Let me push that stool in for you: the off-topic thread

Tom Dunne

You know the drill, serious stuff goes in the appropriate thread, non-serious stuff goes here.

Discuss.

Tom Dunne

Don't leave a brother hanging here.

So, what are we drinking tonight? Myself, Blue Spot.

irish_goat

Had sinus surgery this week so can't really smell anything but hot jameson tasting pretty good still.

Tom Dunne

irish_goat wrote: »

Had sinus surgery this week so can't really smell anything but hot jameson tasting pretty good still.

Ouch. Sounds sore.

irish_goat

Tom Dunne wrote: »

Ouch. Sounds sore.

Not too bad thankfully. Have painkillers there but sure whiskey is just as good.

Black Sheep

I actually have a mouth ulcer all week that has made whisky drinking more pain than pleasure...

I get them if rundown / stressed.

irish_goat

Black Sheep wrote: »

I actually have a mouth ulcer all week that has made whisky drinking more pain than pleasure...

I get them if rundown / stressed.

I get them a bit too. Chlorhexidine mouthwash has been a real benefit.

Tom Dunne

Black Sheep wrote: »

I actually have a mouth ulcer all week that has made whisky drinking more pain than pleasure...

I had a bottle of cheap'n'nasty Aldi 8 year old whiskey for that purpose. Rumours that herself used said whiskey for cleaning her jewelry have as yet been proven untrue.

odyssey06

Black Sheep wrote: »

I actually have a mouth ulcer all week that has made whisky drinking more pain than pleasure...

I get them if rundown / stressed.

Extra cloves in the hot whiskey indicated.

Insect Overlord

Mouth ulcers are an absolute bastard!

I'm trying to behave tonight because I'm planning to run 21.1 km in the morning. I'll make up for it in style tomorrow night.

Insect Overlord

Hit a new PB for the half marathon, so I'm after knocking back a lovely can of chocolate orange stout! Quick nap now, then back up for the United match and hopefully a can of Locavore stout. And Ireland had a decent second half in the rugby. Good times.

Invincible

Black Sheep wrote: »

I actually have a mouth ulcer all week that has made whisky drinking more pain than pleasure...

I get them if rundown / stressed.

Get TCP and dilute as mouthwash, seldom time I've had one, it cures it rapidly.

Black Sheep

It has resolved itself. Thank you for the sympathy all!

Bloody glad I bought a Didrikson parka and a lambswool hat in Black Friday sales this year... -1.5 on the sidelines of my kids' sports training this morning. Some of them had a bit of a thousand yard stare as they came off afterwards, their little fingers like mini icicles.

BonnieSituation

Michael Strahan putting Cazale to shame:

Hotblack Desiato

I used to get mouth ulcers a lot. If they're on the bottom jaw, you can try this:

Tip half a teaspoon of salt over it.

Then get something quick to bite down on, cause the PAIN... :eek:

Leave for 30 seconds or as long as you can stand then rinse out.

Hurts like hell but the salt draws all the bad stuff out and it heals faster.

Incidentally since I started using electric tootbrushes nearly ten years ago, not one mouth ulcer.

I also read in a Lonely Planet book once that when you're away from medical help in the middle of nowhere and have a dental problem, swooshing around a mouthful of whiskey or whatever spirit will numb the pain, then swallowing it will numb it a bit more

odyssey06

I am seeing an ad on Boards.ie at the moment.

Jameson
Distillery
Bow Street
Buy Now

And I'm thinking... how much for the Distillery?

Fall_Guy

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

I used to get mouth ulcers a lot. If they're on the bottom jaw, you can try this:

Tip half a teaspoon of salt over it.

Then get something quick to bite down on, cause the PAIN... :eek:

Leave for 30 seconds or as long as you can stand then rinse out.

Hurts like hell but the salt draws all the bad stuff out and it heals faster.

Incidentally since I started using electric tootbrushes nearly ten years ago, not one mouth ulcer.

I also read in a Lonely Planet book once that when you're away from medical help in the middle of nowhere and have a dental problem, swooshing around a mouthful of whiskey or whatever spirit will numb the pain, then swallowing it will numb it a bit more

Electric toothbrush was a game-changer for me on the mouth ulcer front as well!

mikeecho

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

I used to get mouth ulcers a lot. If they're on the bottom jaw, you can try this:

Tip half a teaspoon of salt over it.

Then get something quick to bite down on, cause the PAIN... :eek:

Leave for 30 seconds or as long as you can stand then rinse out.

Hurts like hell but the salt draws all the bad stuff out and it heals faster.

Incidentally since I started using electric tootbrushes nearly ten years ago, not one mouth ulcer.

I also read in a Lonely Planet book once that when you're away from medical help in the middle of nowhere and have a dental problem, swooshing around a mouthful of whiskey or whatever spirit will numb the pain, then swallowing it will numb it a bit more

Hmmm.. prevention is better than.. falls off stoll

youcancallmeal

Maybe a stupid question but can I bring an empty growler back to a place I didn't get it from?

BeerNut

youcancallmeal wrote: »

Maybe a stupid question but can I bring an empty growler back to a place I didn't get it from?

Each place has their own rules on this, though I doubt many will turn away business at the moment. If it matches their own in size and shape it's probably fine.

Hodors Appletart

even if it doesn't they'll probably work out a price based on the size

irish_goat

Got a hamper from work which includes some Cahills Irish Porter Cheese. I'm guessing it's actually made with stout though.



Anyone got any favourite beer and cheese pairings?

odyssey06

If alcohol and cheese pairings are allowed... Wensleydale and red wine from south of France works for me.
And at this time of year its colours take on a festive hue from the cranberries.

And the obvious ale and white cheddar... and cheese and onion crisps.

Hotblack Desiato

irish_goat wrote: »

Got a hamper from work which includes some Cahills Irish Porter Cheese. I'm guessing it's actually made with stout though.

There'd be uproar if my employer so much as festively farted in my general direction.

odyssey06

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

There'd be uproar if my employer so much as festively farted in my general direction.

I thought more places would do hampers and stuff as no christmas party on.

We got a hamper, all ambient stuff, no cheese but contained biscuit crackers.
Some nice wines, whiskey, chutney, chocs, biscuits, honey and christmas crackers.

OH could pick from a registry of different gifts, up to about €50, knick knacks, kitchen stuff, some jewellery... and a mixed case of nice wines.

L1011

Just Eat vouchers for us, which is preferable to what I worried it would be - the same rancid petrol station wine we give to clients!

irish_goat

No booze in our hamper unfortunately, just some cheese, biscuits, crackers, chutney and honeycomb. Teasingly it was put together by The Good Food and Wine Company so they could have definitely threw in some wine.

BaZmO*

We had a choice of Beer/Wine/Cocktail Hamper and a Justeat voucher. I obviously went with the Beer one, Wicklow Wolf with a selection from their core range and a nice glass.

I would imagine Food/Drink Hamper sales were through the roof this year! No Christmas parties.

the beer revolu

Generous one for all vouchers for us.

Hamper idea was floated but really, everyone prefers cash (voucher)!
With hampers, I always end up trying to find homes for half the stuff.

youcancallmeal

I find it mildly amusing that this Diageo brewer who works in their innovation department openly admits never having had an interest in brewing until getting the job

BeerNut

youcancallmeal wrote: »

I find it mildly amusing that this Diageo brewer who works in their innovation department openly admits never having had an interest in brewing until getting the job

She may not have got the job if she did: I get the impression that they like their brewers trained The Diageo Way from the start, rather than coming from Lesser Breweries with Inferior Practices. The original figurehead brewer for Open Gate was a rare example of them recruiting from outside, I guess as a way of trying to connect to the wider world of microbrewing. But when he decided The Diageo Way wasn't for him, and left, they didn't attempt to repeat the experiment and just got someone internally to do the job.

As breweries go, it is a weird company.

RasTa

I wouldn't be too happy releasing a product that got recalled

the beer revolu

RasTa wrote: »

I wouldn't be too happy releasing a product that got recalled

How can a so called newspaper do an "article" on the launch of a beer, the first batch of which was recalled, and not mention this fact?
It should be marked as an advertorial.

BaZmO*

"....her main role is developing new beers globally for Diageo, an alcohol company most famous for brewing Guinness."

That line probably tells you all you need to know about them.

irish_goat

Presumbly served alongside a round of Irish Car Bombs...

https://twitter.com/WorstBeerBlog/status/1354222857904033794

BeerNut

Weird to name a beer after a type of pension account.

Hotblack Desiato

via Worst Beer Blog:

https://twitter.com/TheThirstyWench/status/1354215074236407812

BonnieSituation

irish_goat wrote: »

Presumbly served alongside a round of Irish Car Bombs...

https://twitter.com/WorstBeerBlog/status/1354222857904033794

https://woodk8889.wixsite.com/website

Big pile of "WHAT?!?!?!?!??"

BeerNut

The European Commission is floating the possibility that when you bring alcohol and tobacco home from abroad you should be liable for Irish taxes on it. No idea how they would expect that to work, but it's not a good sign.

You can respond to the consultation here until 23rd April.

Hotblack Desiato

That's just mad. Especially as there will be duty free to/from Britain...

BeerNut

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

That's just mad. Especially as there will be duty free to/from Britain...

I reckon (if they do it) they'll just apply duty-free rules everywhere in the EU, and abolish the Blue Channel.

odyssey06

I can't see what's in it for say France, Spain, Italian exchequers from it... i.e. the big tourist destinations.
People would stop bringing the stuff back with them to Ireland, Scandinavia etc.

And what about land crossings, going to stop every car between Spain and France to check this?
Or here and the North?

Hotblack Desiato

BeerNut wrote: »

I reckon (if they do it) they'll just apply duty-free rules everywhere in the EU, and abolish the Blue Channel.

Discriminating against us because we don't have a land border with another EU country (unclear to say the least what the status of NI in this would be)

Unless they're really losing it and want to put customs controls on land borders within the EU...

Hodors Appletart

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

That's just mad. Especially as there will be duty free to/from Britain...

Not NI though?

Hotblack Desiato

There's never been duty-free crossing a land border

L1011

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

There's never been duty-free crossing a land border

Never had them in the EU, and the NI protocols would stop it - but they exist in a few places. US/Canada and US/Mexico for instance.

youcancallmeal

Any recommendations for good Irish craft beer reviewers? I know it's all very subjective but I'm always interested to see what others think. The Beer Nut who posts on here does great reviews and he isn't afraid to say when he doesn't like something. Then there are people on instagram like allaboutbeerireland who have a lot of posts but I've gone back through the last year of 'reviews' and there is not a bad word to say about any of them. I don't get the point if you're going to say every single beer is lovely!?

BeerNut

Ta for the shout-out.

youcancallmeal wrote: »

Any recommendations for good Irish craft beer reviewers?

Tale of Ale will generally say if he doesn't like something.

youcancallmeal wrote: »

I don't get the point if you're going to say every single beer is lovely!?

Completely agree, but am also aware that that's just me. For some people they're out to promote the industry and boosterism is their way of doing it. Some might be hoping for a kickback from the brewery, be that in social media reach or free product. And some just might not want to upset anyone or court controversy -- it's uncomfortable when someone takes you to task for saying their beer is crap, I can assure you.

irish_goat

Another +1 for Tale of the Ale, although his reviews aren't wile frequent.

Allaboutbeerireland looks like the sort of account that only posts positive reviews in the hope of freebies. Maybe he doesn't post the negative ones though...The Beer Nut regularly slags off Molson Coors/Franciscan Well beers but their PR people still keep sending them out. :pac:

BeerNut

irish_goat wrote: »

Another +1 for Tale of the Ale, although his reviews aren't wile frequent.

There used to be loads of beer reviewers, then they all found better things to do

irish_goat wrote: »

The Beer Nut regularly slags off Molson Coors/Franciscan Well beers but their PR people still keep sending them out. :pac:

I'll have to put the lawyers onto them to get them to stop. Actually, they have kind of: no new products from there in nearly two years.

youcancallmeal

BeerNut wrote: »

Ta for the shout-out.Tale of Ale will generally say if he doesn't like something.

Completely agree, but am also aware that that's just me. For some people they're out to promote the industry and boosterism is their way of doing it. Some might be hoping for a kickback from the brewery, be that in social media reach or free product. And some just might not want to upset anyone or court controversy -- it's uncomfortable when someone takes you to task for saying their beer is crap, I can assure you.

Ha, that gave me a good laugh. You're absolutely right though, craft brewing is a labour of love for most and it's not nice when people don't like your produce even if it is genuinely poor. Tale of Ale looks great, will check it out.