Food and drink: Low and Non alcoholic beers… June 30, 2018
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Uncategorized.trackback
Along with vegetarian non-meat substitutes I’m a sucker for non-alcoholic beers. I drink the real thing but I’m always fascinated by the efforts to develop non-alcoholic substitutes.
And, got to say, from Guinness, their Pure Brew is pretty good. Erdinger I always find a bit cardboard like. Mind you, there’s a good 0.0% alcohol lager in cans in Tesco which is very inexpensive and is excellent.
Though this brings back unpleasant memories:
This isn’t Diageo’s first foray into the world of non-alcoholic beers. Last year it introduced Guinness Zero in Indonesia, although the stout is not expected to be made available in Ireland.
It was also behind Kaliber, which launched in 1986.
Kaliber – shudder.
Still, that doesn’t address the low-alcohol beers, that is ones from 2.5% to 3%. Is Guinness Mid-Strength which was 2.8% proof, and on tap in some pubs a while back, still on the go? I never see it anywhere.
Heineken have Heineken Light at 3%, which I’ve not tried. Is it any good?
Interesting stat in the linked article above that numbers drinking have dropped by 25% since the early 2000s.
The Cedar Lounge Revolution 
https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/opinion/ireland-should-quit-customs-union-to-avoid-a-hard-border-1-8551603
Irrelevant to this thread, but worth hijacking nonetheless: Ray Basset is openly advocating that Ireland leave the Customs Union and join EEA/EFTA to avoid a hard border.
In fact, he notes that Ireland would also have to form a customs union with Britain to avoid a border.
This implies formal political integration, he might have something like the old Russia-Tatarstan association agreement in mind.
Here, Ireland would give some of its sovereign prerogatives to the British state and would sends MPs, but remains it’s own sovereign state. There would also likely some kind of senate drawn from across These Isles.
To emphasise, this is a federal relationship in principle, not devolved one. Ray Basset will likely be careful to emphasise this point when he writes a paper for Policy Exchange advocating this idea.
Still, Republicans should bear in mind the fate of the Republic of Tatarstan: it had its autonomy chipped away to the point where the Tatar language can only be taught for two hours a week in schools.
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Yeah, Bassett is quite the guy. I have to say I’d be mildly persuaded in that direction if the UK was to go for EEA/EFTA status just as a means of retaining the status quo. But seeing as that’s not an option for the UK govt (or Bassett) difficult to see what the advantage would be. As well as which there’s the issue of the single market which arguably is more important. How would the ROI and UK integrate with one in and one outside the SM?
I also think you’re 100% right, that such an association would be to the detriment of this state.
Just on one point he makes in the piece:
“Once the UK regains control of its maritime resources, other EU countries will be looking at enhanced quotas off Ireland as compensation.”
He seems a bit misinformed. There are rights that have accrued to other EU states simply by dint of the fishing treaties and agreements in the last half century. If he seriously thinks they will be rolled back he’s in for a big surprise.
This too is weird:
“Ireland is situated in the middle of anglophone North Atlantic countries, with the UK to the east and Canada to the west. It will be separated from the rest of the EU, not only by water but also by the UK. Geographically, historically and linguistically it will be an oddity in the EU. If a free trade area is established by the USA, Canada and the UK, it would be a much more natural fit for Ireland, than to be left as a small English-speaking State on the periphery of a centralising EU Superstate.”
Linguistically an oddity in the EU? More so than Portugal or Greece? Isn’t that unbelievably parochial? And the USA/Canada/UK FTA seems like complete moonshine in an era of Trump.
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Relevant to this thread, St. Pauli Girl NA is by far the best NA around, Bucklers isn’t bad and being a Budweiser man O’Douls was the standard.
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Interesting, when I’m next in the US must try it. Tho since I haven’t been since 2002!
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Lidl are selling a nice 2% Radler at the moment. It’s tasty stuff, especially for €1.
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Cheers, will check it out
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