Favorite Beer

[tarless]

Lavery  "Imperial REd ale," hoppy and malty at 8+ ABV. Nice samll brewery out of PA.

Avery "20th Anniversery XX IPA." best IPA of all time. Great pale malt backbone while aggressive dry hoppin (not overly bitter). 10+ABV.  Avery is a larger brewery in Colorado. They seldom dissapoint.

Last but not least, the beer the man who likes chocolate peanut butter stout made fun of (cough... Kev... cough..)  Southern Tier's Warlock Imperial Pumkin stout.... very limited release... Youza!  best stout ever!!! Absolutely!!! Without question!!! IMPERIcally proven!!!  ;D

[segesta]

As another home brewer, I can say that the mass produced American beers, including some of the ones considered by some to be special, taste very much like bottled water to me.

The irony is that those watery lagers are among the most difficult beers to produce consistently. That's why small/home brewers make stuff like Raspberry Chocolate Oatmeal stout--there's more margin for error and still have it taste good, compared to if you decided to make Miller Lite in your basement.

Just talking about the chemistry, not the pleasure of the drinking!

[tarless]

The irony is that those watery lagers are among the most difficult beers to produce consistently. That's why small/home brewers make stuff like Raspberry Chocolate Oatmeal stout--there's more margin for error and still have it taste good, compared to if you decided to make Miller Lite in your basement.

Just talking about the chemistry, not the pleasure of the drinking!

I dunno.. I used to brew amber ales and Pale ales with some pretty good regularity (tasty ones). Weren't watery but not overly ingredient intense. If it weren't such a PITA I'd still be doing it!

[Vince in Milwaukee]

Believe it or not, had a couple of Hamm's beers in the can last night and they weren't half bad.  Either that, or the awesome thin crust pizza we were eating would have made any beer taste good.  Oddly, the side of the label listed the Hamm's Brewing Co. in Milwaukee,WI.  Didn't they go out of business years ago?  Wouldn't be surprised if one of the big guys is actually brewing the stuff for them.  BTW, before I developed a craziness for motorcycles, I was seriously into collecting beer cans.  There are still @2000 cans down my parent's basement.  I don't think that they are worth a whole lot of $, but who cares, they sure as heck beat tacky wallpaper.  
    

[Triple Jim]

The irony is that those watery lagers are among the most difficult beers to produce consistently. That's why small/home brewers make stuff like Raspberry Chocolate Oatmeal stout--there's more margin for error and still have it taste good, compared to if you decided to make Miller Lite in your basement.

I don't know of any reason watery beer would be harder to make consistently than non-watery beer.  To make the watery type, and I've made it before for fun, I use less barley malt and substitute other less flavorful malts like wheat or rice.  I also use next to no hops, just like the big breweries.  Don't get me wrong, consistency is difficult to achieve when brewing any beer.  I just don't see why watery beer like Bud would be harder to make consistently than a beer that has more flavor like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.  Maybe if you prefer very lightly flavored beers and drink them most of the time, you've developed the ability to spot inconsistencies in them, where they all taste pretty much the same to me.  I like beers with a lot more flavor, and can taste a lot of subtleties in them.

[keithl]

I like variety, so just buying American beers (even microbrews) isn't going to cut it.

As for Italy, I dunno, Morretti and Peroni are not bad. Again, there big market (relatively) beers, but they have a flavor of their own that goes well with many Italian dishes!

Kev


Have you tried their La Rossa (Morretti) it is very good. It just became avaliable in NC since they passed the higher alchol content law.

Yes La rossa, great beer. 

[Kent in Upstate NY]

I am currently sipping Green Flash West Coast IPA. Excellent example of the style. I have yet to find a bad example of the style. Hops Rule!

[DungeonMaster]

No, I did not read the entire thread but....
Dinkelacker Dark.

Sublimely smooth and full and rich. Just damn awesome.

DM

[tarless]

I'm surprised at some of the beers some of you craft brew guys like. Peroni, moretti, even the Rossa (the best of the lot)are cheap low malt lagers like stella artois (yuck) and Heineken. Again, not surprised anyone likes them just surprised craft brew fans would.  I don't consider anything made with corn or rice with little to no hops as being real beer. Just mass produced garbage regardless what country it comes from.
There's so much awesome local beer around here, and in the rest of the country, that I need look to no other county. Two new micro breweries popped up in my are recently which make it even more fun. I love a fresh growler of ale right out of the finishing tank.
Frankly I'm starting to feel that way about wines too. I had a bottle of dry red out of the st. Lawrence valley in Canada that blew me away. Tuscans have been real dissapointing lately especially for the price. I'm fine with Napa, Sonoma, Oregon, even new mexico wines...but this is a beer thread. :)

[kirb]

I've grown allergic to hops (I think) over the last 5 years. I am unable to drink IPAs without feeling like they are trying to kill me.

One beer I do risk the pain for once in awhile (10%abv):

[youcanrunnaked]

Magic Hat #9, Newcastle Brown Ale, Michelob Amber Bock if I have to pick an American mass-market brand.

Any amber-colored craft or locally brewed beer, especially if it is on tap.

[wrbix]

I am currently sipping Green Flash West Coast IPA. Excellent example of the style. I have yet to find a bad example of the style. Hops Rule!

http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?action=post;quote=962248;topic=2656.360;num_replies=406;sesc=dc3e967e2e294c43a8d01ffbae9eec41

Second vote -we have a winner!

[Pfaff!]

http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?action=post;quote=962248;topic=2656.360;num_replies=406;sesc=dc3e967e2e294c43a8d01ffbae9eec41

Second vote -we have a winner!

Man; THAT must be something:

An Error Has Occurred!
Session verification failed. Please try logging out and back in again, and then try again. 

 :BEER:

[Dimples]

Yuengling, Chesterfield Ale is my daily beverage. If you stop at any of the rural "Hotel" bars in the Berks or Schuylkill Counties of PA and ask for a Lager you'll get a Yuengling-- the oldest brewery in the USA and family owned!

If you are ever in Pottsville, PA you can tour the brewery (free tastings!). It's a quaint collection of building's and includes a cave dug into the mountainside where they stored kegs to keep them cool.

[Triple Jim]

When I was in college at the U of MD, Yuengling Old German was $4.69 a case, when Bud was around $10.  The Lord Chesterfield Ale was about a buck more, and was noticeably higher in alcohol content.  Yuengling Porter was a little more yet, like $7.50 a case and was very good.  A few years later, they learned that if they put the beer in tall bottles instead of the squatty ones that I prefer, they could double their prices and sell to the more elite crowd.  No gripe, you have to do what's best for the company.

[Chuck in Indiana]

http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?action=post;quote=962248;topic=2656.360;num_replies=406;sesc=dc3e967e2e294c43a8d01ffbae9eec41

Second vote -we have a winner!

I watched the Colts put the beat down on the Niners and Seahags  ~; ;D down at the pub in Redondo Beach that had Green  Flash on tap. Most excellent.  ;-T ;)
As an aside, I have actually seen a green flash after years of watching when I'm out here. It takes a storm out over the ocean.

[Dimples]

@Triple Jim-- Lord Chesterfield is now $26. a case in bottles and $22. in cans around here. It's about 5%. I'm planning to bring a few cases to Barber this weekend.

[Triple Jim]

I don't think a day goes by without something happening to make me feel old.    :BEER:

[wrbix]

Green Flash IPA on draught ....... Man, you know how to hurt a guy.
I understand, tho, that Green Flash Brewery is planning a manufacturing brewery in Virginia Beach - may get on tap around here soon. One can hope.

[monks_point]

I find myself reaching for a pint of Boddingtons more often than not, and for Gulden Draak when not for Boddingtons.

-- -- --

Since I missed the single malt discussion, I much prefer the Aberlour A'Bunadh or Glenlivet Nadurra 16 year.

[frans belgium]

Indexed list of the 2388 Belgian Beers

www.bierebel.com/biere.php

[Dilliw]

Indexed list of the 2388 Belgian Beers

www.bierebel.com/biere.php

Us Yanks can get the Leffe Bruin in the grocery stores now. 

[Blueboarhound]

Hacker-Pschorr Weisse (Hefe Weisse)
Founders Breakfast Stout

[Arizona Wayne]

Not being a beer snob or wanting to put on more weight, right now my favorite daily beer is Rolling Rock.   :P

[segesta]

My neighbor works at Goose Island, a medium-sized brewer here in Chicago. They took heat for "selling out" (literally) to AB Inbev, but they still produce great beer.

Anyway, I bought a four pack of notoriously hard to find Bourbon County Stout last weekend, and despite its motor oil color and consistency and 13% ABV (or maybe because of it) I just love it.

Otherwise, give me anything made by Belgian monks.

Update: actually, to me beer is like coffee: as long as it's free and the correct temperature, I'll drink anything.

[CND]

North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout


Also the Anchor Brewing Christmas Ale 2013

 ;-T

[Blueboarhound]

Hacker-Pschorr Weisse (Hefe Weisse)
Founders Breakfast Stout

Big Gruesome Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout is pretty good too.

http://www.springhousebeer.com/pages/beer/big-gruesome

[Key Lime Pie]

Anyone else try Sam Adams White Christmas yet?  Pretty good seasonal brew.

[skromfols]

I spent 5 yrs in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where alcohol is against the law.  We (the Army Corps of Engineers) managed to smuggle in hard liquor but beer was considered too bulky to smuggle in, so I had to learn to brew (because I don't care for hard liquor).  I read about 4 or 5 books on brewing and then managed to order everything I needed through the APO to brew my own.  I used Pabst Blue Ribbon hopped malt that I got in a can, corn sugar, yeast and yeast nutrient.  I brewed about 5 gallons a week, and let it set for at least 3 weeks after bottling before drinking.  The advantage of brewing your own is you can determine what percentage of alcohol you want and add or subtract hops to suit your taste.  After I perfected my brewing technique I probably taught 20 people how to brew, including a couple of Army Generals.  Served ice cold on a hot day in the desert it was like liquid magic.

[segesta]

I spent 5 yrs in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where alcohol is against the law. 

To update the old Mormon joke: Why do you need to invite two Saudis when you go fishing? Because if you invite one, he'll drink all your beer.

(with apologies to Mormons, Saudis and fishermen)