Hiatus

On a hiatus for a while to do some "monkeying" around. See you soon.

Pints From The Old Country Pt. 1

I was fortunate enough to be sent to London and Amsterdam for business recently. I consider both cities to be paramount for Imperial Pints. Therefore, whenever I had a little downtime from work, I would stop with my companions to enjoy a proper pour.

London, the motherland of the Pub, takes the cake as far as Imperial Pints are concerned (with Amsterdam and Munich a close second and third). Drinking is taken seriously here, with every customer guaranteed his or her due. Not only is the amount of libation guaranteed, but the temperature of this Pint is also something that is provided for.


Wouldn't that be a great thing here in NY! How many bars have you ordered in, only to receive a flat, lukewarm Pint in return for $6?


Staying in Camden town, the first Pub I was able to hit was The World's End. Catering to the working man watching the football match in the front

and then the emo kid shopping at Camden market for black metal tees, TWE is an institution.


Next stop in more of the center of London, a small pub for a Pint and a bite called The Woodstock. Nice and cosy. Much like the other pubs that cluster around the busier parts of the city.
The next day, I was able to hit a nice spot called The Cambridge, on Charing Cross Road. What I love about British Pubs, is the fact that even in the smallest and plainest of pubs, you have such attention to detail in terms of what is offered. Lager, Bitter, Stout on tap. Up to five varieties of Cask Ale. And my personal favorite, a huge selection of different ciders. This may be to catch the tourist crowd visiting London, but I could think of worse things.


But sometimes you just want a Carlsberg and a bag of crisps.

Next up, a quiet spot in Amsterdam.

Top O' Lager

Sometimes, during the hot summer, one needs something even more refreshing than a frosty pint. How is this accomplished, you ask? Well in the old country, the practice of cutting the bitterness of beer with lemonade, ginger beer, or pop is called a Shandy or Lager Top. Sometimes this is also done with Cider or Guinness. It can be a delicious alternative to a Pint on a hot day. One should be cautioned with the Turbo-Shandy, as it can be deceivingly strong!

Shame on the pub that doesn't know how to make one proper!

Imperial Cinema - Hot Fuzz

The Pint Imperial is a huge Simon Pegg / Nick Frost fan. From Spaced, through Shaun of the Dead, and then, finally, to Hot Fuzz, they can do no wrong. As British comedy, all of their projects include some great Pub scenes complete with Imperial Pints. Hot Fuzz, the latest of the pair's outings, has a couple of great Pint scenes in a small English town in which the film takes place.

Pints on the Go?

Sometimes one thirsts for a pint, but the bar is just not an option. Six dollars you say? Just for a proper pour? It's good to know that you can get proper ales, lagers, ciders, and stouts with fresh from the tap taste here in the states. Some of my favorite varieties as of late have been:

•Tetley's English Ale













• Boddington's Pub Ale













• Old Speckled Hen












• Strongbow Dry Cider

The Pop-Up Flea

Friends, this weekend there will be a veritable "worlds fair" for the thinking man's style market. I would like to call your attention to the Pop-up Flea. This event, curated by the esteemed Michael Williams and Randy Goldberg, promises to be a winner. Booze, haircuts, custom clothes... Sounds like progress to me. Hours are this Friday from 4pm till 8pm and the rest of the weekend from 11am till 7pm. See you there, Pint in hand!

Imperial Cinema - Withnail and I

A classic piece of Imperial Cinema, I present Withnail & I. Classic because it deals with two out-of-work London actors who are also drunks. They hit the pub for "Two large gins, two pints of cider, ice in the cider". Always with a cheeky grin. A genius film written and directed by Bruce Robinson.

Just Thought I'd Share...

Many ways to enjoy a Black and Tan Imperial Pint on St. Patty's day with the family.

Slainte'!

To all Imperialists, as we celebrate the day when St. Patrick (who was Welsh), cast the snakes from Ireland and brought God to the pagans, let us not forget the glass thru which we celebrate!

Characteristic Markings

On a recent weekend afternoon trip through a couple of pubs, I've noticed that an Imperialist can put their mind at ease when they find the proper markings on their glass. Some bars have glasses that are the characteristic shape of the Imperial pint, but the volume of the glass is significantly smaller. This is a shame. We've talked about it before. Maybe it's the economy. Maybe it's capitalism. It really doesn't matter in the end, because, sadly, it doesn't work out in the drinkers favor.

The certfied Pint Glass is usually stamped with the Crown and the word "Pint" and / or CE on it (ensuring it has been checked by authorities). These can be also followed by a number (as seen in the glass at right). Each city in England has a specific number. This is the UK law for the marking of a full pint. Further to this, it is illegal under UK law to serve less than a pint (counting the head of the beer is a sneaky way of doing so), and if you do, customers must be told as such. Believe me, they are serious about it. These laws currently do not exist in the US. I feel that US (at least in the east) customers are being taken advantage of (hence this blog). It is unfortunate, because even before the event of baby pints, the US pint is 0.8327 of a UK pint. The standard of glass, which should be marked, is the Nonic pint glass. I have spoke of this earlier. Sadly, this shape has been co-opted and shrunk down to give the feel of an actual pint, but essentially, giving the odds to the house.

The actual origins are a bit less sinister than your narrator would let on. The American pint glass actually started out as a mixing glass for cocktails and other spirits, but eventually ended up as the defacto beer glass (Thanks to a post by Serious Eats for the info!).

During the renaissance, innkeepers / bartenders were called Publicans. Any similarities to Republicans? A sad attempt at humor.

Moral of the post - look for the markings. They will ensure you are getting your due.

Life Behind The Lens

His Majesty is not normally in the habit of throwing out endorsements, unless they are of a brewed nature, but here is one that strangely fits into that category. The Great Books Have Been Written is the photo blog of a fellow Imperialist, Danny Weiss (as in... Weiss Bier). A fine photographer from the school of William Eggleston, he's been shooting the New York streets for years. He managed to capture some familiar Imperialists in their pursuit of the revelry and merriment one evening. The joy of this moment is now forever on film.

Cheers to the M.U.G

The kind writers at the Manhattan Users Guide have included yours truly in a recent update. Cheers to them and hopefully we can inaugurate smarter drinking in the coming year!

Through the Looking Glass

Just wanted to jog the ol' Grey Matter on the types of glasses available to the average pub patron. This will, in the end, help you choose a fine establishment to fritter away the day.

First, you have the normal, "American-style" pint glass. This is what you are served in your typical, "Joe sixpack" sports bar. These are generally 16 to 20oz depending on where you go.
Next you have the "Tulip-style" Guiness glass. Usually a 20oz-er, the majority of decent bars in this fair city use this glass for regular ales. This is usually available at the same type bars as it's American cousin, as well as the upper echelon that we will discuss next.
Finally (and I'm not going to get into the stylized, specialized, brand-specific glasses), we have the "English-style", Imperial pint glass.


This glass is special for several reasons. First of all, historically, it is a unit of measurement that harkens back to colonial days, when these units were royally sanctioned to the commonwealth. The King at some point changed it from 16 to 20oz. History plus booze is always good. Secondly, this unit of measure is 20 ounces, whereas an american pint is 16 ounces. In this economy more for less is better.

You can tell a fine establishment that cares about the proper way to serve a beer if these are the glasses they use. Thus, this blog.

Enjoy.