Many, many years ago, when Lucky supermarkets on the west coast were experimenting with a generic foods product line -- plain-wrap stuff, no fancy packaging -- their contract for canned BEER (that's all it said on the white can, in stark black lettering: BEER) --was given to Pearl Brewing. I was told at the time by a friend who worked in corporate at the market chain that the generic beer was literally the swill from the bottom of the brewery kegs. Drank a 6-pack of the shit once and it rendered an unbelievable hangover and a knot in my gut. But, hey, it was something like a buck-fifity for a six-pack.
I see the humor coming through in Ham On Rye. This Chinaski dude puts up with a lot of crap yet endures the mundane and hypocritical. I love the dialogue in the hospital when initially diagnosed with the acne vulgaris.
"Is he asleep?"
"Why?"
"He seems very calm."
"No, I don't think he's asleep. Are you asleep, my boy?"
"Yes."
Good stuff.
All the beer from a brew tank is uniform, there is no "bottom of the barrel," so to speak. There is a bottom of the fermentation tank, but at a commercial brewery, the beer is conditioned and filtered after leaving the fermentation tank.I was told at the time by a friend who worked in corporate at the market chain that the generic beer was literally the swill from the bottom of the brewery kegs.
The funniest bit for me in Ham on Rye is when he's swimming. I won't give it away, but the comment by some guy at the pool who says, "Lady, he probably..." absolutely made me howl with laughter.
I read recently that good hops are becoming scarce and expensive. Hops are the heart and soul of the beer. A friend of mine - who is completely consumed with brewing - grows his own hops. If you have a knack for growing things with buds you can create your own hops.