beer

I am out in west Eugene.

Cool. I never meet anyone from the Eugene area on a racing forum other than the dirt trackers that I already know.

I have met and raced with a few Portlanders on Forza, but that is a bit different.

I like a lot of the Knee Deep IPAs (Hoptologist, Simtra, etc), anything from Dogfish Head

Recently been on an imperial stout kick after having a bottle of Sierra Nevada Narwhal, Speedway Stout, and Midnight Brewing TREAT recently. All are excellent.

patgizz wrote: dogfish head 90 or 120 minute IPA, aged accordingly. anything less i don't care for as far as IPA's go.

I sampled both of those (and everything else they made) at the brewery in Delaware a few years ago. I guess what gets me is the smell... which reminds me of cat piss... Their Midas Touch I like once in awhile.

Not to take it off the hop forward flavors or IPAs too far, I just wanted to mention on my recent R&R back to PA, I got to try the new Coors bottled Batch 19 and was very pleasantly suprised!

Newcastle Brown Ale and Sam Adam's Cream Stout, or a Guiness when I go to a restaurant. Lager beer gives me a really bad headache before I can even finish the bottle. Don't know why, but it's been that way since day one. Maybe that's why I am not much of a drinker. Drink a Budweiser... hit me on the head with a bat... same effect.

Budweiser is awful. If I was given a choice between Bud and horse piss I'd have to sit down and think it over. I love Yuengling but have discovered that two bottles = nasty headache the next day. So my utility beer is Mich Ultra, but I also keep some Guinness Draught around the house. Bottles only, that damn fizzy ball in the cans imparts a weird taste that I don't like. The empty cans make great catch cans for the race car, though.

Old Motor Oil is GREAT but damn it pricey. I also like Duck Rabbit Milk Stout and Ten Fidy. That last is a kick in the goolies at first but I always find myself wanting another.

Cold and free.

And for those who wondered, Hops are bleeping expensive.

The best beer comes out of a Tap.

Commercial beers are pasteurized and taste have a skunky flavour. All Micros have started to taste the same to me. Dark beer has become the ketchup of the micro industry; its novel to many drinkers so the "difference" attracts customers.

If I am buying Stella Artois seems to get my dollars more often than not even tough they are the Abba of beer makers and play some games with the age old rules of beer crafting.

Free beer is my favorite next to the stuff I brew at home (mostly stouts and porters). I also have a pretty amazing vanilla cream ale in the summer.

I've resisted coming to this thread for a couple of days … since I'm sure most of the posters on here will say I don't belong

most that have posted on here would say that I don't drink beer … I drink Miller Lite, can't stand stout of any kind … the "fancier" the beer, the less I like it …

In reply to wbjones:

Somebody is drinking Miller, Bud, etc... they sell tons of the stuff... I've been inside the NJ A-B facility. It's effing massive... huge 40K barrel tanks... over 2 dozen of them... bottling lines that move so fast they're just a blur. And we needed ear plugs just to walk past them getting to our project area... And the place was only running at maybe 50% capacity. I can only imagine what it was like when it was running full-bore.

Personally, I can't stand most Pilsners and Lagers. I don't care if it's free. I drink beer I like or I don't drink beer at all and just have water or a cola.

I'm not exactly a beer snob (witness Mich Ultra) but to me man Bud, Miller etc are nasty. They might sell a bunch of it but not to the ol' Curmudgeon.

Ian F wrote: In reply to wbjones: Somebody is drinking Miller, Bud, etc... they sell tons of the stuff... I've been inside the NJ A-B facility. It's effing massive... huge 40K barrel tanks... over 2 dozen of them... bottling lines that move so fast they're just a blur. And we needed ear plugs just to walk past them getting to our project area... And the place was only running at maybe 50% capacity. I can only imagine what it was like when it was running full-bore. Personally, I can't stand most Pilsners and Lagers. I don't care if it's free. I drink beer I like or I don't drink beer at all and just have water or a cola.

yeah … I know what you mean … I went on a brewery tour in Milwaukee (1968 I think ) can't remember which brand ( PBR maybe ) … was the easiest way to get a drink then … legal age in Wis. then was 21 and I was 19

the noise was incredible

and Mike, any Bud product (Mich Ultra) is just nasty to me … Miller is the only one I've found that doesn't have a bitter after taste … but like Ian F said .. somebody is drinking a bunch of these beers … LOL ( you all so give me E36 M3 for drinking Maxwell House LOL )

wbjones wrote: I've resisted coming to this thread for a couple of days … since I'm sure most of the posters on here will say I don't belong most that have posted on here would say that I don't drink beer … I drink Miller Lite, can't stand stout of any kind … the "fancier" the beer, the less I like it …

I'm with you brother. I've tried the fancier stuff by way of friends mocking me, but ill stick with my miller light, keystone light and bud light lime thank you very much

mndsm wrote: Oh my yes- beer. Keep in mind 99% of what I drink is local, so YMMV. Grain Belt Nordeast- When i'm in the mood to drink a lot of beer (not have one or two, but more like 6-floor) This is my jam. Inoffensive enough to be "sessionable" as beer snobs like to say, cheap as a macro because it is, but still tasty. http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/417/57402

An excellent choice, if I do say so myself. Because I brew my own beer, I don't tend to drink anything commercial in mass quantities macro, or microbrewed. If I did, this would be at or near the top of my list. Instead I'm usually looking for either inspiration for a new batch to make, or a break from an existing one for an evening.

I recently took down a bottle of Surly Darkness. It's a Russian Imperial... and it is the most amazing thing ever. I cannot accurately describe just how good this is. If you want a beer that eats like a meal- this is for you. One bomber was all I needed, and even sharing it, I was quite pleased with the buzz after. Made swearing at the MINI that much easier. http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/13014/33127

Until yesterday Surly choices had been limited to on tap at bars at lease 90 miles away. However, one of the local places finally got some Surly in. I didn't even know they had it until I saw a sign while going through the door. Made for a very expensive beer run yesterday. Bought a bunch of Surly Bender which one of the wife's favorites that I quite enjoy as well. Due to lack of local supply, we attempted a tasty clone of it last yea which came out pretty darn good but is now gone. In addition to the Surly, we also loaded up on a least one 4-pack of just about everything else they had. Tried a can of Surly Abrasive Ale (http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/13014/46849) last night. I may be in love.

Currently drinking a homebrew loaded up with New Zealand hops that's quite different, and will be bottling another beer later today. Because I brew my own beer, I don't tend to drink anything commercial in mass quantities

I forgot about Abrasive. It's pretty good. CynicAle is probably my favorite not limited edition from them. The peppery finish on it is awesome.

Ian F wrote: Somebody is drinking Miller, Bud, etc... they sell tons of the stuff...

Some of it's pretty darn tasty. Doubly so when you look at the price. Basic Coors (you know the gold can stuff, not the silver) is one I quite enjoy. Basic Miller High Life's not too bad considering what you pay for it either. Mostly not a fan of anybody's light beers, but if I had to go light, Michelob Golden Light would be my choice.

Some of the big brewers pseudo-specialty beers are also good bang for you buck. Things like Killians, AmberBock, some of the new(ish) Bud ones. Not the greatest beer, but not bad either. There are some good values to be had.

I just rarely drink enough at once that I really care if I'm getting good value.

mndsm wrote: I forgot about Abrasive. It's pretty good. CynicAle is probably my favorite not limited edition from them. The peppery finish on it is awesome.

Grabbed some of that too, but haven't tried it yet.

Kenny_McCormic wrote: I've yet to meet an IPA I've liked, maybe I'm just sensitive to it or something, I really don't like beer with any strong, prominent hoppy/bitter note to it.

Don't know if this applies to you or not, but more traditional IPAs are a completely different beast than American (especially West Coast) IPA's. They tend to be less in your face hoppy, and the hop varieties are different enough that it's a different experience. Even those are quite possibly outside of what you would enjoy, but are different enough that if you run into one, it might be worth a shot.

So... many... things... to... respond.... to...

Nordeast: Been there. Brewed that. Dang does that stuff sell well. I always found it too sweet, but whatever. I think Firebrick red is a much better all-around beer. (Schell's owns and produces Grain Belt now.)

Lagers and headaches: I can't say for certain, but there are a lot of things that make lager yeasts different from ale yeasts, any number of which could be the culprit. Depends if the problem is any lager, or just macro-lager. I'm guessing macro. Most likely, it is because lager yeasts much prefer lower temperatures than ale yeasts. At low temp, they are much less active. To produce beer faster, many breweries ferment warmer and keep the tanks under pressure to suppress the production of additional flavors. The result is stress to the yeast that might produce higher weight, fusel alcohols. Could also be a reaction to rice, corn, or beet sugar, or to the light stabilized hop extracts frequently used in macro beers. If any lager, it could be because lager yeasts also tend to produce more sulfurous compounds, and it's possible you are sensitive to these.

NOHOME wrote: And for those who wondered, Hops are bleeping expensive.

Frequently, yes. But the price varies greatly year-to-year. Right now, they're pretty reasonable.

The best beer comes out of a Tap.

Not necessarily. Some of the best beers are bottle conditioned. The very best beer I have ever had, Deus, is sold exclusively in bottles. It is hand conditioned using techniques in Champaign (literally shipped from Belgium to France and back). This would be impossible in kegs.

Kegs do offer huge advantages over bottles. The beer never gets exposed to air or anything that has been. Also kegs tend to be much fresher and handled by people who actually know what they're doing.

A kegged beer will also never be tunnel pasteurized.

Commercial beers are pasteurized and taste have a skunky flavour.

"Commercial" is not the same as macro. Any beer you pay money for is a commercial product. Very few craft breweries pasteurize. Most macro breweries pasteurize at least the product going into bottles. There are also different ways to pasteurize. Flash pasteurization has relatively little effect on flavor. Pasteurizing the entire bottles in a tunnel pasteurizer has a significant effect (I have worked at a place that does this).

Pasteurizing does change flavors. It frequently makes beer taste a bit more nutty and slightly darker. It speeds oxidation reactions which frequently make a beer taste cardboardy. This will be more prevalent in cans than bottles because there is more oxygen in the top of cans than bottles.

Skunky is not produced by pasteurization. Skunky is a reaction of hop acids with UV light. Brown bottles block this pretty well. Clear and green do not. If a beer comes in a clear bottle it almost certainly gets around this by being brewed with light-stabilized hop products. Yes, even those fancy "pure" German beers make lots of use of these.

I totally understand people who do not like craft beer. It is not for everyone and it is not for all the time. I think many craft beers go too far to be overly in-your-face aggressive and that puts me off. I do not want to have to work to drink my beer most of the time.

What I do not like/get is the appeal of imported "Premium" beers (Beck's, Heineken, Sapporo, Stella etc.). These beers were maybe a scoche better than their American counterparts (because of better raw materials) when they were brewed, but sure aren't any more after being shipped across the ocean. Then they are sold for craft beer prices. Forget that.

One exception to that is Trumer Pils, which is brewed in Berkeley, and so actually is fresh... and I think generally superior to the likes of Beck's, Heineken, or Stella whether here or abroad.

My daily haunt is the ubiquitous Sierra Nevada Pale. For that I blame Ditchdigger.

I have been drinking a fair amount of Deschutes Mirror Pond lately because the 12-pots have been on special. If I'm feeling fancy, had a crap day at work, etc. I will usually pick up a Hopworks 7 Grain Stout, Burnside Brewery Oatmeal Pale, or Oakshire Overcast Espresso Stout.

I like 'em all. Thick, thin, dark, light, hoppy, malty. All of 'em. I've even been known to toss back some PBRs, Old Germans, Rainiers, etc after imbibing in the good stuff.

When I go out to eat, I tend to rotate between Sam Adams Boston Lager, Yuengling Lager, PBR, the occasional Budweiser (shoot me but it taste okay and doesn't give me a headache) or whatever is on sale.

At home, my tastes tend to go to local brewers/micro stuff but my wallet tends to go with stuff that is on sale or cheaper. I dig Saranac, Naragansett, Trader Joe's Simpler Times Lager/Pilsene, PBR or Gennesee Cream Ale.

Local Brewers in the Pennsylvania Area that I drink: River Horse, Round Guys Brewing and Prizm Brewing. I have tried Free Will Brewing and Neshaminy Creek Brewing and none of their stuff that I have tried has won me over.

Right now in my fridge is all of the following: Saranac Summer Shandy, Naragannsett Cream Ale and Summer Ale, Allentown Brew Works Triple IPA and Duck Rabbit.

I have a likening for Hard Cider as well....

Cider is a whole nother animal. Love the stuff.

I generally keep Mexican and Asian beers on hand for utility drinking in the warmer seasons and w/ their respective cuisines year 'round.

I like good beer, but detest "difficult" beer which emphasizes insane hoppiness/hipster douchebag fashion victim flavors over simple deliciousness. For example. all the beer I've had in Europe has been really good, and 0% of it has caused me to make a face when I have the first sip.

My local, The Quarry House in Silver Spring MD has a massive beer menu and many rotating taps so I tend to try a lot of new things. To be honest a lot of it just runs together; brownish bitter cookie cutter beer where I'd like a glass of water to wash it down.

Oh, and at punk rock shows I want 3 or 5 frosty cold bottled Budweisers. There, I said it.