...different batches of the same malt will perform differently.

Yup.  That's a key property of micro-ecologies.  A good brew master can control, for some extent, the wild swings using his/her experience to make small adjustments in the recipe, wort, & etc.  As an example, the absolute and relative mineral content in the water will almost certainly vary depending on the time of year and yeasts use/need minerals for their life cycle with different concentrations, absolute and relative, having different affects and effects on their life cycle.

(this is all Biology 101)

Ever since I learnt about confirmation bias I've started seeing it everywhere

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/13/westvleteren-xii-world-best-beer_n_2292576.html

We have wormsign!

A vote for PES is a vote for EPP! A vote for EPP is a vote for PES! Support the coalition, vote EPP-PES in 2009!

 

Ever since I learnt about confirmation bias I've started seeing it everywhere

As to the Euro, Sweden doesn't have an opt-out either: they just fail to meet the criteria for accession on purpose.

I distribute. You re-distribute. He gives your hard-earned money to lazy scroungers. -- JakeS

1995 enlargement of the European Union - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

On 30 March 1994, accession negotiations concluded with Austria, Sweden, Finland and Norway. Their accession treaties were signed on 25 June of that year. Each country held referendums on entry resulting on entry for all except Norway (its second failed referendum);

• Austria - 66.6% in favour (June 12); application submitted in July 1989
• Finland - 56.9% in favour (October 16); application submitted in March 1992 (separate referendum held in Åland)
• Sweden - 52.8% in favour (November 13); application submitted in July 1991
• Norway - 47.8% in favour (November 28); application submitted in December 1992

Austria, Finland and Sweden became EU members on 1 January 1995. Sweden held their elections to the European Parliament for its MEPs later that year on 17 September. The following year, Austria held its elections on 13 October and Finland on 20 October.

So 2-5 years in negotiations and about a year to making the refendums etc. But then a number of opt-outs was negotiated to find compromises between existing national law and EU law. And the referendums had to be lined up so that they would favor a yes.

In the case of break-out states minimal negotiations are needed and unless there is an strong opinion for leaving the EU I suspect there will not be referendums. So it should be able to handle it in a couple of months (negotiate, then ratify the treaty) which I suspect will be needed for a practical and amicable exit anyway. So if the will is there, a break-out country could hold a referendum and on a symbolic date a couple of months later leave and become a EU member.

A vote for PES is a vote for EPP! A vote for EPP is a vote for PES! Support the coalition, vote EPP-PES in 2009!

Don't. Get on the first boat out of Europe to Mexico, Brazil or Argentina...

The again, I know that an open Civil War is a possibility but a push.

Anyway, for shit to hit the fan somebody would first have to unilaterally declare independence and I'm not quite sure that's a sensible option in any case. You basically hope that the angry reaction of the state you declare independence from will cause a big enough disruption to mask the fact that you really don't have the trappings of a state.

The real question is what the crazies will do about the referendum. Anyone can hold a referendum, it's just not constitutionally valid unless the national parliament calls it, and you know the Parliament's composition out to 2015 is not conducive to a referendum.

Here's an interesting blog post by a reserve Lieutenant-General. It made headlines when it came out a few weeks ago.

I personally continue to think CiU (especially Unió, but even Mas) are not really interested in independence and are just opportunistically using sovereigntism to mask the bankruptcy of their 2 years of austerity policies (and the results of the 10-year bubble also in Catalonia). Catalonia applied for €5bn from Spain's regional bailout fund, and CatalunyaCaixa has been nationalised and will receive €10bn altogether.

However, the Spanish crazies are just now making noises about recentralising the educational system and intefering with long-standing Catalan language policy. The PP, as you know, thrives from nationalistic tensions. So they might end up pushing CiU to sincerely try for independence.

I distribute. You re-distribute. He gives your hard-earned money to lazy scroungers. -- JakeS

We're not seeing 1930s'style political violence anywhere yet, except possibly in Greece. And recall that the Semana Trágica took place in 1909. A violent putdown of the 15M and allied movements might be similar to that, with no lasting destabilizing consequences for the state.

Anyway, you'll find this fun too: The SUP [police officers' union] believes the Government 'seeks one dead' as it denounces training resulting in injured policemen.

I distribute. You re-distribute. He gives your hard-earned money to lazy scroungers. -- JakeS