Funny things you've overheard about beer

SSBrew - 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
JohnSand said:
I think even in Afghanistan, they make bread. :)
Click to expand...

Yeah... but I doubt Afghan housewives make yeast runs down to the corner market for a packet or two of Fleischmann's before they start baking. And I'm guessing any commissary that has bakers yeast probably has beer....

This strikes me as one of those stories that are akin to urban legends, where people claim to have personally done something they've only heard about - like wrapping a fish in clay, baking it in the coals of a campfire, and cracking the fired clay off. I'm guessing few people who say they've done so really have....

Of course, I may be dead wrong. In which case I owe the unnamed Marine some elaborate apologies....:)
 
troy2000 said:
Yeah... but I doubt Afghan housewives make yeast runs down to the corner market for a packet or two of Fleischmann's before they start baking. And I'm guessing any commissary that has bakers yeast probably has beer....

This strikes me as one of those stories that are akin to urban legends, where people claim to have personally done something they've only heard about - like wrapping a fish in clay, baking it in the coals of a campfire, and cracking the fired clay off. I'm guessing few people who say they've done so really have....

Of course, I may be dead wrong. In which case I owe the unnamed Marine some elaborate apologies....:)
Click to expand...

We did that with fish several times when I was a kid. I'm not sure why anyone would brag about that if they didn't really do it.
 
would think Afghan bread, or any bread from the region, if it is leavened at all, it's from a culture passed down through generations, like sourdough
 
troy2000 said:
And I'm guessing any commissary that has bakers yeast probably has beer....
Click to expand...

U.S forces are strictly prohibited from possessing or consuming alcohol in theater. It is certainly not sold on U.S. bases. That isn't to say it never happens - but it doesn't happen as often as you would think.

Even if U.S forces were somehow permitted to leave base and shop at local establishments (they aren't) - as a strictly Muslim country, alcohol is not publicly available for sale under pain of fine, imprisonment, and 60 lashes.

Packages sent to bases in Afghanistan are often inspected for contraband. Baker's yeast would most likely seem strange but relatively innocuous to an inspector whereas brewer's yeast would probably be confiscated.
 
I've never baked fish in clay but I've baked many potatoes using that method while backpacking. I've also baked bread in the sand in the Sahara desert...but I digress.

There seem to be a lot of misconceptions about what is and isn't available in countries around the world. I was in the poorest country in the world, and I could get all kinds of things you wouldn't consider as being available worldwide. Things like Nesquik, Lipton tea, Italian/Chinese/American/French cuisine, film, magazines, bread yeast, baking powder, and so on. Most of these things I could get in market towns (not just the major cities).




Sent from my iPad using Home Brew
 
troy2000 said:
Where the heck was he getting baker's yeast in Afghanistan?
Click to expand...

In the middle East it is against the law to throw away bread. Bread is sacred because it gives life. So there is a lot of bread. That being said, I only go flat bread there so I don't know about yeast.
 
Alcohol is available in Afghanistan, but it is a black market thing. We would usually find beer on the criminals we detained. But unlike police we don't have to log "evidence"
 
ladodger34 said:
To put it nicely, my hometown is a racially diverse and very middle class place. A few years back, latinos became the ethnic majority in the city. Nothing wrong with that, but the blue collar folks aren't drinking craft brew (can't blame them either). There is also a fairly large African-American population in the city. It just isn't a craft brew town, though we did have a great brew pub called PH Woods that made fantastic beer but it closed a couple of years ago. Surprisingly, it didn't close because of lack of interest. It was owned by Don Callendar (Marie Callendar's fame) and when he passed, the family got into a pissing contest and they decided to close it. That place was probably as responsible for my beer journey as any other.

I can think of two grocery stores that probably carry Stone. Off the top of my head, there are only like 3 liquor stores that carry bombers, though. It just isn't that kind of city, but it's still "home" even though we moved to a different city about a year ago.

That said, when I still lived there, I could go to the next city over (I lived in Moreno Valley for the SoCal folks) and get some amazing craft brews. My buddy had an apartment close to UC Riverside for years and this little hole in the wall liquor store had/has one of the better craft brew selections I've ever seen. Now I just visit BevMo around the corner from me (one complaint about BevMo, they carry the same thing all the damn time.. it's hard to get a special release!)
Click to expand...

Oh man, I lived in Moval for a year. I remember driving around with some buddies hitting up just about every liquor mart in the area trying to find something craft; nothing better than newcastle, but there was 30 different flavors of 4Loco available. Needless to say, we didn't end up with much of anything to drink, but had a great time in the adventure. Still one of my more favorite memories, thanks for that :)
 
VT-NAV said:
U.S forces are strictly prohibited from possessing or consuming alcohol in theater. It is certainly not sold on U.S. bases. That isn't to say it never happens - but it doesn't happen as often as you would think.
Click to expand...

Crappy for them. According to my sources* beer is readily available on Canadian bases. Including a dedicated fridge! Unfortunately during an attack the condenser took a hit and seriously damaged morale. Just goes to show how much a difference there is between our two countries.

*My sources spent time in Afghanistan. I've probably said too much already.
 
troy2000 said:
Yeah... but I doubt Afghan housewives make yeast runs down to the corner market for a packet or two of Fleischmann's before they start baking.
Click to expand...

Having housed an Afghani exchange student, a niece engaged to an Afghani, and a wife that volunteers at the V.A with soldiers/vets fresh out of Afghanistan, I can assure you that is was they did. And they can buy products from most of the big corporate food companies like Nestle, Kraft, P&g, etc. too. It's not all tents and caves.
 
Northbanu said:
Having housed an Afghani exchange student, a niece engaged to an Afghani, and a wife that volunteers at the V.A with soldiers/vets fresh out of Afghanistan, I can assure you that is was they did. And they can buy products from most of the big corporate food companies like Nestle, Kraft, P&g, etc. too. It's not all tents and caves.
Click to expand...
Yep - in the US of A. But I'm betting that back in Afghanistan, the locals (especially in rural areas) usually keep a starter going if they bake bread seven days a week.

Of course, I may be wrong. But thinking that's probably what they do hardly means I view Afghans as cave dwellers....
 
troy2000 said:
Yep - in the US of A. But I'm betting that back in Afghanistan, the locals (especially in rural areas) usually keep a starter going if they bake bread seven days a week.

Of course, I may be wrong. But thinking that's probably what they do hardly means I view Afghans as cave dwellers....
Click to expand...

Seriously? You think I posted that to let you know what they did in the USA? Really?
 
Northbanu said:
Seriously? You think I posted that to let you know what they did in the USA? Really?
Click to expand...

"Having housed an Afghani exchange student, a niece engaged to an Afghani, and a wife that volunteers at the V.A with soldiers/vets fresh out of Afghanistan..." Yep, really. That's exactly what I thought.

Why? Because it sure sounds like you've been interacting here in the States with Afghans ('Afghani' is generally considered an insult), and with Americans who served in Afghanistan, rather than hanging out in Afghanistan observing the locals in their native habitat.

I'm not sure what your problem is, son. But you seem to have a chip on your shoulder, and I suggest you go ask someone else to knock it off. I'm not really in the mood.
 
Well, I gotta eat a bit of crow on this one. After exasperatingly complaining to my wife about this dude on this forum that doesn't believe that one can buy yeast in a grocery store in Afghanistan, she laughed at me and pretty much called me an idiot.

See, the exchange student was from Pakistan....

Come on, that was like 10 years ago. For like 6 months. And I was hardly home. And I was really busy all the time, and I was... and.. I was... er, uh.
 
Northbanu said:
Well, I gotta eat a bit of crow on this one. After exasperatingly complaining to my wife about this dude on this forum that doesn't believe that one can buy yeast in a grocery store in Afghanistan, she laughed at me and pretty much called me an idiot.

See, the exchange student was from Pakistan....

Come on, that was like 10 years ago. For like 6 months. And I was hardly home. And I was really busy all the time, and I was... and.. I was... er, uh.
Click to expand...
A gentlemanly response to my rather prickly last post; we should get together and have a homebrew.
 
Northbanu said:
Well, I gotta eat a bit of crow on this one. After exasperatingly complaining to my wife about this dude on this forum that doesn't believe that one can buy yeast in a grocery store in Afghanistan, she laughed at me and pretty much called me an idiot.

See, the exchange student was from Pakistan....

Come on, that was like 10 years ago. For like 6 months. And I was hardly home. And I was really busy all the time, and I was... and.. I was... er, uh.
Click to expand...

Thank you for serving. If you're ever in the seattle-Tacoma area I would love to buy you a beer.
 
troy2000 said:
A gentlemanly response to my rather prickly last post; we should get together and have a homebrew.
Click to expand...

I really shouldn't post 3 hours and three beers past bed time. I get *******-ish, and misinterpret the written word, and spout off too quick, and get all know-it-all.

I'm always up for a beer. If we ever meet, I'm buying.

Now, having said all that.... I still ain't yer son. :)
 
Northbanu said:
I really shouldn't post 3 hours and three beers past bed time. I get *******-ish, and misinterpret the written word, and spout off too quick, and get all know-it-all.

I'm always up for a beer. If we ever meet, I'm buying.

Now, having said all that.... I still ain't yer son. :)
Click to expand...

Thank God. I'm always worried about yet another one popping out of the woodwork and needing to be explained to the wife... :p
 
First, much Middle Eastern bread does most certainly use yeast. Second, Afghanistan is not in the Middle East. Third, they do purchase and use dried bread yeast (babka is popular as are other yeast bread products).

They're not even the poorest country in the world, and such products are widely available in the poorest country in the world.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
uatuba said:
First, much Middle Eastern bread does most certainly use yeast. Second, Afghanistan is not in the Middle East. Third, they do purchase and use dried bread yeast (babka is popular as are other yeast bread products).

They're not even the poorest country in the world, and such products are widely available in the poorest country in the world.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
Click to expand...

I disagree. Half my family is Tunisian, and aside from baguette the bread does not use yeast.
That's not to say yeast isn't available.

I will agree that Afghanistan isn't the middle east though :D
 
Guys first off my bad for accidentally starting the great yeast derailment. And if this helps. I asked him how he got the yeast yesterday. He said he just traded a local some food for a pack of bakers yeast


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
 
I saw a "saison/Flanders" ale made by Blue Moon yesterday, which seems extremely confusing so I looked it up on BA, of course bad reviews.

But the gem was a scathing review which ended "Blue Moon sucks, SHOCK TOP FOREVER!!!!"

:banghead:
 
uatuba said:
First, much Middle Eastern bread does most certainly use yeast. Second, Afghanistan is not in the Middle East. Third, they do purchase and use dried bread yeast (babka is popular as are other yeast bread products).

They're not even the poorest country in the world, and such products are widely available in the poorest country in the world.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew
Click to expand...

I think there is a problem of people in the western world who live in "first world" countries thinking that other countries are much more primitive than they are. I don't really think it's entirely our fault either, a lot of times the way "third world" countries are portrayed in media is way off the mark. It's more a lack of understanding than any desire to put the countries down, in my experience.

My experience is more with South America, but I was in Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay and a lot of people I was with had misunderstandings and negative portrayals of the countries in their head. I can assure everybody that even small, poor areas I was in had at the very least the basics that we all use (including baker's yeast ;) )everyday. Plus stunning wines for the equivalent of $3-8 USD, and even some local craft beers in Chile. Now, trying to find a quality corkscrew on the other hand... :p

I don't mean to anger anyone or derail the thread any further. No offense to Troy or anyone else involved. It's just something I see often. My girlfriend grew up in Venezuela until she was 11 and some people think they're just a bunch of "Indians" running around down there with loincloths and spears.
 
GrogNerd said:
would think Afghan bread, or any bread from the region, if it is leavened at all, it's from a culture passed down through generations, like sourdough
Click to expand...

lowtones84 said:
I think there is a problem of people in the western world who live in "first world" countries thinking that other countries are much more primitive than they are. I don't really think it's entirely our fault either, a lot of times the way "third world" countries are portrayed in media is way off the mark. It's more a lack of understanding than any desire to put the countries down, in my experience.

My experience is more with South America, but I was in Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay and a lot of people I was with had misunderstandings and negative portrayals of the countries in their head. I can assure everybody that even small, poor areas I was in had at the very least the basics that we all use (including baker's yeast ;) )everyday. Plus stunning wines for the equivalent of $3-8 USD, and even some local craft beers in Chile. Now, trying to find a quality corkscrew on the other hand... :p

I don't mean to anger anyone or derail the thread any further. No offense to Troy or anyone else involved. It's just something I see often. My girlfriend grew up in Venezuela until she was 11 and some people think they're just a bunch of "Indians" running around down there with loincloths and spears.
Click to expand...

I get what you're saying. saw a lot of that during my travels around the world while in the Navy

biggest shock was the Great Pyramids. my entire life I thought they were out in the middle of the desert, nothing around for miles

imagine the surprise when I find out it's right at the edge of the city of Cairo/Giza. up-to-and-touching.

like in someone's backyard

pyramids.jpg
 
lowtones84 said:
I think there is a problem of people in the western world who live in "first world" countries thinking that other countries are much more primitive than they are. I don't really think it's entirely our fault either, a lot of times the way "third world" countries are portrayed in media is way off the mark. It's more a lack of understanding than any desire to put the countries down, in my experience.

My experience is more with South America, but I was in Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay and a lot of people I was with had misunderstandings and negative portrayals of the countries in their head. I can assure everybody that even small, poor areas I was in had at the very least the basics that we all use (including baker's yeast ;) )everyday. Plus stunning wines for the equivalent of $3-8 USD, and even some local craft beers in Chile. Now, trying to find a quality corkscrew on the other hand... :p

I don't mean to anger anyone or derail the thread any further. No offense to Troy or anyone else involved. It's just something I see often. My girlfriend grew up in Venezuela until she was 11 and some people think they're just a bunch of "Indians" running around down there with loincloths and spears.
Click to expand...

I certainly didn't mean to imply Afghans are 'primitive.' It just seemed to me that in a culture where households bake bread daily, most people would have some sort of starter instead of relying on store-bought yeast. When I'm not working away from home I bake bread regularly, and only buy yeast when one of my starters has gone south.

And by the way, there's no blanket ban on military drinking in combat zones. General Order No. 1 originally banned it in Kuwait and Iraq, mostly to avoid offending the locals: http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/files/go-1.pdf. I think that ban has now been expanded to cover five countries....
 
I took some craft beer and some of my home brew over to a friend's house last night.
One guy there was drinking one of my Cascade Pale Ales. He said "Whoa! That's really... There!"
 
Keith_O said:
I took some craft beer and some of my home brew over to a friend's house last night.
One guy there was drinking one of my Cascade Pale Ales. He said "Whoa! That's really... There!"
Click to expand...

That sounds like my dad. He loves beer, loves trying new things, but doesn't really work on expanding his vocabulary to describe what hes tasting. He just enjoys drinking, so when he likes something, its "oh wow, thats really good. I mean, thats really drinkable. Real tasty."

Thanks dad :)
 
Keith_O said:
I took some craft beer and some of my home brew over to a friend's house last night.
One guy there was drinking one of my Cascade Pale Ales. He said "Whoa! That's really... There!"
Click to expand...
I was at a fruit and vegetable stand years ago, and bought a handful of garlic. An old woman said to me, "I don't see why you even mess with that stuff. Just buy a jar of garlic powder, and be done with it."

The cashier was a young Mexican gal, and when I checked out she leaned forward and said quietly, "I don't like garlic powder. It tastes empty, somehow." That's as good a description of the difference between it and fresh garlic as I've ever heard...
 
Gameface said:
Nice try!
Click to expand...

So I hastily posted and quoted that article while SWMBO was chatting at me. Just read the rest and saw it was a parody. Still, recent Fl law is ridiculous and I have seen some silly statements come out of supporters.
 
all you can eat crabhouse in Fairfax, have the usual BMC, plus some premiums: Stella, Blue Moon, Corona, SA Boston Lager, etc.

last on the list. IPA. that's it. like the name of the beer is IPA.

turns out it's Devils Backbone 8 Point IPA, so hell yeah, it pairs awesome with bushels of blue crab

IMG_9665.jpg
 
GrogNerd said:
all you can eat crabhouse in Fairfax, have the usual BMC, plus some premiums: Stella, Blue Moon, Corona, SA Boston Lager, etc.

last on the list. IPA. that's it. like the name of the beer is IPA.

turns out it's Devils Backbone 8 Point IPA, so hell yeah, it pairs awesome with bushels of blue crab
Click to expand...

I wonder if they just say 'IPA' because it changes from time to time, depending on what's available from their distributor?
 

Similar threads

N
Confusion about when to harvest
Replies
5
Views
932
nanobrau
N
seatazzz
The year 2022 in review...
Replies
17
Views
2K
Airborneguy
Airborneguy
khannon
Adding Flavors to beer(?)...
Replies
3
Views
790
BrewZer
BrewZer
Stormcrow
Patoka Lake Brewing
Replies
1
Views
650
Sailingeric
Sailingeric
U
Considering changing my forum handle to Rip Van Winkle
Replies
31
Views
1K
homebeerbrewer
homebeerbrewer
InkBird 300

Latest posts

Back
Top