Anybody willing to give me some beer recommendations?

Cafe Society
1

Truth be told, I’m not much of a drinker at all. I’m very slowly learning about wine, beer and mixed drinks. I have no real understanding of straight liquors of any kind.

However, I am finding that when I discover a beer I like, I really like it. This is less true of wine, so I don’t want to focus on that right now. I suppose I am willing to branch out into ciders* and things like that, but that’s not my curiosity.

Right now I want to find a replacement for a beer I found and loved recently, and just found out it was seasonal! Lucky for me, I got the last two six-packs the store had. Actually, their other store had them, but they were kind enough to bring them to my local store and hold them for me.

I seem to have a fondness for stouts and porters. I’m not sure what else Brooklyn Brewery’s Black Chocolate Stout is the seasonal I mentioned above. This is pretty much my favorite beer right now.

Another well favored beer is from DuClaw Brewing Company, in Maryland, the Bad Moon Porter. I especially like this one when it’s on the nitro tap, though I like it any which way I can get it. Not living in Maryland anymore, this is also not something I can get.

I’ve tried and enjoyed some various pumpkin ales, but none were all that impressive to me. Back on the stouts and porters, though, there was a pumpkin stout I really enjoyed. I believe it was this Fisherman’s Pumpkin Stout, but I’m not completely positive.

Lastly, and only mentioned because it continues the theme, the very first beer I ever tried and enjoyed was many years ago in my college town. It was a microbrewery, and I believe it was a porter that I tried. A friend wanted a pitcher for himself, but they don’t serve pitchers to just one person. However, they don’t really monitor who is drinking it once it arrives. So he and I ordered one, and I had about half a glass of it. I liked it and would have had more, except the whole point was that he wanted it. I tried their porter recently (several years later) and didn’t really enjoy it.

Ales and lagers do not tend to be my style, though I like lagers more than ales. If something is pumpkin flavored, I’m more likely to give it a pass.

So, with all of this out there, is there anything someone can suggest to a very novice drinker that’s not a seasonal (or is coming into season) as I slowly run through these twelve bottles of beer?

*The cider I like is an import, and the local store has it in cans, and one of the local bars has it on tap. Alas, neither has the black currant flavoring that makes it truly divine.

2

If you like Chocolate Stouts, you may like the dark/chocolate lagers. Try Sam Adams Black Lager… Shiner Bohemian Black Lager (if you can get it), some Belgian Ales (which come in single liter/quart bottles).

You mention Maryland… what is your locale?

3

Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout is an excellent dark beer. They have a few other bottlings that might be worth checking out. And that’s not a bad strategy in general–if you find a beer you like, try the other beers they make.

Dogfish Head has a lot of good beers, as do the folks who make Arrogant Bastard Ale. Be sure to track down some Delirium Tremens as well.

Nitpick: every beer is an ale or a lager. The distinction has to do with the way that they’re brewed. See Wikipedia for some background information.

4

Young’s Double Chocolate Stout would probably be something you would like.

5

Thanks!

I don’t actually consider that a nitpick, since I had no idea. I was just going by what was on labels.

As for trying things based on the brewery, that’s actually how I found the Black Chocolate Stout. Someone I know was given a “beer of the month club” gift, and Brooklyn Brewery had two or three beers in it at one point. The Pennet Ale was not good, but the Brooklyn Lager was okay. So when he saw the Chocolate Stout, we had to try it. And, man, was it a winner.

I’ve tried the Dogfish Head IPA, and loathed it. However, he likes it, so maybe I’ll look to other things by that company.

phungi, I was in Baltimore, but now I’m in Chicago. And the man with the beer of the month club membership is still in Baltimore!

Ferret Herder, I think I tried that one once, based on liking the Bad Moon Porter (hadn’t had the Brooklyn Beer yet), and didn’t enjoy it. However, I was just introduced to the wonderful drink “Strongbow Black” (Strongbow cider + black currant) that night too, so I might have been biased. I may try again.

6

To expand on what’s already been said, the stouts and porters you like are ales. Lagers include things like most of your mass-market American beers, pilseners, and bocks. Then there’s one weird hybrid I could think of off the top of my head: California Common beer, aka “steam beer” (e.g. Anchor Steam), which is brewed with lager yeasts at ale temperatures. It would fit under the lager classification. It’s a style that is in indigenous to America.

Anyhow, given your tastes, I would try:

Left Hand Milk Stout
Okocim Porter (a bit on the heavy syrupy side, but very good)
Three Floyds Black Sun Stout
Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout (expensive and REALLY heavy, but one of the best imperial stouts I’ve had. It’s not something you’ll want to really drink more than one of at a session.)
Victory Storm King Imperial Stout (see above)
Founder’s Breakfast Stout

I would also recommend a bunch of Bell’s stouts, but, unfortunately, they’re unavailable in Illinois for the moment due to a big brouhaha with the distributors.

7

Wow, thanks everyone! I wasn’t expecting so much response so quickly. This is already entertaining, and I’m looking forward to trying new things. My roommate, however, will only become more convinced that I “have a chocolate problem”.

pulykamell, what’s the brouhaha?

8

A lot of people don’t like IPAs because of the high hops content, which makes them fairly bitter. Dogfish Head Raison d’Etre, on the other hand, is a beer that almost everyone loves.

9

That name makes me giggle. I may have to try it for that reason alone.

10

I think that the Sierra Nevada Stout is awesome. I can’t say I’ve tried every Stout in America, but I have had a fair amount and Sierra Nevada Stout is my favorite of the breed. keep any eye out for it…

11

My advice? Find what you like, then brew it yourself. Good online stuff at austinhomebrew or midwest(something) sites. Google that last one, I’m sure you’ll find it. They have kits that mimic the commercial brew you want. Easy to do, and the results are superior to store-bought. (But only do this if you REALLY DRINK BEER! Like, 4 liters a night! :smiley: I read in your OP that you stashed 2 sixers away, and I thought, “What ya gonna drink TONIGHT?” )

Brew your own. You’ll thank yourself in the morning.

12

Lots of great stouts and porters available in the Chigago area. As pulykamell mentioned, most of the Bell’s beers aren’t available in Chicago anymore, but if you can get your hands on some Bell’s Expedition Stout, I’m confident it will replace Brooklyn’s Black Chocolate Stout as your favorite, especially if you dig coffee.

Here are some real winners you should be able to get your hands on:

Nøgne Ø Dark Horizon First Edition- It’s made in Sweden and it’s unbelievable! Only 6000 bottles were made, so don’t waste anytime getting your hands on some.

Founders Kentucky Breakfast Bourbon Aged Stout- Too many brewers are overdoing it lately with the bourbon barrel aged stuff, but this is a really good one.

Goose Island Bourbon County Stout- Yeah, another barrel aged, but it’s also very good.

Founders Breakfast Stout- Brewed with real chocolate and coffee. Not exactly a favorite of mine, but so many people love it, I figured I should list it.

Thirsty Dog Siberian Night Imperial Stout- I pick some of this stuff up ever time I’m in PA as it’s not available in NJ. Really good stuff!

Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout- This is my regular stout as the rest on the list aren’t available in my area. You’re gonna love it! The non-Oak Aged version is awesome too.
In case you’re not aware, the two big beer geek destination bars in Chicago are The Map Room and The Hop Leaf. If you’re a punk fan though, you’ve got to hit Delilah’s.

West Lakeview Liquors and Archer Liquors are your best bets for beer to go.

13

The brewing brouhaha

Basically, the story’s a little complicated, hence the link, but the guys who had the distribution rights to Bell’s in Iillinois, Union Beverage Company, were about to sell the franchise rights to Chicago Beverage Systems, basically a huge distributor that handles Miller, Corona, Guinness, Bass, etc. Larry Bell became concerned that his full line-up of beers would not be represented well by this distributor and, thus, pulled his product in protest. IIRC, CBS basically just wanted to distribute the top three Bells beers, and Larry didn’t feel that fairly represented his product or brewery. But, like I said, read above, because there’s also issues of Illinois beer and spirits distributions laws that complicate matters.

14

Agreed. Their Chickory Stout is also worth finding, as is their Indian Brown Ale (I don’t particularly like brown ales, but it’s a solid example of the style.) Fact of the matter is, Dogfish Head makes great beers all around.

15

If you’re willing to look for foreign beer, or imports, you can always try Hoegaarden. I believe it’s dutch, but am not quite sure. It’s an excellent, somewhat bitter and reminiscent of wheat beer, but so very, very tasty.

Hoegaarden Das is my favourite of the sub-brands, but all of them are good.

16

Whilst I like Hoegaarden, it’s a summer wheat style beer and not a porter. :smack:

:smack: :smack: on my earlier post, it’s the Sierra Nevada Porter that is especially notable. Their Stout is fine and all but it’s the Porter that really stands out as a great porter

17

Gatopescado, I have some very dear friends who brew their own beer, but I don’t think it’s for me. Of the two six packs I have set aside, there’s 10 bottles left, and that’s because I let my roommate have one the night I bought them because she had declared my “chocolate problem” that day, and wanted to know what the fuck. Admittedly, she was more interested when she found it didn’t have real chocolate in it (I don’t know how she came to this conclusion, but she did, and I suspect she’s right, but don’t know). This only makes me more interested in the beer that x-ray vision mentioned…

Actually, the reason I started this thread was sort of about, “What am I going to drink TONIGHT??” I’ve forgone my beer a couple of times since buying it, because what if I want it LATER??!?! I won’t haaaaave it!

Plus, I’m interested in learning more about possibilities I’d enjoy. But unless something changes dramatically, brewing my own is just crazy talk. Plus my roommate might not appreciate me risking a beer explosion/overflow in her kitchen, as much as she also likes beer.

As for all the suggestions flying my way, I really appreciate it! I’m getting very excited to try something new, just based on what I’m seeing. I do wish my local store had a “beer club” selection like my old local store did. There I could buy a six pack made of individual bottles I selected, to try things before committing to an individual six pack, and that was nice.

18

Chocolate stout is usually so-named because of the use of chocolate malt, which is a dark roasted malt that has a flavor reminiscent of dark chocolate. That said, some breweries do add a little actual chocolate to some of their beers. Young’s Double Chocolate Stout comes to mind, and I also remember Sam Adams having a chocolate beer during Valentine’s Day a few years back. (The Youngs is good, the Sam Adams tasted like somebody mixed cocoa into beer.)

Another great beer bar in Chicago to add to x-ray’s list is Quenchers on Fullerton and Western. I prefer it these days to the Map Room, as Quencher’s tends to be a little less crowded and draws more of a crowd I prefer. (While there is certainly crossover, Quencher’s tends to draw a more “rock” crowd, as they do have a stage in the back where the have performances.)

19

Thanks, pulykamell and x-ray vision. I’ll look up all four clubs. I’m not a big punk fan, but some close friends are, so it’d be good to know about Deliah’s when they visit. I am a big rock fan, so I’m excited about Quenchers.

20

Fun fact o’ the night: RRBC makes one of these, winkingly called “Beer Esteem,” as Anchor trademarked the name “Steam.” Bevmo claims Old Scratch (no relation, I’m sure) to be steam as well.