The Great Beer Thread

[farnham54]

Got a kick out of "...when you can just buy a horse and make your own". A witty new way of using the ultimate put-down for a BEvERage.

Regards,

Craig

 

[kent]

Warsteiner Dunkel is a Dark lager, typicly found at German restaurants. I suppose I mostly have it with German food but it does a superb job of standing alone.
Has the wonderful "Brewed According to German Purity Law of 1516" feature which keeps the bloody mainstream rice beers of america at bay.

http://www.warsteiner-usa.com/aboutWarsteiner.jsp

Another type of beer a few of my brewing friends are always loving, is an India Pale Ale (IPA). The story follows along the lines of the British needing an ale to surivive the trip to India from England around Africa. I haven't made it around to trying it, but they're always raving about it so some of you might have some experience with it, or a wish to try.

--Kent

 

[farnham54]

Kent,

"India Pale Ale" is exactly what Kieths calims to be; perhaps you can comment on whether this is merely a label gimmick or fact? It's brewed in Halifax, Nova Scotia, if that makes any difference.

Regards,

Craig

 

[Brad Bowers]

India Pale Ales do get their name from the fact that regular beer couldn't survive the trip to India. IPA was created by adding large amounts of hops, which acted as a preservative and kept them fresh for the trip.

Hops, by the way are mainly added to beer to counteract the inherent sweetness of the malt. There are "Hop heads" who love hoppier beers, but I've never developed a taste for them, just too bitter for me. Let me tast my malt!

Thirsty now at 6:00 AM,

Brad Bowers

 

[STHill]

Before I became a hat snob, I was a beer snob (still am). As I sit here typing, I am enjoying a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, my current favorite general-purpose recreational brew. I love Guinness, but only on drought. The bottled version just doesn't have the magic, even with that cool nitro-widget thingie.

I will say, even as a beer snob, that good ol' Budweiser is always serviceable in a pinch, and you can get it anywhere. I honestly believe you could go anywhere in the world and order a Budweiser, and it would at least be pretty good.

STH

 

[Andykev]

Brew Pubs

Here is my favorite Brew Pub, they make great beer!!! Anyone have photos or links to their favorite micro brewery in their area?

http://www.themenupage.com/blackdiamondbrewingco.html

 

[Michael Mallory]

How to make Budweiser better

I'm actually more of a beer snob than a hat snob (yes, I admit it, I own...gasp...a Stetson!), and while Budweiser is certainly not my first beer of choice, I find it more drinkable than most American mass market concoctions. That said, I've discovered something interesting about it. I never drink it straight out of the bottle; instead I pour it into a glass and then set it down for five or ten minutes, and damned if it doesn't taste better for the wait. I don't know if it's oxidization, the slightly lower temperature, heightened expectations, or just the placebo effect, but it has more of a draft taste if you let it "breathe" for a while. Try it and see if I'm right.

P.S.: The Steson panama "Mello" is still a decent hat, particularly at outlet prices.

 

[Phil_UK]

If I could have only one drink, it would have to be Guinness, though I do like ale as well. Newcastle brown is a fine ale. I also enjoy some of the other traditional English ales such as Old peculiar, Badger, Old speckled hen and Bishops finger. Emu bitter, which is Australian has to be tasted to be believed, it has a wonderful flavour. Tzing Tao(not too sure of the spelling) is a great Chinese beer. I drank this when I was in Hong Kong in 96 and managed to track it to a Chinese supermarket in my area, though its very expensive.

Regards Phil

 

[jpdesign]

The college guys in texas have gotten back into Pabst as well, for some reason.

I like Harp and Bass, but my favorite beers come from the Spoetzl brewery in Shiner Texas. It is a brewery started be German and czezk(sp?) imigrants. Shiner Bock is now Available in about twenty states. they also make a Blonde, Honey Wheat, Summer Stock(during the summer), Winter Ale(guess when), Hefeweizen, and have just released a full flavored-deep amber light beer. Bock I drink most of the time and I buy Summer Stock by the case when available, to last through most of the year.

 

[Marlowe]

How's this?: "I like my beer the way I like my women--golden, smooth, bubbly, not too heavy and cold as ice." Well, maybe I don't like women to be cold as ice. I don't like warm beer, either. Not much better than no beer at all, the way I see it.

To actually answer the question posed at the start of the thread:

I can't cut my way down to just one favorite beer. I pretty much can't stand most domestic American beers. And Guiness tastes okay for about 10 minutes, then it get to tasting like something you'd scrape off the bottom of your foot after walking down the beach in El Segundo. I usually don't go back to beers I didn't like in the past. The ones I keep going back to are Corona (with a wedge of lemon or lime down its throat), Heineken, Saint Pauli, Beck's and Asahi Super Dry. I also like Lone Star, when I can get it.

But I usually don't drink beer. When I feel like getting drunk, I usually have some scotch (Auchentoshan's my favorite so far) or vodka or a vodka martini. I've also been known to have tequila and rum, but not so often as the scotch, vodka or martini--and even that's pretty rare.

 

[Scuffy]

Well... lemme see here. I'm quite suprised and proud of the fact that so many here love beer! For me if it's a cold beer to quench the thirst- without a doubt it'd be PBR. That's what my dad has bought since before I was born and it was my first beer. It's smooth and has just the right amount of flavor. To me many of the beers with a "light" in their name have little or no flavour. PBR isn't over powering and it's a beer that can accompany just about everything.

Now, if I'm sitting down and want to really take my time and enjoy a beer with maybe a cigar or just by itself... I don't really have a favorite. I try to sample a little bit of everything. Guinness is one of my all time passions, but I've also gotten into sampling micro brews. There is a brewery in Cleveland called the Great Lakes Brewing Company. They are wonderful (not to mention their restaraunt is built onto the brewery so you can have good food while gazing upon the copper vats and everything). Their Dortmunder Gold is perfection. I really don't know of a beer they make that isn't good. Like wines they all have their place.

Because I travel quite a bit during the summer I have had the chance to try many micros from around the US. Three of my favorites would have to be Shiner Bock from Shiner TX, Moose Drool from Missoula MT and Summer Honey -also from Missoula as well as Trout Slayer. The Moose Drool is very similar to Guinness. It's good and hearty and after a long day of fly fishing there's nothing better. Especially when it's served right from the tap at the Old Post in downtown Missoula. Great place, very old and all wooden panelled. Feels like stepping back into a Golden Era pub.

Anywho. I'll end my rambling now and get back to work! I'm curious though as to how many folks have heard of the last few beers I mentioned...

Cheers! :cheers1:

 

[Sefton]

Brown Derby Beer

I don't know if this brand exists now but I used to drink this. My mom bought me my first bottle of Brown Derby! (Thanks Mom!).

PBR is a decent beer...how about (if you're on a Really low budget) Old Millwaukee!

I like the dark heavy beers sometimes but mostly I stick to a lager. Cheers!:beer:

 

[JimD]

To beer or Not to Beer

On business trips to Phoenix I discovered Fat Tire Beer from New Belgium Brewing in CO. Considering I normally do not like beer I was pleasantly surprised about its great taste. Unfortunately it is close to impossible to find in Southern Calif, in fact for Xmas my Wife brought back 2 cases from Northern Calif for me.
For those of you who really like beer check out; www.beeradvocate.com

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Well, now. let me think ...

My first beer was Carlsberg Special Brew at the tender age of 13 (if you don't count my father dipping my pacifier in McEwans at my Christening). If ye've never heard or smelt of it, step up to the steps of a church in Edinburgh on a dreary Sunday morning. One of the homeless guys can help you out.

I've gradually progressed to real ales in bars (ie. NO Nitro!). All from beer engines. Becks for the home. And Pacifico Claro for el Laboritory.

My buddy from Iowa tried to get me to drink Hamm's once. I wont try it again.

PBR was okay, though. A case for $12 - The students ain't complainin'. It is physically impossible to get drunk on that stuff ...

Beck's was the drink of the evening ...

bk

 

[shamus]

I'm a huge fan of nut brown ale. But finding a great one has not been easy...
Anyone else a fan and can suggest one?

If not, a nut brown ale, I do like an India Pale Ale. Stone Brew in San Diego makes a wonderfull one. Also check out their anniversary brews...

 

[jkath]

It seems the older I get, the better the beer is on a hot day. Or, a cold evening, for that matter. I prefer those from smaller microbreweries as well. One favorite is SLO brew's Blueberry Ale. (Made in San Luis Obispo, CA) It's a lovely flavor, and goes well with so much. Another adoration of mine is Bert Grant's Mandarin Hefeweizen, which I find readily at Trader Joe's.
I enjoy sampling the different beers at the Yard House, which has up to 250 different beers on tap at any given time.

 

[BellyTank]

Danish...

I live in Copenhagen... the Carlsberg Brewery is dominant in my rear window panorama of the city. Carlsberg make many, many beers- most of which will never be seen outside of Denmark; lagers and pilsners, light ales, dark ales, porters(stout type) and some good strong (hic') beers. Although Carlsberg and Tuborg are dominant here, there are a mass of smaller, regional and boutique breweries. Some perfectly respectable and tasty beers can be bought at the cheapest supermarkets over here.

Of course we have special seasonal beers at Easter and Christmas too.

I prefer Tuborg's Lagers and various smaller companies' Porters at around the 9%alc./vol. mark.

Danish beers are very, very good. One of the reasons I still reside here.

Swedish beers are a diffferent story... and buying them is another...

Cheers Big Ears'

B
T

 

[Hemingway Jones]

Yuengling lager is my favorite beer, bar none, and I have tasted beers from around the world. This little brewery from Pottsville, PA has gone on to become Philadelphia's number one beer for good reason.

When I go home, I load up the Jeep with cases of the stuff, since it is not sold in Boston.

 

[photobyalan]

Sam Adams is now making a very nice schwarzbier (Black Lager), although it's not as good as my all-time favorite: Kostritzer. If you have never had a schwarzbier, you don't know what you're missing.

 

[Barry]

At the local bar I usually get either a Bluebird Bitter, Young's SLA or Fullers' ESB.

Barry