Rod, you can do better
So Rod’s in England and enjoying the blessings of the (rapidly disappearing) local pub. But drinking Guinness? — surely the Crunchy Con himself can do better than sample the wares of a multinational corporation, and moreover, wares he can have at will here in the U. S. He should get some advice from CAMRA and seek out what can't be found on these shores.
Or, if he’s really serious about these matters, he can had well North to what is surely the best drinker’s pub on the island. Oh how I wish I were there.
(I should add, though, in case there’s anyone out there who doesn't know the story, that everyone should occasionally raise a glass in honor of Benjamin Guinness, who in the 19th century gave a great deal of his hard-earned brewery money to pay for the restoration of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. This earned him his own window, with an appropriate Biblical citation, from Matthew 25:35: “I was thirsty and you gave me to drink.”)
for some reason Guinness on the isles is much better than Guinness in the States. maybe its fresher
— travis · Jun 10, 05:29 PM · #
I agree that local beer is best. I’m happy to say that we’ve finally got a brew pub in my town, though I have to admit that its fine products haven’t unseated the magnificent Paddy Malone’s Pub as my spot of choice.
In fairness to Rod, through, the problem is that what the Guinness folks claim turns out to really be true: it’s one of the best beers in the world, at least when it’s correctly carbonated and temperature-controlled.
I’ve got one funny pub story, from the one time I was in England. I’ll try for the short version.
I went to the small village of Nettlebed, east of Oxford. I was there on assignment for my grandfather, who had camped in the area during the World War and had helped tend bar at the White Hart Hotel (and had once pulled a patron’s tooth while drunk, and been given a yew tree by Ian Fleming’s gardener, but that’s another story), and who had told me to look around for him. I took my lady friend along for a day trip. We found the White Hart, and had a look around. It was much changed, now being a posh little boutique hotel, with a mostly Eastern European staff. Though I was forbade alcohol by the terms of our tour, I decided to drink a pint of the local for my grandfather’s sake. So I drank Brakspeare, and we also had some Welsh rarebit, which was nice, but tremendously overpriced for a couple of American student tourists.
There was an old man there, standing at the bar drinking white wine. He struck up a conversation with us, mostly about his admiration for America and his wish that Britain would let in fewer Asian immigrants. He’d lived in the area for a long time, but not quite long enough to have been there during the war.
He told us there was a monument where the soldiers had camped, just a half mile up the road. We got clearer directions, and set out for it. Sure enough, beside the road in the woods we found a concrete red and white castle for the Army Corps of Engineers, my grandfather’s unit. Filled with joy, we took pictures, and began the walk back toward town and the bus stop.
About half way back, a curious thought occurred to me: I had forgotten to pay my bill at the White Hart. Fortunately, as I said, it was a little village, so we hustled the extra fifty yards back to the pub. I burst through the door, face blushing and money in hand.
The staff seemed to think it was one of the funniest things they’d ever seen. They told me that if I had been too much longer, they’d have had to call the FBI.
— Ethan C. · Jun 10, 05:35 PM · #
Come to Asheville, NC. We’ve got one of the best local brewery scenes in the country.
— Bert · Jun 10, 06:09 PM · #
Bert – I may be planning a trip to that area soon. What’s the best online resource for the Asheville brewery scene?
— Craig · Jun 10, 06:46 PM · #
Alan,
I’ve been to that pub, and it is awesome. I will not play the pub “one upsmanship game” (and I know you weren’t either), but I will point you to what is without doubt my favorite pub in Scotland, or for that matter, the entire British Isles. Behold the Mishnish
— Jim Manzi · Jun 10, 08:01 PM · #
I think that’s the pub from the Simpsons – I forget which episode – but it looks an awful lot like it. I could be wrong. I’ve never been to an English, Scottish, or Irish pub other than the phony West-coast sorts they have out here (to my shame!)
— E.D. Kain · Jun 10, 08:38 PM · #
When I visited family in Ireland, they taught me that you measure a man by the size of his sips, as evidenced by the number of foam lines down the side of his pint glass. Three or four lines showed a real drinker, but I don’t think I could consistently get below five.
— John Schwenkler · Jun 10, 08:43 PM · #
Bert’s right. Asheville’s got a great microbrew culture. Craig, you can start here to get a feel for it.
In fact, one of the bigger stories in beerland is the South’s turn to the locally-brewed. Places like The Terminal and Big River are immensely popular down here, and getting more so by the season.
Stay thirsty my friends.
— Sargent · Jun 10, 09:38 PM · #
There’s also my personal favorite, the Wedge:
http://www.wedgebrewing.com/
— Bert · Jun 11, 04:13 AM · #