Beer!

[ZKP]

Lets talk about beer! I think it's been a strongly neglected topic. Lets hear some favorites!

Some of mine include.....

Guinness extra stout. I'm not as big a fan of that bottle with the widget in it and i really don't like the 11 oz bottle. But honestly I love Guinness Extra Stout as much as I love anything on this earth or anywhere else.

Fosters Special Bitter. It comes in a big green can and I can't find it in all states. If you run into it give it a whirl. Strong amber ale.

Bass. Another classic. Hard to go wrong. First patent in Merry Old I hear.

Bottingtons Pub Ale. Expensive but good. A fine piss beer. Blue collar punk following.

Budweiser. Sure it's piss. It's classic piss. It's the piss all other piss is judged by. Go USA!

[homerj742]

I don't drink, but my friend's are big fans of Yuengling (sp?) and Blue Moon...

[Benthic]

I'm a big fan of IPAs. My favorites are made by Dogfish Head and Harpoon. I also like Guinness, Newcastle and Youngs. Oh, and let's not forget those Belgians...Chimay, Leffe and the like. But my very favorite beer is whatever I made. It can be whatever I want and it's on tap, right in my house.

Brian

[Patrick]

I'm a big fan of IPAs. My favorites are made by Dogfish Head and Harpoon. I also like Guinness, Newcastle and Youngs. Oh, and let's not forget those Belgians...Chimay, Leffe and the like. But my very favorite beer is whatever I made. It can be whatever I want and it's on tap, right in my house.

Brian

I'm inclined to make my handle "pelagic" and say I hate IPAs... I don't really like them all that much but I'd do it more for the value that comes with contrast.

[Paul Sousa]

I love beer. My tastes change with the season. Since it's winter here are my current favorites.

Guinness
Bass
Newcastle (from the tap)
Apple Pie (mix of Harpoon Winter Warmer and draft cider)

[Sgsolberg]

I love beer. Tastes can be a bit seasonal, and MN has a good dose of all 4 seasons. Additionally, I brew beer… if you have some time, you should check it out.

My Favorite Early Spring beers (March – April):
Pale Ales – I like Sierra Nevada and Summit.
Pilsners (or Helles, or Dortmunder Export) - Paulaner, Bittburger,
Warsteiner, Spaten
Bock – Always good on a cold evening.
Stout – Especially like Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout.

Late Spring/Early Summer (Through June):
Pale Ales – I like Sierra Nevada and Summit. ESB’s.
Pilsners, Helles, or Dortmunder Exports
IPA: Two Hearted Ale (Bell’s)
Belgians: Enkels, Doubles,
Maebock: Sierra Nevada makes one if I recall,

Late Summer (Through Mid September even)
IPA and IIPA: Surly Furious, Two Hearted Ale, Lagunitas IPA
Pilsners, Helles, or Dortmunder Exports
Belgians: Delerium Tremens, Saison’s
Hefeweizen: For you southern guys, BJ’s Pizza has an AWESOME
Hefe. Franciskaner (SP?)

Autumn/Early Winter (Through Late November)
Oktoberfest: Spaten, Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, Sam Adams,
Gordon Biersch
Brown Ales: Moose Drool, Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown,
Bell’s Nut Brown
Dunkel: Warsteiner,
Belgians: Flander's Reds, Westmalle,
-Also like hard ciders and meads this time of year... so crisp.

Winter:
Doppel Bock: Paulaner Salvator, Ayinger Celebrator, Spaten Optimator
Porter: Anchor Porter, Sierra Nevada’s Porter,
Dunkelweizen: Franciskaner (SP?)
Winter Ale: Summit Winter Ale.

[GdMisfits]

American microbrews. Stone brewery and Dogfish head tend to brew my favorites.

Also, I think we need a whiskey thread.

[tnumrych]

Guinness - for obvious reasons
Kilkenny's - for being a subdued cousin of Guinness
PBR - for 1896 Blue Ribbon/cost effectiveness
Duvel/Chimay - for extravagant deliciousness
Allagash - for good Belgian style beer brewed stateside
Okocim - for being Polish therefore close to my heart

Truly though, I'll drink anything that is darker than MillBudCoors and truly, anything that isn't MillBudCoors.

[Raskolnikov]

Damn. Sgsolberg pretty much just made what would be my definitive list, so I've got nothing really to add. But I do want to say that I think Sierra Navada Pale Ale is the nector of the gods. My mouth starts watering just talking about it. Stone Pale Ale is also pretty damn good. And I also really enjoy Fat Tire Amber Ale and Abbey Grand Cru (New Belgium makes a bunch of great beers, actually).

[JT in MD]

More or less if it says Saranac or Samuel Adams, it's in my fridge.

For colder weather, Saranac Caramel Porter and Black Forest are by far my favorites (only available for a short period in late fall).

When the weather turns warmer, Circus Boy, Sam Adams White Ale, Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat, etc... but I echo the sentiments regarding anything but Miller, Bud, Coors...

[tnumrych]

I thought someone would get the reference of MillBudCoors by now.

[nisora33]

Depends on my mood. In no paticular order, I like:

Guiness Extra Stout
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Samuel Adams Lager
Sam Adams Octoberfest
Cherokee Red Ale (think this is local)
St. Peter's Old Style Porter (Suffolk England)

More to come...

[Kostas]

Guinness Special Export
Franziskaner Weissbier
Franziskaner Doppelbock
Newcastle Brown Ale (cheap and cheerful)
Erdinger Pikantus
Peiraiki (Greek micorbrewery) Dark Ale
Rodenbach Grand Cru (the ultimate beer)

[stronger]

Augustiner

[Misanthrope]

A few I like, in no particular order:

Rochefort Trappistes
Sinebrychoff Porter
Goose Island Honker's Ale
Moose Drool Brown Ale
Samuel Adams Octoberfest
Samuel Adams Cream Stout
Boulevard Bully! Porter
Boulevard Pale Ale
Black Butte Porter
Newcastle Brown Ale
Fuller's 1845

Honorable mentions for mellow, decent-tasting, non-offensive mass produced beers:

Beck's Oktoberfest
Red Stripe

[Bloodninja666]

Pabst blue ribbon!

[Squatson]

Rednecks in white socks and Blue Ribbon Beer

[Cmanuel]

Goddamn im a beer nut. I brew my own on occasion. I have a few friends that brew all grain batches only and boy, they can really brew some amazing stuff!

Also went to the 2009 Great American Beer Fest in Denver CO this year.... If you guys are true beer buts you will want to attend this event!!! trust me!

I have too many favorites to list so i'll just list my favorite dinner beer
http://raiseyourglass.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/beer-015small.jpg

[staypuft]

Nothing better than a Sam Smith, Famous Taddy Porter.

[Gary Gibson]

I like South and East Asian beer: Tsingtao, Kingfisher, etc. Got to go to a liquor store or Thai or Indian restaurant to get that stuff, however.

I'm going to a bar right now to get my feed on with pub grub and down a couple of $5 pitchers of the Yuengling. I apologize in advance for any inappropriate or inflammatory posts I make when I get done.

[bluecheese]

Purple Haze by Abita
I grew up on Dixie beer so that is a good standby beer. It used to be brewed in New Orleans until Katrina destroyed the brewery. I don't think they have rebuilt it, so it gets brewed somewhere up north.
Bud Light if I have to.

[Razor]

Guiness, not just for breakfast anymore, you can drink it all day.
Kilkenny, another great cream ale/ sports drink that drinks like a meal

[ZKP]

You called Kilkenny a sports drink!!!:D HA!

Though I would never spend money on Bud light I would complain minimally if it was free. It actually fits the "sports drink" description pretty well.....

[Patrick]

I like South and East Asian beer: Tsingtao, Kingfisher, etc. Got to go to a liquor store or Thai or Indian restaurant to get that stuff, however.

FWIW, if it's at a restaurant near you then it means there's a local distributor. They'll sell you the beer but you'll most likely have to buy it by the case.

[jameson]

Oskar Blues is a new release here in Tennesse, but I think most states have it west of the Mississippi. They offer some of the best tasting high-gravity beers in a can. I would hope that everyone on this forum can at least appreciate a good dark beer. With that in mind, try the Ten FIDY (10.5% ABV). Looks like motor oil but tastes like chocolate. Old Chub is another favorite - Scottish Ale.

Certainly one cannot post about beer without mentioning Guinness. And, yes it is much better over in Ireland. Guinness tastes flat in the states once you've enjoyed the creaminess of Ireland's own. Nonetheless, Guinness still tops most beers you can find at the grocery...

[nisora33]

Oskar Blues is a new release here in Tennesse, but I think most states have it west of the Mississippi. They offer some of the best tasting high-gravity beers in a can. I would hope that everyone on this forum can at least appreciate a good dark beer. With that in mind, try the Ten FIDY (10.5% ABV). Looks like motor oil but tastes like chocolate. Old Chub is another favorite - Scottish Ale.

Certainly one cannot post about beer without mentioning Guinness. And, yes it is much better over in Ireland. Guinness tastes flat in the states once you've enjoyed the creaminess of Ireland's own. Nonetheless, Guinness still tops most beers you can find at the grocery...

Good job with that post--you almost had me convinced that you drink anything but Natural Light

[IWillLiveFreeOrDie]

Magic Hat #9 is one of my favorites right now. Their Winter brew Howl is really good too!

[jameson]

Good job with that post--you almost had me convinced that you drink anything but Natural Light

Well that may be partly true. I can't deny my upbringing by saying that I won't drink the occasional PBR or Coors Light. Natty Light is more akin to liquid charcoal than it is beer - if my fuzzy memory of it from high school serves me.

Everyone listen well, ANYTHING from St. Peter's is worth the money. Most Rogues are almost worth the money. Terrapin Rye is pretty good, too. Enjoy.

Cmanuel, I'm letting my Old Rasputen age a year or so before I drink. I was told it's much better with a little age on it. Figured there's plenty more beer to enjoy while I wait.

[nisora33]

Natty Light is more akin to liquid charcoal than it is beer -

When you put it like that, it makes it sound like something that would put about 50 lbs. on your deadlift and three inches on your chest-pubes.


Everyone listen well, ANYTHING from St. Peter's is worth the money

This, times eleventy-thousand and five.

[StLRPh]

When you put it like that, it makes it sound like something that would put about 50 lbs. on your deadlift and three inches on your chest-pubes.


If it did that I wouldn't have been a skinny POS in college.

[jameson]

If it did that I wouldn't be a skinny POS in college.

I'm just going off what you posted, but you're a skinny POS in college because you aren't eating enough. Once you correct this deficiency, Natty Light will surely put a few more hairs on your chest and might even increase your DL (mainly because you'll have learned how to strain). Luckily, I'm out of college and can now afford a more tasty beverage. Good luck - hopefully you'll be able to enjoy better beer soon.

May I at least suggest Miller High Life or PBR for now?

[Cmanuel]

Cmanuel, I'm letting my Old Rasputen age a year or so before I drink. I was told it's much better with a little age on it. Figured there's plenty more beer to enjoy while I wait.

Yep, I aged a 4-pack for half a year and it really brought out a lot of the malts that makes an imperial stout special. There was a really rare aged version they did a year or two ago to celebrate the 10th anniversary or something of that beer. good stuff, had it on tap at Brick Store Pub (#1 beer bar in US) in Atl

[StLRPh]

I'm just going off what you posted, but you're a skinny POS in college because you aren't eating enough. Once you correct this deficiency, Natty Light will surely put a few more hairs on your chest and might even increase your DL (mainly because you'll have learned how to strain). Luckily, I'm out of college and can now afford a more tasty beverage. Good luck - hopefully you'll be able to enjoy better beer soon.

May I at least suggest Miller High Life or PBR for now?

Crap, that's my second typo today :mad: I'm almost 34 now and 225 now. And what you say certainly would have been accurate when I was in college. I wasted a lot of time :(

[jameson]

Crap, that's my second typo today :mad: I'm almost 34 now and 225 now. And what you say certainly would have been accurate when I was in college. I wasted a lot of time :(

My fault StLRPh. I misread your post.

[nisora33]

My fault StLRPh. I misread your post.

That's what happens when you post to the forums drunk off our ass.

[ZKP]

If we're gonna play around with Natural, then go a straight line to Natty Ice, and hold the dignity.... 5.9% is a really interesting thing to play with, especially at the age of 16 or so when it us typically encountered for the first time with any intensity. 5.9 is the DL of cheap beer. Necessary for brute strength, but best encountered infrequently because of the CNS damage which accompanies it.....

[drewcarroll2]

I can say that I never really found a "real ale" I didn't like when I lived in England. If you don't know what it is, I can't really explain it other than they have a pull handle for the "tap", like a pump really, and they are flat and about room temp, delicious and all varieties. I really love a dark beer, the higher the alcohol content the better. I like this stuff called Ferror Tropfen (spelling?) and I am a big fan of Chimay. I don't really know much other than beer is great and I like it.

I do like Old Milwakee cuz it reminds me of my Grandpa and Pabst Blue Ribbon is delicious.

[Figaro]

He who buys meat buys many bones,
He who buys land buys many stones,
He who buys eggs buys many shells,
But the man who buys ale buys nothing else.



Not my words. Some thousand-year-old wisdom.

[vivek]

Arrogant Bastard Ale.
Stone Brewing Company IPA.

[vivek]

I second on Rogue brews.

[ILiftAlone]

Arrogant Bastard Ale.
Stone Brewing Company IPA.

I'll see your Arrogant Bastard Ale and raise you a Double Bastard Ale (http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/147/1056/).

[vivek]

Double Bastard Ale is excellent as well...!! i concur, sir.

another brew that i like is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Good session beer, and readily available on the West Coast.

Beer is Good.

[vivek]

A definite thread highjack here, but while i am online, i also highly recommend -
1. Tito's Vodka.

Good, clean, drink it straight in shooters out of the freezer. I give it 5 stars.

[JM3]

I like Arrogant Bastard beers- all of them. I cant figure out how my wife got them to name something after me.

Oskar Blues- Dales Pale Ale
Dogfish Head-- 90 minute IPA
60 minute IPA

Sierra Nevada in a pinch

Any Real Ale from England... I so wish we had that beer culture here in the states- and they are taxing it out of existence over there.

[L_D]

Just about any beer you can get from Rogue is going to be awesome. Also, for those who mentioned Stone Brewing, get your hands on some of their Old Guardian barley wine and their Sublimely Self Righteous Ale. The SSRA is probably my favorite beer of all time.

[MazdaMatt]

Do any of you brew beer? Enjoying your own beer is truely the most manly, I gotta say. Especially when it is in a keg :)

I have brewed beer about 8 times. Always from kits, experimented successfully with modifying an Ale kit into a Honey Ale (replace dextrose with 1.5x weight in honey). I've done:
Aussie Ale
Aussie ale modified to honey ale
Aussie Lager
Canadian Ale
Canadian Lager
Stout (this was a sad sad day... it spoiled and I had to pour 23litres (46pints of beer) down the sink)

I have never bottled it, always kegged it in a 20L keg. I have a welding regulator and 2 paintball CO2 tanks to push the beer (1 tank can push a 56L keg) and keep it from spoiling (air = spoiled). I used to have a fridge in the basement dedicated to freezing meat up top and cooling my keg in the bottom (double-manly) but lately I've just brewed it and put it on ice for a party.

I have brewed wine as well once and I'm going to brew wine again in the next couple weeks.

[Matt Reynolds]

I love beer. I have brewed my own for several years now. We are really lucky the way excellent microbrews have turned out the last decade or so.

However, my favorite for consistency across all brews in Samuel Smith anything. I'm particularly fond of the oatmeal stout, but the Imperial, Nut Brown, Taddy Porter - are all ridiculously good.

[Tom Chase]

Brooklyn Brewery Black Chocolate Stout. 10.1%. Enough said!

[Ian Kovtunovich]

Anybody tried any of BrewDog's beers? They're from Scotland, and they do a lot of cool shit, including aging their beers in whisky casks. They also lay claim to the strongest beer in the world, currently something like 50% (!!!) ABV. The first incarnation of that beer had the awesome name of Tactical Nuclear Penguin, which may be the best beer name ever, IMHO.

[ZKP]

I too love a nice hipster brew from time to time, but lets not get too bourgeois, ok guys. Drinking a $10 six pack a day? fuck that.....

And for the home brewers, damn your eyes you fortunate bastards with the needed space

If you had 20 bucks a week, what would they be?

[Ian Kovtunovich]

I too love a nice hipster brew from time to time, but lets not get too bourgeois, ok guys. Drinking a $10 six pack a day? fuck that.....

And for the home brewers, damn your eyes you fortunate bastards with the needed space

If you had 20 bucks a week, what would they be?

Shit, man, I never drink quality brews in quantity! A six of that a day? Fuggeddaboutit!

$20 a week, hmmm...

Full Sail bourbon barrel-aged porter
Skull Splitter (oops, those first two just ate about half the budget! Although the former is a 22, and both are 8%+ ABV)
Spaten Optimator
Black Boss porter (some of the best bang for your buck out there--16oz bottles, 9.4% ABV, about $2.50--if you see it, try it, and thank me later)

[bob g]

Rogue's Double Dead Guy - I've only seen it once, on tap up in Couer D'Alene. Outstanding.

Close to home: New Glarus Spotted Cow for scorching hot days, Central Waters Ouisconsining a red ale for any and all times.

[vivek]

20 bucks a week would buy a couple of sixpacks of the Optimator.
that would be my beer of choice...
Spaten Optimator is about 7 bucks for a sixpack in LA.

[Matt Reynolds]

Bob,

That spotted cow is excellent. Had my first bottle of thart the other day. I guess you can only get it in Wisconsin. My buddies are alwasy bragging about their "cow beer" they got and one of them finally gave me bottle the other night. Excellent.

[Ian Kovtunovich]

It is about 95 degrees here in Portland, which for us qualifies as hot (I don't care if it's 120 in your state, it still feels hot here, so thpppptttt!), and I'm enjoying a nice Mirror Pond Pale Ale from Deschutes Brewery, crisp, well-balanced, nicely executed touch of hops. Summery goodness! Cheers, SS forums!

[Guido]

Around here (Illinois) you can get some Left Hand Milk Stout for a reasonable price. Quality stuff, along with all the other Left Hand brews.

[bob g]

Bob,

That spotted cow is excellent. Had my first bottle of thart the other day. I guess you can only get it in Wisconsin. My buddies are alwasy bragging about their "cow beer" they got and one of them finally gave me bottle the other night. Excellent.
Ain't they great? Yeah, a few years ago New Glarus dove into the Chicago market. Spotted Cow took off so well that the brewery couldn't keep up with the demand and the expansion really compromised their home market. They did the right and smart thing and pulled back until they could bring new production on line but still distribute Spotted Cow and the rest of their offerings without hosing quality. They recently opened a second brewery in New Glarus, WI up the road from the one they built 7 or 8 years ago. If you're ever up that way, not too far from Mad Town, stop for the tour. The place is beautiful. And the beers are awesome.

[bob g]

It is about 95 degrees here in Portland, which for us qualifies as hot (I don't care if it's 120 in your state, it still feels hot here, so thpppptttt!), and I'm enjoying a nice Mirror Pond Pale Ale from Deschutes Brewery, crisp, well-balanced, nicely executed touch of hops. Summery goodness! Cheers, SS forums!
And, talking about cool breweries, Deschutes in Bend, OR is stunning. I tried and loved the Hop in the Dark, a dark IPA. Sounds wrong but, oh baby, is it good.

[Ian Kovtunovich]

And, talking about cool breweries, Deschutes in Bend, OR is stunning. I tried and loved the Hop in the Dark, a dark IPA. Sounds wrong but, oh baby, is it good.

Oh, MAN! My wife tried that awhile back, at the Deschutes pub here in Portland (I think they actually do a little brewing there, too), and recommended it to me. That is actually one of my favorite beers ever. It really does sound suspect, but I thought it was amazing. I wish they'd bottle it. There are a couple other dark ales like that lately. There's a brewery called 10 Barrels, which I think is also in central OR, and they have a Sinister Black Ale that is also quite good. Not sure if it's in bottles; I haven't seen it yet. Worth a try if you cross its path.

[ZKP]

Drank a dozen Dos Equis a few days ago. This beer should be bought at a minimum of 18+ at a time...and will be so from now on. Delicious. I hadn't had this since I was 18, not a fan then, and wow, now I love the stuff. Plus all the Mexican restaurants I've been to really don't give a shit if you get a little carried away and WILL HAPPILY serve you a dozen beers with dinner. They just keep throwing them at you....Awesome....

[Patrick]

Drank a dozen Dos Equis a few days ago. This beer should be bought at a minimum of 18+ at a time...and will be so from now on. Delicious. I hadn't had this since I was 18, not a fan then, and wow, now I love the stuff. Plus all the Mexican restaurants I've been to really don't give a shit if you get a little carried away and WILL HAPPILY serve you a dozen beers with dinner. They just keep throwing them at you....Awesome....

I've gotta say, you make a good point. If you order three beers at a time in a bar with a white dude behind the counter they'll give you some sermon on how much you can order at a time per state law, yadda yadda yadda. If it's a hispanic fellow, in my experience, you'll get a grin and a frosty mug.

[ZKP]

Bass

I've always been a big fan of Tea Drinkers. I imagine everyone in merry old England to somehow be edgy and quaint at the same time, and fuck what they say about the teeth. Haters I call em. But whatever the truth may be, Bass is enough reason to think England is awesome, or at least kind of ok. Plus every Bloke I've met has thought that Limes in beer are stupid.....which is true and the Irony is fucking wonderfull. Thanks and here's to Bass!

[MazdaMatt]

Drinking a $10 six pack a day?...
And for the home brewers, damn your eyes you fortunate bastards with the needed space

WTF are you talking about? You can brew beer in the space under my desk, for christ sake. A carboy (brew jug) is only about 14 inches wide and 30-ish inches tall. Get your damn jugs set up and get to it! The first brew pretty much breaks even with the cost of beer, then you're on the cheap after that!

If you're REALLY concerned, there's a company that makes prepared 2L bottles (equiv to a 6-pack) that you open, add the included yeast, put in a closet for two weeks, put in fridge for a day, then drink. They cost about 3 bucks. You can also do 1gallon brews.

$10 six pack... that pretty much describes any six pack in Ontario. The land of taxed alcohol. I am pretty sure that we're in the top 3 most heavily taxed alcohol regions in the world. I just bought a 6-pack of MGD (not premium beer) for 11.95

[ZKP]

MM

You're right. Sometimes you just need to hear it. Home brewing is going to happen, and thanks for the kick in the ass...

Concerning Ontario- Fuck Ontario. Seriously. $12 a six for MGD!? Thats a good enough reason to start a goddamn revolution. What the fuck are those bastards trying to do to you, or rather what the fuck are you letting them get away with!? Burn down the fucking courthouse/county building because it's obviously not being used to vote out the evil fuckers responsible for this abortion of justice. Fuck Ontario. Good luck in the coming paramilitary ventures (hopefully).

[MazdaMatt]

You're right. Sometimes you just need to hear it. Paramilitary strike on paliament is going to happen, and thanks for the kick in the ass... :-)

Here's a tip: fuck bottling your homebrew, go buy a minikeg (20L or 30L) of beer and drink it, then don't take the keg back instead use it to serve your beer! You can make/buy a keg-fridge, use a welding regulator and paintball CO2 tanks to get started cheap. If you pump it with a reg and CO2 it stays good up to 6 months or something (like 20L of beer is going to last six months! Ha!)

next tip - buy all your gear used! Lots of people schmuck out and buy the gear and never use it. I bought new and spent 2x what I later bought a whole second kit for used and the second kit had more and better stuff.

[william jackson]

on the eastcoast: Dog fish head, Magic hat (they are all pretty wonderful), harpoon IPA
on the westcoast: Gorden Biersch Hefeweizen (probably my fav beer)
in hawaii: longboard
on the beach: mexican beer with a lime or tecate with a splash of hotsauce and pepper
pre-game: orange 4 loko

[ZKP]

Back on Oahu I remember drinking the Steinlager in cans from the Seven-Eleven...or the Budweiser and Steel Reserve because I'm classy like that.......Moch's and their obsession with Heineken and Bud light I'll never understand.....