Oh, Why Not? BeerFly returns for the Drinking Away Memorial Day W/OJul 22 '05 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line I drink for work, I drink for fun, I drink cuz it just tastes really good most times. Don't need a better reason. Okay, I'll play. 1. What beers/wines/spirits do you currently have in your fridge or cooler, in your cellar, or on your shelf? Well…I’ve got a full beer fridge that doesn’t have more than two of anything in it, 15 cases of stuff I’m cellaring, and about half a case of ready to drink stuff upstairs. It’s safe to say I’ve got over 200 different beers right now. Wine? I dunno, maybe 6 bottles, mostly different blanc de noirs; it’s a weakness. I did have a really great bottle of Normandy cider last night, wish I had more of that. Spirits…I recently did an article on bourbon in Philly, and tried to find the bars with the biggest bourbon selection. My house came in second, with 46. I’ve also got five ryes, five Irish, about seven single malts, a couple Canadians, a nice Calvados from the same people that made the cider, some aged Martinique rum, and two bottles of VOX Vodka I got as samples. I guess I need to have a party. 2. What b/w/s is widely purchased that you simply cannot understand? Tequila. I just don’t get it. People say, “Well, you’ve never had the good stuff.” But I have, people go out of their way to give it to me, $300 a bottle stuff, 100% blue agave, blanco, reposado, aņejo…it all tastes like toasted cucumbers with a dressing of light machine oil. Yuk. 3. What is your favorite food accompaniment? Sex. 4. To which music to you prefer to drink? Bourbon: southern rock or twangy country. Single malts: techno. Beer: any damned thing, from classical to African traditional. 5. Ever do anything (anyone) you regret after a "tough night" at the cups? Care to elaborate? Good God, yes. Good God, no. 6. Do you overindulge? Well, yes, sometimes, but not on purpose. I don’t sit down and think, I’m gonna get drunk tonight. Sometimes it just tastes so good that I wind up having too much. 7. Describe your personality before and after and evening of imbibing. I’m loud and I laugh a lot when I’m sober. When I’ve been drinking it gets more so, but I’ll also get very sympathetic and thoughtful. And I love the world when I’m drunk. 8. What is your favorite watering-hole? Where is it located? Around here, the Grey Lodge Pub, in Northeast Philly. Good beer, the bartenders are cool and they know me, and it’s a really comfortable place with a good twist of quirk to it. Anywhere? There’s a place called Krčma in Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic that is just my kind of place: excellent cold lager, wooden tables, low ceiling, pork grilling on an open fire, clean bathroom. Then there’s the Woolwich Arms, in Guelph, Ontario: cask ale, wide variety of beer, good food, and great regulars. 9. Who is the person with whom you most enjoy drinking? My brothers-in-law, Chris, Curt, and Carl Childs. Man, did I ever get lucky when I married my wife. I got three great brothers when I never had any before. 10. From what region of the world does your favorite drink hail? Kentucky (bourbon), Pennsylvania (rye), and all over (beer). 11. Ever solve the world’s problems while under the influence? If so, what are the answers? Yes. Yell louder, and stop spending my money! 12. Why do members of the opposite sex seem prettier/more handsome after a few? Flaws just don’t seem as important when you’re busy ignoring your own. 13. When drinking alone (c’mon, admit it), what are your most common ruminations? “Boy, this sure is good.” Hey, I’m a man of simple pleasures. 14. There is a movement to abolish natural cork from the necks of even the most prestigious brews/wines/spirits in favor of synthetic stoppers and –– heavens –– even screw-on caps. Your thoughts? If it works better, I don’t care. I’m all about things working well for the quality of the beverage inside. I don’t drink corks. 15. When did you have your first drink and what were the circumstances? Other than sips of Daddy’s beer as a little guy…I was a freshman in college, and a guy named Tim Turecek handed me a Genny Cream Ale pounder, cold from the ice, and told me to go ahead and drink it. It was so damned good…I had to have another. And I have, repeatedly. 16. Gin - delicious or repugnant? Two years ago, I’d have said repugnant, but I’ve had some much better gins lately. I’m getting to like the stuff, God help me. 17. Ever blackout or become violently ill as a result of an evening of imbibing? Learn your lesson? Blacked out after my first big whiskey-drinking evening, and yes, I did learn my lesson well. Whiskey drinks a LOT faster than beer. Can’t do that. 18. You're an 82 year old Eskimo. You've just been put on an ice floe and pushed out to sea. You were given the opportunity to pack a cooler with one bottle of beer, one bottle of wine, and one bottle of spirits for your final voyage. What did you bring? The three liter bottle of Duvel, a bottle of that Dupont cider (it’s kinda wine), and my last bottle of Hirsch 16 Year Old Pennsylvania bourbon. Cuz no one else is going to take my Hirsch away from me. 19. What is your best friend's drink of choice? Can you dig it? Hoppy IPA, and you bet I can dig it. 20. Are you more of a celebratory drinker or a melancholy drinker? Celebratory, definitely. I try not to drink when I’m melancholy. 21. Do you need a drink now? Yeah, it’s lunchtime and I just finished a 2,000 word piece. I deserve a drink. Thanks, Mother. (That's my addition to the "Drinking Away Memorial Day" W/O: http://www.epinions.com/content_4377321604)  |
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