Is That Legal?

Eric,

In case you haven't been there yet, there's a relatively new place in Carrboro, Milltown, (right across from the Art Center) that has an amazing beer menu including some of the best Belgian monk-brewed ales I've ever tasted.

Try a pint of Delerium Tremens (that's really the name); it's very pricey but well worth it.

Barry

ELM: Thanks, Barry!

Do you mean Moenchshof Kellerbier, Eric?

ELM: Yes, I believe I do. Actually, I intended to put in an umlaut over the first "o," but was too lazy. I blame the beer.

A good cherry lambic makes an great holiday treat. Timmermann's is pretty widely available, and a fantastic way to give a newcomer an idea of just how broad the spectrum of beer flavors really is.

Also, Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale, which is always good but varies a bit in flavor from year to year is especially good this year. Shelton Brothers Bad Elf ale is also worth trying ( http://www.sheltonbrothers.com/beers/beerProfile.asp?BeerID=111 ). They also brew "Very Bad Elf" (7.5% alc. by volume) and "Seriously Bad Elf" (9.0% alc. by volume), but I find both a bit cloying. The "Seriously Bad" has been banned in some jurisdictions because it portrays Santa Claus on the lable in violation of some state booze-labelling laws.

Thanks for the tip - I was at Walmart just yesterday, and bought a few bottles - 68 cents, plus 8 cent deposit per bottle. Of course, this was a Walmart in Germany - this is one of my last chances to buy a couple of American products (Swiss Miss hot chocolate especially - nobody in Germany can imagine making hot chocolate using hot water - milk is always used at home here), as Walmart is leaving Germany, in part because of massive losses, and in part because the German courts have not allowed Walmart to regulate their employees' lives outside of working hours. Yes, German Walmart employees actually have the right to not smile and to have romantic relationships with other Walmart employees, regardless of what Walmart thinks. (And Walmart made itself look absolutely stupid by actually appealing that hopeless case to the Labor Court of Appeals.)

A very decent beer, for American tastes - more sweet than bitter, and not 'heavy' - that is, drinking when thirsty is imaginable as a pleasant experience.

Generally, most Germans are not big fans of such beer. Coming from a Bavarian brewer, which has its own tastes in many ways, this is not a great surprise.

If you ever have the chance, try Hoepfner's 'Goldköpfle' (Gold Head, literally, though the 'Köpfle' is a diminutive form of 'Kopf') - no idea if this beer is exported. This is the beer that Budweiser would brew for drinking throughout America, if they knew how to brew beer. Any brewing company that proudly proclaims on the label about using rice and corn has already shown their understanding of beer brewing for the entire world to see.

I give Budweiser credit for being so upfront, though - it leaves no room for discussion as to why Budweiser has an aftertaste of cornflakes.