[OT] Favorite Beer?

[stenbaro]

all

[SabreInFla]

Oh god I love this thread already :). For me right now it's a toss-up between Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA and Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale.

Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA for sure. I have been drinking it for years and still love it as much as I did the first time I tasted it.

[carpandean]

You folks that say "no light beer" isn't that an oxymoron for you in the USA?

I mean, your beer is already light.

A light beer is 4% here in the great white north.

A Canadian who says no light beer, I am onside with. I totally agree.

If you Americans are drinking beer that is actually called light, it's pretty much a non alcoholic beverage. :beer:

The term "light beer" in the US refers to a reduce-calorie beer that generally does not have significantly less alcohol than its non-light counterpart. In other countries, including Canada, "light beer" can refer to reduced alcohol beers. US versions of Canadian beers do have less alcohol than the Canadian versions. However, there are also states that require even less alcohol (no more than 3.2%), which is called something like "low point beer".

 

Of course, there's also "light" in terms of flavor, which most traditional American and Canadian beers would be. Compared to English stouts and porters, or dunkel (Dark) german beers, these beers have very light malts, leading to more subtle flavors (well, hops can give them strong flavors, but British IPAs, German Pilseners, etc. are better for that, too.) Generally, though, I find that few traditional American beers are drinkable and most traditional Canadian beers are OK only for hot days or mass quantity drinking, but few are enjoyable slow-drinking beers. English and German beers (and a few other select non-North America countries), as well as some Canadian/US microbrews, are best for that.

[Eleven]

Coles has a rare beer festival this weekend. There are some interesting offerings, including some beers that are brewed in whisky casks. I might have a new favorite by tonight.

[R_Dudley]

Hard to believe most here have Buffalo roots and only a couple of Canadian beers. I figured Labatt and Molson would be well represented. That's what I grew up with. OV was also very popular at one time.

 

Well I gave my trendy picks but what you say is true to growing up in WNY and any canadian beer is good with me and actually Labatts or Moosehead is generally my everyday summer mass quantity beer.

 

The term "light beer" in the US refers to a reduce-calorie beer that generally does not have significantly less alcohol than its non-light counterpart. In other countries, including Canada, "light beer" can refer to reduced alcohol beers. US versions of Canadian beers do have less alcohol than the Canadian versions. However, there are also states that require even less alcohol (no more than 3.2%), which is called something like "low point beer".

 

Of course, there's also "light" in terms of flavor, which most traditional American and Canadian beers would be. Compared to English stouts and porters, or dunkel (Dark) german beers, these beers have very light malts, leading to more subtle flavors (well, hops can give them strong flavors, but British IPAs, German Pilseners, etc. are better for that, too.) Generally, though, I find that few traditional American beers are drinkable and most traditional Canadian beers are OK only for hot days or mass quantity drinking, but few are enjoyable slow-drinking beers. English and German beers (and a few other select non-North America countries), as well as some Canadian/US microbrews, are best for that.

 

Exactly and for me a part of getting older is less mass quantity drinking(e.g. remember shotgunning cans of beer) and more to quality and enjoying the experience... Helps that I can afford the prices now as well as I drink less.

[Guest Sloth]

Well I gave my trendy picks but what you say is true to growing up in WNY and any canadian beer is good with me and actually Labatts or Moosehead is generally my everyday summer mass quantity beer.

Exactly and for me a part of getting older is less mass quantity drinking(e.g. remember shotgunning cans of beer) and more to quality and enjoying the experience... Helps that I can afford the prices now as well as I drink less.

 

Talk about good times. Man, I miss the college years. I just thought of good question to ask. What is your favorite drinking game? My favorite is beer pong, but fubar is a lot of fun to play too.

[carpandean]

Talk about good times. Man, I miss the college years. I just thought of good question to ask. What is your favorite drinking game? My favorite is beer pong, but fubar is a lot of fun to play too.

In my fraternity, we played a form of speed quarters called Turbo (note: there are a lot of very different games that go by this name.) Basically, you have two teams of three that face off on opposite sides of a table with six regular cups of beer, three each on either side of a pitcher of beer:

 

o o o O o o o

 

(level of fullness for each is determined by how FUBAR you want to get, but they're usually only 1/3-1/2 full.) Each team shoots (bounces) their quarter as quickly as possible at one of the sets of three small cups, rotating through the three players, but not pausing between shots. When one player makes it, the other team passes its quarter over, so the team that made it can continue shooting and must drink the cup to get a quarter to shoot with. Once a team has hit all three small cups, they can shoot at the pitcher. Sinking the pitcher ends the game and the losing team must empty (drink) the pitcher and any remaining cups.

 

Many a boot-and-rally occurred between rounds as even the winners would drink a lot.

 

Warning: in chugging cups, the drinker would on occasion drink the quarter. The game was immediately paused, everyone would laugh and, after a new quarter is secured, the game was resumed. One veteran player, who could out-chug anyone else, was worth $1.50.

[ExiledInIllinois]

Birch.

 

:nana:

[evil_otto]

Coles has a rare beer festival this weekend. There are some interesting offerings, including some beers that are brewed in whisky casks. I might have a new favorite by tonight.

Cole's should also have some of the limited Inauguration Ale 2009 from Ommegang. I was lucky enough to get a sample earlier this week and it was pretty damn good.

[Eleven]

Cole's should also have some of the limited Inauguration Ale 2009 from Ommegang. I was lucky enough to get a sample earlier this week and it was pretty damn good.

 

Hopefully they still have some left when I get there in three hours. I'm not even a huge beer drinker, and I'm excited about the menu:

 

Dogfish Head 120 Minute & World Wide Stout & Fort

Harviestoun Ola Dubh 30 yr

North Coast Old Stock 2007

Oscar Blues Chubourbon

Oscar Blues Ten Fidy (Whiskey Barrel Aged)

Oscar Blues Gordon (Whiskey Barrel Aged)

Jolly Pumpkin Weizen Bam (bottles)

Le Proef & Allagash Les deux Brasseurs (bottle)

Lost Abbey Gift of the Magi (bottle)

Brooklyn Black Ops (bottle)

[Rico7]

Cheap- Pabst

stuff I usually drink: Labatt's Blue

When I am out if they have it: Boddington Ale

[Rico7]

You folks that say "no light beer" isn't that an oxymoron for you in the USA?

 

I mean, your beer is already light.

 

A light beer is 4% here in the great white north.

 

A Canadian who says no light beer, I am onside with. I totally agree.

 

If you Americans are drinking beer that is actually called light, it's pretty much a non alcoholic beverage. :beer:

 

I think that's an urban legend. 99.9% positive that the Blue you drink up there is the same as the Blue down here in the states. We pay a lot less though.

[Rico7]

Found it:

 

Why is beer stronger in Canada than the U.S.?

This is just folklore that results from the way alcoholic strength is

measured. The alcohol content of mainstream U.S. beers is measured as

a percent of weight (abw). Canadian beers (and most other countries)

measure percent alcohol by volume (abv). A typical Canadian beer of

5% (abv) will be about the same strength as a typical U.S. beer at 4%

(abw).

 

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/beer-faq/part2/section-5.html

[repster]

To anyone that goes to the games at HSBC:

 

Do you notice any difference in the taste of the Molson Canadian draft this year? The first game I went to, they didn't even have any - I had Heiniken, which isn't a bad subsitute, but I've drank Canadian for years at HSBC and it just doesn't taste the same this year. The Heineken they give you is in a smaller cup too. Not a Labatt Blue fan (no offense to LabattBlue on the board). There is a bottled Canadian stand in level 100, but it's on the opposite side to where I sit, and I've loved the Canadian draft over the years.

[millbank]

A&W Root and Diet A&W Root.

 

(but just once am most curious to try Arrogant Bastard Ale. :blush: )

[Bigthuder1636]

1.) Hoegaarden (Similar to Blue Moon. Its a Belgian White Wheat Beer)

2.) Sam Adams Light

[Eleven]

Cole's should also have some of the limited Inauguration Ale 2009 from Ommegang. I was lucky enough to get a sample earlier this week and it was pretty damn good.

 

 

Here goes: The Obamagang (from Ommegang) was incredibly delicious. A very nice dark beer that was thick and creamy (yeah, go ahead...) with some serious chocolate and cherry notes. It wasn't offered as part of the event, but it was available downstairs, and it was very good. If anyone is lucky enough to be in a city that got a keg of the stuff, please, go find it and drink it.

 

All three Oskar Blues offerings were nice enough, but the Chubourbon takes the cake. Nice and smoky. Great, GREAT flavor. But all three were too heavy on the alcohol content for my taste. (If I want to get hammered, I'll drink the bourbon, not the beer brewed in bourbon casks.) The Sam Adams Chocolate Bock was a complete disappointment (I know, a lot of folks think it's a decent beer, but it was served alongside some really serious competition), and the Mahleur Brut--one of the two light-bodied beers I sampled--was disappointing. (The other--the Dogfish IPA--tastes great for the first three sips, and then, it's way too sweet. Tastes like beer mixed with orange juice.)

 

The star of the show? Brooklyn Black Ops. Just incredible. At $4 for a 4-oz portion, this was pretty expensive, but it was worth it. (The $7 for a 1.5 oz shot of the Sonoran 100 was NOT. That beer was ok, but not great.) BlackOps is a smooth drink, one that belongs in a snifter rather than in a pint glass. It is smoky, chocolatey, and a little on the nutty side. Just a great, great brew.

 

Honestly, my favorite out of the entire night was the Obamagang. BlackOps comes in as a great second choice. And Chubourbon is third. The festival runs through tomorrow, so if you're a local, you might want to give it a shot. You can sample about six or seven nice brews for about twenty bucks, and these aren't brews that will be around next week.

[wonderbread]

yuengling

[evil_otto]

Here goes: The Obamagang (from Ommegang) was incredibly delicious. A very nice dark beer that was thick and creamy (yeah, go ahead...) with some serious chocolate and cherry notes. It wasn't offered as part of the event, but it was available downstairs, and it was very good. If anyone is lucky enough to be in a city that got a keg of the stuff, please, go find it and drink it.

 

All three Oskar Blues offerings were nice enough, but the Chubourbon takes the cake. Nice and smoky. Great, GREAT flavor. But all three were too heavy on the alcohol content for my taste. (If I want to get hammered, I'll drink the bourbon, not the beer brewed in bourbon casks.) The Sam Adams Chocolate Bock was a complete disappointment (I know, a lot of folks think it's a decent beer, but it was served alongside some really serious competition), and the Mahleur Brut--one of the two light-bodied beers I sampled--was disappointing. (The other--the Dogfish IPA--tastes great for the first three sips, and then, it's way too sweet. Tastes like beer mixed with orange juice.)

 

The star of the show? Brooklyn Black Ops. Just incredible. At $4 for a 4-oz portion, this was pretty expensive, but it was worth it. (The $7 for a 1.5 oz shot of the Sonoran 100 was NOT. That beer was ok, but not great.) BlackOps is a smooth drink, one that belongs in a snifter rather than in a pint glass. It is smoky, chocolatey, and a little on the nutty side. Just a great, great brew.

 

Honestly, my favorite out of the entire night was the Obamagang. BlackOps comes in as a great second choice. And Chubourbon is third. The festival runs through tomorrow, so if you're a local, you might want to give it a shot. You can sample about six or seven nice brews for about twenty bucks, and these aren't brews that will be around next week.

I won't be able to make it to Cole's for this, so thank you for the excellent reviews. I hope I will come across the BlackOps some other time.

 

I thought the same thing about the Obamagang after I sampled it last Wed. I'm into IPA's these days, but I easily could have sipped Obamagang for the rest of the night because it was so good. Ommegang sampled their Chocolate Indulgence right after and that was good too, but there was no way it compared to the awesomeness of Obamagang. Consumer's (Transit, Sheridan, Abbott) is filling growlers of it if anyone is interested.

[Claude_Verret]

Well my favorite beer is usually what ever homebrew that I have on tap. Right now I have an IPA that I modeled after Racer 5 from Bear Republic which is currently my favorite commercial beer. I noticed many folks mentioned 90 minute from Dogfish Head, while I still enjoy this beer from time to time I feel it isn't as good as it used to be. I think as the beer has gained in popularity they are struggling to keep up with demand and maybe pushing product out before it's ready. The beer just seems under attenuated (sweeter) than it was a few years ago. Other good double IPA's can be had from Southern Tier (Unearthly) and Great Divide (Hercules). To those of you still in WNY, please support your local brewery Flying Bison. Owner Tim Herzog is a friend of mine and he makes some damn fine beers.

[inkman]

Molson Canadian.

No Lite Beer for me.

You folks that say "no light beer" isn't that an oxymoron for you in the USA?

I mean, your beer is already light.

A light beer is 4% here in the great white north.

A Canadian who says no light beer, I am onside with. I totally agree.

If you Americans are drinking beer that is actually called light, it's pretty much a non alcoholic beverage. :beer:

This anti-light/anti-American stuff is laughable. I don't drink typical "American" or Canadian Beers as they all taste relatively the same, crappy.

 

I like dark Beer:

 

Any Sam Adams

Guinness

Saranac

High Falls Brew Packs

Blue Moon

Yuengling Black & Tan

Victory Lagers

Magic hat

 

Too many others to name. :beer:

[spndnchz]

Anyone try that Miller Lime beer? It sounds gross.

 

The strangest I've ever had was Mephistopheles' Stout. 16% alcohol masked by coffee, cocoa, and a bit of rum taste.

 

I'll still take my margarita most nights.

[wjag]

Any beer from Ireland. England, Belgium, Germany, Austria, or Czech.. Especially Czech.. Pilsner Urquell...mmmmm

 

I prefer darks beers and wheats... Dislike reds and overly carbonated American beers..

[plenzmd1]

Couple for me for everyday drinking

 

1) Magic Hat #9 Almost IPA $12.99 for a twelve pack here, very afforadable beer for the winter

2) Magic Hat Circus Boy Hefeweizen Nice for summer and again very affordable for the quality

3) Sam's Seasonal I tend to enjoy as well. Drinking the winter now which I like.Only one i am not high on is the octoberfest

4) Like Hoegarden which someone else mention, but at $10.99 a sixer I tend to avoid it.

5) Favorite White beer is Alagash White brewed right there in Portland. Little pricey at $7.99 for a 4 pack, but really is my favorite beer in the summer.

 

 

Cheaper ones I like

1) Yeugling Lager in cans. I believe any beer in a green or clear bottle gets shunked quick(maybe just in my head)

2) Bud American Ale. Maybe a little hoppy, but at $5.99 a six, not bad

3) Used to like Blue Moon the first two years it was out at $11.99 a twelve, but at $16 a twelve, I think there are better choices for that style of beer.

4) I do get a PBR drafts at the OTB in Richmond

 

 

BTW, just had this beer on tap at the local beer palace. It was by Bluegrass Brewing.

 

The name is Jefferson reserve Bourban Barrell Stout. I really enjoyed it, except for the higher alcohol content. Had two pints in about 30 minutes and felt it !!

 

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/395/29687

[MattPie]

What's in my beer fridge:

- Troegs Mad Elf: Seasonal ale, lots of honey and cherry. 11.5%, so beware.

- Lancaster (PA) Milk Stout: a nice stout with a more 'roasty' taste than Guinness. Brewed with lactose in addition to normal brewers sugar.

- Sly Fox Phoenix Pale ale (in cans!): I used to live across the street from the brewery, cans are nice for drinking outside in the summer and in the garage when I don't want to clean up glass. The beer is good too!

- Yuengling Lager (cans): won this case at a holiday dinner. The beer is good, but from past experience 3-4 cans in a night results in a vicious headache the next day, which is unusual for me.

- Victory Brewing Mix pack: Hop Devil Ale, Lager, Golden Monkey, Prima Pils. The hop devil is really good, golden monkey is a belgian-style at 9% and easy to drink (too easy). I'm usually not one for pilsners, but the Prima is pretty good.

 

Almost everything that Victory makes is good. I'm not sure if they distribute up to NY yet, however. Ithaca Brewing Company make a few really good beers as well (Nut Brown, Stout, and a summer beer I can't remember), but I don't think I've seen it closer to Buffalo than the Tops in Bath and Beers of the World in Rochester.