The Beer connoisseur thread

[goofball]

jack,

I think portland is a better beer town then Seattle.

All the beers avaialble in Seattle are widely avialable in portland. SOme beer that is available in portland (the more obscure bridgeport and widmer brews come to mind) is difficult to come by in Seattle.

Portland also trumps seattle in number of microbreweries.

Plus Portland has the mission theatre and pub which is basically the best thing ever.

[TyFuji]

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I am underage, meaning that the only beers I have access to are at my local bodege (which doesn't card, of course). Therefore I have a question to you connoisseurs:

Which of the more common beers do you enjoy? In other words, if you were forced to buy from a limited selection, which of the supermarket-type beers would you go for?

On another note, I tried a japanese beer called "Hitachino Nest" recently and I really enjoyed it.

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CMA response: You should not drink underage. It is wrong to break the laws of your state.

I love Guiness. I was never a beer drinker until I found out that all beer was not that watered down Coors/Bud/Stone crap. After drinking a lot of Guiness I realized that I like dark beers. From there I started drinking Killians and Smithwicks (pronounced Smith-icks).

I spent a summer in Maine and whenever I went to a bar I asked "whats good here" they had a lot of local brews on tap. They had a lot of pale ales and some fruity beers, I liked some and did not like others but I am glad I did not simply order a Guiness every time that I went out because I descovered a lot of light beers that were great.

When I came back to school in Ithaca I tried a lot of local brews. I am a big fan of the Apricot Wheat but do not really like the Cascazilla (previously mentioned with two thumbs up by MrWookie).

Why am I telling you this? Because tastes in beer is different. People like different kinds of beer, so try everything. I would reccomend buying a different kind of beer every time you go into the bodega. Find out what you like. It will cost you more than just buying Keystone Light but it will be much more enjoyable to drink.

Keep cheep beer purchases for drinking games and chugging contests. The best way to find good beers in my oppinion is simply trial and error. And when you are of drinking age and you go to a bar ask them if they have any local brews on tap.

If your only options are Sam Adams, Yuengling, Heineken, Coors, and Bud then I would probably pick them in that order but other than a couple Sam Adams brews I don't think that any would come close to qualifying for a 'beer connoisseur' thread.

Oh, and if you ever find Rogue beer. Buy it.

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Very very good advice, thank you very much. A friend of mine is a freshman at Cornell (BTW) and he drinks loads of crappy lights, I can't drink that watered down crap and never will. I am not much of a drinking contest/beer pong type of person, I am more of a beer appreciator than a drinker, so my main goal in buying beer is flavor.

I need to try more of the Sam Adams varieties. I do enjoy Yuengling and Heineken, though they are both somewhat boring.

I like some of the Magic Hat beers, what is your opinion of those as someone with a wider beer experience?

I am eagerly awaiting my 21st when I can pick up whatever specialty stuff strikes my fancy.

[TyFuji]

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Which of the more common beers do you enjoy? In other words, if you were forced to buy from a limited selection, which of the supermarket-type beers would you go for?


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They usually have Sam Adams which is okay, as another poster said Sierra Nevada has gotten pretty common, as has Fat Tire, both of which are a notch above Sam Adams but nothing special IMHO. Generally places will have one better/different beer, so just get the one you've never heard of. Keep doing that everywhere you go and you'll soon be a beer expert.

edit : other pretty common gas-station beers that you can fall back on : Red Hook & Guinness


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I will certainly try Sierra Nevada, I have never tasted it.

Thanks for the response!

[jackflashdrive]

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jack,

I think portland is a better beer town then Seattle.

All the beers avaialble in Seattle are widely avialable in portland. SOme beer that is available in portland (the more obscure bridgeport and widmer brews come to mind) is difficult to come by in Seattle.

Portland also trumps seattle in number of microbreweries.

Plus Portland has the mission theatre and pub which is basically the best thing ever.

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I agree that Portland is a really great beer town and I've enjoyed every visit to the city. I'm sure Portland has more microbreweries per capita, but I'd be a little surprised if the overall number were greater.

Mission theatre and pub is indeed the best thing ever, and Seattle's lack of anything comparable is an embarrasment to an otherwise almost-perfect town.

I judge a beer-town not just on the number/quality of microbrews, but also on the number/quality of bars. In Seattle you can hit a different, amazing, bar every week for a year. In Los Angeles, which is a much bigger city, I cannot name one. Not one. (there are four or five decent beer places in this city of millions, but anything good in LA tends to get quickly overwhelmed, which ruins the experience).

[neuroman]

I haven't seen anyone mention Anchor beers yet in this thread. They're a fairly tasty option.



El Diablo or other SFers--ever had Anchor on draught? How is it?

[kidcolin]

Ty,

supermarket variety beer: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, like Jack said. Other good choices, Sam Adams, Pilsner Urquell, and Tsing Tao.

Jack,

Great post. I've really started to think about starting a home brew.

As for best beer city, what are some other good ones? I've heard Portland is great. I know Burlington, VT is great (lots of microbrews, most famously Magic Hat). Where else?

[kidcolin]

neuro,

I find Anchor Steam to be pretty bad. I've tried one other Anchor beer, and I didn't like that much either. I don't think I'll spend any more money on their stuff.

[MrWookie]

kc, neuro,

I have been underwhelmed w/ Anchor Steam and Anchor Liberty. I found their Christmas ale pretty much undrinkable, not just uninspired. Their porter, however, I liked alright. I found it tasted more like a milder imperial stout than a porter, though. Their beer is on the expensive side, so you can do better for the price.

[milesdyson]

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neuro,

I find Anchor Steam to be pretty bad. I've tried one other Anchor beer, and I didn't like that much either. I don't think I'll spend any more money on their stuff.

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I've also had the Anchor Steam - it is not good.

I'll make a few "hopful" suggestions here:

Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye - Very hoppy with a nice rye kick. I've reviewed this in the TLDR thread I believe.

Stone Double Bastard - Also reviewed this in TLDR. A great hoppy double IPA with a strong malt backbone. Very nice as it warms, especially if you don't mind the alcohol profile.

Alesmith Yulesmith - Really a nearly perfect beer.

If you want a standard IPA, Drake's makes a great one. Stone's is also solid. At Trader Joe's you can find Boont's Hop Ottin' IPA at a decent price as well. This is one of those beers that never gets old.

[Hoya]

Anyone here tried flemish sour beers - like Rodenbach, Monk's, Duchesse de Bourgogne, or New Belgium La Folie? It is probably the most unique beer style there is, and so tend to be loved or hated. I love them.