I remember the 1st Blue Moon I had, in a music club in New Orleans, and I was pleasantly surprised to find a slice of orange in it.
However, the *single * best beer I’ve ever had was a glass of Stella Artois. It was near the end of the 2nd set of a Kurt Elling show at the Green Mill. My friend and I had had finished up our 2nd (3rd?) Black and Tans (Guinness+Harp) and delicious as they were, I couldn’t face another. On a whim I chose the fancy sounding name, and it was the crispest most refreshing beer ever. After the Guinness, it was like drinking champagne. Bee-a-yootiful.
Have been afraid of drinking it since - didn’t want to ruin the memory.
You’d pass up a Pilsner Urquell for a US Budweiser? :smack:
I’ve been to the Pilsner plant a few times now…Absolutely spotless place. Maybe the USA has a shitty bottling plant, but I wouldn’t believe SAB Miller would allow that.
Homebrew, if you love tap Pilsner, then you REALLY need to come here for a trip. There are 142 bars in the Czech Republic that serve un-pastuerized Urquell on tap here. Special requirements for volume are needed to be allowed to serve it, so think large beer halls and pubs. And, if you want a real treat, when you tour the plant they allow you to drink 1 glass of the unfiltered beer…nothin better.
SAB Miller now owns Pilsner Urquell, Gambrinus, Radegast, Velkopopovicky Kozel, and ??? Czech beers here. Velkopovicky Kozel is my favorite mass produced, light and dark.
Now, for a damn fine non-pasteurized, microfiltered (has live yeast and finishes in the bottle) local beer, I suggest Bernard. Sold in re-sealable bottles and made with organically grown ingrediants. LOVE this stuff. They make a light, half dark, dark and a special light that I’ve never had. Great beer.
And the best part about the best beers in the world? A half liter (c. 16oz) costs
under $1.
Baldwin’s is a good place for a beer and catch a soccer game, but I’ve never been impressed by the food. Barney’s (NW corner of Colorado and Raymond, I think) has an excellent selection of beer and the food is decent, if not outstanding, but it’s more of a restaurant with a wine and beer bar than a bar-type-bar. I kinda like the 35er (also on Colorado, the block just east of Baldwin’s), especially their downstairs area, which only seems to be open on Saturday nights now, but it ain’t the place it used to be, back when the windows were painted black and they squeegeed the blood off the floors; it’s all part of the Disneyfication of Old Town, I guess. I can’t say much for the faux-Irish pub McMurphys other than it’s another example of a phenomenon which is hopefully limited to Los Angeles–an “Irish bar” that becomes an electro-trash dance club at the stroke of nine. I’m not fancy on The Pub or whatever that joint is in back of it, either, and while a lot of people seem to like Crown City Brewery (just south of the Metro Del Mar Station) I’m afraid its charms are lost on me. I like Jake’s for the pool, but it seems to be more of a meat market when it’s busy (Friday and Saturday nights) and a tomb when it’s not. There’s a Barney’s Beanery being put in where Q’s used to be; I’m colored less than impressed with the original and suspect that the branch office will be a pale reflection of that, so…meh.
Generally, Pasadena just ain’t a bar town. Head thee down to Silver Lake and Los Feliz, however, and you’ve got your pick of joints, from the Good Luck Bar to 4100 to The Dresden to The Red Lion.
The problem is in the U.S. they bottle in green bottles. Green bottles are as bad as clear at protecting the beer from UV light. Added to that, most stores don’t take care of beer the way they should, letting it warm too much, exposed to florescent lights, get old, etc.
I envy Europeans for their beer: Bavaria, Pils, English Milds and Bitters, German Rauch beers … ah, precious, precious beer.
No way can you go wrong drinking local when you’re in Oregon. Jubalale is from Deschutes Brewery, also makers of Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Black Butte Porter and Bachelor ESB, three truly great brews. If you live in Ptown you owe it to yourself to get on over to Lucky Lab and try their amber ale.
The St. Arnold’s Divine Reserve , a single batch beer by the local microbrewery, was the best new beer I’ve tasted in years. Good enough to entice me to start home brewing so I can try to replicate it.
I remembered this thread at BevMo today, so I picked up a sixpack of Full Sail Amber and one of Drake’s IPA. Research continues…I will attempt to post the results later this evening.
[QUOTE=Godfrey Daniels]
No way can you go wrong drinking local when you’re in Oregon.
[QUOTE]
Unless it’s good old Blitz. I don’t know if it’s still being made (As I was moving there was rampant rumor that the Blitz Weinhard brewery was to be bought out) But the stuff sold in the red and white bottle is as bad as anything mentioned in Birdmonster’s thread.
From the tap I love a Guiness. Actually I still prefer Guiness to most beers in the bottle or can as well though they’re not as good [provided of course they have those lovely little ‘rocket widgets’ otherwise it’s just foul].
Probably my all time favorite is Alaskan Brewing Company’s Smocked Porter. Unfortunately it’s a seasonal brew and fairly hard to get [at least for me]. Other then that for day to day use I’m partial to a Shiner or a Carmel Wheat as they’re both good beers as well as being acceptable to a range of palates [important when either entertaining or bringing brews to share].
Bass is a flavorful Ale which would not appeal to those who like Stouts but is otherwise excellent. It has the advantage of being tasty whether warm or cold. It is one of the few Beers or Ales that this is true of.
However, all Beers and Ales of course come down to personnel taste.
My all round favorite drinkin’ beer is Black Butte porter, which is absolutely incredible at cellar temperature from the tap–BB is the best reason to go to the Laurelhurst Theater instead of the Bagdad.
Sierra Nevada and Anchor Steam both make great porters that actually still taste good from a bottle.
Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Hazelnut Brown and Shakespeare stout are all yummy–the Shakespeare is exceptionally good accompanying clam chowder in a bread bowl, although that might just be me.
I’m a complete slut for cask conditioned beer of any type or description.
I bought a sixer of something called Black Toad from Trader Joe’s which was quite acceptable, especially for five bucks.
The Raccoon Lodge on Beaverton-Hillsdale has a Copper Ale to die for… Aw, hell, who am I kidding? I live in PDX, the beer here all kicks ass and you really can’t go wrong going local here! I love this town…
p.s. Shiner Bock is a fucking joke. It’s nothing more than darker miller lite for people who think they might like a stronger beer. It’s not stronger, and it tastes basically the same.
Honey Brown beer is the best I’ve ever had. however I’ve only tried about 10-15 beers and they were all grocery store beers (various coors, millers, buds, natural ice, heineken, guinness, irish red, pabst, corona, etc). By far Honey Brown is the best.
Ok, as a fan of Shiner and as someone who likes to think they know a bit about beer, I have to comment.
Firstly, to compare Shiner Bock to Miller light is insulting. I have had my share of Miller Light, and my share of Shiner and if you think they taste the same your tongue is made of styrofoam. It isn’t a heavy beer, or a dark beer, but for what it is, it is rather good. It is a simple flavorful beer nothing more nothing less. It is intended to be drunk as an everyday beer. Meant to blend in and work with everything. And I tell you what, after I have been working all day in the sun and I want a cold beer, you will not find me reaching for a dark ale, or a nice stout.
Secondly it is no more fair to compare Shiner to an Ale (and I know you didn’t make the direct comparison, but by the contrast between your posts its obvious where your bias is) like Arrogant Bastard Ale. Is it an ale? No, nor is it intended to be. It isn’t a heavy beer or a hoppy beer, it isn’t meant to be. Now if you want to argue its merits as a Bock, I am with you, there are better bocks in the world. But Shiner is cheap and inoffensive, and there are many worse beers out there.
Judged in the context of what it aspires to be, Shiner is damn good (actually judged on the merits of what it aspires to Miller Light is damn good too, its just that Miller light aspires to be a crappy light beer) So stop being so snobby.
Oh, and I like Arrogant Bastard Ale too. Just about anything Stone puts out is awesome and they (IMHO) make the best American Dark ale out there, one of my favorite IPA’s too. But on the whole I prefer British ales.
