The Official Beer Appreciation Thread

[Weave]

Let's discuss favorite beers.

 

I'll start off by labeling myself a beer geek, NOT a beer snob. That will be evident early in this post. I cannot pick a favorite beer. I can't even pick a favorite style of beer. There are so many varieties that it would take a lifetime to acquire and sample them all. And I am doing my damndest to try. I'll start by saying what I don't like. I don't like fruit flavored beers. Well, *most* styles of them anyway. There are a few Belgian styles that use fruit that I enjoy. And I don't like German styled wheat beers either. They have a background banana and clove character that I don't care for in beer. Pretty much everything else style-wise has tasty representatives that I will gladly consume. For me, beer is a situational beverage. So I guess if I am going to talk about favorite beers, I need to list favorites as they pertain to different situations.

 

Summer thirst quenchers

My first choice for a beer to have after (or during) yard work or lounging on a hot and sunny day like today is Genny Cream Ale. It is light enough to be thirst quenching yet has more flavor than Bud, Miller, Coors. And for those of you young uns that's never had a Genny Cream but heard awful things, put away your bias and try one side by side against a Bud/Miller/Coors. There is a reason it used to dominate the beer market around here. I think you'll be pleasantly suprised. Also on my list is Southern Tier Hop Sun from down in Jamestown, NY. Like the name suggests, it has lots of crisp hop flavors but is light on the palate and low-ish in alcohol so it won't beat you up on a day where you're likely to dehydrate anyway. My honorable mention here is Labatt's 50 ale. Soft and thirst quenching but has a nice finishing Cascades hop flavor.

 

Beer to drink with Summer barbeque food

I like a light refreshing beer with my ribs or Chiavetta's chicken but I want something with a bit more flavor than a cream ale or typical American/Canadian lager. For pairing with summer foods I like a Belgian style called Saison. They are soft and dry but have a bit of a spicy character to them. My favorite is made by a NY brewery called Ommegang. Their Saison is named Hennepin. And it is delicious with Italian sausage w/ peppers and onions or grilled pork tenderloin, yet has the backbone to stand up to a ribeye steak.

 

Patio beer with a cigar in the evening

Typically I am a whiskey drinker in the evening but there are plenty of beers that substitute well here, most of them high alcohol varieties. Belgian Quadruples pair well with contemplative moments. So do double IPA's, barley wines, big Scotch ales, and export stouts. I have two favorites. A Belgian style quad by Ommegang called Three Philosphers and a double IPA by Souther Tier named Unearthly. They are rich and chewy and have enough flavor to compete with whatever cigar I am enjoying.

 

Beers to go along with Fall sports and yardwork

I'm a traditionalist here. Oktoberfests are my style of choice when the leaves turn. I like Dundee Oktoberfest here. And Sam Adams Oktoberfest is also a very tasty version. Honorable mention goes to a hoppy harvest beer from Southern Tier called Harvest Ale. It is an amber hoppy ale brewed just for Fall.

 

Winter Beers

My beer choices tend to the dark and higher alcohol in wintertime. Stouts, porters, Scottish ales end up in my glass most frequently. I like Flying Bison's Scotch Ale best. Rohrback's Scotch Ale is damned good too. And Great Lakes brewing out of Cleveland makes a porter that can't be beat in my mind. Stouts don't start and finish with Guinness but it's never a bad choice if your out on the town. And Guinness is fairly low in alcohol so if you are driving have one of those instead of a bigger, more alcoholic beer.

 

Beers for Spring

I've got two. One traditional, and one that's fairly new on the market. Every Spring I have to buy a 12 pack of Genny Bock. Admittedly, it's not an award winning version of the style but it's release is one of the first signs of Spring and is a must buy for me. My ohter Spring fav is a seasonal from Sam Adams, Noble Pils. It is their version of a clasic Czech Pilsner and it is a hoppy, crisp, and full flavored pilsner. Great stuff to quaff on those warm Spring days as the lawn is starting to green over.

 

You'll notice that most of my choices are made nearby. There is a good reason. Unlike wine, beer is best drunk fresh, and you can't get any fresher than a beer in season that was made and shipped less than 50 miles away. Storage that is measured in months really does degrade the subtle flavors in beer. And if you haven't really ventured beyond Blue, Mich Ultra, or whatever your usual pour is, do yourself a favor and start to explore the other styles available. There is an incredible variety of flavors and styles out there.

 

Anyway, that's my long-wided post about my favorite beers. Let's hear a little about yours.

 

(yeah, it's a bit slow at work right now )

 

[spndnchz]

What about "After sex" beer? "4:20 beer? Beer u buy when you know the alcoholic is on the way?

[Weave]

What about "After sex" beer? "4:20 beer? Beer u buy when you know the alcoholic is on the way?

 

Let's hear 'em. I bet you've got opinions here.

[FolignosJock]

What about "After sex" beer? "4:20 beer? Beer u buy when you know the alcoholic is on the way?

 

 

those are the only three types of beer you drink, right?

[LastPommerFan]

Great Flavored Beer from my region (and a tie in to the Whisk(e)y thread:

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale

 

It's a dark ale aged in old bourbon barrels with whole vanilla beans.

 

It's also delicious. Definately a "dessert" beer.

[spndnchz]

Let's hear 'em. I bet you've got opinions here.

 

I can only comment on the first one, a Raspberry wheat. The others: I never see 4:20 and if an alky's coming over I hide the beer.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

I don't like wheaty stuff....I don't like IPA's....I don't like lite.....almost anything else is fair game.

 

I think Sam Adams is by far the best quality line of the mass produced beers. Old Fezziwig might be my favorite.

 

Molson Export is my favorite regular beer.

 

I just can't get giddy enough about any small brewery or craft beer to make it a "favorite". There are plenty of good selections out there, but no must-have. I'm all for walking into Premier or Consumers and picking up a random 6 pack of something.

[Weave]

Great Flavored Beer from my region (and a tie in to the Whisk(e)y thread:

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale

 

It's a dark ale aged in old bourbon barrels with whole vanilla beans.

 

It's also delicious. Definately a "dessert" beer.

 

I've had that one. I agree, it is delicious. We vacationed in Lexington last year. Discovered it while I was at Keeneland watching a race on opening week. Brought a few 4 packs home with me. Great beer to enjoy with a cigar.

[Braedon]

I don't like wheaty stuff....I don't like IPA's....I don't like lite.....almost anything else is fair game.

 

I think Sam Adams is by far the best quality line of the mass produced beers. Old Fezziwig might be my favorite.

 

Molson Export is my favorite regular beer.

 

I just can't get giddy enough about any small brewery or craft beer to make it a "favorite". There are plenty of good selections out there, but no must-have. I'm all for walking into Premier or Consumers and picking up a random 6 pack of something.

 

 

 

AHHH CRAP.......Something you and I have in common :beer:

 

 

Thanks for the thread Weave, I won't go in as much depth, but here are mine:

 

Favorite Stout, All Around - Guinness

Favorite "Domestic" Ale - Molson Export

Favorite "Import" Ale - Duvel

Favorite pale ale - HopDevil

Favorite Hefeweizen - Paulaner

Favorite Crap Beer - Miller High Life

Favorite Seasonal - Sam Summer

Favorite "Knock me on my ass" beer - Great Lakes Blackout Stout (9.0%)

[thesportsbuff]

I'm pretty much a rookie when it comes to beer drinking. I mean, I've been pounding beers consistently since 2005 but I'm still very young and naive to the real wonders and magic of brewing. My evolution has gone something like this: Keystone Light-> Busch Light-> Keystone Regular-> Coors Light-> Bud Light-> most recently been drinking a little Miller Lite. So as you can see I haven't tried a large selection of beers. To be honest, I don't even like the taste of beer that much-- probably because of my limited amount of varieties tried -- but I drink it anyway to get drunk. As you might have guessed, I don't really have "the beer to relax on a summer night" or while I'm working in the yard -- I pretty much drink for two reasons: 1.) Parties (because I'm young enough to still feel cool about partying B-) ) and 2.) Watching or attending sporting events. But again, I pretty much just drink to get drunk, not so much to enjoy the flavors and taste of the product. I was actually a little blown away by some of you posters' attention to detail when it comes to the flavors and ingredients!

 

On a side note I was a little surprised to see Flying Bison mentioned! In college, one of my graphic design professors was (still is probably) the guy who designs and prints all of their awesome labels, with the planes on them and such. Before going to school there, I had never heard of Flying Bison, and unfortunately I could never find it at the nearest Tops Market, so I was never able to try it before moving back to the southern tier. Awesome labels though, and awesome guy designing them! I learned a lot from him haha.

 

But back on topic: What would be a couple good brands to try for a rookie drinker looking to broaden his horizons and learn to appreciate their flavors?

[TheMatrix31]

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale or a "Belgian" wheat like Blue Moon are going to be the most readily available "gateway to good beer" type beers for you, 'Buff.

[That Aud Smell]

that's quite an epistle, weave.

 

things are not slow at work for me, but beer is a subject near and dear to my heart. i will endeavor to be brief.

 

for starters, you should search out a book called travels with barley by ken wells - he's a newspaper reporter (WSJ, i think) who talked his way into a boondoggle down the mississippi to review and contemplate america's beer culture - specifically the phenomenon known as the beer joint, and its eternal guardian, the beer goddess. it's not a page-turner, but it does have a ton of interesting information on how and why we consumer our beer in the states.

 

i aspire (and mostly fail) to be a beer geek, and i'm no beer snob -- after all, the worst kind of beer is no beer (i recall that line from college, and it shows up in that book, in fact).

 

Summer Thirst Quencher

Genny Light. I know, I know - Light. But I have that girlish figure to maintain. Besides, how else will I get to be as fit and trim as Scott? In all seriousness, Genny's Light is very drinkable, and even has some body and taste to it.

 

I second your support for Cream Ale, and I encourage everyone to drink Genny products -- drink and eat local, I say.

 

Best beer I've had this year, but about which I am conflicted

Dogfish's Apri-Hop (that may be a misspelling) IPA.

 

Seasonal, and it's done for this year, but what a remarkable beer. Amazing.

 

My problem being, I watched some show that the Dogfish chief genius did on the Travel Channel (Sam something?), and I found the guy to be an annoying douche.

 

Beer I'm Most Apt to Order When Out

I always ask if there's any Flying Bison on tap. Always. My preference goes in this order: Rusty Chain, Aviator Red, Lager. All great choices.

 

Beyond that, I will look for a Southern Tier product - generally the IPA. I'm a fool for IPA's, to be sure.

[Eleven]

Three Philosophers. Freaking awesome.

[Weave]

But back on topic: What would be a couple good brands to try for a rookie drinker looking to broaden his horizons and learn to appreciate their flavors?

 

You've been almost exclusively a light beer guy so a segue into craft beers from there can be a little challenging. Wheat beers are a good start. They get a rep as being girly beers but I guarantee you that there a plenty of manly-men in Germany and Belgium where those styles started that would kick your arse if you told them their wheat beers are girly. Sam Adams Summer Wheat is a good start. Shock Top by Budweiser is a credible version of a wheat beer too, as is Blue Moon. Also, if you can find it try Leinenkeugel Sunset Wheat. Another place to start is with Summer Ales. They are usually lighter flavored ales. Most microbreweries make one and they tend to be on the lighter side. Sam Adams Summer Ale is a start. Saranac Summer Ale is another. It is a little bolder in flavor but look for Southern Tier Hop Sun as well. And Sam Adams light is an option. Not sure how a typical lite beer drinkr would like it but it is definitely lighter than their other beers.

 

How about this as a change of pace.... do you drink coffee? If you are a coffee drinker you can relate to the flavors found in stouts so try a Guinness.

[Braedon]

Three Philosophers. Freaking awesome.

 

 

Ok, never had it but know about it. I'm not a sweet beer guy, so I'm hesitant. Give it to me in comparison to Sam Cherry: as sweet, not as sweet, or apples and oranges?

 

Also, would you consider this an all night beer or more of an aperitif?

[carpandean]

I have to admit that I'm more of beer snob in the cold months than in the summer. Don't get me wrong, I like the higher quality summer brews (mostly from Germany and Belgium), but when it's hot, as long as it's in a bottle (I generally hate beer from a can), my standards are a lot lower. Genny Cream Ale is a very good example of that. I've also recently tried some cold Genny Light bottles and was pleasantly surprised. It definitely has a better flavor than most mass-market lights. Another favorite in the summer is Session Lager. Tastes pretty good an stubby bottles are always fun ... did somebody say Red Stripe?

 

In the winter, I'm generally drinking German dunkel (hefe) weiss (a.k.a. Dunkelweizne), porters, or occasionally stouts. There are several brands in each category that I will rotate through.

 

Another category that I like or Schwarzbiers (black beers); dark color but with a light body and flavor characterized by more of hint of malt than an overwhelmingly heavy amount.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

I do like Flying Bison line on tap. I like porters/stouts/reds on tap when out and they are pretty good all around.

 

Genny is fine. I have a little ritual after a clean trip to Roswell and go to Anchor Bar for wings and Genny Cream Ale.

 

Braedon....Export is even better on tap but nobody has it anymore. Molson also got rid of 24 packs of Ex in the states...which is a wallet killer. I just love it. It's not too harsh for someone who likes a "liquidy" beer, but has enough pizzaz to separate itself from Canadian/Blue.

 

My 4:20 was Old English Ice. Everyone would make fun of me for it....but a 40 of that and a little puff-puff would put me in the zone. They don't make that anymore. I swear...all my favorite stuff over the years gets discontinued. I must have truly bad taste.

[Weave]

for starters, you should search out a book called travels with barley by ken wells - he's a newspaper reporter (WSJ, i think) who talked his way into a boondoggle down the mississippi to review and contemplate america's beer culture - specifically the phenomenon known as the beer joint, and its eternal guardian, the beer goddess. it's not a page-turner, but it does have a ton of interesting information on how and why we consumer our beer in the states.

 

I own many a beer book, but not that one. I'll keep an eye out for it.

 

I second your support for Cream Ale, and I encourage everyone to drink Genny products -- drink and eat local, I say.

 

Amen brutha. Sing it loud from the mountaintop.

 

Best beer I've had this year, but about which I am conflicted

Dogfish's Apri-Hop (that may be a misspelling) IPA.

 

Seasonal, and it's done for this year, but what a remarkable beer. Amazing.

 

My problem being, I watched some show that the Dogfish chief genius did on the Travel Channel (Sam something?), and I found the guy to be an annoying douche.

 

Douche isn't strong enough of a word to describe Sam Calgione but he makes some amazingly good beers. And more than a few amazingly overrated ones too.

 

Beer I'm Most Apt to Order When Out

I always ask if there's any Flying Bison on tap. Always. My preference goes in this order: Rusty Chain, Aviator Red, Lager. All great choices.

 

Beyond that, I will look for a Southern Tier product - generally the IPA. I'm a fool for IPA's, to be sure.

 

I AM a beer snob when I go out to eat. I frame where I go out to dinner by the drink choices they offer and I rarely eat where I am not happy with the drinks available. Beer is an important part of my dinners out so I always ask for craft beers (unless its wings, good ole American/Canadian macros are great with wings), and local craft beers are better still. If I'm in Vermont, I'm drinking Vermont beers, same in Tennessee, Ohio, or wherever.

 

I love IPA's but I don't stick too close to them. Too much else out there to enjoy. I will say that when I've got friends at the house, IPA's are the most common pour.

[cdexchange]

What about "After sex" beer?

 

 

meh, what's your "during sex" beer? :lol:

[thesportsbuff]

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale or a "Belgian" wheat like Blue Moon are going to be the most readily available "gateway to good beer" type beers for you, 'Buff.

 

 

You've been almost exclusively a light beer guy so a segue into craft beers from there can be a little challenging. Wheat beers are a good start. They get a rep as being girly beers but I guarantee you that there a plenty of manly-men in Germany and Belgium where those styles started that would kick your arse if you told them their wheat beers are girly. Sam Adams Summer Wheat is a good start. Shock Top by Budweiser is a credible version of a wheat beer too, as is Blue Moon. Also, if you can find it try Leinenkeugel Sunset Wheat. Another place to start is with Summer Ales. They are usually lighter flavored ales. Most microbreweries make one and they tend to be on the lighter side. Sam Adams Summer Ale is a start. Saranac Summer Ale is another. It is a little bolder in flavor but look for Southern Tier Hop Sun as well. And Sam Adams light is an option. Not sure how a typical lite beer drinkr would like it but it is definitely lighter than their other beers.

 

How about this as a change of pace.... do you drink coffee? If you are a coffee drinker you can relate to the flavors found in stouts so try a Guinness.

 

Thanks for the responses and suggestions. :) I see Blue Moon all over the place so perhaps that will be my first endeavor...

 

I don't drink coffee, but I'm half O'Malley, so I've had the occasional Guinness. I wouldn't say I'm a big fan of it but it wasn't terrible. I also had a Genny Cream Ale a few years back because my step dad bragged about it being the best beer ever. I didn't like it then, but I was probably 17 at the time, so maybe I'll give it another shot.

 

I'll let you guys know what I think of some of these flavors once I try them..

:beer: :beer:

[wjag]

First requirement: limited carbonation

Second requirement: Dark, really dark.. Did I mention dark.

Third requirement: European (German, Dutch, English, Irish, Czech) or Canadian

[Weave]

Ok, never had it but know about it. I'm not a sweet beer guy, so I'm hesitant. Give it to me in comparison to Sam Cherry: as sweet, not as sweet, or apples and oranges?

 

Also, would you consider this an all night beer or more of an aperitif?

 

Apples to oranges. It is a Belgian Quad in style and very high alcohol for a beer. It is rich and dark and has hints of sour cherries but loads of dark fruit flavors too. But not sweet. Closer to sour really. It is a blend of 10% sour Belgian lambic so there is no real underlying sweetness. If anything, it finishes a touch dry. Definitely NOT an all night beer. If memory serves it is close to a 10% ABV beer. Think brandy snifter and lightly chilled.

[Braedon]

I do like Flying Bison line on tap. I like porters/stouts/reds on tap when out and they are pretty good all around.

 

Genny is fine. I have a little ritual after a clean trip to Roswell and go to Anchor Bar for wings and Genny Cream Ale.

 

Braedon....Export is even better on tap but nobody has it anymore. Molson also got rid of 24 packs of Ex in the states...which is a wallet killer. I just love it. It's not too harsh for someone who likes a "liquidy" beer, but has enough pizzaz to separate itself from Canadian/Blue.

 

My 4:20 was Old English Ice. Everyone would make fun of me for it....but a 40 of that and a little puff-puff would put me in the zone. They don't make that anymore. I swear...all my favorite stuff over the years gets discontinued. I must have truly bad taste.

 

 

I drink to that. I'm just to happy to get a bottle of it, the family brings some down for me when they visit. Hands down my favorite Canadian beer. After that it's Alexander Keith's. I am not a fan of Labatts, it has always tasted mealy to me.

[biodork]

If you ever find yourself in the vicinity of central PA (Harrisburg / Lancaster), this place has some good brews:

 

http://www.lbcharrisburg.com/OurBeer.html

 

The Strawberry Wheat sounds girlie but it's a nice light beer with more strawberry aroma than flavor (not sweet). The Winter Warmer is a huge seller in the colder months, and it's not listed here but they sometimes make a Belgian Triple late fall / early winter that is insanely popular (and 12% ABV). The Oktoberfest was always a winner, too. I'm not much of a beer drinker personally, but I like learning about the stuff (used to tend bar at LBC Harrisburg).

[biodork]

Genny is fine. I have a little ritual after a clean trip to Roswell and go to Anchor Bar for wings and Genny Cream Ale.

 

Here's to many more of those. :beer: