A Problem with Drinking (probably the opposite of what you think)

[Jamash]

Drink other stuff. There are many alcoholic beverages that taste awesome and will get you more pissed than beer ever could. For example, try downing a ton of Jagerbombs. That's Red Bull with a shot of Jagermeister. Tastes amazing and a handful or so of them will get you more drunk than 10 pints of any generic beer ever will.

Or, and I've only heard of this through whispered tales in the corners of taverns: The Snakebite and Black. I have no idea if its a real drink or not, but apparently its so tasty but SO heavily alcoholic that a lot of places in the UK don't even serve it because people drink too many and end up with alcohol poisoning.

You shouldn't pay too much heed to whispers, they're often greatly exaggerated half-truths.

A Snakebite is just Cider and Lager mixed together (usually 3:4 Cider:Lager). A Snakebite & Black is just a Snakebite with a shot of blackcurrant cordial, which isn't exactly rocket fuel.

Technically it is in violation of licensing laws for a pub to serve two different types of alcoholic beverage in the same glass (lots of pubs evade this by serving you a pint of Cider and a half of Lager separately and turn a blind eye to you mixing them).

The reason the Snakebite & Black has a reputation for causing alcohol poisoning isn't because it's particularly more alcoholic than any other beer, it's because the added blackcurrant masks the bitter taste and makes it very easy for people to drink (especially for people who don't like beer or cider) and because it's easy to drink many people drink far more pints of Snakebite & Black than they can handle.

So technically it is illegal and technically it does lead to alcohol poisoning, but that's only because lightweights drink far too much of it.

It isn't anything special or a mythical high alcohol concoction like Absinthe. You'd get just as wasted drinking 10 pints of ale as you would drinking 10 pints of Snakebite & Black, but it's far easier for the average person to drink 10 pints of Snakebite & Black as it mainly tastes like blackcurrant cordial.

Also, a handful of Jagerbombs won't get you more drunk than 10 pints of beer, not even close.

10 pints of weak beer (3.8%) contains 21.6 units of alcohol, where as 10 (single measure) Jagerbombs only contains 8.8 units of alcohol.

Jagerbombs only appear more potent because the caffeine in the Red Bull will hide the effects of the alcohol, causing people to get more drunk than they realise and while feeling relatively in control. Then, when the caffeine wears off they're suddenly left with just the alcohol in they system which can come as a bit of a shock.

If someone was to imbibe the combined alcohol content of 10 pints of beer in a short time, masking it with a stimulant so that it hits them all at once, then they would be a lot more drunk than somebody who drank 10 Jagerbombs, dangerously so.

 

[AVATAR_RAGE]

So, like many not-manly men, I'm cursed with the inability to get past the taste of beer. I've never made it past half a bottle on my own. I'm normally able to take a good first drink, but after that the taste limits me to just sips at a time. Between me and friends, we normally just have beer.
Any suggestion on how to get past the taste, or condition myself to like.

I have the same problem man can't stand the taste of most alcoholic drinks but I can provide two solutions that help me get by:

1. Don't drink it, no one should force to to drink beer if you don't like it. That's like trying to make you eat food that you don't like. This I find is easy to do but if you cave into peer pressure a lot the look to number 2.

2. Give different alcoholic beverages a try. For example I have found that I like the cider Strongbow as well as whiskey and vodka (straight or with tonic), but not much else otherwise. It took a lot of experimenting, I tried a lot of lagers, ciders and other drinks before I came to the conclusion of what drinks I could bear.

Hope this helps

 

[Sampler]

Start with Cerveza (especially if it's got a lime or lemon in it) and then work your way up.

Stay clear of bitter (or real beer, not larger)

 

[VaderMan92]

Drink single malt scotch another mans drink. Or whiskey straight up if you can't handle beer. Or since you cant drink beer you probably wont like these so get yourself a handle of vodka and mix yourself a girls drink. Or if you wanna stay somewhat manly Jack and Coke is acceptable. (that would be a can of coke and how ever many shots of jack you want usually 2)

 

[Jegsimmons]

So, like many not-manly men, I'm cursed with the inability to get past the taste of beer. I've never made it past half a bottle on my own. I'm normally able to take a good first drink, but after that the taste limits me to just sips at a time. Between me and friends, we normally just have beer.
Any suggestion on how to get past the taste, or condition myself to like.

I wouldn't know, i just refuse to drink because i have alcoholics on both sides of my family and i'm very likely to become addicted quick.So i just don't bother.
And if you don't like the taste. don't bother, doesn't make you less of a man, you know what you like and how you like it. Being a individual is how you be manly.

 

[lumenadducere]

snip

if you look at the top beers inside the US, pretty much every one of them is terrible. Also, if Miller Lite is beer then i have a sweet garden hose to show you.

Uh-huh. As I said, all the big brands are the ones that make it abroad. There's a reason that they're big, and they're also the ones that are bad. Just because I didn't out Miller specifically doesn't mean it isn't included in that list.

Why are those beers our top-selling beers? I don't know. Probably a combination of marketing, being cheap, and being available everywhere in the nation (whereas the smaller guys aren't). But those "top beers" are only top in terms of sales, and are in no way indicative of the rest of the brewing industry inside the US. Again, the big names being bad doesn't mean that the rest of our brews are bad. It seems I cannot reiterate that point enough.

 

[bad rider]

Depends on the beer, start on Tuborg, then move on to Stella. Avoid French beer, I assume they piss in it before they send it to England, at least judging by taste I'd say so.

 

[kloiberin_time]

Ignoring the age issue I will echo your sentiment. I thought I hated beer when I was younger. Then I found Trappist and Belgian white beers. Chimay Triple, Delerium Tremmons and others I love occasionally, although I usually default to a whiskey and 7. Or just Knob Creak, seriously the aged oak scotch barrels it is aged in give it a wonderful oakey flavor. Anyway I am digressing.

Keep trying different beers (once you are of age) and you may stumble upon one you love. Belgian beers, wheat beers and Guinness (which is its own type, never let ANYONE tell you different) work for me but might not for you.

 

[Daffy F]

I'm not really interested in alcohol, and I have a close friend who is the same, so we still have each other's company if other people feel like getting drunk.

 

[AgentNein]

maybe he wants to experience the bonding that goes on between friends who share a beer or three? It can be good times.

the wonderful world of beer can truly be life enriching.

I would love for someone to explain this to me. As much as I can see the "bonding" and "life enriching" factors of alcohol, to me the "activity" of drinking is no different than any other possible form of group interaction, albeit with the side effects of slowly poisoning your body, hindering your ability to make sensible decisions whilst imbibing, and after certain quantities turning the imbibers into slobbering morons screeching like banshees and/or requiring a level of managed care to rival that of defusing a time bomb.

I have to admit, I find this to be a tremendously dim view of drinking. Bad experiences with drinking and drunkards in the past? That's understandable. But not everyone handles it in that way.

Me and my friends on the other hand have a fairly positive relationship with alcohol. We never devolve into these gibbering monkeys you speak of, Rarely if ever have I woke up the next day with serious regrets as to my actions (ahh, those tend to follow my forays into the whiskeys and vodkas). My actions when drinking, even when drunk aren't a WHOLE lot different than my actions whilst sober. This goes the same for our friends. Now we may exist in a pretty cool umbrella of people (I'm constantly thankful for this), but in the end no one ends up trying to drive somewhere when they've been drinking, no one tries to start fights, no one ends up with sexual encounters they regret the next day, no one is trying to take advantage of anyone else, and thank god no one is trying to play "beer pong". They would be kicked out post haste. The worst that comes of it is listening to music entirely too loud.

As far as the bonding thing goes, yes alcohol tends to lower those forcefields we have up, and allow us to connect on levels that we may not normally. Alcohol has at times only strengthened these friendships.

 

[ElectroJosh]

Belgium, belgium belgium, The worst beer here tastes like the best beer brewed anywhere else!

Well said, now I love a variety of beers, but it was Belgium beers that made me realise I could like it.

Seriously the whole taste of beer may be offputting and that may not change (nothing to worry about) but there is a possibility that you are drinking rubbish beer. To be honest the most popular brands are usually either terrible or boring. I am not saying beer can't be good and popular but often it is big because it is generic or it is cheap to make (these two factors are not mutually exclusive).

 

[TheGreatCoolEnergy]

There are so many different alcohols out there. I myself prefer Vodka over beer

 

[zerobudgetgamer]

I have to admit, I find this to be a tremendously dim view of drinking. Bad experiences with drinking and drunkards in the past? That's understandable. But not everyone handles it in that way.

Me and my friends on the other hand have a fairly positive relationship with alcohol. We never devolve into these gibbering monkeys you speak of, Rarely if ever have I woke up the next day with serious regrets as to my actions (ahh, those tend to follow my forays into the whiskeys and vodkas). My actions when drinking, even when drunk aren't a WHOLE lot different than my actions whilst sober. This goes the same for our friends. Now we may exist in a pretty cool umbrella of people (I'm constantly thankful for this), but in the end no one ends up trying to drive somewhere when they've been drinking, no one tries to start fights, no one ends up with sexual encounters they regret the next day, no one is trying to take advantage of anyone else, and thank god no one is trying to play "beer pong". They would be kicked out post haste. The worst that comes of it is listening to music entirely too loud.

As far as the bonding thing goes, yes alcohol tends to lower those forcefields we have up, and allow us to connect on levels that we may not normally. Alcohol has at times only strengthened these friendships.

Yes. Far more bad experiences than I care to mention. Suffice it to say I've never really seen a positive relationship with alcohol in my lifetime. But I will say this, as fortunate as you and your friends may be, I have both friends and family members who have lost jobs - some of them the best jobs they ever had - because of alcohol.

And as for "lowering those forcefields we have up," why can't you just lower them yourself? This is one BIG reason why I don't understand the need for alcohol. If I want to converse about a subject that will "allow me to connect on a level that I may not normally" my only hesitation is with those around me. I WANT to talk about this subject sober, and under most circumstances I'll try to, but some people just won't allow themselves to unless, like you say, they need a beer or two to open up. So, to me at least, alcohol is a hindering factor to friendships, since you "need" it in order to strengthen them.

 

[Android2137]

Or, possibly, stop drinking it until you're old enough. According to your profile, you're only sixteen.

What this guy said. Please wait until you are your country's legal drinking age or older. And if 16 IS the legal drinking age where you live, then... umm... does it HAVE to be beer? Will your friends seriously make fun of you and question your masculinity if you drink something else? If that's the case, you don't need beer; you need new drinking buddies.

 

[Adam Galli]

You should try as many beers as you can and maybe you'll find one that you like. Different beers have different flavors. Personally, for example, I think Miller (any kind) is disgusting, Budweiser is alright, and Molsen is the nectar of the gods.