Beer.

[Sky]

Not to sully the booze thread with beer...I present The Beer Thread.

When I'm travelling I like to grab some local beers to bring home and spread around. The Long Trail brewery in Vermont is pretty good, their summer brew this year was my favorite, the Hefeweizen. Bought a case of that plus some Hef glasses (big and fluted somewhat). In Maine I got some Shipyard, the ale was ok (it's what I drank while I was in Maine), but I'm not an ale fan (damn IPA whores). However, their Blue Fin Stout was amazing, it might be my favorite stout thus far.

Of course, I'm spoiled living in central NY, we have the Saranac (Matt) Brewery right here. They used to be el cheapo, but they went through a renaissance and are now one of the best brewers in the country. They did a Hef this summer, too. It was a friggin' good summer imo. Also good is their stout, Black Forest and they do a mean Black and Tan (though I prefer mixing my own). They do seasonal packs that just rock with Mocha Stouts, Oatmeal Stouts, all kinds of stuff packed in (always a couple hoppy ales that sit in the back of the fridge).

My local mexican restaurant has turned me on to Dos Equis (amber) and Negra Modelo, great stuff. I drink it with a lime there because that's how it's served, but it's great plain. Most gringos drink Corona, of course. 

[Furiously]

I've been on a blue moon kick lately.

They have a bar around here with like 100 beers on tap. I don't think I have had a bad Belgian white ever.

I love ending the night with a Framboise. But then again, is that a beer?

[Yegolev]

I like Terrapin Rye, although it is super gassy.  The draft variety anyway; I tried a bottled version of it recently and I'm not sure it's quite on par, but it also doesn't cause you to belch and fart for hours.  Terrapin counts as being from Athens, GA, I think, although I have been told that they rented from a brewer in Maryland.  That was three or four years ago, though, and now that they are bottling, who knows?  There is also a Terrapin pale ale which is milder and not really gassy, but tasty.

I used to like Sweetwater 420 a good deal, but at some point it started giving me headaches.  Now I swap around between Newcastle, Stella. and Birra Morreti if they have it.  There's an Italian place that has Morreti Rossa, which has a nice, high percentage in it for if I want some quick drunk with my lasagna.

[|3o3dha]

[/delurk]

As a Belgian I can only confirm the superiority of Belgian beer.

If you ever have the chance to drink a Duvel, Leffe of Grimbergen, do take it.
And should you ever come across Kasteelbier or Delirium Tremens, don't doubt. You just bought a little piece of heaven.
I doubt you'll be able to find it tough.

As a warning, all of the above are quite heavy beers, If you want to keep things pleasant, don't drink more than 5.

[/relurk]

[Stormwaltz]

Best beer I've ever had was Köstritzer Schwarzbier. Black as Hitler's heart, smooth as a baby's bottom. I wish I could find another place that sells it.

For mass market stuff, Old Peculiar, McEwan's Scottish Ale, and Blue Moon Ale.

When I'm feeling cheap and pining for home, Sam Adams.

[Jayce]

I've been on a Sam Adams Winter Ale kick lately.  I remember not liking it in the past, but I guess tastes change.

Standbys for me are Paulaner Hefeweizen (there are others, but hard to find in the States), Newcastle, JW Dundee's Honey Brown Lager, and the aforementioned Negra Modelo.  If I'm in the mood for something challenging, Le Fin du Monde.

[MrHat]

I love me some Fat Tire, if you want to brave the Colorado Winter (wtf, really).

I've been trying to expand my beer horizons a bit this winter, but I just dont have time to drink anymore.

[Furiously]

I love me some Fat Tire, if you want to brave the Colorado Winter (wtf, really).

I've been trying to expand my beer horizons a bit this winter, but I just dont have time to drink anymore.

I really like the flat tire's guys 2 below. It would be really really good with some curry.

[Yoru]

Of course, I'm spoiled living in central NY, we have the Saranac (Matt) Brewery right here. They used to be el cheapo, but they went through a renaissance and are now one of the best brewers in the country. They did a Hef this summer, too. It was a friggin' good summer imo. Also good is their stout, Black Forest and they do a mean Black and Tan (though I prefer mixing my own). They do seasonal packs that just rock with Mocha Stouts, Oatmeal Stouts, all kinds of stuff packed in (always a couple hoppy ales that sit in the back of the fridge).

I don't know if they're still good since they're under new management, but I lived off the Troy Pub & Brewery's $8 growlers in college. I generally got the brown ale.

I had some of the Sierra Nevada Porter last week. It was decent, but sweeter than I usually like my drink to be. A couple weeks back I tried out some brews from a small place in Berkeley whose name escapes me; it claimed to be an 'all-organic chocolate stout' (hippie beer!), so I had to try it. It was interesting, but again, too sweet.

[Bunk]

If you visit the Great White North, I'd recomend either Alexander Keith's IPA, or in the West, Okanagan Springs Special Pale Ale. If you like heffewiesens, I find Granville Island Brewery's version to be the best one out here.

If not drinking locals like that, I'm usually imbibing Stella or Hoegarden. I would like a chance to try some of the heaftier Belgian beers some day.

A pleasent suprise I had on my recent business trip was Abita Amber in New Orleans. Was a nice basic Pale Ale. I also tried something by Abita, um Turbodog I think they called it. Was very different - kind of a dark chocolate Ale. Not my favorite, but it was an interesting taste.

[Polysorbate80]

My local mexican restaurant has turned me on to Dos Equis (amber) and Negra Modelo, great stuff. I drink it with a lime there because that's how it's served, but it's great plain. Most gringos drink Corona, of course. 

Corona is unworthy to be called beer :P  Tecate and Dos Equis are my preferred Mexican beers.

[Murgos]

I've been drinking a lot of U.F.O when I'm out lately that or Sammy's Winter Lager.

[HaemishM]

I've been on a blue moon kick lately.

Blue Moon is some good stuff. I'm also partial to Newcastle Brown Ale, which is just nectar of the gods.

[Sky]

I've been drinking a lot of U.F.O when I'm out lately that or Sammy's Winter Lager.

I had a UFO Hef that was just nasty. Supermarket in Vermont had a ton of odd little beers in a section. They all sucked, so I'm guessing there was low turnover and product was old. The Hef I got from the Long Trail brewery was bottled a couple days before I bought it :) It's neck and neck with Saranac for incredible Hefs.

When I eat chili, Hef tastes like bubblegum. It's freaky.

[Jayce]

A pleasent suprise I had on my recent business trip was Abita Amber in New Orleans. Was a nice basic Pale Ale. I also tried something by Abita, um Turbodog I think they called it. Was very different - kind of a dark chocolate Ale. Not my favorite, but it was an interesting taste.

I lived on Turbo Dog when I was in college (in Louisiana).  I seem to have lost the taste for it though - I had it recently at a bar and it just wasn't the same. 

Abita Purple Haze comes highly recommended too, but I did not find anything very remarkable about it personally.

[Yegolev]

I had a UFO hef, I guess it was around 2000, that was spectacular.  Could have been the hot wings.  Hefeweizen is a mood thing for me, normally I don't like sweet beer.

I liked Turbodog OK, and I think I had some Purple Haze.  Neither one grabbed me, but I don't like the chocolately shit either.  Now, Laughing Skull was interesting in ways the Abita offerings were not.  I tend to get the black-bottle ones confused.  Maybe because I am often drunk when I get to the liquor store.

Heard tell of Fat Tire but have not had the pleasure yet.  A ski trip to CO is inevitable and I will make an effort to check it out.

Had some Warsteiner a few weeks back.  Surprisingly decent.  Not sure what I was expecting, but it was pretty inoffensive.

[CmdrSlack]

I've been making my own for a couple of months now.  I've been mainly been driniking this Amarillo pale ale that I made and am waiting for the stout that I have in the carboy to get ready to bottle.  When we're not drinking homebrew, I generally get something with a non-twist-off cap (saving 12 oz bottles is FTW). 

As soon as I have the cash, and can find the right size fridge, I'll be making lagers, which will double my current brewing capacity, which means that I'll hopefully have piles and piles of beer by mid-summer.  Hurrah!

Since the selection sucks without travelling to a liquor store that stocks micros, we generally get Sam Adams.  When we go to the places with selection (one is out in the 'burbs by my parents' house), we get Delerium Tremens, big 22 oz bottles of various Rogue beers (their Chipotle Ale ain't too bad), and sometimes Chimay.  I also don't mind a good Sammy Smith's Winter Welcome or Oatmeal Stout.

but I'm not an ale fan

Stouts are also ales.  I'm guessing you're not a pale/amber ale fan. 

[Merusk]

I've been on a Sam Adams Winter Ale kick lately.  I remember not liking it in the past, but I guess tastes change.

Since SA still handcrafts, there's a difference between each batch and each year.  I haven't tried this years Winter Ale, but last years was a little too bitter for me.

I just went to the Hoffbrau house here in Cinci. They're an offshoot of the Hofbräuhaus in Munich and the Brewmaster was trained by theirs & uses modifications of their recipies.  (Since Americans can't handle 'real' beer.)   They've got a fantastic beer called Dunkel, it's a nice dark brown beer with a really nice caramel taste.  It's a pity they don't bottle it, but they said they can barely make enough for their on-site sales.

  There was a local beer I had earlier in the year in Pittsburg whose name I forget.  It was an unfiltered wheat lager, and it had a kind of creamy taste.  Really good stuff.

I'll second Sky's earlier nod to Dos Equis.  I can't stand Corona, but DE is some decent stuff if you're at a mexican place that sells it.

[schild]

While Magic Hat makes my favorite brews, I generally go straight to Guinness.

[Furiously]

I've been on a Sam Adams Winter Ale kick lately.  I remember not liking it in the past, but I guess tastes change.

Since SA still handcrafts, there's a difference between each batch and each year.  I haven't tried this years Winter Ale, but last years was a little too bitter for me.

I just went to the Hoffbrau house here in Cinci. They're an offshoot of the Hofbräuhaus in Munich and the Brewmaster was trained by theirs & uses modifications of their recipies.  (Since Americans can't handle 'real' beer.)   They've got a fantastic beer called Dunkel, it's a nice dark brown beer with a really nice caramel taste.  It's a pity they don't bottle it, but they said they can barely make enough for their on-site sales.

  There was a local beer I had earlier in the year in Pittsburg whose name I forget.  It was an unfiltered wheat lager, and it had a kind of creamy taste.  Really good stuff.

I'll second Sky's earlier nod to Dos Equis.  I can't stand Corona, but DE is some decent stuff if you're at a mexican place that sells it.

Thats the one on the levy right? I think I have stopped in there before. I enjoyed the cider at the english pub across the street a lot more.

[UnholyB0B]

If you ever get a chance try Victory Brewing - “Golden Monkey” and “Storm King.” Both are heavy on alcohol (9.5%) but maintain a smooth taste.
The monkey covers my Belgian-style needs while Storm King fills my stout desires when Guinness fails. Not that Guinness is bad by any means, it’s just that I need a stout with kick to it from time to time.

[schild]

Golden Monkey is good. When I'm not drinking Guinness though (and by drinking, I don't mean hammering at a party or something), I'm drinking this:



Oatmeal Stout. Yummmmmmy.

[Johny Cee]

A pleasent suprise I had on my recent business trip was Abita Amber in New Orleans. Was a nice basic Pale Ale. I also tried something by Abita, um Turbodog I think they called it. Was very different - kind of a dark chocolate Ale. Not my favorite, but it was an interesting taste.

It is Turbodog.  A friend in college was from New Orleans,  and used to buy the stuff all the time.  Purple Haze by Abita is supposed to be pretty good as well, but it's either seasonal or not sold outside the city...

Saranac is my gold medal winner for price/quality/availability in the Northeast.  Sky gave a pretty good run down on the different beers they sell,  my favorites are the Pilsner and Black & Tan.  Always enjoy their Adirondack Trail Mix sampler 12-pack.

La Fin du Monde (end of the world) and Maudite (damned, I think) are from Unibrowe,  a Quebec microbrew.  Pretty decent, and strong as hell.

[Murgos]

Corona is shit.  No one drinks it in Mexico and no one should drink it here.  You put a lime in it because it tastes like ass.  You can put citrus into almost any crap beer and it tastes better, that doesn't make it a good beer.  Sticking lime wedges into PBR doesn't suddenly make it worthy of consumption.

Drink Cerveza Pacifico Clara for a good light Mexican beer.  The Dos Equis that is consumed in Mexico is also much better than the export stuff.

[Sky]

Stouts are also ales.  I'm guessing you're not a pale/amber ale fan. 

Yeah, I'm a bit fuzzy on nomenclature. I mean the real hoppy stuff like IPA. It seems to be super-popular right now, so at least a third of any mixed pack is hoppy ales.

I really need to get my shit together and start brewing, too. I'd like to do a hefeweizen, would that be easier because it's unfiltered?

The Dos Equis that is consumed in Mexico is also much better than the export stuff.

I've had the green bottle XX and it's pretty meh, especially compared to the yummy brown bottle stuff.

When I lived in CA we called Corona Mexican Budweiser. I don't drink any mainstream american beers, really. Maybe a Labatt blue at a bar that doesn't stock Saranac. I do drink Old Milwaukee Light as my 'cheap' beer (the regular old mil was my band's cheap beer of choice, $7/case with a $1.50 return), but I've lost the taste for it since I've been drinking better stuff the last year or two. It's pretty nasty stuff unless it's frigid, the top shelf of my fridge will freeze things :)

[Jayce]

Turbodog
Purple Haze
La Fin du Monde

We must be on the same wavelength, unless you were in part responding to me?

Since SA still handcrafts, there's a difference between each batch and each year.  I haven't tried this years Winter Ale, but last years was a little too bitter for me.

Exactly the same issue I had with it.  I like bitterness, but beyond a certain point is too far for me.

I don't drink any mainstream american beers, really.

I used to feel a bit uppity when I said that (not that it stopped me), but I think the idea that most mainstream American beers are shite is starting to get more widespread.  My stepdad, for example, mostly still drinks Milwaukee's Beast, but he does dabble in the better stuff now, and he knows not to foist the cheap ones on me any more.

edits: clarity

[NowhereMan]

I do love my beer, if you're ever in the UK try some local ales. Up north Black Sheep is a good reliable local brew, London Pride is nice down in London though it doesn't seem to travel well. Adnams Bitter is luv too, really nice stuff.

Aside from that I really love Hoegarden, at Univiersity two of our college bars sell it for £1.80 a pint. Truly glorious places to go though a night on the stuff can be a bit odd.

Also I don't understand love for Stella, unless the stuff you get over there is very different from the stuff in the UK (which it could well be) it is a really horrible lager and has a tendency to induce bad, bad hangovers. Also not such a fan of Nukie Brown but then I prefer my Ales nice and light or the other extreme as a nice creamy stout.

[Viin]

I really like Tommy Knockers, but Barq's is good when you don't want to pay the premium.

(My wife likes to make mead (aka honey wine), but I don't typically drink any).

[HaemishM]

American mainstream beers are tolerable so long as they are ICE FUCKING COLD and nothing else is available. Otherwise, the only one I can drink anymore is Rolling Rock or Miller Genuine Draft. Anything less than $5 a sixer is generally just not going to be a good brew no matter what you do.

[CmdrSlack]

Yeah, I'm a bit fuzzy on nomenclature. I mean the real hoppy stuff like IPA. It seems to be super-popular right now, so at least a third of any mixed pack is hoppy ales.

I really need to get my shit together and start brewing, too. I'd like to do a hefeweizen, would that be easier because it's unfiltered?

Brewing is as easy or hard as you want to make it.  You can go the route that I go (largely due to space in my apartment) and use liquid malt extracts.  If you do all-grain brewing, that's where it gets tough, largely because you need a shitload more gear to do it right.  Filtering vs. not filtering is actually a really simple thing.  What I do is transfer my beer from one fermenter to another during fermentation (racking to a secondary)....this eliminates sediment by leaving a lot behind in the first fermenter.  Then, I rig up a screen to my bottling bucket that keeps the last of the sediment (well, as much as possible) out  of my brew when it's bottled.

All of the wheat beers that you like would most likely be ales -- and really, that's what you'll want to stick to brewing unless you want to shell out some dough.

The big difference between brewing ales and lagers is that lagers need to be fermented at temps that are colder than room temp.  While an ale is happy to ferment at 65-70 degrees, lagers need to ferment at specific, colder temps.  Most people buy a fridge of some kind and then attach a temperature control device to it.  The combo creates the perfect temperature control system for brewing. 

Really, that's not too tough either.  My main issues are "WTH am I going to fit a second fridge," and "WTH can I find a nifty mini-fridge that will fit a six gallon glass carboy?" 

This site has tons of good stuff, and their people at the store are super cool -- if you have questions, just call.  For about 200 bucks, you can get all of your gear, 24 16 oz amber grolsch-style bottles and a kit with the non-shitty yeast.  That's enough gear to get you going.  Subsequent purchases vary from 30 bucks to sixty bucks depending on whether you buy more of those kickass swingtop bottles.  I have 48 now...I think I'm all set for future bottling needs.  Anything else will go into a 12 oz longneck. (A tip for buying kits:  if they come with dry yeast, get the upgrade to either the activator or the pitchable tubes of yeast.)

[Sky]

Cool, thanks for the info. I'm in a tiny apartment right now, too, but I've planned ahead. When my mother's landlord upgraded her fridge, I had him stash the old one in her basement for me. So I'm golden for a fridge when I get a house, anyway.

Dry yeast is a sad, dead thing :( Swingtop bottles rock, I use them to store stuff in the kitchen, like my dried garlic and peppercorns (for my collection of pepper mills).

[CmdrSlack]

It is apparently possible to cultivate your own yeast strains from the yeasts that you buy.

I have no idea how to do it, but I'm debating finding out.  I need single-celled minions.

[Abagadro]

You don't even need to go to the extra step of filtering if you don't want to. That dead yeast is almost pure vitamin-B and therefore helps reduce hangovers. If you are dealing with people who get pissy about sediment in their beer, get better friends.

I made one lager by doing it in winter and keeping my bedroom window open all the time. 

[CmdrSlack]

You don't even need to go to the extra step of filtering if you don't want to. That dead yeast is almost pure vitamin-B and therefore helps reduce hangovers. If you are dealing with people who get pissy about sediment in their beer, get better friends.

I made one lager by doing it in winter and keeping my bedroom window open all the time. 

I just quit smoking.  I'm guessing that combined with my wife's intolerance for cold would = a pain in my throat and in my ass.  ;)

[Abagadro]

It helped that I was single and drunk a large percentege of the time this was happening.