Back in '07, I was living in this filthy hot apartment in San Jose. It was on a main road, so in addition to the heat, I heard Firetrucks blaring down the street two times a day. I didn’t like the place but it was cheap for the size and conveniently close to work.
Anyway, the one good thing about the place was there was a convenience store literally across the street and I would buy 18-packs of Tecate and in my spare time drink Tecate and play World of Warcraft. That beer got me through some hard times. While its pretty weaksauce beer nowadays, every now and then on a particularly hot/unpleasant day I’ll start jonesing for a can of Tecate
Fosters oil can. Because American beer is like making love in a canoe.
I found Side Pocket Ale at a friend’s house while we were playing pool. I always played so much better with that high alc content brew. Aptly named for pool players.
Check out the photo that accompanies this article. You are being redirected... When I was on some hard times this stuff carried me through. Desperate times call for desperate measures, right?
Got home from a 70-mile bike ride that was way more arduous than I’d intended, including riding home in the dark on a not-very-well-surfaced road with a not-very-effective headlight, dragged my bike up the stairs and crawled to the couch.
Was appallingly hungry and thirsty but simply could not move another inch. My roommate brought me a can of Guinness stout that she’d had around and decided she didn’t want to drink. I like all kinds of ales but am not usually a fan of really dark beers, but as that life-giving calorie-rich condensed liquid relief spread its soothing motor oil/coffee grounds aftertaste through my system, I was damn glad to get it.
I still drink Guinness occasionally in memory of that day, although it’s still not really high on my list of favorite-tasting beers.
Old Style. I was working in Chicago, miles and miles away from home, missing my friends, family and bed, and this cheap American pilsner that was advertised on back-lit signs at every corner bar truly helped me fall in love with this little hole-in-the-wall town like a baby to a milky teat.
Just because North American Foster’s is brewed in Golden doesn’t mean it’s the same stuff in a different label. The MolsonCoorsWhoeverTheyMergedWithNow company sells all sorts of different beers that are all mostly mediocre in their own special ways.
Although perhaps he was saying that American beer is great, much like making love in a canoe.
Beer has gotten me through times of no money better than money has gotten me through times of no beer. A pocket full of gold is worthless after closing time.
When I went to college in the late 70’s you could get a case (yes, a case. 24 12 ounce glass bottles) of Kingsbury, Red, White, and Blue (not to be confused with PBR) or Wisconsin club for $1.88.
The deposit on the glass bottles was $1.05, almost as much as the beer itself!
Wisconsin Club sucked, but Kingsbury & RW&B were gravely brews that got me through good times and bad.
I moved to SI in in the summer of '99 for a job that was to start by September and due to delays in licensing didn’t actually begin until 6 months later. Drinking (a lot) of cheap draft Killians at a neighborhood bar helped save my sanity. I haven’t really touched the stuff since.
“Born in Bowling Green, Strabane, Co. Tyrone; he was a great Irish Novelist & Poet. He described and immortalized the Irish love of life and “craic” in his writing.
The refrain “A pint of plain is your only man” has become a famous quotation, meaning a pint of stout will solve all your problems.”
“The Workmans Friend”
When things go wrong and will not come right,
Though you do the best you can,
When life looks black as the hour of night -
A pint of plain is your only man.
In Australia, it’s pretty much on par with Budweiser; a good, basic, lager without pretensions of being quality. It’s not great beer anywhere, but it’s not bad on a hot day.
