Garage Hangout

Don't drink much beer anymore. Don't drink much anything anymore for that matter. Iron City and Lone Star were always my favorites but neither is the same anymore I believe both are now produced by third party breweries. So my one or two a year probably doesn't count for much.

Oddly, I grew up in Pittsburgh and never heard of Yuengling.

i think it was Yuengling? it was a semi dark beer, bloody wonderfull.

I used to be a Bud Light Kinda guy, but you really can't insult me and never issue an apology and expect me to give you my hard earned money. Yeah, I get that Ultra is the same company but I have a lot of friends who work for the distributor.(I used to work there too)

Quote from: jabberwoki on Jun 21, 2025, 09:01 AMWhat was that beer you sent me a while ago?

That's a good question lol.

Stumbled upon this carburetor tool set for Studebaker cars. Pretty neat.


https://ebay.us/m/ty4eNa

Lived and worked in Germany for many years and can attest to the efficiency of the German automotive support and recovery system. Their ADAC (akin to AAA on steroids) is second to none in supporting motorists across the nation, and they also support commercial interests. The most significant factor in their system is distance and costs. Compared to the US, Germany is a relatively small country. When a German driver breaks down, the nearest repair/service facility is (in most cases) not too far away. That goes a long way in keeping costs down.

Characteristically the German government, both at the state and federal levels, have a very large amount of regulatory oversight in this industry. Hence the recovery procedures, processes, and costs are extremely standardized and set by the state.

Contrast that to the US where no such regulatory system exists and in many cases we have recovery businesses charging whatever the market will bare. Competition and cost cutting are the main drivers in the US market. While regulatory compliance and set pricing models are the norm in Germany.

That said, if a US company would try to emulate the German model (without government pricing mandates), they would very quickly be out of business. That kind of business model could not be sustained in a truly open and competitive free market.

Just got back from COSTCO and noticed that they now have an in-house Kirkland Lager Beer, Has anyone tried this beer? I didn't have the guts to actually buy it, but am looking for information on this brand. COSTCO has a reputation for contracting with high quality producers when it comes to putting their name on a product; -- but Beer?

That said, I was brave enough to purchase two bottles of the new Kirkland Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, and have to report that it is an absolutely fantastic premium wine. I will go back next week and get some more. BUT the beer I'm not too sure about.

For awhile I drank a lot of Yuengling,  the switched th Shiner.About 6 months or so back, I switched to PBR and find I both love the taste of PBR, but even more love the price. I exclusively buy 16oz tall boy 12 packs for $14.03 now. Before the recent price hike of beer impacting al brands, 12 packs of tall cans had been costing me lead than $1 per tall can. Since the recent price hike impacts all brands, PBR remains the hands down cheapest decent tasting bar at the cheapest cost per oz beer I know of. Yup, cost per oz definitely does impact my brand of choice

Being of German heritage (my father grew up there) there has always been a lot of talk of German efficiency and engineering in my family.  My father, uncle, and cousins were engineers and one of my 2nd cousins worked for BMW as an engineer as well. I guess that's a long winded way to say that what you said seems right on point.

 I like to watch heavy recovery vids on YT. One of my favorites is Ron Pratt and I like to watch a German channel, VN24.

I am struck by the differences between here and Germany. The number of recovery/support vehicles, the number of people involved is really amazing. I always wonder who is paying all these people.

Pratt has several trucks including a heavy rotator and they're all pretty large - 50T, 75T. By contrast the German wreckers are smaller usually four axle with two steers.  The German recoveries often include a mobile crane. On many the fire department is actively involved in the recovery. 

I know a lot of the difference is the smaller roads, weight and size limits. Still the contrast is really interesting. Also the Germans will close a road if it's necessary until the scene is cleared and cleaned while here keeping the road open is a priority.

One thing the Germans do that is very impressive is the cleanup of the scene. Usually there's a sweeper vehicle and a crew removing the debris and a dumpster for the trash is common.

The whole process is so different between the two.