British Expatriate Network

Pretty interesting story about the competition.

http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3974109.stm

And this is hilarious.
http//owlfish.livejournal.com/

"A spokesman for a major British brewing company was feeling combatative when he was interviewed by the BBC on the degree to which wine is infringing on beer's place in Britain's alcohol consumption.

"I have seen the odd occasion where I have walked into a pub and seen a man drinking a glass of wine," he says. "I find that totally unacceptable.""


So do you think lots of people find wine drinking "girly" then?

I'm glad to see the growth of wine in Britain. It's true that in the 1980s people thought that swillwater Piat D'Or was swank (in fact the French don't "adore" Piat D'Or, it's never existed in their market place). If I lived steps away from an Oddbins I'd be into wine (as most of their employees seem to be rather excessively at times).

I think it's great that a more continental culture is taking hold in the U.K.

But having said that, it grieves me that many British people, especially younger beer drinkers, fail to recognise or like their own amazing and completely unique beer traditions. The average British pub favours British brewed Budweiser etc. which is barely better than the absolutely horrible U.S original. I'm not a beardy real ale fanatic, but I find it sad that my 18 year old nephew in London thinks a pint of bitter or Fullers is just desperately uncool.

The beer industry has to take part of the blame. My own generation started ordering lager because increasingly British beer took on the Party Seven/Watneys Red Barrel image, the industry did nothing to combat.

Ironically there seems to be more of a fan base for British beer abroad than in Britain. Our liquor stores in Ontario offer a dizzying array of British brews. My current favourite is St. Peter's ale.

I miss a nice pint of mild !!
whether it be Marston's, Mitchells and Butlers, or Banks's (my favourite) I just miss be able to go have and have the chance to drink that kind of beer. Caffrey's is good too and bass is okay but I'm not a great fan of Boddington's bitter or for that that lousy shyte Whitbreads. There is a local brewery here which produce and sell their own bitter and mild but I havent got round to drinking there yet.

I'm not much of a wine fan but my wife has bought some wine from a few liquor stores (posh kind of off-licenses wink ) and its been pretty good. My wife's in-laws keep telling me how good the wine is from around the Niagara Falls area but I havent seen any vines by the american falls? wink

I tend to drink beer -I get enough whine from my kids! ;)

Boom boom! lol


Anyhoo, I don't drink wine much. I've known to many drunks to tolerate the smell for too long. Which is a shame cuz a nice glass does that trick every now and then.

As for beer, yes I do drink Buckley's when I get the chance. But I'm a Murphy's and Kronenberg man at heart.

Its not that I see wine as effeminate its more of a class issue for me.

I drink lager exclusively. Real ale and wine are too middle class, I would feel I was putting on 'airs and graces' and being 'terribly awfully awfully'.

I drink real ale. Bass, Newcastle Brown, Theakstons OP, Bateman's - stuff like that. Brown is the proper colour of beer. Lager is too fizzy.

Top man!

Not where I come from. Best bitter is a working man's drink, tha knows.

I agree with VRB, ale is the working man's drink oop north. Lager is a thinly disguised shandy for the thin stomachs of the soft Southerners.

Mine's a Tetley's if you can find it.

I'm not fussy. It's what ever I feel like.......



Andrew :)

Moo is from Kent. Southern Jessie, me thinks. And Tetley's is on draught at the Crown and Anchor.

I'll be right there.

I have a case in my basement, but it's ALL MINE :lol:

Newcastle Brown, Guinness and Bishops Finger are the only beer allowed at this house according to hubby. Luckily our local Kroger store stocks all three. wink