# Anybody willing to give me some beer recommendations? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** beer\ **Created:** [January 28, 2008, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274 "2008-01-28T03:46:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274/41 "2008-02-01T19:04:19Z")
[QUOTE=BlueKangaroo] Interesting. I’m curious about how that would work. Seems like they’d have to throw out a lot of contaminated beer, if that was the case. Not that I know anything about brewing, but a tad about microbes, and that strikes me as odd. Cool if it works, though. [/QUOTE] True Lambic beers are made the way all beer was made before anyone knew what yeast is- in open fermenters. Lambic beer is native to the Senne valley Brussels and is said to be the only place the varieties of specific natural yeasts in the air thrive and can produce Lambic beer. Lindeman’s is not considered by most beer geeks as top of the line. Their beers are overly sweet and have none of the character that traditional Lambics do. Look for fruit Lambics by Cantillon; that’s what _real_ Lambics taste like. 😃 No sweeteners or syrups added- just fresh fruits. ---
**Author:** ![BlueKangaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@BlueKangaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueKangaroo)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274/42 "2008-02-01T19:47:16Z")
I love fruit flavors. A peach or currant beer would rock. Chocolate’s great and all, but mmmm… currant. I’ll check this out too. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274/43 "2008-02-01T22:55:43Z")
[QUOTE=mmouse9799] Generally speaking, I don’t like beer at all. However, I found one that I like a great deal–Lindeman’s Frambois. It’s an import from Belgium and brewed with raspberries. The company also makes apple (pomme), cherry (cherise) and a few other flavors. I’ve found that the raspberry is the best; it’s also the one that tastes least like traditional beer. (A big plus in my book!!) [/QUOTE] It may be a lambic, a beer brewed from fruit juice with ambient yeast. I have it once every few years and enjoy it; my wife calls it Pink Wrong. You just can’t think of it as a beer, I say. Personally, dislike Guinness pretty strongly. It may be much better in the UK, but what I’ve had in the states tastes thin and kind of metallic to me. It’s probably my least favorite stout. Locally we’ve got an excellent one, Highland Brewery’s [Black Mocha Stout](http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/811/6373). It’s very roasty and delicious. Not the best beer with food IMO (too strong a flavor and competes with most of the stuff we cook), but an excellent beer to drink at a pub. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/53a042/32.png) [@RancidYakButterTeaParty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RancidYakButterTeaParty)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274/44 "2008-02-01T23:08:57Z")
[QUOTE=Left Hand of Dorkness] Locally we’ve got an excellent one, Highland Brewery’s [Black Mocha Stout](http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/811/6373). It’s very roasty and delicious. Not the best beer with food IMO (too strong a flavor and competes with most of the stuff we cook), but an excellent beer to drink at a pub. Daniel [/QUOTE] Daniel–have you tried their Tasgall Ale? I really enjoy that brew, and have found most of their products to be very good. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2008, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274/45 "2008-02-01T23:37:29Z")
[QUOTE=RancidYakButterTeaParty] Daniel–have you tried their Tasgall Ale? I really enjoy that brew, and have found most of their products to be very good. [/QUOTE] I don’t think I have–I’ll check it out. I’m not generally fond of high alcohol beers, but I do like the scotch ales I’ve had. Thanks for the recommendation! WHen I first started trying Highland beers, it seemed to me that there was a problem with their capper: all their beer tasted extremely metallic to me, to the point that it was undrinkable. But that was early in the decade, and they’ve fixed that problem now, and I do enjoy their stuff. If I’m splurging on a sixpack for home, they’re my go-to beer, and out at restaurants, their Gaelic Ale is my default choice, since it goes so well with food. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2008, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274/46 "2008-02-02T06:45:00Z")
[QUOTE=Left Hand of Dorkness] It may be a lambic, a beer brewed from fruit juice with ambient yeast. [/QUOTE] A lambic is not a beer brewed from fruit juice. A lambic is brewed from grains – barley and wheat --and stale hops, and is fermented with wild yeast. It is to beer brewing as sourdoughs are to bread baking. Fruit lambics have the addition of either whole fruit or juice/syrup. But straight lambic (e.g. Cantillon Grand Cru,), gueuze (a mix of aged and young lambics, such as Lindeman’s Cuvee Renee), as well as faro (a lambic with brown sugar), all do not contain fruit of any sort. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2008, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274/47 "2008-02-02T13:57:31Z")
[QUOTE=pulykamell] A lambic is not a beer brewed from fruit juice. A lambic is brewed from grains – barley and wheat --and stale hops, and is fermented with wild yeast. It is to beer brewing as sourdoughs are to bread baking. Fruit lambics have the addition of either whole fruit or juice/syrup. But straight lambic (e.g. Cantillon Grand Cru,), gueuze (a mix of aged and young lambics, such as Lindeman’s Cuvee Renee), as well as faro (a lambic with brown sugar), all do not contain fruit of any sort. [/QUOTE] Good to know! The only lambics I’ve ever had were fruity, and I’d incorrectly assumed they were brewed from fruit juice. Your explanation makes sense, though; thanks! Daniel ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274/48 "2008-02-08T01:21:44Z")
Regarding Guinness, where you get it and how it’s poured make an incredible difference in how it tastes. Badly poured Guinness that has been sitting in the lines for ages will taste sour and nasty. A properly poured pint served by a bar that sells it regularly is one of the best beverages on Earth. Luckily there is decent Guinness to be found in Chicago. I’ll be happy to recommend some places if you like. And if you want to try some non “beer” tasting beer, a trip to Quenchers is in order. They have a great selection; I’m going there in about two hours in fact 🙂 edited twice because I cant type to save my life ---
**Author:** ![BlueKangaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@BlueKangaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueKangaroo)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274/49 "2008-02-08T04:39:59Z")
Thanks. I didn’t realize pouring was so essential to the flavor of Guinness. I think I only had it from a can. I know my boyfriend had some sitting around for awhile, but I can’t remember if I tried it from a can at his place or someplace else. I do recall a can, though. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274/50 "2008-02-08T16:21:06Z")
The Pub Draught Cans and bottles can be good but they are picky. The “widget” inside reeases Nitrogen into the mix when it is opened. Nitrogen is essential for proper head formation and it helps the flavor. The widgets are different though. In the can, all the N is released at once, so you crack the can, let it set for 10 sec or so, then pour into a glass and let it settle. In the bottle the widget is constructed so that each time you tip the bottle, an incremental amount is released. (No I dont know the mechanics of it, this is from the Midwest Guinness rep) This is allegedly to make it taste good when you drink straight from the bottle. I’m not convinced, the cans are ok but the bottles I pretty much use for stews and such. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274/51 "2008-02-08T17:08:55Z")
February is the start of Guinness season for me! It’s Six Nations season and Paddy’s day is on the horizon so I will be drinking glasses of Guinness in my local watering hole for the next few weekends. I usually only drink 2 or 3 glasses (half-pints) at a time because I am small and female. Can you get hold of Beamish or Murphy’s? It’s worthwhile to compare them with Guinness if you can. All non-draught Guinness is just not as nice. If it takes less than 2 minutes to pour your Guinness, the barman is doing it wrong. I was very fond of the limited edition Guinness brews that came out a couple of years ago. IMO Brew 39 was nicest. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274/52 "2008-02-08T17:21:42Z")
Beamish and Murphys are available but not widely so. I agree they are nice but my heart belongs to Guinness. ---
**Author:** ![BlueKangaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@BlueKangaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueKangaroo)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274/53 "2008-02-08T17:47:28Z")
Why does it take so long to pour Guinness? ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274/54 "2008-02-08T19:27:31Z")
To allow it to settle so you get a nice head (not too big, not too small). It really does taste nicer. In busy Irish pubs you’ll see lines of half-poured pints sitting on the counter so that they can be topped off as and when required, so the punters don’t have to wait. Personally I don’t drink Guinness outside of Ireland unless either the pub or the barman is Irish- it won’t taste as nice as at home, but I increase the chances it’ll be poured right. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274/55 "2008-02-08T19:31:32Z")
I’m very picky about the Guinness as well. Off the top of my head, there are two places in Chicago where I will confidently order it. Otherwise it’s Smithwicks for me or some IPA like the really hoppy one that made **Blue Kangaroo** ’s face scrunch up. Hmm, you know what you might like? Boddingtons. Imagine a honey coloured Guinness with a lighter flavor. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274/56 "2008-02-08T19:37:00Z")
My favorite “session-ending” stout has always been Mackesson’s. Just right as a bit of dessert. ---
**Author:** ![BlueKangaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@BlueKangaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueKangaroo)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274/57 "2008-02-08T21:33:05Z")
Interesting. Thanks for the explanation **irishgirl**. I went to an Irish pub with my roommate and some friends of her’s recently. That was the place that had my lovely Strongbow cider on tap. I don’t recall the name, though. I didn’t think to try a Guinness there, just because I’d not enjoyed it previously. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2008, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274/58 "2008-02-08T22:33:38Z")
I’m going to get reamed here, I know, but frankly I think the two-stage pour is nothing but Guinness myth. The quality of Guinness from bar to bar will vary, certainly, depending on a number of factors, but from a single bar, the taste from a all-at-once pour and proper two stage pour is identical from my unscientific tests on the question. [Looking online on an Irish craftbrewing website](http://www.irishcraftbrewer.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=725&sid=1f01798ab7f782d1ddda46161fc53e45), it seems that many people agree. > [@](#): > > In the recently reviewed book [_Beer and Cider in Ireland, the Complete Guide_], it states that it was introduced at the switch from the 2-keg pour to the nitro, as the customer was used to having it poured in 2 parts, one from the fresh keg, and one from the aged keg, so to introduce some consistency it was used, so the customer still realised s/he was getting guinness or something like that. > > […] > > Actually, what you mean is that the two-stage pour was always there as it used to be poured from two different casks. When the change was made to a single keg the two-part pour was maintained (or ritualised), not introduced, even though it was not strictly required. So you could say that it was a marketting decision to make customers think they were getting something that same as they used to, regardless of whether it was nitro. I can’t recall (and the book is out of reach), but was nitro introduced at the same time as a single keg? Overall, if it was any other gas they’d probably still have maintained the two-part, and regardless of the gas used, I don’t believe it would affect taste as it all comes from one container. > > […] > > Oh, I dunno. If there’s a bit of a ritual around something it can make some people feel they’re getting something a little special. How many times have we heard people complaining about a barman “abroad” who didn’t do a two part pour, so obviously didn’t know how to pour Guinness? We all buy into these things subconsciously. There’s no harm overall, and if it’s something that marks out a product from others, then to that company it’s worth it. It has become tradition esentially, even if it makes no difference to the taste or appearance of the product. > > […] > Results from my little experiment in. I wanted to do a blind test but there was no good way to do that by myself. Tasted the one pour first- wasn’t a nice Guinness, you now the way the roasted flavours sometimes seem muted and the beer lacks its gentle bitterness, was confident that the two part would win but… it tasted exactly the same. > We must sell some pretty bad Guinness. I voted yes in this poll maybe have to reconsider. Remember, these are Irish beer nuts talking about Guinness, not some Americans who wouldn’t know the difference. So, put me firmly in the camp of ritual, with possibly a slight difference in the head of the beer, but no difference in taste. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274/59 "2008-02-09T00:20:53Z")
Perhaps you are right **Puly** , but all I know is every place I have ever had a 1 part pour there was a distinct change in taste for the worse. If I examined it closely I would not be surprised to find that the correllation is “not type of pour=quality” but rather “type of pour=owner cares about lines, N/CO2 mix, and other external factors” that makes the difference. It’s an extremely reliable bellwether in my experience. The unreliability of Guinness is what prompted me to expand into other beers to begin with, My first beer ever was a Guinness in Portlaoise when I was 16 and those early pints pretty much hardwired my tastebuds. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2008, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274/60 "2008-02-09T01:47:20Z")
[QUOTE=pulykamell] I’m going to get reamed here, I know, but frankly I think the two-stage pour is nothing but Guinness myth… So, put me firmly in the camp of ritual, with possibly a slight difference in the head of the beer, but no difference in taste… [/QUOTE] I’ve been biting my tongue as I didn’t want to get in a debate about this. I hang out with a lot of very serious beer geeks who want their beer served in the appropriate glass, poured _correctly_ etc., and while there are slight differences in aroma and taste when varying those techniques, they’re pretty negligible. A great tasting stout is going to taste great regardless of how you pour it, even if it suffers a little from loss of carbonation, etc. I have a feeling from what BlueKangaroo wrote that he/she is a stoutie in training and will be another beer geek like me that tries to get Guinness devotees to try some _real_ stouts. :ducks for cover: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-willing-to-give-me-some-beer-recommendations/435274.md?page=4)