What's the best beer then?

Old Milwaukee and Lone Star = diseased goat piss.

Of course, this sort of shit makes ALL beer taste like ass. Flavoring it with fruit makes it worse. Guiness would do me more good in my engine. I'd rather drink Zima. I'd rather CHUG Zima. I'd rather FUNNEL Zima. And chase that with MORE Zima.

The idea was that a range of imported beers were brought in to sample, all while various musical chaos, including a sampled bit of a cappella Blue Oyster Cult ("Raise your glass of beer on high...and seal your fate foreeeeeever!"). In order to deaden the palate between sips and judgment, the worst stuff possible was found in order to act appropriately neutral and nothing. Logically, this was Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Sadly, you can guess the end result. By the end of the program, all involved were feeling incredibly soused, and judgment was eroded accordingly. When the panel reached its alcohol-soaked conclusion, the only beer anyone could remember cohesively was, sadly, Pabst Blue Ribbon. So it won by default.

Ally's moratorium on non-Ally beers is commendable as I have found Corona agreeable (including just now), but the correct answer is surely Guinness. If it can even rightly be considered only a beer.

This talk of collegiate beers confuses me - well, the talk doesn't but the habit of drinking diseased goat piss does. A few weeks ago I had my first opportunity since beginning to drink to sample diseased goat piss. I can't see why anyone would rather drink that in order to get drunk, rather than acclimating themselves to decent beer. Disgusting. And if it's just for the cheaper drunk, as one of my roommates said (Stroh's!) - why not drink vodka?

Also Russian beer, Baltika 10, Baltika 6, Nevskoie Originalnoie, Stepan Razin

Beers in pint bottles with silly names, Old Slug Porter.

Guiness original, not of that week old draft muck. Guiness Export hard to find in UK apart from in west indian places, but drink of the gods 7% or 9%

1)Wadworths 6X 2)Budvar(Czech Budweiser)

For British beer, I have a ridiculous bias towards Caledonian Breweries, cause not only do they have such yummy beer, but such pretty bottles. And all named after random Scots things as well. So you have BURNS ALE and FLYING SCOTSMEN RUBY RED and things like that. Highly yummy.

For American beer the only drinkable thing is Brooklyn. They make a lovely lager, an amazing ale, an incredible India Pale Ale, and the KING of Brooklyn, the superb Chocolate Stout.

However, country holding the title for yummiest beers would have to be the Netherlands, especially for their wheat beers. (leave those horrid Belgian fruit beers alone!) Hoegaarden rocks my world. Orangeboom is lovely, too. But the best has to be the double and triple brews- there's one called Kasteel or something like that which, surely, is ambrosia in beer form.

Ally would hate every single beer I have mentioned, but then again, Ally is wrong.

Gambrinus lager was really nice in Prague too.

Stones is very good when it is good though. Orange is a good colour for a beer label.

I love Belgian beer, speshly Chimay (rouge et bleu).

Of British beers, I really go for Cameron Strongarm and Wadworth Farmer's Glory. I used to really like ABC, but they don't brew it anymore.

Gambrinus can be found in the odd London pub. I suggest The Lord John Russell on Marchmont St near Russell Square for lovers of this Czech beauty. Other European lagers of note are the aforementioned Oranjeboom (the Trotwood or De Hems) - though the current laughable attempt to rehabilitate Lowenbrau is a step too far. British lagers - only one reigns supreme: Youngs Pilsner.

As for Ales, well the Green King IPA is just nudged out of best summer drink by Flowers IPA (though the former is more reliably kept in Green King pubs). Pride can be lip smacker if on, if off its rank. The three Morrells bitters are all pretty good too - especially Varsity. Oh and Black Sheep is a nice one (blagged shed loads at a trade fair a while back so I might be biased). Tim's your man for this one anyway.

Belgium =- Chimay to me. Especially out of the wine bottles with authentik cork popping action. 9% is mey favourite. And De konnick of course - but I do have a soft spot for Cherry beers when alcopops are not an option.

Beers around the world? Tsing Tao is lovely, as is Asahi - but both seem best with food (which is admittedly where I normally have it).

Budweiser = King Of Beers / Budvar = Beer Of Kings. Which would you prefer.

I love guinness, but if I'm honest but any beer I get for free instantly becomes the best beer.

Budvar. Oh, man. I went to this club in Brighton (I think) - cramped, dark, lots of red, big signs over the bar. One said, in big letters, BUDVAR. Ooo, sounds exotic. So I order one. Never mind asking what Budvar actually is - I'm a loner, Dottie, I'm a rebel. (I have no idea where that line is from, by the way.)

God damn it, I hate beer. How the hell did this concept of "beer" develop, anyway? "Gosh, if you soak wheat & barley in water under pressure, it fucks you up righteous like! Kick ass!"

I do have a very soft spot for Sapporo and Kirin, though. Ah, college...

(Cue the awful taglines from a commercial thread...)

Baseball = chewing tobacco.

I sez: "It's the title of a song by the Get Up Kids."

I stand by my Coronas. Molson's good tü. Never cared much for the Brooklyn Brewery stuff. I always thought it just tasted like Coors, ergo "Shit."

And before that, it was a line from Pee Wee's Big Adventure...

If it was possible to hug pubs, I wd hug the Head of Steam.

sam adams'=yuppie beer.

Still good beer

or

tsing tao - china

Crikey.

I really can't be doing with calling Budweiser "Budvar" nonsense. I've heard in the US it's called "Czechvar". How fucking insulting is that? It's like suddenly deciding that the Simpsons must be refered to as the Yanksons because we've just decided to use the Simpsons for some pathetically inferior product of our own.

I also have a strange fondness for Turkish beer.

Yes, Duvel is mighty fine. I tried some witbier in Brussels which was even nicer than Hoegaarden, but I've forgotten what it was called for some reason. Maybe I'd been drinking.

great beer+cheese in america=wisconsin. let's not say the US=just the same all over.

...by which you might possibly mean TROY, which I will forever associate with the Rough Trade RoTa free gigs at the Notting Hill Arts Centre!

They do? I stand corrected. Anyway, my understanding is that in Europe the Czech Budweiser was sold as Budweiser and the American imitation was sold as merely "Bud", whereas in the UK both were allowed to trade under the name "Budweiser". "Czechvar" just sounds completely absurd.

Anyway I was only kidding with my mischievous generalisations. Americans I know seem very fond of their "watery, domestic". And there is something 'traditional' about beer in cans and sporting events. I'm still not convinced about the cheese though.

Efes is the Turkish beer I like.

Then I drank a bottle of Stowells' Tempranillo and danced like a fool with Shoreditch TwatXors. Oh my head.

Mrs De Rijk's grandfather established the brewery which is still barely known outside the immediate area. Perhaps beer of this quality can only be produced on a small scale but I do wish it was more widely available. I only know it as the owner of my local café was so impressed he travels down to Belgium every month to ensure his is one of only two places in Holland that serves it.

Beer writer Michael Jackson on De Rijk

Austrian beer is great stuff, better than German (heresy!). That said, I really miss American microbrews as long as they don't get too fancy with the flavourings, and intend to reacquaint myself over the Thanksgiving holidays.

Yay, Zipfer!

I discovered a new candidate yesterday - Exmoor Beast! It's dark, it's nummy and it's 6.6%!

Corsendonk [Belgium]
Corona [Mexico, duh]
Zlatorov [Slovenia] --- The YUMMIEST.
St. Ides Special Brew [snoop dogg drinks it...]

maybe i'll create the beer board when i make I Love American Football (before next year's NFL season starts, which is really when i drink the most anyway).

But its still Timmy Taylor's Landlord for me.

also Negra Modelo.

But as far as beers go, I generally choose Guiness when given that option, and am also quite partial to Fuller's line, especially their ESB. Asahi, accompanied by sushi, has made for some of the only actually good dates I've ever been on. Hell, from the Newcastle to the Heine to the Anchor Steam to the...< homer > aaaaaaah beeeeeeeeeerrr aaaaaaah < / homer >

And there are employers in the South in the States who will pay their employees in PBR. This phenom really does exist. Wild stuff, mang.

Amstel Light, Coronas and Red Stripe - There is no point in paying $$$ for imported light lager that tastes just as bad as the American version. And as far as I know, there is no law saying you couldn't put a lime in your Coors Light, so none of this "Coronas are good w/ the lime" nonsense ("oh but it looks so cool with the bottle!") In fact I prefer Pabst Blue Ribbon or Yeulings to any of these.

American beers taste...sweet to me. It's bizarre.

Fr'instance...

Summer day = india pale ales?
Winter day = thick stouts?
Autumn eve = dark lagers?

Within my pricerange, I tend to get carlsberg.

Yes, there are some minor differences in taste between these beers, for example AB products like Mich have that godawful rice flavour, but in the end its like comparing the tastes of different brands of Amercian cheese - even the best are taste like crap compared to the real stuff.

>American beers taste...sweet to me. It's bizarre.

Light lagers have virtually no hops, so the only flavour your going to get from them is from the malt (mostly corn), which is sweet. Even this flavour is very light compared to malt-heavy beers like dopplebocks (very very sweet, esp. Aventinus). So if a beer has no hop flavour or malt flavour, I don;t see how it has ANY (good) flavour - which is why I prefer PBR to Corona.

Summer = Pilseners, Hefeweissens
Winter = Dopplebocks, Imperial Stouts, high alcohol anything
Autumn = Oktoberfests, duh

Their Liberty Ale is good too. I also like Sam Smith (Oatmeal Stout!), Duvel, Chimay, Bass, Negra Modelo, and Harp. Brooklyn and Dominion are serviceable.

Most overrated - Sam Adams
Most underrated - Miller beers, MGD especially

Having put a few years between me and college, I do not plan on drinking Rolling Rock ever again for the rest of my life.

GOOD (though there are many many more):

Delerium Tremens (one of my favorite Belgians although I'm quite certain there are better ones I just haven't tried yet)

Shakespeare Stout (produced by the wonderful Rogue brewery on the Oregon coast, this stout is FAR superior to its European predecessors--although both Beamish and Guinness are pretty good).

Anchor Brewing's Special Ale (produced for Christmas/New Year's, these exceptional beers are even more flavorful and drinkable than Achor Steam)

Ayinger Brau Weisse (perhaps the best hefeweizen available today)

BAD (though there are worse):

Sparks (a bright orange alcoholic energy drink -- stay away)

Monkey Face Porter (the concept being that you 'pucker' as the acrid sour mess boils up your esophagus; it perpetually tastes "off;")

Widmer makes/made a beer that tastes/tasted like cheese, and I have mixed feelings about their pumpkin beer. I've never had a smoked beer that I liked either.

GOOD VALUE (aka cheap but drinkable)

Pabst 24oz tall boys can be found for $0.99
THE beer of unemployed NW hipsters, Pabst is a good alternative to corporate American domestics. Only slightly worse than Tecate, but far cheaper.

Olympia 11oz. stubbies (bottles like red-stripe) come in boxes of 12 for about $6
Bad beer but made with good water which makes a big difference when you are drinking the cheap watered down stuff.

Beer good...

For any major European style of beer, there is an American version of it that is at least as good as or superior to European examples. Its one of the few things that make me proud of my country right now.

Also good— Sheaf Stout, Guinness, Pyramid Apricot Ale (you’ve got to try it), Leinenkugel’s, Old Nick, most Belgians (lambics can be nice on a hot summer day)...

A very very VERY apt assessment.

Imports are tough, because, as stated previously, they're crud if improperly stored. Guinness is usually a safe bet (though I've never had Guinness outside of the US), as is Bass. I LOVE Sam Smith's lager and pale ale (have yet to try the oatmeal stout) as well. Chimay is a bev of the gods. A light lager is a light lager, but I do like Corona and Moosehead pretty alright.

To me, there are "just having one pint" beers, and there are "getting fuX0red" beers -- each type has its time and place, and its own special perks, but if I'm buying a six-pack for myself, I'll always go for the "one pint"-ers. And American microbrews are usually pretty safe bets for where I am.

You might be right, Spencer. Sam Smith lager I could see easily convincing someone that beer can be smooth, refreshing, and yummy.

Amateur question, but what is lambic?

i will not argue this.

harp is my everyday beverage of choice since harpoon isn't distributed west of pittsburgh.

i emailed harpoon when i moved to chicago two years ago, they basically told me to go shit in my hat.

Does anyone know what a lambic is?

Oh, you wanted to know what it is? Spontaneously fermenting (the brewers don't add yeast) wheat beer from Belgium. Old & young lambics can be blended to make gueuze.

Fruity, clovey Hefewesseins make a good gateway beer because they have very little hop flavour.

Worst: Heineken, Hahn Ice (both water gas and hangover), West End (Worst End) and until you've had half-flat, warmish bottled XXXX from an inadequately rinsed plastic mug at the Gabba in Brisbane, you have not had bad beer.

Alas, fully carbonated, ice cold XXXX straight from the tap into a brand new chilled glass is not hugely better.

I tried my first hefe-weizen tonight -- from a brewery that claims to be the first maker of hefe-weizen in Germany -- and boy was it delicious.

My favourite when I go back to my parents is Castle eden, but it wasn't too special last time I had a pint. there was talk about the brewery being taken over, and I don't know what the outcome was.

No, not yet. Went over to my friend's house to see if he wanted to go to the liq store w/me, but before I could ask he offered me a Guiness and said I could have as many as I want--I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Tonight sounds good though (I'm not a lush, I drink maybe once every two weeks and only 2-3 beers/time). Now the only question is which version of Chimay...I have a hard time leaving the store w/anything but the one w/the highest alc %.

I also really dig Sierra Nevada, a microbrewery in California I'm sure some of you US beer-heads are familiar with.

That's a little big for a microbrew. And it's somewhat overrated.

I like Sam Adams, Goose Island, Blue Moon. I've also gotta mention the very refreshing Bell's, since I went to school in Kalamazoo, where it's brewed. Kzoo represent!

goose island doesn't do much for me, i like bells amber. i think blue moon is owned and brewed by the coors family.

The cascade hops in Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (they make other beers) always tasted to me more of a grapefruit flavour.

Blue Moon is brewed by Coors, and its the best product that any of the big three american brewers make - not that that is saying much.

and what are peoples thoughts on the various Youngs beers?

Youngs Ordinary = very fine session bitter, I can't think of a bad word to say about it except that the pint of it I was served in the Clock Hose a few weeks ago had a sparkler in the bottom (ouch).

Youngs Special = I don't, any more because it's stronger than its taste justifies.

AAA = very very nice indeed on its day, the fruitiest of the three.

All that christmassy chocolate stuff I can live without.

Directors has been ok a couple of times, in the Endurance it was revolting.

Everything I've had since then has been utter rubbish. I believe from now on I'm going to try and stay away from the overcarbonated yellow stuff as much as possible (budget allowing).

I knew there was something missing from my life

Meisterbrau, Wisconsin Club and Falls City are my favorites of the shit beer category. Wisconsin Club used to be the best, you could get change back on a fiver, it came in bottles and then one could use the boxes to make furniture. Quite a mulipurpose brew for the cheap.

so lets get this right earlnash "harp" as in dutty dutty english 70s lager hell???

(i've just finished man walks into a pub so have learnt all about how carling is canadian and lagering and all sorts...)

Proper terminology:

German style wheat beer (e.g. erdinger) = weisse
Belgian style wheat bear (e.g. hoegaarden) = witbier

chris, not N.

I think I probably made this "most ridiculous" statement and I still stand by it. Of course there are terrible american microbreweries but there are also some very very good ones that I mentioned upthread.

Chris Barrus: North Coast is great! Their 2003 Old Stock Ale is probably my 2nd favorite beer right now.

god, i miss yuengling

anyway, it was badger golden glory

If at home: Timothy Taylor 'landlord' strong pale ale: http://www.timothytaylor.co.uk/llordfr.htm

mmmm, pale ale.

guinness is not a beer but a stout. it's not even close to being a beer. it's more like....like a ....hamster or something than it is a beer. it's not a beer, ok?

stout

anyway, the finest beer (not stout) known to man is indeed the brew known to all who ever gripped it's uniquely shaped (sexually exciting) receptacle as Erdinger.

la fin du monde (canadian), negra modelo (mexican), pilsner urquell (czech), leffe (belgian), aventinus (german), mt. tam pale ale (u.s.)

(because it's certianly not the 32oz. Miller High Life I'm drinking)

D?

That's odd.

So, did you check out your prizes yet?

Recommended: Columbus, from independent Amsterdam brewers 't IJ , strong Belgian-type ale, fruity, doesn't taste like a 9% beer.

http://my.tele2.ee/imrev/olu/olupildid/youngbitter.jpg

http://www.bunitedint.com/Pictures/einbecker-5.jpg

http://www.principals.com.au/_images/JamesSquire_pack4.jpg

mmm. all highly, highly recommended.

http://www.badgerdirect.com/images/products/gc_bottle_big.jpg

http://www.sinisterpenguin.com/hebrew.gif

Ale: Bitter & Twisted, Deuchars IPA

Stout: Guiness (what else?)

Almost anything else. (St. Ambroise, Rogue, etc.)

If so, you MUST go to The Evening Star on Surrey Street (Near Brighton station) and sample the Dark Star beers, they are superb.

If so, you MUST go to The Evening Star on Surrey Street (Near Brighton station) and sample the Dark Star beers, they are superb.

Matt, WE must go to the Evening Star on Surrey Street to sample the Dark Star beers soonish, methinks.

(Where is the love for Fursty Ferret?)

i'm quite into judas at the moment. also i just realised that i didn't have any beer in the fridge, and to my horror found that i only have one bottle in the whole house. this must be rectified.

Gareth, I *love* the Badger Golden Glory. I've been drinking it all summer - that slight taste of peaches... yum! (My bandmates reckon it sounds like a Final Fantasy song title, but it is indeed glorious.)

Would any other ILXors care to come too?

oops x-post: Saturday... maybe! Will have to check what's what with her what knows.

It's also my birthday next weekend (7th August) so I may be spening a good proportion of my time in The Evening Star, amongst other things (such as Pride)

did you get to drink loads? were there spitoons? etc?

The form was that we were tasting bottle conditioned beers rather than bottled beers. there were two panels of five people tasting 6 beers scoring them out of Appearance, Aroma, Taste and After-taste; with weighting given to the taste score of course. The first panels consisted of two guardian readers and 3 CAMRA volunteers each. My team had three dark beers of differing types, mild, porter and darker styles, 1 classic red bitter and 2 lighter style beers. About a 3rd of a pint of each. Held up to the light for appearance, swirled and sniffed for aroma and then tasted. Beer was brought out in unlabled jugs. 1 beer of the first round stood out as a beer I would like to drink a good deal more of and one stood out as dark, interesting, and chocolatey but too sweet for my liking, probably a malt stout.

We tasted and filled in our forms discussing each beer in turn but keeping our scores private.

After the first round they needed a 4th guardian reader for the final panel, I was picked after a little typical British 'no you' session. The final panel of 1 CAMRA type, Roger Protz and 4 guardian readers, although of these 4, 1 was a chemist/brewer who formerly worked for Badger and apparently the man who came up with the idea of putting elderflower in beer to make golden champion. Again tasting 6 beers with the favourite from our first round coming through as the eventual winner.

I learnt some new things, including scientific grounding for Hopkin's no drinking outside rule. Apparently a true real ale drinker will not expose his beer to sunlight as 'lightstrike' can ruin a beer in 20 seconds.

As for the competition; I was suitably impressed with the winner, however the competition wasn't as strong as i had hoped. There seems to be a slight problem with bottled conditioned beer (as opposed to bottled beer) in britain, it doesn't seem to be an art that has been honed to perfection. The beers fell into three categories: 1) Beers that are sold as cask beer and have been bottled conditioned as an afterthought; 2) Beer of types that are too weird to be generally sold in cask quantities; 3) Beers brewed for the bottle because the brewery is too small to get a wide distribution of it's products in casks.

Across all types there seems to be an over egging of the bottle conditioning process with over gassiness, presumably in search of a head, being a common trait although in the better cases this eased off if the beer was left to stand a little. Flavours were good but in a lot of cases you couldn't help wondering if the draught beer would have been better. All in all British bottle conditioned beer seems to lag behind Belgian bottle conditioned beer.

The winner is a lovely beer none the less, a lovely sparkling ruby bitter from the north east, hoppy with a nice lingering bitterness and just the right amount of malty body. It did need to stand a little to let the gas off.

I'll let you know what it is tomorrow.

this "lightstrike" warrants further investigation, i think.

It did need to stand a little to let the gas off

Like the CAMRades at GBBF, no doubt.

In Pinefoxian stylee:

Blandford fly was...not as good as I'd hoped. I had a load of St Peter's Lemon and Ginger Bitter at the Jerusalem last week, so was expecting good things but it's not a patch on St Peter's stuff.

Golden Glory is on tap in Holborn. Can't remember the pub; either the Enterprise or the Old Nick (I think). Not a patch on Golden Champion, which I have now staretd ordering crates of.

Tomorrow, I will get hold of some Westvleteren which will be grebt.

Good, interesting Belgians are anything by De Dolle and Phantom. Also Panil Barrique, which is an Italian but in the style of a Flemish sour brown ale.

http://www.synapticblur.com/pics/beer06alecoq.jpg

(it's the only pic I can find online)

I like poncey beers. Leffe (particularly) and Hoegaaaaaarden and things that taste similar but I've forgotten what they're called. Erdinger is also nice.

Also, I tried a very nice cherry beer last time I came to London. It was my first time. It smelt rather odd, but I put it in my mouth anyway. Nice, once you're used to it.

http://www.interpunk.com/itemimages2/15150.gif

but no, it will be the usual selection:(

http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=27+Dude+Place,+Weed,+CA?

i normally steer clear of marstons, but i tried an old empire, perhaps because of the design, and i was quite impressed.

has anyone tried three floyds alpha king?

http://www.threefloyds.com/dspAlphaKing.html

it seems to have won many awards

(xpost)

Haha, I can still remember the first time I had my first pint of hophead shortly after moving down here a few years ago, I think it finally convinced me just how much better real ale is than bland megacorp bears. And it was £1.70 a pint then - those were the days!

It's good, but I'm not sure it counts as beer.

Of course it counts as beer - lambic beers I believe actually existed before "convential" beer.

it's good. it might even be my favorite of theirs. i like hoppy stuff a lot.

http://www.hairofthedog.com/fred-detail.html

i feel so behind the times with my lack of darkstar knowledge...

this site suggests tring sainsburys:

http://www.planetbods.org/mildinlondon/whatismild

which i just did, with no success.

Belgian beers are good but way too sweet at times -- St. Bernardus is a favorite, all kinds of Chimay come next.

I probably have ended up drinking mostly Boulevard Wheat (regional out of Kansas City) and Newcastle, lately. My beer horizons have been expanded greatly with the addition of a new bar to town that has around 100 beers on tap. Unfortunately, that means that they have one keg per beer, so if it's out, it's out until the distributor delivers more. It also means I'll never get to sample everything they have at one time since they'll rotate out beers...

VERY true!

st peters was also quite poor, though loved the bottle

My favorites are Franziskaner and Duvel.

Whoever 86'd that slogan should be SHOT.

Don't play dumb indie fuxor.

http://www.thedailysauce.com/issue/F/2183

Bell's Two-Hearted
Lakefront Cream City pale ale
Tyranena Bourbon Brown
Dogfishhead stuff
Lake Louie Scotch Ale
Abita Turbo Dog

Cheap-ish:

High Life
Leine's Red
Pabst, sometimes

Bud is gross.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=8kKP6jF6Tgg&search=vintage%20beer%20commercial

It's far from hipsterish over here - pretty bog standard session lager, and not particularly nice.

are you are marstons lad? i'm not, but i've been sinking old empires recently. i like the bottle too, ships are in right now, are they not? and clear glass too!

I was drinking Discovery at the weekend, which seems to be completely changeable, one time really good, the next distinctly average.

In this hot weather I've been drinking more lager, mainly Staropromen and Saqn Miguel, more as thirst quenchers than anything else. The usual stuff I've enjoyed a lot lately like Achel just doesn't feel right in such heat.

I just tried this recently and it's pretty good, if pricey.

As does Stone's Vertical Ale. Talk about a serious beer.

-- milo z (wooderso...)

^^^^ i wanna know this too

don't let go, you've got that (the music) in you

Budweiser is the best, has anyone tried it? Czech Budweiser, that is, from near Pilsen. Better than UrquellI. I can still taste (well almost) my first sip thirty years ago. I heard you can get it in NYC and apparently all over Europe

Victory Prima Pils
Christoffel Blond
Rogue Uber Pils
Abita 20th Anniversary Pilsner (!)

I just found out from Tep that Lindemann's makes an apple lambic now.

Why "cream", does anyone know? And can we really remember tastes? I remember drinking nothing but Genny Cream for one fall, and it WAS creamy. For some reason the quarts tasted better than the singles.

i live 10 ft from it & i am an alcoholic

greens on ponce is cool too - basement full of 15 yr old belgian beer

i also like tower on piedmont

would have killed for a decent beer tonite

My mom found this six-pack of Miller High Lifes in tiny little 6oz bottles, they were so cute I almost tried to give one to the boy (he has in the past tasted and decided he does NOT like beer, howev).

COSIGN. it's kind of gross.

2) Stencil (as usual) misinterprets comment and takes it as sign that I don't have sense of humor.

3) I point out that, no, actually, I got the joke.

4) Magical realism ???

little creatures pale ale is clearly the best beer!

-- A-ron Hubbard (Hurtingchie...), October 27th, 2006 10:29 PM. (Hurting) (later)

no the course of events is as such:

1) you post comment about beer

2) Stencil (as usual) misinterprets comment and takes it as sign that I don't have sense of humor.

2) i post another, unrelated comment expressing surprise that no one has made the blue velvet joek

3) you decide to some reason take my non-sequiter as somehow relating to what you wrote, because you're some sort of douche or something

4) i in a slightly facetious but harmless way tell you to take one joek

5) you continue to be douche

6) allyzay makes funny

7) so does ethan (joeks at my expense are fine with me, because i'm no douche)

8) who the fuck cares at any point beyond that? the tigers are gonna lose the world series so i'm gonna drink the fuck out of the beers left in my fridge (yuengling, if you must know) then open up some bourbon because there ain't anything else to do, tho my guess is you will keep on douchin' on, because that's what you obviously do

greens costs more too

- 1 Cantillon Organic Gueuze"

Well at least you'll get the contrast between real lambic and 3% fruit juice.

-- Porkpie (porkypi...), August 5th, 2005.

Still OTFM

The deal is unlikely to mean an end to almost 100 years of bad feeling between the two companies over which has the right to use the Budweiser name. It has no impact outside the US, and, Tony Jennings, chief executive of Budvar UK, Budweiser Budvar's wholly owned UK subsidiary, says: "There have been no concessions on the trademark question by either side. It remains unresolved."

Jennings adds that AB "need us much more than we need them" because the deal underlines the shift in beer drinking away from mass-market products towards speciality beers.

The agreement only covers North America and Czechvar will continue to be brewed at source in the Czech Republic. The Czech brewery continues to be state-owned, and AB is not taking any kind of stake in it. Previous attempts by the Czech government to sell off part of its stake, and fears that AB might buy it, led to public outrage in the Czech Republic.

AB has already signed similar importing and distribution deals with Grolsch, Tiger, Kirin and, recently, InBev, for the Belgian beer giant's Stella Artois, Beck's and Bass Pale Ale brands.

summit is awesome...also like their oatmeal stout which is well worth checkin' out for guiness fans..

http://www.bunitedint.com/portfolios/producers/kiuchi/red_rice/_images/red_rice-bottle.jpg

used to drink boulevard all the time in college (in missouri). bonus: the box is the perfect size to hold 45s. I don't think I've seen it on the East Coast.

still bugs me every time i see it.

oh god, i don't know if it's this or fin du monde that fucks me up more. they both do a stellar job of it though.

Good lord that was awful.

http://www.saintarnold.com/images/main_banner.jpg

Kevin, that liquor store blows and always has IMO. Go up one more stop to VAS Foremost.

hops shortage = worst nightmare

Duchow affirms that for small brewers who run short of hops, one alternative is to make sweeter, maltier beers. So if you enjoy the full-bodied Belgian ales and fruity Lambics, there could be opportunities for you in what is otherwise a — forgive me — hopless situation.

noooooooooooo

Malty sweet beers are the bane of my drinking existance.

i just hope bell's has been hoarding hops.

i wonder if there will be a street trade in hops?

man I got these amarillos, the good shit

the US could do with fewer overhopped beers.

See also:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/09/dining/09beer.html?ref=dining

Yeah yeah yeah but at the same time sickly sweet ales make me gag.

hopping isn't the inverse of sweetness. It is possible to have a dry interesting taste without smothering in hops. Goose Island honkers is a good example.

the US could do with fewer overhopped beers

not true.

true, but i still love the taste of hops and i can't really remember going "eww, too hoppy", like, ever.

xpost

I'm just saying that beers that are more on the malty side are not what I find myself coming back to. Same for the very smooth beers and/or varieties that are nitro-charged.

Honkers is OK, but has kind of reached saturation point for me. Did you get to try any Three Floyds products while in Chicago, Ed?

Speaking of malty, sweet beers, I was hoping that the other New Belgium beers would be different from Fat Tire, but sadly I have not found that to be the case.

Didn't get a go on it. Honker's is just one example, not a bad one really.

I really like both really hoppy beers and sweet, malty Belgian style ones. I don't mind the sweetness if they're pushing 10% alcohol, and I don't like to drink a lot of these - but the Brother David's Triple that I had last night was really good.

Dan, did I tell you that I made K@tie drive me to the big booze emporium in Lincoln Park to buy Gumballhead?

xxp: I like a couple of the New Belgium beers, and dislike Fat Tire. They're kind of hit or miss but there are some good ones.

my friend just emailed me an article about 'extreme beers'. i generally love these kinds of beers, just 'cos i think they taste great. i like how aggressively hoppy they are. but with the hops shortage they'll obviously get pricier and pricier.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/10/style/09beer.php?page=1

yea, i generally don't like malty sweet beers. just not my thing.

xp Shit, you didn't even have to go that far, though I bet the price would be better there than at some places in our neighborhood.

man saturday through sunday I had 0 beers until I went up and fixed my landladies' wireless router for them and they gave me a fucking Heineken and you know what that Heineken was delicious. Hunger is the best spice and all that, I figure.

the US could do with fewer overhopped beers.

so very very untrue

i understand why some people wouldn't like super-hopped beers, but i love them.

i can't really remember going "eww, too hoppy", like, ever.

^^me neither!

also: Malty sweet beers are the bane of my drinking existance.

YES^. ewww brown sugar

I drank a sixer of Bell's Two Hearted on a football sunday and by the 8pm game I felt like I had just imbibed a basket of flowers

my only problem with the dryhopping fad is that my regular adult beverage shop now stocks lots of these to the exclusion of a lot of other beers that I like. They don't have a lot of room in the beer cooler so lately I go in and the only microwbrews in there are IPAs or variations thereof and sometimes that's just not what I want

yea i can sympathize with that. though i'm often in similar situations with regard to belgian stuff and/or wheat beers, where those are the main specialty stuff stocked and all i want is a highly-hopped IPA.

but in general the most poorly stocked type of beer tends to be stouts. i could really go for a better selection of stouts in beverage stores.

My latest random purchase is Blue Star Wheat:

http://www.northcoastbrewing.com/beer-BlueStar.htm

It was ok, but nothing special as far as the wheaties go.

ooh north coast has some other great stuff though.

Yeah, I like Red Seal quite a bit.

the IPA is good, and the Old Rasputin is amazing. I'd love to try the barrel-aged one.

The wheat tasted a lot better tonight!

can't read through whole thread. my favorites, ever:

- Russian River Sanctification (California)
- Perla (Polish)
- any Bell's
- Stoudt's Scarlet Lady Ale (a most recent discovery)
- most of the Great Lakes brewing co. roster, especially the Dortmunder Gold and Burning River, as well as the exclusive stuff you can only get at the brewery (10% alcohol beers that are unbelievable good, trust me))
- any Rauchbier
- Magic Hat no 9
- Monk's Sour Flemish Red Ale
- Yards Extra Special Ale
- Thomas Hardy Ale (you guys know this guy...crazy beer)
- Bush (Belgian, hands-down one of the best beers i've ever tasted, never seen it in the US)
- Dogfish Head 90-Minute IPA (and the 60-minute IPA is also sweet)
- Hevelius (Polish)

BUT: geographical distinctions aside, let's go into a major supermarket that is well-stocked. i'm gonna say in the northeast, but that's where i'm sort of at. (that and the midwest).

best beers in major supermarket:
- Pilsner Urquell
- Warsteiner
- Beck's
- Heineken
- (local brand that isn't in any supermarkets outside of your area, your choosing)
- Blue Moon
- Budweiser
- Yuengling (esp the Lord Chesterfield Ale, rarely found outside of Pennsylvania)

Budweiser is the best bet for the money, no matter what. i am speaking as a very poor person right now-- i'd spend more money on beer, instead i spend it on internet.

okay that might have been worded terribly. sorry there.

maudite you fules

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y176/edwardiii/maudite.jpg

This is one of my favorites:

http://www.united-nations-of-beer.com/images/twobrotherscaneandebel.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y176/edwardiii/maudite2.jpg

their raftman is really good, too. don't see it around much anymore unfortunately.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y176/edwardiii/raftman.jpg

oh i've had raftman! tasty.

god i wish i didn't have 6 buds left in the fridge.

Hogs Back's TEA is a great beer.

http://www.hogsback.co.uk/acatalog/TEA01.jpg

My Central PA beer experience, by Ed:

so I was in this Bar in Lock Haven PA drinking a Yeungling and eating some killer wings (Hangar 9, nice little bar, good wings god steaks) so I ask the Waitress to bring me something local (or at least PA), she says sure they are attached to the bottle shop next door and have like a hundred beers or so, she asks the bar tender and he recommends a [I forget] she goes off and they don't have . I say bring me something like an amber ale or a nut brown and sche comes back with a Michelob Ultra Amber. The End

had a fantastic German Pils at beer festival a few months back. new fave.

Been months without Yuengling and I miss the stuff, even if for some strange reason it fucks me right up. Which is why I'm not paying the million billon dollars to import it here.

in other beer news: my American-living-in-Australia home-brewing friend made a totally wicked Cherry Ale at Christmas which restored my faith in those sweet amber ales.

i am into malty beers, but i don't really drink beer any more

most of the Great Lakes brewing co. roster, especially the Dortmunder Gold and Burning River, as well as the exclusive stuff you can only get at the brewery (10% alcohol beers that are unbelievable good, trust me))

great lakes is amazing - i like every beer i've had from them. you're spot on re: the exclusive brewery-only stuff - they always have incredibly beers there. it's one of the best parts about cleveland.

the burning river pale ale is excellent (one of their best), the dortmunder is one of my favorite lagers, their new IPA is really good, too, and the blackout stout is by far one of the best imperial stouts i've ever had.

with my family being there, i try to bring back some great lakes whenever i visit there. everyone i've brought it back to has loved it.

hey ed, Yuengling is made in PA, FYI.

I say bring me something like an amber ale or a nut brown and sche comes back with a Michelob Ultra Amber.

LOLLLLLL^^

I haven't had the Great Lakes IPA, i don't think. the Christmas Ale is fucking awesome, one of the best parts of being around Cleveland in December.

oh yea i forgot about the christmas ale, it's wonderful.

and the porter, too! i really love their porter.

this has been my most recent favorite:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y176/edwardiii/bluebird_bitter_consiton_brewing_co.jpg

my sad beer story: been a longtime lover of theakston's old peculiar. when I was in the UK the only time I saw it on draught was during a business lunch with a bunch of freaks who were ordering sodas. DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND THE OLD PECULIAR TAP IS RIGHT. FUCKING. THERE.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y176/edwardiii/old_peculier.gif

or peculier, as the case may be

my only problem with the dryhopping fad is that my regular adult beverage shop now stocks lots of these to the exclusion of a lot of other beers that I like. They don't have a lot of room in the beer cooler so lately I go in and the only microwbrews in there are IPAs or variations thereof and sometimes that's just not what I want

OTM. At my local gourmet beer shop, you can get about a bazillion American micros that taste like an IPA, but you can't even get a good German lager like Hofbrau Munchen

the only IPA I need is harpoon

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/Tom.Seefurth.pizza.2.336977.html

ST. CHARLES, Ill. (CBS) ― Beer and pizza are tastes that, for many of us, just seem to go together. But, beer that tastes like pizza?

As CBS 2's Vince Gerasole reports, a suburban brewer has put a new twist on tap.

Something's brewing in a garage in St. Charles. Tom Seefurth is mixing up a concoction he'll eventually pour out as beer – pizza beer.

"It's pizza and beer in a bottle," Seefurth, a self-proclaimed beer nut, says.

There are actually real pieces of pizza stirred into the mix.

The kettles and tubes of Seefurth's tiniest of breweries all come together beside the hundreds of beer cans in his collection.

"This is a reflection of my entire life history," he says.

Too many garden tomatoes cooked up the idea for pizza beer last year. Seeforth and his wife create a tomato garlic puree and bake up the pizza -- in the back yard they pick their own oregano for flavoring.

And back in the brewery Seefurth even grinds his own wheat to get the process started. He'll add other spices, but keeps the recipe a secret.

"The only people who know the recipe are me and my cat, Jethro," he says.

Seefurth says the flavors of pizza and beer are a natural pairing, and the hobbyist hopes to take drink coast to coast.

You can try some 'Mama Mia' beer for yourself in the next few weeks. It is being sold at Walter Payton's Roundhouse in Aurora.

http://allagash.com/images/pics/curieux.gif

To make the Curieux (French for "curious"), we age our Tripel Ale in Jim Beam barrels for 8 weeks in our cellar. During the aging process in bourbon barrels, the beer is totally transformed, and many new flavors and aromas develop. Most notably, the beer picks up soft coconut and vanilla characteristics...and also a hint of bourbon flavor!

Available in: 750 ml bottle and 5.17 gal kegs
ABV: 9.5% - 10.5%
Original Gravity: 1080
Recommended Serving Temperature: 55°F
Recommended Cellaring Temperature: 55°F

ew @ pizza beer

Been months without Yuengling and I miss the stuff, even if for some strange reason it fucks me right up. Which is why I'm not paying the million billon dollars to import it here.

?

Yuengling is like water. You are crazy.

Yum, I have also been drinking Maudite lately. I love calling it "Unibrow" even though I assume it's pronounced more like "Unibrew"

I say bring me something like an amber ale or a nut brown and sche comes back with a Michelob Ultra Amber.

Ha. I actually just had a Michelob Amber Bock because Jesse left about eight of them in my fridge a week and a half ago.

Got a bunch of Optimator in the fridge, but it's too damn cold for beer. I need a cup of coffee with brandy in it.

stone ipa morelike IP-YAY
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/75/202324787_19e2278c02_m.jpg

gargoyles on label + 7.7 abv + delicious

that looks delicious

i had 3 last night. A+++

woah you drank three double ipa's? you are awesome.

i was a lil tipsy after

http://www.thedrinkshop.com/images/products/main/2362/2362.jpgA+ would drink again

http://www.ratebeer.com/beerimages/full_size/3219.jpg

9% ABV, bubbles and tastes somewhat like champagne. I usually don't go for triples but this stuff was f'n great. lol I am such a Bell's fanboy.

that Stone Ruination IPA is awesome.

I went home to Cleveland and brought back a bunch of Great Lakes last weekend, and was just reminded how good their beers are.

yes Bell's is great!

I was drinking Furthermore Make Weight Triple Ale all weekend (I think they only distribute in Wisconsin so far). 9.5%, baby.

I don't know if we get Stone here?

Ha! I went home to Michigan a couple weeks ago, hence having the Bell's.

The 10% Stone Double Bastard kind of kicked my ass when I had one after not eating anything all day. It was good but I like their IPAs more.

can't stop drinking hoegaarden of late

I've become very abusive and lost my job.

http://www.bunitedint.com/portfolios/producers/einbecker/mai_bock/_images/mai_urbock-bottle.jpg

yum

my favorite beer is spaten optimator

Monteith's Golden Ale. I could drink that all day. (and when I was in NZ, I did)

-- S- (sgh), Friday, 30 June 2006 02:31 (1 year ago) Link
monteiths is deffo my fave beer of all time - esp the summer ale.

-- electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Friday, 30 June 2006 02:40 (1 year ago) Link

I'll still stand by this, but compared to Emerson's from Dunedin (NZ) it's absolute piss.

http://www.emersons.co.nz/

90% of ILX users will be shit out of luck trying to get it though.

My husband has finally reached the end of the TWO CASES of Great Lakes Christmas Ale my family and friends sent to him in December. He shares it with no one.

I had the Urbock stuff once and hated it. I might have gotten a rotten batch

THe best beer is the beer that is here which is Hoegaarden which isn't that great but it is in a nice big bottle. And when this runs out all I've got is Carlsberg.

I didn't mean to suggest that Urbock is the best beer, just that it's good. It's very malty though, so if you don't like malt

http://www.smuttynose.com/photos/spa.bot.jpg

I've been drinking this tonight, typical US highly over-hopped beer, kind of has the same mouth-feel as grapefruit juice, but is still nice......would like something nice and smooth tho.

yeah I think I tried that once and had the same experience. too hoppy, not enough anything else.

my local liquor store now seems to have 10 new varieties of American hopped-up beer every month, and somehow I always feel the need to try the newest German or Belgian before I get around to those.

also these companies need to start selling more samplers. I'm not about to throw down $12 for six (let alone $15 for four) beers when I might not be too psyched about drinking five of them.

I love finding stores that have shelves full of singles and "build your own sixpack" signs.

OMG Wegman's now stocks Sam Smith's and Framboise Lambic. Why do I have to leave Buffalo so soon?

(I was looking for other beer threads where I've expounded on Scandinavian porters and Belgian abbey ales but I can't find them.)

lately:
Widmer Hefeweisen - tasty, but not as good as:
Blue Moon Wheat Ale - kinda sweet, doesn't really need the orange everyone serves with it
Shiner Bock - made me feel all Texas patriotic

I'm really enjoying the Oskar Blues product lately...Old Chub, Dale's Pale Ale

Asahi "Dry"

Blue Moon Wheat Ale - kinda sweet, doesn't really need the orange everyone serves with it

Ha! Someone on an old Nanci Griffith board actually sent me a bottle of that from the states and it arrived intact and delicious. Sweet memories.

budweiser

I have to say that this thread features the most ridiculous statement I've ever read on Ile.
-- chris (chris), Thursday, July 31, 2003 2:20 PM (4 years ago) Bookmark Link

was this my budweiser is amazing, budvar is rotten stance? : D

I still believe that, btw, and I make no apologies!!

weyerbacher hops infusion, I'm pretty sure I said elsewhere, is SO SO FINE

I really dislike the sweetness of Blue Moon.

I also think Widmer is one of the least good Hefeweizens out there.

budweiser

shit, I get the same taste from drinking the shit that comes out of my sink pipes.....

Dogfish Head IPAs got me really sick one night. not cuz they weren't good, but because I drank five of them in less than an hour

Maybe you should try the faucet. (xpost)

I did, but that tasted more like Miller Lite....

Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat is my favorite wheat so far (tho I'm not really a fan of the style). It's got a hint of lemon, and a lot of people say it's too sweet, but on a hot day it does down nicely.

^^^worst Leinie's ever IMHO (even Berry Weiss is better), but Leinie's still rules.

I bought a mini-keg of Bell's Oberon the other day on occasion of being in Michigan.

Lately I've been liking Jever Pilsner, Three Floyds Pride & Joy, and the ever-present cheap Stiegl at my local.

It's July.
http://nohatnocattle.com/jibbajabba/050110-Tecate.jpg

I had a bunch of Sol a week or so ago while grilling a bunch of steak for tacos and eating the tacos.

Liking Six Points Sweet Action - not as sweet as it sounds.

Hofbrau Original is my new favorite.

http://thebeersnob.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/420.jpg

is that some kind of magic beer that actually tastes decent after smoking? (serious q)

some guy kept telling me about some weirdass beer this sat night but he also claimed to hate the taste of beer so i didnt bother remembering

Tecate is disgusting.

Been really diggin on these Rogue Dead Guy Ales lately. yum yum.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3024/2657849790_f26cf2937d.jpg?v=0

possibly the best Unibroue I've had yet (and that's saying something, because I love basically everything I've ever had from them)

http://www.brewbrain.com/Brew%20Brain%20Images/Rogue%20Dead%20Guy%20Ale.jpg

Did me right.

http://www.balloon-juice.com/managed-images/AnchorSteam2.jpg

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/9591/malzmuehlefassbiernj9.jpg

ive never liked kölsch or malzbier, but this ^^^ malty kölsch totally won me over.

pbr because i can have THIRTY of them for THIRTEEN BUCKS!

Per Ian's post above, like Rogue Dead Guy, but I had a couple Rogue Junipers on draft recently, and they were very tasty.

Hofbrau Original is my new favorite.

this, absolutely. i wish i could get it here.

runners up: paulaner original, pilsner urquell, spaten
honorable mention: bass, harp, newcastle, smithwick's.
best cheap beer: pbr

we should get develop a catch-all beer thread to make up for the 5 or 6 threads out there...

but in any case, i tasted a pretty insane stout this weekend (and extremely well-balanced one, for a big stout like this):

founders breakfast stout:

http://i.ixnp.com/images/v3.59.2/t.gif (not my photo)

weird, didn't show up. anyways it has a baby eating a bowl of oatmeal or something on the bottle, it's a thick, black, opaque stout that's brewed with coffee, chocolate, and oatmeal

Duvel is a perennial favorite.

any if you Nashville folk tried the Yazoo beers? I dig the ESB and the pale ale a lot. They won some big award for their Hefeweizen, but it was prob my least favorite of the bunch. Brewmaster L1nus is first cousins with one of my oldest bros.

http://bp3.blogger.com/_nXTU8U2MRaQ/RYlsjS5X4GI/AAAAAAAAADQ/JeWLwk0tNSA/s1600-h/Founders_Breakfast_Stout.jpg

grr

i have been digging the sour ales as of late, but they are def a love/hate sort of thing. also less satisfying in the winter death freeze.

leinenkugels' honey weisse is pretty pointless, or perhaps I should say it has a lot of "drinkability"

+ thanks to bud light admen for giving me a new term to describe the degree of similarity between a beer and a glass of tap water

I finally figured out what a "session beer" means.

harp is fucking disgusting! omg how can someone say harp...

no idea, takes all kinds

Schneider Aventinus Weizenbock is the answer to the original question AFAIC. Weisse-style mouthfeel, light enough to drink during the summer but has a hint of cloves at the finish that makes it perfect for right now. 8% abv but you don't taste it. You know that Snoop and Dre video where they are at the house party and some guy opens the fridge and it is filled with 40s? I want to do the same with this beer.

this list is kind of lame but it's partly inspired by drinking nostalgia... the beers that hold that subjective "best" place are pretty much all from my o.g. boozing days

wheat: paulaner dunkel weizen
pale ale: bell's
amber: bell's
brown: bell's
stout: so many of these taste the same to me... something something oatmeal something
lager: leinie's original

I almost never drink stout, but a few of us had the Left Hand Milk Stout last weekend, which is v. drinkable.

rotating top 10:

01. Grimbergen (Belgian)
02. Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout
03. Spaten Optimator
04. Guinness or Muphy's*
05. Bell's Two-Hearted
06. Dogfish Head - the one with raisons
07. Delerium Tremens
08. Red Hook ESB
09. Bell's Porter
10. Fat Tire amber (from Colorado)

*only if fresh from the brewery (i.e. made earlier that day & delivered to a local pub in Dublin or Cork respectively)

also just wanted to say how happy I am to see that Bell's is making such a strong showing on this poll. K-zoo reprazent!

poll thread