Beer appreciation thread

[AlphaFrog]

I tried Blue Dawg Blueberry Ale over Christmas. It was as bad as it sounds. I thought the blueberry would be subtle, but it was like someone took some blueberry juice and poured it into beer.

[PeppyGPhiB]

I found out Leinenkugel's is selling select beers in Washington state now, so I'm going to give their local distributor a call and find out where I can buy it! Yay, yummy beer that tastes a little like blueberry muffins!

[AlphaDeltaDelta]

Is it only cool to like microbrews or are we still allowed to love Stella and Newcastle?

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by AlphaDeltaDelta

Is it only cool to like microbrews or are we still allowed to love Stella and Newcastle?

That's an odd question - you can like whatever you want. It just happens I started the thread to try to give people ideas of new beers to try.

[AlphaFrog]

It's cool to like what you like and not base your opinions on whether something is "cool".

[Lil' Hannah]

Hook and Ladder is a Maryland-based brewery that donates a portion of each sale to local burn treatment centers for firefighters in the area in which it is sold. I've tried the Golden Ale before and was kind of disappointed, but I decided to give the Backdraft Brown a try this weekend. There wasn't anything really good or bad about it, it was just a nice little brown. It has hints of toasted malts and caramel, and has a pretty light body for a brown - a good intro to darker beers for those who prefer lighter beer.



It looks like they distribute on the east coast from VA up to Maine.

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by Lil' Hannah

Hook and Ladder is a Maryland-based brewery that donates a portion of each sale to local burn treatment centers for firefighters in the area in which it is sold. I've tried the Golden Ale before and was kind of disappointed, but I decided to give the Backdraft Brown a try this weekend. There wasn't anything really good or bad about it, it was just a nice little brown. It has hints of toasted malts and caramel, and has a pretty light body for a brown - a good intro to darker beers for those who prefer lighter beer.



It looks like they distribute on the east coast from VA up to Maine.

Thanks for the heads up, I'll have to try it if I see it in the area. Even if it's not that great, at least the proceeds go to a good cause.

I don't know if I mentioned this earlier in the thread, but there's a good chance I may be going to the Ommegang brewery in Cooperstown, NY this weekend. If so I'll report back, I'm pretty excited about going.

[KSigkid]

So, didn't make it to the Ommegang Brewery - the weather was terrible in upstate NY, and we barely got to the Hall of Fame and back.

I just tried Sam Adams Blackberry Wit Beer - if you're a fan of wheat beers, give it a try. There's not much of a Blackberry taste to it, but it's a very tasty wheat beer.

[Dionysus]

Beer newbie checking in...

I started drinking it two years ago, but I only drank Bud Light until six months ago. Since then I've been experimenting some.

I seem to like the stouts more than anything else. I've liked most stouts I have tried so far -my favorites are Schlafly's Oatmeal Stout, Left Hand Milk Stout, Guinness Draught, and Square One Imperial Stout.

I haven't had so much luck with the lagers and ales, but I am open-minded to trying more. The most frustrating thing I am experiencing is that I'm buying beers that tastes different than it claims. An example, I've been disappointed by the pumpkin ales I've tried, none of them tasted like pumpkin whatsoever. I'm not expecting beers to taste like soda, or Smirnoff Ice, but I want them to taste at least somewhat like the flavor(s) mentioned on the bottle. In other words, I need some recommendations! I not having any luck finding them on my own.

Breckenridge Vanilla Porter was the worst beer I've ever had (or happened to be a bad bottle of it). I was disturbed by the metallic taste. When I finished it, my mouth tasted like I either swallowed a bunch of rusty nails or I earned my red wings.

[SydneyK]

I was going to suggest Red Hook until you said you were a stout fan. You know what? I'll still suggest it...

I was in grad school when I discovered Red Hook. Like you, if I were going to drink beer, I had always preferred Bud Light. I got laughed out of the bar. (Then again, I was the only female in the grad program, so the boys felt like they had to teach me how not to be a priss.) Anyway, Red Hook is quite tasty. It's much more flavorful than Bud Light, but it isn't overpowering. The first sip is pretty hoppy, but you might learn to enjoy that hoppy taste (I did). But like I said, since you're a fan of stouts, you might not dig Red Hook that much; it's definitely much lighter than a stout.

[KSigkid]

In general, I think stouts are a good starting point if you're looking to expand your taste for beer. As long as you stay away from the hoppier ones, you can really appreciate the taste without being overwhelmed. As you go along, you can step it up and enjoy hoppier stouts (I'm thinking Russian Imperial stouts like Old Rasputin), and then branch out into hoppier brews overall.

I'll echo that Red Hook is pretty solid - there are a bunch of other breweries that I prefer, but the ESB is actually a good way to introduce yourself to hoppier ales.

[KSig RC]

Left Hand Milk Stout is one of the best beers being produced in large quantities in America today - absolutely fantastic brew.

You probably got a bad batch of the Breckenridge, although it's not the best Porter out there - if you want to try some porters, Grant's Perfect Porter is my favorite, but almost all will be solid. Flying Dog's Imperial Porter is sound as hell, but has double-digit alcohol content, so it's not for everyone.

Pumpkin ales really won't have a strong 'pumpkin' taste unless it's something niche like Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale, which has actual pumpkin puree in the brew. Instead, it'll carry a sort of "Halloween in a glass" taste. If you're looking for beer with a more explicit flavor, try Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Pyramid Apricot Ale, or Rogue Chipotle (warning: the last one is WEIRD).

[KSigkid]

Originally Posted by KSig RC

Left Hand Milk Stout is one of the best beers being produced in large quantities in America today - absolutely fantastic brew.

You probably got a bad batch of the Breckenridge, although it's not the best Porter out there - if you want to try some porters, Grant's Perfect Porter is my favorite, but almost all will be solid. Flying Dog's Imperial Porter is sound as hell, but has double-digit alcohol content, so it's not for everyone.

Pumpkin ales really won't have a strong 'pumpkin' taste unless it's something niche like Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale, which has actual pumpkin puree in the brew. Instead, it'll carry a sort of "Halloween in a glass" taste. If you're looking for beer with a more explicit flavor, try Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Pyramid Apricot Ale, or Rogue Chipotle (warning: the last one is WEIRD).

I LOVE Rogue Chipotle - but yes, it's definitely weird. I'd also add that Rogue's Chocolate Stout as a beer with an explicit flavor.

[PeppyGPhiB]

Originally Posted by KSig RC

If you're looking for beer with a more explicit flavor, try Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Pyramid Apricot Ale, or Rogue Chipotle (warning: the last one is WEIRD).

I love Pyramid's Apricot. Never have liked Redhook, though. Both are local breweries, though Redhook is now owned by A-B.

If you want to put a different spin on Guinness, order one of my favorite drinks: Guinness and cider (called a Black Velvet, but lots of bars get it mixed up with the whiskey if you order it by that name). Some bars make it with apple, but most I go to seem to make it with pear.

[KSigkid]

I tried Brooklyn Monster Ale recently, the brewery's barleywine style ale. Overall, it was fairly subpar. Barleywine style ales aren't my favorites, but this was fairly weak. I've had high-alcohol brews before (this is about 11.8%), but this one seemed to really accentuate the alcohol taste, which took away from the taste.

Overall, it was extremely disappointing. I would not recommend it, either to experienced beer drinkers or to the novice beer drinker.