Well.......???

Cold

Yours

Free

Coors Light in a can.

That would have to be free.....

and cold.

REALLY! I thought we were talkin' beer here.

and yours

There is no single best beer, there are too many different styles and flavor profiles. And typical mass market American stuff doesn't qualify as beer, let alone get in the running for best.

Do beer companies sponsor "writers seminars" too...

Spaten Oktoberfest!

And away we go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just makin a case for Spaten

Even without the beautiful women in the photos they would still be showing beer that exposes mass market American "beer" for the slop it is.

mathman has no love for Natty Light

Old Milwalkee, PBR, Miller, Schlitz, or even Naragansett..(They even brought back Reingold for a bit).........
all in an old tin cooler full of ice on the back of a hay wagon after putting up over 10 wagons by hand on a hot Aug. day in 1979.

Like the 308..... is there a bad one?

The memories of my youth keep leading me back.

But that Spaten stuff looks kinda interesting...................

Had a Schlitz just last weekend. It's the beer that made Milwaukee famous...

Nothing wrong with Bud either

Bud Light anyone?

You guys are fabulous! This is just the response I wanted....500 pages?

Women or no women, skip the crap beer.

I don't know why people have to be beer snobs. I drink American mass-produced, I drink the micros, I drink whatever you put in front of me. I don't discriminate. Me and five buddies drank a keg of Bud Light and 60 cans of Natty Light over the weekend and I still had a Guinness with my dinner. Who cares, its beer!

I agree to a point Dan but once you get to the Old Mil the next step is admitting you have a problem

Marc where the hell do you guys get these pictures????

Campfire Classic!

Where's Adair?

This is when you have a problem....

Bob try a turret and google a Babe. It's easy

Oohh....my....Gawd!

I've been scarred! I will never look at Coors Light in the same light

Marc,showed the thread to my daughter who LHAO.......my wife was unamused....said we all have too much time on our hands...

Hopped up homebrewed IPA

Hop head

In case jayco shows up I am not a beer writer but have consumed enough to qualify myself

Bob my wife is unamused by it all but I'm not here to entertain her..... just me

That's to be expected when a large quantity of Coors Light is involved.

That's a large quantity of WTF

That's Steelhead hot...

Ingwe's Saratoga outfit

A&W Root in a frosty mug - a chili dog (old-style before they ruined them with the all-beefs) and a side of fries wouldn't hurt either.

Is it true you can tell it's ready when the mountains turn blue?

5s...I'm feeling hungry....

Bob, i kinda had you pictured as a Coors Light guy. By the way , I think she could take Ya!!!

Even if they were delivering in person, I wouldn't drink light beer.

I have to drink light beer. Michelob Ultra and Sam Adams Light are what I keep. If offered Coors, I opt for iced tea.

Anything so long as it's from a Keg.

Think I'll go with Steelhead on this one

me too

The best beer is the one that's in my hand when I'm thirsty.

+ 1 to that.

Deus (it's Belgian). This is the greatest beer I've ever tasted, hands-down. It's also the most expensive beer I've ever tasted.

Won't waste others time on the geeky details regarding its production but, to me, this is the best beer ever brewed.

I'm pretty hip on these of late.

Wow, that would definitely be my favorite at that particular moment....

And, thats my other favorite.

Gennesee Cream Ale. beenn drinkin it for years, haven't found any better.

Warm High Life.

Ah,getting ready for a trip to the auld sod, are ye?

shiner black lager, leinies creamy dark. wasatch brewery's polygamy porter, great lakes brewing companies edmund fitzgerald porter and eliot ness amber lager. all are excellent.

Funny, I never drank Guinness but once a LONG time ago. A couple of trips ago to Philly and I got hooked on the damn Black & Tans.

Love IPA's. This, IMO, is the best.

Lots of chicks have enjoyed Steelhead's pale ale..........

Anybody mention this one yet???

Harvest Moon Beltian White Ale...


And yeah..I spelled "Beltian" right....



Ingwe

Carlsberg Royale Lager or Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat.

This beer is crystal clear. . .

Dooooood.......



Ingwe

Mac and Jacks African Amber

I own that very stein. Drained it in 1987. Unfortunately there is nothing else in that picture that is mine....

1983 Sigma Pi University of KY in front of Memorial Coliseum 2nd Place Best Fraternity Picture. I'm the big "taste Bud" in the center.

Such a different world then. We had a bottle beer machine in the frat house. Michelob was 50cents a bottle. Gone the way of the dinosaur. Can't even be 21 and drink in a frat house anymore. . .

Expat

LOL, I have exactly the same stein too, but never noticed it in the picture the first time!

WN

+1

with Bayern Pilsner a close second


ddj

I hear you. It took me about 20 min of gazing at the pic to finally notice the Spaten emblem.

Expat

Beer?

Did someone say beer?

Is the pooch passed out?

Yeah, beer makes him sleepy, more of a whiskey dog...(grin)

Alpine Beer Company, in Alpine, Kalifornia, makes some spectacular beers... Alpine Ale, Willy wheat beer, and Mandarin Nectar. Yeah, it sounds like chick beer, but it's really good.

338: Not a chance......she could take me but she could never catch me in the first place!

On the beer, you got me figured all wrong....I don't go near light beer on a bet...even if it's free...it all tastes like panther piss to me,no matter who makes it.

They used to make a local beer call ed Blitz Weinhard. It was the best beer I have ever tasted. I guess these days Corona is my favorite.

John Smith's Extra Smooth is my favorite, but have yet to find it state side. Hard to be a fresh Guiness.

My favorite with food beer, most especially halibut. But alas I can't get it here.

I've had a lot of beer in Belgiun cafes and bars. I think the Belgians have raised the art of beer to the highest level!

Been drinking this:



and this:



No really....

Don't lead the uninitiated to the hop resin slaughter with Ruination. Even the regular Stone Pale would be a bit much for a novice with 45 IBU, the standard Sierra Nevada Pale having 37 as a reference.

If I come across some of the newly produced "original recipe" Schlitz I'll give it a fair try, but I've had the finest pale golden lagers in and/or very near the places they were made so the Schlitz has a big hill to climb if it's going to impress.

Taste is subjective. I've had plumb and grass brandy made in some dude's woodshed - it was danged good. I've had so called "fine scotch" and it wasn't fit to clean old motorcycle parts.

Living in WI - I get to drink a lot of beer that is only an hour to literally 45 seconds away from where it was made - fresh anything is always good.

Make mine a Miller Lite!
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6857860323414691675#

Since I have been out in the ME Tiger has become my beer of choice. Just ordered a twelve pack minutes ago.

I've had "bottled that morning" fresh "American style" beer from one of the big brewers. It was fine and really did exhibit the qualities that fresh beer can show, but it was still a long way off from hanging with an Augustiner as served here.

As others have written it is impossable to pick a best beer, especially with so many different styles to choose from. But, since this is primarially a hunting sight I will pick the one I enjoy most after a succesful hunt back in camp. Goose Islands, Bourban County Brand Stout. It is a wonderful way to celebrate a fine hunt!

i'm not an everyday beer drinker, but when i pick some up from the store it's usually the XX amber...

on another note, i obtained a life sized St. Patties day edition, self standing, cardboard cutout of one of the "Bud Girls" a few years back... i was working on construction of a new powerhouse at the time, and smuggled her into my blueprint/crew shack....
she stopped many a guy in their tracks when they pushed open the plywood door...

the site superintendant picked his jaw off the floor the first time that he came through and proclaimed that she looked just like his next ex wife!!!

Alaska Amber fresh from the keg, and Alaska Smoked Porter washing down smoked salmon done with same alder wood used to smoke the malt for the beer get my vote as the best American beer.

Have you had Alaskan Pale and/or IPA? If I ever see them I'm trying them for sure.

I have. Pretty good stuff. The IPA, IMO, is not terribly hoppy, though.

Well Bob..When in Rome....

Coors Light by far but when change is short....

With my BFR/45-70 at 30 paces.550 grains of pleasure.



Jayco

I like Miller,Mich Dark, Black Butte Porter.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/147/92/
http://www.ducatimonster.org/gallery/data/1828/polygamy-porter.jpg

I try to spend my money on local beer-
Working on the last of a keg of Pigs ass Porter out of Belt Montana, they make a wonderful Beltian White also(previously mentioned)- http://www.harvestmoonbrew.com/?p=tasting_room
We finished a keg(pony) of Carters Rye last weekend brewed in Billings.
But my current favorite is Bent Nail out of Redlodge. http://redlodgeales.com/ Not super hoppie and I must embarrassingly admit my girlfriend prefers the more bitters.

In a pinch I will settle for an Alaskan Amber or Fat Tire but give me a hand crafted local beer any day. Leave the vitim R, old mud and rice beer to the college kids.

Plus at least with a local brewery your buying something made in America.

FAT TIRE for me. I drive to the next state to get it.

Leinenkugel from Chippewa Falls!

End of conversation!

New Castle or Scottish Brown Ale

Amen brother, amen

No! Schell's, the pride of New Ulm!

OK,
if you aren't going to go for the schlitz then how about Rainier

Rainier Poster .... Perfect 6

I will also say that today was the work party to restore the flood damaged bridge on the 300 yd range I love,,,,, and if you had said at 6 am when I started I would ever think about a bud light wellllllll,
but by 11:00 when a cold 30 rack showed up those went down like water with todays heat and humidity.

The bridge was straight till that happened.


But the range is open again.

This is outstanding as is Arrogant Bastard.

Drank a lot of Tiger while vacationing in Viet Nam. Drank a lot of Tsing Ha in Thailand. There is surprisingly a lot of really good beers brewwed in Japan. Asahi, Kirin, Sapporo and my favorite, Yebisu.

Expat

Jayco: Hot October, Colorado; I killed a big buck.Loaded him on the horse and I swallowed dust coming off the mountain.Got to the tent camp with the windmill and the trough loaded with dead bees and other creatures....I reached deep through the slimy water and ripped the tops off two Cours;both gone in a minute.........best beer I ever had!

I bought my first bottle of Arrogant Bastard a few years ago just 'cause the bottle cracked me up. The contents turned out to be pretty damn good though.

My pics:

Spaten Optimator

Deschutes Brewery Obsidian Stout and Jubelale

Damn near anything from Rogue Brewery

Alaskan Amber

I've also enjoyed a lot of stouts from distant lands and smaller breweries, but I can't remember their names.

When I had Alaskan beer it was in the early days of the brewery and the Amber was the only regular product; the Smoke Porter was in the developement stage. Geoff Larson brought kegs to enter in the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. I had the honor of helping Geoff celebrate his first win of "Best Beer in America." I'll bet the IPA (my favorite style) is well worth trying.

I've only had the Amber, and it's probably my favorite lighter beer. I REALLY like the sounds of the Smoke Porter though. I'm going to hunt that one down.

There's never an excuse to drink Keystone Light. Somewhere nearby there is going to be a garden hose, a wet ditch, a swamp, just about anything else.

Peter Straub's Dark or Kirin Ichi Ban. (SP)

There's one---------chronic alcoholism on a welfare budget.

In my off months logging sometimes I worked for Coors distributing.First driving a Keg truck then I moved up to a semi and the smaller towns...Keystone is a huge seller,especially Keystone light..A small bar on the Salmon river sells a case of Keystone Light for $10 out the door.

It is made by Coors and beets the old Billy Beer by leaps and bounds.

Jayco

Fished the river and drank the beer. Contrary to his writings and general belief Hemmingway did most of his fishing on the Fox River nearby the Big Two Hearted. Good beer though.

Here's one for you beer drinkers of the 70's. My dad was a big fan of Andeker of America. I remember him drinking it back in the day but Pabst phased it out before I was big enough to steal it from the old man. Never tasted it but would definitely buy a sixer or two if they made a run of it again.

Stoneybroke, have you ever gone on a tour of Straub and had them hand you a beer right off the line before it was pasteurized. Now that's fresh beer.

On a side note,I would recomend that anyone who really loves beer to get the "Beer Lover's Rating Guide" by Bob Kein. I don't agree with all of his scores, but I have found I agree with most. He scores beer with a point scale, from 0.0 to 5.0. Such as Budweiser scores a 1.1, while Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout scores a 4.0 in his guide. At the very least, reading about all the beer (he rated 1,500 in the second edition) sure makes you want to go out and try new some new ones.

adam

An excellent book is The Brewmaster's Table by Garrett Oliver. The author discusses matching beer with food, but even without the food angle it is a very good read if you want to learn a lot about real beer.

Honestly never thought I'd try an $8 beer, but after having one of these, I bought all I could find. Perfect beer.

http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/harvest_estate.html

Mathman, I believe my brother has that book (he has just recently started to explore beer in his 40's) and I flipped through it back in April. Interesting enough that I will sit down some day any give it my full attention.

In the "Beer Lovers Rating Guide" I would say he suggests a food with about 40% of those he rates.

Adam

"Stoneybroke, have you ever gone on a tour of Straub and had them hand you a beer right off the line before it was pasteurized. Now that's fresh beer."

You betcha. Everytime we get guests from out of the area, I "volunteer" to take them on a brewery tour, sample one off of the line and visit the eternal tap.

Czechvar
Paulaner
Sierra Nevada Summerfest
Sam Adams Boston Ale
Liberty Ale
Smithwicks
Weihenstephan

So many really great beers out there.

Sierra Nevada Torpedo for hop overdose.

I drink the Torpedo all the time. It's strongly hoppy beer but the upper hop level offerings from Stone are well beyond the Torpedo.

Genessee Ale

About 30 years ago I thought I knew the best beer in the world. But then I drank a few other beers, and found that I was mistaken. And then brewers started making even more beers, and I started traveling to more places and trying local beers, both in North America and elsewhere, and I found that the search is never-ending....and quite pleasant.

Agree with you on that. I believe it was the 11th anniversary Vertical Epic that ruined me...

Stone Oaked Double Bastard will also set you free!

Anyone ever tried Anchor Steam ale?

Steam isn't an ale, it's a lager (because of the type of yeast used) fermented at ale temperature in a shallow vessel.

Anchor Steam is quality though it's sister beer, Liberty Ale is better IMO.

Liberty Ale is a classic.

Yeah, it's quite the predicament isn't it?

Living in a semi-isolated area, I've learned accept my favorites list from what I can actually buy locally. If I lived where I had a truly huge selection to explore, I'd be both over-joyed and over-weight. I've sampled lots of beers when visiting larger cities, but like a sailor visiting a port city, I had a great time, but can't remember any names.

I figure if a beer was made before the Civil War, and is still being made today close to its original form as distance allows, it must at least be fair to middlin'.

Schlitz

Know why women don't like drinking beer on the beach?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
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....because they get sand in their schlitz...

Optimator

Made by Spaten out of Munich Germany. Nothing else comes close!

Actually the best is a one-two punch of an Optimator followed by a Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout. Gotta be in that order, too. Damn, it's good.

Schlitz it is. . .

+1 for Optimator! It's not on the shelves around here, but I can order it through the local suds distributor. I'll have to look into Sam Smith's.

I'd tend to agree, but it still hasn't worked it's way out west yet.

Really? Have you tried these double bocks from M�nchen or nearby Aying and Andechs?

Paulaner Salvator
Hacker-Pschorr Animator
L�wenbr�u Triumphator
Schneider Aventinus
Ayinger Celebrator
Kloster Andechs Doppelbock Dunkel

Tooheys New. Won the International Category for Lager beers 2 years in a row. (You may know that local US beers do not enter Intenrational cartegories, no chance of winning)

The impossible to get internationally, and undisputed champ, meaning that I never ever met a single person that was not highly impressed with it, is called Carlton's Crown Lager.

It was $50 a case in Aussie 10 yars ago, Probably need a hire purchase contract to buy it these days. But.... its worthi it.

JW

I will say up front I haven't put either of those to the test, but I did a little research and it wouldn't surprise me if both of those got laughed out of a beer garden in Bavaria.

In serious beer circles being a winner in "International Lager" is sort of like being the spelling champ among short bus riders.

Most of the XXXXators are fairly similar. The Spaten Optimator is probably the most available here in the states and thus will probably be the one most people have been exposed to. It is a pretty smooth example. The Paulaner Salvator is very good as is the Ayinger Celebrator. The Park Brau Pirminator will grow hair on your chest if you didn't previously have it.

I believe it would be a shorter list if we changed it to "Worst Beer?". There are entirely to many good ones out there and Im not too choosy. Though for a mass produced American beer Im getting fond of Landshark Lager. Call me a Cretan but the one in the coolers usually Bud original or Light though.

Oh I know, having consumed them on site in Munich and other nearby spots in Bavaria. I was interested in how the other poster came to the conclusion that nothing else was close. In fact I find the Schneider and Andechs versions to be really outstanding.

What I make

I understand, but people only know what they have tried. It's like the post claiming Spaten Octoberfest (Marzen) is the best. I don't personally think it's even the best Spaten (Pils or Premium or Optimator are better IMO) let alone the best out of Munich.

The hotel I stayed in when visiting Munich was owned by the Ayinger brewery. The little downstairs bar didn't have the full selection of Ayinger beers, but what was on tap was always fresh. To make sure they were keeping up standards I did two or three quality checks each day.

Real Belgian beers. They are expensive, but really good!

That's far too broad, unless you really do mean all of them.

Bingo! IMHO, we got a winner!

But that's just my personal view....

Then you need to try them and pass your "informed" opinion along? Damn sure I would condemn the beers mentioned here, unless I had tried them.

JW

Aussie you mean you dont drink Fosters? According to the TV thats all you guys drink.

I met one (just a single) Aussie in my whole life that drank it. It is onsidered cats pizzz. 2 points to note, what is sold here is reformuated and does not taste like the Aussie swill.

The "Imported" labels are old stock imported from Canada. The new stuff floating around tastes a little more bitter and more like the original but is made in GA and TX, hence the dropping of the imported labelling.

JW

Anchor Steam and Red Hook are favorites as is Pearl in bottle.....

I'm kind of partial to Ninkasi and Hop valley. I'm a big IPA guy.

Im glad, from most of everything else Ive read/ heard Id get along well with Aussies except that Fosters its definitely horse pizz in a can. One of the few brews that I dont enjoy.

The best I have ever tasted was Amstel--not the light, but the regular.

I have only seen it one time, in one store.

Of the American beer, Bud Ice is my favorite.

I knew I would get an empiricist answer to my post.

My statement was not a finding of fact, as my disclaimer indicated. It was a prediction, and a prediction I'll stand by.

If I do find the beers in question I will try them, and if I am wrong I will say so.

I've only had 4 Aussie beers. XXXX and James Boag were pretty good as I recall. Coopers....I wasn't impressed, but there is always the possibility it was just bad from it's long trip/shelf.

Fosters is obviously their Budweiser and I had the misfortune recently of trying Fosters Premium Ale. It was just not good and to top it off they add caramel color to get the color. Sacrilege.

One of my favorites!

I agree with you on Hopslam too. For nearly over the top hops, Hopslam is a good choice.

I'm still getting frowns on shipping liquids.....anyone have an idea without breaking the damn bank or breaking some laws?

That may infringe on a Coors Light patent.

Coors Light and any Keystone have to be about the moldiest tasting stuff ever. Of course Hindlicken always smells like a skunk whenever someone dares open one.

Best to have beer IN at least the country of origin....

IS my favorite!

- Tom

Fresh Heineken isn't too nasty. The problem is getting one that isn't light struck.

I don't spend any time looking for it since it isn't competitive flavor wise at its price point, and I generally don't care for beers that come in at the price point where Heineken would be flavor competitive.

passing ,even on a cold & free can of coors lite ...would make u a better/bigger man in my book...but free & cold beer is hard to pass.

i think them horse's are busy in mex filling those corna bottles

I have passed right by ice cold Coors Light and filled my Solo cup from the garden hose.

In Mexico they use donkeys.

Dont remind me, I got hammered one night and saw that show.... oh wait....

I also like nearly everything Leinenkugels. The exception being Sunset Wheat. Good Gawd, that stuff ain't right!

I have found myself wishing that Leinies would make an IPA and that they would make their light beer more available.

You can ship beer. At least companies do, I got a 12 pack of international beers for Christmas from my SIL. The company was in California.

Our dorm coke machine had Heineken cans when I was stationed in Germany. 45 cents as opposed to 35 cents for Coke, Sprite etc. God bless AAFES. Was great in a pinch when you ran out of real beer...nothing like a beer machine 40 feet from your room.

Like Yuengling's which has a following on these boards, Leinenkugel uses adjuncts in some of their brews. You can't safely assume that a non-major brand is real beer.

anything that Dan Carey makes (New Glarus)

Porch Swing (Saison) from New Belgium (Ft. Collins)

Alaska Summer (Kolsch)

most offerings from Midnight Sun Brewing Co (Anchorage, AK)

Hoegaarden

Point Bock (from the old days) and Shiner Bock

and a G. Heileman's Old Style in the bleachers at Wrigley (better when it was made in La Crosse, WI)

I haven't yet found a micro that nailed Kolsch, I'll have to try Alaska's if I see it.

Here's my reference standard:

Sierra Nevada brewed a Kolsch last summer that was outstanding. Need to take my growler down there and see if they have another batch for this year.

Toohey's New is an outstanding beer. I also really like VB, XXXX Castlemain and Coopers. Have drank some Carleton offerings that I really liked. Would love to try Crown Lager you mentioned.

Heineken and Amstel are two of the world's greatest beirs. Not the junk they sell here or even in Aruba ,which is run by the Dutch. You gotta go to europe or south africa to get the real thing. dern if it ain't worth the trip. Oh yeah, Tuborg, again brewed in europe-not the crap here- is also great.

O

Phuggin Dutch beer?

I had a Fruh Kolsch pic in my post, but it has gone missing.

Edit: It's back.

Love Yuengling as an everyday beer. +1 on on Leinie. Its true of Sam Adams, too, though--some is so much better than others. Go to the Sam Adams brewery in Phillie, and I'll guarantee, they will make a covert of any beer lover.

For when you're really thirsty for a pint....and then some:

I just got back from the beer store. I even got a Grolsch ball cap. Here's what you do with the empties.

The one you have.

The best American beer I've had is Boulevard Wheat

For a store bought beer, I kinda like Ziegenbock.

In Germany, the choices of great beer are staggering , but I'm partial to Weisens and Crystal Weisens.

John

Enjoying a Sam Adams out here in the humidity while grilling BBQ chicken. Pretty tasty for an American beer...

Right now it's Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Crisp hoppy flavor without being overbearing, just right to cool off from an afternoon at the range where it's been 95 degrees and humid all afternoon.

That's a good one for a standard beer selection at a restaurant...

Instead of taps for all the major brand $hit beers, er I mean light beers, I'd be happy in a restaurant with Sierra Nevada Pale, Pilsner Urquell, Newcastle Brown and Guinness Stout. You know, the basics.

The most awful tasting stuff I have ever tried was called Porter, by Anchor Steam.

I sipped a bit from the first bottle, hoping it would taste better. It didn't, and I ended up pouring the remainder of the bottle, along with the 5 others in the six pack down the drain.

Another in the running for yucky is Moosehead.

It's Anchor Brewing. Steam is the name of one of their beers.

So what porter do you prefer?

BTW, beer is best consumed from an appropriate glass.

Best ever tasted: Hackerbrau from Munich. Not made anymore since Hackerbrau merged with Pschorr AFAIK. Creamy goodness.

Orval from Belgium. Very complex flavors, like a fine wine. Yum!

Corsendonk Blond - AFAIK only available in Belgium, but if you ever get a chance, try it. Delicious!

http://corsendonk.apluz.be/

Guinness Red - only available on tap in the UK. All the creamy smoothness and wonderful carbonation of Guinness without the excessive (to my palate) burnt flavor of regular Guinness.

A large part of the creamy texture and carbonation comes from the type of tap and the gas blend used to push the beer.

Have you ever tried a familiar beer served through a Guinness type tap pushed by N2/CO2 ? It definitely changes the character of the beer. For example, a sharply hoppy American style pale ale will be considerably softer on the palate.

Have tried these from your list:

Paulaner Salvator
Ayinger Celebrator


Still like Optimator better!

Would gladly try the others if I could find them, though.

!!!!!!!!!

No problem there, it's great beer. I was just razzing you a bit about the "nothing else comes close" part.

I had a good time comparing them all on site in Bavaria.

Sierra Nevada

Which one?

The list of great beers is too long to list or even sample, but I'll do my best to try (at least the sample part)!

Summerfest is hittin the spot right now. Tried a beer at their brewery Friday night that was nitrogen charged. They call it Knightro. Pretty darn good, but I went back to Brown Ale for the rest of the meal.

Well, Tuborg is Swede or Danish(forget which) but ,yeah they are that good.

O

My vote is Ruination from Stone Brewery and Misery Bay from Erie brewing company. I like them hoppy!

I'm partial to these two:

My brother in law brought me a couple cases of Alaskan Amber from a trip to Montana. Hope they last awhile


ddj

None of them have this:



Schlitz for the win!

Cool B-24. I understand Schlitz has brought back their original formula but I've not had a chance to try it.

There are more good breweries in America than at any time in it's history (both Micro and Macro) My votes...

Macro - Redhook Porter and ESB, Harpoon IPA, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Medium - Wild Goose Pale Ale and Oatmeal Stout - http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/69

Micro - Ram's Head Copperhead, usually at their Savage Mill location after a little trout fishing on the Middle Fork of the Patuxent (my pan tomorrow) http://fordhambrewing.com/our-brews/

Sam Adams?....anyone? anyone?

Their Seasonal this year, a Noble Pils was damn good. Their normal fair is respectable and predictable but not notable.

I do like Sam Adams but prefer a little more hop, have to go with Ruination or Misery Bay!!!

wiktor I don't know them.....mind sendin' some up here?

Hi Bob,
I haven't bought a case of Ruination in a long time because it costs about $60 a case!I'll probably get a case of Misery Bay in a couple of weeks, PM me your address and I'll send you a couple of bottles when I get it.
Pete

Watch out Bob, Wiktor is making the understatement of the year saying Ruination has "a little more hop" than Sam Adams.

Imagine this conversation: "I like the 308 in a 30 cal hunting rifle."

"I like a little more pop in a 30, a favorite of mine is a 30-378."

"I don't know that one, can you send me one to try?"

Even if you generally prefer hoppy beer (I do, Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA is a household beer for me) Ruination can blast your palate if you aren't ready. Stone beers are generally quite hoppy and their Ruination is badass hoppy.

I don't know the Misery Bay beer however.

Could some one explain the difference between Pilsner and Lager?

Does it have anything to do with how it is made, or is it only where it is made and/or the color?

Beer is divided into two main categories, ales and lagers. What separates them is the type of yeast used during the fermentation process.

Ale yeast works at a warmer temperature than lager yeast, and the growing mass of yeast floats at the top of the fermentation vessel.

Lager yeast works at a cooler temp, and it has a bottom fermenting action.

Pilsner is a style of lager originating from the Czech Republic. There is a lot of "Pilsner" brewed elsewhere, some an accurate representation and some not.

That is as close to a description I have read, but could you go into 'a style of lager' in more detail?

Pilsner Urquell is one of the better beers, in my opinion.

For a US beer, I always buy Yuengling Lager or their Black and Tan. Brewed in PA near where I grew up and hasn't been swallowed up by the big guys...hope it never does. If I'm traveling, I always try something local if I can.

Outside the US, there are just too many goods ones to try to list them. The only place that ALL the beer sucked was Egypt...even Burkina Faso has better beer.

RH

Since you're drinking Pilsner Urquell you've experienced the archetype. The color, head, flavor and body/mouthfeel set the standard for the style.

When the temps are pushing 85-90, nothin' much beats a cold Sam Adams Summer Ale while you nurse grilled corn and steak tips on the grill......sometimes life really sucks.....

You can have all of that stuff. I don't want lemon zest, grains of paradise or any of that other stuff in my beer.

For hot weather an unadulterated Bavarian wheat beer is the ticket.

That's good,too!So long as it's cold...I am not fussy!

But the Sam Adams is pretty tasty......I like Paradise....

As a kid on the ranch it was a 6 hour ride to Boquillas Mexico and the only cantina for 500 miles..I developed a taste for Tecate with lime and salt..And its available these days in Twin Falls, Id.

Spending a lot of time in Tanzania I opted for that wonder Tusker beer.

In So. Africa I really like that stuff in the yellow and red can.:)

Tecate isnt bad either. The list of beers to try is getting longer and longer, Im gonna need to get on the liver donor organ list now.

Magic Hat #9, Anchor Steam, Sierra Nevada (anything by them).

A couple of friends and I have tried that one and we find it to taste weird. We can't figure out what the flavor is. Around here we call it Asshat #9.

Asshat? That bad? Really?

I've tried a lot of beer, and it's definitely a funky one.

BTW, the friends I mentioned are serious beer enthusiasts.

Damn Ray, 500 miles? I thought you grew up in Big Bend country? El Paso and Odessa are within 250 miles of Presidio which is pretty far south and Del Rio is only 290 miles from there.

Maybe you grew up on the moon which is 238,857 miles from earth and that would make sense to me considering most of your stories are "out of this world".

Hell we are all still anxiously awaiting pics of those giant mule deer. I'd bet you were drinking a few of those tecates with lime when you came up with those scores. I know you called me a troll and took your ball and went home so to speak a month or so ago when you had people asking questions about your outlandish claims. Since your back post em up

Drum

Erdinger Dunkel Weizen

Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier

Those are a couple of my favorites. Just about any hefe-weizen tastes pretty good to me.

[bleep]' hippie swill....

Their Russian Imperial Stout is simply Other Worldly....

I'd tap it...

Figure that pic must have been taken at Radford.....

And bought at 7-11 no doubt

I would have to be paid.

Fat Tire, Southern Pecan and Warsteiner Dark are always nice to come home to. The Snake River Brewery in Jackson Hole produces some tasty beer also (just can't get it every day). Tonight it's FAT TIRE.

.

I'd tap em both

Drummond

I was a 'beer virgin' until I was...don't laugh...25 yrs old. Growing up in a strict Baptist home (I'm a recovering fundamentalist!) alcohol was a strict taboo (as were movie theaters, long hair, tatoos, etc, etc. ad nauseum). I still remember the day I bought my first six-pack (Corona--I didn't know any better) walking out the store feeling like Satan was going to bust up from the ground and take me right down!
I have only tried about ten different beers so far but my friend, who is far more experienced than I, has been leading me down the path of beer redemption.
To date my favorites have been Full Sail's Lager recipe No.1, Deschutes Mirror Pond Ale and my absolute fave so far Widmer's Hefewiezen (that's always stocked in my fridge). Here in TF, Idaho we get a lot of the Oregon beers which to my inexperienced palate aren't too bad.
On a side note, I absolutely HATE coffee so any of the darker beers that start getting that 'roasted' flavor I can't do-- which makes me a Hefe and Pale ale kind of guy, I guess. Anyway, thought I throw in a "novice's" opinion.

MH

Well then, I guess Guinness is out of the question!

Try some of the amber or red beers. Alaska Amber is outstanding.

WN

Lots of good stuff mentioned. I like Flying Dog Tire Bite Ale...Bass Ale....Budweiser American Ale is nice....

Any really hoppy IPA....

Widmer Hef is one of my favs as well

Ok mathman, I started my 110 beer tour at a local tavern today. Im trying to see if I can overcome my trailer park taste buds. Today I sampled Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Harp Lager and what they refer to as a "Snakebite Blend" Guinness and Hard Cider. The Harps Lager from Ireland was the best in my opinion followed by the Pale Ale. I tried the ale at the chilled temperature you suggested but still didnt like it that much. A slight after taste I find unfavorable. Harp Lager is IMO the best beer Ive ever tasted.

Bob,

You would be better of to start with Stone IPA. Get used to that, then take the leap to Ruination. 22 oz bombers will do you good.

Yes to all of the above. The ONLY Stone brew I do not care for is Old Guardian. Not much for the barley wine beers.

Bob,
This is what you should look fir:

Then try this:

One of my favorite slogans:

yep

.

If their keg of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is in good condition and their lines are clean then that aftertaste is probably the bitterness of hops. A sharp pale ale can be a bit much for a beginner.

In general stay away from bar named blends like that Snakebite and other such abominations.

The Harp you got was most likely brewed in Canada, not the real Irish product. Either way it's not that much different than what you're accustomed to so your "trailer park taste buds" weren't dragged very far from their comfort zone.

I suggest some genuine Czech Pilsner or Bavarian Helles for the next things on your list. They'll expand the range of your palate without pushing too far too fast.

Don't tangle with any really hoppy beers yet.

German black beer was the best I've tried. Czech Budweiser is excellent too. Icelandic beer is very good. British bitters is smooth.

The beer style is bitter. An s on the end changes the meaning to the cocktail flavoring.

Samuel Smith Tadcaster Yorkshire Stingo is mighty nice. I had one a week ago. There are so many beers that are just fantastic. I studied brewing as well as winemaking in college at UC Davis and brewed commercially at Hart Brewing (makers of Pyramid Ales) back in mid 1988 to mid 1989 but got back into winemaking.

Last weekend I got together with my dad for Father's Day (he and my older brother got me interested in good beers after my brother's trip to Germany back in 1980 or so). So last weekend my dad and I went to a couple pubs in Portland, OR and had some great beers. I remarked to him that the beer culture and the wine culture are so vastly different and that I am much more a beer culture kind of guy despite preferring to make wine. I hate that so many of the folks who are into wine are such snobs. Beer is the common man's drink, one which is shared by basic good folk sitting bar stool by bar stool. Man I like that.

I used to drink a lot of their Tadcaster Porter and Oatmeal Stout. But for bottled beers I've mostly been into hoppy pale ales for a while now.

Now if I could be instantly transported to the pub or beer garden of my choice my pick of beer styles changes. A real cask Young's Special at The Lamb in Bloomsbury, London or a St. Jakobus at the Forschungsbrauerei in Munich would suit me well.

I wasnt terribly happy with the snakebite blend but tried it out of curiousity. I went ahead and bought a six pack of the Sierra Nevada and it seems its growing on me in a good way. I believe Im getting accustomed to the hops. What are some others that arent terribly hoppy youd recommend?

How are you serving the SN Pale?

Try Pilsner Urquell.

I like Henry Weinhard's Blue Boar(Oregon) and Big Sky Scape Goat(Montana), IMO they're not very hoppy at all and that's a good thing for my taste buds. Of course finding them in Florida might be impossible.
One or two Sierra Torpedo's or Pyramid Thunderheads and it's hop overload, I can't handle those things on a regular basis.

You mean you don't knock off a sixer of Stone Arrogant Bastard now and then?


Quit undermining my effort to teach Pod about real beer.

You pesky Hopheads!



Never had any Stone AB, would it agree with my low brow tastebuds?
(grin)


(just looked and it appears to be HOPPED up)

Corona's with lime.....with fajitas of course. Or....Shiner Bock with crawfish.

I don't know about the brow, but low hop taste buds would probably be blasted into oblivion by the Bastard.

Just looked at their website and I do believe you're correct!

Corona doesn't qualify as beer.

Shiner Bock is beer, but just OK. There is much better beer being made in Texas by Real Ale Brewing to cite one company.

all that Stones stuff is supposed to be hoppy isnt it? MM Im pouring it into a beer glass from the bottle . Not ice cold but not room temperature either. Everything but the aftertaste is great and like I said Im getting used to it.

Pour it and let it breathe. Use a glass like one of these:



Get the 20 to 22 ounce size. The excess capacity will allow a proper head forming pour without having to back off at the end of the pour. After the head settles a bit the top of the glass will then hold the aroma of the beer. This is important to the flavor.

Bigger beer glasses are definitely on my list of things to get. I believe Im gonna try the Blue Moon this afternoon, what do you think of it?

I don't go for flavored beer.

I thought it was a wheat ale? Am I mistaken?

It is, but it also has coriander and orange peel.

I can't stand Blue Moon, it's got some sort of orange/spice flavor.
Alaskan White(another wheat ale) is the same way, whatever they put in those beers makes me sick.

Ill have to give it a try, that doesnt sound to great to me though. This thread has really gotten me going on sampling new beers. Im going back to the tavern to continue my beer tour this weekend I suppose. Some of the scottish stuff looked interesting, I believe thats where ill start on my next visit.

It isn't the wheat part.

It's the coriander and whatever else they put in while mimicking the style of that subset of Belgian beer I don't like for the same reason.

I don't like them either for the same reason.

HuntSonora,
Just got back in town and read your immature posts..You are a troll my friend, and will jump on the least litte thing I say, the towns you referred to are in the USA, not in Mexico to which my post ment it would be about 500 miles further south into Mexico I suppose before you hit another Cantina from Boquillas, and thats a guess since I have not stepped it off. You could go East or West and it would be perhaps 100 or 200 miles...I was posting a little humor, which is beyond your comprehension, and like most trolls you are one tough cookie on the internet, I guess you were picked on a lot in your childhood and need to spew your stuff where it can't be challanged face to face.. Your a real little weasel up close and personal..BTW, I had the Rosillas Mt. Ranch leased from about 1970 to 1975, thats a matter of record in Alpine and Marathon, I also grew up south of Marathon and in Marfa..so no need for your insults as to geography.

Grow up kid, you a bore. You going to waste your life on me, and when you hate like that its harder on you than me. You are totally insugnificant to me.

I guess I'll put you on my no call list! punk.

Ray,

I have called you a liar and will continue to call you a liar until you substantiate all of the absolute rediculous claims you've made.

I would do what any reasonable person would do if somebody called them a liar publicly. I would post up so damn many photos and make them look so stupid they would leave the Internet forever. What do you do Ray? You post a long goodbye claiming your summer is full and that I was a troll so you were leaving the 24hr campfire. I knew you wouldn't stay away Ray, you go away and hope people forget. I won't forget Ray, that's what happens when you call somebody and threaten them like you did to me way back when.

You won't post pics because you don't have any! Your a liar, a cheat and a fraud! Want me to go away Ray? Post up pics like I've asked you to do for 7 or 8 years! Come on man, post em up or admit you lied or I'll be right here calling you a liar. You post em up or admit you weren't being truthful and I'll never bring it up again. It really is that simple

Drummond

Men,
Try talking it out via PM. We've got beer to discuss here...

Well said 7 man, I didnt get to sample the Blue Moon Ale yesterday got too busy. Maybe this evening.

I prefer Oberon to Blue Moon. Less of the spices.


ddj

True!

I'll make Ray a deal, he posts up the pics and I'll buy him a dozen cases of whatever beer he wants.

Drummond

Buddy bought me a 12 of Sierra Nevada Summerfest, it's in the fridge chilling right now, anticipate hitting it tomorrow night after a long public hearing listening to people complain about drainage problems and sewer backups.

Anybody had some of that yet? Thoughts?

Sewer's fine.

- Tom

That's because you live in Carmel

I think it tastes like celery salt - that's not good - not good at all.

Count me as one who doesn't care for it, either...

It's OK, but a bit too light for my taste.

I may have missed something in 17 pages but I would be surprised if I'm the only fan of Rogue's Dead Guy Ale or an occasional Big Sky Moose Drool.