The Smiley Smile Message Board

Starting this thread to discuss everything from craft beer to whiskey, open for discussions, reviews, recommendations, and anything else related. I've seen so many really good and interesting recommendations made in various threads but cannot remember what they were or where they were posted, so this hopefully will be the go-to place for those discussions. And if one starts in a thread, please feel free to move the discussion(s) here so everyone interested can more easily find the discussion.


I'm starting by asking about a current seasonal that is pretty widely available right now - the pumpkin beers. Any love for the pumpkin beers out there? I have a few favorites, but they may be too regional and difficult to find outside the general area to mention. I definitely don't consider the more hearty and flavorful pumpkin ales and other varieties a "session" beer, but especially those with the perfect blend of spices they make a terrific cold autumn night kind of treat.

From my days in Boston, the brewery right across from Fenway Park, just off Kenmore Square on the Green line, the Boston Beer Works has an "Autumn Works Pumpkin". This is over 20 years ago, but the Beer Works had one of the best pumpkin varieties I have ever had, although back then I don't think it had the same name. They do sell bottles outside of the location, but if you're in Boston in the fall stop in and try one on tap.

Another "keeper" that may be tough to find but worth the effort, again from the Boston region, is Cambridge Brewing Company "Great Pumpkin Ale". A slice of pumpkin pie in a pint glass...for those into that kind of flavor.

I don't drink beer very often. Once in a blue moon, in fact, which is ironic since one of my two favorite beers is Blue Moon (the other is Killian's Irish Red). The beer to drink at Rockies games (Blue Moon was invented at Coors Field).

No, I prefer cocktails. My main drink (that I enjoy making myself at home, with my cocktail shaker) is a vodka martini.

Killians is a good beer, I enjoy them too but haven't had one in a very long time. I guess it's due to all of the microbrews and small breweries that are now available - it feels like there is so much new to try, sometimes the old standards and old favorites can slip away with all those new options.

My cocktail of choice is a Manhattan.  :)

Anyone familiar with Faxe? It's one of my favourites. Glorious Danish Lager, with a glorious percentage.


(http://oi61.tinypic.com/2ymxblz.jpg)
(http://oi59.tinypic.com/a580le.jpg)


Yours truly, knowing what's good for him in summer 2014:

(http://oi59.tinypic.com/2cmlsep.jpg)

I don't always drink beer. but when I do, I don't drink very often.

Is that what you meant to say?  ;)

No??

k.

anyways...
I myself am enjoying a 12 pack of MGD 3.2 gas station beer. It's a real nightmare.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjvQFtlNQ-M

I went through a pretty hard-core Mad Men phase. On the show, the drink of choice is an Old Fashioned. I had never had one, so I started trying to make them on my own. I did ok, and then I went to a wedding where they made for me, and those were pretty damn good. About 3 of those, along with the free Bud Light, and I was good to go.

That's not what I meant to say, no. But now that you mention it, Dos Equis is another beer I like. I have it when I'm eating Mexican food.

Mad Men is partly the reason why I no longer purchase Windsor. Windsor is borderline rotgut. Now I always go for the slight upgrade of Canadian Club. It is actually better,yes. But I'm also vain, and did it only for the fact that it's the spirit of choice on the television show Mad Men. I'm full of contradiction.

Bud lights at club kokomo

I avoid canned beer completely. Bottled is better but give me real ale on tap any day. And maybe a whisky to round off the session.

I live in a beer desert. If I could walk a few blocks to the brewpub for a nice ale, I would.

Selfies, please.

Taps rule, they can lift even the shoddiest draught to a new level.

Curious about the Pumpkin beer mentioned by GF above - will look out for that.

A Western Australian brewer is cranking out a Mango beer - not sickly sweet but a lager style tends toward the crisp and dry; you wouldn't get rolling drunk on it, but you'd share a polite sixer with your wife or life partner in the backyard on a warm to hot sunny afternoon.

The brand name is Matso

I'm a bourbon and coke person  8)
I do have a soft spot for Sake too.

http://www.aa.org

I'm totally a coke person, too. There is no joy in life like the joy of a nice, white line across a glass table. Sure, most nights end on the bathroom floor feeling like your heart's about to explode, but it's totally worth it.
I'll have to try washing it down with bourbon next time.

I drink a ton of beer, I have a soft spot for Bath Salts

I don't think there is a self help group for that. ;)

Well, to each his own. My favourite drink is a cool refreshing glass of pus.

Oh, you've never tried urine?

I'm sure Hypehat's had his share of warm beer.

I propose a pus drinking game.

Isn't pus slang for four Loko. ;)

Perhaps when I'm older I'll learn to appreciate the finer worldly selection of beers. Heineken, Guinness, Stella Artois, Grolsch are my favorites at the moment. Though I usually drink Budweiser, PBR, or Rolling Rock, because I'm a cheap bastard.

A few years ago, after a long/hot/arduous day at work, my boss handed me a Budweiser out of his freezer - to this day it's the most satisfying beer I've ever had. Sometimes the situation you're in dictates how much you enjoy something, no matter how awful it actually is.

We have some great local brews around where I live, my favorite being one called Full Nelson

(http://www.bluemountainbrewery.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/MG_9895-300x200.jpg)

Has a wonderful lasting flavor. Vienna Lager is another local brew that is pretty damn good - especially from the tap.

I'm pretty sure that there are other people on this thread that needs it far more than me. I rarely - if ever - drink alcohol. Though I don't mind the two I mentioned, Alcohol is generally not my cup of tea.

Do you mean, Budweiser in general? Or that particular Budweiser on that particular day?

That particular budweiser on that day. Otherwise, I could probably do without budweiser for the rest of my life.

I think he's suggesting you get therapy. Which you need.

Considering you guys don't know me personally, I don't think you have the right to judge

‍

I use that same logic to justify my actions when I murder people.

‍

What kind of bar is this?  ;D

How about a few more recommendations for anyone to seek out and try? I gave two pumpkin brews but I'm thinking they may be limited to the New England area. Aren't there any regional favorites to suggest? That's kind of what this was set up for...

If the barstools start flying and a guy gets slung face-first down the length of the bar, we're in trouble.

That's a pretty stupid moral, and in case people are insinuating something by my comment, that's not what I agree with. I'd just like to make this clear to those who don't realize this:

I have maybe 3 or 4 drinks a year. How in the hell does that imply I'm alcoholic. Can't I make a comment without being sh*t on?

It's all good from here on out, let's try to get back to sharing a few favorite brews, or cocktails, or something.

Despite their reputation, Old Milwaukee makes a great canned N.A. beer for those of us who prefer to be the designated driver.

 ;)

What's wrong with therapy anyhow...


I tried some Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale recently - good sh*t. Would drink again soon.

I really love drinking pints at the pub with friends...its really the saddest part about being a student in America. I can't legally drink anymore! Damn law  >:( A friend of mine had a party on the top floor of the Ozone bar, the highest bar in the world. I didn't take this photo, but here's the view:
(http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/02/39/ba/86/the-view-from-the-outside.jpg)

Now imagine that with an open bar! Good, good times.

My go-to beer is usually either Hoegaarden, Heineken, or Stella. I usually have a pint of one of those + whatever specialty the pub has.
I tried one of these expecting great things:

(http://www.ocado.com/catalog/images-hires/39369011_H.jpg?identifier=26bea7aeb1e663560418f8837927a87a)

Very bland. Did not live up to cool name and logo.


My last trip to Japan involved raiding the 7/11's for every kind of alcohol they supplied - they've got a lot of fun fruity drinks with high alcohol content, but not much interesting beer...and I'm not a big fan of the Sapporo/Asahi/Kirin, though you can't really complain when you're getting it out of a beer vending machine in your hostel lobby.
(http://japantravelmate.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/japanese-happoshu-beer-sapporo-asahi-kirin.jpg)


And an honorable mention goes out to Bear Beer, which comes in 6, 8, 10 and 12 percent alcohol content. Not a very enjoyable beer, but its fun to drink.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6050/6301304865_9d86e50118_z.jpg)

Love me some beer. I live in what they call "wine country" but I'm not a fan of that grape drink really at all.

Some favs: Pabst Blue Ribbon, Miller High Life, Lost Coast Great White, almost anything Lagunitas makes, Mississippi Mud.

I live about 20 minutes from the Lagunitas brewery in Petaluma, so I've got to support my local economy by buying their beers. I really dig most of their seasonals. Hairy Eyeball, Lil Sumpin Extra or Wild, and the Undercover Investigation Shutdown ale in particular.They also make a delightful Cappuccino stout. Try it if you never have!!!

PS Pliny The Elder is overrated but goes great with some mussels and garlic fries.

Are you kidding? A non-judgmental somebody to listen to you talk about your trials and tribulations and offer advice on overcoming them? Pfft, no fuckin' thank you.  ::)

Edit: deleted

I have a memory from a tv show where the town therapist who listens to everyone's troubles and takes notes is eventually revealed to just have been doodling for the years he spent listening to people talk. Anyone know what show that is? My brain snapped to Twin Peaks, but I don't think that's it.

Generally there's nothing wrong with it. But I don't like it when people who don't know me personally says that I need therapy, especially given the context. It's just not appropriate, and it came out of the blue, unprovoked.

Seriously, any beer that says 'creamy white' on it can't be very good.

I'm quite fond of umeshu (Japanese plum wine).  The best kinds I've had have actual fermented umes in the bottle.  I'm also partial to magkeolli, which is a kind of unfiltered Korean rice wine (though its alcoholic content is closer to beer) that looks like milk and tends to be imbibed in picnic-like settings.  I remember people drinking it before paragliding competitions in Korea, which I wouldn't recommend (and never tried myself), but it is quite good.

Soju is terrible though.  It tastes like hand sanitizer.

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I'm drinking a beer right now  ;D

(http://www.beersofeurope.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/298x308/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/pimages/KonigPilsener.jpg)

I don't really drink anything else other than beer. As far as that goes, you can't beat Grolsch in my book.

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Grolsch_premium_lager_bottle_unopened.jpg)

The Czech Staropramen is also pretty popular around here and very enjoyable.

.

Off work, I'm about to have a Fulton Sweet Child of Vine IPA. (One of Minnesota's fine IPAs. We have great IPAs, terrible IPA names.)

When I first read this, I read it as 'actual fermented urine in the bottle'. That sounded worse than creamy, white beer.

I had a ritual with a close friend to meet at this Chinese deli in town - we'd both order BBQ Pork rice with an egg. It would arrive 45 seconds after ordering with a bottle or two of Tsing Tsao.

Tsing Tsao is pretty decent.

It's generally not my cup of tea, but I still like a few alcoholic beverages. Which I decided to post as it's kinda the point of this thread.

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Scotch is the grand whiskey.  But I've recently taken a liking to Rye.

Rye is not my cup of tea. A cup of tea usually is, however.

My favorite liquor is Jaegermeister...but its expensive and I really haven't given the darker liquors a chance. The typical teenager only buys vodka, gin and tequila for parties, and when I buy liquor myself I get Jaeger. So once I get some Jack Daniel's I'll have to come back here and post my thoughts - and I've seen what it can do. hypehat's drunk reviews were all whiskey fueled.

It's a chilly day but that doesn't mean a cool beer is out of the question. A Schell's Pilsner it is. (And then more.) Schell's, for those of you who can't get it, is a regional beer with deep German roots in New Ulm, Minnesota, established in 1860 or something like that. They were a micro before micros were cool, generally just plugging along with a few basic styles. They've expanded a bit in recent years, but mostly just do a really solid job with a few (mostly, but not exclusively) German styles.

Whisky? The Macallan or or Cardhu or Edradour or Bunnahabhain. Maybe with a little water, but definitely no ice. Jamesons with ice, however.

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They're definitely fun drinks, party due to the presentation and the fact you can get them from vending machines...and all the amazing salty snacks you can only get in Asia.

I'll look through my photos from japan, I feel like I'm forgetting some cool alcohol related things. One Cup is cool, it's just a little jar of sake. Doesn't ready compare to some I've the Chinese liquors I've consumed that are above 55% alcohol. That stuff is hard to drink but the buzz is nuts.

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Hi all,

I like white wines.  Chardonnay is very good.  I am trying the sweeter whites so that I can have a glass with friends who like it if I go out with them.  I don't like white wine z.

Rumchata!!

Everclear.

Whisky for Burns' Night?

http://fridaynightboys300.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/poem-and-whisky-for-burns-night-tam.html

Ah yes...Wee Robbie.  I tend to only drink Scotch maybe two or three times a year.  Burns night being one of them.  [I played bass drum in a Pipe and Drum band for some 6 years...'til I moved in the fall.  Hope to start again here in the spring.  We hosted a Robbie Burns banquet and show every January.]

I like [cold] Beer [on a HOT day only]  To tell the experts here a little something...I really don't know the difference between Canadian Beer and Ale.  A Guinness?...THAT I can tell.  [Best bought and consumed in Ireland where it's the Good Stuff...and where they pour it properly]

I like Wine...dry red wine...with dinner.  Not really so much on its own.

Liquor?  Oh YA!!!  Now we're talkin'  Im a rum guy.  Generally white rum...although Appleton's amber out of Jamaica is really good.  My favourite white rum is Mount Gay...a product of Barbados.  To me it is THE BEST tasting white rum in the world. Unique.  Great with a little piece of lime and COKE. [Never Pepsi for any kind of rum.  Whoever invented Pepsi obviously didn't drink...or like...rum.]  For 'pedestrian white rum...again with COKE...I guess Bacardi is good enough.  Most of those brands all taste pretty much the same.  For a kick to the kidneys...The Wray and Nephew over-proof white rum out of Jamaica is really GREAT.  I Like it 2nd best of all the rums available to me.  I've gone out of my way to order it by the box because they don't stock it everywhere I've lived and it has to be brought in specially...hence by the case.  One has to be careful getting to know this rum 'cause it'll put you down on your ass HARD in no time flat if you don't know what you're doing.  Do NOT drink this with any kind of cola.  It doesn't mix well.  Instead mix it with the Jamaican grapefruit-based drink called 'TING'...or...use just plain water.  [Of course all of these rum drinks should also be served 'on the rocks'.

Anything else...I just visit ever so occasionally.  [except for gin which I absolutely loathe]

Hi all,

I like white wine and champagne.  I do have sweet martinis every now and then. 

I hardly ever drink alcohol anymore, but when I do I like a cold Bitburger Beer.

Vodka and Coca-Cola mixed together is a match made in heaven  :angel:  ;D

Lagunitas recently released this "High West-ified" Imperial Coffee Stout that was brewed with  local (California treated) coffee, and aged in used "High West" brand bourbon & rye barrels. It's in super-limited edition quantities, and probably only available near states with a Lagunitas brewery (California and Illinois) but I gotta say for a person who isn't a fan of stouts OR coffee, buy this beer if you see it, even if it's at that $8.99 (per 22oz bomber) price tag a lot of places are selling it for.


I'm terrible at describing scents or flavors since my deviated septum causes distorted, diminished perceptions of both, but this brew is crazy delicious.... You can taste the bourbon/rye for like a second after drinking, before it finishes with a smooth coffee/stout/beer flavor.

Terrible at descriptions, as I mentioned, but. I live in "wine country" and people always talk about that garbage spoiled grape juice like it's actually delicious, when all you can actually taste is poison and wine barrel.


Well this "coffee stout" which is brewed in "wine country", you can only taste nasty barrel wood flavor for but a second, before that smooth, delicious, hoppy, Lagunitas flavor. Usually you get that choking-type thing when you drink hard stuff, but this bourbon barrel brewed beer only has the flavor for a second before it moves onto the beer-fan flavor.



If you can't tell, I have a terrible time describing it, but in conclusion, buy Lagunitas' "High West-ified Coffee Stout" if you are blessed with the opportunity to purchase it.


Otherwise, you'll have the opportunity to buy it (probably from myself or other a-holes fortunate enough to dwell in the SF bay area) in the next few months/years for way more cash monies than it originally sold for.

That's your preference? That's what you prefer??

One drink which I don't recommend is Southern Comfort. I'm aware that many people like it, but when I tried it, I hated it. As it turned out, most of my friends hate it as well. But then again, if you're into sweet alcohol, you may like it. Otherwise, avoid it...

Bambu,

I couldn't agree more. 

I used to like Southern Comfort when I was in my early 20s (now 34). 

As an impulse, I picked up a mini for 99 cents at a local liquor store.  When I tried it, I almost spit it out. 

When it comes to liquor, I usually stick with bourbon (neat) when the weather is cooler, and spiced rum (neat or in a cocktail) when the weather warms up.

Dogfish head is the brand that turned me onto beer.

Kir Royale every time.

Beer? 

Call me old fashioned, but I like a nice cold Budweiser.  I tend to gravitate toward pilsners. 

In the summertime, I'll also take a Modelo, Land Shark, or Corona.

Colder weather, a Smithwick or a Guinness.

And, call me basic, but I like Saranac Pumpkin Ale in the fall. 

As the weather has improved, I've been making cocktails with vodka, soda, and some (just pure, not some flavored stuff) black cherry juice, and a little lemon.

It's cooler again outside, so I foresee some red wine. After I finish this cocktail with vodka, soda, and some black cherry juice, with a little lemon. And maybe another one of those.

I need some beer for hockey tonight!

Drinking vodka and orange juice!

I'll buy the next round if they have grapefruit juice!  ;)

  Destroys livers and brain cells, leaves one feeling bloated and unsatisfied. You are better off with the 420.  :afro

for those who want the experience of both: http://www.zootology.com/mixology

Local Hong Kong beer is shockingly good. And none of it gets exported yet  8)

Milk and Cuervo. Or a Clam Juice Hotdog Milkshake Daiquiri.

Having done both in the past, I can say I prefer alcohol. 

With smoking, it's a couple of tokes and you're wasted.  With alcohol, it's more of a process. 

Plus, I love the taste.

I intend to drink beer tomorrow.

Gawd, I'm sorry to have missed this thread before.

Timely discovery as I have discovered a new, all-time favourite beer. I had my first pint at the wake following my boss's funeral so I guess you could say he introduced me to it, albeit unwittingly. As the company picked up the bar tab, you could also say it was on him, so "cheers", one final time.

It's a Yorkshire beer which means it already has a head start in the "world's best beer" stakes.

It's brewed by Theakstons of Masham and is called Theastons Peculiar Barista Stout.

It's gas-fed, not hand-drawn but in this case that's not a disadvantage.

It seems to be based on Theakstons Old Peculiar, a very dark, dense beer that has a hint of dandelion & burdock (Yorkshire's answer to Coca Cola, only better) to it. As the name suggests, it also has a big roasted coffee flavour.

Only found it in that one venue (the Vaults in Ilkley) so far but am hoping to find it closer to home. The drink drive laws here mean that it takes me 17 hours to walk home after every session, by which time I need another drink…

 :lol

I remember Theakston's Old Peculiar. A fine brew. I hope to revisit it some time...

I recently became interested in replicating the original Trader Vic's Mai Tai recipe from the 1940's:

2 ounces aged rum
3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice, juiced lime half reserved
1/2 ounce orange curaçao
1/4 ounce Rich Simple Syrup
1/4 ounce orgeat
1 cup crushed ice
1 mint sprig, for garnish

It came out really tasty!

Been drinking Hamm's beer ($4.20 for a six pack of 16 ounce beers)

Hamms from the land of sky blue waters

Where did you find that? 

I found a 30 pack at a liquor store in Baltimore 3-4 years ago, and I haven't seen it since. 

Hamms, jeezus. About 15 years ago, in my often impoverished earlier days, a friend and I found a nearby store selling a local brand (Glueks) for an insanely cheap price. 12 packs of bottles were roughly the price of other brands’ 6-packs. I want to say $6.99 or so.

We said we couldn’t afford not to drink it.

Then we founds 30-pack cases of Hamms cans for double that, so basically 30 for the price of 12. That summer I probably did permanent damage to my waistline, brain, and liver.

It is all over the place in Virginia in the last year, I think they tweaked the formula a bit... ;)


KDS, I was at a beer store yesterday and Natty Boh has a special edition in O's colors for $5.69.....

Yeah, Boh has been doing special Orioles cans each year since 2012.   They were serving them at the ballpark for a little bit, but some dispute over Boh using the word "Orioles" during a promotion got them booted.  Imagine that, the Orioles were once owned by the owner of Boh, and it's no longer served at games.  But, Boh still does the black and orange cans, and bars all over the area put Boh on special during O's games (I think watching an Orioles game might require at least a sixer this season).

Yeash on the season, plus talk of Machado joining the Yankees.... :-\

I enjoy the road trip to Baltimore from VA at least....

Plus, Buck is probably gone after this season, as well as Adam Jones and Zach Britton. 

On the plus side, it'll be really easy to get tickets. 

Let's invest in some O's natty Boh and go to work!

Natty Boh is also releasing their first new beer in three decades.  it's called Crab Shack Shandy, a lemon shandy beer for summertime. 

Ocean City awaits!

I'm sure the bars down there will be stocking it. 

I remember less than ten years ago, Boh was hard to come by down there.   I guess I can thank the hipsters for helping bring Boh back to prominence.....and for making it the most expense cheap beer in Baltimore. 

What does the Cap drink these days? ;)

Since you're familiar with Ocean City, what's your take on the Orange Crush?

I think it's a great summer drink, but I can't drink a lot of them due to the acidity. 

Great when Crusin the boardwalk and playing those ancient 10 cent claw machines....

Those are fun.  They obviously don't change out the prizes much.  There are some late 80s baseball cards in there

Nice!

Cal Ripken cards?

While I thankfully can afford better than Hamms or Glueks these days, I’m still not so picky. I prefer IPAs but like a decent kolsch, Hefeweizen, or most anything that isn’t TOO dark. (No porters or stouts for me.) and I’m not into the gimmicky infusions.

Wines, I like reds. Nothing too sweet.

Booze, I’m ok with most mixed drinks, minus gin. But I don’t drink a lot of liquor or have any palette for it.

I wish.  Nah, it's usually common cards.   Although I did spot a 1989 Fleer Jamie Moyer once. 

I did once win a 1993 Topps Cal Ripken card on the Boardwalk when one of the arcades had a baseball pinball type machine, but you'd win baseball cards instead of tickets.   It was usually common cards, but every now and then, you'd get a star player. 

Same here, I can't drink liquor since college....

Porters are great when no leaving the house is required.

It’s less “can’t” with liquor for me and more “just not into.”

I love a good porter, especially in the fall or winter.   In summer, I prefer a lighter lager or pilsner beer.   

As I've gotten older, I've taken to sipping whiskey or rum, depending on the weather, and find myself making a lot less cocktails. 

Going on 4 years since I had my last drink

Nice! 8)

I love wine. Blackberry, to be exact.

I did too.

My drink of choice though used to be vodka straight from the bottle. Funny part is I rarely drank as it was but when I did, it was like water.  Just didn’t affect me as much as others. Bad genes I guess.

That's kind of why I rarely drink. I usually only drink on holidays or some kind of party. I have a fairly long line of drinkers in my family, and with being as big of a music can as I am, I know a fair amount about addiction and genetic predisposition.

Happy Friday! :beer

I got a vintage O’s hat for the games this year!

Tickets should be easy to get based on their horrid start. 

I used to have a 1966-74 throwback cap, which was the black cap, orange bill, and cartoon bird.   But, that's basically the current road cap, which I got a few years ago when my throwback cap was worn out. 

(https://preview.ibb.co/f0cBE7/0_A4_B3855_F817_4_C34_A624_B12999126699.jpg) (https://ibb.co/fF37nS)

Ah, that's there 1958-62 cap if I recall.  I like that one.   I have an all black one with that bird (1954) that I got as a giveaway during their 60th anniversary season a few years ago. 

Yeah mine’s a 1990s Roman Pro with a leather sweatband and not a flatbrim.

I had one of those with the leather sweatband, but it had a different bird. 

Same here. I used to drink a lot while younger, but thankfully came to my senses before becoming a full fledged alcoholic.
I rarely drink now. We have a tradition of going to the Smoky Mountains in the Fall and buying a couple  bottles of BlackBerry wine at a Gatlinburg winery. I like to drink a glass after Thanksgiving dinner.

I bet you regret being stupid like that :-D when you were young. I figured you didn't drink at all whilst touring various countries, performing in choir etc. Didn't you fear being fired? Do they employ people like the kind you were, drinking much? ::) Doesn't make sense.

Been strict teetotaler since arriving to the planet Earth. Top that, ha.

To be completely honest and blunt, I could see myself becoming an alcoholic easily, which is why I mainly drink in holidays.

Been there, done that. But no way would I give it up entirely. And how can you drink someone's health with lemonade? Or, god forbid, ice tea?  :lol

Here's Peter Sellers celebrating Ireland's favourite beverage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di6yX3yVAtM

Wow. Just now reading RRs post from last year.
For the record, I stopped excessive drinking well before I joined the folk group I was in for 20 years.
I wasn’t a teetotaler then. Would have one glass of strong apple cider in Normandy, or one wonderful small stein of beer in the Czech Republic.
Skipped the vodka in Russia however.

Very wise!

I'm glad my forays into old threads can yield positive results. ;D

My wife and I have been abstaining from booze from Monday to Thursday (booze meaning a glass or two of white wine a day). We're doing it for health reasons (I think). Talk about boring!  ;D

It's like having a sh*t job where you spend all week looking forward to the weekend. :lol