h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

...and needless to say, if its not typos of omission its typos of neighboring letters...or typos of one form or another. If I had a Full Moon(very possibly my favorite locally brewed ), I'd be drinking a - no possibility of typos there.

http://www.nearof.com/?p=573 (& I actually own an Alley Kat glass too)

Or I suppose if I had a Kenmount Road another local favorite...no possibility of typos there either.

http://www.ambersbrewing.com/#!collection/vstc1=

Although, Brewsters Shaughnessy comes Very very close...

http://brewsters.ca/beers/shaughnessy-stout/

The stout looks interesting: notes of coffee and chocolate.

Funny thing about beer mugs... In 1981, our school fair had a booth where you paid a quarter and had three chances to get a ping pong ball to land and stay inside a beer mug. If you did so, you kept the mug. If I remember right it was four rows of four mugs on a platform. I tried a few times, won a mug (Schlitz).

The next year, same booth, Dad's help with throwing technique, three more mugs.

The third year, a friend worked the booth for service hours. I had nothing better to do, so I spent all day at the booth. Spent under 5.00 and won 14 mugs, ten of which went home with me and the other four with friends.

The following year it was a different type of glass, won two of those. The last year I went, the booth was replaced with a booth similar to dice rolling except it was wooden blocks painted on each side instead of dice. I won a pair of brandy snifters and four textured stemmed water goblets. My mother's commentary on the way home from that last school fair: We send you to a Catholic school. They force you to do church service hours at the roulette table (yep). Then, you add to your bar glass collection playing craps? (yep) If your father was still alive... He'd have been playing six bingo cards at a time all day in the cafeteria and winning stuff.

Apparently, gambling is ok, if the church gets a cut.

I was 17 by then, and still didn't drink beer until I was 25 because I couldn't find one that I was willing to drink. Miller, Budweiser, and similar just reek. The first beer I could drink was a Shiner Bock.

I definitely prefer ales to lagers('BMC' or Bud/Miller/Coors...or up here Labbatt or Molson). I don't Mind a lager once in awhile-usually in the spring or summer.. I 've found a few more decent ones, what with breweries proliferaring.Not sure of a Canadian number, but last I heard it was roughly 1700 there in the U.S., if I'm not mistaken.

My Alley Kat glass was a freebie. Alley Kat was celebrating a year of 'Cask ' nights-once a month at http://www.thesugarbowl.org & giving them away. Of course during that year another cask night has gained a loyal following at http://www.nextactpub.com (located near a couple live theatres as well as pretty much in the midst of the city's annual theatre festival).

I have a couple of Samuel Adams spring seasonal ales on hand.

Guinness and the other beers I can drink including Newcastle Ale, smell rich and fermented. Others just smell sour to me.

In high school some of my friends drank cheap beer that I disliked so much not only did I not drink it, I asked them to not drink it too close to me. Yes, they obliged and yes we're still friends. Some of them are even in my facebook list.

Just two Canadian beers that came to mind when you mentioned Guinness & Newcastle Brown, are

1) http://www.halfpintsbrewing.com/brew.php?id=4
(not that it's alot like Guinness, but it is another one of my favorite )0

2) http://www.hockleybeer.ca/hockleydark.html
(because it is a bit like the Newcastle & I really enjoy it now & then-kind of the cola of beers...although...)

3) http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/4047/21287
(is quite similar to the Hockley, it's from just over The Rockies in B.C.)

I like this You Tube video review I found, very accurate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1Rj-GEfZmM

not likely that you'll get any of those though.

But for American beers you might check by style at http://allaboutbeer.com

As well, there's http://www.celebrator.com or perhaps http://www.beertravellers.com

But for another female opinion, check out some of Madison's reviews at http://www.winobeerofoodo.com

The Ladies' http://ladiesocb.com

Or Ashley's at http://drinkwiththewench.com

But of course there's the 'regional availabity' situation too for a few beers I suppose.

Looking back at that, oh the beer that I'm becoming! No really. Which reminds me, a tweet from our head geek Shane-of Edmonton Beer Geeks Anonymous-(I personally think it should've been 'Unanimous' but...*shrugs* Anyway he alerted me to another cask night up near the area of the city I grew up in. Certainly sounds like a pub worth visiting, I'm quite curious about the place.

http://aleyard.ca

(& http://www.edmontonbeergeeksanonymous.ca we'll be getting a couple kegs from Danish brewer Mikkeller later in the month, which I'm looking forward to!)

& I had meant to add that if you like Newcastle, you might want to give Boddingtons a try.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/655/1798/

(I like the third review, Jeremy13586's)

I have tried Boddington's. It's not bad, but almost too easy to drink.

Some of our grocery stores are carrying more imported beers. That's easier than having to go to the World Market which is a bit out of my way. Also, a pub opened just about three miles from where I work. http://www.londonerbr.com/drinksBeer.html

Ah I should've assumed that you might've tried Boddington's...& yes, it is indeed easy drinking, a little Too easy drinking imho.

And, Boddington's is in larger cans.

I've also cooked with beer and wine.

Oatmeal stout is another that I like a lot.

Coincidental that you should mention Oatmeal ...I have 3 bottles left from a six-pack. Last spring-it seems to me-Alley Kat started a 'Big Bottle' series, limited time beers in roughly 22oz bottles. The second release(they held an online contest to name it) was dubbed Three Bears Oatmeal . Obviously it was quite popular since they brought it back as a winter seasonal release-for the winter months. I like the nostalgic photo they chose for the label, it's a black & white of 3 little bear cubs peering up into the windows of an old station wagon & of course, the people inside peering out- a scene I'm sure is fairly common in most National Parks.

I had watched-as I've gotten in the habit of doing-one video(in particular, of the m-a-n-y) at http://www.beergeeknnation.com ...the review being of an imperial(or stronger, 8.1%) oatmeal stout brewed with & from the Terrapin brewery in Georgia I believe. Ah yes, 2nd review on this page.

http://www.beergeeknation.com/category/contributors/chris/page/3/

I have actually had the last one one on that page, Dogfish Head's Palo Santo Marron - it's quite -like. If you ever see that at a bar & can get a sample, try it, it's interesting, aged in a vat/tank made of Paraguayan Palo Santo wood. But I noticed Young's Double Stout on/in The Londoner's list of bottled beer, that's one I'd suggest you try. Although it is in a slightly larger bottle, so you might want to share & that way if you don't like it hopefully the other person will.

Rats! An extra 'n'... http://www.beergeeknation.com/category/contributors/chris/page/3/

I neglected to mention that the Young's is a sweet or stout(I may be wrong, but brewed with a bit of lactic acid giving it a creamier mouthfeel). A Colorado brewery, the Left Hand Brewery make a very good stout(or so I've heard). I came åcross a husband & wife in Chicago who do beer reviews online-so you get both a male & a female opinion or perspective. This particular review though-of the Left Hand is just hubby Chris Quinn.

http://craftbeertemple.com/videoblog/category/ale/milk-stout-ale/

With this week's groceries, I picked up a six pack of Newcastle Founder's Ale, limited edition. http://www.thebarleyblog.com/2012/newcastle-founders-ale/

Aha yes I had watched Beer Geek Nation's Chris Steltz review that & as I recall he was quite impressed. I'll certainly keep an eye out for it.

On the cooking side of things, my Guinness Chipotle Chili was a success, a bit better than expected really. I plan to use browned then cubed pork loin next year, rather than the ground pork I used this year - the 3 day-Wed. to Fri.-Guinness marinade will remain unchanged though(1 440ml can of Guinness Draught, a sliced jalapeno, pinches of sea salt, cumin & gr.cloves as well as a few flakes of cinnamon bark). Oh late addition Thurs. evening, a little sprinkle of Schokinag 79% Extreme Dark drinking to give it a mole quality & a couple splashes of Shaughnessy Stout. I used canned chipotles in adobo sauce, one chipotle(& a teaspoon or so of sauce) in with the pork when I browned it over low heat & a second pepper-mashed by fork-into the tomato sauce. Nothing too special for beans, just a can of Heinz in Tomato Saucesort of re-tomato-ing. About a 1/3 of a can of Guinness to the sauce as well as a roughly equal amount of that Shaughnessy Stout. I had sliced parsnips in the sauce along with the beans & chile peppers, but I realized in recounting this that I totally forgot the celery stallks I was planning to slice...well, they Are munchable raw. After I had drained the pork & stirred it into the sauce I let it simmer awhile then cool, before refridgerating overnight. Final additions to the l-o-ng low heat simmer Sat.(roughly 11:30am until almost 3pm) were a bit of Taza with chipotle-see link-simmered/melted & stirred into the chili, as well as a cinnamon stick sitting on the surface(for a long steam-infusing)& one last little drizzle of the Shaughnessy Stout. Served that over crumbled corn chips, but I have some leftovers I'm planning to serve over rice. .

http://www.tazachocolate.com/store/Products/ChipotleChiliDisc

number two And the bit o' green, don't ya know - I also had some green bell pepper in there!

The Guinness Chipotle Chili sounds very tasty.

I made a jambalaya tonight, with basmati rice and chicken with wild onions, celery, and jalapenos.

Sounds very tasty too!

Another English you might want to watch for, & try(if you haven't already) is Wychwood Hobgoblin. A malty toffee-type aroma. Malty flavour with raisin & plum notes, some bisquity undertones(underlying flavours), then a bit citrusy near the end...I really found it different.

http://www.wychwood.co.uk

But getting back to s...

http://www.menuism.com/blog/all-about-stout-a-guide-to-5-stout-beer-styles/

Which was part of V this V, which I found on Twitter just recently.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/Menuism/new-craft-beer-experiences_b_1328234.html

I have tried Hobgoblin and Merlin's Ale from Wychwood. Both were very nice.