Bottoms Up America!
Have a beer on us!!
Here’s a bit of good news for a change, a goodwill gesture from the ‘Limey’s’ to our American friends across the great pond…Bateman’s Beer!
Yes folks, Bateman’s real ale, brewed in my home county has now gone stateside. I’ve talked about Bateman’s beer before when I used to braise beef in their beer, still do as a matter of fact. It’s a fabulous brewery and something the people of my home county should be proud of particularly given it’s recent success at the World Beer Championships.
America has been hosting the World Beer Championships for some years now (1994 I believe) and this year saw Bateman’s do particularly well at the event with two gold medals for their classic XXXB (Triple XB) and the glorious Golden Harvest bitter ale. Bateman’s has only recently rentered the American market and it would seem that they have quickly found favour with America’s beer lovers. Good on them!
So Dave from NYC, it should be avaliable in your local liqour store, have a beer and imagine you’re in Lincolnshire!!
Cheers from across the Atlantic.
As they say, beer is proof that God loves us.
March 25, 2009 @ 12:04 am
Miles,
Oh yes, I must admit to having a bottle or two of Victory Ale after a long day’s work. It’s certainly enough to warm the heart and blur the vision. Great ale!
It’s excellent that they’ve re-established a US market, although as NYC Dave will tell you there is some stiff competition indeed these days. The time of unexciting American lagers is passed (hopefully). Indeed, we’re seeing the likes of Anchor Steam and Sierra Nevada regularly in the UK, the latter of who’s Pale Ale turned my beer world completely upside down, it is that good.
As long as Batemans can eradicate any memory of the filth that was Boddingtons in the minds of international beer drinkers then they are doing their jobs.
Bottoms up, George,
GDave
PS. Annie you clearly worship the same God as me!
March 25, 2009 @ 1:10 am
Beer in America
:
I thought it was all Miller Lite, Coors and Budweiser
I spent a night in an American theme pub once, drank gallons of the stuff and went home sober as a judge !
Nostrovia
Rod
March 25, 2009 @ 8:32 am
>>Oops, I just left my comment on your Batemans post from last year. I followed the link and stayed there! I’ll copy it here. And Rod, many beer drinkers over here agree with you regarding the “lite” version of American beers.
March 25, 2009 @ 12:39 pm
>>I’m not doing well with this commenting thing this morning. Here’s the one I left on the other post.
March 25, 2009 @ 12:40 pm
Miles,
Forgive me for the incessant commenting. I did a cut and paste of the comment I left on your 2008 Batemans post, but it doesn’t show up here (I tried twice and will give up). No time to rewrite it.
Melissa
March 25, 2009 @ 12:43 pm
Unfortunately, beer isn’t sold in liquor stores in NY. Groceries and little bodegas sell beer, at outrageous prices - GD’s Sierra Nevada pale ale will sell for upwards of $12 / six pack. NJ however is different, all alcohol is sold in liquor stores - one of whom which I have a very good relationship - I will be drinking Batemans within a week after I call - SWEET!
Rod,
“an American themed pub” ???? I can’t imagine - nor do I think I want to try. We have quite a few good beers here, they just rarely make it over the pond - and I must admit - almost all have come into existence in the last 15 - 20 years. Mercifully, NYC is filled with great bars and tons of Irish pubs - but you are still very limited in your beer selection. It takes a special search to find a real selection other than sitting in an ethnic restaurant’s bar and drinking the home brew.
A couple of favorites:
DBA - a shrine to beer and all alcohol - even have some hand drawn taps (extraordinarily rare in the states)
http://www.drinkgoodstuff.com/ny/default.asp
check out their other alcohol selections - truly staggering - and have staggered me on many occasions.
and a place called Otherroom http://www.theotheroom.com/
off the beaten path, beer and wine only, and very comfy - can’t sit on a hard barstool for 8 hours anymore.
Both of these places will get Bateman’s just because it is available and their reputations would suffer if they didn’t.
But, as big a proponent of some of the great NYC bars as I am - I have never been anywhere near as cool as a pub in Surrey in my brother - in - law’s home town of Guildford. Dirt floors, low ceilings, and known to have been a pub for 800 years - sorry we can’t compete - that’s just too cool.
Wow, I went all over the place with this one - sorry Miles.
March 25, 2009 @ 1:27 pm
“Ahhh beer. The cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems.” Homer Simpson
March 25, 2009 @ 1:31 pm
G.Dave,
‘Eradicate Boddingtons from the memory’-fair point but I’d still hold on to the image of Melanie Sykes holding a pint of the stuff
Miles
March 25, 2009 @ 4:06 pm
Melissa,
Stay off the beer!!
Miles
March 25, 2009 @ 4:07 pm
Dave,
Didn’t know that, I thought a liquor store was American for our ‘Off Licence’, that’s a new one on me!
A great comment mate, thanks for the links. We’ve got some great pubs over here but too many are closing at an alarming rate. It’s very sad.
Miles
March 25, 2009 @ 4:10 pm
Yeah, I know — I’m out of my league. I’ll be back when you do a dessert post.
March 25, 2009 @ 4:14 pm