Any serious beer drinkers in forum?

[charliedontsurf]

I was wondering if there are any other big beer fans out there, people into microbrews, Belgians and the like. I'm a homebrewer and enthusiast and just can't get enough of the stuff - if I could magically remove every trace of alcohol and every single calorie but leave them tasting just as fine, I'd do it in a heart beat.

Some of my favorite breweries are Lagunitas, Green Flash, Flying Dog, Dogfish Head, The Bruery, Port/Lost Abbey/Pizza Port, Russian River, Sierra Nevada (the big guys who never lost their soul), Valley, De Ranke, Brasserie De Du Celle, Brasserie Dupont, and Deschuttes.

 

[AgentofChaos]

Excellent, another beer snob! When I was 20 years old my friend and I backpacked through Europe and I developed a love for beer. The following year I moved near Goose Island's brewery and that was that. Recently I tried Double Bastard Ale by Stone brewing co., Dark Lord Imperial by Three Floyd's, & Furious by Surly Brewing. Just had dinner and a few brews at the Two Brother's brewery, another favorite of mine.

 

[charliedontsurf]

That's awesome! I've actually had a few Goose Island beers, if memory serves Stockyard stout, Sofie, and Matilda. All were pretty damn good, stockyard was excellent. I used to have real mixed feelings about Stone because their flagship arrogant bastard is just bland to my taste, and well, they come off as such complete ASSES on their bottles. It's always 5 paragraphs which say next to nothing about the beer, something Lagunitas sometimes shares. But Stone's other beers are almost always good to great, with some real stand outs like Vertical Epic 10 and Cali Belgique. If you can get your hands on Lucky Bastard get it - it's a blend of arrogant, double arrogant and oaked arrogant blended, which is a beer far greater than the sum of its parts.

Want to hear something interesting I just read at random online? I used to have arthritic pain decently bad in my hands, which has subsided almost completely in the last 9 months or so, including being calm during this winter, when the cold should of agitated it the most. Hops are apparently supposed to be a long known remedy for joint pains, and the reduction and then virtual extinction of my symptoms came after about 5 months of 1 to 3 beers daily, often IPAs and DIPAs.

 

[AGBeer]

...I hate you all for the record... (Just sayin)

I too used to brew my own beer and LOOOOOOVED me some seriously hoppy brews. I tended to stay away from the Belgians and other overly malty beers (for some reason they tasted like play-doh to me - every single one of em)

I havent had any alcohol in close to a year (I think) I gave it up before my doc told me it would be a good idea. Although I still have a hankering for a delicious IPA every now and then, I dont really miss it too much.

My cannabis on the other hand... Thems fightin words if you want me to abstain there

 

[AgentofChaos]

No kidding? Have you tried vaping hops before? I imagine that would help with your pain more than the beer would (although not as enjoyable I would guess.) I actually had a bottle of Lucky Bastard in my hand on NYE but decided on the double instead. Tuesday nights at 6pm the brew master at Goose Island will pour everyone in the bar a sample of his latest brew and explain the brewing process and how he chose the ingredients. One night I was there he poured us the stockyard and it instantly became my favorite oatmeal stout. Did you happen to have any Pumking Ale by Southern Tier during the fall season? That is one of my favorite seasonal beers of all time!

 

[VaporNation]

Wow you actually brewed your own beer? How was it? I am not the biggest fan of beer but I do prefer it to other types of alcohol. You can say I am more of a cannabis connoisseur

 

[AGBeer]

Brewing my own beer was a very satisfying hobby. Yes, I was a beer snob as well and I just seemed to prefer my own recipes rather than (the majority) of my commercial counterparts.

Ironically at the time, I was the only person in my household that drank beer which brought me to the riddle du jour at the time.

Q - What do my homebrew and my farts have in common?
A - I seem to be the only one who enjoys them and its usually by myself.

 

[charliedontsurf]

.I tended to stay away from the Belgians and other overly malty beers (for some reason they tasted like play-doh to me - every single one of em) p

If you ever starting tasting beers again, you might want to try some Belgian IPAs. Americans tend to make them by making a IPA or DIPA recipe (American malt and hop profile) and then feed them Belgian yeast, while the Belgians just hop the hell out of a normal tripel. Flying Dog Raging Bitch is a good example of the first and Houblon Chouffe (big producer, the one with the gnome on it) is an example of the last.

I've been really impressed with the Danish and Norwegian beers that have been popping up, they make some seriously intense beers. I had this one Danish Imperial stout called Gudelos a week back which easily put Firestone Walker 14 and the 2010 Deschuttes Abyss to shame, and at a much lower ABV. Edit: a quick google talks about how the brewers entered into a pact with the Danish Atheist society for this beer, and that the end of the barcode is 666. A beer so good it's ungodly

 

[Mithras]

All grain brewer here too

And beer lover.

Want to start home brewing again actually

 

[tdavie]

Some of my favorite breweries are Lagunitas, Green Flash, Flying Dog, Dogfish Head, The Bruery, Port/Lost Abbey/Pizza Port, Russian River, Sierra Nevada (the big guys who never lost their soul), Valley, De Ranke, Brasserie De Du Celle, Brasserie Dupont, and Deschuttes.

I've had Dogfish Head, Russian River (got it in Minneapolis), Sierra Nevada and Dupont of the ones you mention.

If you specifically like Belgians, then try New Belgium Brewery (Fort Collins, Co) and Unibroue (from Quebec, Canada). My favourite Unibroue beer is 'La Fin Du Monde' a trippel style beer, bottle conditioned with yeast, flavoured with Fennel and Cardamom and a modest 9% ABV.

Best double IPA I've tried in the last few years is 'Surly Furious' from the Surly Brewery in Minneapolis, MN (I drove 500 miles to buy this).

Yeah I'm a beer geek. GF/fiancee bought me 2 cases of malt extract for Xmas

You have any Pacific Northwest recommendations?

Cheers!

Tom

 

[Plotinus]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbxGgCY9PKw



...Sorry. I'll show myself out.

 

[Albert Hofmann]

I'm blessed to live in the N.W. Where micro breweries abound!!! Hop head for sure, and a homebrewer, with most of my recent batches falling into the category of obscenely heavily hopped I.P.A style brews with a major emphasis on hop aroma rather than bitterness. I'm a strong advocate of straining my wort through a hop back, and dry hopping in the secondary fermenter! It leads to good things! I also never bottle my homebrew, it gets served on draft from my Cornelius keg system! And if I don't feel like brewing for a while sometimes, there are several great local breweries here in town that will fill up my little 5 gallon "corny keg" for just $45! I love this place!

 

[wilf789]

Glad to see this thread up and running!

I've only been getting past the teenager lager stage for the last 3 years and have thus not had huge amounts of experience with real ales and the like, but staying a summer with a few guys in Brooklyn who brewed in their own back garden changed my perspective both on what good beer is and that Americans can actually make it damn well! (Sorry 99% of the export we get from you here is either Coors, Miller or Bud, all of which I pretty much refuse to drink whatsoever, unless I was already battered I guess..)

With such a sweet-tooth I've been a big fan of the well-known blonde beers like Leffe and Hoegaarden since I was a kid. Nowadays with such a massive selection I find just knowing what type of beer you want is enough, then let the label artwork and name do the rest of the deciding!

Hence why I bought these beauties:

The first two are blonde, the third is a honey beer (my new absolute favourite type of beer), fourth quite clearly banana bread (usually the most controversial choice - either you love it or you hate it it seems) and the fifth is a German weiss-bier (a real bitch to pour without a massive head on top but so so tasty)

 

[chucku]

Agent

I have been going to Goose Island since they opened. Honkers Ale is one of the finest examples of its style in the world. I was four away from an MBA (master of beer appreciation) when I lost my MBA card. This was when the shirts were embroidered and the back room was filled with pool tables. Quenchers at Fullerton and Western is a fine establishment with about 25 types on tap and about 100 types overall. Their whiskey selection is also pretty good. I like all different styles. It seems Mexican beers don't get enough love. Both types of Modelo are wonderful. Bohemia is brilliant. When I am out and about I will often opt for Old Style but only if on tap. Local world class beers no longer available include Baderbrau and Golden Prairie. Third Coast from Bell's Brewery is fucking amazing.

 

[djonkoman]

I really like a nice beer now and then
altough I don't drink often and much, since I"m not often in the mood to get drunk
usua;ly I just have one pint of guiness once a week, on saturdayevening when I'm in the bar with friends(there's also one we go to often where you can smoke weed inside)

 

[OC513]

depends on how you define serious! I drink alot of beer.....mostly just solid beers that are always available such as Becks, Peroni, Stella Artois, Chimay and the like. I have been on a tasting menu tear at some of the finer establishments here in NYC. I do not like wine at all so I have been having them give me beer tastings instead......GREAT fun. I was turned on to a few different beers by Abita at Gordon Ramsay, was turned on to a Westmalle Dubbel Trappist beer from Belgium with a chocolate dessert at Le Bernardin (it shocked me how well the beer went with the dessert) and had the famous Blue Apron beer at Per Se(specially brewed to Thomas Keller's specs by Brooklyn Brewery).....all were outstanding. I am gonna try some of the ones listed in this thread over the next few wekeknds watching the NFL playoffs. J-E-T-S!!!

 

[AgentofChaos]

Agent

I have been going to Goose Island since they opened. Honkers Ale is one of the finest examples of its style in the world. I was four away from an MBA (master of beer appreciation) when I lost my MBA card. This was when the shirts were embroidered and the back room was filled with pool tables. Quenchers at Fullerton and Western is a fine establishment with about 25 types on tap and about 100 types overall. Their whiskey selection is also pretty good. I like all different styles. It seems Mexican beers don't get enough love. Both types of Modelo are wonderful. Bohemia is brilliant. When I am out and about I will often opt for Old Style but only if on tap. Local world class beers no longer available include Baderbrau and Golden Prairie. Third Coast from Bell's Brewery is fucking amazing.

That really sucks about your MBA card, it would have been nice to get your name on the wall and the shirt! Have you been there recently? Their new chef & menu are fantastic and the beer is mostly good (lately it tastes a bit watered down.) Quenchers is one of those places I have always meant to try but continually forget to, I never knew they had so many beers to choose from. My new favorite watering hole is Hop Leaf on Clark up in Andersonville, outstanding beer selection from all over the world!

 

[wilf789]

(specially brewed to Thomas Keller's specs by Brooklyn Brewery).....all were outstanding. I am gonna try some of the ones listed in this thread over the next few wekeknds watching the NFL playoffs. J-E-T-S!!!

Haven't had much by the Brooklyn Brewery myself but I remember trying the Brooklyn Lager and it was bloody disgusting!

If you ever need to find good beer in NYC, one of the best places you could ever hope to come across is in Park Slope. See here: http://www.bierkraft.com/

Rented a room in BK last summer and happened to be living with the guys who work in the store! They brew their own and the shop has the most incredible selection of worldwide beers. Even plenty of English ones I've never even heard of!

 

[Carbon]

You have any Pacific Northwest recommendations?

I'm another beer loving FC member hailing from the PNW. I'd say if you like stouts the first thing to pick up here right now is The Abyss from Deschutes Brewery which is their reserve series imperial stout. One of the finest beers out there.

I am also a fan of Lagunitas' work and enjoyed three of these last night.

http://www.lagunitas.com/beers/brownshugga.html


I could go on and on about beer, but I'll keep my first reply simple.

 

[Stu]

Back in the 90's, I created a website called "BeerIsGoodForYou.com". It was dedicated to the health benefits of beer, and also a bunch of beer-themed comedy and creative writing. I still have a garage full of BIGFY hats, stickers and t-shirts that I used to sell on the site. I closed the site about 7 years ago, though. I just didn't have the spare time to keep the site constantly updated. I was also the creator of JesusLovesBeer.com (that one was strickly comedy).

Cheers!

 

[charliedontsurf]

Since so many people are Goose Island fans, I'll mention I tried their new Belgian golden ale called Demolition, and at 7.2% it's easily on par with Duvel.

 

[chucku]

Back in the 90's, I created a website called "BeerIsGoodForYou.com". It was dedicated to the health benefits of beer, and also a bunch of beer-themed comedy and creative writing. I still have a garage full of BIGFY hats, stickers and t-shirts that I used to sell on the site. I closed the site about 7 years ago, though. I just didn't have the spare time to keep the site constantly updated. I was also the creator of JesusLovesBeer.com (that one was strickly comedy).

Cheers!

Ben Franklin once said 'beer is proof God loves us and wants us to be happy'.

 

[Progress]

AGBeer, you may want to try making green dragon with hops and boiling off the alcohol in a bath of water so you can drop a malt/barley based tea bag in for steeping (not exactly the same as beer, but may help you get your hop fix in a safer way).

For any homebrewers out there, I have heard about some using green/golden dragon as a brewing and/or bottling ingredient with good results. I am sure it can also be added to the bottom of a pint glass (or growler) before pouring the beer. Feel free to boil off some of the alcohol at a low/safe temperature if desired (and if not adding it at the beginning of the boil).

Just another way to say Fuck Combustion!

PS: Goose Island's vanilla bean bourbon county stout rocks! (as do many other companies mentioned). Anyone try Red Horizon by Nogne? Mmmmmmm......

 

[AGBeer]

Hmmm, thats an interesting thought Progress. That may be something I consider down the road.

In all honesty, I never really was a big drinker to begin with. I just started brewing because IF I drank beer, I liked GOOD beer. It was never really about getting drunk or for the party aspect, and hell I tried to become an alcoholic more than once, but I was never able to keep it up consistently.

Its kind of like my tenure in radio - I loved it while I was there and lived it up while I could but I doubt if ever I would go back (for a 3rd time...) LOL

 

[mattybass]

Quality beer drinker here!! In fact, Chimay Grand Reserve is my all-time favourite beer. I have a soft spot for Belgians. In fact, over the Christmas break I found a Chimay box set that had two of each variety of Chimay and the glass that Charliedontsurf has in his avatar. It was Christmas Eve and I brought it to the til with no idea of the price. The lady scanned it along with a case of Stella and Guinness. The whole thing came to $45. I thought hmm, cheap for such a nice set!

As it turned out, the lady scanned an exposed bar code on one of the bottles. Got the whole set for $5.25! Merry Christmas to me I suppose