Is anyone here fortunate enough to have tried the New Belgium Fat Tire amber ale? A friend of mine just recently took a trip out west, and scored some in San Francisco; he said it's an absolutely phenomenel brew. Unfortunately, it's apparently entirely unavailable on this side of the Mississippi. :socar:
Yes, it's a great beer and even better when you can easily go to the brewery and get it for fresh/free like I can :)
It's amazing how widespread New Belgium's distribution is now.
New Belgium is a regional brewery, so it may be tough to find on the east coast, but they're all over the midwest. You can get a Fat Tire on tap or at least bottled at most chain restaurants I've visited in Missouri, and we aren't exactly a mecca for beer. I've heard they have other good brews, but the only one I've had is their Sunshine Wheat. It's a belgian style wit beer and it's quite good.
You must be joking. Young's Double Chocolate is amazingly good, easily one of my favorite dessert beers. Just try it over a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream. That'll change your mind.
I dunno, maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it the other night. I have 3 more cans so i'll be drinking them eventually. It just seemed somewhat blah. I'll try another tonight and report back. I got this recommended from someone I know, so I was somewhat surprised that I didn't really care for it at all.
I'm sure there's no difference, but I find stuff tastes better when your tounge is next to glass. That, and I associate crappy beer (VB and bud springs to mind) with aluminium cans.
Edit - Ok, Guinness comes in a can, but thats because it has that crazy nitrogen filled ball or whatever. But the only time I drink that is draught.
Originally Posted by Fric
Fingering a girl while she argues with her husband-to-be is perhaps my new low point morally in my horribly debauched life
Oh, there's definitely a difference between cans and bottles to my taste. Young's Double Chocolate in the bottle, poured into a glass, gives off a definite chocolate aroma. I didn't get the same smell when pouring from the can. I suppose that may have been freshness; I am admittedly prejudiced against cans.
Oh, there's definitely a difference between cans and bottles to my taste. Young's Double Chocolate in the bottle, poured into a glass, gives off a definite chocolate aroma. I didn't get the same smell when pouring from the can. I suppose that may have been freshness; I am admittedly prejudiced against cans.
Young's comes in the same type of cans that Guinness does with the little ball thing in the bottom. Don't even think that I drink it straight from the can. Always pour into a glass.
Anyway, i'm about half way through it and this one is much better tonight. I must have been off the other night. Still I don't think it is as good as Murphy's or Guinness when I am looking for something really dark but it's respectable.
On the subject of Fat Tire, I just bought some today and am currently drinking one. And each time we go eat at Red Robin's, it's what I get on tap to drink with my meal. The other beer I'm treating myself to tonight is Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale. Mmmmmmm.
And to those unfortunate enough to not live in Texas, I'll tell you what I told Gilliam the other night. You're welcome to envy my ability to go down the street to our local Sam's Club and buy a case of Shiner Bock for $21.
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.
The thing about Fat Tire that is really interesting is that it's got a very real, very distinct (to my palate, anyway) biscuit flavor. It goes well with meat.
Very good with meat. I'm telling you. A cold, Fat Tire draft with a burger is gradually becoming one of my favorite meals.
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.
Oh, there's definitely a difference between cans and bottles to my taste. Young's Double Chocolate in the bottle, poured into a glass, gives off a definite chocolate aroma. I didn't get the same smell when pouring from the can. I suppose that may have been freshness; I am admittedly prejudiced against cans.
Finally I can try to contribute to this thread, in spite of detesting beer. I recently had to do a short speech encouraging people to drink canned beers over bottled. All the science (or at least the subset of science accessible via google and a few days research) points to cans performing the act of beer containment better than bottles. Far better protection from UV light degradation than glass provides, and generally less air packed into each container as well. For the purpose of getting beer from the brewery to your lips with the minimum change of state, cans do it better than bottles.
Someone did some not terribly extensive but still logically sound testing on "beer experts", making them taste various bottled and canned beers from around the world, and the lower quality beers were usually perceived as having come from cans, even when this was not the case. So it does seem to be primarily a perception problem, with little to do with the actual packaging harming the taste of the product.
I can certainly sympathise with you though, I happen to love pepsi, and while nine times out of ten I'll find a canned pepsi seems colder and tastier than bottled, on a really hot day I'll end up craving a nice cold glass bottle of pepsi like they had where I grew up. Pepsi isn't affected in the same way as beer by light though, so I think that really is 100% perception.
Oh, there's definitely a difference between cans and bottles to my taste. Young's Double Chocolate in the bottle, poured into a glass, gives off a definite chocolate aroma. I didn't get the same smell when pouring from the can. I suppose that may have been freshness; I am admittedly prejudiced against cans.
Finally I can try to contribute to this thread, in spite of detesting beer. I recently had to do a short speech encouraging people to drink canned beers over bottled. All the science (or at least the subset of science accessible via google and a few days research) points to cans performing the act of beer containment better than bottles. Far better protection from UV light degradation than glass provides, and generally less air packed into each container as well. For the purpose of getting beer from the brewery to your lips with the minimum change of state, cans do it better than bottles.
Someone did some not terribly extensive but still logically sound testing on "beer experts", making them taste various bottled and canned beers from around the world, and the lower quality beers were usually perceived as having come from cans, even when this was not the case. So it does seem to be primarily a perception problem, with little to do with the actual packaging harming the taste of the product.
I can certainly sympathise with you though, I happen to love pepsi, and while nine times out of ten I'll find a canned pepsi seems colder and tastier than bottled, on a really hot day I'll end up craving a nice cold glass bottle of pepsi like they had where I grew up. Pepsi isn't affected in the same way as beer by light though, so I think that really is 100% perception.
It might not be solely a perception thing, it might also be that people prefer bottles as they prefer the taste of certain beers because of the changes of state that happens. You could perceive it as part of the maturing of the beer, something which would not happen if cans 'protect' the beer.
It might not be solely a perception thing, it might also be that people prefer bottles as they prefer the taste of certain beers because of the changes of state that happens. You could perceive it as part of the maturing of the beer, something which would not happen if cans 'protect' the beer.
True, but that would imply those people probably wouldn't like beer on tap. And the testing I referred to did have people claiming canned beers as being bottled based on a taste - I'm assuming that they like many others seem to, associated good taste with bottling, and hence said "bottled" about the beers whose tastes they likedl; this is in line with the tester's statement that he included "high quality" canned beers and "mass produced" bottled beers. The not-very-detailed test is described here: http://www.beercannews.com/CANS_Vs_B...s_bottles.html
But anyway, is maturation a recognized process in beer development? I've never heard of beers being aged like wines and whiskies are.
It might not be solely a perception thing, it might also be that people prefer bottles as they prefer the taste of certain beers because of the changes of state that happens. You could perceive it as part of the maturing of the beer, something which would not happen if cans 'protect' the beer.
True, but that would imply those people probably wouldn't like beer on tap. And the testing I referred to did have people claiming canned beers as being bottled based on a taste - I'm assuming that they like many others seem to, associated good taste with bottling, and hence said "bottled" about the beers whose tastes they likedl; this is in line with the tester's statement that he included "high quality" canned beers and "mass produced" bottled beers. The not-very-detailed test is described here: http://www.beercannews.com/CANS_Vs_B...s_bottles.html
That's a very good point.
But anyway, is maturation a recognized process in beer development? I've never heard of beers being aged like wines and whiskies are.
I think I've had a few beers that had to be matured for a few years to develop their particular taste, but I can't remember which breweries they were affiliated with. Probably one of the Belgian ones (As in in Belgium, not Belgian style beer), but I could be mistaken.
It is quite likely that there are some unfiltered beers which require a maturation time of years. Belgium or Holland sounds like a probable place for those.
Filtered beer just spoils in about half a year, so I wouldn't store them for long.
Cans, bottles and kegs make a difference. Example: Pabst Blue Ribbon in the can is a horrible trailor trash beer that only my soon to be deceased grandfather would drink willingly. That very same beer coming out of the tap is somehow light and buttery with a clean finish.
I don't understand why that is, but it helps make sure my favorite bar stays in business.
Cans, bottles and kegs make a difference. Example: Pabst Blue Ribbon in the can is a horrible trailor trash beer that only my soon to be deceased grandfather would drink willingly. That very same beer coming out of the tap is somehow light and buttery with a clean finish.
I don't understand why that is, but it helps make sure my favorite bar stays in business.
I agree that keg beer has a much better taste than can or bottle. However, i'm not so sure that canned beer and bottled beer have as much of a difference as most people would lead you to believe.
I think largely it's a perception issue and the fact that you should always pour the beer into a glass in order to drink it instead of drinking directly from the can or bottle. I think people get their impression of canned beer when they drink it from the can instead of pouring it into a glass. Also, generally people drink crappy beer from cans and good beer from bottles. I don't think this really has much to do with cans vs bottles but what generally is purchased in each.
Eg: I like Guinness from the can better than the one in the bottle (yes I know one is stout and the other extra stout). However, I like Guinness on tap much better than both of those.
Well after reading about the seasonal beers I picked up some Sam Adam's Winter Lager and some 2 Below from New Belgium. The Sam Adams was about what I would expect from a nice bold beer. The 2 Below really impressed me with the taste, especially the after taste. Very unique to me as nothing I've tried even comes close to it. Overall, good suggestions guys I've been buying beer like crazy lately to give them all a try.
Personally, from what I've tried I have to say that 1554 and Hoegaarden are my top picks. I was quite disappointed on my last trip to the store they didn't have any Hoegaarden in stock. :(
I tried Wychwood Hobgoblin with a mate a few weekends back and it was bloody awful. We always try to throw in something new or different on weekend drinking sessions and that one was a stinker. It's a damn pretty beer in a sweet bottle, though. :)
I'm not huge on Fat Tire, but it's not bad at all and I do drink it on occasion. I remain a fan of most things New Belgium (except for that somewhat crappy seasonal fall brew I tried that they put out this year). Those of you who like 1554 should try to get your hands on some Köstritzer Schwarzbier if it's available in your area. It's a black beer with the same style of heavy flavor, but most decidedly better. Dunno where all you might find it on tap in the US, but you should at least be able to find it as an import some places, at worst.
So long as I can get a Weihenstephaner or Edelweiss hefe, I'm happy. Speaking of which, if you've never tried Edelweiss Hefetrüb, you probably should. The imports are pretty awful compared to the real stuff you get in Austria, but it's still right up there with my favorite hefeweizens, even as a stateside import.
While I am very sympathetic to the bottle>can reflex, I have had some (like 3) great beers from cans. Old Chub being the most notable. Old Chub is a great strong scottish that comes in can and I occasionally sip a little from the can before pouring just for the odd feeling of drinking such a good beer from a can. I know from my beer studies that cans are better than bottles for beer storage on paper but bottling is generally much more cost effective to small specialty brewers because canning operations are usually prohibitively expensive. This leads to quality brews being associated with bottles. Cans aren't a huge problem to me since I genuinely have a problem drinking beer from a bottle or a can any more due to drinking so many bottle conditioned beers. You definitely don't want to drink homebrew/bottle conditioned beers from their original container unless you really like that funky, gritty warmed yeast paste that the last few drinks turn in to on those. Now I also enjoy the pour for the head/aroma exposing of the beer too and advocate pretty much any beer worth drinking be poured into at least a pint glass so that it can be enjoyed in full.
Good canned beer: Dale's Pale Ale -- great canned pale Old Chub -- previously mentioned scottish Double Haul IPA -- Good luck finding this outside Montana, but great IPA nonetheless.
These couple of breweries also offer some other beers in cans, but most of them are not exactly easy to find. There are definitely other beers that are pretty good in cans too. (Like Young's)
Anyway, recent fun beer report: I got 2 4-packs of PranQster (North Coast Brewing Company) from a local Fred Meyer for 2.99 each. I'm pretty sure it was a price mistake since the 4 pack is regularly 7.39 or so, but I was pretty stoked about getting such a good beer for 75 cents a bottle. I would have much rathered it was Old Rasputin from that brewery, but hey, 8 PranQster for $6? Try to beat that deal anywhere but your cellar brew project.
As a finishing note, you people out there should start to look for your regional seasonal winter brews out there. Winter seasonals are some of my favorite beers (and not just for the crazy alcohol % on some of them) because they are nice associative memory of the darker, colder months of the year. The good ones will definitely warm you up.
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I'm not huge on Fat Tire, but it's not bad at all and I do drink it on occasion. I remain a fan of most things New Belgium (except for that somewhat crappy seasonal fall brew I tried that they put out this year). Those of you who like 1554 should try to get your hands on some Köstritzer Schwarzbier if it's available in your area. It's a black beer with the same style of heavy flavor, but most decidedly better. Dunno where all you might find it on tap in the US, but you should at least be able to find it as an import some places, at worst.
Köstritzer is a pretty hard beer to reliably find here but is definitely a decent beer, on the other hand, it may be one of the best widely available Schwarzbiers in the states so eh. New Belgium is a pretty cool brewery and I've often called Fat Tire a gateway beer because it seems to lead some people down the road to great beer while still being accessible and palatable to the swill crowd.
Also: Kaubel and all others looking to graduate from burgers and fat tire to steak+....
Steak and Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock is amazing. The beer tastes like the love child of bacon and beer and goes with steak like piety with republicans.
It's probably impossible to get outside of Belgium (and even over here I think only in some bars, specialized shops) but I drank a "Zwijntje" a few weeks ago.
Its a heavy blonde beer, taste is somewhat reminiscent of Leffe Blonde but with alot more character to it. 8% Vol.
Tried to see if I could find some info about it but all google came up with: the brewery is Brewery Bios, no website.
Originally Posted by Zyla
If you can undo the bra with your teeth, it leaves your hands free for the keyboard.
Also: Kaubel and all others looking to graduate from burgers and fat tire to steak+....
Steak and Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock is amazing. The beer tastes like the love child of bacon and beer and goes with steak like piety with republicans.
If I see it, I'll definitely get it.
New tasting report - I figured it was pretty bad to not have tasted such an iconic beer, so I finally tried Pilsner Urquell the other night. I don't know if its the noble hops or what, but it lives up to its reputation and I think it's now probably my favorite pale lager. And with a 6-pack of that purchased, my collection is now up to 30.
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.
I would take a picture of my collection, but I stripped all the labels off the bottles and refilled them with homebrew.
I traded off my last Sam Adams Cherry Wheat for a Sam Adams Octoberfest and the Octoberfest was excellent. I'm sad that it's a seasonal and that I can't go pick up some more. The next time I'm at the beer store I'll try to get some of the winter seasonals instead.
I had a smoked beer last week (I don't recall the name and I'm not at home to check it, but it was German) and I couldn't finish it. I even had it with a steak. It was just too much like drinking charcoal. In the end, I made a pot of chili and poured it in there since I didn't want to just pour it out into the sink.
I would take a picture of my collection, but I stripped all the labels off the bottles and refilled them with homebrew.
Yeah, same here pretty much. I still have a lot of the cooler labels laying around, I plan on eventually getting a scrapbook of beer together. I guess that makes me a beer nerd. :)
I traded off my last Sam Adams Cherry Wheat for a Sam Adams Octoberfest and the Octoberfest was excellent. I'm sad that it's a seasonal and that I can't go pick up some more. The next time I'm at the beer store I'll try to get some of the winter seasonals instead.
Do, I found the Sam Adams Winter Lager to be very good. Better on second tasting than first, actually, but that may have had something to do with the food I was having when I first tried it.
Like Slug, I tried Hobgoblin last week. Unlike Slug, I sorta liked it. Overall I'd say it's inoffensive and not really inspired, but drinkable. Definitely not one of my favorites, but not a flop either. I also had Chambly Noire from Unibroue again last week, which confirmed my original finding of Absolutely Delicious, Recommend Copiously.
11/14/06, 4:39 PM
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