# WHY can't I get me a decent drink no more?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-get-me-a-decent-drink-no-more/181980>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [June 15, 2003, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-get-me-a-decent-drink-no-more/181980 "2003-06-15T06:35:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 12\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-get-me-a-decent-drink-no-more/181980/21 "2003-06-16T14:57:03Z")

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Great rant, may I offer one more addition:

If you own a bar that does most of its trade in light lagers, and you’re only going to offer one minor concession to us ale drinkers, for goodness’ sake _don’t store your only decent beer OUTDOORS in 90-degree weather and only pop it into the fridge five minutes before serving it_. (To be fair, the waitress did say the beer was still “warm,” but I figured this meant cellar temperature – which is acceptible and even preferable – rather than North Carolina summer temperature, which is NOT.)

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**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-get-me-a-decent-drink-no-more/181980/22 "2003-06-16T15:46:23Z")

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Excerpt from Friday’s WSJ, Weekend Journal section (I won’t post a link as it is a subsciption sight):

> [@](#):
>
> Under Federal Aviation Administration regulations, passengers can carry alcoholic beverages onto an airplane – but they can’t drink them. All liquor on an airline must be served by a flight attendant. Some airlines even require flight attendants to fill out a report if they see passengers drinking their own alcohol, instead of drinks sold on board at about $5 apiece.
> 
> A few airlines used to let flight attendants serve passengers liquor they’d brought themselves but American Airlines did away with that policy in January. It alerts passengers to the change with an announcement on all flights. “It became an unmanagable task for flight attendants to pour alcohol which the customers had brought on board,” says Todd Burke, a spokesman for American.

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**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-get-me-a-decent-drink-no-more/181980/23 "2003-06-16T15:54:24Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Arnold Winkelried \*  
> \*\*The Coors lite at DEN is excellent. \*\*

Somebody used “lite” beer and “excellent” in the same sentence! :eek:

I should report you to a mod as a troll! 😃

Yes, I’m aware that Arnold Winkelried is a mod …

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**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-get-me-a-decent-drink-no-more/181980/24 "2003-06-16T20:15:10Z")

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FWIW I have taken an opened bottle of booze onto a plane twice since 9-11. LAS both times. One glass, one plastic. Heck, we were mixing drinks at the Burger King right there at the gate once.

Maybe it’s just because I have such an honest face!

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**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-get-me-a-decent-drink-no-more/181980/25 "2003-06-16T20:38:56Z")

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Like **Duke of Rat** , I’ve also carried unsealed (I’d say “opened” but that gives the impression that the cap is off) bottles of liquor aboard aircraft. Last time was a week or two ago, in fact–I flew from Halifax to Toronto with a half-full bottle of Jack Daniel’s.

It’s been my experience that neither the security people nor the airlines care too much if you have an unsealed bottle. What they do care about is you drinking it while you’re in the airport or aboard the aircraft. As long as you don’t bring it out and drink it, and it stays tightly capped in your carry-on, there isn’t a problem. Not in my experience, anyway.

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**Author:** ![mischievous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mischievous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mischievous)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-get-me-a-decent-drink-no-more/181980/26 "2003-06-16T21:47:18Z")

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Many liquors come in colors that are readily mistaken for soda and/or water, if you get my drift…

And who is going to question you pouring some of your “Evian” into the orange juice that the airline has so happily given you?

mischievous

(who just came back from Germany, which has no public drinking rules. My partner and I arrived at the airport too early, and spent a couple hours passing bottles of mead back and forth. Security didn’t even blink.)

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**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\
**Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-get-me-a-decent-drink-no-more/181980/27 "2003-06-16T23:01:36Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Spiff \*  
> Somebody used “lite” beer and “excellent” in the same sentence! :eek:

Lite beer in a shallow saucer is an excellent way to kill slugs in your garden.

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**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\
**Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-get-me-a-decent-drink-no-more/181980/28 "2003-06-17T02:35:21Z")

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Gosh darnit! I was expecting a drunken rambling post. That was downright lucid. [Mr. Burns]Smithers, get drunk and amuse me![/MB]

It is nice to hear from you again. I was just wondering where you disappeared to.

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**Author:** ![CRorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CRorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CRorex)\
**Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-get-me-a-decent-drink-no-more/181980/29 "2003-06-17T20:15:09Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by celestina \*  
> \*\*And I ain’t gon’ pay $7+ for some watered down Scotch. The selection of single malts in airports and at some restaurants leaves _much_ to be desired, let me tell you. What gets my goat is that the airport bars know they’ve got us travelers between a rock and a hard place.

> [@](#):
>
> And, it gets on my last nerve when the waiters in some restaurants inside and outside of the airports look at me funny when I ask them for a Peroni or Birra Morretti or for god’s sake a Guiness! I even had some folks at this hotel restaurant what was servin’ primarily gourmet Italian food that wasn’t nowhere near pizza or spagetti–I’m talkin’ risotto this and bolognaise that–tell me when I requested an Italian beer that they didn’t serve “weird beers” in their establishment. [sigh] How they goin’ to charge me $16 for an entree but can’t provide me with a decent beer to accompany it?
> 
> I suppose that this is just a sign for me to quit goin’ out and just drink my alcohol at home. And when I’m travelin’ on business and what not, then I just need to get my drink on before I leave for the airport. \*\*

:eek:

I think I’ve just found my female equivelent!

I’ve found _ONE_ Italian place in SA that stocks Bira Morretti… You can’t have italian without it… It’s just not right.

It’s like having sushi without that 1 liter bottle of Sapporo…

Or Jerk Chicken without cuban rum…

I’ve given up on finding good bars. I go to cheap bars and tell bartenders how to make the drinks I want.

There is nothing like 2 fingers of lagavulin 16 before you hop on a plane…

Or a mango top shelf margarita…

I think I’m going to go to The Flying Saucer after work today and get a pint of Flying Dog Doggie Style Amber and a Pyamid Heffewisen.

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**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\
**Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-get-me-a-decent-drink-no-more/181980/30 "2003-06-17T21:13:42Z")

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**Arnold** , you are funny! You know that Coors doesn’t make beer! Well, actually, they do make Killians, which isn’t completely like a glass of nothingness. But they do not make an eponymous beer. They bottle certain things up in Golden, but I don’t know what they are. I can guess based on the smell I can sometimes catch a whiff of from my house, though… 😉

**celestina** if you ever happen into Denver during your travels, let me know. I’ll buy you some good drinks, so you don’t have to suffer with the airport/hotel bars…

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**Author:** ![DonkeyMaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3e96dc/32.png) [@DonkeyMaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonkeyMaster)\
**Post date:** [June 17, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-get-me-a-decent-drink-no-more/181980/31 "2003-06-17T21:49:23Z")

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Nothing like a woman who knows her beer 😃 . I find that small privatly owned places usually have the best beer selections.

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**Author:** ![celestina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/258eb7/32.png) [@celestina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/celestina)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-get-me-a-decent-drink-no-more/181980/32 "2003-06-18T05:08:35Z")

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**Troy McClure SF** , thank you for translating “SFO,” hon.  
**Arnold Winkelried** said:

> [@](#):
>
> The Coors lite at DEN is excellent.

[giggle], I’ve not been to DEN yet. Does that stand for Denver, CO? If so, then maybe they substituted some of that good beer they got in Colorado and just forgot to change the label on the beer spigot thing-y. 🙂 If I ever get out DEN way, then I’ll be sure to try the “Coors lite,” hon. 😉

**tomndebb** said:

> [@](#):
>
> celestina, if you go to [yahoo.com](http://yahoo.com) and select their Yellow Pages before a trip, you can select the “change location” link and set it to your destination city. When the search screen comes back up, simply enter “brewery” for a list of the local microbreweries. From there, you can often do a Google search on the names and get some reviews or background info. (And Yahoo will give you the address, phone, and map.)

Thank you, sweetie. You can always be relied on to give such useful advice. These past few trips I’ve taken, I didn’t have time to do research. I was just so busy it was all I could do to book the flights, but I’ll definitely keep your suggestion in mind for future trips.  
**Gary Kumquat** said:

> [@](#):
>
> Nah, even in Scotland you still get a pisspoor selection of overpriced malts in airport bars. It’s some sort of universal law.

Now that’s truly frightening! How could Scotland’s airport bars commit such a travesty?

**sugaree** said:

> [@](#):
>
> Iron City is not considered to be a decent beer anywhere. Yes, I am a proud once-and-future Pittsburger. No, I will not drink Iron City.
> 
> Rolling Rock is not bad.

Well, this is educational. I’ve never heard of Iron City beer, but if I ever encounter it, I’ll keep your recommendation in mind.

**Ferret Herder** said:

> [@](#):
>
> I was going to agree with most of your rant - though I rather like Sam Adams - until I saw this part. Moretti is crap; given a choice I’d rather drink anything else on the list of “default beers” you gave.

To each his/her own, hon. I certainly do respect your right to like whatever beer you like. 🙂 I first tried Birra Morretti in Paris in some Italian restaurant somewhere. I liked it there. When I got back to the US, I had it again and still liked it, but I don’t like it as much as I like Peroni. However, if Birra Morretti is considered to be crap by Italian standards, then I’d _love_ to see what they consider to be outstanding beer. 😃

**Fretful Porpentine** said:

> [@](#):
>
> Great rant, may I offer one more addition:
> 
> If you own a bar that does most of its trade in light lagers, and you’re only going to offer one minor concession to us ale drinkers, for goodness’ sake don’t store your only decent beer OUTDOORS in 90-degree weather and only pop it into the fridge five minutes before serving it. (To be fair, the waitress did say the beer was still “warm,” but I figured this meant cellar temperature – which is acceptible and even preferable – rather than North Carolina summer temperature, which is NOT.)

Thanks, hon. I try to rant as best I can. But, good lord! You mean to tell me that a bar that actually tries to sell beer would treat beers in such a manner! :eek: To store a beer in 90-degree weather and then serve it with only 5 minutes cooling time is unconscionable. Whoever is in charge of the bar you patronised should be horse-whupped, I tell you. You poor thing. I can’t begin to imagine what that beer must have tasted like.

**D\_Odds** said:

> [@](#):
>
> Excerpt from Friday’s WSJ, Weekend Journal section (I won’t post a link as it is a subsciption sight):
> 
> ## quote:
> 
> Under Federal Aviation Administration regulations, passengers can carry alcoholic beverages onto an airplane – but they can’t drink them. All liquor on an airline must be served by a flight attendant. Some airlines even require flight attendants to fill out a report if they see passengers drinking their own alcohol, instead of drinks sold on board at about $5 apiece.
> 
> ## A few airlines used to let flight attendants serve passengers liquor they’d brought themselves but American Airlines did away with that policy in January. It alerts passengers to the change with an announcement on all flights. “It became an unmanagable task for flight attendants to pour alcohol which the customers had brought on board,” says Todd Burke, a spokesman for American.

Thank you for the information. It’s quite educational.

**Duke of Rat** , you’re far braver than I am. I have quite an honest face too, but somehow I don’t think it’d help me if I tried to do what you did.

**Spoons** said:

> [@](#):
>
> \<snip\>
> 
> It’s been my experience that neither the security people nor the airlines care too much if you have an unsealed bottle. What they do care about is you drinking it while you’re in the airport or aboard the aircraft. As long as you don’t bring it out and drink it, and it stays tightly capped in your carry-on, there isn’t a problem. Not in my experience, anyway.

Well see, that’s just it. I’d want to drink from whatever bottle of decent alcohol I’m carryin’ in my purse. Airport security would have a problem with me turning up a fifth of Oban or Dalwhinie, you know? 😃

**mischievous** said:

> [@](#):
>
> Many liquors come in colors that are readily mistaken for soda and/or water, if you get my drift…
> 
> And who is going to question you pouring some of your “Evian” into the orange juice that the airline has so happily given you?
> 
> mischievous
> 
> (who just came back from Germany, which has no public drinking rules. My partner and I arrived at the airport too early, and spent a couple hours passing bottles of mead back and forth. Security didn’t even blink.)

LOL! Well, Scotch might could pass for ginger ale, except it ain’t got no fizz to it. Maybe if I add some club soda to it. Hmmm. I just might have to bring a bottle of “Mello Yellow” or “Mountain Dew” or “Sprite” on board the next flight I take. 😉 Thanks for the tip, hon. As far as you and your friend drinking mead in the airport, I’ll bet you got away with it in the German airport, didn’t you? Over in Europe I’ll bet they ain’t as anal as us Americans are about alcohol.

**Punoqllads** said:

> [@](#):
>
> Lite beer in a shallow saucer is an excellent way to kill slugs in your garden.

Ugghh. I hate slugs. However, if one must kill them, I suppose letting them die drunk would be merciful enough.

**Wolfian** said:

> [@](#):
>
> Gosh darnit! I was expecting a drunken rambling post. That was downright lucid. [Mr. Burns]Smithers, get drunk and amuse me![/MB]
> 
> It is nice to hear from you again. I was just wondering where you disappeared to.

I’m sorry. I’ll try to get drunk real soon and write you a nice rambling, misspelled, incoherent post. [giggle] So you’ve been wondering about my whereabouts have you? I’m quite flattered to hear that, sweetie. 🙂 You’ll be happy to know that I’ve been wondering where I’ve disappeared to for quite some time now as well. If I ever figure it out, I’ll let you know. 😃

**CRorex** said:

> [@](#):
>
> :eek: I think I’ve just found my female equivelent!
> 
> I’ve found _ONE_ Italian place in SA that stocks Bira Morretti… You can’t have italian without it… It’s just not right.
> 
> It’s like having sushi without that 1 liter bottle of Sapporo…
> 
> Or Jerk Chicken without cuban rum…
> 
> I’ve given up on finding good bars. I go to cheap bars and tell bartenders how to make the drinks I want.
> 
> There is nothing like 2 fingers of lagavulin 16 before you hop on a plane…
> 
> Or a mango top shelf margarita…
> 
> I think I’m going to go to The Flying Saucer after work today and get a pint of Flying Dog Doggie Style Amber and a Pyamid Heffewisen.

Wow. What a small world. I’m sorry you can’t find decent Italian beer or any other type of beer for that matter, and I’m also glad to see another Birra Morretti fan in the house. 😃 However, I don’t feel so bad now. So it’s not just me who’s so particular about alcohol. I like Flying Dog beer too. I’ve not tried Pyramid Heffeweisen, but I hear it’s supposed to be really good. Sounds like you have excellent taste in alcohol [giggle] since it seems to match my tastes. We’ll have to go drinkin’ sometime, hon. Hope you enjoyed your pint today.

**Necros** said:

> [@](#):
>
> \<snip\> celestina if you ever happen into Denver during your travels, let me know. I’ll buy you some good drinks, so you don’t have to suffer with the airport/hotel bars…

Thank you for your kind offer, hon. I most certainly will let you know. I hear Colorado has it goin’ on when it comes to havin’ a nice selection of beers. 🙂

**DonkeyMaster** said:

> [@](#):
>
> Nothing like a woman who knows her beer . I find that small privatly owned places usually have the best beer selections.

First off, welcome to the boards! 🙂 Yes, I like to check out privately owned places when I can. It’s all in the interests of research, you understand. I’m trying to get to know as many beers as I can. [innocent eyes]

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