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The beer appreciation thread

2M views 495 replies 143 participants last post by  Luc Camisard 
#1 ·
The derailment of the "why do you drink" thread has inspired me to start a beer appreciation thread, and it's companion thread, the wine appreciation thread.

We talk a lot about food on the boards, but beverages like wine, beer and other kinds of liquor do not get the same attention.

I wanted to create a safe place for us to discuss these beverages, so we can share our knowledge and experiences with each other.

What have you been drinking lately? Share your tasting notes, and tips.

Do you have a regional preference?

What sort of microbrews are in your area?

How about food pairings? Beer and food parings are becoming trendier. We know beer and pizza go well. What other combos have you discovered?
 
#4 ·
I haven't been drinking as much beer as I used to. My wife was diagnosed with Celiac disease (gluten intolerence), so she can't have most beers these days. We used to go to the local brew pubs every once in a while, but that's a thing of the past now. We have found two gluten free beers available locally (they're made with sorghum) that are a passable alternative.

My most recent beer drinking was at Burning Man. There's an emphasis on not bringing bottles to reduce the possibility of leaving broken glass on the playa, so all the beer I took for me was in cans. I got four types and was only really satisfied with one of them, that was the Boddington's Pub Ale. I also had a Double Chocolate Stout that was reasonable, but not completely satisfying. I was hoping to take Colonial Pub Pints Brown Ale, but the stores ran out before I could get any for the playa.

Generally I like amber ales for general drinking and some stouts and porters when I want a more substantial beverage. I also like wheat beers sometimes, but I have to be in the mood for them.

My most recent purchase was Kennybunkport Pumpkin Ale which I have to give a thumbs down to. I've only had one fantastic pumpkin ale and that was in a brew pub in Washington DC. It had huge pumpkin flavor and some pumpkin pie spices so it tasted amazing.

I hope to learn to brew my own beer between now and next August so I can take some home brew to Burning Man with me.

I tend to like beer with pizza, mexican food and occasionally I like it with Japanese food if I don't feel like sake.
 
#5 ·
Ooh, the Double Chocolate stout sounds amazing. I've had chocolate stout before and enjoyed it, although the others in my party thought it was nasty.

I have to say, the best beer I've had all summer was a Brahma. The beer itself wasn't that great, but it was the fact that I was sitting on a rooftop patio in Banff during the most amazing summer weather. I had a view of sky, mountains and a beautiful mountain town.

It was the most refreshing drink of 2007.
 
#6 ·
I don't really know much about beer. I just stick to Miller Light because it is safe. Some German beers are too strong for me.

The fun time in my life when I was under age was touring the Coors plant in Colorado. Good times. My good friends are from there and we have Coors verses Miller. lol.. That old saying of the rocky mountian water. Yeah, weak and true. I will stick to vegan Miller. Love them.
 
#7 ·
I tend to stick to the beers that don't come in cans


Blue Moon is, so far, my favorite easily available beer- I enjoy the wheat beers.... I do enjoy a good stout at a brewery every so often, and hefeweizen. Oh, and Irish Reds.
And every once in awhile I will grab a cherry lambic.
 
#8 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by asp3 View Post

I haven't been drinking as much beer as I used to. My wife was diagnosed with Celiac disease (gluten intolerence), so she can't have most beers these days. We used to go to the local brew pubs every once in a while, but that's a thing of the past now. We have found two gluten free beers available locally (they're made with sorghum) that are a passable alternative.
Yeah, seems there are a handful of those around now!

Young's double chocolate stout is pretty tasty.

I recommend Rogue's Chocolate Stout if you can get it in your area. They also make a Hazelnut Brown which is OUT of this world. It's amazing!! If you mix those two together, you get what they call a Snickers.
And it's really good.

Mixing chocolate stout with raspberry lambic is also quite tasty. It's like dessert.
 
#9 ·
I like to buy local (Vermont, NorEast) regularly. I like craft brews and lately beers featuring big hop flavors are of interest to me. My next homebrew will be a double IPA. My last homebrew was a Belgium Farmhouse Saison.

I will be encouraging the brewshop I support to stock organic extracts and ingredients.
 
#13 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rani View Post

I'm a fan of brown ales, stouts and wheat beers. My favorite local brewery is Dogfish Head which has an awesome Chicory Stout. When that's not in season I go for their Raison D'Etre. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
I miss Dogfish Head; I wish we could get it out here (KC). I didn't like the Chicory Stout (tho it made GREAT bread!!) but their Raison d'Etre was my favorite of theirs. We would take it to parties to turn people onto craft beer and it was a hit every time. Their Raison d'Extra is a wonderful treat.

sigh. I also miss Stone Brewing's beers. However, since moving out here, I've discovered Breckenridge, finally tried Flying Dog's stuff (their pale ale & IPA are great!!) and have tried more beers from Avery which have all been phenomenal.

Colorado has some fantastic craft breweries.
 
#14 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by ottabox View Post

Craigslist is a good place to look for used homebrew equipment.

For your trip to Burning Man you can rack your beer in sanitized plastic soda bottles.
Thank you for the suggestions. One of the guys in my wife's fire spinning groups home brews, so I'm pretty sure I can get some tips from him as well.
 
#15 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by OregonAmy View Post

I recommend Rogue's Chocolate Stout if you can get it in your area. They also make a Hazelnut Brown which is OUT of this world. It's amazing!! If you mix those two together, you get what they call a Snickers.
And it's really good.
Wow, the Hazelnut Brown sounds wonderful. I'll take a look for it the next time I'm in BevMo.
 
#16 ·
I prefer Lager to Ale, some of my favorites are: Big Rock India Pale Ale, brewed in Western Canada; Alexander Keith's IPA Brewed in Eastern Canada; and Kokanee Gold.

Before I moved out East I had the opportunity to try Brewster's Blackfoot Blueberry Wheat Ale, very tasty. Identifiable but not overpowering blueberry taste, sweet and mild, almost like a lager.

I enjoy beer with Indian food, curries and the like, Cheetah, Taj Mahal and Kingfisher in particular. With Thai food, Singha is very good, heck, I'd drink it by itself.

My new favorite is Rickard's White Ale. Brewed by Molson's, apparently it resembles Hoegaarden and is like a witbier. Seved with an orange slice it tastes pretty good on a hot day. I suppose I'll have to try a Hoegaarden just to see.
 
#17 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by FafaFrappy View Post

I tend to stick to the beers that don't come in cans


Blue Moon is, so far, my favorite easily available beer- I enjoy the wheat beers.... I do enjoy a good stout at a brewery every so often, and hefeweizen. Oh, and Irish Reds.
And every once in awhile I will grab a cherry lambic.
Darlin, Boddington's & Young's chocolate stout (and ESB
) are actually really good, despite coming in cans. Blue Moon is alright but probably the worst wit you can get at the store - and it's made by Coors which makes me shy away all together
Try Mothership Wit or Avery's White Rascal and do a little comparison. You might prefer Blue Moon, but it's worth at least trying other beers that are a bit more true to the wit style (other than Hoegaarden, which is a poor example unless you get their Grand Cru - which they don't distribute to the US unfortunately).
 
#21 ·
I live in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It was odd moving here from the UK because you expect to see some familiar brands, but its extremely rare. I read somewhere that up to about 1960 or something two thirds of the worlds breweries were in Bavaria. Every village had its own brewery, and the Bavarians take great pride in their beer, holding festivals (today is actually the first day of the Oktoberfest). These days the number of breweries have declined, but the choice is still huge, actually it was daunting when I first arrived. Because of the German purity law the number of ingredients is small and limited to natural things (water, malt and hops), so there's none of that nasty chemical induced side affects. The main beers here are Helles (or light beer), or Wießbier, both are available as dark (dunkles) variations. My favourite (and Munich's most popular) is Augustiner Helles. If you travel too far out of Munich, you'll get a funny look if you order a Helles. When I've been in Berlin, and looked around the supermarkets/beer shops its like a different world, there are only two I remember seeing, Löwenbräu and Erdinger, both of which are not that popular here.
 
#22 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon View Post

These days the number of breweries have declined, but the choice is still huge, actually it was daunting when I first arrived. Because of the German purity law the number of ingredients is small and limited to natural things (water, malt and hops), so there's none of that nasty chemical induced side affects.
It also limits the styles that breweries can do, since they're unable to add things like coriander or juniper or fruit (during the brewing process). It's unfortunate, because a lot of the german beers are pretty similar as a result - variations relying largely on ingredients & local water from what i remember.

It's unfortunate the local breweries are dwindling, though. Every town seemed to have their own and it was always nice when going to another town to stop in their brewery & try their beer.
 
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