Beer thread

[Dr Unne]

It's a sad truth that many people's experience with beer is limited to Coors and Budweiser and similar mass-produced, weak, watery, flavorless grossness. Nothing (much) against anyone who likes that stuff, but it's not for me. Growing up in backwoods Appalachia, this is all I thought beer was for most of my life, and I stayed away from it. Beer was something cheap that frat boys and old guys drank by the case to get hammered.

Then I moved to the Pacific Northwest, home of microbreweries and imports and a glorious beer culture. It turns out there's a great big world of delicious beer out there. "I don't like beer", people tell me. I say that you haven't tried enough! There's HUGE variety to choose from. They taste so different that it almost doesn't make sense to group them under the same term "beer". Sweet, vaguely citrusy hefeweizen; bitter, burning, hoppy IPAs; chocolaty malty goodness stouts; light, subtle, yet tasty pilsners. Heck, framboise tastes like liquified berries. Some great beer is low alcohol% and some is strong enough to kill a horse. You can have golden yellow, amber, pitch black, or anything in between. Some are good cold and some are good warm. Some are foamy and thick, some are crisp and bubbly. There are so many options. Beer has personality.

Beer can be something to relax and enjoy and savor. It's exciting to find a beer you've never had before and see how it goes. It's awesome to share new beer discoveries with friends. Beer is one of my great joys.

List favorite beers! My favorite beer is Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel (http://www.weltenburger.de/en/beer-treat/weltenburg-beers/barock-dunkel/).

List least favorite beers! The worst beer I've had recently is Pothole Filler (http://www.howesound.com/Brewery/Beers/Beer_PotholeFiller.aspx). Probably I could've guessed from the name.

</beersnob>

[Rantz]

I think most people first encounter beer from the wrong angle, like you said. That's sad because it means a lot of people think they don't like beer when what they really mean is that they don't like crappy beer.

I'll occasionally drink lighter, cheaper beers - mainly in the summer, for the chill factor. The more flavourful beers definitely win in the long run, though. I like most IPAs I've tried, though a few of them simply get too bitter.

My favourite "big" beer brands that are available all over include Innis & Gunn, Hobgoblin, and Bishops Finger. Lately I've been exploring more local and national beers and been very happily surprised by the awesome ones we have. Oppigårds and Sleepy Bulldog would be my main two recommendations for a visitor here.

Doesn't look like I can get a hold of any Weltenburg Kloster here, unless I happen upon it in a bar some time. :(

[Shauna]

I don't like beer. I have tried beers from all over the spectrum, and there is a common "beer" flavour (a kind of bitterness I suppose you could describe it as? It also appears in ales and other similar drinks, I am not sure what it is) that I just cannot stand, and it's all I can taste when I do drink it.

Maybe there is one beer out there that I will be able to enjoy, much like how I can enjoy Rekorderlig and no other ciders, but I have not yet found it.

[Old Manus]

I defy anyone to drink Hobgoblin and not like it.

It's all about the Welsh valleys real ales. Brains SA, Neath Ale (Gold or Abbey, the rest are pig disgusting), Tomos Watkin, Reverend James, and if you're feeling like something strong and haven't had already had a pint beforehand, Felinfoel.

Diversify. Get a pint of mixed. If it's vile, at least you won't die wondering.


RekorderligWatch your mouth.

[Bubba]

My favourite beer is a Belgian beer called Kwak. Like most Belgian beers it is strong (8.4%) and will blow your head off if you have too much. I like having a couple and just sipping on them from it's amazingly ridiculous looking glass.

I managed to procure my own Kwak glass when I went to Brussels. It generally gathers dust though as getting a bottle of Kwak in the UK is a tricky business.

52420

[Mirage]

For 8 years, I thought I didn't like beer. Then I tried wheat beer and IPAs and now i drink like every day


there is a common "beer" flavour (a kind of bitterness I suppose you could describe it as?

Malted barley? Hops?

[Shorty]

I am not fond of beer, but I also haven't had much of it. I like Guinness, Blue Moon, Fat Tire, and Four Peaks. Those are about all I could name you. I always love seeing the summer ales come out, though, and I really want to try them! Ambers and oranges and fruity-looking beer looks so delicious.

But beer comes below liquor and wine for me. I'll drink it if there isn't anything else, but if my options are Budweiser, Corona, Miller, I'll have water or nothing.

[Slothy]

I'll drink it if there isn't anything else, but if my options are Budweiser, Corona, Miller, I'll have water or nothing.

Those options are basically just water anyway.

Picaroons is my local brewer of choice. Hard to argue with the tremendous number of options they have and they're damn well brewed. They know their stuff.

[Pumpkin]

I don't like beer very much either, and I've tried a good range of them. Just isn't my thing, I guess.

I do actually have to hold down barf when I drink Corona, though. I made a joke in grade 7 that I hated Corona even though I never tried it. Then I actually did try it when I was 16ish~ and it was so awful. I decided I would make it through a full one (I really don't remember why) and I was shaking the whole time, it was that bad.

Most beers just taste bitter to me, but oh well.

[noxious.sunshine]

Ima be redneck..... Bud Light, Budweiser, Miller Lite...

no in all seriousness, I really like Mexican beers- Tecate, Modelo, Corona Familiar (it only comes in a 32 oz bottle, but it has an almost airier taste to it than regular corona), Victoria, Modelo/Modelo Negro, etc..

I also like Heinekin, Blue Moon, Guinness Extra Stout, and im sure there are plenty more.

Beer was an acquired taste for me... I hated it when I was 16 and in highschool, but then I started off with Michelob Ultra Light and worked my way up from there...

[Shorty]

Oh, I've had Modelo Negro! That's not bad.

[Rantz]

Negra Modelo is pretty tasty. It's the only Mexican beer I've tried.

[Shauna]

there is a common "beer" flavour (a kind of bitterness I suppose you could describe it as?

Malted barley? Hops?

Potentially! I honestly don't know, I just can't get over the taste of it to try and appreciate the other flavours.


I defy anyone to drink Hobgoblin and not like it.

Tried it. Couldn't do it. :(


I have been told that beer is a pretty acquired taste and that if I just drank it, I'd grow to like it. But, I prefer my fruity cocktails and whatnot, so I tend to just stick to that.

[starlet]

:beer: Cheers Dr Unne for making this thread. WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT, I LOVE BEER! I haven't had much beer lately because money, but going to a brewery and getting a sampler to try a few new beers is usually a guaranteed good night out for me. If it's a brewery I frequently go to Ill usually get a sampler with a couple that I just have to have and a couple new ones. My favorite types of beer are stouts, porters, wheats, ales, dunkels and irish reds. Im not a fan of IPA's, they're too bitter. I'm also with shorty on if the only options are miller or bud, ill just drink water. But I don't usually go to regular bars so that's not a problem.

Also, one of my local breweries releases special beers for St. Patty's day; they're all breakfast cereal themed. Coco Puff stout, Blueberry pancake ale, applejacks ale, cinnamon toast dunkel ect....THATS THIS MONDAY I CANT WAIT! I'm going after work because I can just walk there from work :D

[magemasher]

San Miguel and Peroni when drinking lager.

Old Empire IPA if I buy from a shop or Guinness.

When I was in Canada I had an amazing beer called Kokanee gold, I would drink it every day if they sold it over here, I drank so much of that over two weeks.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

I keep seeing this thread and thinking it says "bear thread", but it wasn't until I actually clicked on it earlier today that I realized what forum it was in and what it actually said. I really wanted to quote the "Bears, beets, Battle Star Galactica" conversation from The Office, but that's no longer relevant.

I've never liked the smell of any beer I've been around, and that turns me off from drinking beer quite a bit. I have tried a sip of New Castle once, and I wasn't a fan. The acquired taste thing has never made me feel like drinking more of it, either. If it's something I don't enjoy now, I don't think it's worth drinking it until I start to like it.

[Calliope]

I've had some nice PNW beers - Bridgeport in Portland, Pike Place Market in Seattle, Kulshan or Boundary Bay in Bellingham. The occasional beer is nice, but for me they are too filling to enjoy very regularly. I prefer very light beers like wheat or wit or the odd IPA.

[Jowy]

The PNW is really the best spot in America to enjoy a frosty pint of beer. Iron Horse Brewery in Ellensburg, Washington puts out a springtime brew called Double Rainbow. Citrusy aroma and very fruit forward with a malty and hoppy aftertaste. Best beer in the known universe. Silver medal goes to Silver City Ridgetop Red. Not very hoppy and extremely smooth.

[Bubba]

I keep seeing this thread and thinking it says "bear thread"

*Goes off to make bear thread*

[sharkythesharkdogg]

I came in here to give Hobgoblin some love, but I see that's been taken care of.

There's local brewery, Highlands Brewery, that makes some really good ones. I enjoy their Oatmeal Porter, and Gaelic Ale.

As for the really big ones, I enjoy Guinness, Yuengling, Bass Pale Ale, Negro Modelo, and New Castle.

For those people wanting to try a Guinness style beer, but perhaps not quite so heavy, you should look at Xingu.

It pours dark, has a rich head, and is incredibly smooth. It has a nice sweet aroma, but even though it looks the part, has a much lighter body than most dark beers. It's refreshing.

[Moogle Chrome]

I LOVE CRAFT BEAR.

Had a nice little tasting at my place before seeing Dr. Dog last night. This Jolly Pumpkin ale was one of the highlights:

http://i.imgur.com/9QwnBoJ.jpg

I had a bottle of this last year, too. It was from a previous batch and was aged much longer than the current one I tried last night. The bottle conditioning diminished the pumpkin flavors; but the newer one I just had still contained the spice. A puckering-sour start with a balanced, sweet and spicy finish. This Michigan brewery never disappoints!

[Bubba]

Is that the actual size of the bottle as well?

I'm getting one.

[Moogle Chrome]

Imgur be blowin' bottles up.

It is a 750 ml bottle. And for ~$11, it is an amazing value. I need to go buy a few more to stash away!

[NorthernChaosGod]

This my favorite beer: Stone Imperial Russian Stout (http://www.stonebrew.com/irs/). I usually try and get a couple of bottles once its released or any time I can make it up the actual brewery.

I don't get the hate for cheap beer like Miller or Coors though, it's flavorless but still gets you drunk. I'd rather play a drinking game with that over a good beer.

[Madonna]

I love beer, I can be a snob, wits are fantastic, drinking brew from a local brewpub or friend's batch is preferable, but Nookie Brown is alright, Sam's is alright, and Kirin is great with ramen. I got to lay off the hops because my stomach is delicate, like a pretty princess, and the acid upsets her.

[Dr Unne]

More beers that I like:

Young's Double Chocolate Stout | Our Ales | Wells and Young's Brewing Company (http://www.wellsandyoungs.co.uk/home/our-beers/ales/young-s-double-chocolate-stout)

Old Rasputin - Imperial Stout (http://www.northcoastbrewing.com/beer-rasputin.htm)

Ninkasi » Brewing Company (http://www.ninkasibrewing.com/) - This is a tiny brewery near where I used to live, but they've been getting popular and I can even find it in Canada now. Their beer is reeeeeeeeeally hoppy. Almost too hoppy for me. It's good now and then.

Beer can definitely be an acquired taste. I didn't like it at first. Same for all alcohol really though.


My favourite "big" beer brands that are available all over include Innis & Gunn

Innis & Gunn is great on tap.


When I was in Canada I had an amazing beer called Kokanee gold, I would drink it every day if they sold it over here, I drank so much of that over two weeks.

That's fairly popular around here. I don't remember it being very exciting, but yay Canada.


going to a brewery and getting a sampler to try a few new beers is usually a guaranteed good night out for me.

Yeah! That's good advise. Most good bars or breweries have a sampler pack, tiny little glasses of 6 or 8 kinds of beer. It's a great way to do some exploration and see what you like. Better to split with a friend so you don't have to drink the ones you hate.

[Shorty]

The PNW is really the best spot in America to enjoy a frosty pint of beer. Iron Horse Brewery in Ellensburg, Washington puts out a springtime brew called Double Rainbow. Citrusy aroma and very fruit forward with a malty and hoppy aftertaste. Best beer in the known universe. Silver medal goes to Silver City Ridgetop Red. Not very hoppy and extremely smooth.

I was asked to order a sampler pack from Iron Horse as a gift to someone in our corporate office! I haven't tried any myself, but the Irish Death was recommended to me when I was ordering. (I will probably never drink it because I will always prefer gin over ordering beer.)

[Ultima Shadow]

My number one favourite beer of all time is Samuel Adam's "Utopias". However... that particular beer can hardly even be called a beer at all, since it's 25% and actually more similar to a really good Sherry or Cognac (but still different) than any other beer. It's also in a more similar price class to those two than other beers, so yeah. But its quality certainly is enough to live up to the price tag.


That one aside, some of my favourites are Lost Abbey+Brewdog's "Lost Dog" Imperial Porter, Weyerbacher's "Heresy", "Rigor Mortis" by the very unique Canadian brewery Dieu du Ciel and I recently discovered a new fav-contender in North Coast Brewing's "Old Stock Ale".

I usually attend the "Stockholm Beer and Whiskey Festival" which is being held in october every year close to where I live, though I have yet to go to Germany during the octoberfest - something I'd like to do at least once.


I also brew my own beer as well. Right now, I'm on my 5th beer project. My last one - a double bock - was easily the best I've made so far and I was really happy with the result. My current project is a porter, and I think I'll try out making an IPA next after that.

[Dr Unne]

Speaking of unique Canadian breweries: Unibroue | La Fin du Monde (http://www.unibroue.com/en/beers/15) I think this stuff is freaking horrible, but it's definitely unique and my spouse likes it a lot.

[Big D]

I'm all about the strong, flavoursome stouts and porters. Can't beat a hearty chocolate oatmeal stout on a winter evening.

If you ever get the chance to try anything from Renaissance Brewery in New Zealand, then I can't recommend them enough. They cater to basically all tastes, and produce a superb quality craft beer at a fair price.

[Sephex]

I'm not a big fan of beer, but a buddy of mine usually buys some seasonal stuff that I can dig for a bottle or two. I am more of a hard liquor guy, myself. Like Unne said at the start of this thread, most beer is just so terrible tasting to me. It feels like I am drinking liquid mold.

[Moogle Chrome]

That one aside, some of my favourites are Lost Abbey+Brewdog's "Lost Dog" Imperial Porter, Weyerbacher's "Heresy", "Rigor Mortis" by the very unique Canadian brewery Dieu du Ciel and I recently discovered a new fav-contender in North Coast Brewing's "Old Stock Ale".



Speaking of Lost Abbey...

http://i.imgur.com/afexBI5.jpg

[Shiny]

When I bother to drink piss water, I drink Bud Light. Before you say, "how American of you", I know. I'm also a fan of Smuttynose beers. I forget which flavor it was, but it was really good light brew.

[blackmage_nuke]

If someone offers me a free beer I'll take whatever I get. If I do buy beer it's usually go for the cheapest dark beer available (usually tooheys old), especially if Im getting a pack because then I can offer it to people and seem friendly but they wont actually take any as people in my age group tend to dislike dark beer.

[Moogle Chrome]

I watched some college basketball last night and had some standards from New Belgium Brewing. Ranger IPA, Might Arrow pale ale and Fat Tire.

I toured the brewery in Fort Collins, CO last month. Their back story is amazing and they truly revolutionized the craft beer industry in the United States.

[Ayen]

I was kind of raised with a stigma on alcohol and still to this day has never tried any alcoholic beverages. I was going to buy some when I turned 21 to celebrate my independence and for the sake of trying something new but I chickened out by the time I got to the bar. My only experience with booze is from TV, which I'm sure is grossly inaccurate, and what people have told me about it tasting either like piss or medicine. I'd ask the former how they know what piss taste like but I don't want to know.

However, I have been made aware that there is such a thing as an alcoholic chocolate shake. I would very much like to try that.

[Madame Adequate]

Let me tell you a story of beer.

When I was younger, I always heard the lines about how terrible American beer is. I also sometimes drank Bud or Coors and found it pretty okay, so I wasn't sure what was going on there, I assumed it was just Bongistani parochialism. Well, then I tried some of that stuff in America and it turned out to be absolutely hideously vile and undrinkable, and it got poured down the sink. Presumably something's different in the ingredients and/or brewing, but damn. :barf:

However, a couple years ago when I first visited Pike, I tried some stuff made by Big Sky Brewing (http://bigskybrew.com/) and Moose Drool and Trout Slayer are, without question, the best beers I've ever had. It's even better than Hobgoblin and Manus is 100% right about how great Hobgoblin is.

[Moogle Chrome]

Bud and Coors are gross, but America has re-invented the craft beer industry. I can't even believe how many new breweries have sprouted up across the country in the past two years.

I love it! Cheers! Where are a lot of you from? I've never seen so many Hobgoblin fans in one setting!

[Dr Unne]

I think I had Moose Drool once, bought on account of the name. I don't remember hating it, so I probably liked it. I'll have to try it again if I see it.


Bud and Coors are gross, but America has re-invented the craft beer industry. I can't even believe how many new breweries have sprouted up across the country in the past two years.

Yeah. My hope is that sooner or later, "American Beer" stops meaning mass-marketed stuff and starts meaning microbrews. When I go shopping for beer, there's refrigerator after refrigerator of good beer on display, and a few dusty cases of Coors hidden in the back corner.

I've seen Hobgoblin in Oregon and in Canada where I live now. Didn't thrill me when I tried it, but it came with a cool pint glass.


I was kind of raised with a stigma on alcohol and still to this day has never tried any alcoholic beverages. I was going to buy some when I turned 21 to celebrate my independence and for the sake of trying something new but I chickened out by the time I got to the bar. My only experience with booze is from TV, which I'm sure is grossly inaccurate, and what people have told me about it tasting either like piss or medicine. I'd ask the former how they know what piss taste like but I don't want to know.

I was anti-alcohol for most of my life. I didn't have a sip of alcohol until I was 25. Barring a few exceptional occasions, I don't drink to get drunk out of my mind. I drink it because it's tasty, and it has a very mild relaxing effect. Think one beer in the evening or a pint with dinner. I drink because I have a very hard time relaxing in other people's company, and it helps. Or maybe I trick myself into thinking it helps, but either way, it works. You can certainly drink until you pass out and puke on yourself, but that's not all there is to alcohol. As in most things, TV is a pretty poor representation of life.

Nothing against anyone who opts to go teetotaler. It's a valid choice.

[Mirage]

I was kind of raised with a stigma on alcohol and still to this day has never tried any alcoholic beverages. I was going to buy some when I turned 21 to celebrate my independence and for the sake of trying something new but I chickened out by the time I got to the bar. My only experience with booze is from TV, which I'm sure is grossly inaccurate, and what people have told me about it tasting either like piss or medicine. I'd ask the former how they know what piss taste like but I don't want to know.

However, I have been made aware that there is such a thing as an alcoholic chocolate shake. I would very much like to try that.

If you've never had alcohol before, I can imagine doing it for the first time in a bar would be a bit scary. Try drinking a bottle of something while watching a movie, or even playing a game one time. Get used to how alcohol affects you before you interact with tons of strangers while on it. While some (many) drink just to get drunk, there's a fair amount of people who just really enjoy the taste, and the function as a social lubricant is just a really good coincidence.

There's just a very broad range of tastes found in brewed drinks that you won't find in other beverages. Tasting a new beer is really quite exciting.

[Jiro]

As unAustralian as it is, I'm not the biggest beer fan. But Trout Slayer was pretty dang great, and I've had Sapporo a few times now and that's... alright, as far as beers go. I steer clear of the traditional Aussie beers like XXXX and VB because they are pretty bleh, and the Bud/Corrs I had in the US was probably worse. Flavourless bile if you're lucky.