Beautiful Ambrosia

[Saxywoo]

There's a part of me that is wondering if I should start a new thread with these questions, but I thought that I would put it here, since we are all talking about the good not-quite-so-bubbly beverages...

Have you thought about brewing your own? Has anyone tried doing that? How involved is it? How much did it cost to get yourself started?

My older brother had considered doing that, but he never did. But then when I worked at Kraft Foods in Chicago, I met a guy that started his own little label. It's called "Fat Baby Beer" which he said was quite good. I ended up leaving before I could get a bottle/case from him.... had to head back to college. When I went back to work there after college, he had moved on from the company. Bummer....

One of the good things if you brew your own beer is if you do it right, you can get your alcohol content higher than the US Liquor Laws allow for beer.

That was one thing about Irish Guinness that I am just dying to try. They don't have the laws that govern the level of alcohol that is in a pint. I had a professor that went over there and had one Guinness, and it kicked him on his butt. Over here in the US, he can take them and just drop them one after another. He said that his last memory of going to the pub that night was a few of the locals carrying him to his hotel.

SaxyCorp

[kandrathe]

I have a chemist friend who is an excellent Brewmeister. :) He frequently has bottling parties, and it doesn't seem that difficult if you have the equipment and the knowledge. Your local home brew outfitter can get you both.

Another non-German beer I liked was Negra Modelo, which is from one of the New Worlds oldest breweries.

[Lord_Olf]

Hail Saxywoo,


let me tell you just one thing: The process of brewing beer is, timewise, directly reciprocal to the process of drinking beer. To clarify: Brewing takes quite a lot of time compared to drinking the product.

I have tried it, a few years ago, with people from my chemistry course at school (wonderful that drinking age in Germany is 16, isn't it *g*).

Anyway, it was not really that much work, but you have to be patient. Also, you need a little bit of hardware, I don't really know the names in English (basically it's a thing that seals off a bottle but lets the developiong gases through, think of an Arabian "Water pipe" and you're close to what I want to say here) and I don't know if it will be easy to get where you live.

Well, it certainly IS doable, and also nice to drink your own beer, but I think that, commercially speaking, it does not make a lot of sense to do so. Still, give it a try, having a glass of your very own beer is worth it.

If you're really interested in it, I'll call up my old mates and ask how we did it (it was something like ten years ago), and maybe I can give you some more information. On the other hand, just googling for "brewing beer" might be more useful and to the point.

Take care, says

Lord_Olf, wo has a nicely chilled Reissdorf Koelsch sitting next to his left hand at the moment

[Moldran]

Have you thought about brewing your own? Has anyone tried doing that? How involved is it? How much did it cost to get yourself started?

In Germany, you can buy complete self-brewing sets, which contain the hardware, the needed 'chemicals' (I don't know the correct English terms for the ingredients, sorry) and also an instruction. They are not so very expensive.
It's fun to do once, but when you're done, you will probably come to the conclusion that it is better to leave that to the professionals who have access to the knowledge of some hundred years of brewing tradition ;)

[Griselda]

You can get started pretty easily, and I don't think it costs all that much. Usually home brew shops have some sort of "starter kit" that comes with a book like the Joy of Home Brewing and the necessary ingredients. IIRC, you will get much better results if you go with your own malt extract and fresh hops instead of the "everything you need in one can" type things.

You do want to read the book before you get started, and even then it's good to use a part of the house that can handle a few surprises. Most of my batches were made without a hitch, but there was that one that blew out the cork at 5AM, filling the living room (floor AND ceiling) with 5 gallons of beer!

I barely drink now, so I haven't brewed in years. I did enjoy it at the time, though. I will also recommend Deschutes Brewery to anyone who happens to be in Oregon looking for beer. :)

[Copadope]

I'll drop in another vote for Yuengling, although at only ten months after my twenty-first birthday, I'm a veritable green horn when it comes to alcoholic beverages. I've also taken a liking to Guinness and I'd love to try it when I'm actually in Europe, but who knows if that will ever happen...

[Saxywoo]

Heil Copadope,

You mean..... you're green when it comes to being LEGAL to have alcoholic beverages. For the most part, I think that if you haven't had an alcohol by the time you're 21 here in the States, chances are you're not going to drink after you turn 21.

If you truely did hold out until you were 21, congrats and enjoy your journey. And pray that you've been blessed with the high metabolism that some have (myself included in this). The reason why is that this group of people don't get hangovers. EVER.

Remember this little saying though:

Liquor then Beer,
Have no fear.
Beer then liquor,
Never been sicker.
Beer then wine,
Better not dine.

Does anyone know how bad it is when you have wine and then beer?

-SaxyCorp

[Munkay]

And pray that you've been blessed with the high metabolism that some have (myself included in this).  The reason why is that this group of people don't get hangovers.  EVER.

Whoa there cowboy. I don't know how true this is, my metabolism is ridiculously fast (as I am sure yours is as well). I've been on doctors watch for ridiculously low body fat as well (ranging between 6%-8%). I've been on a 3000+ calorie diet for 3 months and gained 3 pounds (which is arguable, due to scale fluctuation in humitidy). And when I get tanked, I'm definately hung over the next day.

Now comparitively I don't ever seem to have as bad of a hangover as my friends. But unlike them I've also never 'blacked out' (what we call it when you have no recollection of the night) nor thrown up due to too much alcohol.

So to be more blunt:

I object!

If there's facts out there, let em fly :)

-Munk

[kandrathe]

When I was younger, carefree, and out on the town I avoided hangovers by 1] Taking an analgesic and 16 oz of water before bed, 2] avoiding cheap booze, and 3] stopping before brain death is imminent.

[Lord_Olf]

Hail Saxywoo,

speaking as an experienced alcoholic regarded by his peers as an expert on this *g*, I have to say: Funny!

In Germany, there's this saying:
"Wein auf Bier, rat' ich Dir,
Bier auf Wein, das lass sein"

"Wine then Beer, I recommend to you,
Beer then wine, leave it alone"

As for my experience: I must say that neither one works very well. Only thing that makes any sense is to have beer and maybe some liquor afterwards, as long as it is rather mild and not sweet stuff. Well, YMMV.

Take care,
Lord_Olf

[Saxywoo]

Now comparitively I don't ever seem to have as bad of a hangover as my friends. But unlike them I've also never 'blacked out' (what we call it when you have no recollection of the night) nor thrown up due to too much alcohol.

Giddyap! :lol:

I'm in the same make of boat you're in, just maybe not the same model. I can drink and drink (2 weeks ago, I had about 12 beers over the course of 4-5 hours) Beer, Jello-shots (dangerous), and then misc mixed drinks (I love the Thin Mint Cookie, which may also be known as the "Dirty Girlscout"). I didn't get sick, didn't even have a headache the next day. Woke up at 6:30am because my wife wasn't so lucky. Then my kids woke up, so that meant that I was up for the day. Breakfast was eggs, bacon and rice (Filipino breakfast) to help my wife feel a bit better. 9:30am I mowed the lawn, and continued to do things around the house (still setting up portions of the place - not 100% settled in the new house yet. But not even the hint of a hangover. I don't get them. Plain and simple.

I've never passed out, blacked out, thrown up, or even did the beer goggle thing. I've gotten completely smashed, but I've always had my judgement about me.

And to our friend that is still "green," a word of advice from many, many people that I have known...NEVER spend the night with someone you pick up or get picked up by in a bar. Anyone that you meet in a bar is NOT someone that you want to take home with you. And if you've had a few drinks, you DEFINATELY don't want to wake up next to the next morning.

-SaxyCorp

[Copadope]

Hey, thanks for the advice.

However, I'm not into the one-night stand scene. My genitals are very healthy at the moment (not to mention parasite-free), and I'd like to keep them that way.

As for hangovers, I mean no offense but I think those little rhymes are hogwash. I've always been told, "Liquor before beer, you're in the clear. Beer before liquor, never been sicker." However, I've gotten sick from both. My little theory is, people say liquor before beer is better because beer has less alcohol. So when you're already soused from the hard stuff, throwing down a few more beers isn't going to knock you out. But if you get drunk on beer first and then start downing shot after shot, your judgement of "Have I had too many?" will be a bit off, thus you're more likely to get very sick.

I've never had a bad hangover, but I don't know how much that has to do with my metabolism. I heard that most of the symptoms of a hangover are due to dehydration, so after I've been drinking, I always chug a bunch of water before I go to bed. It makes sense since alcohol is a diuretic...

[Assur]

I've never had a bad hangover

Well, lucky you

I've done the whole round with hangovers, blackouts, total memory loss and barfing/**** everywhere!

My recomendations: Stick with the stuff you usually drink, no shots/chasers, don't try to cram in the last drink you paid for, you'll be sorry! Get a stable relationship!!!

good karma (or Aspirin)