The Official Beer Appreciation Thread

[korab rules]

I could talk for hours about all the beers I love. I really love beer. Beers are like women - cold, sensuous, fulfilling. The good ones make you want to come back for more and more. The bad ones give you a headache and intestinal uncertainty. Too many beers at once will get you in trouble, but mixing a black and tan is a special treat. There are x rated comparisons as well, but I will leave it at that.

 

Let me start with the things I don't like. American swill. You know who you are. Genny is included in this, but one of them once in a while, especially while eating wings, is acceptable. Wheat beers. Sweet beers. fruit beers. Scotch ale, porter and any stout other than guiness - hefenwisen (sp?). Really dark beers, that are mollasses-like, nutty, christmas whatever, or winter whatever.

 

What I do like: Pale ales, IPA's lagers - from any county or any region. I like hops. I like a lot of hops. I like strong hops, I like weak hops. I have a strong affinity for Canadian beers, but I much prefer actual Canadian beer, not the stuff they export to us. Molson ex in Canada is good - not so good here. I love Carlsberg in Canada - I don't even think the Carlsberg you get in America is from Canada. I like strange Canadian beers like Kokanee and Upper Canada and some of the west coast stuff we rarely see here. I like an ice beer when I can find one, although I am always afraid it may actually be a 12 pack from 1993.

 

I generally frown on green bottles, like heineken and moosehead.

 

I love craft beers. Too many to mention all of them, but I will give you a couple I don't like. Dogfishhead - hated every beer of theirs I have had. Ithaca brewing. Their stuff is crap. Brewers who are too full of themselves and feel the need to be creative rather than make a really good honest beer.

 

I like mexican beer in the summer, especially while in the boat. Corona, dos equis amber. A favorite is pacifico. Try them with a lemon sometime instead of a lime. All the limes around here taste like crap.

 

I will give you a few craft brewers I respect - Victory, sierra nevada, red hook, Stone Brewery, Acme, Kona, Southern Tier is slowly gaining my respect (their 2XIPA has so much hops you need a knife and fork). Empire Brew Pub in Syracuse. Many, many more that won't come out at the moment.

 

European beers - I generally don't like english beers - their beers are as bad as their food. Irish beers are generally good. I like stella, pilsner urquel and some polish beer I had - Tiski?. I don't like most german beers I have beet exposed to, but most german beers I have tried are in green bottles, so I am inherently distrustfull. I do like lowenbrau and spaten. Hate becks. Don't like Italian beers - are there any besides Peroni?

 

I do like some of the Australian beers. Steinlager is good. Australian beers take me back to my rugby playing days.

 

Sam Adams pisses me off. I don't like there lager, love their nobel pils and light, but pretty much hate everything else they make. They are a perfect example of a company that tries to get too cute. I liked their summer ale the first year it came out, but they must have changes the recipe. I haven't liked it since then. Magic hat is another example of a company that is too cute. Their nearly pale ale is highly drinkable and mid fives ABV. The rest of the stuff they make is barely tolerable.

 

My two default beers are Blue Light and Sam Adam's light, but I can usually find something else to drink. I get easily bored drinking the same beer all the time. I love to go to a good beer store and pick out 8 or 10 six packs.

Sorry for all the spelling errors - working on a major project, no time to organize/spellcheck/grammar check. You get stream of consciousness tonight, and I am barely conscious.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

Oh....Taro....I'm with you on a lot.

 

I see Sam Adams Light being mentioned...and I do like it as it isn't a watery beer. But to me it's like playing -just the tip- when you can have a Sam Adams.

 

Peroni and Moretti are the big italian beers. Can be a little dry, yes. I guess I will try and match beers when eating out at certain places. Tsingtao is good and will have with Tai, always a Soporo or Ichiban/Kirin with sushi. Red Stripe isn't a bad beer. Stella is a really great beer. I agree with Korab on Ex being better in Canada and Carlsburg losing their mojo. They are better in Canada as well.

 

We used to always skip school for the NCAA tourney opening weekend and drink Genny Pounders. I miss getting those along with the different flavors of Orange/Cherry/Grape/etc. Crush bottles.

 

Great...now I'm ready to drive to Wegmans for some Peroni and Sopressata.

 

 

Thanks biodork for the mojo. All is well. You have to have some fun because you never know.

[Weave]

For those of you who are not aware, McGregors Taproom is a huge deal in Rochester. They are well known for the diverse selection they offer on tap. Their Henrietta location has something like 125 taps. And last week they opened a location on Maple Rd in Amherst at the old Hooters site near UB. 86 taps right now. And their food is very good too. Something for everyone in there. I wish I were closer to home, I'd be a regular at the Maple Rd site.

 

Lots of variety in the opinions here. Nuthin wrong with that. Reflects the variety of flavors available.

 

I think I started right out of the gate as a beer geek but didn't "get it" at the time. A small group of us used to cross the border and head to Brewers' Retail during breaks in classes at NCCC. We bought Molson Brador and John Labatt's Extra Stock. I used to buy alot of Carlsberg back then too. It was probably my favorite when I was a young guy. But we also bought alot of stuff that we weren't familiar with just to try it, like a beer called Schooner (is it even still available?). It's funny, you couldn't buy beer in NY as an 18-19 yr old but you could cross the border, buy it, and bring it back legally. When I was asked what I had to declare I was upfront about it, "two cases of beer". Never had a hassle coming across. And I remember going to the Lafayette Tap Room in the late 80's, maybe 1990 and drinking Pete's Wicked Ale on tap because it was new and different. And there was always buckets of OV splits being drunk at the bars along the waterfront. And when Buffalo Brew Pub first opened? :wub:

 

I guess I've always had a love affair with beer.

[Braedon]

Korab, I LOVE Stella. Can't believe I forgot to mention it.

 

Weave - will have to stop by McGregor's when we travel home. And the brew pub......I think my mug was in the 3 digit range, many a night there. For those of you in the Buffalo area, a new restaurant opened up where the Ebenezer Onion used to be in West Seneca, called the Ebenezer Ale House. 2 guys with a boatload of experience, both bartenders, one of them a staple on the bar at Brennans. Right now they have about 20 beers on tap, but the cool thing is that only 3 are domestic. The rest are imports/crafts:

 

Guinness

Hoegaarden

Flying bison aviator red

Lindemans framboise

Leffe

Weihenstephan

Breckenridge 471

Kwak

Lagunitas Lucky #13

Blanche de Chambly

Smuttynose Old Brown Dog

Ommegang BOA

Southerntier IPA

Sam adams summer ale

Spaten Marten

Sierra Nevada pale ale

Victory Golden Monkey

 

 

The other cool thing about this place is that their menus is BEER-INFUSED. They incorporate their craft beers into sauces and into the cooking process. My in-laws went there the other night and said it was fantastic.

[Sabre Dance]

Ha, well I can vouch that I never did get a hangover Straub's, but then the only beer that ever seems to hang me over is Budweiser ... or at least that was the case in college, been a looooong time since I had a Bud.

 

I think that the nasty feeling we call a hangover has less to do with alcohol (although it is a part of it, certainly) than it does with the unfermentables left over in any alcoholic beverage. That's why you get more of a hangover from red wine than white (glass for glass), or cheap whiskey rather than more pricey stuff (the pricier usually is filtered and distilled better). So, maybe the Straub legend is true. Your reaction to Bud may be due to 1) the high percentage of brewer's rice used (~30%) rather than barley malt and 2) the famed "beech wood aging". This consists of introducing a "charge" of raw beech wood chips into the holding tank and letting the new beer "absorb" the nice woody flavor. Obviously, this would introduce a lot of nasty esters and fusel oils not present in a more "pure" beer recipe (like Straub).

By the way, try this some time: Get a bottle of you average daily beer of choice (Blue, Canadian, Miller High Life, etc.) and take a couple of good, long tastes. Then, open a Bud. First of all, you will definitely notice the beech wood on the nose of the beer. One sip will reveal that not-really-appealling woody tartness. I tried this at a picnic a few years back and the Bud almost made me lose my lunch. Nasty stuff.

[korab rules]

There is a McGregors in Geneva as well - very close to the lake.

[Weave]

For those of you in the Buffalo area, a new restaurant opened up where the Ebenezer Onion used to be in West Seneca, called the Ebenezer Ale House. 2 guys with a boatload of experience, both bartenders, one of them a staple on the bar at Brennans. Right now they have about 20 beers on tap, but the cool thing is that only 3 are domestic.

 

Oh my. What a great selection of Belgian brews. My in-laws are a short drive from the old Ebenezer Onion. I'm going to have to make a point of stopping in there next time we visit. I absolutely love Ommegang BPA. It is tremendous on tap. And I've never had Qwaak so I need to try that one.

 

We get into Erie County about once a month and when we do we always make a point of hitting someplace beer-y for a meal. thanks for the tip. I'm adding this place to the list.

[Weave]

There is a McGregors in Geneva as well - very close to the lake.

 

 

Where abouts in Geneva? I may have to make a point of stopping in there later this year when we go to Seneca Lake.

[Weave]

I think that the nasty feeling we call a hangover has less to do with alcohol (although it is a part of it, certainly) than it does with the unfermentables left over in any alcoholic beverage. That's why you get more of a hangover from red wine than white (glass for glass), or cheap whiskey rather than more pricey stuff (the pricier usually is filtered and distilled better). So, maybe the Straub legend is true. Your reaction to Bud may be due to 1) the high percentage of brewer's rice used (~30%) rather than barley malt and 2) the famed "beech wood aging". This consists of introducing a "charge" of raw beech wood chips into the holding tank and letting the new beer "absorb" the nice woody flavor. Obviously, this would introduce a lot of nasty esters and fusel oils not present in a more "pure" beer recipe (like Straub).

By the way, try this some time: Get a bottle of you average daily beer of choice (Blue, Canadian, Miller High Life, etc.) and take a couple of good, long tastes. Then, open a Bud. First of all, you will definitely notice the beech wood on the nose of the beer. One sip will reveal that not-really-appealling woody tartness. I tried this at a picnic a few years back and the Bud almost made me lose my lunch. Nasty stuff.

 

This webpage should help you better understand how a hangover happens.

 

Hydration is the biggest factor but even with proper hydration alcohol will hurt you the next morning. Period.

[Taro T]

There is a McGregors in Geneva as well - very close to the lake.

They're putting up new ones everywhere it seems but they closed down the 1 just down the road from me. :angry:

 

Pity. The indoor parking was sweet.

[Weave]

They're putting up new ones everywhere it seems but they closed down the 1 just down the road from me. :angry:

 

Pity. The indoor parking was sweet.

 

Their website indicates that they are franchising now.

 

 

Anyone want to partner in a bar/restaurant? :blink: :death:

[Claude_Verret]

I'll jump in since I've had a little bit of a chance to gather my thoughts on this. I'm a homebrewer and beer lover, but like weave I wouldn't call myself a beer snob at all. There is a time and place for almost every kind of beer. Almost.

 

My favorite styles are APA, IPA, czech pils, porters, stouts, and some belgians every now and then.

 

My go to "lawnmower" beer in PBR. An ice cold PBR is fantastic on a hot summer day. Plus it's Drunkard's beer of choice when pillaging the RBC lots. When the Sabres are in the playoffs and I'm watching at my man cave outdoors it's always Labbat Blue.

 

My favorite beer is Pliny the Elder from Russian River. They "invented" the double IPA style with this beer and it's been voted the best beer in America numerous times by the readers of Zymurgy magazine. Unfortunately, outside of a couple bars in Philly you cant find this on the east coast, but if you ever find yourself out west do yourself a favor and seek this beer out. Unearthly from Southern Tier which has been mentioned is also fantastic, but it's no Pliny. Other good double IPA's are Great Divide's Hercules double IPA and I used to be a big fan of Dogfish head 90 minute but in the last few years it seems like it's gotten to sweet, almost like to keep up with demand they are not letting the beer attentuate fully. The continuous hopping of DFH 60 minute & 90 minute is a great way to get huge hop flavor in your beer. I have homebrewed a few that way and they usually turn out great.

 

 

Some regular APA & IPA favorites: Great Lakes Burning River, Sweetwater 420, Southern Tier IPA, Bell's Two Hearted Ale, New Belgium Ranger IPA & Mighty Arrow, Bear Republic Racer 5 & Hop Rod Rye (an IPA using rye malt in the grist adds another level of spiciness complexity to the beer that I enjopy a lot)

 

Victory Brewing in PA makes some fantastic beers. Their czech pilsner Prima Pils is fantastic. Of course the ubiquitous Pilsner Urquell is great too if you can find some fresh stuff that's not in light struck bottles. Their Donnybrook stout is also a great example of an Irish dry stout.

 

I enjoy Ommengang beers as well. Hennepin being a great farm house saison.

 

I've been to the national homebrewers conference the last three years and you can always tell what the new "fad" craft beers are by going to these. Last year there were a lot of Belgin IPA's. Big belgian beers fermented with characteristic estery and phenolic Belgian yeast but heavily hopped with american hops (cascade, centennial, amarillo, simcoe etc.). They are ok, but I can't say I'm a big fan. This year at the conference Black IPA's seemed to be the rage. These are basically IPA's brewed with debittered dark malts that give the dark color but cuts down the roasty character normally associated with these malts. There were a few that I enjoyed, but most were not done very well and were not well balanced IMO.

 

Alaskan Smoked Porter is fantastic. I love a good smoked porter and have smoked my own malt to brew with in the past. I know I have forgotten many but it's now 10 AM and I need a beer!!!

[korab rules]

They're putting up new ones everywhere it seems but they closed down the 1 just down the road from me. :angry:

 

Pity. The indoor parking was sweet.

The one in Geneva has been there for a decade.

[korab rules]

Where abouts in Geneva? I may have to make a point of stopping in there later this year when we go to Seneca Lake.

I'm sorry, not Geneva, Canandaigua.

 

 

759 South Main St

Canadaigua, NY 14424

Phone: 585-394-8080

Fax: 585-394-1406

[Weave]

I'm sorry, not Geneva, Canandaigua.

 

 

759 South Main St

Canadaigua, NY 14424

Phone: 585-394-8080

Fax: 585-394-1406

 

Ahhh, been to that one many a time.

[Weave]

I'll jump in since I've had a little bit of a chance to gather my thoughts on this. I'm a homebrewer and beer lover, but like weave I wouldn't call myself a beer snob at all. There is a time and place for almost every kind of beer. Almost.

 

My favorite styles are APA, IPA, czech pils, porters, stouts, and some belgians every now and then.

 

My go to "lawnmower" beer in PBR. An ice cold PBR is fantastic on a hot summer day. Plus it's Drunkard's beer of choice when pillaging the RBC lots. When the Sabres are in the playoffs and I'm watching at my man cave outdoors it's always Labbat Blue.

 

My favorite beer is Pliny the Elder from Russian River. They "invented" the double IPA style with this beer and it's been voted the best beer in America numerous times by the readers of Zymurgy magazine. Unfortunately, outside of a couple bars in Philly you cant find this on the east coast, but if you ever find yourself out west do yourself a favor and seek this beer out. Unearthly from Southern Tier which has been mentioned is also fantastic, but it's no Pliny. Other good double IPA's are Great Divide's Hercules double IPA and I used to be a big fan of Dogfish head 90 minute but in the last few years it seems like it's gotten to sweet, almost like to keep up with demand they are not letting the beer attentuate fully. The continuous hopping of DFH 60 minute & 90 minute is a great way to get huge hop flavor in your beer. I have homebrewed a few that way and they usually turn out great.

 

 

Some regular APA & IPA favorites: Great Lakes Burning River, Sweetwater 420, Southern Tier IPA, Bell's Two Hearted Ale, New Belgium Ranger IPA & Mighty Arrow, Bear Republic Racer 5 & Hop Rod Rye (an IPA using rye malt in the grist adds another level of spiciness complexity to the beer that I enjopy a lot)

 

Victory Brewing in PA makes some fantastic beers. Their czech pilsner Prima Pils is fantastic. Of course the ubiquitous Pilsner Urquell is great too if you can find some fresh stuff that's not in light struck bottles. Their Donnybrook stout is also a great example of an Irish dry stout.

 

I enjoy Ommengang beers as well. Hennepin being a great farm house saison.

 

I've been to the national homebrewers conference the last three years and you can always tell what the new "fad" craft beers are by going to these. Last year there were a lot of Belgin IPA's. Big belgian beers fermented with characteristic estery and phenolic Belgian yeast but heavily hopped with american hops (cascade, centennial, amarillo, simcoe etc.). They are ok, but I can't say I'm a big fan. This year at the conference Black IPA's seemed to be the rage. These are basically IPA's brewed with debittered dark malts that give the dark color but cuts down the roasty character normally associated with these malts. There were a few that I enjoyed, but most were not done very well and were not well balanced IMO.

 

Alaskan Smoked Porter is fantastic. I love a good smoked porter and have smoked my own malt to brew with in the past. I know I have forgotten many but it's now 10 AM and I need a beer!!!

 

You and me, we're brothers or something, right?

 

It's funny that PBR seems to be the swill of choice for most every homebrewer. I've never been able to get my mitts on Pliny but Bell's Two Hearted is a fantastic beer. Prima Pils is fantastic too, so is Pikeland Pils. It sounds like we have similar tastes in IPA's and pilsners.

 

I am a fan of Belgian IPA's. I love the combo of esters and citrucy hops. Brewing one is on my to do list for August. And some of the black IPA's are damned tasty. I first had a black IPA in Vermont 5-6 years ago in a little brewpub in a backwater town. It was heavenly.

 

Never been to the NHC, or GABF. I'll have to do it sometime.

[...]

When you say "Stella", are you talking Stella Artois?

[korab rules]

When you say "Stella", are you talking Stella Artois?

is there another?

[...]

is there another?

 

It didn't really need it, IMHO, but thanks for re-wording the question.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

Oh my. What a great selection of Belgian brews. My in-laws are a short drive from the old Ebenezer Onion. I'm going to have to make a point of stopping in there next time we visit. I absolutely love Ommegang BPA. It is tremendous on tap. And I've never had Qwaak so I need to try that one.

 

We get into Erie County about once a month and when we do we always make a point of hitting someplace beer-y for a meal. thanks for the tip. I'm adding this place to the list.

 

Very good. I hope they make it, because they are doing some good stuff there. The food is really good and has touches of class added to each dish, but not so over the top that it ruins the casual feel of the place. Their prices are VERY cheap given the quality right now....but I would think they have to go up in the future because margins look just too tight for the quality of goods they are using. You need turnover with all those draft beers. Everything we tried was good to great though.

[Bullwinkle]

One of the best beers I've ever had was Charrington Toby...an English beer. That was many years ago but the last time I was in the UK I was in Scotland and they didn't have it. Didn't have time to get down to England on that trip.

 

Aside from that, Munich is a great beer city. Lowenbrau, of course, is special.

[elj4176]

I'll jump in since I've had a little bit of a chance to gather my thoughts on this. I'm a homebrewer and beer lover, but like weave I wouldn't call myself a beer snob at all. There is a time and place for almost every kind of beer. Almost.

 

 

Another homebrewer and beer judge here. I try to drink the local craft beer wherever I am at. Just got back from a trip to Maine and had several excellent brew out there.

 

At home I usually have 5 kegs on tap - a czech pils, a pale ale, an IPA, a dry stout and usually have my version of Yuengling. Selection varies but that's the usual suspects.

 

Victory Prima Pils is a favorite. Sams Adams or anything from Great Lakes will do when I'm out and there is nothing more interesting on the list. We are finally starting to see some Southern Tier in Ohio. Hop Sun is probably my favorite beer that they brew.

I typically stay away from beer with fruit and/or spices - just don't care for them.

 

Stopped at the brewpub near the arena last time I was in Buffalo for a game and had a decent IPA.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

At home I usually have 5 kegs on tap - a czech pils, a pale ale, an IPA, a dry stout and usually have my version of Yuengling. Selection varies but that's the usual suspects.

 

I smell a group roadtrip for the Bluejackets game.....

[Weave]

At home I usually have 5 kegs on tap - a czech pils, a pale ale, an IPA, a dry stout and usually have my version of Yuengling. Selection varies but that's the usual suspects.

 

You've got me beat. 3 beers and 1 mead on tap at all times.

[elj4176]

I've made a few melomels but haven't in a few years. Maybe I'll make a black-raspberry mead this year.

 

Sabres fans are always welcome!