.

4lbs = $8 ?

[Root]

Originally Posted by Obi

I'm not very well educated with respect to beer but I will say that Carling is generally my drink of choice.

But you repeat yourself.

Cing - it was a bummer that I couldn't make it. Hopefully next time you'll have more notice that you're heading over here.

I always thought 4lbs was somewhere in the region of a 1/4 of a stone.

[icky]

Originally Posted by Root

I always thought 4lbs was somewhere in the region of a 1/4 of a stone.

It's just under 2 kilos.

[CingularDuality]

Originally Posted by Obi

4lbs = $8 ?

Originally Posted by Root

I always thought 4lbs was somewhere in the region of a 1/4 of a stone.

Originally Posted by icky

It's just under 2 kilos.

Hey, I don't have the cool little £ symbol on my keyboard and I was too tired to look it up and too lazy to spell out Pound.

Sue me!

££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££ ££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££ ££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££ ££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££ ££££

[boudreux]

That is so weird about Stella. I studied overseas at York, and was surprised to see that Stella is to them like Milwaukee's Best and PBR is to us. I manage bars and restaurants, and Stella was the "it" beer of 2006. Everyone thought it was high-class. Kinda funny to see how wrong we are.

I'm glad you liked the Carling. I wish a lot of European beers were more widespread in the US than they are, but at least we keep our beer cold

[Root]

None of you find carling to be gassy gnats piss?

[CingularDuality]

I thought Carling was pretty good.

Here's what I brought home for my son:






OH! And I finally got to try Jaffa Cakes. And they are the foulest little snack cookies that I've ever tasted...

[boudreux]

If there are superior beers available, then it doesn't stand out. I think its a great fall-back, and in that role it is quite superior to our fall-backs (the buds and miller lite) I am a huge fan of Erdinger, Sam Light, Fuller's, and most microbrews. Anything Goose Island makes, causes me happiness.

[Root]

Originally Posted by CingularDuality

OH! And I finally got to try Jaffa Cakes. And they are the foulest little snack cookies that I've ever tasted...

Apophis, I demand that this heretic be burned at the stake.

[Obi]

Originally Posted by CingularDuality

OH! And I finally got to try Jaffa Cakes. And they are the foulest little snack cookies that I've ever tasted...

You're obviously not eating them correctly. First you eat the chocolate round the sides, then carefully take the chocolate of the top of the orange thing. Next you eat the orange thing and lastly the cake part at the bottom.