Just back from hols in Spain. The Lidls out there stock canned Veltins as a standard brew. I wonder why not in UK?

With all this talk of the preferences of beer, I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that this list is populated with a bunch of 'piss up artists' and to them I offer this ode ..

An Ode to Love

The wonderful love of a beautiful maid,
and the love of a staunch true man,
and the love of a baby, unafraid,
have existed since time began;
but the greatest love, the love of love,
even greater than that of a mother,
is the tender, passionate, infinite love,
of one drunken sod for another.

I'll drink to that ..

Len(Ciphers)

sometimes it was the onl way back to bks, the support of a good drunken mate.

An old Staff Sgt.warned us that we would never drink Germany dry. One night driving through Dortmund (2 am ), we passed the Dortmund er Union Brewery. It was going full tilt, all lit up. I realized the wisdom of the old Staff Sgt who told me this. BUT.... I also realized that I had the buggers working overtime

Given the number of breweries in Germany, Hardrations' S/Sgt may well have been right...however, most every Canadian soldier, British squaddie, Canadian teenager with even a modicum of social connections, and British teenagers as well (I can't speak for the Belgiques, although their soldiers certainly qualify!) did their best to do so (drink Germany dry, that is!).

Heading out to the various gasthofs our teenage predecessors had made popular was one of the defining acts of my teenage years in Germany. Now, I realize that sounds totally besotted -- good grief, underage drinking!!! -- but it really was quite normal for us and quite civilized, all things considered.

In the case of Canadian teens, we came under Canadian law as well as German law, although I never quite figured out how the authorities would decide which law applied in a given situation.

At any rate, the legal drinking age in Canada varied, at the time, from 20 years of age to 21 years of age. The legal age of 18 or 19 came after I returned to Canada, I believe. In Ontario (one of Canada's 10 provinces and the province in which the capital city of Ottawa is located), the legal age at the time was 21. We were all 16 and 17 and 18. It was this law under which we were supposedly governed.

In Germany, however, 16 year olds could legally drink beer and so, in that logic that all teenagers utilize, we started patronizing the gasthofs when we were that age (although a few 15 year olds sneaked in under the radar, I know...).

We thought nothing of it, really. We were aware, of course, the MPs could raid a particular gasthof and round us up for delivery to our parents (most of whom were totally aware we were in the gasthofs), but it rarely happened even though it was common knowledge we were all out in the gasthofs.

Upon returning to Canada at age 18 and going out with friends to the ghastly excuses called bars here, my civilian friends found it hard to understand/believe I had been drinking publicly since age 16 or 17.

The advantage of being in the gasthofs at such "an early age" was I had long since learned the social rules of drinking in public and did not fall into the usual trap of heading out with the express purpose of getting totally plastered, as so many of my civvies contempories seemed to do. I found that behaviour obnoxious and never really understood it.

Which is not to say I didn't get totally plastered myself on occassion because I certainly did! But that was more a product of the evening out rather than the purpose. Basically, I had learned how to drink responsibly and viewed "having a few beer" as a social thing not just an end in itself. I still view it that way.

i went away to sea at the age of 15 and leared very quickly how to drink to ones limits.although my first big night out when i arrived in germany (aged 19)didnt stop me getting blathered and ending up in bmh and getting 7 stitches in my chin where a car park jumped up and hit me on the chin....graham...

i well remember my first night out in germany,[fallingbostl].i went down town with two older members of the regt who had been to germany before,you will all remember the pride a german bartender takes when pulling a small beer,[and the time it takes]well one of the lads in the first bar ordered three beers and a taxi,by the time the beers were ready the taxi was waiting to take us to the next bar so beer went down quite fast,and so it went for the rest of the night,after about six i dont remember too much,if you have ever been to fally you will know we wasted our mony on taxis the bars arnt that far apart.

[quote="Stephen Lock"]
In the case of Canadian teens, we came under Canadian law as well as German law, although I never quite figured out how the authorities would decide which law applied in a given situation.

If I have my facts right, under the Visiting Soldiers Act the host nation had first crack at the offence. Even if the offence was commited on the grounds in a Canadian Base in Germany.This also applied in Canada. I remember in CFB Shilo in 74/75 when the Germans first came here to train, that some poor bugger in the Bundeswehr went off hunting elk on the ranges. A protected game in that part of the province. Well the RCMP caught the word, raided his PMQ confiscated the meat and rifles. The Canadians had first crack at him. They turned the matter over to the German Govt. Well the poor bugger was looking at serious time in Germany as they look very poorly on poaching. Here in Canada, a slap on the wrist and maybe lose your rifle. Had to feel sorry for him. Most of the German lads thought Canada was still the open west and hunting was legal no matter where, when or how. Many sad experiences for them until they caught on, that we had speeding laws, it's a 3 day trip to Toronto or Vancouver from Shilo, that making out with native girls was not exactly a good thing to do, driving into the forest/bush was not like a forest in Germany, -30 c weather does really require proper clothing, excessive drinking does not keep one warm in -30 c weather and yes gas is cheaper in Canada then in Germany so quite whining that you didn't get cheap gas as we did in Germany.

Now there's a claim to fame,ones back legs packing up due to ABBA forcing alcohol down your neck .
I'd bet you were too busy drooling over the young ladies to notice what you were drinking,I know I would

now thats a claim to fame,i would have drunk beer from a hobos trainer to meet the likes of abba.[yes i like the music]

Of course this was a few years before they became famous...I think they had produced one "local" album (i.e. Europe only and northern Europe at that;not even sure it was available in Germany). Mia, the young Danish wife of the Canadian corporal whose friends they were, had an album and played it for me. I don't remember it very well probably because I dismissed anything that wasn't by The Beatles, The Stones, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, or various "progressive" bands as not worth my time. Elitist....LOL

Our B & M store has Bitburger at £1.19 a bottle. Think it is a half litre? Trouble with these types of shop is that they don't have regular stuff, just what they can pick up cheap. Loads of Woolworth gear at the moment.

Hi they do a good german mustard in tesco
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