news.independent.co.uk/uk/h...
The lager that swallowed a nation
More Carling is drunk in pubs than any other alcoholic drink. Richard Ehrlich explains why
Published: 20 November 2005
When the UK makes the bold leap into 24/7 drinking, large numbers of us will be staggering home with a bellyful of Carling Black Label. Carling has been the nation's best-selling beer since the 1970s. Among UK lagers it has 22 per cent of the market, well ahead of Fosters (16 per cent) and Stella Artois (15 per cent)
It's the fact that Fosters comes in second that disappoints.
Actually that doesnt say second does it. Perhaps a more respectable beer sits between them.
At least 15% of the country are right.
as the old wise ones have said for lo these thousand years and more:
every seventh drinker is blessed, has a special magic
sup ye now of the magic potion, my son, and come unto the fullness of thine birthright.
and now, after many hours of the sacred chanting and smerking and karaoke clustered around the smoky space, follow me now as we leave this warm bright haven in the multiverse, and venture into the strange mysterious dark other-plane known to the magi as chucking-out-time. yea, it is difficult to walk there, as the very ground shall move beneath thy feet as though it were an ocean or an animal of immense size and hairlessness and rippliness, yet choose thee thy place without deliberation --use the force (gravity)-- then reach deep within thyself and bring forth the magic diced root vegetables.
There's no accouting for taste.
Posted by
ellipse, 29th November 2005:
fosters is worse than rusty rainwater
there's worse. try XXXX as it's intended to be tasted -- in brisbane, where it's brewed.
EDIT: substitute "invented/devised" for "brewed"
in essence, it's targetted at a market desperate to get anything that's cold and non-sweet down their necks in a bid to reduce their body temperature. battery acid and ice. mmmmmm....
Fosters isn't bad. The bar I worked at had Fosters on tap. It was better than Old Style. But that isn't saying much.
fosters & xxxx outside australia are actually much MUCH better than you get in australia. actually come to think of it, nz probably just gets oz exports rather than separate breweries. deepest apologies, sue.
no, what you get in the northern hemisphere is a recipe shipped to local brewers. who i strongly suspect go "eww! you MUST be joking!" and just quietly fix the cockups.
i have REAL trouble drinking xxxx in brissie, even in 35° high humidity. whereas here in uk it's just another fizzy lager.
and in fact, fosters in the uk is quite good for the hair of the dog early in a sunday afternoon
Posted by
Grim..., 29th November 2005:
I have stopped drinking Fosters completely (not that I drunk it out of choice in the first place) due to IAmCal.
FACT!
I rarely drink any lager, Bitter is better
Posted by
bumdog, 29th November 2005:
My mrs is a real ale nazi.
I'll be there with a beer, and she'll be all "hark at you with your pint of poison", glass wi' 'ondle in hand and everything.
I work in Brighton and Sussex South Downs area's premier real ale pub. Good Beer Guide clenched firmly under my arm, as I pull pints for a fine array of (often fat) (often bearded) real ale entheusiasts. Brilliant!
Posted by
WarHead, 29th November 2005:
I'm not a real ale Nazi, or connor-sewer, but I find that I like lager less and a decent bitter or other ale more these days. Badger brews a nice selection, of course.
Posted by
Brock, 29th November 2005:
But of course.
paid-up member of CAMRA since '96
doc, tried Harveys, in Lewes? superb stuff and sold out the back of the brewery in returnable (re)bottles. plus their silver birch wine is the bees knees.
Posted by
Grim..., 29th November 2005:
I hope Alfie only drinks Becks or Grolsch...
Posted by
ellipse, 29th November 2005:
yeah we get the OZ foster and XXXX here
NZ brews it's own stella which tastes different from the real stuff.
I'm a montheiths pilsner, and bennettsbeer fan me
www.bennettsbeer.co.nz
Grim... I don't drink either.
Err. Am I being thick? I dont get Grim...'s joke :/
Posted by
Grim..., 29th November 2005:
What joke?
"I hope Alfie only drinks Becks or Grolsch..."
I assumed that was a joke.
Posted by
Grim..., 29th November 2005:
They are both vegitarian beers.
Most largers (including the mighty Artois) contain fish.
Oh right. I wasn't aware that they were vegie beers. You learn something new everyday, eh? I always thought the fish in the stella was the reason I'm so sharp after a few... brain food an' all innit.
Anyone tried that Artois Bock yet?
Posted by
ellipse, 29th November 2005:
fish is good for you because it contains all those omega whatits
one is encouraged to eat loads of fish beacause of the omgea thingies
beer contains fish
beer is good for you
drink lots of beer
Posted by
bumdog, 30th November 2005:
I really like that Artois Bock. Only seen it sold in the one place though (the NFT on the south bank)
I have been unable to track it down. I dont think I'll be going to the NFT anytime soon though. What does it taste like?
Normally I wouldnt be this interested but it's one of those "50 years ago the greatest beer recipe in the world went missing in mysterious circumstances. During a refurbishment last year it was found behind a vat. The brewery would like to apologise for Thomas Higgins' hanging over this matter" stories.
(the fish in beer is called Isinglass, and it's the ground up swim bladders of fish, which for some reason takes all the cloudiness out of thee beer. there was a court case last century or two where war cut off the normal isinglass supplies so the english found a local substitute from mackerals and later the euros sued to try to stop them calling it isinglass)
yes...
sort of
"Once the preferred drink of Leuven's intellectual elite, Artois Bock mysteriously disappeared from brewing history late in the 1950s. Now, following a chance discovery of the original recipe at the brewery's confidential archives, Artois Bock is being brewed once more."
Re: Chay can't drink stella! was a post on iamcal about 2½ years ago, discussing the vegetarian properties of various beers. The guy from the brewery occasionaly comes round with a bag of ground-up fish bladders to put in the beers.
Salty, yes, I have had a few pints of Harveys in the John Harvey Tavern in Lewes, which is the tap of the Harvey's brewery. Haven't been to the brewery itself and I have no plans to ever join camra, despite their being based in the fair city of St. Albans. I think it's a reaction to CAMRA entheusiasts coming into my workplace with little lists that they tick off. I can only assume these are lists of beers.
Harveys Best Bitter, however, has a bit of a reputation as the worst ale in brighton, which I think is because most pubs sell it and it isn't often kept well. Because it's definately better than Spitfire and London Pride.
Shepherds Neame approached a webdesigner friend of mine and asked him to make a xenophobic viral game advertising spitfire. Fact.
beerspotters? oh dear...
i always liked the spitfire's poster that went "Bottle of Britain"
I hate harveys, I go for Tetly's but I am from Yorkshire, and hate most things southern (especially alfie), damn marrying into southern families
Found this kicking around on my computer. Ace.
"especially alfie"
you git!
Look at me. Full of yoof and spunk.
"and" is an old-english form of "'s"
FACT!
SUL'S FAVOURITE SAYING!!111 bwah hah hah hah hah ha ha ha haaaaaa!!111
Saltation, what the devil are you talking about?
Posted by
scrybl, 8th February 2007:
That isn't a Stella. My dream is shattered.
Posted by
Emma, 8th February 2007:
sul you're a tramp
Miki is getting as frisky as Syl. First Jessica Alba and now Sul.