What Beer are you drinking? Fall 2009

[unclebunk]

2 of my fav beers although so very different! Interesting to have them both in one night.

Yes. They are very different but I was trying to expand my friend's experience of Belgian ales beyond the standard "golden ale" types (Leffe Blonde, Hennepin, etc.) that he's accustomed to drinking. I loved them both but I'm not sure I made a convert.

[Vange]

He try any of the quads? Ommegang 3 Philosophers perhaps.

Maybe a dubbel, Allagash Dubbel or from Belgium Westmalle.

[unclebunk]

He try any of the quads? Ommegang 3 Philosophers perhaps.

Maybe a dubbel, Allagash Dubbel or from Belgium Westmalle.

If I had a bathtub full of Westmalle I'd lay in it and drink my way out! One of the difficulties you face when trying to turn someone on to Belgian ales is that the person has to temporarily suspend all that they have come to know and expect from beer in order to appreciate the vast differences in various Belgian styles. Given that my friend was never more than a run-of-the-mill lager drinker (Bud, Heineken, etc.), getting him to like Leffe Blonde and Hennepin was a major accomplishment, I guess. But he couldn't relate to the Grand Cru in any way and found it too unusual for his tastes.

[ODaniel]

Picked up these tonight:

Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout

Schneider Aventinus

Erdinger Hefeweizen

Weinstephaner Hefe Dunkel

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Bells Expedition Stout

Bells Double Cream Stout

I looove the Expedition Stout. Aventinus is pretty damn good. Oatmeal Stout is pretty good, but was expecting better. Haven't got to the rest yet.

[DrinkyBanjo]

Picked up these tonight:

Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout

Schneider Aventinus

Erdinger Hefeweizen

Weinstephaner Hefe Dunkel

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Bells Expedition Stout

Bells Double Cream Stout

I looove the Expedition Stout. Aventinus is pretty damn good. Oatmeal Stout is pretty good, but was expecting better. Haven't got to the rest yet.

Last night I had Founders Breakfast Stout and a McSorelys Black Lager. The Founders was a much bigger beer but after two I thought it'd be smart to switch to something not quite as strong. I thought McSorley's would be an easy swap but it tasted very different, good, but very different.

[unclebunk]

Picked up these tonight:

Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout

Schneider Aventinus

Erdinger Hefeweizen

Weinstephaner Hefe Dunkel

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

Bells Expedition Stout

Bells Double Cream Stout

I looove the Expedition Stout. Aventinus is pretty damn good. Oatmeal Stout is pretty good, but was expecting better. Haven't got to the rest yet.

That's a fantastic line-up! I love pretty much everything Bell's makes but in the cold weather months it's hard to beat their Expedition and Double Cream Stouts. And Aventinus is a world unto itself. I seem to remember reading that Michael Jackson once said that if he had to pick just one beer, Aventinus would be it. That's a serious endorsement, to be sure. The Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout is a classic but quite different and more subtle overall than the fuller bodied Bell's stouts. Be sure NOT to refrigerate it, which will thin its body out further. Just a quick chill or, better yet, store it in your cellar and you'll likely find it more expressive and enjoyable.

[nor02lei]

I did have Sierra Nevada Torpedo yesterday and Big Foot from the same brewery today. I must say that I like big foot a lot more and it is somewhat of a classic to me. Torpedo is good but a bit dry a think for a medium strong IPA. Celebration from the same brewery is much better in that class to my personal taste (although it differ from vintage to vintage as big foot).

Leif

[Josh]

It's funny to hear so much praise of Bells here. They make some damn good beers (which I drink and love), but some microbrew fans here in Michigan are starting to shun Bells because they think they've gotten too big for their bitches.

My favorite pub (which I am currently at) carries 15 Michigan microbrews on tap. There are currently no beers from Bells. They currently are carrying the following:

Kuhnhenn (Warren, MI)- Double Wit

Shorts (Bellaire)- Humalumpalicious (IPA)

Motor City (Detroit)- Pumpkin Ale, Oktoberfest

Michigan Brewing Co. (Webberville)- Mackinac Pale Ale

Founder's (Grand Rapids)- Red's Rye, Breakfast Stout

Dark Horse (Marshall)- Rod Ale, Perkulator (Stout), Raspberry

New Holland (Holland)- Ichabod (Pumpkin Ale)

Arbor (Ann Arbor)- Old #22 Alt

Arcadia (Battle Creek)- Roggenberry, Hop Rocket

B. Nektar (Ferndale)- Blueberry Mead

To acompany my patty melt today I had an Ichabod, a Huma... & just ordered an Old #22.:grin: If I do say myself, Michigan has the best microbrews in the country, period.:drink:

[jesskidden]

I thought McSorley's would be an easy swap but it tasted very different, good, but very different.

According to an article in the April/May '09 Mid-Atlantic Brewing News by Greg Kitsock, Phil Markowski of Southampton Brewing Co. (who has a connection to Pabst via a distribution deal and does "freelance" work for them) reworked the two McSorley beers, and the "Pale Ale" is now an "English-style bitter" (anyone who used to drink the Rheingold>Ortleib>Schmidt version was probably hoping for the return of the beautifully hoppy "golden ale" of that era- no such luck). Oddly, the "Irish Black Lager" (which once was a Black & Tan, in the Heileman>Stroh era) is now, somewhat perplexingly, based on a "German-style schwarzbeer". Both are all-malt now (and priced pretty high - around $7 a six-pack, which is why I've not picked them up.)

Originally they were contract-brewed at The Lion (labels said "McSorley's Brewery, Wilkes-Barre, Pa") but they've since switched (along with a few other Pabst and Southampton beers) to the old Rolling Rock brewery in Latrobe, PA, now owned by City Brewing Co.

[ODaniel]

It's funny to hear so much praise of Bells here. They make some damn good beers (which I drink and love), but some microbrew fans here in Michigan are starting to shun Bells because they think they've gotten too big for their bitches.

My favorite pub (which I am currently at) carries 15 Michigan microbrews on tap. There are currently no beers from Bells. They currently are carrying the following:

Kuhnhenn (Warren, MI)- Double Wit

Shorts (Bellaire)- Humalumpalicious (IPA)

Motor City (Detroit)- Pumpkin Ale, Oktoberfest

Michigan Brewing Co. (Webberville)- Mackinac Pale Ale

Founder's (Grand Rapids)- Red's Rye, Breakfast Stout

Dark Horse (Marshall)- Rod Ale, Perkulator (Stout), Raspberry

New Holland (Holland)- Ichabod (Pumpkin Ale)

Arbor (Ann Arbor)- Old #22 Alt

Arcadia (Battle Creek)- Roggenberry, Hop Rocket

B. Nektar (Ferndale)- Blueberry Mead

To acompany my patty melt today I had an Ichabod, a Huma... & just ordered an Old #22.:grin: If I do say myself, Michigan has the best microbrews in the country, period.:drink:

If they make damn good beer, I could care less if they turn macro. All that would mean would be more competition and less market share for AB and Miller, and cheaper beer for us.

[OscarV]

It's funny to hear so much praise of Bells here. They make some damn good beers (which I drink and love), but some microbrew fans here in Michigan are starting to shun Bells because they think they've gotten too big for their bitches.

Their Oberon has gotten lighter over the years.

I think they are trying to get a bigger market share via less tasty beer.

BTW, did you know that it was originally called Solsun?

[HoosierBoozer]

Ruby Mountain Porter is great beer for this time of year. It's not widely distributed outside of northern Nevada but worth picking up a sixer if you come across it.

[Josh]

Their Oberon has gotten lighter over the years.

I think they are trying to get a bigger market share via less tasty beer.

BTW, did you know that it was originally called Solsun?

Did not know that! I would agree that the beer has changed and gotten lighter, even since I've been drinking it. Also, just noticed that I wrote "bitches" instead of "britches".:slappin:

Arcadia makes a nice beer called Whitsun that is an alternative to Oberon.

Amy has a funny story involving a dog named Oberon.

[bonneamie]

Amy has a funny story involving a dog named Oberon.

Actually it's about a sailboat named Oberon. My cousin was at a boat parade in Charlevoix and that boat participated in the parade. Later at the bar she saw one of the macho guys from the boat (I guess you could call him a sailor) and asked him if the boat was named after the fairy. He was quite indignant with his denial. I don't think he had any idea what she was talking about because obviously it was named after a beer.

[funknik]

Actually it's about a sailboat named Oberon. My cousin was at a boat parade in Charlevoix and that boat participated in the parade. Later at the bar she saw one of the macho guys from the boat (I guess you could call him a sailor) and asked him if the boat was named after the fairy. He was quite indignant with his denial. I don't think he had any idea what she was talking about because obviously it was named after a beer.

I get that, too as I named my dog Falstaff after the Shakespearean rogue . . . people ask if I named him for the beer . . .

Last night I had a couple of Allagash specialties on draught at a friend's bar . . . The Cremieux is a Belgian trippel finished in Jim Beam casks . . . it was pretty good and very smooth compared to their regular trippel, but it's not going to set the world on fire. My second beer, however ,was an Allagash Black, which I thought was fan-damn-tastic . . . there's really nothing else domestic I could even compare it to as it is pretty unique . . . it sort of reminded me of the black beers you get in Europe, but smoother and not as aggressive . . . I'll be going back for more of that.

[unclebunk]

Went to Wisconsin this weekend and picked up a few six packs from the New Glarus Brewery that I hadn't seen before. Stone Soup (an Abbey Ale) and Yokel. I haven't figured out what the latter is supposed to be but their web site describes it as "a whole beer, straight from the tank, smooth, unfiltered and without pretense. Wisconsin, German and English barleys and the finest Bavarian hops combine in classic German brewing methods." Can't wait to try them!

[dean_martin]

I needed to clean out my beer fridge so I had a friend over yesterday afternoon to sample 7 beers. Here's the breakdown:

Seasonals

Bell's Oberon

Paulaner Oktoberfest

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

Belgian

St. Bernardus Abt 12

IPAs

Bell's Two Hearted

Stone IPA

Sierra Nevada Torpedo

We split one bottle of each poured into glasses and took our time. Afterwards we ate chicken wings that I grilled earlier in the day then finished with a pour of Basil Hayden's.

[MrB]

Sam Adams Light . An old favorite. Please support real American owned distelleries and not conglomerates hiding behind labels.

[Kevin]

The only thing I love more than trying a new beer is trying a new style altogether for the first time. Tonight I had the Harpoon Leviathan Saison Royale. Given to me for free by a Harpoon sales rep. I LOVED it, it has the nose of a dunkle-weiss, mega effervescence, and a complex flavor of sweet malt, spices, and hops' drying bitterness at the end. Whats not to love, if this is true to the Saison style, then Im smitten.

[DrinkyBanjo]

The only thing I love more than trying a new beer is trying a new style altogether for the first time. Tonight I had the Harpoon Leviathan Saison Royale. Given to me for free by a Harpoon sales rep. I LOVED it, it has the nose of a dunkle-weiss, mega effervescence, and a complex flavor of sweet malt, spices, and hops' drying bitterness at the end. Whats not to love, if this is true to the Saison style, then Im smitten.

Last night I had an Ommegang 3 Philosophers while watching the series. Being that The Yankees won I had some River Horse Double Wit as well.

[unclebunk]

Benchwarmer Porter from the Cooperstown Brewing Company. Of course I had to accompany it with a nice little dram of Old Pulteney from the northernmost distillery in mainland Scotland. It seemed fitting to have the porter and SMS on such a cold night and both went down the hatch beautifully!

[Josh]

Friday= The Pub

Today I had two pretty good beers:

Arbor's Porter & Bell's Rye Stout

The porter was fine, but there was some off note in the finish that I just couldn't put my finger on.

Bell's rye was really unique, and very well executed. I'll be ordering that one again.

[ODaniel]

Friday= The Pub

Today I had two pretty good beers:

Arbor's Porter & Bell's Rye Stout

The porter was fine, but there was some off note in the finish that I just couldn't put my finger on.

Bell's rye was really unique, and very well executed. I'll be ordering that one again.

I haven't seen that here. Is it seasonal or maybe it's just not distributed here. The Bell's Rye that is. I need to try some Rye beers. Founders for example.

[nor02lei]

I did have Amarillo (Swedish IPA), Torpedo and big foot yesterday. I did have the big foot with my dinner that was a spicy liver stew. It did work out excellent with the Sierra Nevada beer and better than my previous 3 choices with this dish that have been the other 2 beers I had yesterday and a pretty heavy red wine. Today I will be eating a real hot chilli. The drinking choices will be easy: Big foot (or any other good double IPA if I had any at home)!

Leif

[Josh]

I haven't seen that here. Is it seasonal or maybe it's just not distributed here. The Bell's Rye that is. I need to try some Rye beers. Founders for example.

Can't speak to the distribution of the ryes, but Bell's is almost everywhere now, so it might be around somewhere near you. I've had two other rye beers, Arcadia's Sky High Rye & the Founders' Red's rye you spoke of. They are all plentiful around here. pm me.