theakston

I was staying in Barolo myself last fall. Aside from Alba (for the truffle fair) We enjoyed trips to Monteforte d'alba, Serra lunga, Dogliani and nearby the little village of Piozzo - worth visiting for the excellent brewpub - Baladin: Baladin brewpub You may want to call and check the opening times - we were there on a Sunday afternoon. The rest of the week it is evenings only I think. Try the Nora and the Super - they are excellent. The brewmaster Teo is a charming and enthusiastic host. I guess not many people leave Barolo with a case of beer! We tended to save our appettites for evening meals for the most part. We took our rec's for dining from this site and they all proved to be excellent: In Barolo we dined at Borgo Antico, a short drive to La morra for Il Belvedere Then just the other side of Monteforte is the not-to-be-missed Trattoria della Posta. None of these are very far from Barolo. The scenery in the Barolo region is beautiful (when you can see it through the fog) Serra Lunga is not to be missed, and there are lots of other villages along the road that are also very pretty whose names escape me at the moment - I must go look at my map.

could it have been too hot? Olive oil can burn at a fairly low temp. If it was really smokin' that could be the cause. May be better to use no oil (if its well seasoned) - or a little grapeseed oil then drizzle the EVOO on afterwards.

Two pints of lager and a packet of crisps PLEASE

Also the "Same period a year earlier" (April 2002) on which they were basing the comparison was when tourism was still in shock from 9-11.

Ahhhhh Masham. The pints I've had in the White Bear....The Dales...the moors, the pubs, the border collies. I'm from Yorkshire -- kinda sorta. Actually from Saddleworth which is just over t'border so it's in Yorkshire but is also part of the greater Manchester area as well. I also lived in Leeds for a few years before moving to the DC area. Theakston was the name I gave to my border collie (he used to be my avatar too). He died last Summer but we have recently adopted another one. Called him Riggwelter of course!

I'm not sure that they import the London Pride to the USA. It is an excellent beer on cask, but you are even less likely to find that in the USA. (if cask ale is what you seek then there may be somewhere that occasionally carries it, depending where you are in the South). The 1845 is their best imported bottle. It's bottle conditioned (I don't think that bottled London Pride is) and it is a little higher in alcohol. Depending where you are you should be able to find it. Here is a good site for shipping - if you want a few cases of British Beer: Belmont Station They don't seem to have the Pride but carry most of the other Fullers brand. You need to order a few cases to make it worth the shipping.

Snake bite is actually supposed to be hard cider and lager (such as harp) Guiness and Harp is usually called "Half and half". As far as black velvet: I've been thinking of one involving Gueuze instead of the Champagne. Maybe an imperial stout.

Great pictures. Nice article about Michael Jackson too. He was here at RFD in Washington last night. I'm still a little hung over after the 13 beers we sampled, including Dogfish Head 120 minute poured through Sam's latest invention - Randal the enamel animal. You did get to Monk's didn't you?

I own several Global knives, as well as the Shinkansen sharpener. Note that the instructions for the Shinkansen specifically state that "it cannot be used for the G-11, G-7 GS-4, etc. which have the Japanese style one-sided cutting edges." I would recommend the Edgepro sharpener, as others have already stated in this thread. It does a better job than the Shinkansen (which is a decent little sharpener, witin its limitations) and will handle all of your knives. I assume that you have used the edgepro on globals : what settings do you use? I presume that it would differ from the instructions given in Chad's EGCI, as the angles are finer. I'd appreciate the help, I've got lots of Globals, and the Shinkanshen thingie, but they are getting to the point where they need a more serious sharpening. The local Sur La Table refuses to sharpen Global ( A little odd as they do sell them! )

Also I'm wondering if your problem with the 3 casks was if they were there in preparation for a special event - they have the beer writer Michael Jackson coming next Wednesday and are assembling an awesome collection for his event. I agree the service there is awful at times. The staff don't seem to know a lot about the real ales or other great beers and the majority of the customers don't really care. Having said that, anywhere that offers a 20 year old Goudenband is good in my book - had one there last week and it was delicious.

Here's a list we assembled on another site. Thinking mostly of Cask conditioned (or at least tank conditioned) hand pumped ales. District of Columbia Brickskeller 1523 22nd Street NW Washington, DC 20037 (202)293-1885 Has cask beer on weekends. I think just one, usually British. District Chophouse 509 7th Street NW Washington, DC 20004 (202)347-3434 Though they have two pumps, they have only been doing the Bourbon Stout for sometime now. Handpump (not cellared) John Harvard 1299 Pennsylvania Avene NW Washington, DC 20004 (202)783-2739 They have one pump, which is not always on (to the best of my knowledge). Some varaition of whatever they're brewing. Handpump (not cellared). RFD 810 7th Street NW Washington, DC 20001 (202)289-2030 Usually has one (sometimes two) cask, usually British. Gravity dispense. The Reef 2446 18th Street NW Washington, DC 20009 (202)518-3800 Starting their weekly cask session again on Thursdays this time around. They usually do two British and two domestics over the course of the month (one a week). Gravity dispense. Maryland Brewer's Art 1106 North Charles Street Baltimore, MD (410)547-6925 Report pending. Franklin's 5123 Baltimore Avenue Hyattsville, MD 20781 (301)927-2740 Firkin Firday's at Franklin's. One firkin that is a variation of one fot the standard served brews, usually dry hopped with an different variety of hops than was in the boil. Gravity dispense. Mahaffy's Report pending. Max's on Broadway 737 South Broadway Baltimore, MD 21231 (410)675-6297 Report pending. Rock Bottom (Bethesda) 7900 Norfolk Avenue Bethesda, MD 20814 (301)652-1311 One (sometimes two) casks on. Selection vary widely but is usually one of the regular beers made for cask. Judging by the pump clips behind the bar they must do quite a few specialties real ale style throughout the year. Handpump (I don't think it's cellared). Sean Bolan's 1236 Light Street Baltimore, MD 21230 (410)837-4440 Report Pending. Wharf Rat at Camden Yards 206 West Pratt Street Baltimore, MD 21201 (410)244-8900 Report pending. Wharf Rat at Fells Point 801 South Ann Street Baltimore, MD 21231 (410)276-9034 Report pending. Virginia Dominion Brewery 44633 Guilford Drive Ashburn, VA 20147 (703)724-9100 Rock Bottom (Arlington) 4823 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA 22203 (703)516-7688

try this place: Blind tiger

The RFD space was previously occupied by a Brazilian Restaurant. All that tropical stuff is left over from those days. I guess over time it will be replaced with something more appropriate. Glad you enjoyed your visit.

Yes they call it whisky!!. Well whisky is distilled from beer without the hops. Then there is bierschnaps which is distilled from beer with hops. Sierre Nevada makes one apparently. Never tried it myself.

Trouble is the bigger ones are also the least tasty. Recently I've seen a lot of these huge "shallots" (especially at wholefoods) that seem to me to taste more like onions, and they aren't even pink on the inside.

Had these in Chile. They are widely grown and very cheap there. They were good for breakfast. like an over-ripe pineapple in taste and texture but with a taste of banana too. I don't think they are like paw paw - that's same as a prickly pear isn't it.

Great - glad to hear you can help us! Well the name is for my border collie - pictured - who in turn was named after Paul's family's beers. I mis-spent a fair portion of my youth in pubs in the yorskhire dales so Border collies and Theakston seem to go together. Sadly he died this Summer . We are planning to get another one soon. He will have to be called Riggwelter for obvious reasons. I read recently that the Theakston brand has been returned to the family after years of abuse by S&N.

Paul, Perhaps you could do an EGCI on homebrew? That would be fantastic if you have the time. And I think they give you yogurt.

You could try boiling a few potatoes in it. It works for over salted stock, not sure if it would work the same for sour. Worth a try, and at least you can eat the spuds!

Thanks guys -- looking forward to escaping the ice for a bit. Anyone have any experience of Quito's gazebo? I have a CD with him and the Edge so I would like to check it out. Quito Rymer's webpage

Likewise if I can be of any help in drinking all of that please let me know Maybe you'll join us on the next batch? BTW not sampled mine yet but I expect to do so before we leave for Tortola on Saturday . Will post again then. I hope the chalkyness was just because I was sampling from the dregs at the bottom of the carboy where there was probably a lot of suspended solids.

was just cruising The Belgian Shop and they are now listing this glassware, in case you haven't been successful using the other sources. (click on link, click on glasses then click on page 2, then get a case of westvleteren to go with it! )

I bottled on Saturday. Didn't get to take any pictures as I was running late. Beer tasted OK but had a kind of "chalky" aftertaste that I hope will dissipate after conditioning. I'm on vacation in less than 2 weeks. I guess I'll try one before we leave. Should be ready after we get back. Cheers!!

I have always heard that you should usually use milled grains within a few days of grinding or they loose flavour. I don't think that they wouldn't go rancid and the whole grain itself would probably last a long time. The coffee analogy was more to do with the period between ginding and brewing. I'd be interested to see what your book says. How's the brew coming? I plan on bottling mine this weekend.

The extract is probably OK but the crushed grains are not much use: a bit like coffee that you ground a year ago and left in a paper bag. Not too appetizing!