[shri]

Ok, I read your articles and here are some humble suggestions.

I accept that they may not be suitable for publication in the SCMP, due to the illusion of poshness etc.

The problem I have with the articles you've written is that the ordinary beer drinker is completely ignored and beer is elevated to the ranks of fine wines.

How about doing an article for the common man, the lager drinker where pubs in Hong Kong are evaluated on the tastes and temperature of popular lagers / bitters?

[kombuchakid]

yo wanderer

correct me if i am at the wrong end of the bottle, but your brief yet succinct comment was to convey your approval of a combiantion of a New Zealand black brew with something that deters or frightens.
Also is an oyester similar to an onoter?

[kombuchakid]

Drought in Portsmouth
It's a tale most beer imbibers have been relating in London pubs, with horror writ on their faces. How could it happen that the port town of Portsmouth, home of the Royal Navy, suffered a drought of draught? All because of the Anglo-American beer collaboration...

The problem started with the berthing of the American aircraft carrier, the USS Harry S Truman, at Portsmouth dock for a few days leave and the sailors hitting the bars. To compound the problem, the crew of the USS Winston S Churchill, a destroyer, joined the ones from USS Truman.

Within hours, publicans were placing emergency orders for fresh stocks. But, worse was yet to come. Portsmouth Football Club chose the Sunday to parade the Division One Championship trophy through the city, and 60,000 cheering men and women filled the streets. They then went to pubs to celebrate. Result: A beer drought, unprecedented in the annals of British pubs.

[goodfood]

Yeah Shri - the 'fine beer' aspect of my SCMP columns is
due to two reasons

1. The theme of that column is that there's more to life than cold lagers - and that's the USP which got me the column; the shenanigans at SCMP initlally had their noses wrinkled at the thought of a column on beer. And I had to fight a major battle with the wine lobby who think that that's the only drink worth writing about. So my first few columns started at the other end of the spectrum and I've probably gone to extremes to prove my point

2. Because of my relative inexperience and given the fact that I currently spend about an hour per month on writing this stuff, it will probably take me a while before I achieve a better 'balance' . That's when the columns will probably become more palatable.

Of course I will continue to push 'uncommon' beers but hopefully I will get better at doing it with less 'snobbishness'

And by the way, a lager special is coming up soon

[KnowItAll]

I really hope you add a paragraph in Hong Kong telling readers where the beers are available. I don't mean stores where you can pick them up and take them home and enjoy them while watching telly in your undies, I mean restaurants and bars which have similar surroundings to those described in the articles.

[goodfood]

Yeah there will soon be stuff on 'which bars/restaurants' etc.
In fact more of that stuff on the website soonish.

Meanwhile keep the comments pouring in. And wanderer pl explain yourself. KK - how about getting together for a tipple next week

[kombuchakid]

yo gf
Only if you manage to rustle up some Old Fart.

[shri]

rustle up some Old Fart.

Talking about me?

[kombuchakid]

Puhlese!
O F yaneke

[goodfood]

'Old Fart' no problem. Can get easily from Beer Bay (Discovery Bay Plaza) and 'Great' ( pacific Place). There's a chance Beer Bay's small counter at star ferry pier ( central) might also have it. In fact I just finished a bottle and will get more when I go beer buying this weekend.