What Beer are you Drinking - Winter 09/10

[cigarnv]

I always enjoy Bells Brown, Lagunitas pale Ale and Dogtown Pale Ale and Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout which I try to age for 3+ years before drinking. Recently I pick up a few Founder's Breakfast Stout which was a bit different but very good.

[smokinjoe]

Picked up an 8-pack of Little Kings Cream Ale today, and am enjoying one now. You never see this down South, here. This was the beer of choice during my college days at Ball State. Everybody drank it, it seemed. The great thing about it, because they are 7 oz bottles, you could get the girls to drink it. :cool: I guess they were just used to small packages. :falling: Anywho, I think I spent more for today's 8-pack, than I did for a case back then...no, I'm sure I did...

[Josh]

Picked up an 8-pack of Little Kings Cream Ale today, and am enjoying one now. You never see this down South, here. This was the beer of choice during my college days at Ball State. Everybody drank it, it seemed. The great thing about it, because they are 7 oz bottles, you could get the girls to drink it. :cool: I guess they were just used to small packages. :falling: Anywho, I think I spent more for today's 8-pack, than I did for a case back then...no, I'm sure I did...

Funny! I'll have to give that a try.

I'm enjoying a can (yes can) of the Widow Maker Black Ale from Keweenaw Brewing Company out of Houghton, Michigan. It's named after a particularly dangerous pneumatic drill that was used in copper mines in the UP.

Keweenaw does all their beers in cans in an effort to bring craft beers to the masses. I don't know how effective it is, but I've liked everything I've had from them.

[SBOmarc]

Stone Levitation, followed by Stone Ruination. Hops, Hops, and more Hops.

[Gillman]

SJ, Little Kings always had a good rep even amongst the craft beer writers and many microbrew fans. It is one of the few mass market beers that achieved that status, and the reason is, it is very good! Cream ale at its best is an enduring style. I always liked Genessee Cream Ale on draft, less so in bottles but on draft in its home town (Rochester, NY) it is excellent. The origins of cream ale are a bit obscured in the mists of time, it seems to have been ale cold-lagered or possibly a mix of lager and ale. Anyway good brew and now that I've said all this will ya bring me a couple if you come to Randy's party? I'll bring you some Czech Pilsener Urquel brewed within the last 8 weeks (8 weeks before the party) that will knock your socks off.

Gary

[SBOmarc]

Thanks for the Genee reminder Gary.

When I think of what we paid for Kegs of this when in College. I clearly remember picking up 12 of them for a loooong weekend.

Also undrinkable in a bottle or can.

[CorvallisCracker]

Yesterday, after an afternoon of attacking an oversize cherry tree with my chain saw, had a Sam Adams "Noble Pils", one of their seasonal brews. Not bad, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get more, and am glad it was on sale when I bought it.

Last night, after attending an art show reception (wife had some pieces on display), we all returned to our house where I poured everyone a short glass of Rogue Chocolate Stout, served with a half of the GTS candy bar (two split in two to make four servings) on the side. Combination worked quite well.

[smokinjoe]

SJ, Little Kings always had a good rep even amongst the craft beer writers and many microbrew fans. It is one of the few mass market beers that achieved that status, and the reason is, it is very good! Cream ale at its best is an enduring style. I always liked Genessee Cream Ale on draft, less so in bottles but on draft in its home town (Rochester, NY) it is excellent. The origins of cream ale are a bit obscured in the mists of time, it seems to have been ale cold-lagered or possibly a mix of lager and ale. Anyway good brew and now that I've said all this will ya bring me a couple if you come to Randy's party? I'll bring you some Czech Pilsener Urquel brewed within the last 8 weeks (8 weeks before the party) that will knock your socks off.

Gary

[Gillman]

That's very kind Joe, and (I realize now) I should have PM'd you on this but you know how excited I get about these things. Get ready for some primo Urquel!

Gary

[Joshua]

Had some Bell's HopSlam the other night with dinner... I really enjoy that beer. I had no idea it was 10% abv, but that's a-ok with me. As with previous posts, it takes someone that really likes hops to appreciate.

I'm going to try making a double IPA here soon, maybe start it next week or the week after.

[nor02lei]

I'm working my way through a case of Founders Breakfast Stout.

Outstanding!

When visiting 2 quality bars in Gothenburg this weekend I did have this beer

Mike. I must say I was a bit disappointed. Far to mild and gentle for my personal taste. I did have a porter from ölfabrikken in Denmark the day before and it was much better to my personal taste, at about the same strength. I did along other beers also have a very good dipa called draget from the Swedish microbrewery nynäshamns. We are still quit a bit after USA when it comes to IPA types of beers here in Scandinavia but we are closing in.

Leif

[nor02lei]

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout which I try to age for 3+ years before drinking. .

I love this beer with soft chocolate cakes, bourbon balls and similar stuff. I’m not that delighted to drink it neat, as it can taste a little sweetish and stuffy that way. What happens to the taste after you have stored it for + 3 years? By the way. The Swedish government store makes their yearly release of this brand Mars 1.

Leif

[Luna56]

Had a Sam Adams Noble Pils with dinner tonight. Not as big and bold as a Czech pils, but pretty damn good. It's a seasonal, so get ahold of some while you can.

Cheers!

[bvscfanatic]

Mostly stuff that pours like used motor oil, but also a few darker ales and lagers. I like porters and stouts that are very malty and toasty. Almost anything but a pale ale. My bitterness tolerace is below 30 IBU.

Here are a few current favorites:

Ballantine American Ale

Michelob Porter

Wild Goose Oatmeal Stout

Heineken Dark

St. Pauli Girl Dark

Edmund Fitzerald (porter)

Conway's Irish Ale

Modelo Negra

Killian's Irish Red

Stegmaier Porter

Makes me wonder how I find time to drink so much bourbon. But somehow I manage to because life demands that sort of discipline and dedication. You know?

[Joshua]

Backwoods Bastard tonight before bed. I was asleep, then woken up and can't get back to sleep... figure a beer and a movie may solve that. Most of the time with higher abv beers, I take little sips... but for some reason this tastes really good to me in big mouthfulls. I've been on an IPA kick over the past couple months... this is certainly a change of pace.

[jesskidden]

Here are a few current favorites:

Ballantine American Ale

What's this? A new/rebadged Pabst product, a personal "nickname" for Ballantine XXX Ale or just a typo for the Budweiser American Ale?

Pabst has hinted at "reviving" the Ballantine ales (as they have for a few other of their many brands, like McSorley's, Primo, Schlitz "Gusto", Old Style, etc) which they've dropped and/or all but destroyed (in the case of Ballantine XXX Ale) but I haven't seen anything save for dropping the decades old "America's Largest Selling Ale" slogan (which hasn't been accurate in many years) with "Dry Hopped Flavor" on the case and six pack packaging.

[bvscfanatic]

What's this? A new/rebadged Pabst product, a personal "nickname" for Ballantine XXX Ale or just a typo for the Budweiser American Ale?

LMAO ... it WAS a typo. I DID mean Budweiser American Ale. And I was very pleasantly surprised by it. Both this and the Michelob Porter are Anheuser-Busch products and both are surprisingly good.

[smokinjoe]

LMAO ... it WAS a typo. I DID mean Budweiser American Ale. And I was very pleasantly surprised by it. Both this and the Michelob Porter are Anheuser-Busch products and both are surprisingly good.

I'm with you on the Bud American Ale. I'm a big fan of it.

[smokinjoe]

A Bell's Special Double Cream Stout is working perfectly with the Red Curry w/shrimp take-out that we ordered tonight. Cooling it down nicely.

[smokinjoe]

A Great Lakes Brewing Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. My next-to-the-last one that I have. Seems fitting on a day like we're havin' Down South here today. It's chilly, windy, dark, and damp here. Kinda makes me think of....

"The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead

When the skies of November turn gloomy."

This great beer is helping me feel better, but I am really, really, REALLY, sick of this crappy weather. This is Georgia, for Pete's Sake! Not Gitche Gumee!

[craigthom]

Sierra Nevada Glissade at NABC on Friday. I'm mostly an ale drinker, but they had this "golden bock" on tap, and I like the brewery, so I went for it. It's nice and fit well with the warm weather we had last week. It's got more depth than lagers often do, and the hops were definitely there but not overpowering.

Gravity Head is still going on, but I decided to go with something under 5% so I could have a couple and still get home.

[smokinjoe]

After reading Craig's description, I picked up a six-pack of the Sierra Nevada Glissade today. A very nice beer. Exactly as Craig described.

Before he passed away several years ago, my dad and I used to sample many beers and whiskies at his house. I'd bring something new over to his house, usually on my way back into town from a business trip. We'd sit, drink and critique. We'd raise our glasses, and salute each other with his favorite salute, "Here's spit in your eye". I have no idea what the heck that means, by the way. I came to know his preferences in beer, as I bombed in several that I brought him that I thought he would like. He was not a heavy dark beer fan. Though, he did like a good Guiness on St. Paddy's day. Of course, he pronounced it GWinness. I never corrected him, but rather just smiled, as it was just one of those things that made him so endearing to me. Nor, did he like very hoppy beers. A substantial lager/pils, but with a crispness, was more his style. I know he adored one of the Mooseheads. Maybe, "Ice"...I don't remember.

I now find myself tasting beer, and asking two questions: "Do I like it?" and, "Would Pops have liked it?" I somehow get more enjoyment, though in a melancholy sort of way, when I find a beer I think Pops would like. I do know, that he really would have liked this Glissade. Just his style. I like it, too.

[Gillman]

That was a nice story, Joe. I wish I could have lifted a few with my Dad in that way, but we never did. We lived in different parts of the country for most of my adult life, at a time when people did not travel as much as now. Now he is gone and I regret that I was not more proactive to see him when I had the chance. We did share a beer one time though that I remember, it was a wheat beer, about 15 years ago, and he said he liked it. I remember the brand, Blanche de Chambly from Montreal. Thanks for sharing your memories.

Gary

[ErichPryde]

A Bell's Special Double Cream Stout is working perfectly with the Red Curry w/shrimp take-out that we ordered tonight. Cooling it down nicely.

[HipFlask]

Pryraat a Belgian IPA is just out standing with steammed clams in cream butter sauce. Next up was a stella Artois. I will definaitely be having this combo again!