Beer fight in Basel

[Frances]

Re: Beer fight in Basel

You bet it is!

[james]

Re: Beer fight in Basel

No seriously, I don't have an issue with Carlsberg per se, but I do object to being told what kind of beer I should drink. Its the element of coercion that rankles, advertising with a sledge hammer. So my gut reaction is to not ever drink Carlsberg again... that'll teach them!

Is that a Swiss independence streak we're hearing?
James

[Frances]

Re: Beer fight in Basel

Carlsberg isn't that bad really, if that's what you happen to like...

No seriously, I don't have an issue with Carlsberg per se, but I do object to being told what kind of beer I should drink. Its the element of coercion that rankles, advertising with a sledge hammer. So my gut reaction is to not ever drink Carlsberg again... that'll teach them!

I think I'm going to support the Russians now, they seem to be playing a good game and I like it when they have younger not so well known players on the team.

Don't like the Turks since that turn in they had with the Swiss team in Turkey a while back - and I think their trainer is way to agressive. But it is impressive how they've managed to turn two (was it?) matches right round in their favour.

[james]

Re: Beer fight in Basel

Excellent photos. I wish we could have seen that -- thanks for sharing your lovely local city and beautiful children (and Mom).

Italy lost on penalties. :-( Still, we had mixed alliances on that one, and Spain definitely played the better of the two sides. Now you've got Germany - Turkey on Weds. That's an unlikely semi-final. Perhaps the Turks will bring great Turkish Coffee.
James

[asudavew]

Re: Beer fight in Basel

I'm just getting in... and I'm not to ...um... cultured.

I'm guessing Carlsberg is equivalent to Budweiser? i.e. A really bad beer?


Neat pics Frances!

Dave

[rafv]

Re: Beer fight in Basel

Frances, I cannot think why you did not drink any Carlsberg. I drank some once, not a whole bottle, I was in Denmark at the time though. I have never told any of my mates.
Richard

[Frances]

Re: Beer fight in Basel

And my children getting into the spirit of the thing and making friends with the fans.

You'll notice that the water in the fountain has been coloured orange, too....

[Frances]

Re: Beer fight in Basel

Lots of female fans, too...

Lots of cars, one with tulips on and one with a giant orange clogg, only I didn't get a pic of that.

[Frances]

Re: Beer fight in Basel

Right, on Saturday the Holland team played Russia and we took the kiddies into town in the afternoon...

Apparently there have never been so many people in Basle before. Ever.

Those Oranje fans are quite something! Most of the Swiss people were wearing orange, too, since Switzerland lost so ignamously. Including my children - so the whole town was PACKED with people dressed in orange, dancing and singing - the Holland fans brought their own DJs and they organised a huge procession walking out to the stadion, with a double decker bus in front. It took about two hours for them all to walk past. And those were only the ones who had tickets, it not as if the town was any emptier afterwards!

Here are some pics, all kinds of dressing up, cross dressing, lion skins on thier heads (it was very hot that day), swimming costumes, you name it.

On Saturday, half a million litres of beer were consumed in Basel! (How much of that was Carlsberg I don't know - I found someone selling Heineken...

[Frances]

Re: Beer fight in Basel

Remember this thread?

I went into town last Thursday when they were showing the match Holland against ... oh, some other team. And the place was as dead as a Dodo.

Here are some pics of the corded off areas, which DON'T belong to the fan zone... you can recognise them because they are doing quite a brisk trade, unlike the official beer sellig stands which have been grousing about not having enough customers to pay for the 2000 USD per day rent they're being charged. The last one is from inside the non-fan-zone area, looking out towards the huge "public viewing" screen (that's what they call it....)

Ok ok, the ones without people were before the match, there may have been one or two spectators later on...

And there's a picture of Basle's market place, with my Mom dressed in Swiss colours looking at her Swiss watch . I've never actually seen it so empty before. Not on a warm Summer evening anyway!

The beer was good though: one Apenzeller Holfass Bier, one Apenzeller Weissbier and one dunkles Bier. And NO Carlsberg

[rafv]

Re: Beer fight in Basel

Nearly missed this one, I know nothing about football but beer,,,,
RHINHEITSGEBOT, The sixteenth century Bavarian "Pure Beer Pledge", is still in force throughout Germany. It stipulates that beer can only be brewed with malted barley and wheat, hops, yeast and water.
The EU and the European Court have ruled that other beers can be imported into Germany but I am pleased to say that they are making little headway.
After all that I thinkI need a drink. Richard

[Frances]

Re: Beer fight in Basel

Its like with bread, isn't it?

You have large corporations producing lots and lots of a really bland boring standard product, and you have artisan bakers (or brewers) who produce the real thing.

Don' know anything about the German beer question though, I'd have to read up on that.

[Ed_]

Re: Beer fight in Basel

JNKY,

I think the four ingredients are water, malted barley, hops, and yeast. Maybe Frances or somebody in Germany knows for sure. I'm pretty sure Budweiser actually uses quite a bit of rice (as Miller uses corn).

I have to admit that in a sort of beer-snob way, I'm glad they weren't allowed to serve. There are so many good American beers, and Budweiser, IMO, is decidedly not among them. Small breweries invariably produce a better product, as do many larger ones.

[PizzaJNKY]

Re: Beer fight in Basel

Ed, I remember when I was watching the Germany World Cup on TV that I thought it was strange to see Budweiser advertisements. I never confirmed this one way or the other, but one of my friends was actaully in Germany during the cup and told me that Budweiser was only allowed to advertise, and could not sell any of their beer in Germany. My friend said Budweiser brand beer did not meet the strict German Beer requirment of only having four ingredients. I'm not sure if four ingredients is all you need. I don't know much about beer, other than the fact it tastes really good. Even better when its served really cold, at any sporting event.

[james]

Re: Beer fight in Basel

When I go, I'll take a camera, see if I can get some photographic evidence.

Definitely.
James