Qrmu

I don't know. I like a lot of the beers made by InBev, which is the largest beer producer in the world. Or has anyone any objections against, for example Leffe Brun or Hoegaarden? :P

If a brewery is owned by some huge company, it doesn't necessarily mean that the beer it produces is crap.

I can't blame you though. InBev produces like 200 different brands of beer, and AB is really all about bud. Besides, maybe my view on bud is somewhat less negative, since I haven't been totally saturated by bud commercials. Actually, I've never really seen one.

 

kaijin

I haven't contributed to the greatness of this thread in awhile so here is another excellent beer:



Not sure if optimator has been mentioned yet but I'd definitely recommend it. I totally agree with bartolimu Young's Double Chocolate Stout is a fantastic desert beer. If you're lucky enough to find a place with it on tap, it is worlds better than the bottle. The N02 and stout tap will produce the tiny bubbles in the head you can't get out of something bottle conditioned. Speaking of N02, any homebrewers have experience with something called "Beer Gas?" Supposedly its a C02/N02 80/20 mixture that works very well for either stouts/porters or lagers but I may be full of shit.

Also, ever had any beers from Brewery Ommegang (Cooperstown, NY)? I had a Three Philosophers last weekend and that was a serious belgian ale. I think it was 9.8% ABV.

GFYA

 

Humbaba

I know Ommegang has been mentioned in the thread a few times, but I've not had any. I spotted a few Ommegang bottles at the beer shop, but I don't recall what they were. I'll try to pick up one next time I go in.

Kaubel, just because it's an AB product doesn't make it all bad. Amber Boch is drinkable. Coors actually makes Blue Moon, and Blue Moon is a right decent brew.

Forgive me if I've recently said this, but it's early and I type far more posts than I submit. The local shop does these holiday gift packs of eight 12 oz bottles for $15. It's far too expensive given six pack costs, but you get 8 different beers for about $2 a bottle so it's just barely justifiable. They currently have a collection with 8 winter seasonals in it. That one I actually considered a decent package since there were 8 beers I actually wanted to drink. Anyway, after I had the Bourbon Cask Ale last night I had a bottle of Sierra Nevada's Celebrator. I very much liked it. It went down better than New Belgium's 2 degrees and it was a more robust beer flavor than the Bourbon Cask. I still have 5 beers to go, including Boulevard's Nutcracker Ale which I've had before and know to be good, but the Celebrator by Sierra Nevada is my pick for the best of the winter seasonals so far.

 

◊ Kaubel

Notice I said "American crap beer" not Belgium. Belgium can keep on doing what it does and will get no complaints from me.

I didn't say it was bad necessarily. I'd probably even take a single, if for no other reason than to add the bottle to my collection. I just prefer to support the American brewer that consistently gives me a better product without a bunch of idiotic, talking animal advertisements on TV. Just a personal choice and not really a point of debate.

As far as Amber Boch goes, it's OK on tap. Blue Moon is kinda bleh for me though.

 

Snuggles

I personally like the talking animal advertisements on TV. Definately an improvement over the repetitious Dodge Ram commercial that I witness by the hundreds every saturday during football season.

I've been enjoying Samual Adams Cream Stout of late. It is a mighty tasty beer that can definately put some hair on your chest.

 

• bartolimu

I picked up a selection of holiday beers last night. Among them are a big bottle of Corsendonk Christmas Beer, Wee Beast from some Scottish brewery, and a 12-pack of mixed Sam Adams stuff (Cranberry Lambic, Winter Lager, and a couple other varieties I wasn't familiar with). I also grabbed two lambics, one black currant and one raspberry. The currant gets used on Thanksgiving. Raspberry waits at least a year.

There are few finer things in life than a nice, old raspberry lambic.

 

Blackpatch

Optimator is not just a great beer to drink. It's a great introductory beer for people who have never enjoyed the pleasures of great beer. It looks recognizable to them, and it tastes recognizable to them (not too hoppy, not thick, not too strong, no Belgian taste) and it has a funny German name. But it's also really, really good. If someone says to me, "I don't know anything about beers." then I usually recommend them an Optimator and it's a success more often than not.

CONSERVE YOUR RAGE AND LUST

 

Vanick

Picked up some Sam Adams Winter Lager yesterday, and it brings back memories (first beer I ever drank). Good, too.

Also got a Yuengling Sampler containing the standard lager, light, Lord Chesterfield Ale, and their Black & Tan. The Lord Chesterfield Ale is a pale ale and tastes quite similar to Rolling Rock, that is, drinkable and unremarkable.

 

◊ Kaubel

Drat it. I've looked for that but never seen it. I did get some Sam Adams Black Lager today though. I'll try some tonight. I also bought some New Belgium Trippel (to drink with my Thanksgiving meal tomorrow) and a pint of Tucher Dopplebock. Hurray 3 more bottles to display!

Speaking of New Belguim, I noticed that the Abbey bottles have different labels now. The one I have has a monk on it. The current bottles have a Trappist glass. Gives me an excuse to buy more Abbey which is good because it's quite tasty.

GRRRRRRRRR!

 

Ripper

my dad picked up the same Sam Adams box. he said my brother and i could each pick two, but everytime i tried to make my selections he vetoed them >=[


one of my favorite bars will mix the Lindeman's raspberry with Young's Double Chocolate Stout (both draft) 50/50 in a pint glass. one of the most delicious things i've ever had. they call it a Black Forest. has anyone else found a bar that makes the same concoction?

 

asharpton

my selection is bud/miller, i'm jealous as i'd rather have heineken or amstel over that.

I can go to a local market, liquor store, etc and have many many selections of wine, hard liquor, and beers as well of course. It's just at ball games/sporting events i suffer and woe.

We have a place nearby - It's called Yardhouse, it's a pretty standard bar/restaurant kinda thing, but they are quite proud of their selection of beers on tap. Yes.. on tap. Pretty decent place to go to.

I think this is a listing of what they have from their website.
http://www.yardhouse.com/beer.asp

now if only every baseball/hockey stadium/arena in SoCal would follow their lead.....

No honestly I am dumb. Most of the I'm playing smart.

 

• Wodin

I concur, mostly because my local store hasn't gotten those boxes yet.


Tonight's beer is the Anchor Steam "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year" - it's a dark, rich beer with a fairly hoppy bite. The spices are almost entirely masked by the character of the beer itself. It's very interesting the spectrum the different winter beers take on - Harpoon is heavily spiced and much sweeter than their regular offering, Sam Adams is slightly milder than a Boston Lager with definitely visible spices, and the Anchor Steam offering is actually more potent and bitter than its flagship.

 

◊ Kaubel

What is it with Anchor and hops? It seems everything they make is freaking bitter.

 

SquattingCow

I'm starting to think this thread was made by Belgian beer execs in an attempt to make us all very thirsty at work. God knows thats whats happening here.

Also, I quite like the dark Belgian beers. They're not as bitter as you'd expect, and they have a whole lot more flavour than lagers. What's with that anyway?

 

• Wodin

Well, if you're worried about a Belgian bias, I present a good old Vermont specialty: Long Trail IPA.



Like most Long Trail offerings, slight smoother than ordinary beers of the class. The hops are relativelys subtle but present, and the smooth finish creates an IPA that is very definitely idenfitiable as such without the bite of its peers such as Dogfish Head.

 

Errand

I'm not sure if you can get it outside of VT, but while we're on that topic, if you ever see Trout River do yourself a favor and pick it up. Their Rainbow Red is teriffic - very smooth with a toasty, nutty flavor. For winter they make a Chocolate Oatmeal Stout which is fantastic.

Rock Art is another great one, especially their Ridge Runner barley wine ale.

 

Humbaba

I tried some more of my homebrew brown ale over the weekend. I opened 5 bottles and 4 of the 5 were just fine. The 5th was like the first bottle about which I posted--murky and excessively bitter. Given that the others were clear and were very definitely beer and even somewhat resembled brown ale, I think maybe the bad bottles are just the ones that had excess trub picked up when I bottled. That seems simpler and more likely than excess yeast.

I brewed a batch of hefeweizen Friday and went ahead and ordered the ingredients for a batch of dunkelweizen today along with an auto-siphon. Getting a decent siphon running is too much work when $9 will save me from making a mess.

I did have some new beer at Hickok's, a local brew-pub in Springfield (MO), that was quite good, but I'm pretty sure they're a local thing only. If ever you find yourself in Springfield, I do recommend Hickok's Belgian style ale and their pale ale. Another person at my table had their wild wheat and highly recommended it also.

 

Artaxz

Speaking of holiday brews, I have a taste for Sam Adams Cherry Wheat...good stuff for an American.

The Chouffe line is my all time favorite...Le Chouffe is a awesome amber and the dark Mc Chouffe is really good.

http://www.achouffe.be/newfr/produits.php

http://plaguelands.com/?page_id=298

 

Artaxz

Oh, and for those in the DC area...do yourself a favor and check out the Brickskeller. Hundreds of beer from around the world...40 or so on tap, excellent buffalo burgers. I think it holds the world record for over 1000 different beers.

http://www.thebrickskeller.com/

I took a friend from England there, and he was shocked to see something called the Snakebite on the menu...apparently its banned from English pubs for causing too many bar fights. Check it out if you get a chance.

http://plaguelands.com/?page_id=298

 

duostrike

If I am remembering right.... a snakebite is hard cider and Guinness? It's been forever since I've had one.

 

◊ Belac_K

Yup, pretty good stuff. They sell these at one of my favorite bars down on 6th street. The two liquids seperate out nicely too.

 

raiod

If you can read german you might find this page really interesting: http://www.biertest-online.de/
They have a large selection of tested beers and you can send your own tests to them.
And if you ever travel to Munich, please don`t punish yourself with Spaten, Löwenbräu or HackerPschorr...
This is the beer to drink: ;)

Augustiner Edelstoff

 

Blackpatch

Had a bottle of Westvleteren 12 last night. I will convey my reaction in pictures.

-huh- -keke-

CONSERVE YOUR RAGE AND LUST

 

Sapphrina

This thread has too much opinion and too little theorycraft. Need calculations, formulas, and ideally also spreadsheets on the pros and cons of different race/class/build combos of beer for different situations!

The only legitimate use of the BLINK tag:
Schrödinger's cat is [BLINK] not [/BLINK] dead.

 

Blackpatch

Okay so the new Beer talents came in with the latest beta build and I think they're pretty impressive.

In the Belgian tree, Potable Potency is a three-point talent that gives you dubbel/tripel/quadrupel alcohol content. At 3/3 Potable Potency I was getting a 2% ABV increase over the last build. Obviously those interested in sustained DPN may be interested in lower ABV numbers but I found that Potable Potency made for excellent burst drinking.

In the British tree, Stout Hearted is a new talent giving 2/4/6/8/10% chance to proc Opacity upon quaffing. I liked this one a lot for my double fist build.

Haven't played around too much with the German tree but I hear good things about Improved Bock builds.

CONSERVE YOUR RAGE AND LUST