The Beer Forum - It's really a thread but we're too drunk to notice. - Page 72

Aurellius · 09/17/07, 12:40 AM

Some beers I've come to throughly enjoy with my current sampling nights:

The Holy Trinity:
- Guinness Stout - room temperature
- Harp Lager - slightly chilled
- Smithwick's Ale - chilled

Other good beers that have peaked my interest:
- Newcastle
- Shiner Bock
- Bass Ale
- Great Lakes Christmas ALe
- Great Lakes Oktober Fest

Scath1 · 09/17/07, 5:16 AM

Guinness and to a lesser extent Smithwicks are certainly not without their charms, but I have to take issue with the choice of Harp... Certainly it's an awful awful beer in its native country, not sure about America, but I can't imagine it being much better.

Hoegaarden's been mentioned frequently and would be my choice certainly. Recently had something called 'Black Sheep Ale' which was most certainly worthy of consumption. An intriguing beverage, and one I may seek out again.

Kalman · 09/17/07, 9:58 AM

Originally Posted by Aurellius

Other good beers that have peaked my interest:

Piqued. Your interest may reach a peak, but unless you were saying "They drew my interest but no longer do," the word you want is piqued.

I had the misfortune to try a Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss this weekend. The word misfortune being the nicest word I can apply to it.

Humbaba · 09/17/07, 10:23 AM

I had a bottle of the Arcadia Jaw Jacker Saturday night. The cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice combination was quite good, but unfortunately it was on top of a fairly mediocre beer. If you can nab a bottle from someone else's 6 pack, it's worth a try, but I wouldn't spend money for 6 bottles. I have a couple more seasonals to try this week and I'm really looking forward to it. I missed all the pumpkin beers last year, to my dismay.

My wife consider Lambic the only beer worth drinking. She goes for pina coladas or margaritas most of the time. She usually tries a sip or two of whatever I'm drinking, and once in a while I get to see a priceless face when she finds something that she really doesn't like.

I liked the Leinie Summer Shandy and was sad to see it was out of stock when I went to get some for a pool party in August when it was 100 degrees here. I also like their Sunset Wheat, but I tried it with the understanding that it was the Fruity Pebbles of beer. Fortunately I actually like Fruity Pebbles the cereal, so it was okay.

Cuddlypoo · 09/17/07, 11:51 AM

If you're looking for a great Oktoberfest, you really can't go wrong with the Paulaner Oktoberfest-Märzen. It can get pretty sweet, and while I usually don't like the sweeter beers, this one was very well-balanced, with good malt and hops hitting very well. I'm very glad they brew this year-round now. Try letting it warm to get a little more of the flavors out.

LucidityAxel · 09/17/07, 1:37 PM

The Sam Adams Oktoberfest is a really fine seasonal brew, especially given the wide distribution it enjoys. Anyone reading this thread should be able to pick up a six-pack. It's well worth a try.

My local mart had some Dogfish Head seasonal brews in, and unfortunately some of them were simply horrible:

- Festina Peche - Supposedly this is marketed as some sort of Berliner weisse (which has nothing to do with a hefeweiss), but to me it tasted like a malt beverage (think Zima) with peach flavoring. I'm not exaggerating. Really terrible, and I didn't finish the six-pack.

- Punkin Ale - Supposedly a seasonal brown ale. Any of the malt character in this brew is completely overwhelmed by spicing that is way over the top. A pumpkin pie-flavored brew is not my ideal of a seasonal fall beer. I don't understand why anyone would enjoy drinking something like this. Another terrible beer, and again I didn't finish the six-pack.

- Black and Blue - At this point I was really shocked that Dogfish Head would produce two brews I disliked so intensely, given the amazing quality of their IPAs, so I opened up a Black and Blue 500ml with some trepidation. It turned out to be a perfectly reasonable facsimile of a Belgian ale. It's quite serviceable, but nothing to write home about.

- St. Bernardus Abt 12- Of course, the next day I cracked a 500ml of this and was reminded exactly of what a real Belgian ale can be. It's probably not fair to compare any domestic copy to the real thing, but in any case this is one beer you absolutely need to try for yourself. It's a bit on the sweet side for a Quadrupel, but nicely balanced with incredible complexity of flavors and a nice, rich mouth feel. One of my favorite beers.

- Rogue Dead Guy Ale - Another 500ml here. It seemed to be somewhere along the lines of a Maibock, perhaps under-hopped to my taste, but that's probably just because I've been drinking a lot of pale ales lately. It had a really nice malt character and some slight yeast funkiness -- nothing unpleasant, but enough to give it a unique character of its own.

I picked up some other stuff that I haven't opened yet (Omeggang and some more Belgians) and I'll post about those later. I know Dogfish Head has a great reputation here for its IPAs, and deservedly so, but the seasonals I had were pretty far off the mark, guys. I'm just calling it like I see it -- your mileage may vary.

Shabadu · 09/17/07, 5:59 PM

I really liked last year's Punkin Ale. I actually ate it WITH pumpkin pie, so alot of the over the top characters were muted on my palate and allowed the undertones to come through. Alot of beers that I haven't really cared for have become huge favorites paired with the right food.

Denogran · 09/17/07, 7:51 PM

Originally Posted by Shabadu

I really liked last year's Punkin Ale. I actually ate it WITH pumpkin pie, so alot of the over the top characters were muted on my palate and allowed the undertones to come through. Alot of beers that I haven't really cared for have become huge favorites paired with the right food.

Dogfish Head's seasonal brews are really an acquired( or strange, depending on how you look at it ) taste. Can't say I like much of any of their beer, except for the 60 min and 90 min IPAs, which are just phenomenal. But I really don't like fruity beer in general - when I was in Boston people used to love Magic Hat 9, which I couldn't stand.

I especially like winter beers though, they tend to be darker and more flavorful than the summer beers. Harpoon's winter warmer is a great beer, although I think I'll be hard-pressed to find it in San Diego. I also absolutely love Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale. I've spent many a night "celebrating" with that beer.

Also, there's been some talk on Oktoberfests in this 'forum,' and I'd like to recommend the Karl Strauss Oktoberfest. Picked up a case of that from Costco on Friday and it's all gone already. Good stuff.

chrull · 09/18/07, 2:55 AM

Originally Posted by Kalman

Piqued. Your interest may reach a peak, but unless you were saying "They drew my interest but no longer do," the word you want is piqued.

Isn't this the drunk thread?

In my opinion, you can never ever go wrong with a Guiness. I haven't found anything foodwise or situationwise where a alcoholic drink is a good idea and a Guiness is not.

Hoegaarden is also almost good anytime.

Jessie · 09/18/07, 6:03 PM

Originally Posted by Denogran

Also, there's been some talk on Oktoberfests in this 'forum,' and I'd like to recommend the Karl Strauss Oktoberfest. Picked up a case of that from Costco on Friday and it's all gone already. Good stuff.

My roommate has some friends staying from Wales, so we've been drinking mostly local brews while they're here. Tried this one last night, and I was definitely satisfied. I think we're going to take them by the Stone brewery tomorrow, since it's pretty close.

Iku · 09/19/07, 12:56 AM

Originally Posted by Docjowles

Is anyone going to be attending their upcoming German Beer Fest? I am sorely tempted, but the $40 price tag is intimidating. I've had a mighty craving for German beer ever since my vacation to Munich last month, though.

Completely destroying our guild progression for several weeks, every year. I'm glad we've killed Illidan before it starts this time :p

I'll probably be there, depending on flight costs etc.

Leaflock · 09/19/07, 11:17 AM

Originally Posted by Kalman

I had the misfortune to try a Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss this weekend. The word misfortune being the nicest word I can apply to it.

I'm not particularly a fan of Berry Weiss alone either, but when I was at school in Minnesota, the usual way to drink it was mixed in a big pitcher with equal parts of Honey Weiss. Pretty good summer drink.

elessar · 09/19/07, 11:53 AM

My personal belief is if you have to mix a beer with anything it is a failed beer. Perhaps this will be a controversial statement but that includes the lime added to Corona. I remember living in England and people would mix wine and beer. It seemed like the most vile mixture of contents I have ever seen. Even worse than mixing all the sodas at the soda fountain.

Docjowles · 09/19/07, 12:05 PM

When I was in Munich, Radler seemed to be a semi-popular option. It was beer mixed with lemonade. Most places offered light beer (helles) radlers, and some had a dark (dunkel) variety too. I didn't actually try it, but it sounds like it could be refreshing if it's ludicrously hot out.

Conoris · 09/19/07, 2:22 PM

One of my best memories of Munich was sitting in the English Garden on a warm summer day, and downing liter-sized steins of Radlerbier. Take your Corona and shove it!