Help for us Americans?

[OldSkoolFrat]

Well the bulk of us are helpless and hopless, but I have noticed that when you Brits put on the Ritz, you have these dashing, high, detachable collars on your formal shirts. But when I look in Charles Tyrwit and the like to get one, they mention my High Collar neck size. I that different that my regular collar size?

 

[BellyTank]

If you're talking about a "size" for a detachable collar- it'll be one "neck size" larger than your usual, due to the neck band of the shirt being your actual size and the detach collar has to fit around the outside circumference of the shirt's neck band. So- if you're a 16 1/2, you need a 17 detach collar.

Merry Christmas-

B
T

 

[Tomasso]

Help for us Americans?....... the bulk of us are helpless and hopless

Sorry, but it's not confined to America, it's pandemic.[huh]

 

[Orgetorix]

See this page for a number of resources for stiff detachable collars and the shirts you wear them with.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Well the bulk of us are helpless and hopless

Sorry, but it's not confined to America, it's pandemic.[huh]

There's a worldwide shortage of beer?

bk

 

["Doc" Devereux]

There's a worldwide shortage of beer?

I knew that IPA fad would bite us in the end. Care for a posset of Bog Myrtle, Baron?

 

[Tomasso]

There's a worldwide shortage of beer?

Well, there is a shortage of Quality beer, outside of the U.S.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

agreed. I must admit that the greatest beer i've ever tasted is brewed right here in Lafayette, IN. The brew pub here makes the most wonderful stout. I don't think it can be surpassed. And their other beers are all fantastic too.

bk

 

[Tomasso]

fftopic: I've attended a few international ale fests and the consensus is that America is mecca for beer drinkers today. Not only are our microbreweries producing world class stuff but we have access to the worlds best imports, while our micros never leave our shores.



My local beer bar has a selection that will make your eyes glaze over..

 

[Baron Kurtz]

well, remember that most euro micro-brews don't get sold abroad, neiver. They cater to, as their name suggests, micro-markets.

innit

bk

 

[dr greg]

suds

OK I will be honest, beer must have improved DRAMATICALLY in the US since I last drank my way from NY to LA, because damn near everything that touched my lips in any state was dishwater. The only beer that was worth the name that I encountered was Shiner Bock down in Texas. I can't believe the Americans are any better than the English in producing beer of a worthwhile standard. The day a beer from the States equals a Cooper's or an Erdinger, I'll eat one of my many hats.

 

[Tomasso]

beer must have improved DRAMATICALLY in the US

In the last twenty years there has been a PHENOMENAL increase in the quality of beer in the U.S.

I can't believe the Americans are any better than the English in producing beer of a worthwhile standard.

Not better per se, but the micros have the latitude to experiment since they aren't fixed to any proprietary recipes, where other brewers, Germans and Belgians especially, are tied to their past.

The day a beer from the States equals a Cooper's or an Erdinger, I'll eat one
of my many hats.

Salt and pepper?

 

[John in Covina]

OK I will be honest, beer must have improved DRAMATICALLY in the US since I last drank my way from NY to LA, because damn near everything that touched my lips in any state was dishwater. The only beer that was worth the name that I encountered was Shiner Bock down in Texas. I can't believe the Americans are any better than the English in producing beer of a worthwhile standard. The day a beer from the States equals a Cooper's or an Erdinger, I'll eat one of my many hats.

***
Start chowing down now. The microbrew segment of the USA has been making and improving upon English Ales German Lagers and all the weird Belgian beers for the last 20 years. While Shiners Bock is not the worst beer out there it has long been surpassed by the microbrewers handiwork.

Just ask Michael Jackson the Bard of Beer for a synopsis of Amrerican Brewing.

 

["Doc" Devereux]

*dons beer anorak*

Actually, the American brewing industry has improved dramatically, to the point where my favourite beer on the planet comes from Oregon. The culture of brewing, once primarily held by German immigrants and destroyed by prohibition, has also shifted dramatically. The hobbyists who have now turned pro are from a diverse mix of backgrounds and have gone to the trouble of sharing information and travelling to learn (an excellent example of this is the cultural exchange between the Brooklyn Brewery in New York and Bateman's over here, as well as the US presence at events like the Great British Beer Festival).

American beer does leave the country, and more examples of it than most people realise. For example: I was chatting at GBBF with a thoroughly nice man named (coincidentally) David, who arranges for a selection of US beer to be shipped over the pond so we can get our claws on it. This is an independent effort deliberately designed to showcase what small American breweries are capable of.

Another interesting factor is the growth of the American hop market, both in supply and demand. Hops from American farmers now find their way to breweries all over the globe.

Who makes the best beer? Mike Jackson, Roger Protz and I will all tell you the same thing: that the 'best' beer is the one you like the most, the one that lights your mouth up and makes you grab your friend shouting "Try THIS!" There's such a variety available to us now that I don't think any one country can claim to be the greatest brewers in the world - but America has retaken its place among the community, thanks to the effort mainly of a few at first but now as a wider national trend. More power to them, I say!

Just to clarify: I have been cellarman and bar manager in a selection of highly-regarded real ale pubs, write the occasional article on brewing, beer and cellar/pub management, and judge beer competitions.

*removes anorak, straightens tie, heads back to the bar*