While we were setting up to record the podcast (coming in two hours!), I noticed the sound of many a carbonated beverage being uncapped coming in over the headset. This prompted a long-ish discussion on what we were going to imbibe during the show, and there was a broad range of responses. That got me thinking – a multi-hour discussion on the sort of stuff near and dear to the heart of any Hoon just begs for a tall, cool glass of something refreshing. I know what my go-to beverages are, so what do you like to drink when shooting the breeze on a Hoon-worthy subject?
My choice of late is a beer, and let me tell ya, it’s no ordinary beer. I discovered Black Boss Porter while on the lookout for a nice 22oz bottle of something different, something interesting. The bold label and ABV caught my eye (it’s 9.5%!), but the price ($2.79 in my neck of the woods) and the Polish point of origin seemed to suggest it was going to be some artificially-colored malt liquor product that would have me going blind in less time it takes a new Maserati to depreciate by half. Let’s be honest; I’m a beer snob. Blame my Seattle comeuppance, but malt-flavored mouthwash wasn’t going to cut the mustard. The Boss proved my skepticism unfounded – it’s a big, tasty beer, hitting all the right notes for me. I was sold immediately (and this was only reinforced later that night when I found out it pairs very nicely with a shot of Jack). Before I knew it, I was spouting off about cramming a Mercury two-stroke V8 from an outboard into an unsuspecting H-mod racer and how I felt that Chevy Citations were too bad even for LeMons. This was some high-octane brain fuel for the manic automotive set.
Which isn’t to say your preferred beverage needs to have enough ethanol in it to pickle a mule. For working on cars, my strong preference is for insanely strong coffee, straight up. No cream, no sugar. Maybe a little brake fluid, but that would be unintentional (and delicious!). It’s been pretty cold around here lately, and when it’s 29 degrees out and you realize the Peugeot 504 diesel’s battery is an ice-cold mass that’s gotta weigh 59 lbs at least, you need something warm that’ll kick your ass into gear.
So I’ll open it up to you folks – whether it’s leaning over the fence admiring your neighbor’s wife tri-5 gasser, or settling in with a nice vat of brefass scotch to read the latest Hooniverse offerings – what’s your beverage of choice?
Lead image source: Flickr
Hooniverse Asks – What Beverage Goes Best With Car Talk?
By Alex Kierstein
Jan 3, 2011
Jeff Glucker
This is like picking a favorite car. Too broad of a question. So what's in my liquor cabinet/fridge:
Dogfish Head Chicory Stout
Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale
Dogfish Head Palo Santo
Sam Adams Chocolate Stout
friends home brewed Holiday Ale (bottle aging for 2 more weeks)
Glenlivet 15yr French Oak Reserve single malt scotch
Crown Royal whiskey
Evan Williams single barrel bourbon
Buffalo Trace bourbon (unopened)
Jack Daniel's Single Barrel*
*Mrs. SSurfer321 utilizes for her Hot Totties as
my delicate palateI can't stomach JD.Some brews to expand on… Anything from Stone, Alesmith, The Bruery, Port Brewing, and a few bottles of anything from Russian River
Stone makes some great stuff. I can't find Russian River in my neck of the woods. I'll look into the others. Also look into Belles out of Grand Rapids, MI. They brew some good stuff.
For simply the best name on a very tasty beer, I enjoyed a bottle of Fatty Boombalatty last July when I was in Milwaukee on a business trip.
Mmmm…Bell's.
My New Years resolution last year was to only drink Michigan beers when possible. I succeeded pretty well, and found a bunch of delicious brew along the way. Pretty much anything from Bells, Founders, Shorts, Atwater and many others are going to be a winner. Most of these guys provide a wide variety of beer styles, too.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the breweries. I only dream of owning one.
You should take a weekend trip to Kalamazoo in the summer. The Bell's brewery is a sweet joint (and i imagine they still serve non-bottled varieties)…even if it isn't where the production brewing gets done these days. A good band in the beer garden is hard to beat.
And Kraftbrau is right across the street. Much smaller and specializing in German styles.
Wow. I see more fellow beer lovers. I frequent BeerAdvocate and often review a ton of beers each year.
Did ya all know that Jonny Lieberman is an accomplished homebrewer as well?
Beer and cars seem to mix very well (Not literally!).
Three Cheers For Jonny from another home brewer.
I will take what ever I have on tap. Lately it's been Old Anthony Brown Ale.
A good cappuccino always works as well…
Right now? Brefass scotch.
I haven't really touched any alcohol in nearly 20 years other than a few sips of wine, but Guinness Stout would probably be my poison of choice.
You have a softdrink preference? I discovered Bundaberg ginger beer not that long ago, and man is that stuff addictive. I think that is probably my go-to non-alcoholic drink. So good.
To me, ginger beer is one of those things that tastes great at first, but the further you go, the worse it gets. I've tried several different brands and it's hard to get through a whole can. If I have a single favorite soft drink, it's probably Canada Dry cranberry ginger ale.
I love Bundaberg ginger beer as well. Down here it's easy to get, being in every supermarket, but I didn't realise that it was available in the US.
You can't get it everywhere, unfortunately, but it's pretty common in San Francisco and it's the basis of a few bar's Dark n' Stormys down there. I assume one of the larger specialty grocers carries it up here in Seattle. Elsewhere, who knows.
ginger beer is amazing! I'm a Barritt's man myself, but it's incredibly difficult to find now that Gosling's makes and distributes its own version. I assume you ginger beer afficionados are familiar with Dark'n'Stormys?
Agreed! I used to be a Vernor's man, but Bundaberg is to Vernors as Boulevard Dry Stout is to Miller Light.
Anything from Dogfish Head, Stone, Duck-Rabbit, or a lovely area of Kentucky.
<img src="http://southamericansupermarket.com/images/guarana_antarctica_1.jpg"/>
Guaraná of course. You need the endurance to sustain a three hour long screaming Porsche vs. Ferrari/ Camaro vs. Mustang argument.
Being of the non-leaded persuasion, this is what got me through the first Hoonicast.
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Depends on the setting. In general, I prefer beer…delicious, delicious beer. As my reduced circumstances have curbed my ability to seek out tasty microbrews (Doghead, Magic Hat and Abita are some of my favorites), I'm lucky in that I can fall back on a tasty, but inexpensive pint of Yuengling lager.
You are fortunate – I had to load the trunk with Yuengling the last time I was in PA.
Is sad Yuengling doesn't distribute west of PA 🙁
Is hopeful the Yuengling acquisition in Memphis, TN goes through and distribution grows so I may purchase their fine product.
I've always wanted to try a Yuengling – all my Wrong Coast friends tell me it's very good. I'll have to have someone smuggle one back west for me.
It's good… When I visit my buddy in NJ I always grab some…
It's all over Florida since they have a brewery and bottling plant in Tampa. It's not bad, and for a more "mainstream" beer is pretty darn good.
I feel that way about Boston Lager. I'd always assumed it was basically a Budweiser with a vintage marketing spin. It's actually got a surprisingly robust flavor for such an easy-drinking beer. It's my go-to beer now when I want something basic at a bar because even here in Seattle it's pretty common.
You've just described my attitude toward Boulevard Pilsener.
Boulevard is good! Another solid all-around decent beer.
I was just sharing the Hoons' collective appreciation of barley pops with my beloved, who is still frustrated that I didn't give her the traditional 12-pack of SnowCap for Christmas. I assume that's a pretty common sight in your neck of the woods this time of year, but must be special ordered through a cooperative proprietor here in K.C.
Back when I did imbibe (thankfully a time long past), my favorite was Cooper's Big Barrel, a great auzzie lager that is long gone now. Despite coming in "quantity over quality" 24-oz cans, it was actually was rather complex.
<img src="http://i.ebayimg.com/01/%21B0nfwMQCGk%7E$%28KGrHqR,%21hIEw5JsEZO7BMbD7ivd%29w%7E%7E_3.JPG" height="400">
I live 10 minutes from the Main factory, lets talk about advertising over-saturation, you cant go 10 feet without seeing something Yuengling.
For listening to the Hoonicast, I wisely use my work time so I default to coffee from the machine in the lunch room. It gets bonus points for making individual cups fresh ground from the giant bean hopper on top. However the taste is a bit of a letdown since one would expect better from fresh ground.
For swappin' lies elsewhere I would have to go with Creemore Springs, on tap if available, bottle-fed if not.
Once I actually get to working on the car, Steam Whistle tastes pretty good when it's 30+ (Canadian) degrees out and your forehead is bleeding from impact on the hood edge or exhaust hanger.
Brawndo, The Thirst Mutilator – it's got what Hoons crave.
Rondo – "lightly carbonated so you can slam it down fast."
[For those dictatorial types who don't like to care around and have extended discussions.]
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b7/Rondo_Soda.jpg">
That looks and sounds remarkably similar to Solo – which is "light on the fizz, so you can slam it down fast".
<img src="http://www.schweppesaustralia.com.au/getattachment/6fb32db8-32c4-4238-a10a-9fb4a195219f/SOLO-Original.aspx">
Usually iced tea. Also, on an unrelated note, I think I need to enter a Citation in a Le Mons race.
As far as coffee goes, I've got this in the cupboard right now, and it's a pretty decent motivator.
<img src="http://www.kickinghorsecoffee.com/story/blends/images/454_bag.png" /img>
On the beer side of things, there's a matter of where this car talk is happening. If it's at a bar or restaurant, usually the best I can hope for is Rickards White or Sleeman Draught. Around home, it'll be whatever I tried on a whim (right now the one that probably best fits that bill is either Goose Island's Mild Winter, or the Innis & Gunn my parents got me for Christmas).
The Innis & Gunn is pretty tasty stuff. Pricey, but tasty, makes an excellent gift to receive.
Of course, if you're discussing JDM cars…
<img src="http://bridgetownblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/coffee-boss.jpg">
That is superbly fantastic.
BOSS! My buddy Kent introduced me to this stuff in San Francisco's Japantown. Amazing stuff. And the artwork on the car. Incredible.
What else but:
<img src="http://beerohbeer.cloudywithsunnyspells.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/img_1149.jpg">
I would hope it's better than Neustadt 10W30. Had 10W30 once as a joke, never have since. Then again, I'm not one for darker beers.
I'll have to seek that one out. I've had their Bitter and Twisted and can only rave about it. (I'll admit to much preferring the work of small, British breweries to their American counterparts.)
I brought a few bottles of this to the 2010 Concours d'LeMons Box Wine Country Classic. It's a pretty good ale and worked well enough as a bribe that the MG took home a trophy, so what more could one ask? Appearances aside, however, it is NOT successfully interchangeable with actual old engine oil; I've tasted both.
Yesterday I was the market taking advantage of the fact I can now buy alcohol before noon on Sundays. Really, that may be the high point of last 8 years. But I digress.
This market tends to carry a limited but diverse selection of microbrews from Michigan and even a few from outside our heavily fortified borders (isn't that the reason nobody is moving here?). I picked up a sixer of Shorts Cup a Joe Coffee Cream Stout. I have not had one yet, but I expect it to be delicious. And now with the 2nd podcast out, I believe I will sip on one while enjoying the dulcet tones of our fearless editors conversing on all things obscure and bizarre.
That sounds delicious. Give us a full report from the floor of your living room in an alcohol-induced stupor.
Man, I hatehatehate the liquor laws in this great state (and county). Every liquor store is closed on Sunday. You cannot buy hard alcohol on Sunday. You cannot buy beers and wines before noon on Sunday. Buy me some beers next Sunday morning, for spite.
The law just went into effect, and its only at markets that paid the extra $150 for the permit to do so. The cashier said she sold the first wine before noon for that market at 10am. I was just happy Prohibition ended.
Try living in Connecticut. No Beer, Wine, or Liquor on Sunday, and every Package Store and Supermarket can't sell Wine, Beer, or Liquor after 9:00 PM (or before 8:00 AM)……
There is a push to eliminate the Blue Laws here as far as alcohol sales. It wasn't that long ago that Package Stores had to colse at 8:00 PM.
Did you know that almost a decade ago you could not buy a Car from a Dealership on Sundays?
Actually, that is still true in Missouri. You can't buy any titled vehicle on Sunday, including dirt bikes and ATVs.
The dealerships in most of New Mexico remain closed on Sunday. I went to a dealer in El Paso once, and told them that dealerships in NM were closed, and they looked at me as though I had just told them the sky is green.
At least you can buy hard liquor for home consumption from someone other than the state you live in…
Arizona just got rid of the prohibition on buying beer, wine, and spirits before 10am on Sundays, as of August 1st, 2010. Talk about putting a crimp in the weekend family grocery shopping…! Now we can go grocery shopping after breakfast on Sunday without having to kill time beforehand.
As soon as I'm 19, in a little over a month, I plan to take advantage of my US passport and Michigan residence to hop over to Canada and buy alcohol, period. I don't know if you're allowed to even transport it in the US if under 21, though, and a car full of 19 year olds with a trunk full of beer would be an MIP waiting to happen.
One brew that I miss from the East Coast… Newport Storm.
I tend towards big American-style IPAs (or Double/Imperial IPAs if I don't have to be conscious much longer). Bell's Two-Hearted and Hopslam, Stone Ruination, Avery DuganA and Maharaja, Harpoon Leviathan….these are a few of my favorite things.
Also, if any of you Chicagoland types care to raid the Three Floyds brewery and send me about 5489 cases of Dreadnaught, Alpha King and/or Gumballhead, I'll gladly pay you Tuesday.
what's the metric equivalent to 5489 cases?
14,967 Poutine Volume Units.
1 Shit-ton. Or Shit-tonne, if you're so inclined.
one gigalitre
<img src="http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/cleanplatecharlie/negramodelo.jpg">
Despite what some on Twitter will tell you, I do prefer scotch. I'm trying to cut back on beer now. And yes, I do like amaretto sours. Flame away!
Beer named after WWII airplanes also works.
<img src="http://www.thwaitesbeers.co.uk/brands/images/BOMBER/BOTTLE/THWAITES_BOMBER_BOT_lo_res.jpg">
<img src="http://www.ladsarmy.co.uk/more_lads_links/spitfire_ads/Spitfire%206.jpg">
<img src="http://www.ladsarmy.co.uk/more_lads_links/spitfire_ads/Spitfire%209.jpg">
OK, that's really cool. I may need to hunt some down when I'm in England next time.
Ive gotten the Lancaster (the spitfire one was there as well) one here in Ontario, so it may be available in your neck of the woods as well. It was quite tasty indeed, I will be grabbing a few of each next time I see them because of this posting and because of my love of all things powered by the almighty Merlin.
What else do you expect. You are George Takei.
Best advertising for a British beer ever.
Now, if we are talking Car Talk, that little radio show on Saturday mornings after cartoons, well, the drink is coffee. Black and bitter. Like my heart.
I like my coffee like I like my women: black and strong.
I am so glad you don't like your coffee ground up and in the freezer.
I almost choked to death with mirth. Bravo.
or tied in a sack and thrown over a donkey.
You are all lightweights.
I drink petrol.
Talking cars it depends on where I am at… Hanging with my dad its a Coors Light (the beer of 50 something white men everywhere)
also its coors light at the racetrack because you need stay focused and not drunk…
when I am working on a car though it is exclusively Lemon-Lime Gatorade!
<img src="http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/brandnewday/archives/blog%20gatorade%20bottle.jpg" width=500/>
Thats my favourite beverage the morning after drinking my preferred alcoholic beverage all night. Assuming of course I was smart enough to think ahead and buy it before the alcohol hits the bloodstream
When I don't drink iced tea, I drink Radeberger. Forgot about that.
I enjoy many drinks. I like drinking them, handling them haphazardly, super hot drinks paired with super cold drinks for increased heart strain, and big, giant glass of icy water drinks. More specifically:
Racer 5 IPA. I assumed I just liked it cuz I like the word Racer, same way I like Marlboros possibly cuz I think I'm all western, but it turns out it's actually a delicious beer.
Cheap beer. I like cheap beer. I could drink Coors Light all day without pissing.
Orange juice. It's super delicious.
Apple juice. Also delicious.
Lemonade. It's, how do you say, delicious.
Also, I drink liquor maybe three times a year. Jamesons, Bushmills, or Maker's Mark, in that order of preference.
I like something from Leinenkugel or New Belgium (especially the darker stuff) if I feel like splurging; otherwise I happily settle for Michelob Amber Bock or even a Miller Lite once in a while.
If I'm going to be out in the garage working for a while, though, I'll stick with water or Coke Zero. Especially if there's a test drive in the plans. I have bad enough judgement as it is, even without alcohol.