>>>>I discovered, many years ago, that I'm a happy-mean drunk and it's probably best if I don't overindulge in public. And, since I'm the one generally driving, I don't drink much outside the house. Maybe a cocktail before dinner - or a beer if I'm somewhere I'm gonna be for a while and I'm famous for nursing a beer for a couple of hours or so. Good thing I drink beers that don't turn nasty as they come to room temp.
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>>>Same here - I'm the designated (or shall we say cursed) driver, and as a rule, never drink alone. Absolutely never. It's a kind of a dire warning here, once you catch yourself drinking alone, you know you're down the drain, and you know everyone else knows the same warning. I didn't even get drunk when our children were born - had to drive the grandparents around. OK, a bit for the third, had half a liter of white wine and soda water at work (aka špritzer - schpritzer), as I was bicycling that day.
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>>>I'll keep my opinion on the american so-called beer to myself :). OK, Schiner and Negra Modelo are fine, and the americanized versions of a few european beers aren't bad.
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>>Wasn't a big beer drinker until I visited Germany and the Netherlands and I have developed a severe dislike of extremely 'hoppy' beers, so not a big fan of most pilsners. Domestic, I drink Shiner Bock, even if they do sell it at import prices.
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>>"Whaddya mean 'imported'? The brewery is less than 60 miles away!"
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>Do they still make Pearl Beer in Texas? When I was in Texas (1960-66) it seems that it was very popular. Some bars only sold Pearl. I even found it in North Central Oregon.
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>Originally, Pearl was brewed in Germany by Kaiser–Beck Brewery. They still make Becks beer, which I dislike. It may be Germany’s number one export but they can keep it! :)

My favorite beer, when I lived in Texas (mid-70s), was Shiner Premium beer. I was a college student student, so price was a factor ($1.19/sixpack), but it sure tasted better than the other inexpensive options at that time (Pearl, Buckhorn, Lone Star, Texas Pride, etc)