OK, here comes Teh Dumb again, but what the fuck is "slow food"?

As I understand it, a catchall term for the opposite of "fast food," ie, someone actually takes raw ingredients you would recognize and cooks it into something delicious right when you order it. Or, as your grandparents called it, "food."

Anyone got a week, $2400, and round trip airfare to Europe?

Belgian beercation with Beer Advocate:


http://www.bonbeer.com/page47.php

whoa.

Those canal trips always looked sweet to me. I had a short weekend one booked when I was in Mons, and then had to cancel the damned thing when I had a flare up of an eye condition that always plagues me at the most inopportune times.

gonna hit this mikkeller when I get back from the gym-

Nice. I've picked that up and put it down a half dozen times.

Some of late:



La Folie - New Belgium - Sour Brown Ale

Billed as a Flanders Red Ale, this is one of their Lips of Faith series. Pours a deep reddish brown with little head. I wasn't sure what to expect from this but I had heard they were.........interesting. First thought was that it was a "wine drinkers beer". Tasted like it was aged in wine barrels or something. Very tart. Almost mouth puckering at times. It was kind of off putting at first but I settled in about half way down and started to get some of the sweet malt. I dunno. I give kudos to brewers like New Belgium and Sierra Nevada for recognizing the craft brew lover market out there and attempting different things while they make their money elsewhere. But, I just couldn't think of a time when I would drink this again. Maybe in the Spring, outside, before eating something very light, like a summer salad or something. I can't compare it to others since I don't think I've had anything in the style before. Grade incomplete. A beer for the adventurous I guess.




Duck Rabbit - Milk Stout

After REALLY liking their Porter and seeing Crack's shout out to this I picked up a sixer late last week. Good call. These guys are batting 2 for 2 (and I think they only have a few beers). Haven't had a ton of this style but this had everything I like about stout and more. Chocolaty, ROASTY, and a little sweet. I'll be keeping these guys around. Dangerously drinkable. I could do these as a pre-dinner apertif or an after dinner drink with dessert. Makes me almost wish winter would comeback. Almost.

More:




Palm Ale - Belgian Amber

Had this with Gar at lunch last weekend. Menu said it was a Belgian Amber and one of the best selling Belgian beers. Wasn't anything spectacular but it was real drinkable. I could've had a half dozen and been fine (relatively). Probably a reason it sells so well. Still, nothing bad to say about it. B.




Reissdorf - Kolsch

Saw Cap'n mention Kolsch's and summer earlier in the thread and wanted something light before dinner for Bloor's birthday. Don't think I've had one of these before. If I have it was randomly at someone's house years ago. Sadly, I don't have a good recollection of the notes I made in my head. I do remember it having that "german" taste and it being pretty damn tasty. Nice, light, delicious.





Ten Fidy - Oscar Blues - Imperial Stout

Had this AFTER Bloor's said (ridiculously good) birthday dinner as an after din drink. It lived up to it's billing IMO. Not sure I'd need a six pack of these but on a full stomach and that high ABV burn, it was going down GOOD. Thick as hell, black as night, dark lacing, and roasty/malty all the way through. Good lord. A beer not to fuck around with. Complex. B+ (I could see the alcohol being an issue possibly at times. Peeks out a little too much)





Young's Double Chocolate Stout

Had this tonight. I wish I had another right now. So damn good. Red Brick, pay attention, this is how you do a Double Chocolate. This has jumped into the Top 10 immediately. At 5.2% ABV this is perfect. A.

Love this stuff, but I only have it at my parent's house on holidays when I'm getting loaded (by myself).

Fuller's London Porter

Knocked back a six of these last night. Probably my favorite porter out there. Rich and malty as hell while still remaining easy to drink and not as heavy feeling as the taste would suggest. If you've got an interest in this style, grab some sometime.

Glad to see that other people dig Duck Rabbit too. I have fond memories of post-college going to Total Wine and getting sixers of this with my roommate, and I've enjoyed it ever since. Luckily, my local trivia place always has DR beers on tap (including seasonals), and regularly on special. And most likely, their Amber Ale is next on tap next for the kegerator.

Baltijos and Baltas and other cheap Lithuanian classics have been showing up in my local boozatorium:

This is the wheat; they also have a couple other nice ones.

Damn. Never had any Lithuanian beer.

At half liter bottles for 2-3 bucks, it got me off the Russian Baltika http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltika_Br ... #Varieties (order by number, comrade!) I'd been swilling for the last few years.

How is that Baltika? They're here too, and I've never waded in for fear of catching something.

Agreed on all counts. The Young's double choc can get almost TOO sweet for me sometimes, but it's like a desert beer... so tasty. As for the reissdorf, you got the gist of it. A lawnmowing beer without rival, just clean and crisp and a tiny bit sweet.

Some of the Baltika is pretty good but a) it's hard to remember which ones with the whole number thing, though I've seen some newer labels that include a 1-2 word description which helps, and b) they either skunk easy or are of fairly variable quality even for the same number. I think 4,5, 7, 8 are all ok and one or two of those are actually quite nice.

There's a whole rack of different Baltika beers at this liquor store near me and they almost look like they might be good but then I see the $3 price tag and run off to the good stuff.

I had a duck rabbit porter and some kind of Allagash or something else aged in the bourbon oak barrels. Both quite good. Also had another Brooklyn Local #1 with a buddy.
I actually had 2 people say "What the he'll are all these big beers" and "you'll buy anything with a pretty label won't you?" at an office get together yesterday. I just shook my head as they opted for Miller Lite in Cans!

Anyway - there's a pretty cool place in DC that I am convinced is a front for a coke/prostie ring called The Russia House that has like 100 Russian/former USSR country beers. Totally worth checking out as it also Russian food and caviar.

Yeah, we have (had? I think they might be closed) a Russian restaurant slash obvious actual or potential gang hangout joint here too. Last time I was in there I was seated under a bust of Josef fucking Stalin and there was softcore Euro-porn on the tv. The blini were very good but the overall experience was a little dodgy.

That sounds like exactly the sort of place I could get comfortable.

It's in the basement of the Belvedere Hotel, mainly famous for the scene created when Zelda Fitzgerald had some sort of psychotic break and tried to strip on the bar in the lounge on the top floor. Much history to be had, and I know a woman selling a condo on the 7th floor...

If this doesn't make me completely want to move, it does make me want to consider travel plans.

http://www.trulia.com/property/30282984 ... e-MD-21202 So cheap!

Damn...that does look pretty nice. Of course you'd have to find me a job. Nothing too stressful or difficult. And I don't work cheap.