A Belgian beer with a rather strange name - that is until you know a little bit about its history. It's a darned good tasting beer, and is available here in North America - good for us. So, pick up a four pack and click on this link for the whole story.
Old London - 1849
I just pulled the excerpt out of a book called "Handbook for London" by Peter Cunningham, published in 1849 - yep 1849. I wonder if any of these places still exist?
Go and Buy This Porter ASAP - Robinsons Trooper Red 'n' Black Porter
I picked up a few bottles of Robinsons Trooper Red n'n Black Porter a month or so ago, and just now finally got around to giving it a try - darn good, nice and rich and smooth and malty. Then I find out it is a limited edition, and when it's gone - it's gone.
Well, it's gone - Robinsons Brewery is sold out, and apparently they are not brewing anymore (let's hope they change their minds), so if you can, get out and seek out this porter.
Robinsons Brewery - Trooper Red 'n' Black Porter. Go find it.
Beer and Books - A Perfect Combination on a Rainy Day (well, any day, for that matter)
Even if you can't make the trip over the pond anytime soon, check out this article. The photos alone are great. UK pubs that have a connection with the literary past.
From the folks at Buzzfeed and VisitBritain. Click here for the link.
Alcohol - Not salads....
I just heard this on the Radcliffe and Maconie show on BBC Radio 6 - the topic of conversation was signs people have seen in a pub. So, a caller related that in his pub there was a sign that said: "Drink alcohol, as no great story ever started with a salad." Ha
Is Oak the Only Wood Suitable for Aging Whisky?
Here's a quick little article from the folks over at Slate. Although I agree with the answer, for the most part, I find it interesting that there is no mention of the beer/whisky connection, and the fact that this connection is two-way, i.e. beer aged in whisky barrels and whisky aged in beer barrels.
Here's the link.
From the Archives - 27 Times "Top Gear" Made You Laugh Like Hell
Great stuff - from back in 2015. Click here and enjoy.
In 1902, there were 3,279 breweries in Belgium, producing some 14 million hectoliters of beer - now that's a lot of hectoliters.
A short chapter from a 1904 book on Belgian industries, with a few insights on the state of the Belgian breweries of the day. Click here for access this chapter.
Save Money, Live Well, Drink Beer - Sounds Like a Plan for Life
Digging around some dusty old book shelfs I recently ran across this article in an old publication called "World's Work," published in 1908. The article is about how the Belgians of the day were some of the most thrifty people in the world, and also some of the biggest beer drinkers.
I just uploaded the article in The Reading Room. Click here to find the article. Great philosophy on living - and it includes beer. Win-WIn
One Can Only Dream....
You Want a Stout - Well, You Are Gonna Get a Stout
I mean, just check out the foam on this - it's a thick and creamy as a chocolate mousse. And, every bit as sweet. From a little brewery in Scotland - The Orkney Brewery's Dragonhead Stout. If you like a nice stout, you need to give this a try. Available in the U.S. Cheers!
A Thought for the Day....
“Whoever drinks beer, he is quick to sleep; whoever sleeps long, does not sin; whoever does not sin, enters Heaven! Thus, let us drink beer!”
— Martin Luther
Goldie Is For Sale - Well, if you are into that thing.
A one-off 1958 Austin Healey 100-6 - complete with 24-carat gold trim and an interior finished with mink fur accents - is going on the auction block. If you have an extra 400,000 plus pounds on hand, you may want to give the car a look. To be sold by RM Sotheby in New York on 6 December 2017. Let the bidding begin.
For the whole story - from the Daily Mail - click here.
1958 Austin Healey 100-6, nicknamed "Goldie." Photo courtesy of RM Sotheby via the Daily Mail
A Morriss-London (yes, two s's), Any MG Connection
OK, so the Morris Oxford and the Morris Cowley are clear, but what is a Morriss-London? As can be seen here, there is a U.S. connection.
From the 1920 edition of The Motor Red Book.
A New Trappist Ale, In The UK.
"Monks have been given planning permission to build what would be the UK’s only Trappist brewery at a rural monastery in North West Leicestershire."
So states a recent article in the Leicester Mercury newspaper. Now approved by the local planning council, the monks of the Mount St Bernard Abbey plan to brew their beer in accordance with strict Trappist rules, thus becoming the 12th such Trappist brewery in existence.
We look forward to sample their ale.
To read the article - by Dave Owen - click here.
So, a buddy asks you to pick up a couple of Ankers of beer - how much beer do you need to pick up?
An Anker of beer is ten gallon, so a couple Ankers would be 20 gallons - that's a lot of beer.
From an 1899 book on British brewery accounting.
"You're Only Supposed to Blow the Bloody Doors Off"
A new book for your fall reading list. Producer Michael Deeley has written a book out the filming of his classic movie 'The Italian Job' (the first one, although the second on was a pretty good movie, too).
In the one scene where the team - led by Charlie Croker (Michael Caine) - is testing the explosives to be used to open up the armored cars, well it seen that in really life, as in the movie, they may have used a bit too much explosives.
Here's the story from the Daily Mail - click here.
And, On Today's Menu...
In the olden days, it is widely acknowledged, beer and ale were often substituted for water, the later sometimes tainted with disease. Folks, both high and low on the social ladder, were drinking a lot of beer. Here is an excerpt from the book "British Taverns, Their History and Laws," by Lord Askwith, 1928, detailing one day's allotment:
"The Court and the people drank ale. Witness the allowance given to Lady Lucy, a maid of honour [in the Court of King Henry VIII]. 'Breakfast - a chine of beef, a loaf of bread, a gallon of ale. Luncheon - bread and a gallon of ale, Dinner - a piece of boiled beef, a slice of roast meat, a gallon of ale. Supper - porridge, mutton, a loaf, a gallon of ale."
That an allowance of four gallons of ale per day, although one must remember that this ale was a weaker version, not the "strong ale" that was also being brewed.
Five Strange Car Names...
Yep, when you think about it these are some really strange car names. The author - Rowan Horncastle, over at the BBC (click here) - missed one, however. If you are a car person, and you remember this, then it will so your age. Anyway, remember when Chevy tried to sell a compact car down in South and Central America called the Nova, after the long running US Chevy of the same name? Well, in Spanish the phrase "No va" means "Does not go" So, as you can see there was some reluctance of Latin America drivers to be a car called a Nova.
19 Pubs in Leeds....
Well, I have never been to Leeds, and alas I don't see myself going there in the near future, which is a pity because after reading this article, and seeing some of the cool pubs in Leeds, I feel a trip is in order. Has anybody been to one of these pubs?
From the folks at BuzzFeed - click here.