The Bar Towel

I think Rickard's Red is the penultimate beer. Mainstream but avant garde. A sympony of tastes to the tastebuds. A beer with distinction. Why drink anything else?

I'm looking for fans (hardcore) of this beer. Where are you guys?

On 2004-03-24 20:46, Romano wrote:
I think Rickard's Red is the penultimate beer.

If you mean that it is the last but one that anyone should consider drinking, I think that you could be right...

Probably one of the better things that Molson makes - but that's not really saying much.

Slightly better than mainstream industrial lagers but there's a whole host of better beer out there.

Then again, maybe it goes really well with cheese - haven't tried the combo.

On 2004-03-24 21:32, burgermeister wrote:
Probably one of the better things that Molson makes - but that's not really saying much.

Well quite. Obviously Molson Canadian is the ultimate beer... I hope that I do not live to see it come to that. :-/

Oh Romano...you're just yanking our chain. We all know Maximum Ice is the penultimate.

What about Olde English 800 Malt Liquor and Colt 45, not to mention Rickards Pale & Gold. I'm usually beside the Rickards booth at the Toronto Beer Festival. Gotta give 'em two thumbs up for the booth babes! Their cups runeth over!

Someone please kill me

A little trivia, which may be a surprise to some. For what it is worth, there actually was a brewer called Rickard, Gord Rickard I believe, who was assistant brewmaster at the Vancouver brewery. He came up with a locally distributed beer that actually tasted and looked different from the core brands. It was pretty much a low key effort and not, as I recall, a marketing driven initiative. This was around 1980, before any micros were built in Canada (with the possible exception of Trollers'/Horseshoe Bay?) Perhaps it fits the description 'avant garde'.
M.H.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: the.brewer on 2004-03-25 07:21 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: the.brewer on 2004-03-25 07:24 ]</font>

I'll take Michael's trivia one step further with a tale told me by a now-retired, then-active brewing executive with Molson. (No points for guessing who.) Yes, there was a brewer named Rickard, although I too forget his first name, and it was he who developed the marvellous idea of adding caramel to Molson Export to create Rickard's Red. The reason was that Ex was selling poorly in the west and Molson wished to devise a new brand in order to increase production and justify maintaining a viable ale yeast on the left coast.

I have been told several times since that the recipe for Rickard's has changed through the years and is no longer based upon the formula for Export.

And BTW, penultimate means second to last, so my question for Romano is what would be his last beer if Rickard's is in the second-to-last spot?

Mmmm....my fault, you're right 'penultimate' is second to last isn't it? I think modern culture takes it as 'the ultimate' so I feel into that trap. Bottom line, RR is hands down Molson's best effort....a good 'never lets you down' pub staple. Of the more 'mainstream' I'd put it first or second depending on whether I wanted a beer or some Strongbow Cider. The only time RR isn't good is when it gets a soapy taste, which I've run into on occasion. Is this a brew problem or how the pub keeps the cannister?

Romano (bulba?), do you wear pink undies with lacy little firls? Cider and RR??????

Romano,

Oh man, you ARE serious. And I thought you were just having a joke with us! Sadly I'm going to have to refer to you http://www.beer.com or http://www.molsoninsider.com

That's where you'll certainly find the "hardcore" brethren you're seeking.


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Jon Walker on 2004-03-25 15:41 ]</font>

On 2004-03-25 15:21, dhurtubise wrote:
Romano (bulba?), do you wear pink undies with lacy little firls? Cider and RR??????

And just what exactly is wrong with pink undies with lacy little furls? I may have to rethink my alternative wardrobe.

Cider is tasty

Also, something people on this board seem not to be familiar with, or have been ignoring.

troll - An outrageous message posted to a newsgroup or mailing list or message board to bait people to answer. Trolling is a form of harassment that can take over a discussion. Well meaning defenders can create chaos by responding to trolls. The best response is to ignore it. Also, the person who posts such messages.
http://www.walthowe.com/glossary/t.html - More definitions