My friend notified me of this event coming up: SF BEER WEEK - FEBRUARY 6-15, 2009 If you live the area and love beer you should probably consider it, they have events all over the bay and lasts for a week.

FINALLY found Arrogant Bastard here in South Carolina oddly it was Oaken Arrogant Bastard, still wonderfully good stuff though I think my expectations were too high to begin with, so after the first beer I really got into the flavor, I also picked up a 4 pack of Nostrodamus and I felt it was better warmer than it was cold. I also have some german beer I can't pronounce more the less spell currently I will update after I enjoy that one it's a Dunkle and I find almost every one of those to be wonderful kinda just picked it based off the fact that it was a Dunkle-Wese.

Saw that this weekend, and was currious about it. Sounds like a good endorsement!

Tried Stone's new IPA this weekend. The story with this one is it is an IPA made with Belgian Yeast. Really had an interesting flavor, reminded me of a Belgian Ale that then would change into an IPA on finnishing. I like their Ruination more as far as thier IPA's, but I do want to try this one again to get a better feel for it. Pretty low ABV too as far as Stone beers go.

Also pretty much killed the store's stock of Bear Republic's Hop Rod. I love that beer, but it is no longer in season, so I figured it would be a good idea to buy the rest. Managed to get three of them

I went to school in Chattanooga and had the same issues where I couldn't find any decent beers for the longest time. Moved to Seattle and the situation was much better.

Oaked is actually pretty good; I prefer it to the regular Arrogant Bastard.

Tried Sam Smith's Winter Welcome for the first time. Was not what I had expected from a winter seasonal, very appley, and somewhat bland. OK, but not nearly as good as their Nut Brown, Taddy Porter, or Oatmeal Stout.

We are getting that one here now too. I enjoyed it, but I liked their Hazed and Infused a bit more. That one has a really nice citrusy flavor to it that I enjoyed.

On Lagunitas' IPA, yeah that one never did much for me. A lot of their stuff just doesn't really hit it off with me for some reason. I flat out hated their Sirus Cream Ale. So glad I got that one as a single.

I had some BBC (I think) Bourbon Barrel Stout over the weekend, and it really seemed to have taken on the barrel flavors. I don't see that type of beer in many places, but I'll be keeping an eye out for it (aside from the usual serve-everything places).

Whoa, are there any breweries that make bourbon fortified stouts that can be easily bought? I definitely would like to try some of that, or maybe I'll start drinking more boilermakers, .

A bunch actually. Weyerbacher, located in Pennsylvania, make one that is called Hersey. Avery makes one too, and I think Allagesh does as well.

Bad nws about Weyerbacher's entry, it's out of season at this time, so you may need to wait to track it down.

Dont post much here but had to reply to this banned from ireland for life comment ;p

If you sir indeed want to have a Genuine pint of the black stuff then go to Dublin.. take the guinness brewry tour.. at the end you go to the Bar which over looks the city and there you'll get to taste De leethaxzor pint of Guinness.. there is no where esle in the world that you will get a pint of guiness thats as good as that... so your options are..

Pint of 'bittah' in an english pub watchin the local football team on tv
or
Pint of Guinness in ireland watchin the local hurling/gaelige football on tv and goin mental =D

I know, I know. It was a horrible and naive thing to say. I'm much better now though!

I don't think these are "bourbon fortified" by the definition Docjowles was using. He seemed to be talking about a stout that was actually mixed with bourbon. Stouts like Heresy are oak aged in bourbon barrels, but actual bourbon isn't added to them to my knowledge. Not to be a nit picker :P

I still have some beers a friend got me for Christmas, so I'll try to find the time to open a few this weekend. I've just been so damn busy that all I do anymore is drink a single Shiner Bock with supper.

If you haven't yet, I suggest the Paulaner hefe or the Weihenstaphaner hefe. I make sure to have one or the other (or both) in my fridge at all times during the summer.

I don't really have anything new that I have tried... it's imperial stout season for me and i've already had all of the ones I can get ahold of for the most part. So i'm just happily drinking them again and again. And again.

Franziskaner is one of the big hefeweisse producers. (I have a steadily dwindling 12-pack in my fridge right now.) Hacker-Pschorr is my personal favorite of the true-blue German hefeweizen, but it's not all that widely distributed here in the States.

Hefeweisse styles do not hit you over the head with a hop bomb or big malt explosion. They use a particular type of yeast that lends the beer a very distinctive smell, with aromas of clove, bread, and bananas. (Some people also get an almost medicinal smell out of it, like a newly-opened band-aid.) Because the yeast is a big part of the style, your nose plays a big part in enjoying everything it has to offer. Pour the beer into a room-temperature glass and let it warm up a bit. Drinking it from a glass means you stick your nose right in there and get a nice whiff of what those yeasts have been up to.

There is a lot of complexity in the style, but it is subtle and it is in the nose as much as it is in the mouth. There is a particular style of glass that is specific to weisse beers, but it's not mandatory to enjoy the beer. Just make sure you aren't drinking it straight from a bottle out of the fridge and you should do fine.

You can also try a dunkelweisse. It's the same ingredients, but the brewer roasts the wheat longer, lending the beer a dark brown color and the chocolate / coffee notes that are common to porters and other dark beer styles. Most breweries that do a hefe will do a dunkel as well, but they might be a bit hard to find as an import since many Americans shy away from dark beers.

If that still doesn't quite tickle your fancy, then you can try a Belgian wheat beer style called a witbier. It is a lightly-hopped wheat beet style similar in some ways to a hefe, but with spices like coriander and orange peel. Hoegaarden is pretty typical of the style and gets wide distribution as an import beer.

I'd also recommend a Belgian tripel or a saison ale. The St Bernardus mentioned earlier is an outstanding tripel, and Ommeggang is a domestic brewer in Cooperstown, NY (owned by Belgian brewer Duvel) that does a number of outstanding beers, including their Hennepin farmhouse ale. It is by far the best saison I have ever had, and it gets pretty decent distribution here in the States.

Those are all beers that have some similarities in their flavor profiles, and one of them should be more up your alley if you find a plain hefeweisse to be a bit bland.

I'm enjoying Bell's Hopslam in my nifty new pint glass. It's a good imperial IPA with a nice sweetness from the honey.

As promised, I tried some new ones.

Real Ale Firemans #4
A decent session beer. The only thing that comes to mind is sweeter Fat Tire but with slightly less overall flavor and slightly more bitterness. The draft version is pretty good too, and a sports bar here serves it practically frozen. There's little chance of it becoming a go-to beer, but it's versatile enough to drink any time and with any food.

New Belgium Mighty Arrow
Typical New Belgium beer. It reminded me of their Abbey but with slightly more hops. When it comes to hops though it's just too "American" in style. I like my IPAs to be kick-me-in-the-nuts bitter, and my pale ales to be just under that so I can drink more than two or three swallows without my brain exploding.

There is a place near me called Dragonmead. They have this Belgian Tripple (Final Absolution), and a Dubble (Griffin) too. Both are great finds and if anyone is near detroit i recommend going and getting a growler (1/2 gal).

Hey guys I need some beer advice. I am going to be heading to San Francisco on business in about a month, and since I will be down there anyway, figure I can bring back some good West Coast beers here to NJ that I can't normally find around here. Here's what I can currently find.

Bear Republic (Racer 5, Hop Rod, Big Bear Stout and Red Rocket)
Stone (pretty much everything)
Green Flash (Everything as well)
Anchor Steam (Ditto)

Not as much North Western beers here other then a bunch of Rogue and Elysium beers.

I like hoppy stuff, so I am sure there are some good choices out there I haven't had the chance to try. Mainly looking for the stuff that has smaller distribution channels.

I'd suggest Drake's IPA or one of their seasonal/specials, Gordon Birsch (spelling?) is also pretty common out here, I can't say that they're great but they're worth a taste. Also Eye of the Hawk and Red Tail are also common, as well as Moonlight, and Russian River brews. However if you're going to be in the city then I'd suggest just going to one of many brewpubs and check out their selection, see what you like. I like a place called Toronado, they've got one of the largest beer selections in the city.

Well, I know what *I* would be looking for that I can't get here: Alesmith! I'd be going after Speedway Stout personally, but sounds like you'd be more into their IPA or Pale Ale. Whichever you choose, they are all highly rated.

Thanks for the tips! I like pretty much all beers except for Pilsners and Wheat beers, so Stouts are a good choice as well.

I'd love to go to a brewpub, but just may not have the time, the nights will be company social events, but since some of them are going to be at bars I may end up at one, just have to see.

How have I stayed away from this thread for so long? Tonight, I had some of the Weihenstephan, it's amazing. I'm surprised to see so much talk of Bell's on here. I figured that was a fairly local thing to the great lakes area. Speaking of which, has anyone tried the Great Lakes Brewery's Edmund Fitzgerald (lovingly referred to as Eddie Fitz)? It's wonderful for those who like a dark, hoppy beer.