TLDR Beer Club

[mscags]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I've been in Spain for the last three months. If anyone is interested in any of the beers available here let me know and I can do some reviews. Some pretty widely available beers here are heineken, amstel, san miguel, cruzcampo, estrella damm, modelo negro, desperado, coronita (corona), cerveza (puke), skol, and im sure a few others that Im forgetting. For the most part there isnt a great selection though. Forewarning most of the beer over here tastes like [censored].

[/ QUOTE ]

If there's anything unique or special in that list, I'd love to hear about it. If you're swimming in Bud imitators, you have my condolences. When you're back in the US (?), you may miss Spain greatly, but at least you will be able to enjoy a proper pint once again.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll look and see if I can find something that I havent tried already. Everything Ive tried tastes like piss but I haven't found anything better yet [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] And yes im definitely looking forward to some good beer when I return

[RunDownHouse]

I hear there's some good beer a couple hundred miles east of Spain.

When I lived in Germany I scooted over to Madrid for about a week and also found it to be beer-poor.

[mscags]

yeah unfortunately I dont think I'm gonna be able to make it to Germany [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] I am however going to Cairo, Egypt! Not sure how the beer scene will be there lol Paris and Rome are also on the list, but id imagine they are more wines like spain is.

[mscags]

So tonight I got to sample some new beers I have never seen before. I had them at an Irish bar called Maxmax here in Valencia Spain. Nice place, decent prices and I got to watch the Football match between Chelsea and Liverpool. Def no complaints there.

So the first beer I had was 1906 Reserva Especial

It was not bad at all. It weighed in at 6.5% abv. I payed 3 euros for the 12oz bottle. It poured a nice honey redish color. Not bad at all. The head was quite small though and disappeared wuite quickly not leaving around much trace of it. It had a decent smell of hops and berries. Did not taste much fruit though at all. Had a taste of malt and some caramel. Def not a bad beer for the price and the alcohol. I would prob drink it again when I go back there.

The second beer I tasted was this.



It pours a nice ruby color and weighs in a 7% more or less abv. It has a somewhat sweet smell but kind of smells like your average light macro brew. The head is off white and stays not long at all before it is gone. It has kind of a malty taste that ends up a little bitter. This is def not a bad beer by any means and something that I would sample again.

I tried one last beer, it was this


It poured a nice redish brown color. Not much head to it and it dissipated fairly quickly. It weighed in at a hefty 8% abv and I paid 3 euro for the 12oz bottle. Def not bad at all for a bar. I was pleasantly surprised. It smelled of some fruity scents but a little kind of metaly. The taste wasnt bad at all, very bitter with a slight taste of metal, but that was prob the strong alcohol coming through. Overall this is a very drinkable beer and def one that I will prob get again tomorrow night when I go! It has a good high alcohol content and is fairly cheap and is def good going down. I would recommend this the most out of the three [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[MaxxDaddy]

Yesterday I finally did a side-by-side tasting I've been meaning to do for a while, which was the two imperial stouts form Weyerbacher: Old Heathen, and the barrel-aged version, Heresy. Both are 8.2% ABV, the Old Heathen came in a 12 oz bottle that cost $2.50, while Heresy was a 22 ouncer at $5.50.

First, the Old Heathen. It poured black with voluminous tan head. On first whiff I caught more dark fruit aromas than anything else. About 15-20 minutes later, the chocolate and coffee aromas became dominant. Upon tasting at first, again this brew was dominated by fruitiness, which I found rather odd. Later on the chocolate and coffee notes appeared, but not as much as I would’ve liked. At least the finish had the impy flavors I was looking for, but I think it was too little too late for this one. Mouthfeel wasn’t all that thick. I suppose I could give Weyerbacher credit for doing something a little different, but I really wanted some impiness from an imperial stout. A low [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].

And how did Heresy stack up? Well, not that well. Poured black with a tiny ring of tan bubbles on top. Aroma of vanilla, bourbon, wood. Sadly, that was it...it was all barrel and no stout. After about 15-20 minutes sitting in the snifter, I could faintly smell some roasted malts. The taste was more of the same. Lots of bourbon and vanilla, but again, where’s the stout? Once again, later on I was able to tease out some impy tastes in there, particularly in the finish. Had a moderate body and not much carbonation. It seemed this beer was completely overwhelmed by the barrel, and ended up being one-dimensional. I think I enjoyed the Old Heathen slightly more than this, but that’s not saying much. I could see this being quite a bit better if the barrel was less evident. 2.75 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].

I know Wookie isn't much of a Weyerbacher fan, and based on these two, can't say I am either. I've heard their Double Simcoe IPA is supposed to be great though, so maybe I'll give that a go some time.

[MrWookie]

Huh, I could have sworn I reviewed the Old Heathen in here somewhere, but I guess I'm mistaken. I am 90% sure I've had it, but if that's true, I'm not sure why my review wouldn't be in here. Maybe I was as unimpressed as you were. Maybe I was just drunk and forgot. Oh well. I probably won't add my own take on it given your review.

And for the record, I did like the Weyerbacher Insanity (four hearts), but the Quad wasn't all that great (unreviewed, but I mentioned it in here).

[MaxxDaddy]

Man...there are way too many posts in this thread. I can't keep track any more. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[MrWookie]

Show all and ctrl-F are my friends [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Barcalounger]

I just got my tickets to Beer on the Pier this weekend in Chicago. 4 hours of beer sampling from a ton of different vendors. I'll try to jot down some thoughts on any of the good ones I find, if I manage to stay sober enough make coherent thoughts.

[ScottieK]

Last night, friends and I were at a bar that has a fairly impressive bottle collection. We were drinking tap beers for the most part, but decided to try out two bottles. First, the Chimay Red.

Mr. Wookie's review on this beer is pretty similar to my feelings about it. I was disappointed. Good, but not spectacular. It didn't have the body that I expect in a dubbel...my friend said it tasted "watered down." The flavor itself was good, with the usual fruity and spicy undertones, like banana and what I tasted as just a hint of pepper. It goes down smooth, but for the price, I'd rather have a New Belgium Abbey. Maybe this is the result of my conditioning to prefer American beers that have more pronounced flavors and a higher alcohol content. Next time, I'll try the Chimay Blue.

Second bottle of the night was the St. Peter's English Ale. (Did a search in this thread, found no mention of this beer). I am a pioneer! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]



Just the bottle piqued my curiosity. If you can't tell in the picture, it's oval shaped, like a flask....and it reminded us of old-time medicine bottles. Unfortunately, they didn't let us keep it. It's a balanced traditional English Ale, starts off malty with some honey undertones, then finishes with a hop flavor and a little bit of what my gf described as "lemon peel." The main complaint we had was that it wasn't complex at all. Malt, then hops. Toward the end, it got more and more bitter...it reminded me of the Arrogant Bastard grapefruit taste I had earlier in the evening, but not nearly as intense. I'd give it [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and a half [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. Maybe worth a try, but not something I'd stock regularly.

We all preferred the St. Peter's to the Chimay Red. But I preferred the local Tractor Brewing Co. Red Ale to both, especially at happy hour prices of $2.75 a pint. The Tractor Brewing Co. Red Ale is a very solid brew, pours with a nice foamy head, and is a little more light-bodied than most reds I've had. Very crisp and drinkable. Has some caramel and roasted malt flavor to it. [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].

ScottieK