Corona stays good for about a picosecond after it leaves the brewery.
Auntbeast, may I suggest a wheat beer next?
wow, are you drunk with German beer?
Well, if you detest pilsner, like I do, his/her statement almost makes sense. I’d much rather have something from Bavaria than something from Bohemia. Optimator! Celebrator! Salvator! Any of those other bockators! I heart bocks. I love you, Easterbunny! Bock bock!
Since you’re all discussing the different flavors and bitterness/sweetness of beers, I hope someone can answer my question. Back when I used to drink beer, it was in Canada. The majority of the people I knew drank Labatt’s 50 (lager) or Blue (pilsener), or Molson Export (ale). It was mainly older folks who drank the Carling-O’Keefe beers. Worst thing I ever tasted was India Pale Ale (IPA). I’m cringing just remembering it.
My preference was Export. I found 50 to be so bitter as to be unpalatable, and Blue so gassy and unpleasant-tasting that I couldn’t drink a whole one. I was more or less able to confirm over time that I don’t like lager or pilsener at all, but I didn’t mind ale. What are the differences between them, and what was it about the ale that I could at least stand to drink, if not enthusiastically love it? It seemed best at just above freezing. Couldn’t drink a room temperature beer at all. Any ideas?
See post #75. Click the style link and read the descriptors. But basically:
Pilsner is a typre of lager. Lager means “to store” and is a type of beer that is fermented at colder temperatures, with a type of yeast that is called “bottom-fermenting.” Lagers tend to be crisper and cleaner than ales, which are fermented at a warmer temperature with a “top-fermenting” yeast that produces a little to a lot of esters and other interesting flavors.
But you have to understand that all three of the beers you listed are crap. Most Canadian beer is crap. That’s speaking by volume, mind you. Canada has a thriving craft-beer scene, and is producing some world-class micro-brews. But Labatt’s and Molson are Miller and Coors. Mass-produced swill. If you drank your ale at just above freezing, you killed it. Maybe that’s why you could drink it…it had no flavor at that temperture. Ales are meant to be drunk at 45°-55°.
This place in Bangkok makes a great wheat beer: Tawandang German Beer Hall. Brewed on premises. A pint is about US$3.50, and we get 15% off of everything, including beer, with our membership card. Decent food and a great show, too. Will be there this Frday night.
Thanks, silenus.
Just have to clarify things here–technically, Labatt’s 50 was an ale. Think of it this way: 50 was to Blue as Ex was to Canadian. Same recipe except for the yeast.
The ales produced by the big Canadian brewers back in the 60s and 70s were just barely ales, really. If I recall my Brewer’s Retail training, the recipes for Ex and Canadian, and for Blue and 50 were pretty much the same–only the yeast was different. Still, starting from the same basic recipe with only minor variations between brands, the end result was, as you noticed (as we all did) pretty much the same between Ex and 50 and Blue and Canadian–and Golden and Old Vienna and Diamond and Crystal and Oktoberfest and so on and so on. Bland, mainstream, run of the mill stuff that could be called beer, but just barely.
To its credit, Labatt did experiment more than Molson did. Labatt’s IPA wasn’t really an IPA (and I’ve sampled some great IPAs), but it was definitely an ale; you could tell from the taste, though that taste wasn’t to everyone’s liking, as you note, fishbicycle. Similarly, Labatt’s Velvet Cream Porter was black and sweet, as a porter should be, but didn’t quite have the body of microbrew porters. At any rate, these were not big sellers for Labatt, and they were discontinued in the early 90s.
My guess would be that it wasn’t a question of ale or lager in your case, but a question of Labatt or Molson. If 50 was bitter and Blue was unpleasant, I’m not surprised–the recipe was the same, except for the yeast. If Ex was palatable if it was chilled enough, then likely Canadian would have been too. But in those days, there were, for practical purposes, few choices in Ontario. I know a few Ontarians who would be beer drinkers today if not for the lack of variety in Ontario beers of that time. Thankfully, things have changed; not just in Ontario, but across Canada.
Spoons
Onetime Ontario Brewer’s Retail Employee
You know, the wheat beer intrigues me. Not sure why. Unfortunately, I only got to the grocery store liquor store today and there wasn’t a wheat bear I felt comfortable drinking. I’m trying to be discerning in my first tastes of different types, so I don’t get the wrong idea.
However…I did pick the Chimay red. I haven’t tried it (as of this second, by the end of the post, I might. 
On the upside, my husband is all for my little habit since one beer seems to get a glimmer in my eye that he tends to benefit from. As a matter of fact, he suggested I go to the liquor store.
What wheat beer would you recommend I start with?
I had good luck with Blue Moon. In fact, it is officially the first beer I finished.
Color me pissed off. I had unexpected guests (teetotalers) yesterday. I have to work tonight. So the soonest I could possibly try my Chimay red is tonight around 1am.
Unless in my first week as a beer drinker, I go to work reeking of beer…
Wish you had picked the blue Chimay Auntbeast. It’s my favorite of their three sorts although some say it tastes like perfumed ice-tea.
There are a lot of different wheat beers but I would recommend Hoegaarden. It’s a Belgian beer perfect for a warm day, cooling and with a citrus taste.
[QUOTE=silenus]
See post #75. Click the style link and read the descriptors. But basically:But you have to understand that all three of the beers you listed are crap. Most Canadian beer is crap.
Silenus! I’ve had some very tasty Canadian beer in Victoria, BC, and in Kingston, Ont.
Microbrews, yes. And delicious. Go eat at Chez Piggy in Kingston; they have a good beer list as well as good food.
Who, above, mentioned Victory beer out of Dovrington, PA? I am testing Victory’s Horizontal (cute graphic of an cresent moon lying on its back and snoring on the label) barley wine, and my face is going numb. Not a beer for the non-beer drinkers, (really, try the sweet ginger beer mentioned above) but man, for beer drinkers, it is strong. And tasty.
And I understand why they call it Horizontal. Got to get to that position, soon.
Canadian micros can be quite tasty. Phillips has some very nice brews, as do several places around Vancouver. Most of North America has a thriving microbrew scene…you just have to look for it.
On the southwestern BC beer scene.
Phillips has saved my snobby little beer life: their Double IPA (Amnesiac) is really solid (and their stout) and not terribly expensive, which is great since our local province-run liquor store is otherwise very sad.
Yaletown Brewing-- I don’t think they sell off premises-- sometimes comes up with surprisingly brilliant things. Last winter they made a really good Belgian Triple, and they’ve had a good barley wine.
Storm Brewing is good but teeny tiny, and Howe Sound makes some great things (and some not-so great) as does Bowen Island-- a nice cream ale. Haven’t been too impressed with Steamworks, and Granville Island makes a very dependable decent IPA (like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale: the decent one you get at the sketchy pub that doesn’t have much else). I know there are some other good breweries on the Island but no experience.
But overall I’ve been shocked at the paucity of brewpubs in Vancouver-- very large city with a fraction of the breweries of Portland or Seattle. I know there are some byzantine local liquor laws that cause this, but it’s still strange to me.
I was in this same boat not too long ago, did not care for the typical American brews, frankly because I didn’t care for the taste more than anything. I started out my search for trying to acquire a tatse for beer by hitting up a local International Market (Jungle Jim’s for those in the Cincinnati region), and trying one domestic and one import a bottle at a time, until I found what I liked. Most of the domestics were a bit too “hoppy” for me, so I have stayed away from the IPA’s, and other beers that pride themselves on their hop flavor, and I would recommend the same if you are just starting out.
Something you may want to give a shot for a different flavor is Stiegl Lemon. It is brewed with lemon soda, so it obviously has a different flavor to it, but definitely not overwhelming, and it does not have a high alcohol content either. it is a very nice drink in the summer.
If I want a reliably great beer, I’ll go for Pilsner Urquell, a wonderful Czech pilsner that is very smooth, but has great taste and mouth feel.
For something a bit darker and more filling, I have had Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout several times with good success. It has a more earthy feel to it, but is creamy and chocolatey, a great dessert beer to relax with.
Reading this thread I didn’t have much choice: I have just been to the local beer pusher to search for some of that nice American brew. And lo: They do sell Hair of the Dog here, but the price is a massive 11 USD a bottle. So: before I ruin myself trying all of them I figured you guys could tell me which of the HotD beers I should go for…
Instead I settled for an old favourite - best beer I ever had - Trappistes Rochefort 10. Brewed by monks in one of the 6 trappist monasteries that produce for public consuption it is a bottle full of heaven!
And then something a bit different, I suspect - a Bøge Bryg (Beech Brew) from one of the many Danish microbreweries. Apparently they mix the hops with beech leaves. Hmm. I’ll get back to you on that one.
Skål!
My girlfriend went through the same “want to like beer, but haven’t found something to get started with” phase. For her Corona with lime turned out to be the gateway beer. Personally, I’m not a big fan, but it worked for her.
I’ve seen it debated many times on this board, and its true, there are so many good beers in the U.S. now. Anyone who still thinks of American beer as Miller/Bud/Coors hasn’t really been paying attention since about 1982.
My own personal top five beers:
- Newcastle Brown Ale
- Sam Adam’s Winter Lager
- Spaten Optimator
- Guinness
- Anchor Steam
You guys have cursed me. Not only have I been to ABC liquors 3x in the last week when they are closed, but when they were open, they were out of my favorite beer so far.
I’ve discovered I don’t much like Sam Adams, but prefer the darker, meatier beers. I’ve picked up a Delerium Nocturnum and a Rogue’s Chocolate Stout. Currently retasting the Spaten Optimator. Interesting tasting it again after trying several others.
How is everyone’s elses discoveries coming?
Sometimes the restaurant uses “domestic” as a synonym for “piss water.” I was recently at an Applebee’s where the only drinks that counted towards their $2 domestic special were Bud and Bud light.