Just dropped by to say "Hi". Glad to find so many familiar (virtual) faces around this place.
My life has changed quite a bit since my early retirement (April 2008); instead of getting more time, I seem to find less time every day. Still on Mac, though (nowadays a 24" Intel iMac 2.8GHz, running 10.5.8), whilst my wife, who just recently retired, is using a 17" MBP 2.8GHz, also on 10.5.8). Our most popular program: Photoshop CS3, though we're still both amateurs, who just recently started taking a course for "seniors". Not that we feel ourselves so old at 59!
I'll try to stop by regularly, and you may also expect some questions, e.g. about Photoshop. I'm sure there'll be someone around to help.
Keep up the good work, guys and girls.
Nice to see you, pingo, although "New Users" is hardly the forum in which I'd expect to find you.
Sounds like you're enjoying your retirement; keep up the good work!
Welcome back, Pingo! Youth is wasted on the young and retirement is wasted on the old so enjoy your retirement because (at least by my standards), you're not old yet.
Photoshop is formidable and I'm an expert at maybe 2% of it. If you have any questions, either post in these forums or email me privately.
Thread moved from New Users
to the Lounge.
...just recently started taking a course for "seniors". Not that we feel ourselves so old at 59!
Hi, pingo.
You may want to compare notes with Paul Dickinson; he and his wife are now
enjoying movies as "seniors".
...or email me privately.
Jon, you know better than to use these forums to offer private help with issues which can perfectly well be addressed right here and thereby benefit other current and future users.
Jon, you know better than to use these forums to offer private help with issues which can perfectly well be addressed right here and thereby benefit other current and future users.
Yep, you're right. Sorry about that!
Glad to "see" you Pingopuck and a heart felt welcome to FineTunedMac! I'm not surprised to hear you are failing retirement. I know my wife and I did.
And indeed I am pleased to see you as well. Ah, what a welcome sight you are!
Hey, what a lot of warm welcomes, and glad to see you're all still around. Sorry, my fault to post in New Users... As a Mac-user since 1987, I can hardly consider myself new. Nowadays, however, with all this new (Intel) equipment and sophisticated software, I do have more questions than answers, especially since I feel I have focussed a bit too much on other stuff (such as photography) during the last year and a half. You will find me around from time to time, just looking for ideas or solutions, and (hopefully) offering some suggestions of my own.
And... if there are any questions about Belgium in general, or Belgian beers in particular, I might come in handy!
Welcome back, Pingo! Youth is wasted on the young and retirement is wasted on the old so enjoy your retirement because (at least by my standards), you're not old yet.
Photoshop is formidable and I'm an expert at maybe 2% of it. If you have any questions, either post in these forums or email me privately.
Thanks, Jon, for your wise words and your kind offer re PS. A "forum animal" myself, I must agree with DK on this one, be it for the reason that a forum benefits more people than just you and me. That's what forum life is all about.
As an ex-chemist myself, I love your avatar, Artie. Quite opposite to the old alchemists! Good to see you're still going strong.
Welcome back, pingopuck, your avatar was always one of my favorites; it's good to see it again!
Like Jon, I am quite competent with about 2% of Photoshop, but it might be a different 2%, which is another reason to keep troubleshooting questions public! Of course, I'm still using Photoshop CS . . .
Hi Pingo
I hope that the 2% photoshop experts around use a different 2% than my meagre 1%
Hi pingo, hi Chris. It's a small world, huh?
Just mention the word "Photoshop" and my favourite photographers pop up immediately. Seen Chris somewhere else recently
, but it's quite some time since I saw you, Freelance. Still doing fine, I hope. I remember your beautiful pics of London pub interiors. (Well... if it's beer, I'm always interested
)
Yeah. I'm still trying to work out how to turn the bottom of a pint glass into a lens.
Discovered Karmeliet Triple in a Bruges hostelry recently. Lovely.
Welcome back Pingo! My favorite time of year is when the pucks start dropping...
Sure is and nice to see you again Freelance. I still have a pic of you and your bike and some kids on my 'puter
Discovered Karmeliet Triple in a Bruges hostelry recently. Lovely.
Now that's indeed a great beer!
I know that gentlemen prefer blond, but I prefer the dark (double) trappist and abbey beers, as opposed to the blod (triple) ones.
So glad to see how many of us "survived"!
One of my bartender friends recently turned me on to Palm draught, pingo...very enjoyable beer.
Bearing in mind that there are not all that many draught Belgian beers available in your average NYC hoisting spot, how does it compare?
Thanks.
> As an ex-chemist myself, I love your avatar, Artie. Quite opposite to the old alchemists!
Some context, pingo...
You weren't around when it happened, so you're unaware that my avatar was my reaction to my attaining "Mac Wizard" status on that other board. (It kinda loses something without that title appearing directly above it, doesn't it?)
I know that gentlemen prefer blond, but I prefer the dark (double) trappist and abbey beers, as opposed to the blond (triple) ones.
Hear, hear! Tripel Karmeliet is an excellent beer (I even have a glass for it), but I'll choose a Westmalle Dubbel or a Westvleteren 8 (or Westvleteren 12 Quad!) over it any day. And while not a trappist, one of my favorite Belgian standbys is always a Corsendonk Pater. But of course there's plenty of love for all kinds!
Hi, Doni, I was waiting for you to show up!
As a matter of fact, Corsendonck is brewed not far from where we live (but then, nothing is far in Belgium in comparison with the US). It's one of the few I like the least, as I find it a bit too sticky. But tastes may vary... Since it is brewed quite closeby, it is almost omnipresent in the local pubs.
You should try to get hold of a
Chimay Blue. I have heard it is available in the US. But if you have heard of Westmalle (again, brewed in our region - in fact, we are located half way between the Westmalle and Corsendonck breweries), or Westvleteren, you know what a REALLY good trappist should taste like.
One of my bartender friends recently turned me on to Palm draught, pingo...very enjoyable beer.
Bearing in mind that there are not all that many draught Belgian beers available in your average NYC hoisting spot, how does it compare?
Thanks.
> As an ex-chemist myself, I love your avatar, Artie. Quite opposite to the old alchemists!
Some context, pingo...
You weren't around when it happened, so you're unaware that my avatar was my reaction to my attaining "Mac Wizard" status on that other board. (It kinda loses something without that title appearing directly above it, doesn't it?)
Now I understand...
As regards Palm: not bad at all, amber-coloured and a bit more bitter than the darker beers I personally prefer. Quite well marketed actually and definitely more present in the pubs than
De Koninck, which is its Antwerp competitor. I prefer the latter, but will have a Palm on occasion.
Yessir, outside of Stella & Hoegaarden, Chimay may be the most widely-available Belgian brand in the US (AB brands don't count, sorry InBev). In fact, Chimay Blue was the first Trappist I ever had way back when. I think because it's so common here my mind wanders to brews that are a little less so, but you're right, I definitely have to put it high on the list. Excellent!
As for hard to find beer in the US, for my birthday a couple of months ago my wife found a specialty importer downtown and bought me a dozen Belgian ales and a few glasses to compliment. Did I mention I love my wife?
Speaking of beer, not to rah rah USA or anything, but in the last decade the craft beer movement has really exploded here (NYC Craft Beer Week starts this weekend!) so it's exciting to no longer have to go across the pond to find amazing and interesting brews. Sadly for my wallet, I just discovered a great craft beer bar opened last year around the corner from my office; I intend to lose a lot of money there in the future.
That said, beer never tasted as good as when I was in Brussels last year. Especially the Gueuze (!), which is surprisingly hard to find Stateside, despite fruit lambics being very popular. In fact, Lindemans probably rivals Chimay in popularity here. Another brand that seems to be making a big marketing push is Leffe, even before the AB-InBev merger. Meh.
As for hard to find beer in the US, for my birthday a couple of months ago my wife found a specialty importer downtown and bought me a dozen Belgian ales and a few glasses to compliment. Did I mention I love my wife?
What a wife!
You must love her VERY MUCH!
Leffe isn't too bad, but a bit "boring", a bit "too smooth", but then tastes vary as I already said. I used to be a Gueuze drinker, mainly Bellevue, till it was bought by Stella. I will have a Stella to quench my thirst, but that's all.
I love a real Trappist (mentioned in a former forum: there are only 6 Belgian Trappists, three Flemish, i.e. Westvleteren, Westmalle & Achel, and three Walloon: Chimay, Rochefort & Orval; there is one Dutch Trappist that recently reacquired its license, i.e. La Trappe).
From the bottle (well in a glass; but as opposed to draft beer), my personal favourite is Rochefort 10, then Westvleteren 8, but I do love a Chimay blue. Draft trappist: Westvleteren 12, then Westmalle. I must admit I haven't tasted the others from draft yet.
Not very fond of blond beers like Hoegaarden. Have you ever tried a Duvel (=Devil)?
Not very fond of blond beers like Hoegaarden. Have you ever tried a Duvel (=Devil)?
I don't usually like blonds all that much either, but there are exceptions. Delirium Tremens, for example. Duvel is
very good for what it is, but again not usually my style. Of course even though I'm normally a medium & dark beer drinker, I do love witbiers in the summertime, even the fruity ones. But if I'm sitting down for a big dinner or long evening, I'll often go for the really heavy stuff (but not too hoppy) like the aforementioned Corsendonck. Last night I had a
Rogue Mocha Porter, for example (delicious, but a little thin). One of my all-time favorite dark German beers that I'd recommend is an
Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock.
Ok, now I'm getting thirsty and it's barely noon!
Well i see the bar is open... and, welcome back pingopuck.
My favorite US beer when visiting the EU is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. (for some reason i've never seen it here on the east coast... perhaps Sam Adams won't allow it).
Locally, my preferred brew now is Negra Modelo (from Mexico). Beats XX (Dos Equis) hands down imho. Dark and tasty, yum.
CHEERS!
I hope that you didn't get the inspiration for your avatar via one of those brewskis.
Hal, I'm surprised you can't find Sierra Nevada easily; it's widely distributed all over NYC & NJ, not sure about the rest of the east coast. I bought a six-pack of
Summerfest a couple of months ago for a party. I'm not a fan of Mexican beer in general, but I agree that Negra Modelo is generally their best, mostly because it's the only one that has even pretends to have a little body. It's an okay medium lager, which goes well with spicey Mexican food. Kind of the way I'd never drink Peroni on its own, but it's a good choice with cheap Italian food. (IMO, the best part of Peroni is the
glass. Oh those sexy Italians...)
Full disclosure: When I'd rather have a light soft drink than a beer to cool down in the hot summer, I'll admit to reaching for the occasional Corona. But I'm not proud of it.
Hi Hal, so glad to see your "face" again. Thanks for the welcome back.
I will start looking, but I do wonder where in Belgium I would be able to find the beers you mention. Never too old to learn, but... I do have my experience with the US meanwhile.
(not that it has anything to do whatsoever with you or my other "forum buddies" on FTM)
(love that abbreviation by the way; I would just add "R" and slightly rearrange the letters
)
> Kind of the way I'd never drink Peroni on its own, but it's a good choice with cheap Italian food.
Have you ever tried Moretti...not as sweet as Peroni? (I was apprehensive when Heineken bought it a few years back, but they don't seem to have done anything to it other than put their name on the label.)
Mexican beers have their place, but in my opinion it's as an accompaniment for Mexican food...exclusively.
In a different vein, have you heard of The PONY Bar @ 45th & 10th...nice selection of American-only craft beers?
> As regards Palm: not bad at all, amber-coloured and a bit more bitter than the darker beers I personally prefer. Quite well marketed actually and definitely more present in the pubs than De Koninck, which is its Antwerp competitor. I prefer the latter, but will have a Palm on occasion.
Palm had apparently been stateside years back and disappeared; I'm pleased as punch to have found it, as it's a wonderful change from my standard Becks.
Truth be told, though, drinking Pilsner Urquell in Prague was my ultimate beer-drinking experience.
> Truth be told, though, drinking Pilsner Urquell in Prague was my ultimate beer-drinking experience.
Yes, I second that! I've been to Prague three times, and always enjoyed the beer (what else to drink with the local goulash with dumplings). And while on Prague food and drink, I had a fabulous meal there, the core of which was a pig's knee that had been smoked, and then boiled, and then roasted.
Mind you, I also enjoyed drinking the delightfully named Theakston Old Peculier while in Yorkshire in England.
> what else to drink with the local goulash with dumplings
The best eatery in which I was in Brno offered "Meat" and "Good Meat" on its menu; I wasn't smart enough to take that at face value. (Mods... Is there a smiley for yeeech?)
Truth be told, though, drinking Pilsner Urquell in Prague was my ultimate beer-drinking experience.
I thought I enjoyed the beer in Prague too, until my next stop was Vienna and then Brussels. The beer just kept getting better!
My favorite Czech brew was
Kozel Cerny. The wife was excited to find a bottle of
Staropramen downtown, which was her favorite when she lived in Prague a few years ago.
Don't think so, but I'm not a big pale lager guy (hence the Brussels > Vienna > Prague thing). I'll look for it next time I'm having Italian, though, thanks.
The PONY Bar @ 45th & 10th
Yes, the PONY bar's a good one, although I never get out there because I don't work in the area anymore. Ever been to
Rattle N Hum, a recent place on 33rd b/t 5th & Mad? Fantastic & right by the office. Another favorite is the
Blind Tiger Ale House in the West Village.
The Ginger Man used to be a favorite when I first moved to the city, but it's too popular nowadays if you know what I mean.
> Yes, the PONY bar's a good one, although I never get out there because I don't work in the area anymore. Ever been to Rattle N Hum, a recent place on 33rd b/t 5th & Mad? Fantastic & right by the office. Another favorite is the Blind Tiger Ale House in the West Village. The Ginger Man used to be a favorite when I first moved to the city, but it's too popular nowadays if you know what I mean.
I'm familiar with PONY only because I know one of the bartenders; basically, I'm a downtown saloon guy... Walkers in Tribecca, 20 draughts including Palm, is my main hang (but never before 11PM).
Mind you, I also enjoyed drinking the delightfully named Theakston Old Peculier while in Yorkshire in England.
When I lived in Edinburgh, I used to stop off in The Beehive in the Grassmarket on the way home. The only reason to go there was because they had Old Peculier on draught. One pint was lovely. Two pints was a mistake.
I returned for the Edinburgh Festival this year and made a beeline to the Beehive. They no longer serve Old Peculier. Fewer and fewer pubs are bothering to keep real ale. The kids like the gassy stuff.
I spent just a few hours in Edinburgh in 2006. My wife was giving a paper at a conference at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, and we went by train and spent a few hours in Edinburgh. Far, far too short a time, but still loved it. (I'm a single malt man).
We had to return in the afternoon because we were flying to Pisa (budget airline) for two weeks in Italy (Florence, Cinque Terre, Venice and Rome). Photos at:
http://gallery.me.com/pauldickinsonif anyone wants to be bored by holiday snapshots!
I visited quite a few single malt specialists while I was in town. I don't know what made me think a malt whiskey would be any cheaper in Scotland than it is in London. It is probably cheaper in New Zealand!
Anyway, I like a Springbank, but a 21-year-old will break the bank. One seller had a barrel of Campbeltown malt and sold half bottles of cask-strength from the barrel. 55%, so you had to add water to taste after you tired of smelling it. Beautiful.
basically, I'm a downtown saloon guy... Walkers in Tribecca, 20 draughts including Palm, is my main hang (but never before 11PM).
My main hang (BME: Before the Married Era) was an UWS dive bar, since that's my hood. You ever been to the Bohemian Beer Hall & Garden in Astoria? A great time! I've also been going to the Brooklyn Brewery's Fri happy hour on late summer afternoons for years, although this past summer it was so overcrowded I'm not sure we'll keep up the tradition. It's also not the good deal it used to be... but I guess that's just Williamsburg in general, eh?
>
You ever been to the Bohemian Beer Hall & Garden in Astoria?Nope... I stick to a small circle of downtown joints; traveling for beer is for aficionados, one of which I'm not (which is why I spend so much of my time drinking Beck's and, perish the thought, Heineken).
Thank goodness for the Palm at Walkers.
Now shouldn't we start thinking about renaming this "Just stopped by..." thread to "The Beer thread" or "The drinking thread"?
What are people going to think of me?
>
What are people going to think of me?A goodly percentage of Americans will probably think you need a six-pack of Bud to learn what beer is all about.
(My friend who introduced me to Palm told me that virtually all Belgian customers to whom he mentions it respond that they drank it in college and have moved past it.
Having at least a vague idea of what's available in Belgium, that doesn't surprise me in the least, but it's hardly a realistic attitude for Americans considering what's readily available here.)
considering what's readily available here.
Thankfully good domestic beer is widely available pretty much everywhere nowadays, it's just that Bud/Coors/Miller unfortunately still dominate domestic advertising. We need to educate consumers! Most people think a "high-end" import is a Heineken! (At least Guinness [incl Bass] has been advertising more the last few years.) Actually, a friend of mine who is a bigger beer aficionado than I recently tried that new
Bud American Ale they've been pitching lately and said it's surprisingly decent -- a pretty good amber drinking ale. Haven't tried it myself, but that's a great sign: the big domestics popularizing better beer. Let's hope it's the beginning of a trend!
Nothing makes my stomach turn quite like the concept of Bud Light Lime...
I must say that during my past professional life I regularly visited the States (mostly NY and New Jersey; on one occasion Atlanta and Miami). During those visits I was usually taken out a night by one of my colleagues, and I did visit a couple of good microbreweries. There was this microbrewery in Princeton where I had a couple of damn good "Guinness-like" ales.
(there was this one restaurant, also in Princeton, where the bill came in a leather-like folder with the text "Corsendonck". Not bad for a small -and not that good- Belgian beer).
considering what's readily available here.
We need to educate consumers!
My brother took me to a "pub" in Sacramento when I went to visit him. The pub specialized in English beers. He bought me a pint of Fuller's ESB (Extra Special Bitter) which, at home, is a pretty decent pint. It was served ice cold so you couldn't taste it, which would be okay for an American beer.
There was this microbrewery in Princeton
Yep, university towns tend to have some pretty good pubs for obvious reasons. I grew up near Princeton, but of course back in school we couldn't afford the fancy stuff, so my cheap/local/decent beers of choice were usually
Yuengling,
Honey Brown (I was more into the sweeter stuff back then), and the occasional Sam Adams on payday. Actually, I was down in Philly a couple of months ago and snagged a Yuengling for the first time in ages; still goes down pretty well. My first microbrewery experience was
Harvest Moon, which they opened a few block from my uni apt (guess it's still there). All I remember is they had an amazing coffee stout.
It was served ice cold so you couldn't taste it, which would be okay for an American beer.
Good point: Americans usually don't know how to serve beer. They'll serve it ice cold, no matter the brew: Fuller's, Guinness, Trappist ales, barley wine, you name it. They're just too used to Coors Light or what-not that has to be served ice cold lest you actually taste the piss swill. Luckily good craft beer bars where they know how to serve are becoming more common.
LOL! Funny cause we used to say, "Fosters: It's Australian for piss."
> Luckily good craft beer bars where they know how to serve are becoming more common.
The PONY Bar offers tastes, but they use (disposable) plastic glasses which probably detract more from the taste than they contribute to the experience.
Does anybody know whether you get as hammered nursing a coupl'a warm "real" beers as you do pounding down a coupl'a sixes of Bud?
I don't know about the rest of the world, but a large portion of America bases its beer drinking habits on getting hammered.
I suppose it all comes down to the alcohol content, although a warm beer will get into your blood stream quicker. But, probably not as quick as a cold can of Coors 3.2 chugged-in-one at 13,000 feet (Colorado). Oh, the things one does as a impecunious youngster...
I don't know about the rest of the world, but a large portion of America bases its beer drinking habits on getting hammered.
The UK is rather notorious for its drinking habits, especially teenagers in smaller towns who set out on an evening with the intention of getting blathered. I'm talking about I-forget-where-I-was-last-night-falling-down-drunk.
The authorities are talking about banning "happy hour". Even sensible drinkers have what they call a "session beer" that has a relatively low alcohol content and can be drunk all night. Fuller's Chiswick Bitter @ 3.5% is a tasty example.
In contrast, I have never seen a drunk in Italy, Spain or France. Well, a chap in a business suit did pester my wife in Troyes one Friday evening. Knocked over a few drinks and surprised a few diners, but at least he was cheerful about it.
Northern Europe is different. I supposed it is the colder climate? So, the governments make alcohol so expensive, you can't afford to get drunk unless you do it at home. Booze is cheaper in Denmark than it is in Sweden, so you get daytrippers from Sweden who come to Denmark on the ferry with the sole intention of getting drunk. Needless to say, they are not very popular with the Danes.
I have been to Denmark a few times (it's about as far as you can get from New Zealand!). I was quite surprised when friends there told me about the argument going on about bars in high schools - some people had the nerve to suggest that the students should not have them, as it made them less receptive to their lessons, but this would quite clearly be a restriction of their human rights.
It's okay if they drink in high school, because they start their sex education in grammar school.
>
The UK is rather notorious for its drinking habits, especially teenagers in smaller towns who set out on an evening with the intention of getting blathered. I'm talking about I-forget-where-I-was-last-night-falling-down-drunk.I didn't mean teens and college kids; I was talking about the many grownups here who go
absolutely nuts...
I've driven when I was pretty drunk on any number of occasions, and I've also driven with some "highly competent drunk drivers" other than myself, and have nary a horrifying story to tell, but the number of people here who wind up going in the wrong direction on interstate highways shocks me!
Have you ever given any thought to how far out of it a person must be to drive onto the off-ramp of a cloverleaf interchange?
They're just too used to Coors Light or what-not that has to be served ice cold lest you actually taste the piss swill.
I think they've found a way around that, at least in the Southwest. I don't drink, but I see lots of evidence of what's popular locally by what's thrown on the side of the streets when I walk the dogs. Recently I saw something that made me do a double-take. Any of you ever tried
this? I classify it under the "two wrongs don't make a right" category . . .
> Any of you ever tried this?
A Bud product I haven't seen advertised in NYC subways yet; that's what I call new!
> [iII classify it under the "two wrongs don't make a right" category . . ][/i]
I don't think it even merits the thought you gave it to classify it!
Thanks... They're both outstanding.
I haven't had a TV in my house since the Leonard-Duran "No Mas" fight in July 1982, and the only thing I've ever missed is the occasional ad that makes me gasp at its creativity.
Thanks, again!
Any of you ever tried this?
OMG, that's absolutely horrifying! *shiver*