Beer of Choice

tzimisce1313 · Post by **tzimisce1313** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 12:17 am

one word: guiness!

Raheer · Post by **Raheer** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 2:51 am

tzimisce1313 wrote:one word: guiness!

Guiness is not beer. Guiness transcends beer.

tzimisce1313 · Post by **tzimisce1313** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 12:13 pm

Raheer wrote:
tzimisce1313 wrote:one word: guiness!
Guiness is not beer. Guiness transcends beer.

ok, you have me there... guiness is not a beer but a meal in a can, bottle or tap.

but still it's quite tasty.

i could go for an irish car bomb right now.

que.f.o. · Post by **que.f.o.** » Sun Dec 07, 2003 1:24 am

OK, I realize this will sound sacriligous to many, but Guiness is for those unfortunate souls who don't live in the PNW and have access to ambrosia
such as Deschutes Jubel Ale, Pyramid Snow Cap, or even Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. Granted all are seasonal. All are highly potent (6-7%) which is a good thing. Dealing with the seasonal aspect is as easy as going to Costco and leaving with 4-5 cases.

If I'm able to be frugal (maybe I'll have someone hide a case) I'll bring a case of mixed wonders to the 2004 M&G.

Raheer · Post by **Raheer** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 1:05 am

I live in the NorthWest! But no beer qualifies as ambrosia, even if it does come from one of the great microbreweries we have around Portland. Ambrosia is Mountain Meadows Mead. (Especially the hot spiced variety! Did you head down to Pioneer Courthouse Square for the Holiday Ale Festival? It was there! YUM!!)

Raheer the not quite sober

drowned_saved · Post by **drowned_saved** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 1:13 am

in prague: staropramen
at trader joe's: starobrno

binaryuplink · Post by **binaryuplink** » Wed Dec 10, 2003 4:31 pm

while on the playa this last year i saw some one with newcastle in a can does any one know where to get this and how much it goes for??

Isotopia · Post by **Isotopia** » Wed Dec 10, 2003 6:05 pm

They sell 'em in four packs down at a little boutique liquor store where I buy my Jim Beam.

About $6 for a pack.

Sobretta Franjipan · Post by **Sobretta Franjipan** » Mon Dec 29, 2003 7:46 am

PABST FUCKING BLUE RIBBON.

Never, ever, will it taste so good.

'Nuff said.

que.f.o. · Post by **que.f.o.** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 6:46 am

Sorry, but I think you probably meant, "Never will it taste good"

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 9:05 am

Ahh.... Pabst Blue Ribbon and Milwaukee’s Beast... Work real well if you drink expressly to get drunk. Since I no longer do this, as a general rule, I don’t drink a beer that I can see through. There are some exceptions of course, but the "American Mega Brewery Co." stuff just tastes like water to me now so I’ll just drink water. Although a well made see-through beer can be very refreshing on a hot day.

Now, as far as good, cheap beer goes, there’s only one that I’ve found fitting this category (And bear in mind here, that I’m looking down the bridge of my nose at the monitor and holding my glass with my pinky sticking out): JW Dundee’s Honey Brown. Not much more cost than the stereotypical “American Beer” and much better IMO.

Some good dark beers ascending in order of preference:

Beamish (available in cans with a Widget)
Guinness (available in cans with a Widget)
Xingu (Brazilian... bottles only)
Cuzco (Peruvian... bottles only...probably my all time fav, but only available sporadically. If you see it, grab it because you may not see it again for 4-5 years)

Here in Ky, we do vices right. Tobacco is considered a vegetable, bourbon is only distilled within the borders of the our Commonwealth, no where else on earth (and many of the distilleries are in located in counties that are dry). We have liquor stores the size of WalMart, and many have drive through windows.

Icepack · Post by **Icepack** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 10:18 am

NaughtySnowAngel wrote:Thanks for the advice....lots of cheap beer and then a small ammount of good "treat" beer....can do!

But how much to bring? I think I can gauge how much my husband can drink over the course of a week, but how much extra will should we bring to share with all our new found friends??

I am sure the more the better, but a rough idea would be greatly appreciated. Also, are their good places in Reno to stock up on alcohol? We will be driving from St. Louis and I don't want to carry the weight of the alcohol and water in the truck for the entire journey (very bad gas mileage!)

We bought booze at a grocery store that was in the same shopping plaza as the super Walmart in Reno. The Walmart was advertising "Burning Man Specials" on water and other stuff, and the grocery store was selling dry ice I think. We didn't buy any dry ice, but we did get some booze to gift out including Guinness in cans, vodka, and whiskey. Wasn't a huge selection to choose from, but we got what we needed.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 12:21 pm

Boddington's.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Mar 10, 2004 3:54 pm

I was gonna say Tecate, then I saw the previous post...

mmmmm, Boddington's

trocar · Post by **trocar** » Wed Mar 10, 2004 7:08 pm

blyslv wrote:About 10 minutes before we got off the grid for good on the way to the event we learn that our partners in crime had had a mechanical, and it would be two/three days before they could get there.

They had ALL the booze.

NNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

DangerMouse · Post by **DangerMouse** » Thu Mar 11, 2004 8:47 am

My goal is to bring some of my friend's home-made barley wine this year for my virgin trip.

12%

fnord · Post by **fnord** » Thu Mar 11, 2004 11:37 am

I don't think I could stomach Anheuser Busch or similar swill no matter how hot it got. If it was cold, the temperature would be about the only thing I would enjoy.

I plan to pack in (and out) a nice keg of homebrew. Maybe two. Stout for the night, pilsener, lager or hefeweizen for the day.

Yes, I'll share.

Zephryus · Post by **Zephryus** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 4:24 am

tzimisce1313 wrote: i could go for an irish car bomb right now.

A woman after my own heart.

For the light stuff, I'm gonna cast my vote in with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It serves its purpose admirably. Don't think it comes in cans, though. Has anyone had experience with bringing kegs to the playa?

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 4:30 am

Zephryus wrote:For the light stuff, I'm gonna cast my vote in with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It serves its purpose admirably. Don't think it comes in cans, though. Has anyone had experience with bringing kegs to the playa?

I dont know if anyone has brought Sierra Nevada kegs to the playa but Sierra Nevada does come in kegs. why dont you just bring some up this year.

Zephryus · Post by **Zephryus** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 4:38 am

I'd like to, but I probably won't, due to a magical combination of no car, little money to burn, and no burner buddies to help with the first two problems. I'm wondering, though, if there are any logistical issues above and beyond transporting the keg. Are they difficult to cool? Do they blow up if left in the sun? Are you even allowed to carry them across state lines? If anyone has experience, please speak up.

DVD Burner · Post by **DVD Burner** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 4:49 am

Zephryus wrote:I'd like to, but I probably won't, due to a magical combination of no car, little money to burn, and no burner buddies to help with the first two problems. I'm wondering, though, if there are any logistical issues above and beyond transporting the keg. Are they difficult to cool? Do they blow up if left in the sun? Are you even allowed to carry them across state lines? If anyone has experience, please speak up.

Great questions. I cant answer and shouldn't waste my post count but I though u deserved a response at least. I'm sure your question will be answered by some knowledgeable individuals. most likely Badger or Trey, LRB or someone that has done it before.

Icepack · Post by **Icepack** » Thu Mar 18, 2004 7:30 am

PetsUntilEaten wrote:Canadians & beer -

all the canadians I know bring a rich dark beer in glass bottles - even after they know better - aka have been to the playa before.

CANS - are the way to go - crushable & they can go to recycle camp - no tricky trash - and while roaming a crushed can is easier to pocket.

Also LIGHT BEER - nice watery mexican or american beer is great in the heat & less dehydrating than thick ales - if you really like to drink alot.

so we drink TECATE - because you can get a 30 pack for $17 at Costco - and they come in a box that stacks really well - we brought 6 cases - donated 3.

I've heard that Heineken has cans if you like it & want to pay that much.
Japanese canned beer is good - but the cans are heavier & hard to crush - but you'll probably have a mallet around . . .

Ah... feeling homesick for the playa last night, we stopped at the store and bought a 6 pack of Mike's Hard Lemonade and a single TECATE in a can.

The lemonade tastes great, but admittedly is not great for packing. May skip it in 2004. The TECATE is chilling in the refrigerator because it has to be cold to be drinkable.

Thinking this year of bringing vodka. Figure it will mix well with Gatorade, Lemonade, or Iced Tea. Am I right about this? Is there something better? I can't do gin at all. Maybe rum? Scotch? What's the best way to go?

Zephryus · Post by **Zephryus** » Thu Mar 18, 2004 7:54 am

Y'know, if you're not terribly worried about quality (and if you're drinking Tecate you're probably not), and you're willing to be a little bit careful about how well you mix drinks, a wonderfully cheap and efficient combination is water, tang, and everclear (I use tang because gatorade just isn't strong enough to mask the everclear). Just reconstitute the tang with three parts water and one part everclear. Unless you have a death wish, one bottle of everclear goes a long way.
A similar but less toxic method is to take a can of orange juice concentrate and reconstitute it with cheap vodka. Adding brown sugar goes a long way toward masking the taste. Once again, one batch serves many. Mmmmm.... cheap liquor....

Zephryus · Post by **Zephryus** » Thu Mar 18, 2004 8:04 am

Oh, and Icepack, I've heard that the general rule with liquor is that the more extraneous stuff it has floating in it -i.e. the darker it is- the more vicious the potential hangover. So vodka is the least caustic, and burbon will likely brutally violate your brain cell count, especially when combined with the playa sun. Which is a pity, because burbon's my favorite kind of hard-A.

Zephryus · Post by **Zephryus** » Thu Mar 18, 2004 8:16 am

I entreat the Gods of the forum to refrain from smiting me. I honestly didn't intend to (gulp) triple-post, but it's one in the morning over here and I just remembered something else. In just about any Japanese supermarket, seventeen bucks will get you a glorious creation: a motherfucking two liter beer stien. With a screw cap spout. And a handle. Quantity-wise, the Irish got nuthin' on these guys.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Thu Mar 18, 2004 8:40 am

NOW I have a reason to drive all the way to Chicago- There's a Mitsawa store in Arlington, and I NEED one of those steins.

LeChatNoir · Post by **LeChatNoir** » Thu Mar 18, 2004 9:02 am

Don’t know about the “darker the booze, the bigger the hangover” theory. Could be something to it, but I'm not sure. All of my years and years of research have lead me to come to this method of operation:

Drink in moderation
Drink one glass of water for every glass of booze (be it beer, bourbon mixer, whatever)
If you can’t handle that, at least one glass every two glasses of booze.

Alcohol dehydrates you. It would seem that this is the primary cause of hangovers. So far, with my methods, I’ve avoided one for 10 years or so. I do know there are also some rough chemical reactions going on when your body metabolizes alcohol. Perhaps there’s a lurking biochemist that could clear this up for us.

Bourbons (and many whiskies) get their color from aging in charred oak barrels for X amount of years. The longer the time, the darker the finished product. If you like bourbon, IMO Woodford Reserve is absolutely the tops. Distilled with pride, just a few miles from me in fact (heck... all the distilleries are within an hour in some direction). Then Makers Mark, Knob Creek, and Wild Turkey Rare Breed. Each one has its own distinct flavors and characteristics,and I like them all. But mostly I keep Woodford Reserve around and that’s it. And if you must mix it... please mix with respect to the libation... this is art your drinking.

Zephryus · Post by **Zephryus** » Thu Mar 18, 2004 9:16 am

Hey, nice to hear from someone else who enjoys bourbon. Being from California, most people look at me like I'm two kinds of crazy when I tell them that I like bourbon. I've had maker's mark and wild turkey, but not woodford reserve. Thanks for the heads up. I fully concur on the dehydration thing. I'm no biochemist, but my understanding is that excessive amounts of dark liquor can make a bad hangover worse by giving your liver a bunch of extra junk to chug through when it already has its hands full.
And I don't mix bourbon; I either sip it or shoot it with a chaser.

precipitate · Post by **precipitate** » Thu Mar 18, 2004 10:42 am

I've heard that the general rule with liquor is that the more extraneous stuff it has floating in it -i.e. the darker it is- the more vicious the potential hangover.

Sorta. It's not actually the color, but the types of impurities in the liquor,
which can sometimes be correlated to sugar content, which frequently
relates to color.

Vodka should ideally have zero impurities - just be pure ethanol in water.
That's never true, but it's closer than with other liquors. It's generally
distilled and filtered in such a way as to remove everything but the
ethanol.

Bourbon should ideally have lots of impurities - that's what gives it flavor.
It's generally pot distilled, which leaves a lot of fermentation byproducts
behind. If you drank it right after distillation, it'd probably taste like ass
and give you a wicked hangover. But after aging, the flavor develops and
some of those hangover-inducing agents are changed.

Hangover is generally not very well understood. There are dehydration
components, blood sugar components, gastrointestinal effects. Any
alcohol drunk in sufficient quantity will give you a hangover.

Personally, I find that I drink more of the brownies (bourbon, cognac, etc.)
than I would of colorless liquors, so I get a worse hangover. But I think if
you did a scientific study you'd find it mostly correlates to how much
alcohol you had vs. how much water you had.

Oh, and Knob Creek is my personal standby. $19.99 at Trader Joe's.

naga brain · Post by **naga brain** » Thu Mar 18, 2004 7:07 pm

One of my campmates did a five gallon batch of hefewiesen in a pony keg. It was small enough to fit in the 60 gal cooler and below