Let's talk Beer

I lived the majority of my life on the Mexican border, so my local brews were Dos Equis and Corona. Those were my cheap, couple o' buck beers. Imagine my surprise when the bill came in NYC......
Good thing is, I have a lot of choices here. I'd better stop writing and start sampling.

Murphy's Irish stout(I prefer it to Guinness for it's more nutty aftertaste) & Sam Addams Boston Lager (it truly has a unique flavor or at the very least a flavor that I prefer) are my top favorites. Followed closely by Black & Tan, Sierra Nevada pale ale and Timmerman's Raspberry lambic (Beer fermented in Raspberry's! Love this stuff!).
Like Jefferson, Corona is a personal favorite too & IMO is better than most domestic beers.

I personally like for imports, Pilsner Urquel, Spaten Optimator, Guinness & Bass (of course), Boddington's.

Locals: Goose Island's Blonde Ale, Red Hook.

Really Locals: Sprecher's Amber, Port Washington's Amber, and my brother's "Black Sleep" stout

But, I can't afford to drink these beers all the time, so, like Ron, I break down and get a case of MGD or Linenkugel's when funds are low.

P.S. Ron, glad to see a "heavy-hitter" like yourself is supporting a Wisconsin brewery. We're glad to have you on the team!

Lew, got a 750ml of the Red Chimay. Of course I like the Blue better and maybe even the White a little better. Love that Rochefort 10 though. I had a nice buzz.

I have to agree that Sprecher makes a mighty fine brew. I always make that my beer of choice when I head up to summerfest.

Last night I had a couple of Berghoff Bock's. It's a pretty good beer. I would say that there is an "alcohol" aftertaste that I'm not particularly fond of. It does seem to be a bit "thin" for a bock beer, but that is probably because of the apparent higher alcohol content.

I've only ever managed to find this a couple of times and both times on tap in a local bar. If memory serves it was an excellent Imperial Stout. Another pretty decent stout is Deschutes Obsidian Stout. Not as dry as a Guinness, but very tasty.

ouch!...that has got to hurt

Old Rasputin Imperial Stout

Tremendous pour...darkest ebony with tan head. Smells of wood, molasses, chocolate and malts. Taste is all fire-roasted malt up front with middle notes of dates, molasses and gingerbread. Pinch of salt, followed by mild hop tones, with chocolate aftertaste and alcohol warming. Full-bodied, and creamy...Awesome, complex Imperial

I lost 100+ posts from that snip, now that's love of fine beer, here's to another 13 pages guys

Damn Zen, that description of the Old Rasputin has got me drooling like Homer Simpson.

Sorry, but no, Ron.
Subjects in the AHL need to be copied by those interested in the subject themselves to their own PC's. It's not practical to make it part of our knowledge database.

Cees

Oh, no, Cees! Lightning bolt! Lightning bolt! Lightning bolt!

That's okay, we can just pretend we never posted our old comments and start fresh.

One of the great things about moving all over the Middle Atlantic is that I've been able to enjoy a really nice variety of local beers from Vermont to Virginia. When we lived in Manhattan, it was Brooklyn and Saranac. When we lived in Albany, I subsisted on many Saranac brews as well as Catamount, Long Trail Ale, and some weird locals. Now we're back in Richmond, where my beer odyssey began 10 years ago, and I'm back to some local favorites: Legend and Dominion, as well as the fantastic new Main Street Brewing Company and their fabulous "Work Beer." This is the best lager I've tasted in a while, and the packaging is hilarious (the label is like a time clock with comments like "You've earned it!"). It took a little bit of growing on me, but it's a regular staple in my fridge.

The problem is, Virginia is also loaded with superb wineries, and my wife and I are getting to be more wine-knowledgeable, so the beer consumption is down in our home.

What's Up Andrew?

Since your in VA, Stone Brewery products are showing up there as we speak. I invite you (I'm sure Ron would agree) to try some of their product, including;
Arrogant Bastard
India Pale Ale,
and Ruination IPA

this brewery has been popular in this thread, along with many others that we will discuss in the next 15 pages


Thank you John, It is that good, real special.

This weekend was a weekend of fallbacks a few Sierra Nevada Pale Ale & Bass Pale Ales , been very busy sanding my 6 ft. French windows, prepping for sound proofing. So, you'll find my reviews of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Bass Ale much more optimistic than my ability to drown out the sounds of a main street.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale:

Nice when a brew so widely available hits the target. Pours a cloudy yellow/orange. Smells of citrus,grain and hop. Nice sweet malt, with a tangy citrus middle, and generous hop finish. Light-bodied, but a bit oily. Solid is the word that comes to mind when thinking of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. There is nothing overally fancy about this brew. It's growing popularity may scream fallback to the serious drinker but an overall "gem" it is. A tinge inconsistent at times, from bottle to bottle

Bass Pale Ale:

This has always turned back up in my refrigerator. It IS my fallback. My tastes have matured over the years, but you can get a 12pk for $8.99 sometimes. I'm never let down by this brew. Of course I know what to expect. Nice amber color, stored in the right bottle, nice smell(a bit floral), with a light medium body, and a smooth feel all the way to the end. An original citrus tangyness (grapefruit rind), clean mineral water taste. This accompanied by a conservative hop snap, which always leaves me refreshed. There are probably a 100 better brews, this just happens to be one of my buddies that shows up every now and then. Solid, reliable and versatile. A little sophisticated in flavor for the CBM (Coors/Bud/Miller) crowd I've noticed, which only adds to this brews class. A winner!

I'm enjoying a Bavaria from the Netherlands right now. Cheers

Genesee Ale rules. Just kidding.

And voila! I'm back!

Took a hiatus again guys. Been busy with lots of stuff. Consumption after Seattle is down. Decided to drink less and start working out again. It's a WAF thing sort of.

WTF, where'd the thread go? Looked for it and found it gone. Got too big and now we have to start over. Guess this means a bunch of new reviews. Fine, here's notes from Seattle:

Ok, I love this city. Sort of SF w/o the traffic a # of people. Damn, I miss fresh seafood. Everything in AZ is frozen. ...Beer notes: Started at Pike Brewing's pub down by the market. Warmed up w/ Pike Pale. Not bad, but unremarkable. No where near the hops of say..Sierra Nevada. Would make a good daily beer for some but has that SamAdams/hallertau(?) hop profile. Not my fav, but ok. Got a glass of Lindeman's Framboise (rasberry) lambic for the wife. (btw: $6 for 8oz!!) Massive rasberries. Tastes like sweet rasberry jam w/o the seeds. Delicious and much better on draft than bottle. This was the beer I got my wife 4 years ago when she said she didn't like beer. Wife's reaction: "This is beer?" Enough said. As Pike is tied to Merchant Du Vin, they have a # of euro/belgian offerings. Orval was next. Zen, think Duvel here and you'll get the picture. Orval and Duvel are benchmark Belgian blondes. Enough said.

Next day brought back an old friend that I had at the hotel bar. Alaskan Amber. Truly an excellent Amber. Not as big/sweet as Fat Tire. More hops w/ a fantstic malt balance. I spent the night with this gem, paid for it the next day. Have not seen Alaskan down here in AZ. Used to get it in OR. Now I remember what I missed. Note: don't get my wrong here, I still prefer the massive hops of mega-IPAs or Brutal, ambers (decent ambers!) just make nice daily brews w/o dominating the pallate for hours.

Finished my time enjoying Fuller's ESB on draft. Absolutely one of my all time favorites and is just simply better on draft, especially if the bar sells a lot of it and the kegs are fresh. This is important w/ Fuller's on draft. There's a very marked taste difference as the keg ages. Anything over 2 weeks and it diminishes rapidly. But when it's fresh...

So Zen, how's the new digs? Ron, how's the new Green Room doing/coming along? Do we have an address for ALE? (Haven't checked my PMs-I tend to be bad at that.)

Nice to see the positive notes on Rasputin. I have always maintained that that is probably one of the all time best Russians and one of my top ten, if not top 5 beers.

Back online again,
MM

Michael, great to see you again! The new digs are awesome. The room is way live!, so I have a huge project on my hands.



Ron, we can use my work address if needed, just no weekend delivery


I've headed back to the gym also, before my winter coat comes. We don't drink enough beer for it to be a real factor though.
Michael, it was nice hearing about your journey. You mentioned Alaskan Amber . I am dying to try Alaskan Smoke Porter, which is very highly rated. Any of you try this?
Looks as if I'm going to Japan for work, it is almost inevitable now, with the Suzuki merger almost a done deal. What beers to try there?

Zen, Japan, huh? Where are you going? Most Japanese beer isn't very good IMHO. Some microbrews I have had are. I've just recently seen some good beer stores. Reasonable prices for Belgian ales. Also, for a pretty good beer, try the Ginga Kogen. There are 3 different varieties. They have a reindeer on the can. Probably the best macro beer in the country. Asahi Black is also pretty good.

Zen,

Japan huh? It's pretty cool over there once you get to know little local tricks and where to go. If not, it's very confusing and very(!) expensive. Do not plan on eating beef or fruit unless you have access to a connection. This is the land of the $35.00 canteloupes. Beef can run $100.00 a pound for the good stuff. If possible, get to Akihabara (sp?). It's the giant electronics region/shopping area of Tokyo. (btw-I lived over there for 2 years and graduated high school from there.) Beer selection is slim. Kirin beats Asahi but that's not saying much. Neat thing though: beer is available in streetside vending machines! How long will you be there?

One other note from my trip that I forgot. At the PHX airport, while waiting for our flight, I had a couple of Sam Adams. I thought the taste different than usual and much smoother. More of cream presence than that distinctive hop profile. The malt seemed to balance out much better. Bartender at the airport, who actually knew something about beers, said it was their Oktoberfest. Not bad at all coming from a brewery I'm not fond of.

Be good,
MM

The Japan trip is not etched in stone. Neither is our merger with Suzuki. It would not be at least until Dec/Jan, but I will keep you posted.


Would the aliens please return the real Michael Marklund ?

Zen,

Nyuck, nyuck, nyuck!

Believe it or not, I don't condemn an entire brewery just because their flagship/mainstay doesn't suit my taste. SamAdams was the only micro at the airport and I'll take just about any micro over B/C/M. What struck me as odd on this one was that distinctive SamAdams bite/aftertaste wasn't there. When the bartender told me it was their Oktoberfest, I had to give 'em credit for making something that wasn't all that bad (note: I didn't say it was great.)

Conversly, Rogue (making one of my favorites) also makes some I flat out don't like. I try to keep an open mind and will only judge a brewery/brewer by the individual products I have tried of theirs. Very rarely do I find one brewery that I enjoy everything they make. It is also rare to have a brewery that doesn't make at least one redeemable beer. Ok, there are exceptions and this comment only applies to micros. YMMV.

Alaskan smoke porter?? Haven't had it. Smokes aren't my cup of tea either. It's just a flavor that I don't care for in my beer. Apricot and chili peppers don't float my boat either. A review from me on these types of beer would be useless given my bias away from them. Alaskan's amber is top notch though.

Ron, will check my PMs and flip you my addy for ALE.
MM

I saw that the Sam Adams Octoberfest was out. I really enjoy that brew. I will be picking up a 12-pack this weekend!

If you can find a fresh 6'er of Red Stripe. It's hard to beat!

I got back from Yellowstone/Grand Tetons a couple of weeks ago and in addition to the great hiking it was a pretty good beer experience as well.

The Snake River Brewing Co. in Jackson runs a great brewpub with a nice selection of goodies on tap. In our two visits we tried the Zonker Stout, the Hoback Hefeweizen, the Buffalo Brown Ale, and the A.K. Session (English-style ale). All were top notch (food wasn't bad, either).

The bar in our lodge in Yellowstone had a nice stock of local beers. One in particular became a favorite - Moose Drool Brown Ale from Big Sky Brewery in Montana.

Unfortunately none of these seem to be available in Texas. So it looks like I may be ordering beer over the Internet for the first time.

You can't have a beer thread without a canadian in it so I'm setting that straight now

My personal fav's are Newcastle brown ale, Sleemans honey brown ale, Big Rock grasshopper is a nice beer but their traditiional is more to my taste...if its hot and the beers cold Labatt lite isn't to bad either.

but its hard to best a pint of newcastle from the tap at a british pub

Well, hello Andrew!...You can have your Labatt's , which IMO is horrid. The one Canadian brewery that could challenge any in the world though, is Unibroe , this brewery makes class act brews, one notably is Trois Pistoles , which can go head to head with any Trappist Belgian Strong. I think the Canadians do make some good brews, but more on the micro level. Check out Unibroe.
I can agree with the Newcastle Nut Brown on tap is okay. 5-6 years ago even, it was good in the bottle also. This is a brew that has lost its way, with the sugar content through the roof and a body that has thinned a bit, along with Bass Pale Ale and others as their mass market popularity increases.

Okay time to try it

I think that can be said of any country. I mean you wouldnt want me to judge american beer on the "big" names would you? There's a lot to be said for smaller micro's that don't have to deal with pastuerizing their products.