The Food and Drink Thread

Topic

Bon appetit and salut!

The Texas grocery store chain, H-E-B, has a Mexican Hot Chocolate ice cream from their store brand line. It is fantastic.

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[Arjan Dirkse]

I like this hummus with sundried tomatoes on crispbread as a snack, but after a few days I get tired of it, I buy something else and about half of the hummus just rots away in the fridge until I throw it out.

 

 

 

• This reply was modified 1 year, 2 months ago by Arjan Dirkse.

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Todd

The Polish supermarket here sells soups that are cheaper than the common Dutch soup in the regular supermarket, 2 euros for a bag of 500 cl. And Polish soup (Central European in general) is great. I like the sauerkraut soup a lot.

 

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Todd

Amstel Radler is a pretty good low alohol beer, if you don’t want to have too much alcohol. Good refreshing lemon taste.

 

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Todd

I like the Italian wines from this brand, Riporta: they sell Italian wine in different styles, from different regions and different grapes. The pecorino is a white wine that is nice and fruity and sparkly, easy drinking. At 8 bucks it is not expensive.

 

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Todd

I have to share this recipe video since I was desperate to make it after seeing it on youtube – I did make it, and it was impressively delicious.

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Todd, Arjan Dirkse

De Molen is a craft brewery in the Netherlands that makes really good beer. They have a lot of different beers but you can always make out their flavor. I think it’s the yeast they use that makes them so recognizable.

 

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njerry, Todd, Christian

Over a year ago it was revealed all of the cheap honey supermarkets sell is fake. It is still in the stores. Wonder what that tells about our food supply.

Ugh.

My partner insists on buying only at organic supermarkets like Alnatura, which is financially challenging but at least we’re actually consistently eating good food.

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Todd

I try to buy my food from smaller shops as much as possible. I don’t trust the supermarket chains at all. They sell chemical slop.

The list of meat consumption by country has some interesting surprises…they often talk about the “Mediterranean diet”, don’t eat a lot of meat, eat lots of veggies, maybe a little bit of fish bla bla. But both Italy and Spain and also Israel are some of the most meat consuming countries. France and Portugal and Malta also are high on the list. Greece a little bit lower, but they still consume quite a lot of meat.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_meat_consumption

Suddenly I want a porterhouse steak…

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Todd, Sean Robinson

Hong Kong is crazy. People there at almost half a kilo of meat a day.

 

I’m pretty average for my country in terms of meat consumption but I do buy good quality meat from the local butcher as often as I can. They sell meat from animals that are ethically raised. It is a little bit more expensive.

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Christian

Texels beer, from the island of Texel, is pretty tasty but they charge prices for it that are like the prices for craft beer or trappist beer, and it just isn’t really that special. It’s just a good beer, but it should be just a little bit less expensive.

 

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Todd

I had Erdinger Urweisse, it’s a very good weissbier. I’m a fan of this German beer style. Schneider Weisse is my favorite, I had several of these when I was in Vienna. I wish I could buy that over here (with some real weisswurst)

 

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Ulf, Christian, Todd

The regular supermarket Gouda can be very bland but aged Gouda can be great, especially if you buy it from a cheese specialty store. It’s best if it’s one year old or older. Slice little blocks off it and serve with a good beer or wine.

 

 

 

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Christian, njerry, Todd

This is pretty good. It’s meat replacement. (It’s based on dairy so not vegan)

 

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Christian, Todd

So on a family group text my brother sends out “It’s that time of year! Pumkin Spice everything!”

Now do I really want Pumkin Spice in my cheese?
I do think it’s overused, but maybe I should just try it once before I slam it. Maybe I’ll like it.

Then my brother-in-law throws down “I see your pumpkin spice cheese and raise you a ketchup smoothie”

Kraft Heinz and Smoothie King Weigh in with First-Ever Tomato Ketchup Smoothie

What in the actual fuck!
The adult in me (last 16 years) says no, absolutely not.
The kid in me (the first 40 years) says I have to try this.

Hmmm

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Todd

Chouffe redesigned their labels. It looks a lot better now I think, the fonts on the old labels looked messy and unprofessional.

 

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Christian, Todd

Arjan Dirkse wrote:

Chouffe redesigned their labels. It looks a lot better now I think, the fonts on the old labels looked messy and unprofessional.

 

I had a Chouffe Blonde last time I was in Belgium, I always forget how strong it is. At 8% one was enough!

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Todd

Belgian booze, FAFO.

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Todd, Dave

Yeah you have to drink those Belgian beers slowly! I think my absolute favorite is the Gouden Carolus whisky infused, which is 11.2 %. Two of those is enough to have a fun night.

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Todd, Dave

Arjan Dirkse wrote:

Yeah you have to drink those Belgian beers slowly! I think my absolute favorite is the Gouden Carolus whisky infused, which is 11.2 %. Two of those is enough to have a fun night.

I always stop by the Cantillon brewery when I’m in Brussels and pick up a few bottles of their lambic beers. Very tasty.

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Todd, njerry, Arjan Dirkse

Hertog Jan makes a good Pilsener beer. I think it’s one of the best in the Netherlands, together with Grolsch. Grolsch is a bit sweeter and Hertog Jan is maltier and darker. Gulpener is also good.

 

Heineken and Amstel are not bad, you know what you’re getting, but I would prefer some of the others.

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njerry

There is a wine company in Spain in the region of Valencia called Neleman that is led by a couple of Dutch people. They make good organic wines for a very good price, the supermarket here sells their tempranillo and their garnacha for about 7 euros.

 

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Todd

Chimay makes excellent beer but their cheese is also outstanding:

 

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Todd, njerry

The winter is the season for citrus fruits. The grocery now has the oranges from Crete and the blood mandarins from Sicily. They’re so good.

 

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Christian, Todd, Dave

I’m having Westvleteren blond tonight. The liqor store in the local mall now has Westvleteren on the shelves most of the time. I think they changed something about their distribution because it used to be super hard to get.

 

It’s expensive for a beer, like 4 euros a bottle, but I found out that in other countries it can be much more expensive.

 

 

 

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njerry, Todd

https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Copy-of-32-image-2026-01-29T123441.412.png?w=1200&quality=80&webp=1

Absolut Vodka & Tabasco Release New Drink – Newsweek

Absolut Vodka and Tabasco have teamed up to launch a new spicy, chili pepper–flavored vodka, called “Absolut Tabasco.”

Absolut Tabasco—The Details
According to the press release, Absolut Tabasco is made by blending Absolut Vodka with a natural essence derived from the fermented, aged red pepper mash which is used to produce Tabasco Sauce, delivering “the distinctive heat and aroma of the world’s most famous pepper sauce in the world’s leading premium vodkas.”

Absolut has issued the following tasting note:

“Each sip contains the distinct notes of aged chilli peppers and vinegar with an underlying sweetness. This delivers a bold and pleasant heat experience that engages all the senses, immediately inviting another sip.”

Produced in Sweden, the new Tabasco‑flavored vodka is gluten‑free, contains no added sugar, and has an alcohol‑by‑volume (ABV) of 38 percent.

The bottle is immediately recognizable as a blend of the two iconic brands: The infused vodka comes in Absolut’s signature apothecary‑style bottle shape, displays the “Absolut Tabasco” name in the Absolut typeface, and features Tabasco’s classic diamond‑shaped label and signature colors.

When & Where Is ‘Absolut Tabasco’ Available?

The press release states that the vodka will launch from February 2026 onwards, across more than 50 markets worldwide, including the U.S. and the U.K.

Why Launch This Flavor?

Absolut said that “people are craving heat now more than ever.” Forecast sales of spicy vodka are expected to increase by 27 percent by 2029, and Absolut Tabasco will sit alongside Absolut’s other spicy flavor—Absolut Peppar: a black-pepper-infused flavored vodka which is “like freshly ground black pepper in liquid form,” according to Absolut.

Craig van Niekerk, global vice president of marketing for Absolut Vodka, said, “People want to feel some heat in their drinks. What better way to do it than by combining one of the world’s leading hot sauce brands with the world’s leading premium vodka brand?”

How To Drink ‘Absolut Tabasco’

According to Absolut, Absolut Tabasco can be enjoyed as a shot, but is “a perfect match for spicy cocktails.”

Absolut Tabasco Cocktails Ideas

The brand has recommended that Absolut Tabasco can be used to make the following cocktails:

Bloody Mary

An obvious cocktail to make with Absolut Tabasco. Simply add the flavored vodka to tomato juice, adding lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, and salt, and garnishing with a stick of celery and a lemon wedge.

Spicy Vodkarita

A vodka take on a spicy margarita, Absolut suggests adding 50mls of Absolut Tabasco to lime juice and agave syrup, covering the glass rim with Cajun spice, and garnishing with fresh chilli and lime.

Spicy Lemonade

Absolut recommends serving this as an alcoholic lemonade with a Cajun twist. Just add Absolut Tabasco to lemonade, serve in an ice-filled glass, with a Cajun-spiced rim, with a chilli pepper garnish.

DC Comics needs to get something going with Absolut Vodka.

Absolute Universe, plus Absolute Editions?

Sells itself.

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Todd

Get a load of this: Columbia, Breakside unveil beer made from bear poop

Instead of stepping in it, try drinking it.

If a bear poops in the woods, it might be in your next beer.

Columbia Sportswear, in partnership with Milwaukie-based Breakside Brewery, has unveiled a new beer featuring a wildly unique ingredient: bear feces. The new brew is called “Nature Calls.”

As unpleasant as that may sound, the companies insist that the beer is not only safe to drink, but actually tastes good.

Created in anticipation of the Super Bowl, “Nature Calls” is a lager made from water infused with American black bear scat collected on trails in Montana, along with malted grains in the Pacific Northwest.

Columbia officials say the beer’s taste contains notes of huckleberries and honey. “Nature Calls” will be available in limited quantities at various Breakside Brewery locations.

In a press release full of stomach-churning puns, Columbia Sportswear said the beer is made with the same standards as any other at Breakside.

“If Mother Nature hurls bear poop at us, we’ll ferment it into a frosty pint,” Columbia Sportswear Brand President Joe Boyle said. “From the inside of a bear to your mouth – we’re making nature’s crap easier to swallow.”

Scott Lawrence, the founder of Breakside Brewery, said in the press release that his company has never created a beer “that celebrates nature this literally.”

“When Columbia came to us with the idea to use bear poop, we thought they were joking,” Lawrence said. “Turns out, they weren’t — and now we’ve got the wildest beer in America and maybe the world. It’s crazy, it’s fun and honestly … it tastes great.”

It’s actually not the first time a brewery has released a poop-themed beer. Stone Brewing in San Diego made a pale ale using recycled sewage water, while a brewery in Finland created a beer using goose droppings to achieve the perfect stout flavor.

In 2015, Rogue Ales released the Beard Beer, made using the yeast in brewmaster John Maier’s beard.

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Todd

the companies insist that the beer is not only safe to drink, but actually tastes good.

Always a great footing to start your campaign off from.

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Todd

If you smile and tell them “It tastes like shit!”, will they be offended or will they feel proud?

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Todd, Sean Robinson

Sean Robinson wrote:

Get a load of this: Columbia, Breakside unveil beer made from bear poop

Instead of stepping in it, try drinking it.

If a bear poops in the woods, it might be in your next beer.

Columbia Sportswear, in partnership with Milwaukie-based Breakside Brewery, has unveiled a new beer featuring a wildly unique ingredient: bear feces. The new brew is called “Nature Calls.”

As unpleasant as that may sound, the companies insist that the beer is not only safe to drink, but actually tastes good.

Created in anticipation of the Super Bowl, “Nature Calls” is a lager made from water infused with American black bear scat collected on trails in Montana, along with malted grains in the Pacific Northwest.

Columbia officials say the beer’s taste contains notes of huckleberries and honey. “Nature Calls” will be available in limited quantities at various Breakside Brewery locations.

In a press release full of stomach-churning puns, Columbia Sportswear said the beer is made with the same standards as any other at Breakside.

“If Mother Nature hurls bear poop at us, we’ll ferment it into a frosty pint,” Columbia Sportswear Brand President Joe Boyle said. “From the inside of a bear to your mouth – we’re making nature’s crap easier to swallow.”

Scott Lawrence, the founder of Breakside Brewery, said in the press release that his company has never created a beer “that celebrates nature this literally.”

“When Columbia came to us with the idea to use bear poop, we thought they were joking,” Lawrence said. “Turns out, they weren’t — and now we’ve got the wildest beer in America and maybe the world. It’s crazy, it’s fun and honestly … it tastes great.”

It’s actually not the first time a brewery has released a poop-themed beer. Stone Brewing in San Diego made a pale ale using recycled sewage water, while a brewery in Finland created a beer using goose droppings to achieve the perfect stout flavor.

In 2015, Rogue Ales released the Beard Beer, made using the yeast in brewmaster John Maier’s beard.

Hard pass.

I wonder what the Bavarian Reinheitsgebot would say about this beer…

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Christian

Leffe is always good and it’s more affordable than some of the other Belgian beers. Same for Affligem.

 

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Todd, njerry, Dave

Boerenkaas is a special type of gouda cheese that is made with unpasteurized milk and made by one specific farm. Most are Gouda style but some are also Swiss style, with holes. The cheese shop in the local shopping centre sells boerenkaas from a number of farms, and my favorite is from a farmer called Mulder, from a farm south of Rotterdam. (South of Rotterdam is pretty rural) They make a Swiss style boerenkaas that is just…soooo good.

I heard someone say that really good cheese has to be close to disgusting. The special flavor elements in good cheese have to be very outspoken and striking and strong tasting, like in a stinky French cheese. The same is true for good Dutch cheese.

 

 

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Todd

Arjan Dirkse wrote:

I heard someone say that really good cheese has to be close to disgusting. The special flavor elements in good cheese have to be very outspoken and striking and strong tasting, like in a stinky French cheese. The same is true for good Dutch cheese.

Staying with a cousin in England a few years ago, I bought a cheese called Stinking Bishop at a local shop, ate some of it (it was delicious!) and put the rest in her refrigerator intending to eat it later. A few days later I flew back to the US. Speaking to her a while later, she mentioned that after I left she smelled a horrible odor in her kitchen and thought that her dog had made a poo somewhere in the room…until she opened the refrigerator and found the Stinking Bishop.

Good times…good times…

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Todd, Dave, Arjan Dirkse, Ben

Too bad there are not really English cheeses in the shops here, I would like to try some. The foreign cheese that the cheese shop has is from Belgium, France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.

 

(I think the supermarket has cheddar cheese, but I don’t trust it, it is probably an inferior quality compared to the real deal)