We're really sorry down here, honest.

[xscotto]

On behalf of the United States of America, I'd like to formally apologize to the proud nation of Canada and all it's citizens for our recent take-over of the Molson brewing company. Man, I'm really sorry.

I sincerely hope we don't screw up your beer as badly as we've screwed up our own. That basically all boils down to corporate greed. God knows we did a number on the National Hockey League- if we hadn't tought those Canadians the American trait of greed, there'd be hockey on right now.

So to summerize, sorry about screwing up your national beer, sorry about screwing up your national sport, so please don't hate us too much- but we'd certainly understand if you do. We're not all bad, honest.

Sincerely,
A Concerned American.

[fretlessman71]

Understand, however, that the Canadian shareholders of Molson didn't have to approve this merger - and they weren't going to, at first. It was when someone waved a bunch of money in their direction that they finally agreed. So please remember that the Americans don't have the market cornered on greed (although we're pretty dang good at it!).

[newportstorm]

Dear Canada,

I don't drink Coors. I don't drink Molson. They both suck. Sorry. They do. If you want to be pissed - go ahead. Toss snowballs over the border if you like. But be pissed at the right people - Molson shareholders who approved the deal in the first place - many of whom are not American.

I hope "your" beer doesn't change (not sure what that really means, as it's available here). I assume by "our own" beer, my countryman is referring to A-B, Miller and Coors products (among others). Again, I don't consider it "my" beer as you'll rarely (if ever) see it in my fridge. My beer is brewed by craft brewers, has flavor, character, etc.

Sorry, there is no hockey - OK, I really don't care but I'm really trying here. I guess you could turn off the TV and lace up the skates yourself - good idea, lest you end up like all us disgustingly obese Americans.

I'll "apologize" if you apologize for the likes of the CFL (yawn!), Avril Lavigne, Sleeman beer and rude tourists in New England, eh. Deal? :p

Cheers!

[steveh]

Originally posted by newportstorm
- many of whom are not American.

I thought Canada was part of this continent? :eek:

S.

[chazwicke]

I'm staying out of this one.:eek:

[fretlessman71]

Just like an american to skirt the issue.

[fretlessman71]

;)

[xscotto]

I should now add that I started this thread with humorous intentions, so please don't take my "apology" too seriously.

...And yes, by "our beer" I did mean the big corporate American bahstard beers. I'm a homebrewer and a craft beer snob at heart. Many of my favorite beers are American. On the tiny little craft beer level, the most interesting beers in the world probably are American.

Scott
(sincere fan of craft beer AND the NHL.)

[Jake]

What is the big deal about salary caps? The NFL & NBA have them and no one seems to be having a problem with it.

[chazwicke]

Well I know some British cask ales and a German rauch or two that are right at the top of my list. But American craft beers are certainly what most of here are all about. But...If I could live in the UK and enjoy beer on cak and in a cozy pub, it would be a tough choice. We all just like great beer. No matter where it comes from.

[newportstorm]

Originally posted by steveh
I thought Canada was part of this continent?

We're talking nationalityhere, not geography....wise guy! :p

[fretlessman71]

Yeah - as evidenced by all of the "americans" who regularly sneak over the border into CA and TX. ;)

[Stodbrew]

Whats this thread all aboot, anyway, eh? :p

[fretlessman71]

The Canadians will get their hockey back when they're able to convince the players that they're just too damned greedy. There, I've said it. See you at the rinks in 2007... :rolleyes:

[wortchillergoal]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
The Canadians will get their hockey back when they're able to convince the players that they're just too damned greedy. There, I've said it. See you at the rinks in 2007... :rolleyes:

And the owners admit that they taught them to be that way.

Both sides are at fault. For you guys bad mouthing hockey, let's just say I'am a wrappin some new tape on my sticks just for you.

Then we can go have a beer and talk about somethnig else.

[chazwicke]

I have said nothing bad about Hockey. But if I did, Please send the 81 year old after me!:D

[fretlessman71]

Something tells me that if there's an 81-year-old playing hockey, he's going to be a lot tougher than you're giving him credit for! ;)

[chazwicke]

I'm sure he is tougher than me. He plays with Wort.

[fretlessman71]

Wort, we need a pic of this guy! Does he like your beer, BTW?

[Fly Creek]

IMHO, the best hockey continues uninterrupted. Check out any college game from Minnesota to Maine. :)

I'm not a big fan of the fights...

[fretlessman71]

And for that matter, the minor league still churns on - while I was away in TN a team moved to my home town, the Colorado Eagles. And they're terrific! But I can see the difference between these guys and the NHL in terms of skill... it basically comes down to good passing, AND good reception of a pass. Wort (or anyone else who plays), do you have some perspective on this?

[fretlessman71]

Here's my team, BTW: http://www1.infinitydesign.net/virtual/coloradoeagles.com/www/

[chazwicke]

All sports suffer because of the $$ and also the "prima donna" attitudes.

[wortchillergoal]

Originally posted by Fly Creek
IMHO, the best hockey continues uninterrupted. Check out any college game from Minnesota to Maine. :)

I'm not a big fan of the fights...

Amen to that thought.I have several colleges in the area that have good programs. So I get see plenty of good hockey.

The 81 year old looks about 63. He played minor pro and still is one of the smoothest skaters on the ice. The young guys can catch him but can't take the puck from him for his moves.

He is not a beer drinker.

[xscotto]

Yes, there is something to be said about minor league hockey. The Colorado Eagles came here and played our Austin Ice Bats and lived up to their reputation. Can't remember the final, but the Eagles took it.

So when you say this guy you know who plays ice hockey is 81 years old, he really is 81? No sarcasm or anything? That's pretty amazing if it's true. This guy must be another Jack La Lanne or something. I played roller hockey at age 37 and it almost killed me. (That's when I took up homebrewing as a hobby.)

[wortchillergoal]

Yes, he is indeed 81. Like I said, he looks in his 60s. He played monor pro and has coontinued to keep skating.

As far as old guys playing hockey, you should checl out Snoopy's arena's website. They hold a 70 plus tourny and get like 4 to 6 teams each time they do.

Besides college hockey, we also have the AHL Syr. Crunch. They are not having a good year though. It seems that one year they are on fire and the next nothing.

[zoom6zoom]

As far as I'm concerned, major league hockey started going downhill when they started allowing expansion teams in cities where you can't skate on the ponds in the winter...

[fretlessman71]

Yeah, but that would rule out Denver for most of the winter!

[Jake]

Originally posted by zoom6zoom
As far as I'm concerned, major league hockey started going downhill when they started allowing expansion teams in cities where you can't skate on the ponds in the winter...

Actually that showed how popular hockey was becoming, being able to support a NHL team in places were people normally don't play hockey.

[fretlessman71]

Yes, but did that dilute the talent pool a little bit? It's sort of like anything that gets to be a big seller - almost invariably the quality tends to go down as production goes up, with only rare exceptions...

[chazwicke]

Does that happen with beer too?

[fretlessman71]

I believe you're right - case in point, Pete's Wlcked Ale.

[chazwicke]

Agreed, and there are others too.

[fretlessman71]

How about Boulder beer from 25 years ago when they were wonderful? They took a serious turn for the worse when the late '80s came around...

[chazwicke]

They were an early micro and the label had the Flat Irons on them. I liked them. They were a great option back then. Then all of a sudden they disappeared from the scene here.

[fretlessman71]

For good reason, too... their beer started sucking dirty dishwater pretty hard. Not sure what happened - maybe they got too big too fast - but it's taken them a long time to put their name on the map again. And here they are with a bunch of pretty good beers again. I enjoy their Planet Porter, Singletrack Ale, Never Summer Ale, and Hazed & Infused. Also got a Mojo IPA in that same mixer sixer I spoke of earlier. The rest of the beers are for Grog - got a trade going on for some porters I can't get otherwise! :)

[chazwicke]

Well I've got St. Georges Porter and Otter Creek Stovepipe Porter for you so far and I'm headed out right now to two other paint stores to look for Legend and a couple of others.

[fretlessman71]

Do you mean this one, (http://beeradvocate.com/beer/rate_results/746/2288/) and this one? (http://beeradvocate.com/beer/rate_results/119/431/)

[chazwicke]

No on the first and yes on the 2nd
Saint Georges is brewed in Virginia. Look up Legend from Richmond. at one time it was a sensational porter but has suffered over the past decade. (Sorry Brad and new brewer).

[fretlessman71]

Found it on RateBeer! http://ratebeer.com/Beer/st.-george-porter/7070/

[chazwicke]

I just got home with a bottle of Santa's Butt, Yards General Washington Tavern Porter, Legend, and Eel River Organic Porter. So add the St. Geroges and the Otter Creek and that's six more for your list. I'll package them up this week.

[fretlessman71]

A wonderfully generous gesture - a thousand thank yous!

But I wish you had checked your PMs first...... :(

[chazwicke]

Pass quietly into the night. Sorry!!

[fretlessman71]

No worries. I gave you a return headache trying to chase me down for my 5000th, I see.... :)

[chazwicke]

;)

[iambeer]

No need to apologize, Molson has already srewed up Canadian beer, long before Coors merger. We still got Agassiz's Catfish.

[fretlessman71]

Wondered when you were going to pipe up! Saw your name at the top of the community page as the "newest member" a while ago. Welcome to the board, iambeer! :)

[fretlessman71]

Oh, yeah - since you seem to know, is there a single Molson product worth drinking at all?

[iambeer]

Thanks for the welcome. Two Molson products, that I have fondness for are Molson Golden and Molson Stock Ale.

[fretlessman71]

I wonder if we'll start to see more Molson products here in CO now that Coors owns them. The Stock Ale sounds interesting.

[iambeer]

Gossip is that. thats what the execs drink at head office? My guess is that you probably will see more Molson products. We will probably see more Coors beers up here anything I should watch for, don't like the silver bullet.

[fretlessman71]

Yes... watch out for all of them. They're all terrible. Especially the Silver Mullet. :rolleyes:

[chazwicke]

Take heed in that warning. And, welcome to the board.

[rogue]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
Oh, yeah - since you seem to know, is there a single Molson product worth drinking at all?


Quite simply put...NO!!!

Although I am a transplant, I now live in Ontario, Canada.

Like most nations, most of the regular commercial beer is all pretty pathetic.There are very few exceptions, such as the Wellington brewery beers.

The Molson/Coors merger won't have any affect on me one way or the other.

[fretlessman71]

Never had any Wellington - I'll bet it doesn't cross the border... or if it does, not very far....

[chazwicke]

I think Wellington might well have been an offshoot of British brewer. Does anyone know?

[rogue]

Here is a link to their website, if anyone cares to check it out.

http://www.wellingtonbrewery.ca/index.php

[newportstorm]

Thanks for the link. Had never heard of them. Some respectable scores for most of the line-up:

Pip-pip, Cheerio, ay? (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/review/618/)

Cheers!

[chazwicke]

Thanks for the links. I'll look for this next time I'm in up there. I noticed one of their beers was Called Arkell Bitter. I have been to the Arkells Brewery in England.

[grainbrew]

I have say that I've always considered moslon products to be terrible. For years now, I have only been drinking local microbrews or imports such as the Fuller's London Pride or Porter.

Not a fan of american or canadian macros.

J

[chazwicke]

Agreed!

[fretlessman71]

And their stock ale is nothing to write home about?

[unkle bik]

Originally posted by fretlessman71
And their stock ale is nothing to write home about?

For a macro, Stock ale is a pretty decent product.
More body and hop flavor than the Export they send over here.
Wish we could get Stock.

[chazwicke]

Do they still make Brador?

[fretlessman71]

It's nowhere on the website. Maybe they ditched it...

[chazwicke]

Probably a good thing. Or we might be seeing Canadians hanging around on the street drinking 40s of it from paper bags.

[fretlessman71]

Don't they already do that with Olde English 800? ;)

[chazwicke]

I HATED the DFH Liquer De Malt. Hated it! Probably reminded me of my early beer drinking days when Schlitz Malt Liquor topped the bill.

[fretlessman71]

There are those of us who have nostalgia for those days, chaz... and there are those of us who grew up instead. :D

[chazwicke]

I am telling ya. I hated that beer. I still have 2 bottles in the pantry at the beach. I could not drink it. I know it was brewed tongue in cheek but I'm sorry, It was awful.

[fretlessman71]

So send me one when we do another swap! I'll be more than willing to tell everyone how much I hate it, too... :)

[chazwicke]

I was actually gonna send some to Hopjack I think but the screw on bottletops leak. I don't think they would travel. Maybe I'll bring them in October.

[iambeer]

Yes they still make Brador.

[fretlessman71]

Then you have to get some to trade with Chaz - I'll bet he's dying for some! :D

[chazwicke]

I was gonna send it to you wise guy! The last Malt Liquor I tried was DFH Liquor De Malt. I poured it out. YUCK!!! Too many bad memories of the olden days - pre 1978.

[Derosa]

Originally posted by newportstorm

I'll "apologize" if you apologize for the likes of the CFL (yawn!), Avril Lavigne, Sleeman beer and rude tourists in New England, eh. Deal? :p

Cheers!

April Lavigne (Yes, April not Avril), that Sleeman crap, fine. The CFL? Not a chance. There can't possibly be a more yawn inducing football league than the Nationdull Footbore whatchamacallit. College football ... that's a great game however.

I hate Molsons and could care less if it vanished off the face of the Earth tomorrow.

[chazwicke]

Welcome to the board. Tell us about BC breweries.