The Awesome Beer Thread

[Ingmar]

Oh hai.

http://www.unibroue.com/

Can't go wrong really, but La Fin du Monde is the flagship.

The first time I saw this post I was sure you were linking to Irnbru.

I've had that too (the meat pie truck at the various highland games around here always has it.) I'd rate the Unibroue stuff a little higher. 

[apocrypha]

If you want the maximum amount of alcohol and flavor in each sip, I don't know why you're messing around with beer.  That's what whisky is for.

Bad things happen to me after a pint of whisky. 

But no, I agree to an extent - there's a tendency for brewers to make high-alcohol content beers for no reason other than that they sell well in supermarkets. In the UK at least there's been a steadily rising trend in alcohol content of bottled beers, which for a few reasons isn't a good thing.

However the taste:alcohol thing is kinda true too, but it's getting distorted by economics unfortunately.

[Jherad]

Am I alone here in being a huge Hefeweizen fan? Especially Hoegaarden, which according to this chart is aparently not a Hefeweizen, but rather a "Witbier".
Interesting. And now I want beer.

Hoegaarden is really rising in popularity in England - can seem to get it everywhere now. Very pleasant easy drink, and I look out for it over here in the US now as a 'safe' option :P

I'm completely hooked on Belgian pale ales like Leffe and Duvel. Duvel I can get here, but the odd place that does do Leffe wants to charge me insane prices. Thankfully, PA has some reasonable beers - Yards and Troegs both turn out drinkable pale ales, at least to my palate.

[Sky]

Saranac and Long Trail Hefeweizens are my very favorite beers, actually. I've had some others that just didn't click, the two I mention have a real nice banana/clove/something like that, just really nice flavor. But they're both brewmasters choice from a couple years ago. I did have a decent import, I'd have to track down the bottle to get the name (am I the only one who saves the bottles?), but the shop I get it from doesn't move them quickly, so it's a crapshoot getting one that's young enough to be awesome.

Right now I'm in Sam Adams Octoberfest switched up with one of my perennial favorites, Saranac Black Forest. Buying from the brewery = awesome. They also have concerts in the summer, getting the Hef on tap with chili and bbq (chili makes the Hef taste like bubblegum!) while Dickey Betts is playing? Hell yeah.

As I said earlier, I like the dopplebocks and dunkels, too. Give me a Warsteiner or Ayinger Celebrator and I'm happy. Got into Negra Modelo at our local mexican joint, it's a funny story on how one of the best austrian beers is made in mexico.

Wish I had gotten into the Sam Noble Pils, I normally dismiss the hoppier side of the spectrum, but got one in a mix pack and it was really, really good.

[Chimpy]

Ayinger Brau-Weisse is the best Weissbier I have ever had.

Bar down the street has it, but I can't afford to drink there until I am gainfully imployed again as it is 6 bucks a bottle. (Not much more than a Tucher or Hacker-Pschorr but still too much for me).

[Johny Cee]

Saranac and Long Trail Hefeweizens are my very favorite beers, actually. I've had some others that just didn't click, the two I mention have a real nice banana/clove/something like that, just really nice flavor. But they're both brewmasters choice from a couple years ago. I did have a decent import, I'd have to track down the bottle to get the name (am I the only one who saves the bottles?), but the shop I get it from doesn't move them quickly, so it's a crapshoot getting one that's young enough to be awesome.

Right now I'm in Sam Adams Octoberfest switched up with one of my perennial favorites, Saranac Black Forest. Buying from the brewery = awesome. They also have concerts in the summer, getting the Hef on tap with chili and bbq (chili makes the Hef taste like bubblegum!) while Dickey Betts is playing? Hell yeah.

As I said earlier, I like the dopplebocks and dunkels, too. Give me a Warsteiner or Ayinger Celebrator and I'm happy. Got into Negra Modelo at our local mexican joint, it's a funny story on how one of the best austrian beers is made in mexico.

Wish I had gotten into the Sam Noble Pils, I normally dismiss the hoppier side of the spectrum, but got one in a mix pack and it was really, really good.

As a Western New Yorker, aren't you required to drink Genesee?   

[Sheepherder]

Nice find. I was looking primarily under the pale ales and ipa's, as those are amongst our best known.

Alexander Keith's IPA and Okanagan Spring Pale Ale are the two I tend to favor, and have grown to a pretty substantial market up here.

Keith's IPA is a little weak on the hops IMO, more of an American Pale Ale.  I'd take it over most of the big names in Canada though.

I find it pretty sad though that Blue was the only Canadian beer I saw on that picture. We have a very diverse microbrewery industry up here, with some exceptional beers.

Canada:

Fort Garry: Makes fantastic Dark Ale.  A personal favourite, the only good reason to live in Manitoba.
Alexander Keith's: Like the dark, the red isn't bad but isn't my forte, indifferent to the IPA.  Available from the maritime to central Canada, possibly further.  This is the snobbiest brand that most bars offer.
Sleeman's / Upper Canada: UC does a very cheap (as in similarly priced to the cheapest beer you can find in Ontario) and decent dark ale.  Sleeman's honey brown is tasty, but a little light for my liking.
Brick / Waterloo: Dark beer is good.  The wheat beer is very strongly citrus tasting, probably would go over well with women friends who like coolers.
Big Rock: Tried almost every brown ale/lager they have (there's like three varieties) as well as wheat beer, nothing exceptional, but it's not my favourite styles of beer.
Rickards: I've tried the Red; is okay for a red beer.  To me it tastes like dark beer without enough burning.

Imports/When in Rome:

Lienenkugel: Creamy Dark went over well, would drink again.  Deserves it's place on the chart.
Michelob: Amberbock is surprisingly not bad for Anheuser-Busch, not an expert on what a bock should be like, but it probably isn't this.
Greene King IPA: Bitter.  Seemed like a great beer for a hot day.
Guinness Draught: More bitter than flavourful, you absolutely must let it air a bit during/after the pour, very good with your meat and potatoes.
Beck's: Dark beer was pretty good.
Fuller's: London Porter is great.  I have an empty, I wish I could supply a few mates to make it feel less lonely.
Faxe: There be dragons.

The sites with ratings/rankings are as terrible as gaming journalism.  Fuck these people for being such snobby cunts.

Lastly, if you like dark beer it's hard to find one that is completely irredeemable anywhere in the world I've been.  It's too niche a market for the manufacturer to count on mass consumption.

[Sky]

As a Western New Yorker, aren't you required to drink Genesee?   

I haven't had a Genny cream ale in forever. I should try one with my modern palate, I used to like them. Don't think I've ever had a regular Genny (that I remember ).

But I'm central, not western. Our local big brewery is Matt's Brewery. I used to hate Utica Club, but it got popular again with the kids. And Matt's....we used to call the result the Matt's Splatts  Really, the Saranac brand was the best thing to happen to the brewery. Black Forest is such win. Link for non-regional folks.

[Bunk]

Out of curiosity, how much American craft brew makes its way up there?

Actually, very few if any. Most of the time, I just tend to sample them when I'm in the States. I spent five days in New Orleans a few years ago for work and tried every local brew I could find. Unfotunately, I don't remember most of them anymore.

Typically, I'll just order whatever Sam's ale type thing they have on tap if I'm trying to be safe in the US.

[Bunk]

Canada:

Sleeman's / Upper Canada: UC does a very cheap (as in similarly priced to the cheapest beer you can find in Ontario) and decent dark ale.  Sleeman's honey brown is tasty, but a little light for my liking.
Rickards: I've tried the Red; is okay for a red beer.  To me it tastes like dark beer without enough burning.

Sleeman's Honey Brown tends to be the go to beer for girls in Canada - I find it too sweet.

Rickards Red I just consider a travesty, I have no idea why it's so popular. Again, too sweet for me. Oddly though, Rickards makes an intersting white beer with a noticable citrus flavor, that I don't mind.

If you are in BC the right time of year, Granville Island Brewery does a limited run of Winter Ale that is really quite different, yet interesting.

[stu]

Saranac

Oh, man. Whenever I go home I pick up a case of Adirondack Lager. Then I head over to the Mendocino brewery and just pick some different stuff. The rest of the year, I get by on whatever's on sale (hello, PBR!) or Pilsner Urquell when I want to treat myself.

I'll probably dream about Saranac tonight. It's not easy to find in Miami.

[Sky]

[CmdrSlack]

I'm very glad that the Stone Brewing beers are available here in Illinois. Now I just wish I could get Brooklyn Brewing and Half Acre (small brewery in the city) to distribute to the burbs.

Driving in for a growler and a six pack is all well and good, but it's not like the roads around the city aren't famous for always being under construction.

[Furiously]

I was shocked this weekend driving down the road  to see a dead bear.

[Sheepherder]

Sleeman's Honey Brown tends to be the go to beer for girls in Canada - I find it too sweet.

Rickards Red I just consider a travesty, I have no idea why it's so popular. Again, too sweet for me. Oddly though, Rickards makes an intersting white beer with a noticable citrus flavor, that I don't mind.

Sleeman's Honey is on the sweet side.

Rickard's I've never found particularly sweet, but where I live storage, shipment, and availability of beers on tap is abysmal.  You might get fresher beer from Ontario than I do.

[Johny Cee]

Out of curiosity, how much American craft brew makes its way up there?

Actually, very few if any. Most of the time, I just tend to sample them when I'm in the States. I spent five days in New Orleans a few years ago for work and tried every local brew I could find. Unfotunately, I don't remember most of them anymore.

Abita Brewery?  Turbodog and Purple Haze, amongst others.

[WayAbvPar]

I was shocked this weekend driving down the road  to see a dead bear.

Where were you?

[IainC]

I was shocked this weekend driving down the road  to see a dead bear.

This is the awesome beer thread, not the awesome bear thread. Silly Furiously.

[Teleku]

Hey, Saranac people.  I just saw this at the Bevmo near my work:

http://www.saranac.com/page/12-beers-of-summer-2010

Is any of that worth getting?  I've never had Saranac before, and this is the first time I've ever seen it in California.  Unfortunately, they only have it in that big variety pack, and not in singles or six packs.  Worth getting for the beer it comes with?  I'm always up for trying new breweries, especially ones outside the region.

I'm STILL waiting for fucking Victory to get there shit together and move into the bay area in a big way.  There is one distributor for the Bay Area, and its hard to find their stuff even in SF.  The people at beer revolution told me there isn't any distribution service to the whole east bay.  ARG.

[Furiously]

I was shocked this weekend driving down the road  to see a dead bear.

Where were you?

Auburn - turns out a mama and her baby were hit at like 1am and the other baby went up a nearby tree. This was on 18 I believe and what a freaking huge bear is doing on a freeway with cubs.....

[stu]

Saranac 12 Beers of Summer

They add some new ones every year to the variety season packs. Their Pale Ale is fantastic. The Pomegrenate Wheat is a carry over from last year, but it wasn't really my thing. I might be confusing seasons, but I think the ones to go from the pack were the Black & Tan and the Adirondack Lager. I'm not a big fan of summer ales because of the citrus.

edit: I could scrump on that Rye Pils.

[Johny Cee]

Hey, Saranac people.  I just saw this at the Bevmo near my work:

http://www.saranac.com/page/12-beers-of-summer-2010

Is any of that worth getting?  I've never had Saranac before, and this is the first time I've ever seen it in California.  Unfortunately, they only have it in that big variety pack, and not in singles or six packs.  Worth getting for the beer it comes with?  I'm always up for trying new breweries, especially ones outside the region.

I'm STILL waiting for fucking Victory to get there shit together and move into the bay area in a big way.  There is one distributor for the Bay Area, and its hard to find their stuff even in SF.  The people at beer revolution told me there isn't any distribution service to the whole east bay.  ARG.

The Saranac mixer packs are usually worth trying.  You usually get two each of 6 different beers, and at least a couple will be great.  Some of the Summer bunch tend to be a touch too fruity for my tastes, so I prefer the Adirondack Trail Mix (usually some combo of the Lager, Black & Tan, Pale Ale, Amber, Black Forest, etc.) which tends to be more typical beers.

Seems like Matt's is also distributing Lake Placid Brewing Cos beers now too...  I've liked the 46er Pale Ale and the Ubu.

I don't mind a touch of fruit...  like Magic Hat #9 (Burlington brewery) which is my go to when I'm out at a bar.

[Sky]

I think I like the Helles, the Pils, the Wheat. It's a bit late for the summer pack, so flavor won't be peak. I think I actually enjoyed that Pale Pale and Summer ale, normally I'm not a hoppy beer drinker. (I say "I think" because it's been a while) I sometimes pick up the mix pack, but I can make my own mixes at the brewery or at the local discount beer place.

You should talk to a discount beverage warehouse if you have them out there. The proprietors are often wicked helpful about stuff like this, especially if you get to be a regular customer or can bring in other business for them. Once people find out about a receptive beverage outlet, it tends to get great word of mouth, which is why they're adaptive. For instance, the place I go I can not only get every variety of local brews (like Saranac and Ommegang), but it's also where I can get my Warsteiner and Ayinger stuff. And it's just some little dump at an out-of-the-way intersection....but everyone who enjoys good beer in the region hits it up because they have such an excellent stock. I can find almost everything you guys mention here in that place! And if I can't, they're happy to have new things for people to try.

It's kind of funny shopping the craft brews, because their business by far is kegs and cases of american mainstream. I'll see one or two people browsing the craft and local sections, and in that time they're loading out trucks full of kegs and have a brisk business at the main counter for bud/mich/miller/etc. It's a magical place.

[Sweeper]

Just have to mention Brew dog brewery and especially their IPAs,  Punk and Hardcore. Haven't tried their 55% abv "the end of history" but at about $800 I never will...

[Minvaren]

This inspired me to start making wheat wines of my own.  It is just slightly overhopped for my taste, but not nearly so much as many barleywines...

...which reminds me, running low on this and need to make another.

[Teleku]

Dang, how the hell is there a style (especially an American one) that I wasn't aware of?  I'll see if I can find any Wheat Wines here in the west, thanks!

[Tairnyn]

I have been on a craft beer kick for the past few years and have found some nice ones that fit my taste. I'm at the end of a long night of drunken gaming and can't help posting after Brew Dog was mentioned. For reference, I usually prefer dark bitter beers, reds, barleywine style ales, and IPAs.

* Brew Dog, Chaos Theory (dark, bitter, but not too heavy)
* Southern Tier, Oak Aged Unearthly (a staggering amount of flavor that I just can't forget)
* Bear Republic, Red Rocket Ale (one of my favorite reds)
* Lagunitas, Lucky 13 (another excellent red that usually comes in a nice big bottle)
* Middle Ages, Druid Fluid (a barleywine style ale)
* Middle Ages, Wailing Wench
* Heavy Seas, Loose Cannon (an IPA with a bit of a barleywine taste to it)
* Ithaca Beer Co., Flower Power (a very hoppy IPA, but wth more complex flavors than most)
* Dogfish Head, Punkin Ale (best pumpkin ale I've tasted)
* Blue Point, Hoptical Illusion (solid IPA)

Some of these may be available only in Central NY, but I know we have a few on this board that live in the area. Marcy Discount Beverage near Utica, NY is like the Shangri-La of craft beers but even the gas stations sometimes have a nice selection around here. Wegmans in Fayetteville (east of Syracuse) also has a great selection at a killer price. Saranac is everywhere here (brewed 20 minutes away) but there are very few I care for, although the Black Forest isn't too bad. I've found most of the Magic Hat brews to be absolutely terrible, but #9 is an exception. Lake Placid is one of those beers I see all the time but haven't tried, so maybe I should give it a shot. I've also found Victory's Hop Devil is an excellent, well-rounded IPA.

[CmdrSlack]

Dogfish Head, Punkin Ale (best pumpkin ale I've tasted)

Southern Tier's Pumking makes Punkin taste like garbage, IMO.

[Sky]

it's just some little dump at an out-of-the-way intersection....but everyone who enjoys good beer in the region hits it up because they have such an excellent stock.

Marcy Discount Beverage

[Teleku]

I just tried this beer, and it was suprisingly good:
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/262/58693

I only grabbed it because the "Half Dopplebock, Half Belgian Dubbel" peaked my curiosity enough that I couldn't resist.  And dear god, it actually does taste like a cross between the two.  Well done, and very unique flavor (which can often be not very good, but it worked great in this case).  Give it a try if you like either of those beers.

[Tairnyn]

Southern Tier's Pumking makes Punkin taste like garbage, IMO.

I grabbed a bottle of Pumking on your recommendation and it was epically delicious. A+++ will drink again. No doubt the best pumpkin brew out there. Also, Lagunitas Little Sumpin' is is also a well-rounded brew that I'm enjoying thoroughly.

[CmdrSlack]

Southern Tier's Pumking makes Punkin taste like garbage, IMO.

I grabbed a bottle of Pumking on your recommendation and it was epically delicious. A+++ will drink again. No doubt the best pumpkin brew out there. Also, Lagunitas Little Sumpin' is is also a well-rounded brew that I'm enjoying thoroughly.

If you can find it, there is also a Little Sumpin' Wild that's fermented with some wild yeasts. While it could probably stand to age for a year or more, even the fresh stuff has that hint of wild yeast tang that adds a lot to the base brew.

[stu]

I picked up a twelver of the Sam Adams Winter Classics variety pack. Everything is good except for the chocolate bock, which is probably the worst beer I've ever tasted.

[Sheepherder]

Too sweet?

[Paelos]

Cranberry Lambic from Sam Adams always made me want to barf.