Hemp ale, without the ale

LOL!

Hey Kevin, I'm going to a bluegrass festival in May in Holland. Too bad I can't smoke anymore.

But I've heard the cookies in Holland are quite interesting.

I'll be at Kevin's place if anybody needs me...

Leffe Blonde..slightly strange taste but very morish.

Apart from a nearly empty bottle of rum and a ton of partially used mixers, my liquor shelf in the cupboard is bare. It has been for a few weeks now- booze is expensive, and I'm trying to cut costs. When I do drink beer, it's usually a microbrew porter or stout, or, failing that, Guinness.

I do brew my own beer, on occasion. I'll have to do a batch one of these days.

Jaimz, I'll see you at.. well you know the time.

Jeff, have fun. Eat cookies in small amounts, they can hit hard..

A & W Diet Rootbeer, I have seven of them.

A&W is the stuff. You ever try weinhearts (sp) rootbeer? Has a good foamy head. I hope that sounds ok..

Yeah, Weinharts is good, out of Oregon I think. My wife decided I should drink a diet soda and all I like that is diet is the rootbeer. The thing is I don't really drink soda, maybe a couple a week (I drink a real beer about every two months or so), so I don't think I'm saving many calories.

Sam Adams Winter Ale...

And one remaining liter of Frere Trappistes Biere de Noel, soon to be consumed

On the subject of Franziskaner...I am a Franciscan friar in a community that continues to wear the traditional habit. A few years back, two of us were traveling in Germany (Munich and the rest of Bavaria). Inevitably, people thought we were shilling for the beer. Needless to say, we were treated to MANY Franziskaners on that trip!

Br. Don

Rolling Rock, Miller Lite, and Heineken.

Estrella Damm and Pete's Wicked Strawberry Blonde.

Brother Don...COOL to have you at the Café! Welcome to the Not Very Magical Still forum (we call it NOTS for short).

I don't believe I've ever seen a Franciscan here in Germany in the traditional habit...except for yesterday, when I saw maybe ten little boys dressed up that way (it's carnival time, and it's a popular constume). Of course, I don't live in Bavaria, where one is more likely to see people in habits.

I've seen four or five Cistercians in a traditional habit, however, which is something one dosn't often see in America.

Still, any of the traditional habits wold offer great opportunities for sleeving. Heck, you could productions like Harpo Marx.

If you ever get to Germany again and show up near me, I'll buy you a round. But not Franziskaner...something interesting.

Maybe once a year I drink something called Andechser, which is some kind of monastery beer (I don't know what order). It's a doppelbock, however, and I generally stay away from beers with too much alcohol.

Not that I have anything against alcohol. It's just that I like lots of fluid...I have a big thirst...and that extra strong beer is hard to keep under control.

Stone, is that what they call "Fasching"? There were a bunch of celebrations around town the last few days. Tapping barrels etc. Is this a typical German pre-lent celebration? I didn't know Mardi Gras was celebrated in Germany.

Yes, the name is "Fasching" or "Karneval" or "Fastnacht" in German. All three are Mardi Gras. While it's only a really big festival in catholic parts of the country like Bavaria and Cologne (Cologne being the New Orleans of Germany at this time of year), it's still the time for all the kids to dress up in costumes for school all over Germany.

My son went as an airline pilot. I bought him a hat and had to sew stripes on the sleeves of his blue blazer. Sounds cool, but my wife refused to help and the limit of my sewing expertise is to occasionally sew a button back on my trousers.

Ahhhh...but back to beer! Cologne has it's own traditional brew called Kölsch. (Also in Wikipedia, here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6lsch_(beer) )

Everyone thinks "Octoberfest" is the time to go to Germany and...ah...imbibe. But right as we speak there are literally tens of thousands of people kicking back Kölsch in Cologne. And they will keep on doing it until midnight. And they've been doing it for a couple of days.

I wish like hell that I were there with them.

Hey Stoney,

Have you ever tried Warsteiner?

That was my favourite when I was based in Germany.

Haha, now I've Silver Bullets from Coors..

I'll say it before and I've said it again: Busch Light.

Unfortunately I do not currently have any at my house... I hope to rectify this rather egregious oversight.

Tom, I've put back a few Warsteiner. But actually, I'd had that a few times in the states. They make those five-liter party kegs that are great for parties, and export them all over the world. I bet you can get one where you're at.

And yes, Josh, we'll hear it before and we've heard it again...Busch Light.

But no need to go rectal with anything. Just buy some more beer, OK?

I hear that if you "rectify" vodka" it could kill you. Or it might make you feel really good. I can't drink vodka anymore, but that's not really drinking is it?