Random Raves : Tank Goodness

[Phrossack]

Rave: my semester to Germany is going quite well now. I was also introduced to alcohol, though I don't like it yet. The women, both German and exchange students, are generally very attractive, though. Some of them extremely so. I also love the ready availability of lots of good bread.

 

[JohannaK]

Hey! I hope you have a good time in Europe! Enjoy it!

Cause you'll never leave.

 

[sophie]

Rave: my semester to Germany is going quite well now. I was also introduced to alcohol, though I don't like it yet. The women, both German and exchange students, are generally very attractive, though. Some of them extremely so. I also love the ready availability of lots of good bread.

Which alcohol? It is a bit of an acquired taste, but there are different ways of going about it depending on what you're trying to do.

Good on you though, a trip to Germany with no beer drunken would be an abject waste of a trip. Glad to see you're settling in nicely!

 

[JohannaK]

Beer is an abomination. Mead is where it's at. Hemp mead I think is the best I had. In Mallorca, which by now is almost like saying Germany.

 

[Phrossack]

Hey! I hope you have a good time in Europe! Enjoy it!

Cause you'll never leave.

Hey, if all goes well I'll return for grad school here if that compares favorably with my American options! I don't really want to go back except for friends, family, and the American wilderness and parks. I've had no culture shock at all, just things like "Huh, these light switches are different." I fit in here better than in America so far. But this is the honeymoon period. It always gets worse, then better, then you go home.

Which alcohol? It is a bit of an acquired taste, but there are different ways of going about it depending on what you're trying to do.

Good on you though, a trip to Germany with no beer drunken would be an abject waste of a trip. Glad to see you're settling in nicely!

I tried a beer, then various wines. Meh. Not really impressed, but I like seeing how alcohol really makes people open up.

Now, I need to try some food at any one of the half-dozen plus Turkish places here.

 

[sophie]

I tried a beer, then various wines. Meh. Not really impressed, but I like seeing how alcohol really makes people open up.

Now, I need to try some food at any one of the half-dozen plus Turkish places here.

Both beer and wine are a combination of sticking with it and experimenting and seeing what you like. It is a bit of an acquired taste - when I first tried wine it tasted absolutely disgusting and I wanted nothing to do with it. But if you stick with it you'll learn to like it. Also both beer and wine vary wildly from type to type. What type of beer did you try? Was it dark or light? Bitter or sweet? Syrupy? Flat? Carbonated? If it was a Hefe or a Blond or Witbier it was probably pretty wheaty and sweet. That type of beer doesn't do anything for me, personally. I like strong hoppy ales with a more bitter taste and maltier stouts that have more chocolatey and coffee notes. It's the same with wine. The obvious first point of differentation is whether you prefer reds or whites. Then within that - which types, even which regions. With both beer and wine it seems overwhelming at first, but the key to truly appreciating them on a level beyond "well it gets me drunk" is to experiment and see what you like. It's sadly common, particularly in the college scene to see people who say they don't like beer and then reveal that the only thing they've really tried is budweiser/pbr/maybe Heineken. When you start trying different things you realize how much variety there is to beer and you start centering on the flavor profiles that you prefer.

So if it was a wheat beer (like a Blue Moon or Fat Tire or the like - a light or yellowish color as opposed to the more golden-amber ales and dark stouts/porters) try an ale or a stout, if it's one of the latter, try the former. My personal experience is that wheaty beers tend to appeal most to people with no experience with beers. They're light and fruity - quite pleasant to drink which makes it more approachable than strong ales which tend to be bitter and overwhelming if you aren't used to the flavor. Stouts also work well - Guinness is often popular among people just getting into beer because it doesn't have a lot of carbonation and the flavors are rather mild. So yeah, just experiment, basically.

Also don't drink any Italian, Spanish, or French beer. It's mostly [feces].

 

[cybrxkhan]

I also love the ready availability of lots of good bread.

Please elaborate! I like me some good bread.

But this is the honeymoon period. It always gets worse, then better, then you go home.

You are wise.

Now, I need to try some food at any one of the half-dozen plus Turkish places here.

REMOVE KEBAB

 

[Hygro]

Honestly when you're first drinking in a get-drunk setting, the most important thing is to figure out the alcohol part before worrying about liking it. Count yer shots and then assess how you did. Find your limits.

 

[Phrossack]

Both beer and wine are a combination of sticking with it and experimenting and seeing what you like. It is a bit of an acquired taste - when I first tried wine it tasted absolutely disgusting and I wanted nothing to do with it. But if you stick with it you'll learn to like it. Also both beer and wine vary wildly from type to type. What type of beer did you try? Was it dark or light? Bitter or sweet? Syrupy? Flat? Carbonated? If it was a Hefe or a Blond or Witbier it was probably pretty wheaty and sweet. That type of beer doesn't do anything for me, personally. I like strong hoppy ales with a more bitter taste and maltier stouts that have more chocolatey and coffee notes. It's the same with wine. The obvious first point of differentation is whether you prefer reds or whites. Then within that - which types, even which regions. With both beer and wine it seems overwhelming at first, but the key to truly appreciating them on a level beyond "well it gets me drunk" is to experiment and see what you like. It's sadly common, particularly in the college scene to see people who say they don't like beer and then reveal that the only thing they've really tried is budweiser/pbr/maybe Heineken. When you start trying different things you realize how much variety there is to beer and you start centering on the flavor profiles that you prefer.

So if it was a wheat beer (like a Blue Moon or Fat Tire or the like - a light or yellowish color as opposed to the more golden-amber ales and dark stouts/porters) try an ale or a stout, if it's one of the latter, try the former. My personal experience is that wheaty beers tend to appeal most to people with no experience with beers. They're light and fruity - quite pleasant to drink which makes it more approachable than strong ales which tend to be bitter and overwhelming if you aren't used to the flavor. Stouts also work well - Guinness is often popular among people just getting into beer because it doesn't have a lot of carbonation and the flavors are rather mild. So yeah, just experiment, basically.

Also don't drink any Italian, Spanish, or French beer. It's mostly [feces].

It was a Sion Kölsch, I believe. I know nothing about it. One thing that might affect my tastes is my strong dislike of carbonation. I never drink soda and never have, except on accident.

Please elaborate! I like me some good bread.

Well, here there are bakeries everywhere, and unlike in my home town, they sell bread rather than frosting-covered desserts. The bread rolls (Brötchen) are quite good and you can usually get them for not much more than 0,35 €/piece, and often for less. Combine them with cold cuts of sausage and some cheese and you have a delicious little sandwich.

You are wise.

Well, this is what the people in charge of the program told us, and it seems sensible. First you're excited by the new situation. Then you start to have class and homesickness and life gets rougher. Then you finally adjust to your new home, only to be made to leave again for your old home, where you're initially happy to be back, only to realize that you miss life abroad. I think that last part will be especially hard, since I fit in here better than at home.

REMOVE KEBAB

Lieber Türk als Pfaff!

No, but if you go to Germany without trying Turkish food, you're doing something wrong.

Honestly when you're first drinking in a get-drunk setting, the most important thing is to figure out the alcohol part before worrying about liking it. Count yer shots and then assess how you did. Find your limits.

I had three third-glass tastings of wine last night and although totally inexperienced, it had little to no effect, so that's good. I generally have to force myself to drink, so I don't think drunkenness will be a problem.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

If you ever use a comma instead of a period to denote fractional amounts again, so help me god I WILL FIND YOU and hurt you.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

I didn't think I'd manage to be able to take notes on a journal article while being in a gay bar, but it happened. This happened after a good meal and two beers at another bar. Last night was the best kind of night: fun with friends and getting some work done while accumulating new experiences.

So if it was a wheat beer (like a Blue Moon or Fat Tire or the like - a light or yellowish color as opposed to the more golden-amber ales and dark stouts/porters)

I thought Fat Tire was an amber ale.

My personal experience is that wheaty beers tend to appeal most to people with no experience with beers. They're light and fruity - quite pleasant to drink which makes it more approachable than strong ales which tend to be bitter and overwhelming if you aren't used to the flavor.

I like both types. What does that make me?

 

[Phrossack]

If you ever use a comma instead of a period to denote fractional amounts again, so help me god I WILL FIND YOU and hurt you.

Hey, man, when in Europe...

 

[Verarde]

Had an amazing spring break road trip. I ended up getting to visit an old friend who I haven't seen in six years.

 

[_random_]

It was a Sion Kölsch, I believe. I know nothing about it. One thing that might affect my tastes is my strong dislike of carbonation. I never drink soda and never have, except on accident.

The first beer I ever really appreciated, and still one of my favorites, is a Golden Ale listed on [uBeer Advocate as a Kolsch, and also mad underrated. But then I've never had any Kolsch marketed as such, so my perception of them may be offbase. And I also drink a ton of pop, so I've developed a tolerance for carbonation you might lack.

What I can't get into is really hoppy beer, like IPAs and APAs and what not. They taste like soap. Any advice on acquiring that taste, Owen?

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Phrossack - I drink myself so I'm not one to be against alcohol.

I just want to say that in my experience, trying to force a 'taste for' booze, any type of booze, is not healthy. I'm not saying avoid anything. I'm pointing out that if you ever feel forced into drinking something you just don't like, then just don't do it. Alcohol being a double-edge sword and all that.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Rave:

This season of house of cards seems to be cutting back on unnecessary plotlines that don't go anywhere. By the end of the last season it almost felt like they were complicating the storyline just for the sake of complication. It got really tedious.

That's not to say that this season is substantially less complex than previous iterations. It's just more focused, which is great.

 

[Arakhor]

Hey, man, when in Europe...

So slash your sevens and call full stops full stops.

 

[The_J]

I think I fixed my statistics.
I feel like dying from stress right now.
phew

And we still have the same biological signal. Not as strong anymore, but good enough.
I'm sort of happy now.

I also love the ready availability of lots of good bread.

That's what I miss in the Netherlands .

 

[Takhisis]

Which alcohol? It is a bit of an acquired taste,

Alcohol is an acquired taste?

Beer is an abomination.

REMOVE KEBAB

Both of those posts are answered by:
Kurva!

If you ever use a comma instead of a period to denote fractional amounts again, so help me god I WILL FIND YOU and hurt you.

When you start using a sensible measurement system we can begin talking.

So slash your sevens and call full stops full stops.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I'd switch the US to metric in a heartbeat if it were my choice. Preaching to the choir here.