The Awesome Beer Thread

[Sky]

My palate has grown more friendly to hoppy ales. I used to just give away any I got in a mix pack, now I'll usually drink them and enjoy most. I do stay away from the craft hoptard stuff, though. I'm also considering hops as a screening vine behind the house, which I find kind of ironic.

I like my beer cold. I keep my fridge as close to freezing as possible, one nudge above the point where beer will freeze. This is mostly for the small beer (old mil light), I keep the good stuff on the door.

[CmdrSlack]

I couldn't stand even Pale Ale when I first started drinking beer.

See this is the biggest difference between the dogma of your Church of Beer and my Church.
I think something should taste good from the first time I drink it. I shouldnt have to "get used to it".
I mean we are talking beer not iocane powder. I shouldnt have to build up a tolerance to it.
Just my opinion though.

It's about developing your palate, not about "getting used to it." Much like it takes a kid several tries with a food to develop a palate for it, many craft beers are the same. Once you know the flavors and aromas, it's easier to appreciate the product. I guess it is similar to wine in that respect.

It seems that there are people who like beer with flavor, people who like golden pisswater, and those in the middle who think Sierra Nevada is the end all be all of "craft" beer.

[Sand]

Hey now! I like craft beers. Just not hoppy ones. I like Hoegarden and other wiesse or wietbeers and heffeweizens.

[Teleku]

See this is the biggest difference between the dogma of your Church of Beer and my Church.
I think something should taste good from the first time I drink it. I shouldnt have to "get used to it".
I mean we are talking beer not iocane powder. I shouldnt have to build up a tolerance to it.
Just my opinion though.

CmdrSlack pretty much said what I was going to say.  I hated all beer when I was younger, and wouldn't drink it.  I was only able to start drinking light lagers in Japan, and then steadily worked my way up from there.  No beer tasted good from the start for me.  Now I brew my own and spend way the fuck to much money on specialty Russian Imperial Stouts.     I'm attempting to do the same with wine right now.

Though hush CmdrSlack, Sierra Nevada is awesome!

[Samwise]

I like to think I have a fairly decent beer palate by this point and I'm still not a fan of pale ales, which puts me at odds with most of the beer snobs I know. 

I just happen to believe there are flavors in the world besides bitter.

[Teleku]

Oh, it certainly comes down to personal preference as well.  No matter how much you try it, certain things are just going to always taste bad to different people.  What I was saying about hops is just a general rule of thumb.  Some people wont like it no matter what, just I like I know people who can't stand any sort of sweet malty beer.

I frankly don't even taste bitterness anymore when I drink extra hoppy beers, just layers of sweetness.

[CmdrSlack]

The problem for me is that I find beers to be situational/seasonal. Right now, I'm having no problem with big stouts and whatnot, but in the summer not so much. Also annoying is that a large majority of the U.S. craft brew available in my area is geared towards the hop-head*, or it is out of season (for me).

I seem to pick beer on this kinda schedule:

Winter: stouts, porters, brown ales, bigass double IPAs and pales, barleywine, other high-gravity but interesting stuff for warming up. Saison du Pont because it is awesome.
Spring: brown ales, pale ales, belgian golden ales, IPAs (moreso the UK-style herbal and grassy ones), sometimes back to bigger beers if we get a cold snap. Saison du Pont.
Summer: kolsch lagers, dortmunder lagers, pale ales, IPAs (trending towards US-made non-insane), Metropolitan lagers (local brewery). Saison du Pont.
Fall: fresh hop harvest IPAs, double IPAs made from same, brown ales, porters, lighter bodied stouts, pale ales. Saison du Pont.

Of course, I'm also open for random stuff I've never tried, largely without reference to the above preferences. Also, Saison du Pont.


* I love me some hops. The double IPAs that are sweet and abusive and sweet again, then floral. Stuff like that. But it seems that the safe bet for a craft brewery is to launch with an IPA, then add flavors from there. This really entrenches the IPA as the default style, and I can see how that would turn away some.

[Sand]

CmdrSlack,
So what your saying is IPA's are the beers for hipsters. Gotcha. 

I like to think I have a fairly decent beer palate by this point and I'm still not a fan of pale ales, which puts me at odds with most of the beer snobs I know. 

I just happen to believe there are flavors in the world besides bitter.

Agreed.

[rattran]

I've been drinking a mixed 24 pack of Two Brothers from Costco, a good hop-head style bitter, their French country ale, a decent stout, and a very odd hoppy rye ale. I can't decide whether or not I like the 'Cane and Ebel' red rye, but it's at least interesting.

[CmdrSlack]

I've been drinking a mixed 24 pack of Two Brothers from Costco, a good hop-head style bitter, their French country ale, a decent stout, and a very odd hoppy rye ale. I can't decide whether or not I like the 'Cane and Ebel' red rye, but it's at least interesting.

It's even better in a growler from the brewpub. If you're anywhere near Warrenville, IL, I highly suggest going there. The food is awesome and reasonably priced.

[CmdrSlack]

CmdrSlack,
So what your saying is IPA's are the beers for hipsters. Gotcha. 

That would be Chimay or Delerium Tremens, IMO.

[HaemishM]

I had a hefeweizen last night, and I think it's the first time I've had one of these. It was Yazoo Hefeweizen, and it had a very bubbly effervescence. Made me think of really fizzy soda or how someone had said they made a beer with champagne yeast or some shit. Not bad, though not sure it was something I'd drink on a regular basis. That bubbliness kind of deflated about halfway in. Still good if you like that sort of thing, though.

[CmdrSlack]

I had a hefeweizen last night, and I think it's the first time I've had one of these. It was Yazoo Hefeweizen, and it had a very bubbly effervescence. Made me think of really fizzy soda or how someone had said they made a beer with champagne yeast or some shit. Not bad, though not sure it was something I'd drink on a regular basis. That bubbliness kind of deflated about halfway in. Still good if you like that sort of thing, though.

Really good ones get this banana, cotton candy, coriander kinda thing going on too. The fizzy factor is 'cause you want to get that yeast sediment out of the bottom of the bottle and into your glass - there's vitamins and flavor in that yeast!

[Hawkbit]

I had a hefeweizen last night, and I think it's the first time I've had one of these. It was Yazoo Hefeweizen, and it had a very bubbly effervescence. Made me think of really fizzy soda or how someone had said they made a beer with champagne yeast or some shit. Not bad, though not sure it was something I'd drink on a regular basis. That bubbliness kind of deflated about halfway in. Still good if you like that sort of thing, though.

Try an original Paulaner hefeweizen.  They serve it in some places with a lemon like Blue Moon is served with an orange.  Paulaner is my hands-down favorite beer... I always am trying new stuffs but I also always finish the night with my favorite.

[Hawkbit]

Tried a Lindeman's Framboise lambic tonight.  Interesting... not something I'd go out of my way to drink more of, but it was a delicious experience. 

Local ice cream shop does a cherry lambic sorbet that knocks socks. 

[Fraeg]

Six Rivers Brewing (northern coastal CA, by Arcata) has a rasberry lambic that is to die for.  Lambic is generally not my bag, but while up visiting friends I picked up a *growler(?)* of this and was a very happy camper.

[Goumindong]

* Coffee milk, to my knowledge, doesn't exist outside of Rhode Island. There are two RI companies, Aurtocrat and Eclipse, that make coffee syrup. It's like the chocolate or strawberry syrups you stir into kids' milk, but coffee-flavored.

Coffee and milk. Not coffee milk.

Milk stout + coffee stout = coffee milk stout. Coffee refers to flavor notes (which sometimes are the result of adding coffee and sometimes not) and milk refers to the fact that they added lactose (or just a cream of some sort)

Milk stouts are hit and miss, sometimes they're wonderfully creamy with a hint of sweetness and sometimes they're simply bad. IIRC if you get a bad one its likely the entire batch didn't make it so it won't just be a bad bottle or barrel. Buy another brand or wait until next year.

Offhand question, I have my Stone in the fridge. Is it better room temp?

What kind of Stone?

Typically only Stouts and Porters (or some cask ales) are going to be drank at room temperature, but they don't have to be.

Cold is the norm, the warmer your beer is the more obvious its flavor is going to be.

[Teleku]

Six Rivers Brewing (northern coastal CA, by Arcata) has a rasberry lambic that is to die for.  Lambic is generally not my bag, but while up visiting friends I picked up a *growler(?)* of this and was a very happy camper.

Wow, thank you for the recommendation.  Even living in North Cal, and drinking tons of beer, I haven't actually seen a brew by these guys or even tried one.  They look like they have a ton of great stuff.  I'm going to make it a mission to try out some of there beer.  I'm sad to say I've tried more local Oregon brews near tham, than they themselves.   

[Stormwaltz]

Coffee and milk. Not coffee milk.

In this particular case, it actually is coffee milk. This vile beverage oozed from the tanks of "Rhode Island's only microbrewery," and is 7% Autocrat syrup and milk.

[Teleku]

and is 7% Autocrat syrup and milk.

"Voted best product made in Rhode Island."

heh.

[Stormwaltz]

"Voted best product made in Rhode Island."

Only because organized crime is technically a service, not a product.

[Sky]

Living in the land of dunkels and dopplebocks, and berating myself for not jotting down brands from the chart in this thread to guide me through the wonderous tunnels of the local distributer's outlet...I recently discovered Sam Adam's Black Lager. I'm trying to withhold my judgement on the matter until I can make a more scientific exploration into the subject, but I'm of a mind that this is the best beer on terra firma. Smooth, rich, flavorful without being heavy or bitter. The characteristics of the dunkels and dopples, but the clean finish of noble hops.

I've got some Negra Modelo left over from Cinco de Mayo, and it is slightly nudged out by the Sam Black, to my amazement. Just a bit more richness and complexity. On Cinco de Mayo, we hit our local restaurant for an amazing buffet (the exec chef is mexican) and I got talking to the exec chef about Negra Modelo, the story of how one of my two favorite Munich dunkels is from mexico, and how that came to be.

[Samwise]

I really love Schwarzbiers (aka black beer, black lager, or black ales) and these days I'll generally drink them over any other beer when available.  Have you tried Kostrizer (my fave) or 1554 yet?

[Sheepherder]

Dragon Stout is a pretty goddamn awesome beer.

I've recently tried Dos Equis.  Mexico needs to try harder, Jamaica is kicking their ass.

[Hawkbit]

I've said a few times above that Hefeweizens are my favorite beers.  We were out in Seattle in March and I tried to sample a few a day.  Sadly, the Pacific Northwest does not focus on them, but I found a few decent ones.  The Widmer Bros out of Portland was fantastic, nice and yeasty. 

What they do have, however, is IPAs out the wazoo.  Seems to be a major focus up there.

[Merusk]

I just had some of Sam's Black Lager from one of their sampler packs, myself, Sky.  I'll agree that it's great.  I've been saving the 2nd bottle because it was so good I don't want to just swig it down so I'm waiting for  a day I've got a nice long bit to enjoy it.

I recently picked up a 12-pack Sampler of Sam Adam's summer brews. The Rustic Saison was, imo, the best of the pack.  (It also had a few regular Boston Lagers and 2 bottles of Light) There's one.. IP-129 or something like that.. I can't drink it.  Tastes way too bitter and doesn't settle right when I drink it.  I can't figure out what it is about that one, but I'm going to have to dump the other bottles or see if my brother in law wants them.

[Sky]

Have you tried Kostrizer (my fave) or 1554 yet?

Making notes for my next visit to the distro.

Dos Equis: I like the dark one, haven't tried the golden one.

Hefeweizen: my other favorite brew. I've talked about it before, but I'm puzzled by this brew. One the one hand, one of my very favorites; on the other, meh. I'm suspecting it might be that I like it VERY fresh, since the brews I've enjoyed were both bought directly from the brewery (Saranac and Long Trail). All the imports and non-regional domestics I've tried have been meh, totally different taste. Maybe something to do with the lack of filtering and the aging process? I'm stumped, so I avoid them.

[Yoru]

I really love Schwarzbiers (aka black beer, black lager, or black ales) and these days I'll generally drink them over any other beer when available.  Have you tried Kostrizer (my fave) or 1554 yet?

Kostrizer is in damn near every store near me, and it's relatively cheap for a 500mL bottle compared to the other German imports, so I drink it a fair amount. I agree, it's pretty nice and light despite the dark color. I'm a fan, safe to say. I also like König Pilsener when I'm in the mood for lighter stuff and it's half the price of the Hofbrau Munchen that's available.

I've been drinking a fair amount of Paulaner, as it comes in 5L steel party-kegs which I can reuse for homebrewing. 

[Sheepherder]

Hockley Traditional Irish Stout: I'm not sure what the hell their problem is that they need to make beer this great to forget it.

[Teleku]

Living in the land of dunkels and dopplebocks,

Could you please post the names of some of those dunkles/dopplebocks you have over there?  I'm proud of West Coast brewing tradition, but one thing we lack is those two specific varieties.  Almost nobody tries to make them, and the few that do dont tend to make them the way they should be...  Which is unfortunate, since Dopplebocks are my favorite beer.  :(  So yeah, any hints on East Coast brews to look after would be appreciated.

I've been drinking a fair amount of Paulaner, as it comes in 5L steel party-kegs which I can reuse for homebrewing. 

Huh.  I never thought of that (and we grab those Paulaner kegs quite often).  How exactly do you recycle it for home brewing?

[Yoru]

I've been drinking a fair amount of Paulaner, as it comes in 5L steel party-kegs which I can reuse for homebrewing. 

Huh.  I never thought of that (and we grab those Paulaner kegs quite often).  How exactly do you recycle it for home brewing?

You need to remove the rubber bung that they use to seal the top, as if you were going to put a tap on top. Don't throw the bung out though, just wash and sanitize it.

Next, wash the keg out well and sanitize it - I use Starsan, but any other kitchen-grade no-rinse sanitizer will work well.

Then, instead of bottling into bottles, you put 5L of beer into the 5L keg - don't fill it, as you want a little bit of head room. Then just stick the rubber bung back on top and close it - you should get an airtight seal that allows your beer to carbonate and age just as if it were in a giant bottle. The bung is, apparently, designed to get tighter as internal pressure builds, so it should hold the growing pressure as your beer carbonates.

When you're ready to serve, just serve it like you would a regular Paulaner party-keg. I'm opening my first Paulaner-kegged beer this Saturday; I'll let you know how it goes.

[Hawkbit]

I can't tell you how jealous I am that you have access to a 5L keg of Paulaner.  Considering I have to pay $9/six for it...

[Yoru]

I can't tell you how jealous I am that you have access to a 5L keg of Paulaner.  Considering I have to pay $9/six for it...

The 5L keg of Paulaner costs me €37/$50, so I think you're still coming out on top on price.

[Sky]

So yeah, any hints on East Coast brews to look after would be appreciated.

I'm pretty sure it's all imports, I'll have to go peruse the empties collection. Mostly I go for Ayinger Celebrator dopplebock and the Warsteiner dunkel (and of course, Negra Modelo as mentioned).

I've really been feeling the urge to start brewing, I should've bought a basic kit before I bought my darn truck. I'll try a few easy things to learn, but I think I want to dial in on the whole bock/dunkel/black lager zone. Also goes with my label theme based on my cat, Bart (a black cat).

[Yoru]

So yeah, any hints on East Coast brews to look after would be appreciated.

I'm pretty sure it's all imports, I'll have to go peruse the empties collection. Mostly I go for Ayinger Celebrator dopplebock and the Warsteiner dunkel (and of course, Negra Modelo as mentioned).

I've really been feeling the urge to start brewing, I should've bought a basic kit before I bought my darn truck. I'll try a few easy things to learn, but I think I want to dial in on the whole bock/dunkel/black lager zone. Also goes with my label theme based on my cat, Bart (a black cat).

You're in the US, yeah? Midwest Brewing does a lot of nice extract kits, which are good for beginners. You can get started for like $200, and that startup cost amortizes quickly as you do more batches.

I imported a number of the Midwest kits before moving over to all-grain, and they all came out great - I did a dunkelweisen kit which might interest you. Extract brewing is simple enough that anyone can do it, you just have to be diligent about the basics - cleanliness, precision, etc.