Either through incredible foresight or sheer dumb luck, the organizers of my High School 5-year reunion have booked an all-you-can-drink deal at Sean Bolans in Baltimore; what was going to be a pretty dull get-together with people from my past I’d rather not spend any appreciable time with has turned into a pretty positive $35 beer tasting (well, more than tasting. Full glasses, please.)
But aside from stouts, reds, and the occasional try or two into Belgians, I’m pretty hopeless on knowing enough about beer to get the most of the five or six beers that I’ll be able to really appreciate before I get too drunk and fall back into a Newcastle and Guinness safety net.
So I leave it to the more worldly Dopers. Which of the (Federal Hill) list should I not miss? The Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock and Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout are pretty high on my never-tried list before, and a friend is trying to convince me that Hefeweizen is not as bad as I fear it to be.
From their list: Weihenstephamer Hefe Weiss (Germany). A hinto of sweetness, very carbonated and, if fresh, it’ll crisply sting the back of your throat just a little.
If you’re a hop-head you really can’t go wrong with Dogfish Head 90-minute IPA. It’s one of my favorite IPAs (up there with Three Floyd’s Alphas King, and Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale). Dogfish Head 90 has been voted best IPA in zillions of beer competitions. If you’ve never had it and love your hops, do yourself a favor and have some.
Also, if the revolving taps do have the Victory Hop Devil (not “Hot Devil” as it is listed), that’s also a very agressively hoppy IPA worth trying.
The Chimays are always a crowd-pleaser. Rich, heavy, deeply complex Belgian ales. Try the Blue.
I hesitate to recommend the Oude Gueze, but it’s one of my favorite styles of beer–unflavored lambic (I’m not sure which brand it is, though, as it’s unlisted). Beware, it is very very stinky, and very very sour. Carbonated pickle/sauerkraut juice is how to describe it to someone who’s never had it before. If you like agressively sour beers, this is the one for you!
I’ve never had that Dogfish Head World Wide Stout, but at 21% alcohol, it sounds intriguing!
Old Speckled Hen is a decent enough session ale. Something you’ll sit down with and drink pint after pint of.
Hefeweizen is good, but definitely not to everyone’s tastes. I find the beer to be a refreshing summer treat, and a nice change of pace from the typical ales I drink. The nose is usually very estery, with definite scent of bananas and perhaps cloves. It’s neither hoppy nor cloyingly malty. It goes very well with a slice of lemon squeezed into it. I would try Franziskaner Hefe-Weissebier to start with. It’s a solid example of what a German wheat beer should taste like.
Well, from my OP comments about Guinness and Newcastle, the desire to try the doppelbock and oatmeal stout, and generally mentioning an enjoyment of stouts and reds, I think the operative word is dark. I will admit, however, that this is largely because my typical experience with lighter colored beers are with the swill that is American light beer.
Basically, I have little experience (typically being more a liquor sipper) and I’m open to anything and would love love LOVE to try as many vastly different beers from all over the spectrum as possible. Guess that’s why I didn’t really specify a preference in the OP.
Well, if ‘different’ is your operative word, then give a lambic a try. It’s not like any other beer in the world. Lots of fresh fruit flavor with a hint of acidity. Hard to believe it’s beer, but it is.
If the Pilsner Urquell is on tap, give that a try. It’s possibly the finest lager in the world, though Brooklyn Brewery’s Brooklyn Lager is probably my favorite, ever. If you want to try a lager, make it your first beer and progress on to the darker ones.
Any of the American microbrews you try are very much more likely to be highly hopped than the British/European beers, so if you really like hops, go with a Sierra Nevada or Dogfish.
I happen to like cider a lot too, so I might throw one of those into the mix as well. The UK ones are better than the American ones - the American ones tend to be too sweet.
While you won’t be able to get it at the reunion, I purchased 8 bottles of 1998 and 1999 Grand Reserve (Blue Label) Chimay in 1999 and I have been having one bottle a year starting in 2003. This beer ages just like fine wine and is absolutely incredible.
If you find it try try any of the Chimay’s or as a second choice I would recommend Leffe.
I’m an admitted mark for Unibroue. While I’m not a fan of Fin Du Monde (it’s a tad perfumey for my tastes), the Unibroue 10 and 11 look like solid brews. They have the added benefit of packing a ridiculous punch, though you might want to stay away from them for that reason alone.
Brooklyn’s Black Chocolate Stout is fantastic, and I say this as another dark beer [del]connoisseur[/del] [del]aficianado[/del] guy. I totally support the Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout as another option. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is a Perfectly Acceptable Beer, but nothing special enough to waste a round on when you’re trying to make the most of this, imho. Don’t bother with Hoegaarden on its own - it’s lacking a certain something for me.
I’m a big fan of the good old Black & Tan. From this list, the traditional formulation would be Guinness and Bass. It’s not bad with Boddington’s, but really, the Guinness/Bass combo is going to be the best from what they have on draft.
And, if you’re feeling adventurous and secure in your masculinity, Magner’s is a delicious cider. You can do a Snakebite, which is ale and cider, as well - in this case, I might be more inclined to lean toward Hoegaarden, since it’s got just enough flavor to accent the cider properly, or alternatively good old reliable Bass. The Sierra Nevada Pale Ale would just be too bitter.
Ha! This is a reunion with a majority of people thinking I was/am gay. I was quite the metrosexual stereotype in High School, just before it became a word (and acceptable), and I know there are still quite a few small minded people who will show up and think I’m light in the loafers (despite Only Mostly Missus being in tow with diamond ring sparkling). Maybe I should drink the cider, between bouts of affection with Only Mostly Missus, just to continue to mess with them.
I personally detest sweet beers (e.g., Chimay, McEwans red label), so my suggestions will steer you away from that kind of stuff. Fruitiness doesn’t bother me, just don’t make it sweet.
I would suggest Maudite. Like most Belgian-style beers, it’s quite strong, so be careful. But I like it better than any of the others listed in that category (my favorites are by Maredsous, especially the Dubbel, in case that shows up on one of the rotating taps).
Definitely do a wheat/white beer. I can’t remember having had Widmer, but Hoegaarden is quite tasty. A lot of people like it with lemon, but try it without first.
Young’s Ram Rod would be my third choice, if you want to slip into the Newcastle comfort zone but still want to try new things.
If you want to try a hefeweissbier, skip the one from Widmer Bros. It is an “American Style” hefe that has none of the clove/spice/banana notes of a German hefe.
One thing you might consider, since you are a lover of stout, would be to try ALL of the stouts. Start with the Irish Dry stouts, then sweet stouts, then Imperial Stouts, and finish it all off with the World Wide from Dogfish Head.
I fear the cost of WW stout in a tavern, however. It is over $8 for a 12 ounce bottle at the liquor store. If you decide to skip that one, IMO, you aren’t missing much.
That’s the beauty. This is $35 all-you-can-drink. I could suck back nothing but the most expensive beers all night, regardless of taste, just to put as large a dent in the venue’s wallet as possible.
I admit, the more I dwell, the more I hold a certain curiosity about the Dogfish WW. At that point, I can’t imagine it being much like any other beer. It’s more like a hops-based liquor. Crazy experiment, and apparantly feasible enough that they do bottle and sell it. It’s intriguing, but I don’t know I want to get that drunk that fast.
I see they have Rogue Dead Guy Ale which is pretty good. They don’t list any of the other Rogue beers which is sad, because their Shakespeare Stout is a work of genius, and proof that og loves us.
Definitely try the WW and report back to us! I suspect they’ll serve it in something like a brandy snifter. I’ll have to see if my local liquor store carries it (they have a fantastic selection of microbrews and foreign beers.) I’m always willing to give an extreme beer a shot.
Huzzah! I emailed my local supplier, and they do have WW in stock. His commend was that the beer was very underwhelming, but should become phenomenal after a few years. Certain beers, especially the higher-alcohol ones, become better with age, although most beers are best consumed young.
I also neglected to mention–give the Berliner Kindl Weisse a shot. It’s normally served with raspberry syrup–I prefer it without. It’s very different from your Bavarian wheat beers. There’s a pleasant tartness to it, as it’s been innoculated with lactobaccilus cultures through (I believe) sour mashing some of the grain.