Regional Beers and Local Favorites
 

I x-posted this in the TLDR: Beer club, but figured there's always good beer discussion to be had in OOT, especially after reading the MGD Light thread.

Last week I was back in Madison, Wisconsin and decided to pick up some beer that I can't get around here (Austin, TX). I had limited suitcase space, so here's what I chose.

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/9...isc0080zo4.jpg
From left to right:
New Glarus Belgian Red At $9/bottle this is probably overpriced, but it's a big crowd pleaser. With over a pound of Door County cherries and Wisconsin farmed wheat this is a good choice for a piece of Wisconsin to bring home.
New Glarus Spotted Cow This farmhouse ale is a huge Wisconsin favorite that I couldn't resist bringing home with me.
Bell's Two Hearted Ale I'm thinking I could find this in Austin, but I don't recall seeing it off hand, so I picked one up as it's one of my favorite IPAs (Along with Racer 5 and Maharaja)
Lake Louie Tommy's Porter Lake Louie is not an actual lake, but a pond at the Arena, WI brewery. I have loved everything that I've tried from these guys and this traditional Porter is no exception.
Bell's Oberon Ale With Summer fleeting I decided to snag another of Bell's great beers.
Capital Brewery Wisconsin Amber Another local favorite and the number one seller from an excellent brewery. Read Why they still claim the title of America's #1 Brewery
Ale Asylum Hopalicious I have high expectations for this American Pale Ale. The word on the street is that this is a new brewery created by brewer's from Madison's own Angelic Brew Pub. After hearing this new brewery mentioned a couple times I decided it's time I try some.
Lake Louie Coon Rock Cream Ale I don't recall trying this particular brew, so hopefully it lives up to the Lake Louie name. An interesting antic from the brewery- Lake Louie (it's a pond remember) hosts hockey games held by the brewers and friends. After every goal the game stops for a drink. Scores are reported to be in the 30's and above.
Capital Brewery Autumnal Fire I can't remeber anything about this seasonal other than people like it. I hope it's a winner because I got two of them.
Avery Maharaja Imperial India Pale Ale Widely available, but it's been out of season for a couple months now. I found a couple bottles tucked away in the bottom shelf of the fridges collecting mold. So I bought one for my host and one to bring back. At $7/bottle it must not be a popular choice on the UW campus.

So what'd I miss out on? I'm pretty happy with my selection. Chime in on what you do or don't like about these beers/breweries.

What beers do you miss that you can't seem to find where you live? What beers are local favorites that don't seem to be anywhere else?

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Narragansett

Re: Regional Beers and Local Favorites
 

I really like Goose Island beers, brewed in Chicago. I can't seem to find them where I live.

Re: Regional Beers and Local Favorites
 

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New Glarus Belgian Red At $9/bottle this is probably overpriced, but it's a big crowd pleaser. With over a pound of Door County cherries and Wisconsin farmed wheat this is a good choice for a piece of Wisconsin to bring home.


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this sounds really good; high quality fruit def. makes a big difference.

Re: Regional Beers and Local Favorites
 

We have a local brewery here that is a city favorite. Very very good beer. Good enough to ship to family in Cali for Christmas.

Boulevard is the Brewery, and the Boulevard Wheat is my personal favorite.


Brewery:

http://img458.imageshack.us/img458/3...elbach2zi5.jpg

Wheat Beer (label):

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/6...d741835cx8.jpg

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We have a local brewery here that is a city favorite. Very very good beer. Good enough to ship to family in Cali for Christmas.

Boulevard is the Brewery, and the Boulevard Wheat is my personal favorite.

Wheat Beer (label):

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/6...d741835cx8.jpg

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I lived with 2 people from Lincoln, and have quite a few more friends from NE. So I've drank a bunch of this stuff. Really good beer, but I think the nostalgia kicks it up a few more points than it deserves.

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Bell's Oberon Ale With Summer fleeting I decided to snag another of Bell's great beers.

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Oberon is the [censored]! My inlaws live in Michigan and before I make any trip to MI they must have a case of Oberon in the fridge.

My friends and I have a local brews only rule when we travel. A few good ones I remember off the top of my head:
Christian Morelein in Cincinnati
Smutty Nose Brown Ale in New Hampshire
Rogue Dead Guy Ale, where the hell was that?
Huber Premium or something in Wisconsin

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Rogue Dead Guy Ale, where the hell was that?


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San Francisco I think. It's a pretty damn good brewery, although Dead Guy isn't my favorite from them.

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Rogue Dead Guy Ale, where the hell was that?


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San Francisco I think. It's a pretty damn good brewery, although Dead Guy isn't my favorite from them.

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Nope, it's Newport, Oregon, about 80 miles from Portland.

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I really like Goose Island beers, brewed in Chicago. I can't seem to find them where I live.

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I'm a big fan of GI as well. Their IPA is the best of any I've ever tried.

I've had a few of the beers in the OP and none really stood out(Spotted Cow, Oberon) except the Two-Hearted ale. I havent tried every Bells variety, but it is my favorite of those I have. I was especially disappointed Hopalicious, as I'd heard really good things about it while in Madison. It was ok, but nothing special. A little too sweet even for me if I recall.

Re: Regional Beers and Local Favorites
 

Abita is a sweeeeeeeeeeeet beer company in New Orleans. They do seasonal beers along with the standards like amber, lite, etc. Everything I've had that they brew is so good.

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We have a local brewery here that is a city favorite. Very very good beer. Good enough to ship to family in Cali for Christmas.

Boulevard is the Brewery, and the Boulevard Wheat is my personal favorite.





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I lived with 2 people from Lincoln, and have quite a few more friends from NE. So I've drank a bunch of this stuff. Really good beer, but I think the nostalgia kicks it up a few more points than it deserves.

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Yeah, its one of my favorite wheat beers but Guinness, Delirium, Hogarden and any number of Colorado and Kansas City micro-breweries are better.

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Rogue Dead Guy Ale, where the hell was that?


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San Francisco I think. It's a pretty damn good brewery, although Dead Guy isn't my favorite from them.

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As a native Oregonian I am rather partial to Rouge myself, it offers a wide range variety of excellent options. There's a Rouge Bar in North Beach SF, maybe that's what you're thinking of.

I really like their Mocha Porter FYI

Re: Regional Beers and Local Favorites
 

I guess I'll x-post my reviews from the Lounge as well.

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Well, I just got back from my friend's house where I cracked open the Belgian Red. It's hard to characterize because it's so fruity. I'm not one who is much into fruit beers, but this is one I will purchase from time to time.

It's light read in color and fairly opaque. I have a hard time pickiung up aromas, but this is one beer which stands out. It smells just like a bowl of sweet, fresh cherries. It's got a very thin head, which makes for a very smooth beer when combined with the sweet cherry flavor. It's a little tangy on the front end and finishes almost being sharp because it's so sweet, but not in a bad way. It's mouthfeel is a little syrupy/sugary, but very clean. It leaves a very pleasant cherry aftertaste. Although this is a far cry from the bitter beers I usually drink it is one I enjoy, and it's definitely something the kids will love. rating: four out of five cherries.

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It'll be a while before I get around to the rest of these as I'm leaving for Minnesota, where I predict I will drink nothing but MGD Light, Whiskey and Jaeg.

Re: Regional Beers and Local Favorites
 

I'm honestly not a big beer guy (usually just as happy if not more happy with a PBR than anything else), but I miss Mac & Jack's from Seattle. I have heard there are places you can get it in Portland, but I don't know where. Hale's Ales Cream Ale is another Seattle one I miss.

Re: Regional Beers and Local Favorites
 

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New Glarus Spotted Cow This farmhouse ale is a huge Wisconsin favorite that I couldn't resist bringing home with me.

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First thing I thought of when I saw this thread. Nice choice.

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I'd reaaaaalllllyyyy like to try the New Glarus Belgian Red. If only they distributed to a wider range [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Re: Regional Beers and Local Favorites
 

I've had Rogue Dead Guy in Columbus, Ohio.


Great Lakes Eliot Ness and/or Christmas Ale, btw.

Re: Regional Beers and Local Favorites
 

Rogue Dead Guy is certainly their most popular/widely available beer. When I was at their brewery last month they were getting ready to ship about 10 pallets of cases to a Costco by DC.

Here is Oregon the main regionals we have are:
Deschutes
Bridgeport
Rogue
Pyramid/MacTarnahans
Widmer

each one has several varities available.

As I have mentioned before, a blessing and a curse living out here. Tons of other Micro's available at brew pubs.

We also get some Seattle stuff like Red Hook.




As another topic, very much related to OP, I was talking about this very same thing with some friends a few weeks ago. The US has this amazing growing section of regional microbrews, much like what is available in places like Germany, Belgium, and Czech Rep.

I don't know much about what its like in the midwest or back east, but the West Coast keeps it damn real. Tons of local breweries all up the Left Coast. Probably because hops are grown in aplently out here.

I want to give a shout out to Stone Brewery down in Escondido(I think). Love their stuff. Up in Seattle Red Hook is still my [censored]. Love their ESB which I had for the first time in years before the Hawks season opener.

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"I don't know much about what its like in the midwest or back ea"

vermont, nh and maine are awesome for brewerys. it seems every little town has its own microbrew. unpasteurized too.

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Abita is a sweeeeeeeeeeeet beer company in New Orleans.

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Abita is fun. Turbodog is a quirky but tasty beer to throw back on a summer day. You really can taste the spring water they use. I proudly display this poster a friend gave me in my living room:

http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/4...aposterjp9.jpg

Also, in Austin Texas, Independence Brewery puts out some great stuff. They are very small and local, but if you visit from out of town, try their Fireman's No. 4.

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http://www.shadowmatrix.net/yuengling.jpg

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http://www.shadowmatrix.net/yuengling.jpg

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by the time I had time to search the image he beat me too it.

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http://www.shadowmatrix.net/yuengling.jpg

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by the time I had time to search the image he beat me too it.

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Im good like that [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Re: Regional Beers and Local Favorites
 

Yuengling (I love it so) is a little different, no? You can find it up and down the east coast now, at least from Philly to Tampa. Far more available than the Abitas and Goose Islands (good choices).

A good term for Yuengling might be a "super regional" beer.

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Speaking of "super regionals," Lienenkugel's anyone?

Seems like a couple of their beers (Sunset Wheat, Summer Shandy, Honeyweiss) have a really wide distribution. They get all the way south to Texas, as well as many of their other beers. How far East/West does it go.

I chuckled when I saw a 6 pack of Liene's Original at Whole Foods for 7 or 8 bucks. Anyways, I had their Red when I was back home, and it fell short of what I remembered.

Another "super regional" Is Red Hook nationwide? It's as far east as WI and as far south as TX.

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Another "super regional" Is Red Hook nationwide? It's as far east as WI and as far south as TX.

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You can get Red Hook on the east coast in bottles (ESB is common at better beer vendors), you don't often see it on tap.

Re: Regional Beers and Local Favorites
 

I take a lot of [censored] from my friends (and rightly so) for liking this beer called Fruli, because it's pretty gay. It's a strawberry Belgian wheat beer.

http://consumeroo.com/assets/2007/3/13/fruli-beer.jpg

Re: Regional Beers and Local Favorites
 

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Speaking of "super regionals," Lienenkugel's anyone?

Seems like a couple of their beers (Sunset Wheat, Summer Shandy, Honeyweiss) have a really wide distribution. They get all the way south to Texas, as well as many of their other beers. How far East/West does it go.

I chuckled when I saw a 6 pack of Liene's Original at Whole Foods for 7 or 8 bucks. Anyways, I had their Red when I was back home, and it fell short of what I remembered.

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I haven't been able to find it out here in DC yet, it is one of the things I miss about MN, especially the Sunset Wheat. it quickly became one of my favorites.

A local beer that I discovered this last spring wasSurly. They are a small, Minneapolis (Brooklyn Center) brewery that has only been around for a few years and has really started to take off recently. They make a lot of limited releases, including a very tasty coffee beer.

A unique thing is that -except when on tap- you can only get it in 16 oz cans. The owners chose this so you'll get a full pour into a pint glass.

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http://www.shadowmatrix.net/yuengling.jpg

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They brew this in Tampa now, at the old Schlitz Brewery.

Another good beer I like is a local midwest brew I received in a beer of the month offering. I didn't know a good style of beer and French went together.
http://www.twobrosbrew.com/images/FCA-logo.gif

Another good beer and I guess it would be considered a super regional is Brooklynn Lager - it is widely available throughout Florida.

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Narragansett

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Are they still in business? I remember this beer from 30 years ago and although I've never tasted urine before, I'm pretty sure it tastes just like this beer.

Re: Regional Beers and Local Favorites
 

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Abita is a sweeeeeeeeeeeet beer company in New Orleans. They do seasonal beers along with the standards like amber, lite, etc. Everything I've had that they brew is so good.

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mmmm Pecan beer.

Re: Regional Beers and Local Favorites
 

I bought Dead Guy Ale at Target or something, not that obscure.

I have to go to a local alcohol store to get the other Rogue stuff.

Re: Regional Beers and Local Favorites
 

They reopened the Narragansett brewery a few years back. Last time I was in Mass. I couldnt find it though. I really liked it. I dont know if it tastes like piss but i guess anything is possible.

Re: Regional Beers and Local Favorites
 

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Speaking of "super regionals," Lienenkugel's anyone?

Seems like a couple of their beers (Sunset Wheat, Summer Shandy, Honeyweiss) have a really wide distribution. They get all the way south to Texas, as well as many of their other beers. How far East/West does it go.

I chuckled when I saw a 6 pack of Liene's Original at Whole Foods for 7 or 8 bucks. Anyways, I had their Red when I was back home, and it fell short of what I remembered.

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I haven't been able to find it out here in DC yet, it is one of the things I miss about MN, especially the Sunset Wheat. it quickly became one of my favorites.


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I've seen this brew everywhere. Carpool has it out in Arlington, as does the big hunt at Dupont...

Re: Regional Beers and Local Favorites
 

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[ QUOTE ]
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Speaking of "super regionals," Lienenkugel's anyone?

Seems like a couple of their beers (Sunset Wheat, Summer Shandy, Honeyweiss) have a really wide distribution. They get all the way south to Texas, as well as many of their other beers. How far East/West does it go.

I chuckled when I saw a 6 pack of Liene's Original at Whole Foods for 7 or 8 bucks. Anyways, I had their Red when I was back home, and it fell short of what I remembered.

[/ QUOTE ]

I haven't been able to find it out here in DC yet, it is one of the things I miss about MN, especially the Sunset Wheat. it quickly became one of my favorites.


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I've seen this brew everywhere. Carpool has it out in Arlington, as does the big hunt at Dupont...

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I was just at Big Hunt, didn't notice it though. Thats awesome, I guess I'll have to pay better attention. Do you know any place by Capitol Hill or Eastern Market?

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I bought Dead Guy Ale at Target or something, not that obscure.

I have to go to a local alcohol store to get the other Rogue stuff.

[/ QUOTE ]Yeah Dead Guy is the the most popular one. Its actually the only Rogue beer available in stores in 6 packs. Everything else is 22oz bottles.

Red Hook is back East because (I think) Budweiser distributes for them.

Re: Regional Beers and Local Favorites
 

i go to school at madison... had a capital amber with dinner tonight its one of my favs, spotted cow also is very good

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anyone else have winter brews out?
Deschutes just released Jubeale some time in the past week. [censored] ugly label, but the brew is saucy as ever.

Re: Regional Beers and Local Favorites
 

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Yuengling (I love it so) is a little different, no? You can find it up and down the east coast now, at least from Philly to Tampa. Far more available than the Abitas and Goose Islands (good choices).

A good term for Yuengling might be a "super regional" beer.

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This is just "super regional" over maybe the last 5 years. When I was at Pitt in 2001, it seemed like it was just starting to hit the local bars. I believe that's around the time when they started buying up a few brewerys in the East to up their production. It sucks you can't get it out in Cali [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Saltine,

The Stone Brewery is in Escondido. The restaurant is darn good too. I need to go back sometime soon.