What?? Are you drinking?

[Nonlinear FC]

I try to be open to just about any kind of beer, but, man... I just can't do sours.

[The Sybian]

I try to be open to just about any kind of beer, but, man... I just can't do sours.

I used to feel that way. There are so many different styles of sours now, you might be surprised. My last batch of homebrew was a peach kettle sour. I cooked the wort for 5 minutes without adding hops. I added lactobacillus bacteria, which creates the souring through eating sugars and excreting lactic acid. I don't have a pH meter, so I just kept sampling for 3 days until I got the right amount of sour. It was so weird tasting a virtually flavorless wort with the sour. I added peach puree during secondary fermentation.

I've had a couple of Hermit Thrush sours recently that were both incredible and unusual. A gin barrel aged sour saison and a sour Belgian Quad aged in scotch and red wine barrels. The Belgian Quad was 14.5% without a hint of booziness. Hoping to find them again.

[mister d]

Sours are like Freddie Mercury to me; I can appreciate them in very small doses and totally get why others love them but they’re nothing I’d choose on my own.

[Shirley]

The guy with the home bar in this video is a coworker. I had no idea he was a mixed-drink nerd. Nice home bar though!

[The Sybian]

The guy with the home bar in this video is a coworker. I had no idea he was a mixed-drink nerd. Nice home bar though!

You need to become friends with this guy to get an invite to the White Rabbit.

So what do you guys recommend in a sweet vermouth? I've always gone for the cheap stuff in the past, but I am seeing more options on the shelves than in the past. Is it worth going for a $15 bottle, or is the Martini and Rossi similar?

A day after discussing Old Fashioneds here, my friend texted a pic of his Old Fashioned ingredients lined up. He has a smoker, applewood chips, a butane torch, the "perfect sphere" ice cube, he is zesting orange peels, cherries, bitters and barrel smoked maple syrup. I need to try one of those.

[The Sybian]

Sours are like Freddie Mercury to me; I can appreciate them in very small doses and totally get why others love them but they’re nothing I’d choose on my own.

I don't know that I've ever had more than one in a sitting. I like to finish the night with a sour when I do have one. A friend dropped off a Burley Oak smoothie sour (their Jream series are top drawer). Rush will love the gimmicky nature of this one, Bananas Foster French Toast. Made with banana, cream cheese, maple syrup, cinnamon, dark brown sugar, vanilla and lactose.

[GoodKarma]

A brewery in Denver has a guava and cream cheese sour. No thanks.

[sancarlos]

So what do you guys recommend in a sweet vermouth?

I love Carpano Antica vermouth. A bit more herbal than Noilly Pratt.

They sell it at Costco, which makes it more affordable

[Giff]

A brewery in Denver has a guava and cream cheese sour. No thanks.

Just reading that is almost enough to make me go sober.

[rass]

Giving up on dry January just short of the end.

[sancarlos]

Giving up on dry January just short of the end.

It's ok. You gave it your best.

[bapo!]

AB, Nonlinear, and others: good stuff the past few pages. This is strong, personal writing.

Giff, your post about rationalizations probably resonated with some folks here. I realized recently that I drink a lot when measured by time, but not necessarily by volume. Like, I can make a beer or a bourbon last for a while. I enjoy the taste and the ritual of it all. I don't really get drunk, and I never wake up with a hangover, so I must be doing something right. But is that rationalizing? I don't know.

[The Sybian]

AB, Nonlinear, and others: good stuff the past few pages. This is strong, personal writing.

Giff, your post about rationalizations probably resonated with some folks here. I realized recently that I drink a lot when measured by time, but not necessarily by volume. Like, I can make a beer or a bourbon last for a while. I enjoy the taste and the ritual of it all. I don't really get drunk, and I never wake up with a hangover, so I must be doing something right. But is that rationalizing? I don't know.

I don't think that is rationalizing at all, but it's the approach I take, so maybe I'm lying to myself right along with you. Look at countries like Spain, Italy, France... it's considered normal to have 3 glasses of wine with dinner 7 days a week. I think as long as it isn't having a negative impact on your life, there is nothing wrong with it. There was a period where my father's doctor told him to drink a glass of red wine every day. He had a jug of cheap wine and pounded a glass like he was taking medicine that tasted bad. No idea how I became so into beer and whiskey. My parents have never had any interest in alcohol beyond my father's fascination with the artwork on beer cans.

[Nonlinear FC]

Yeah, I'd agree with that wholeheartedly.

Where it gets dicey is if you're, well, like me... I'm a highly functional... I'll say it, alcoholic. You can say you're doing just fine, and then I do what I just did in January and fully realize that I was just treading water, as opposed to seizing the day (sorry for the cliche... shit, stop rhyming and I mean it!)

But having one or two (or even three) drinks over the course of an evening? Hell, good for you guys (in a totally unsarcastic way.)

Oh, other thing I forgot to mention. I dropped 7 pounds over the course of the month. I'm hoping if I can keep things up, I cand dip into the 180s for the first time in a really long time.

[sancarlos]

Some of the recent comments resonate with me. Not just for myself. We lost my brother almost exactly ten years ago. He had alcohol and drug issues. (He was a licensed pharmacist who self-prescribed.) He once said to me - dead serious - “I don’t know how you can nurse two beers all night, and stop. If I open a six-pack, I’m finishing a six-pack.”

[govmentchedda]

Night Moves slaps.

[rass]

Night Moves slaps.

Only three words, but so much more constructive than that other thread from Friday.

[phxgators]

I found that Deschutes has an NA version of their Black Butte Porter. It's been a while since I had the real thing, but the NA version tasted just like I remembered it. I'm not a huge porter fan, but will definitely buy it again.

[Giff]

I had a Crush City IPA but don’t remember what el flaco ordered yesterday.

[govmentchedda]

Night Moves slaps.

Only three words, but so much more constructive than that other thread from Friday.

I cancelled for pay Spotify recently, but last night let Spotify just roll after playing Dirty Work. Almost makes me want to give up my principled stance, (that I'll likely give up in a while anyway).

[pruitt2]

Ever Try South African Gin?

[rass]

Night Moves slaps.

Only three words, but so much more constructive than that other thread from Friday.

I cancelled for pay Spotify recently, but last night let Spotify just roll after playing Dirty Work. Almost makes me want to give up my principled stance, (that I'll likely give up in a while anyway).

I double suck because I’ve never paid them (sorry artists) and I really wanted to listen to a ringer-verse podcast this morning, so I did. It was great.

[Rush2112]

Dirty Work is a song that I blew off as someone that got into Steely Dan because of pot-smoking music "aficionados" so I sort of blew the song as the "hit," but got damn that's an almost perfect tune.

Gators, as someone that has bent elbows with you, congrats on beating the habit and finding something that hopefully fills the need.

as for other seeds in this thread, I probably drink too much and often finish what I open, but damn does it taste good and it probably does help fill some loneliness holes, but I drink to nice buzz more than drink to drunk so i guess that's the justification of my being a beer or two some nights, none and then other times 7.

[A_B]

It fucking sucks not having drinks like i used to, but I feel loads better. I went from 10/10 - 11/26 without, then drank on Christmas weekend, then new years. Then I did again this past weekend, and brothers, let me tell you Monday fucking blew goats until I was able to eat. Drinking now wrecks my stomach and of course I have permanent liver damage.

Tests Monday and my liver function is back to the normal range.

[rass]

Life finds a way!!

[phxgators]

Great news AB!

[Giff]

Cheers!

I have a buddy here going through something similar AB, so this will be encouraging to him.

[A_B]

To be clear I still have permanent damage, but at least the part that isn't damaged is working as it should.

[The Sybian]

Replace brain with liver:

[Steve of phpBB]

To be clear I still have permanent damage, but at least the part that isn't damaged is working as it should.

Shit, AB, that whole thing must suck, but I'm glad to hear the other parts are working.

[pruitt2]

Yikes!

Glad things are working as they should AB.

[sancarlos]

Hood is reporting in!

[rass]

What?? Is he drinking?

[The Sybian]

Hood is reporting in!

Looks like he took it down

[sancarlos]

Hood is reporting in!

Looks like he took it down

He was commenting on Canada pulling all Russian vodka off the shelves.

[rass]

First shorts and drinks on the back porch day of the year (though some of that is scheduling - we’ve had a handful of warm days where I couldn’t go hang on the back porch and drink and read). Gin and seltzer.

[cerranoredux]

First shorts and drinks on the back porch day of the year (though some of that is scheduling - we’ve had a handful of warm days where I couldn’t go hang on the back porch and drink and read). Gin and seltzer.

Was trying to be Jack Burns from. meet the Parents and having Tom Collins on the patio. Gin is *the* warm weather alcohol.

Spicy Ranch Water tastes like refrigerated piss from the Texas ranch Jimmy ended up at in Yellowstone.

[rass]

Tryhbbit to be mad Beth her one things I’m drinking husband and heat i their. A lot but I’m diner control spetinal.

[rass]

Trying not to be mad when everyone thinks I drank too much and I drank a lot but it’s under control.

[rass]

See you nice and early for a run tomorrow. Who’s in?