I like cream ales okay, but they're nothing special. Cream stouts are usually pretty damn good though.
Damn it, that's what I meant. Stout. So that's good news. I'll get some the next time we're out.
We're trying the Vin du Monde right now. It is indeed good. Good and strong. And you can really taste the clove and herbs. I'm going to buy another soon and try it with food.
Originally Posted by Lyta
I've been trying to concentrate on studying for my Proof Methods test tomorrow, and all I can think of is your hotness, radiating out from the pixels on my monitor, seared straight into my neurons.
3 each of Magic Hat No. 9, Jinx (fall seasonal), Circus Boy Unfiltered Hefewizen, Batch 375.
I found both No. 9 and Batch 375 to be way too hopsy for my taste*. I enjoyed Circus Boy, and I haven't had No. 9 yet.
*I think I'm super sensitive to anything with an aftertaste. I don't care for cider for example, and I've nearly vomited on a "Black Velvet" which in my case was Guiness on top of Strongbow Cider.
I had some hibachi over the weekend and so I had some Japanese beer to go with it. The Kirin Ichiban is an amber beer and was drinkable, but nothing special. They had Sapporo on tap, so I had one of those and it was very light and practically tasteless. Again, drinkable, but nothing special. If you're forced to choose a Japanese beer to drink with hibachi, I'd take the Kirin, but if you're just eating sushi I'd go for Sapporo.
I had a bottle of Fuller's London Porter and it was excellent. Beat the pants off the Japanese beers. Rich, almost creamy, with plenty of coffee and chocolate flavors. This is a beer that cries out for meat and grease to go with it. A good steak or a burger and fries would go well (I'm from the midwest, fish and chips are out).
Smutty Nose Pumpkin Ale: excellent - not nearly as sweet as the average pumpkin ale and tastes like beer, not pumpkin flavored alcohol.
Long Trail Auburn: Quite good - nothing particularly distinguishing about it. A good solid fall beer that focuses on subtle spices and solid flavor.
If you're ever in New Hamshire you should try to grab some of Woodstock Brewery's Pigs Ear Brown Ale.
I also ended up going to a beer tasting (just a bunch of friends brought ~48 ounces of a rare / exotic beer and we all sat around trying them), and found "Duchesse De Bourgogne" to be quite unique, and "Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier" to be probably the best beer I've ever had. Image included as that's pretty much the only way you're ever going to be able to remember what the name is / what it looks like. Honestly, if you like unfiltered wheat beers this is (in my book) the best one out there (and that's after only a 4 oz sample).
I had some hibachi over the weekend and so I had some Japanese beer to go with it. The Kirin Ichiban is an amber beer and was drinkable, but nothing special. They had Sapporo on tap, so I had one of those and it was very light and practically tasteless. Again, drinkable, but nothing special. If you're forced to choose a Japanese beer to drink with hibachi, I'd take the Kirin, but if you're just eating sushi I'd go for Sapporo.
Yeah, Sapporo is by no means a "good" beer, but somehow a sushi dinner just isn't the same without an oversized can/bottle of Sapporo beside it.
Japanese beers pioneered the use of rice as an adjunct - something most American mass-produced swills took to as well. That's why none of them have any flavor. That said, I'll agree there is a certain symmetry to drinking Japanese beer while eating Japanese food. It's the same thing with German food/beer, and Czech food/beer even moreso. Czech goulash without Starobrno or something better (and much harder to find) just ain't right.
Weihenstephaner puts out a lot of good stuff. Everything I've tried of theirs is at least decent, and their dark beers are really quite good.
3 each of Magic Hat No. 9, Jinx (fall seasonal), Circus Boy Unfiltered Hefewizen, Batch 375.
I found both No. 9 and Batch 375 to be way too hopsy for my taste*. I enjoyed Circus Boy, and I haven't had No. 9 yet.
*I think I'm super sensitive to anything with an aftertaste. I don't care for cider for example, and I've nearly vomited on a "Black Velvet" which in my case was Guiness on top of Strongbow Cider.
Where was your trip to? Magic Hat is headquartered here in Burlington VT.
Where was your trip to? Magic Hat is headquartered here in Burlington VT.
In some sense: the local Harris Teeter (pretentious grocery store)
A "trip report" is an expression I first heard from Something Awful that originally meant a review of your drug-induced hallucinations or trips. I see where that can be misunderstood though.
The girlfriend's roommate recommended Magic Hat from her time living in Boston.
I had some hibachi over the weekend and so I had some Japanese beer to go with it. The Kirin Ichiban is an amber beer and was drinkable, but nothing special. They had Sapporo on tap, so I had one of those and it was very light and practically tasteless. Again, drinkable, but nothing special. If you're forced to choose a Japanese beer to drink with hibachi, I'd take the Kirin, but if you're just eating sushi I'd go for Sapporo.
I had a bottle of Fuller's London Porter and it was excellent. Beat the pants off the Japanese beers. Rich, almost creamy, with plenty of coffee and chocolate flavors. This is a beer that cries out for meat and grease to go with it. A good steak or a burger and fries would go well (I'm from the midwest, fish and chips are out).
Kirin Ichiban is distinctly different all over the world, as its brewed under license in nearly every country other than Japan it can be found. Putting aside differences in local malt/hops/water quality, the actual recipe is often different. About the only consistent thing is using 'first press' to make it- not washing the grains to extract all the available sugars. And what Bartolimu said as well- the American/European versions whack some rice in there for extra fermentables with little to no flavour contribution. Huzzah for the blandness of Bud!
I've got a fridge full of beer recommended by this thread and I had a bottle of La Fin Du Monde Monday night. It was strong and smooth with lots of flavor that blended together well. By the time I finished the bottle the alcohol content was apparent, but it was far from overpowering while I drank it.
I ended up drinking it with a burger and a pork chop and it was good, but I wouldn't recommend those pairings. I think Fin Du Monde and something mildly spicy could be a match made in heaven.
In the end I prefer Fuller's London Porter, but that's more a reflection of a personal preference for a type of beer rather than an indication that one was better than the other. Both were outstanding.
I feel like an alcoholic since I'm sitting at work counting minutes until I can go home and try another beer. I think tonight will be Young's Double Chocolate Stout.
"Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier" to be probably the best beer I've ever had. Image included as that's pretty much the only way you're ever going to be able to remember what the name is / what it looks like. Honestly, if you like unfiltered wheat beers this is (in my book) the best one out there (and that's after only a 4 oz sample).
You may be surprised to learn that Weihenstephan is just another run-of-the-mill brewery here in Germany, and while by no means their wheat beer is bad (few german beers are ;)) I could point you to at least a dozen better wheat beers, although you'll probably have a hard time finding them in the States. Heck, some are even hard to find in my area, just 300 miles from Bavaria.
Anyway, see if you can get ahold of Augustiner Bräu, probably the best wheat beer out there that I know has an American distributor.
If you want a damn nice pale ale then I'd suggest trying to get a hold of "Little creatures pale ale". It is an aussie beer brewed in Fremantle in Western Australia.
I'm an avid beer drinker and continually go out and try new beers from all over the world. In fact, a pub very close to my college had a "passport", with 101 beers from around the world. I filled it out about 12 times through my 4 years in school. However, no matter what I try, I find that I always fall back to Newcastle Brown Ale as my consistent favorite.
I have always preferred Newcastle over Guinness, but a nice dark beer is good to have on occasion. My main gripe with Guinness is as an import instead of local on-tap. It's not bad if you get the real deal, but if you're in England or Europe, there are generally about ten other types of beer that would be better options. I hate that almost all Guinness imports have an overcooked hop taste to them. It's almost like they burn em'. I don't remember it being that way in the past, but the last several I have gotten in the US in past years have all been relatively crappy. :(
Of the US beer I will drink and enjoy, I second the number of people who already mentioned various Sam Adams brews. They're quite good.
Originally Posted by Maniq
all the beer from Belgium I have sampled have all been wonderful
Likewise. When my mate got back from Rammstein last year, we sat around and griped about the lack of good Belgian imports together, because he finally understood what I'd been talking about all this time. Belgian beer is freaking awesome stuff.
Originally Posted by Whiteknight
If beer is something that interests you, I have it on good authority that germany is the place to be during october-fest (or just in general).
Germany is a great place for beer in general, yes. They do dark brews damn well. Octoberfest is a grand thing. Just ask a US serviceman where the best spots are before they're too plowed to give good directions. ;)
Originally Posted by frmorrison
Maybe I am a plebeian, but I have been to Germany/Ireland (of course tasted their beer), and I really don't notice much of a difference between Euro Beer and US stuff (like Sam Adams/Bud).
In fact, my favorite beer is Bud Select.
You, my good sir, are quite possibly insane. (Maybe your tastebuds are just blown...dunno.) But that is okay. It takes all kinds to make a world and it certainly leaves you with a much cheaper habit than many. :D
Originally Posted by Oof
Anyway, see if you can get ahold of Augustiner Bräu, probably the best wheat beer out there that I know has an American distributor.
Do this. Thank him later.
US beer is almost universally watered down as all hell, in my experience. I'm not a "dark beer owns you!" sort of snob by any means. I do enjoy a pale ale or a light amber of some sort quite well, but there is a very notable line between that and the piss beer most American folk swear by. I cannot stand Budweiser. A co-worker once left me with a fridge full of them after a party and I couldn't drink it. Handily, though, having all of that kept people from drinking my real beer when they visited that week.
(PS. Trimm got me to drink Coors Light in a bottle at jerkmeet this year and I actually thought it was pretty good. Don't tell anyone.)
Another edit:
Originally Posted by Kaubel
Cream ale - yea or nay?
Can be very good, but most are crap. Speaking of Jerkmeet, if you can get ahold of Gamblor, see if he remembers which brand of cream ale he picked up for me that one night and try that. I gave him cash and told him to pick me out something interesting, because he has good taste in brews. Can't remember which brand it was, as we had such a selection that night, but I do remember that I enjoyed it quite a bit.
I'm an avid beer drinker and continually go out and try new beers from all over the world. In fact, a pub very close to my college had a "passport", with 101 beers from around the world. I filled it out about 12 times through my 4 years in school. However, no matter what I try, I find that I always fall back to Newcastle Brown Ale as my consistent favorite.
It was mentioned and the immediately followed up with a scientific study about why clear bottles are the devil. Still a good beer, though. So far the only dark beer I'd drink instead of Newcastle would be Fuller's London Porter. I had a bottle of Young's Double Chocolate Stout last night, and while it was a very good stout, I guess I'm just not a big fan of stouts. It didn't have that creamy charcoal flavor that I associate with Guinness, so it was better than Guinness in my opinion, but it's just not a style of beer that I would drink over a porter (if that porter is as good as Fuller's London Porter) or hefeweizen or a witbier.
It's already been mentioned but have you tried New Belgium's 1554? Man, I really like that beer.
Originally Posted by Lyta
I've been trying to concentrate on studying for my Proof Methods test tomorrow, and all I can think of is your hotness, radiating out from the pixels on my monitor, seared straight into my neurons.
US beer is almost universally watered down as all hell, in my experience. I'm not a "dark beer owns you!" sort of snob by any means. I do enjoy a pale ale or a light amber of some sort quite well, but there is a very notable line between that and the piss beer most American folk swear by. I cannot stand Budweiser. A co-worker once left me with a fridge full of them after a party and I couldn't drink it. Handily, though, having all of that kept people from drinking my real beer when they visited that week.
We archaeologists have a joke, I'm sure it's not original to us but it gets used a lot. How are American beer and sex in a canoe alike? Both fucking close to water.
This is what comes of using rice for a large percentage of a beer's bulk. The technical term for this is "clean," according to American brewers, but I've had a whole lot of clean tasting European beers (Czech lagers especially) that don't taste like watered down urine.
(PS. Trimm got me to drink Coors Light in a bottle at jerkmeet this year and I actually thought it was pretty good. Don't tell anyone.)
:unsure: Yeah it was at least not offensive. I won't tell if you won't.
Can be very good, but most are crap. Speaking of Jerkmeet, if you can get ahold of Gamblor, see if he remembers which brand of cream ale he picked up for me that one night and try that. I gave him cash and told him to pick me out something interesting, because he has good taste in brews. Can't remember which brand it was, as we had such a selection that night, but I do remember that I enjoyed it quite a bit.
1554 is quite good and I enjoy it. I'm just working my way through stuff in this thread that I haven't had before (and then posting about them after I do).
It almost pains me to mention it, but Amber Bock is a surprisingly drinkable Budweiser product. I went to a St Louis Rams game a couple years ago and I was very pleased to find that they had it on tap and I wouldn't have to drink Bud or Bud Lite like I do at St Louis Cardinals games. If you're stuck at a stadium or restaurant that only serves Anheuser Busch products, it's easily the best thing they make. (And if you're stuck with Coors, get a Blue Moon and be happy it's much better than anything A-B makes.)
I'll second the taste of Amber Bock. While it's not something I'd drink at home, it isn't bad. There's a good Mexican food place down the street from where we live that serves $1 drafts. My wife gets Coors Light, I get Amber Bock, we both split a single order of fajitas.
Originally Posted by Lyta
I've been trying to concentrate on studying for my Proof Methods test tomorrow, and all I can think of is your hotness, radiating out from the pixels on my monitor, seared straight into my neurons.
If anyone here is ever in Philadelphia, go to Monk's which is at the corner of 17th and Spruce. It a large selection of excellent Belgian beers, many on tap, and they make tasty mussels and fries with curry mayonnaise.
One of the beers, which I very much enjoyed, that I had never had anything like before was a Flemish Sour Ale. Anyone else enjoy those? They don't taste much like a usual beer at all.
You may be surprised to learn that Weihenstephan is just another run-of-the-mill brewery here in Germany, and while by no means their wheat beer is bad (few german beers are ;)) I could point you to at least a dozen better wheat beers, although you'll probably have a hard time finding them in the States. Heck, some are even hard to find in my area, just 300 miles from Bavaria.
Anyway, see if you can get ahold of Augustiner Bräu, probably the best wheat beer out there that I know has an American distributor.
Though they might, I havn't been able to find them around here, and based on the fact that the BA guys havn't tried it (we're in close to the same areas), I'm hard pressed to believe that it's available in this area (the Augustiner Bräu that is). To be honest, I really havn't tried that many Hefe's, and that and "Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse" were the only two German one's I've had, of which I greater prefered the Weihenstephan.
Going from what I've read (mostly from BA), the Weihenstephan is the "best" Hefe that's widely available (it's also the only hefe on their top 100 at the moment). So until someone sends me somethink better *wink wink, nudge nudge* I'm sticking with that.
Originally Posted by bartolimu
We archaeologists have a joke, I'm sure it's not original to us but it gets used a lot. How are American beer and sex in a canoe alike? Both fucking close to water.
This is what comes of using rice for a large percentage of a beer's bulk. The technical term for this is "clean," according to American brewers, but I've had a whole lot of clean tasting European beers (Czech lagers especially) that don't taste like watered down urine.
Any macro-brew is going to be light / watered down, they're designed so you can drink alot of it, what other beer can you get in thirtys? That's presuming you're talking about the bigger brewers, personnally I'd put Stone, Ommegang, and some others up against any other brewery in the world.
Speaking of Ommegang, I just picked up a four pack of their Hennepin Saison, and it's quite good, very aromatic, especially once you let it warm up a little bit.
09/16/06, 9:35 PM
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