Beer!

In My Humble Opinion
21

Snoopmeister,

Fosters used to be one of the better lagers. They were bought out a few years back and are complete bovine urine now. Since you’re in the area, we need to meet in Sunnyvale at Stoddard’s Brewery and I’ll buy you a glass of their Kolsch. Seven different hops and 5% wheat make this a complex yet incredibly drinkable beer.

You must find the Salvadorean brand, Ace Pilsner that shows an ace of hearts on the label. One fine pilsner, comparable to the true Danish Tuborg. The recent anniversary edition of Full Sail’s Very Special Pale Ale was a superb example of it’s kind. Try to find Whitbread Pale Ale, which is another fine example of the brewer’s art.

I still have in my basement an unopened case of Sapporo’s “A Winter’s Tale”, which is a “Stout Lager” (a contradiction of terms, I know), namely a high test Japanese winter brew that gets you there in a hurry.

For some real fun and games, try Rogue River’s “Old Crustacean”. This is a barley wine that’ll put your dick in the dirt so fast you’ll piss mud for a week. It is actually very similar to a Vietnamese rice wine that my friend’s father brews.

Hope to see you this weekend at the Dopefest in SF. Let me know, OK?

22

John Dorman Elliot (when head of Carlton United Breweries - CUB) set out to “Fosterise” the world … fortunately for the globe he failed. The #1 selling beer from CUB for probably the last decade is Victorian Bitter or VB.

HenrySpencer is correct in his point that Aussies tend to drink the local brew, especially the Queenslanders (Castlemaine XXXX) but it’s nowhere near as parochial as it used to be. At the moment, the fridge in the office is stacked with VB, Hahn Ice (ex Sydney) and Cascade (ex Tasmania)

I’d drink Fosters before Tooheys Red or Castlemain XXXX but if it was available, I’d drink Coopers Sparkling Ale (ex South Australia), bottle fermented, 5.4%w/v … cloudy but fine!

Of course, I’d give the crown for the best beer to any number of the Belgian brews. Bloody good stuff!

The worst would be some of the garbage you have to drink in regional China because drinking the water will kill you!

As

23

Tell me, can you get Tuborg in the U.S? I’ve just moved here, and I can’t find it anywhere. I know it’s a mass-produced, “common” beer, but dammit, it’s my mass-produced, “common” beer!
If it’s not impotred, what tastes similar?

24

At first Tuborg was major stupid and leased the production rights to Miller who sold it as Tuborg Gold. This of course was pure swill and was indistinguishable from Miller in blindfold taste tests. Some years later after Tuborg Gold had faded from public memory, Tuborg started importing the real thing again. Unfortunately, I can only imagine that they had poisoned the label’s reputation and the import did not sell. I still have a six pack in my basement somewhere.

Sadly, Carlsberg just does not have the fabulous smooth flavor of Tuborg. If you live in an area with a substantial Hispanic population, please look for Pilsner from El Salvador. It has the ace of hearts on the label and package. It is one of the smoothest beers I have had in a long time. Sadly, nothing quite measures up to the real thing.

Let me know about your search Alessan, and I will try to add some others to the list for you. The Peruvian beer Cristal is a close second to Pilsner and you might want to try the Italian beer Peroni just for fun.

Keep in touch with your results.

25

Guinness is the best (and the mightiest), but you have to want it. It’s not something you drink on a whim…

Harp Lager is my favorite by far, followed by Belhaven Ale. And then there’s Shiner Bock, which might be a regional thing here in Texas, but it’s the only American beer I can stomach.

Sometimes I get a wild hair and have a Tsing Tao, but given a choice I reach for a Harp.

26

How could I forget Harp Lager. It is one of the finest brews a man can pour down his neck. There is nothing like a properly constructed black and tan to soothe the savage beast.
Thanks Kilt-wearin’ man for reminding me.

27

Allright, enuffalready! I’m tired of America getting punched in its big ol’ beer gut from you Eurocentric “we’ve been making beer since the stone age” wankers! Coldy, I’ll agree with you on the Grolsch, but only because of the really cool bottle. And in college I had a huge Warsteiner banner(“Because life is too short to drink cheap beer”) I swiped from my liquor store job. But to say that most Amercian beers are horse piss is a slap in the face to any true beer loving Yank.

More accurately, you should say that the beer consumed by most Americans is horse piss. No argument here. Miller, Bud, etc. are weak little pansy beers consumed in ignorance by people who sadly know no better. But the big corporate brands are only a few of the hundreds of breweries over here. America in the last ten years has become a beer lover’s paradise.

Don’t believe me? Fine. Come on over to Wisconsin and I’ll take you to some brew pubs that will have you weeping openly from the pure beery goodness we have.:slight_smile:

28

I’ll have to agree with Bottle of Smoke–there are some excellent American beers that are far better than the mass-produced Buds and Millers and the like.

Certainly Anchor Steam Beer is unique and one I’m always glad to find. And a couple of recent discoveries–Fat Tire Amber Ale and Odell’s 90 Shilling Ale, both from Colorado, are worth looking for.

Outside the USA, but still not in Europe, there are plenty of great beers. In Canada, one of my favourites has got to be Creemore Springs Lager (Ontario), and the IPA from the Steamworks Brewpub in Vancouver. Quidi Vidi 1842 (I think that’s the correct number) Ale from Newfoundland is a treat too.

And the last time I was in Western Australia, ice-cold Swan Lager off the tap was most welcome–smooth and refreshing. But for WA ales, the best had to be the Seven Seas Ale from the Sail and Anchor Brewpub in Fremantle. That one is worth going halfway around the world for.

29

Let’s not forget the reason so many Americans drink mediocre beers: on the whole, they’re CHEAP. I mean, I’m a blue collar guy with regrettably little disposable income, and I’ll plunk down seven dollars for a 12 pack of something brewed by Busch or Miller rather than a 6 pack of some fancy pants import.

Not that I mind imports in and of themselves. Last week I had the pleasure of visiting an Irish pub, where I partook of several black and tans, something I like to do when possible.

30

JBirdman12, you’re okay by me. Black and tans are a way of life, period!

31

IBC is definately the best, hands down.

Oh, wait… you’re not talking about root beer, are you…

<g,d&r>

32

Absolutely. I couldn’t agree more. Of course, right now I’m drinking 211. Technically a malt liquor, it tastes like ass but its so damn strong.

33

Foster’s is pretty ordinary, but Dos Equis is one of my regular orders. It comes in two colors, so be sure you get the Amber(with a black cap) when you buy me a beer.

34

I had originally meant to say that Corona is the crappy beer and that Dos Equis is the good one. With a Dos Equis fan chiming in, I figured it was about time to say something.

35

Depends where I am. In Dublin, it’s Guinness or Kilkenneys (also made by Guiness, I believe), in Toronto, it’s Rickards Red, in Holland, Dommelsch (sp?), in the home fridge, it’s Redhook ESB, in local watering holes, it’s Gordon Beirsch or Black and Tans.

36

Kilkenny is indeed made by Guinness, and Dommelsch is spelled flawlessly - and a tasty beer, to boot :wink:

37

Perhaps my eyes are deceiving me, but has no-one mentioned Pilsen Urquell? The original Czech pilsner, and a damn fine drop.

picmr

38

I know I’m Irish and have a soft spot for Guinness and Beamish stout, but the best beer in the world is Fullers London Pride, served from the cask at cellar temperature.

39

A beer connoisseur, not a beer snob, checking in.

First off, hats off to Guinness and Beamish, two of the beverages closest to my heart. I will humbly admit that I think Beamish edges out Guinness here in the states in taste, certainly not availability. The real king of those substantial beers however is Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout.

Now highlight a bit of brainwashing, American Macro beers are not piss. All macro lagers are a bit light in the ass, but the US’ version is at least as good and frequently better than the imported versions. Its just a clever bit of tradition and marketing working against a very passable American brew offering. Consider the prominent imported lagers, Fosters, Corona, Becks, Heineken, and St Pauli Girl. They all suck, and I’d take a Bud over any of them in a second. Miller is quite possibly the worst of all the lot, but don’t hold that against Bud. All are watered down, and can be tasty and refreshing if the craving is right, but I sumbit that the local versions taste better, go down smoother, and provide less ill effect than those well advertised imports. I propose that most of the exported beers are of lower quality and suffer in shipping from continent to continent. IOW, local Heiny is probably better than imported Bud, but local Bud is much better than imported Heiny.

Coldy, I’ve lost much respect for you my friend. No respectable beer drinker will praise anything that comes in a green or clear bottle. Grolsch may very well be a fine drink from the tap in your neck of the woods, but the version we get here isn’t fit for serving to Canadians. Grolsch, Rolling Rock and Heineken are what the fools with extra cash and no brain shell out for at the bars whilst trying to look cool for the shallow folks. I prefer to let my taste buds decide, not Madison Ave.

pugluvr, I’m happy to say the first time I was really drunk occured in the Hacker-Pschorr brewery. Swilling literes of Hofbrau and Hacker straight from the barrel at the ripe age of 16. Quite beautiful, I highly recommend it, regardless of the touristy atmosphere.

What are good beers? Lambic’s have a special place in my heart, and are better shared over dessert with a girl than wine. I admit they are beer in only the loosest of definitions. Theres a list of American Micro’s that I could share but it’d take an hour to type it up, oddly I don’t argee with any of those mentioned here. A good wheat or Hefe is incomparable in the summer, and one must look to the Germans for a decent representation, I conceed us Yanks have no skill in this trade. When I’m feeling especially spendy I’ll treat myself to a good Trappist, the one from Chimay are usually all thats available. If I’m spendy and looking to get ripped in a hurry, I’ll pick up a barley wine, but only if its brewed on site. You just can’t settle for that stuff bottled, Goose Island here in Chicago makes an excellent version. Typically, if you’re buying from a standard suburban liquor store your safest bet is to go with the Bud, Killian’s or Sam Adam’s. Anything else has been sitting around warm for god-knows-how-long.

Next round’s on me!!!

40

It’s good that my SO’s not here
to counter my verse about beer
I like to drink Guiness
The way Popeye eats spinach
But her choice has been Murphy’s for years.