Dave's Free Press: Journal
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal
violence, pornography, and rude words for the web generationen-us2011-04-23T23:20:58Z Giving up sobriety for Lent 2011: final week, week 7
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--week-7
The <a href=/david/religion>Church of Greg</a>'s School of Experimental Theology has noted that followers of <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting>lesser faiths</a> claim to get spiritual benefits from giving up things that their deity disapproves of, such as fun and tasty food. Greg disapproves of being a po-faced teetotal git, so as an experiment this year observant Greggists are giving up sobriety.<p><table> <tr> <td valign=top align=center> Day 35: Mon 18 Apr<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--whitstable.jpg><br> Shepherd Neame<br>Whistable Bay ale </td> <td valign=top align=center> Day 36: Tue 19 Apr<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--oranjeboom.jpg><br> Oranjeboom </td> <td valign=top align=center> Day 37: Wed 20 Apr<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--tyskie.jpg><br> Tyskie </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign=top align=center> Day 38: Thu 21 Apr<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--fursty-ferret.jpg><br> Badger Brewery<br>Fursty Ferret </td> <td valign=top align=center> Day 39: Fri 22 Apr<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--3.58.jpg><br> Scotch Malt Whisky Society<br>cask no 3.58<br>11y.o. Bowmore, 59.3% </td> <td valign=top align=center> Day 40: Sat 23 Apr<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--m-and-s-ipa.jpg><br> M&S Cornish IPA<br>brewed by the<br>St. Austell brewery </td> </tr></table><p>Oranjeboom: the beer with the name that sounds like it tastes. Being Dutch, its name sounds like someone spitting. 2011-04-23T23:20:58Z Giving up sobriety for Lent 2011: week 6
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--week-6
The <a href=/david/religion>Church of Greg</a>'s School of Experimental Theology has noted that followers of <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting>lesser faiths</a> claim to get spiritual benefits from giving up things that their deity disapproves of, such as fun and tasty food. Greg disapproves of being a po-faced teetotal git, so as an experiment this year observant Greggists are giving up sobriety.<p><table> <tr> <td valign=top align=center> Day 29: Mon 11 Apr<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--sharps-atlantic-ipa.jpg><br> Sharp's Atlantic IPA </td> <td valign=top align=center> Day 30: Tue 12 Apr<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--tusker.jpg><br> Tusker Kenyan lager </td> <td valign=top align=center> Day 31: Wed 13 Apr<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--dragon-stout.jpg><br> Dragon Stout </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign=top align=center> Day 32: Thu 14 Apr<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--guinness-foreign-extra-stout.jpg><br> Guinness Foreign<br>Extra Stout </td> <td valign=top align=center> Day 33: Fri 15 Apr<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--carr-taylor-apricot-wine.jpg><br> <a href=http://www.carr-taylor.co.uk/>Carr Taylor</a><br>apricot wine </td> <td valign=top align=center> Day 34: Sat 16 Apr<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--tanglefoot.jpg><br> Tanglefoot </td> </tr></table><p>Does Tusker taste of elephant piss? Dunno, I've never knowingly drunk elephant piss. 2011-04-16T21:28:17Z Giving up sobriety for Lent 2011: week 5
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--week-5
The <a href=/david/religion>Church of Greg</a>'s School of Experimental Theology has noted that followers of <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting>lesser faiths</a> claim to get spiritual benefits from giving up things that their deity disapproves of, such as fun and tasty food. Greg disapproves of being a po-faced teetotal git, so as an experiment this year observant Greggists are giving up sobriety.<p><table> <tr> <td valign=top align=center> Day 23: Mon 4 Apr<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--grolsch-weizen.jpg><br> Grolsch Weizen </td> <td valign=top align=center> Day 24: Tue 5 Apr<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--guinness.jpg><br> <font color=green><strong>A point o' the<br>black stoff</strong></font> </td> <td valign=top align=center> Day 25: Wed 6 Apr<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--kirsch.jpg><br> Kirsch </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign=top align=center> Day 26: Thu 7 Apr<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--stinger.jpg><br> Badger Brewery<br>"Stinger" nettle ale </td> <td valign=top align=center> Day 27: Fri 8 Apr<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--bombay-sapphire.jpg><br> Gin, no tonic<br>Bombay Sapphire </td> <td valign=top align=center> Day 28: Sat 9 Apr<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--hannibals-nectar.jpg><br> <a href=http://www.frederic-robinson.co.uk/beers/seasonal.html>Hannibal's Nectar</a> </td> </tr></table><p>As you can see, I have now drunk all the decent beer in my <a href=http://london.randomness.org.uk/wiki.cgi?Balham_Bowls_Club,_SW12_8QX>Monday pub</a>. I would have had something delicious from Sharps's brewery, but some bastard had drunk it all before I got there. 2011-04-09T19:06:58Z Giving up sobriety for Lent 2011: week 4
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--week-4
The <a href=/david/religion>Church of Greg</a>'s School of Experimental Theology has noted that followers of <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting>lesser faiths</a> claim to get spiritual benefits from giving up things that their deity disapproves of, such as fun and tasty food. Greg disapproves of being a po-faced teetotal git, so as an experiment this year observant Greggists are giving up sobriety.<p><table> <tr> <td valign=top align=center> Day 17: Mon 28 Mar<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--purity-ubu.jpg><br> UBU, from the<br><a href=http://www.puritybrewing.com/>Purity Brewing Company</a> </td> <td valign=top align=center> Day 18: Tue 29 Mar<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--master-brew.jpg><br> Shepherd Neame<br>Master Brew </td> <td valign=top align=center> Day 19: Wed 30 Mar<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--aquavit.jpg><br> Weird Swedish Schnapps </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign=top align=center> Day 20: Thu 31 Mar<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--heineken.jpg><br> Heineken </td> <td valign=top align=center> Day 21: Fri 1 Apr<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--pear-and-strawberry-cider.jpg><br> Pear and strawberry "cider" </td> <td valign=top align=center> Day 22: Sat 2 Apr<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--harveys-old-ale.jpg><br> Harveys Old Ale </td> </tr></table><p>"Bäska Droppar" is Scandiwegian for "moose piss and paraffin cocktail". 2011-04-02T20:59:43Z Giving up sobriety for Lent 2011: week 3
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--week-3
The <a href=/david/religion>Church of Greg</a>'s School of Experimental Theology has noted that followers of <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting>lesser faiths</a> claim to get spiritual benefits from giving up things that their deity disapproves of, such as fun and tasty food. Greg disapproves of being a po-faced teetotal git, so as an experiment this year observant Greggists are giving up sobriety.<p><table> <tr> <td align=center> Day 11: Mon 21 Mar<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--adnams-lighthouse.jpg><br> Adnams Lighthouse </td> <td align=center> Day 12: Tue 22 Mar<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--spitfire.jpg><br> Shepherd Neame Spitfire </td> <td align=center> Day 13: Wed 23 Mar<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--sloe-brandy.jpg><br> Sloe brandy </td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center> Day 14: Thu 24 Mar<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--black-cherry-liqueur.jpg><br> Black cherry liqueur </td> <td align=center> Day 15: Fri 25 Mar<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--speckled-hen.jpg><br> Old Speckled Hen </td> <td align=center> Day 16: Sat 26 Mar<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--asahi.jpg><br> Asahi </td> </tr></table><p>I like to think that Dr. Samuel Johnson would approve of the DVD sitting on top of his fine dictionary (in which "sausage" is mis-sorted). 2011-03-26T20:07:07Z Giving up sobriety for Lent 2011: week 2
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--week-2
The <a href=/david/religion>Church of Greg</a>'s School of Experimental Theology has noted that followers of <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting>lesser faiths</a> claim to get spiritual benefits from giving up things that their deity disapproves of, such as fun and tasty food. Greg disapproves of being a po-faced teetotal git, so as an experiment this year observant Greggists are giving up sobriety.<p><table> <tr> <td align=center> Day 5: Mon 14 Mar<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--ruddy-ram.jpg><br> Black Sheep Ruddy Ram </td> <td align=center> Day 6: Tue 15 Mar<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--kents-best.jpg><br> Shepherd Neame Kent's Best </td> <td align=center> Day 7: Wed 16 Mar<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--ginger-wine.jpg><br> just a little ginger wine :-) </td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center> Day 8: Thu 17 Mar<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--jamesons.jpg><br> Jameson's whiskey </td> <td align=center> Day 9: Fri 18 Mar<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--chiswick-bitter.jpg><br> Fuller's Chiswick Bitter </td> <td align=center> Day 10: Sat 19 Mar<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--whisky-toddy.jpg><br> Whisky toddy, made with Glenlivet </td> </tr></table><p>Those with sharp eyes will note that in the background of the picture of the whisky toddy, nestled in between Shakespeare and Whitman, are copies of Winnie The Pooh and The House At Pooh Corner, or, as they're called in the original Latin, <em><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/014015339X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dasfrpr-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=014015339X">Winnie Ille Pu</a></em> and <em><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1405205644/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dasfrpr-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=1405205644">Domus Anguli Puensis</a></em>. I recommend them. 2011-03-19T22:20:22Z Giving up sobriety for Lent 2011: week 1
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--week-1
The <a href=/david/religion>Church of Greg</a>'s School of Experimental Theology has noted that followers of <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting>lesser faiths</a> claim to get spiritual benefits from giving up things that their deity disapproves of, such as fun and tasty food. Greg disapproves of being a po-faced teetotal git, so as an experiment this year observant Greggists are giving up sobriety.<p><table> <tr> <td align=center> Day 1: Wed 9 Mar<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--cider-brandy.jpg><br> Cider brandy </td> <td align=center> Day 2: Thu 10 Mar<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--myrtle-gin.jpg><br> Myrtle gin </td> <td align=center> Day 3: Fri 11 Mar<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--bengal-lancer.jpg><br> Fuller's Bengal Lancer </td> <td align=center> Day 4: Sat 12 Mar<br> <img src=/david/journal/images/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent--warm-sake.jpg><br> Sake. Hakushika Nama. Hot. </td> </tr></table><p>To follow the excitement, add <a href=http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/giving-up-sobriety-for-lent*/format/rss>this</a> to your RSS reader. 2011-03-12T19:13:46Z Whisky vs Whiskey: a style guide:
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/whisky-vs-whiskey
The booze columnist for the New York Times recently made a <a href=http://thepour.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/whiskey-versus-whisky/>frightful error</a>. But to give credit where credit is due, he then <a href=http://thepour.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/09/for-whiskey-everything-in-its-place/>Did The Right Thing</a> and got his editors to correct their style guide. However, while the new style guide is better than the previous one, it's still wrong. The rules for when to spell it <em>whisky</em> or <em>whiskey</em> are as follows:<p><ul> <li>Malt never has an 'e', <em>unless</em> made in Ireland or the US, in which case it always does; <li>Everything else always has an 'e', <em>unless</em> it's Canadian or a Scottish blend, in which case it never does.</ul><p>"Citation needed!" I hear you cry!<p>Very well! A citation you shall have! Stroll leisurely over to your drinks cabinet, and from it extract bottles of Amrut (a single malt from India) and Yamazaki (a single malt from Japan). Notice how they spell 'whisky' - without an e. Then visit one of your friends who lacks taste, and examine his bottle of Famous Grouse. That too has no e. Now, look at your bottles of Jameson's, Knob Creek and Blanton's. They all spell it 'whiskey'. Finally, look at the website for that rare bird, the <a href=http://clearcreekdistillery.com/products.html>American single malt</a>, and also at one for <a href=http://www.glenoradistillery.com/glenbreton.htm>a Canadian single malt</a>. Notice that the American distillery uses an e, where the Canadian one doesn't.<p>Thankyou for your attention. 2009-02-11T20:43:58Z Pub closures
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/pub-closures
<a href=http://www.camra.org.uk/>CAMRA</a> will tell you that 30-odd pubs close every week, and that this is a terrible thing. What they don't tell you is how many of those pubs are like <a href=http://planning.croydon.gov.uk/DCWebPages/AcolNetCGI.gov?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeResultDetail&TheSystemkey=119344>this one</a>, which the owners want to demolish. The Parchmore Tavern is at the top of my road, and has been a crappy pub for all the time I've lived here. The beer was bad, it was dirty, and it didn't attract a particularly pleasant crowd. I suppose it's a bit similar in that respect to the Fountain Head nearby which has also closed - indifferent beer (although better than at the Parchmore), could do with a clean, and not very welcoming.<p>I'm glad to see the back of pubs like that. They obviously closed because they couldn't compete with the other local boozers - of which one is excellent, two are good, and one is merely OK but does good business because of is location.<p>Your typical CAMRA member would at this point pipe up and say "the pubs were profitable and have only been closed so they can be turned into flats by an eeeeeevil developer!". He would be wrong, of course. Developers aren't building a damned thing these days :-)<p>Oh, and another thing CAMRA people don't say so much about is how many pubs are <em>opening</em>. Probably not as many as 30, and no doubt lots of them are the sort of pub that CAMRA disapprove of, but the situation is nowhere near as bad as they like to make out. 2009-01-13T20:56:48Z New Cocktail: the Caipiranha
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/new-cocktail
I have invented a new cocktail. It is based on my favourite cocktail, the caipirinha, which consists of cachaça, limes, and sugar, with ice. The Caipiranha is exactly the same, but with the addition of live fish. Truly adventurous drinkers will use piranhas. However, for beginners I recommend starting with a couple of neon tetras per glass and working your way up. 2008-08-25T15:50:05Z Mulled cider
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/mulled-cider
To half a gallon of strong sweet cider, add half a lemon, half an orange (both chopped into tiny bits, as unto those who are naughty in the lord's sight), some sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, and simmer for a couple of minutes. 2007-12-26T00:54:53Z Queen's Christmas Speech Drinking Game
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/queens-christmas-speech-drinking-game
<strong>Drink whenever she:</strong><ul> <li>says "my family" or "I"; <li>says anything fatuous; <li>mentions the country</ul> 2007-12-23T14:21:46Z Halloween
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/halloween
Total number of small children who came round trick or treating this evening: zero.<p>This is most unfortunate, as it means I didn't manage to get rid of any of the cans of vile lager left over from when I had a visitor a few weeks ago. 2007-10-31T22:45:02Z Cider duty exemption
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/cider-duty-exemption
Small cider producers are exempt from paying duty on their booze, something which is vital to the survival of many of our hundreds of small cider producers. Moves are afoot to re-examine this exemption, and possibly scrap it. If this happens, it will mean the end for many small-scale producers and the consequent loss of many unique brews. There is <a href=http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/CiderExemption/>a petition</a> on the PM's webshite, asking him to ensure that they can continue brewing. I strongly urge all of my UK readers to sign up. 2007-07-14T19:55:43Z A brilliant idea
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/meat-flavoured-booze
I have had a brilliant idea.<p>Take a bottle of gin. Drink half of it. Then fill the bottle with biltong. Let it sit for a coupla weeks, pour through a coffee filter into another bottle, and you have meat-flavoured booze! And alcoholic meat! Huzzah! 2007-04-16T19:45:19Z Ministry of Truth
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/ministry-of-truth
The Minister of Truth, he say "never mind the previous drunken babbling, it was never here". Look! <a href=http://www.icanhascheezburger.com/2007/02/27/im-in-ur-cupz/>Kittens!</a> 2007-03-11T16:02:37Z Precision
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/precision
Today I was at precisely 0°0'0". Greenwich is cool. I yelled very loudly "THE WORLD IS MEASURED FROM HERE". Aside from the museums, it is teeming with fine pubs, at which I got very precisely tipsy. 2006-09-10T22:19:19Z An etiquette question
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/etiquette-question
When one goes to a restaurant and finds that one's neighbour is one of the waiters, what should one do? I got drunk (well, <em>more</em> drunk) on sake and broke crockery.<p>Sorry Geoff. 2006-09-06T00:30:28Z YAPC::Europe 2006 report: day 2
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/yapc-europe-2006-day-2
It appeared to be another day of mostly social track, although I went to a few talks in the morning. Back to the same place for curry again in the evening. Very good. I remember what it was called now. Bombay Mix, Broad St, Birmingham. 2006-09-01T17:33:12Z YAPC::Europe 2006 report: day 1
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/yapc-europe-2006-day-1
Most of the talks on the programme didn't particularly appeal, so after Larry's keynote and Ovid's TPF talk I disappeared for the, errm ... social track, yes, that's it, the social track of the conference, which was at <a href=http://www.thewellingtonrealale.co.uk/>the Wellington</a> pub with its fifteen real ales. Mmmm.<p>That went really well :-)<p>In the early evening we came back to the hotel where we picked up some fellow-travellers for curry. Mmmm again. 2006-08-31T13:05:44Z YAPC::Europe 2006 report: day 0
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/yapc-europe-2006-day-0
As the train arrived in Birmingham I realised why I hate this town so much. It's because it's just a larger clone of Croydon, only with a nastier accent.Several of us attempted to drown the hideousness with BOOZE. I dreamt that a drunken dha came back to the hotel with me and loudly claimed to be a political prisoner. 2006-08-30T07:07:16Z Damnit the sun is rising
http://www.cantrell.org.uk/david/journal/id/damnit-the-sun-is-rising
Damnit the sun is rising and I only just got back from the pub (via Bob and Kake's place). Ah well, this presents me with a good - nay, unique! - opportunity to see what the overnight mailing list traffic is like! Never let anyone say that I'm not dedicated! 2006-05-24T04:36:52Z