The UK

Pinball1970 said:
Treating it with respect is a learning curve, strong beer in the UK was hideous in the 1980s, CAMRA monstrosities that involved more of everything.
My infamous home brew, birthday bash beer, was far superior to Old Tom, Old Pec and various horrific treacle brews.
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I had a girlfriend once who had apparently made some sort of alcoholic concoction from oranges in a toilet when she was in some sort of juvenile detention facility. I imagine that was far worse than anything you've described.
 
Sarkus said:
I thought it was more the "Tenants Super", or "Carlsberg Special Brew" type of thing he was referring to - both of these examples being a modest 9%. Basically cheap lager/beer brewed for strength more than taste. It's no wonder they were the drink of choice for the casual alcoholic on the park benches! Goes some way to explaining the national problem with alcohol for those brought up with such paint-stripper.
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The landscape was different then. In the 80s there was probably just "Special brew" and "Gold label" and not much else. As you said those were the drink of choice for an alcoholic who was not keen on wine/spirits.
Then came all the "super strengths" in the 1990s but you may notice that these have all come down again.
Sugar tax I think.
Stella used to be 5.2% then it went to 5% and I think it's 4.8 now.
Same with Leffe on draft in Spoons pubs, from 6.5 to 6%
Mancunians saw this coming so they put the strength in the name. Holts Sixex 6%, brewed since 1901.
 
Pinball1970 said:
The landscape was different then. In the 80s there was probably just "Special brew" and "Gold label" and not much else. As you said those were the drink of choice for an alcoholic who was not keen on wine/spirits.
Then came all the "super strengths" in the 1990s but you may notice that these have all come down again.
Sugar tax I think.
Stella used to be 5.2% then it went to 5% and I think it's 4.8 now.
Same with Leffe on draft in Spoons pubs, from 6.5 to 6%
Mancunians saw this coming so they put the strength in the name. Holts Sixex 6%, brewed since 1901.
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Yes, all far too strong to drink several pints. In the 1970s, Young's Ordinary was 3% and Special 3.5%. Now, Ordinary is 3.7% and Special 4.5%. But we all still drink as we did back then. No wonder people get so pissed, no wonder the doctors complain of all the knackered livers they encounter, and no wonder so many young people are turning way from alcohol.
 
parmalee said:
I had a girlfriend once who had apparently made some sort of alcoholic concoction from oranges in a toilet when she was in some sort of juvenile detention facility. I imagine that was far worse than anything you've described.
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Another reason to avoid prison.
 
Pinball1970 said:
Sugar tax I think.
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Nah, it's a combination of alcohol duty (there's a certain tax point at 3.4% I think) but also cost reduction... cheaper to produce lower strength, so they do that but charge the same price. It's the beer version of "shrinkflation".
 
exchemist said:
Yes, all far too strong to drink several pints. In the 1970s, Young's Ordinary was 3% and Special 3.5%. Now, Ordinary is 3.7% and Special 4.5%. But we all still drink as we did back then. No wonder people get so pissed, no wonder the doctors complain of all the knackered livers they encounter, and no wonder so many young people are turning way from alcohol.
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It will probably be the death of me TBH, it's a matter of maintaining or trying to maintain some sort of balance.
 
Pinball1970 said:
Stella used to be 5.2% then it went to 5% and I think it's 4.8 now.
Same with Leffe on draft in Spoons pubs, from 6.5 to 6%
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Around here most IPAs are from 5 to 8%, depending on whether it's a regular, a double or triple.
A local brewery (Lost Abbey) specializes in big belgians and stouts, and they go to 12 or 13%.
A sort of local brewery (Bruery) does barrel aged beers based on their Black Tuesday recipe. Those START at 20% and hit 27% or so.
 
Pinball1970 said:
They were multi layered, they probably went over your head because you are American.

exchemist see how much better that dig would have been if I had said "Belgian?"
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“As Oscar Wilde said, ‘We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language.’”

Do you think that one went over my head?

What about "A Tale of Two Georges"? Do you think I haven't read "A Tale of Two Cities"?
 
Chris1000K said:
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This is an interesting video and it's true enough. Not unbiased but true as far as it goes. The US has more than 5 times the population and 40 times the land (just in the lower 48 states).

If you want to live downtown in a major city with good public transit and walkability, you can accommodate another 65 million people (UK) there.

If you want low crime, don't live in Memphis or Louisiana and the average rates come way down. Even in a nice major city but with a little higher crime you just choose not to live downtown and pick your neighborhoods.

Whether I was young and money was tighter or now when it's not, I've never lived in a higher crime area, by choice. It's easy.

Most of the living standards mentioned in the video weren't material living standards, they were social in nature. Being obese is a choice and not a "living standard". Health care results in the US are good. Just don't do drugs, be in a gang or drive reckless between 18 and 45 and your stats are fine.

There isn't the dense public transportation in the US (outside of the NE) that exists in the UK because the density levels are completely different. In the western half of the country, 10% of the US population lives in a strip along the coast and 40% of the country has only 10% of the total population. Of course there isn't a lot of public transportation. I'm guessing in Australia, Hobart and Alice Springs don't have a lot of subway and public transportation either, just like of the western US and for the same reasons. There are buses but you generally aren't going to be doing without a car.

Again, all you can really say if that if you grow up the the UK you may prefer that system and if you grow up in the US you may prefer that system.
 
"Again, all you can really say if that if you grow up the the UK you may prefer that system and if you grow up in the US you may prefer that system." I actually prefer the Netherlands, The Hague, Leiden & Haarlem are all lovely. But that's just me being pedantic.
 
Chris1000K said:
"Again, all you can really say if that if you grow up the the UK you may prefer that system and if you grow up in the US you may prefer that system." I actually prefer the Netherlands, The Hague, Leiden & Haarlem are all lovely. But that's just me being pedantic.
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Being pedantic, you might like Germany or the UK...(joke).
 
billvon said:
Around here most IPAs are from 5 to 8%, depending on whether it's a regular, a double or triple.
A local brewery (Lost Abbey) specializes in big belgians and stouts, and they go to 12 or 13%.
A sort of local brewery (Bruery) does barrel aged beers based on their Black Tuesday recipe. Those START at 20% and hit 27% or so.
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A single pint at 27% would be roughly equivalent to a case of mass-marketed beer at 3.5%--how can that still legally be market as beer? (I ask this not knowing a whole lot about the legalities surrounding such, but I know that relatively high alcohol content cheap malt liquors are legally--or at least culturally--somewhat problematic for a variety of reasons.)
 
Roosters for ever said:
You forgot about the disabled, the unemployed, and the elderly. We all know why.
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I didn't forget about anything. You said we had virtually no health care. The disabled generally do have healthcare provided but it's harder to qualify for. The elderly have Medicare and Medicaid. The unemployed may or may not.

You say one thing and then argue otherwise.

You don't really seem to know what you are talking about and here comes the Trump rant....

I forgot to address the "pretentious" comment. You Aussies call anyone pretentious that isn't a loser, right? That's just the culture. You cut down the poppy that grows too tall? It seems like a counter-productive trait, mate... but that's just coming from a "USA citizen".
 
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Seattle said:
I didn't forget about anything. You said we had virtually no health care. The disabled generally do have healthcare provided but it's harder to qualify for. The elderly have Medicare and Medicaid. The unemployed may or may not.
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:p
Seattle said:
You say one thing and then argue otherwise.
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Not at all, pretty consistent actually. Just as consistent as you making excuses for your system under...wait for it!! Trump!!!
Seattle said:
You don't really seem to know what you are talking about and here comes the Trump rant....
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It seems the world is ranting about Trump. And that offends your sensitivities. And I didn't mention his name...you did! A case of "if the cap fits wear it" I suggest.
Seattle said:
I forgot to address the "pretentious" comment. You Aussies call anyone pretentious that isn't a loser, right? That's just the culture. You cut down the poppy that grows too tall? It seems like a counter-productive trait, mate... but that's just coming from a "USA citizen".
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Do we? Not at all. Only those pretentious ones that need cutting down, like your hero Trump.
So, who doesn't know what they are talking about?
 
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