How I Became a Kinda-Sorta Beer Snob
There are plenty of people who know more about beer than I do. But I know a little bit about it… In fact, I’ve become sort of a beer snob over the years. It pisses me off, for instance, when I’m in a bar with thirty microbrews on tap, and some shitkicker sits down, slaps the counter, and says, “Coors Light!”
It’s like being in Manhattan, or San Francisco, and going to TGI Friday’s for lunch. It’s almost a sin, in my book.
Anyway, I can tell you exactly when my beer snobbery took root. Well, not exactly — I can’t give you a day of the week — but I can tell you about the event.
It was 1991 or thereabouts, and Toney and I had only been dating for a few months. One day she told me she was planning to fly to Oregon, to visit her sister (Nancy!), and wanted to know if I’d be interested in going with her.
With the exception of a lightning-fast work-related California trip, I’d never been west of Tennessee, and Oregon seemed impossibly exotic to me. I told her I’d love to go, so we started making plans.
I didn’t know much about Nancy at that point, I’d only met her twice: at a Braves game, and for drinks at a bar called Aunt Charley’s, in Atlanta. She seemed kinda flaky and scattered, but nice enough.
And for many years my favorite beer was Rolling Rock. It was more of a brand loyalty thing, than any kind of real appreciation for beer quality. I liked the old-fashioned longneck bottles, more than anything else.
But on that trip to Oregon, everything changed.
In 1991 there was no such thing (as far as I knew) as a brewpub, or microbrews, or anything of the sort. Whenever we were feeling the urge for something “fancy” we’d grab some shitty import, like Foster’s — which cost more, but tasted exactly like what we were accustomed to.
On that trip, however, Nancy exposed me to beers that blew me away. Many had a bitter aftertaste, which was completely new to me. But, man, I loved it. I later learned it was hops, and I’d never experienced anything quite like it.
We also went to several brewpubs, where they made their own beers inside the restaurant. All incredibly tasty…
I remember sitting in one such place in Eugene, and a hippie came in with an empty orange juice jar. He handed it to the bartender, who filled the jar, and the hippie Birkenstocked his patchouli ass on down the road with it.
It was a beer lover’s paradise!
There were two store-bought beers, in particular, that were so incredibly good, they nearly brought tears to my eyes: Bridgeport Blue Heron Ale and Full Sail Pale Ale. Neither are available in the East, and I haven’t had them in years. But they almost made me cry in 1991.
The Pacific Northwest was way ahead of the rest of the country when it came to craft beers, and we landed right in the middle of it. I couldn’t believe it; I had no idea. And, thanks in part to Nancy, I’ve been interested in quality beers ever since.
In fact, just this past weekend Toney bought a six-pack of Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA. We’d had it before, but it had probably been a year. And when we took the first sip, both of us said at the same time: “Mmmm… tastes like Oregon.”
So, even now, we judge all beers against that trip. “Not exactly Oregon,” is something we say when we’re disappointed with a selection. It was a life-changing event, and that’s no exaggeration.
When we got back to Atlanta I went to a large liquor store in Buckhead, and talked to them about special ordering microbrews from Oregon or Washington. It broke my heart to go back to Rolling Rock.
There wasn’t much to choose from — none of my favorites could be shipped to Georgia. So I ordered a case of something unfamiliar, from Seattle, for some ENORMOUS amount of money. And it tasted like a liquefied whisk broom.
Toney drank one, and washed her hands of the whole exercise. And I choked them down (they were expensive!) over a three month period, or so. Blecch. Instead of Cascade hops, I think they used pee-soaked hay from a dairy farm.
And so, that’s how I became a kinda-sorta beer snob. It’s not something I chose, it just happened. My first encounter with that hoppy aftertaste changed everything.
Dogfish Head 60 Minute and Stone IPA are two beers available in this area that really “taste like Oregon.” Mmmm… I wish I had one right now.
And, in my way of thinking, there’s a big difference between microbrews and an everyday beer. There are plenty of great microbrews that I enjoy, but keep Yuengling Lager in the fridge for casual drinking.
It’s unfair to compare beers from different categories, with different purposes. It irritates me when people say, “You think Yuengling is a good beer? Have you tried <insert ultra-obscure brew from Vermont or New Hampshire>?”
Not the same thing, shitlips. I love all sorts of great microbrews, prefer Yuengling as an everyday beer, and used to drink Pabst during the “lean years.” PBR is always a decent, dirt-cheap option.
So, there you go. What’s the best beer you’ve ever tasted? What’s your everyday beer of choice? And how about the cheap-ass category?
You don’t like beer, you say? Well, maybe I’ll write about something that interests you tomorrow. I can’t make any promises, of course, because I have no idea what I’ll be writing about tomorrow.
But I’ll see you then!
Filed under: Daily
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Good Afternoon Surf Reporters…
Best beer I ever tasted? All of them in one way or another.
MMMMmmmmmm…..beer
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I prefer Tequilla but I do like a nice cold Blue Moon with a slice of orange occasionaly!!
Dated a guy in colege whose dad owned the local beer distributers and drank a lot of free Moosehead and Douis XX, now those were beer drinking days!!
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Knocked down a few PBR’s at a bar in King, NC last Friday night. Went to see Love Truckin’ (friends) play at the coffee shop next door. Clean bar and I can’t get used to “No Smoking” joints. But the skank selection was indeed awesome. What surprised me most?
They had Salem Gold and Pilot Mountain Pale Ale from Foothills Brewery in Winston-Salem, NC.
I had PBR in bottles.
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Jeff-
You’re finally playing into my area of expertise. Back in the late 70′s, I discovered Fosters; still brewed in Australia at the time and sold in the steel cans with the seam (real pop top, too). Tasted another Aussie great, Tooth’s Sheaf Stout and it blew me away. I was lucky enough to leave the restaurant biz and go to work for a small distributor in Long Beach, California. 500 different beers, most of them obscure little micros (Rogue, North Coast, and Grant’s) but the best of them, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It is still my favorite beer in the world. Hoppy Goodnes!!
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top ten- hell yeah!!!
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My new favorite is Raging Bitch from Flying Dog. It’s a Belgian style pale ale and is fucking incredible. It’s only $8.99 a six which is way a steal. 8.3% ABV will knock you on your ass if you’re not careful. I have not found many craft beers in the pale ale style that I don’t like. This weekend my little community has their annual craft beer tasting party out at the park and I can’t wait.
http://www.bockandrock.com/
As for everyday beer I drink PBR drafts at my favorite watering hole at $1.75 a pint.
At home it is almost always Natty lights which has to due with fitting in with the neighbors, and no I don’t live in a dorm room.
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Went to Amsterdam in 2002 and fell in love with Hoegarden Grand Cru. I need to go on a beer drinking bicycle tour of Belgium, but then, I may never come home.
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I love beer but it doesn’t like me much. Actually any alcohol anymore gives me a migraine. But if I start hankering for a brew, consequences be damned, then Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is my beer of choice. Stay thirsty, my friends.
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I (as I’m sure a lot of people) look at beer in two basic catagories, tasting vs session beers. Yuengling is a great session beer but some of the fancy microbrews fit more into a tasting group for me. Apples to oranges in my book!
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I’m originally from the midwest (MI) and I thought that I liked beer until I move to Oregon in 1999. Now I love beer. Here, not in the midwest. Beer in OR is incredible. I can’t name a favorite beer as there are too many. I could name a favorite brewery. Deschutes. 2nd would be Rogue. 3rd….Full Sail. I hope that I don’t have to move away from here anytime soon. Vacations are a bit rough too. Trips to Chicago or Michigan leave me very thirsty.
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If you like Fosters and Moosehead then fine, it’s a matter of choice and taste. Me, I think they both are horrible, and Rolling Rock always reminded me of pizza dough, but then, I liked Dos Equis though I wondered sometimes about the water they use. I’m not a beer snob only because I haven’t lived in an area that had really good beer available. That and I stopped drinking 20 years ago.
Wait…so why the hell am I even posting then?
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A pint of London Pride is wonderful. After 8 pints however, I shout instead of talk, repeat myself continuously and tell everyone that they are my best mate.
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Best beer I ever had was the first one– a stolen icy cold bud light sometime in august at about age 12. Slurped it down and thought it tasted like heaven. It’s become my every day beer selection along with Labatt Blue… But if I’m supplying a crowd or have to repay for moving, it’s Busch Light for everybody! Good old fashioned hillbilly beer… Of course, apple pie moonshine is still my drink of choice when I can get it.
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Really anything by Big Sky Brewing in Montana is very good to me i.e. Moose Drool, Trout Slayer, Scapegoat. We also have several microbrew/restaurants here in Boise, The Ram makes very delicious beer, Disorder Porter is by far my favorite there. If you are unable to see through a glass when it is full of beer chances are I will like it.
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My beer-snobbery developed rather early, back in the days when there were no microbrews. I was in college in the early ’80s when I first tasted Heineken Dark beer. I’m not saying there’s anything particularly special about that beer, other than the fact that it didn’t taste like 99% of the other beers that were available at the time, and that simple fact opened my mind up to the fact that beer doesn’t have to taste like Budweister or Miller. These were the days when regular Heineken was considered about the finest beer a person could buy, and the dark variety was rather rare. It was also at this time that I discovered Yuengling Porter, which wasn’t as tasty as Heinekin Dark, but was pretty good in its own right, and cost about half of what a case of H. Dark cost, given that the Yuengling brewery was only about 100 miles from my college town.
And my snobbery took off like a rocket when in 1985 I spent five weeks in London, England as part of a graduate studies program. And let me tell you, 25 years later, after many thousands of gallons of fine American microbews have been consumed by yours truly, I still have not tasted beer as delicious and satisfying as the average, run-of-the-mill British “bitter” (or “Real Ale” as they’re often called these days) in any English pub. (And in England, the word “bitter” has nothing to do with the flavor of the beer — that’s simply what that style of beer is called. They are no more hoppy than the average ale or lager, so anyone who’s not a fan of highly-hopped beers should not fear that a British bitter is going to taste bitter. British bitters aren’t bitter, they’re simply called bitter.) I finally got back to London last summer, and one of the main reasons for my trip was to quench my quarter-century thirst for the real stuff — you can buy British beers in the can or bottle in the U.S., but they are pasteurized and artificially carbonated, so they simply do not taste like they taste when served fresh at a British pub, pumped up from the basement via the long-handled gravity tap.
My mainstay beer throughout most of the late ’80s / early ’90s was Yuengling Lord Chesterfield Ale, which was a bit hoppier than most of the “normal” American beers of the time, but nowhere near as hoppy as what’s considered a highly-hopped beer today. My Lord Chesterfield days were before Yuengling Lager even existed, and the Lager probably would have been my brew of choice had it been available back then, as it’s a very fine everyday beer, as Jeff duly notes.
I’d say my favorite mainstay beer today is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale — when I’m shopping for a case and can’t decide what I want, that’s what I usually go for, ’cause I know it’s gonna be good. When I go to bars, though, I usually experiment with whatever microbrews they have on tap, and order a different pint for each round.
Beer is a wonderful thing.
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Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is my go to. That Dog Fish does do me right when it’s available. Natty Light cans are uncommonly delicious but only when consumed in Good Ole Ocean City, MD during the summer…
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Bloody hell Swami, reading your post has made me have to go out and buy beer. If I get even fatter now it’s all your fault!
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Deschutes Brewery in Bend has the finest lineup I have experienced. (I have a LOT of experience). We actually get it down here in So Cal now. Try the Mirror Pond Pale Ale if you get the chance.
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It is 7.55 in the evening here I may addd. I’m not that much of an old soak.
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mark0510: You are actually in England, correct? If so, I very much envy the fact that you can probably walk out your front door and be at a pub within five or ten minutes, drinking the finest beer known to man. Have one on my behalf, please. I’ll be back there eventually, and I’m not going to wait another 25 years this time.
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I like Beck’s beer. I haven’t played around with microbrews as I prefer wine. But I need to make that my next hobby.
I can’t stand when someone adds ice to a chardonnay or sauvignon blanc. It’s my version of Jeff’s “Coor Lite” customer.
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Correct Swami. Bitter is my tipple of choice too, so the first one will be in your honour. I will also blame you when my missus berates me for drinking on a Monday night. Cheers!
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The best Beer I’ve ever had was from the Deschutes Brewery in Oregon, a limited release called “Abyss”. Heaven in a bottle. Mac n Jack’s African amber is my normal beer, available only in the Pac NW and only on tap. Far and Away the best “daily” beer available.
I have also been hunting beers from Southern Tier Brewing out of NY. Their Choklat Stour and Creme Brulee (yes, CREME BRULEE!!) Stout are fantastic.
Also i am lucky enough to have a Rogue Brewery Brew Pub less than five miles from the House in Issaquah Wa. Double Dead Guy on tap….. mmmmmm.
Then Pac NW is beer heaven… living the dream kids….
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I’ve only been a beer snob for a couple of years, before that I thought Sam Adams was just skunked all the time, then a BIL set me straight and the rest has been history.
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I lived in PDX during the mid-nineties when the McMenimans Bros were turning every empty building into a brew pub (churches, movie theatres, insane asylums) and putting lots of fruit in the beers. I love the Blue Heron as well.
In a straight up taste test I would have to pick the classic English Ales over the Pacific Northwest microbrews, but thank GOD a man doesn’t have too make such a terrible choice.
For every day drinking? Sam Adams, or Greyhounds.
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…and the Golden Elixir tastes like an old dirty shoe.
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Bud Light and fuck you.
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Your right Dave In Sammamish, Abyss is Heaven! The Black Butte XXI is also very good. So is JUBEL 2010 and Mirror Mirror.
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Well first and foremost I would like to state that the dogfish head brewery is literally in my front yard and when they brew any of their IPAs my neighborhood smells gloriously hoppy. How I became a beer snob also deals with DFH. You see Delaware used to have what were known as ‘blue laws’ meaning you could not buy packaged alcohol on Sundays. When I was 16 I worked on the beach, which means my big party night was on Sunday nights. Until DFH opened their brewpub you had to pay someone to drive into Maryland to get you beer. However in 1997 when they opened they were able to sell 1/2 gallon growlers on Sundays. So at the tender age of 16 I was paying my boss to go grab me 4-6 growlers of high end beer so that my friends and I could party that night. Bud, Miller, and Coors never even got a chance to draw me in.
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Oh and I stop in to DFH at least once a week, as the tour guide reminded me I’m allowed 12 free oz every day.
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I first became a ‘sorta’ beer snob after returning home from a 6-week business trip to Munich. I opened a beer from the fridge and thought it had all gone flat because it had no flavor!
Can’t really say I have a favorite US beer, but I will usually get a Sam Adams when at a restaurant, unless they have something more exotic. My favorite German beer is Franziskaner Weissbier. I’ve tried it imported, but it doesn’t taste the same. My German friends tell me that’s because it has to be pasteurized for export (?).
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I love beer and love to try new kinds as often as possible.
I first tried the Dogfish Head brand when I was visiting my family in Maine. I believe I also tried the Flying Dog at the same time. While I enjoy both brewers I’d have to say the Dogfish Head was my favorite. The Flying Dog is more pungent and I think you can taste the hops and bitters more. I’ve tried several different brews of both brands and the Dogfish 60 Minute is my favorite as well.
After trying Magic Hat brand, I was hooked. I like all of the different brews they offer with #9 being my absolute favorite.
I enjoy a variety of Sam Adams and recently I’ve been buying the Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier. It has just a hint of blackberry to it but remains an incredible beer.
I had a similar experience when I bought the Arbita Purple Haze. It’s a wheat beer with a hint of Raspberries.
I keep Yuengling and UFO Hefeweizen stocked as the normal offerings but enjoy always having something different to try.
I’m a fan of honey lagers and so far the best I’ve had is the Sleeman-honey-brown lager which I can’t always find around here.
Ummm…I could actually go on and on about this but I don’t want to hog the comments. LOL
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Beer has always been hard for me because everytime I drink one I feel like I have ingested aerosol hairspray or have just spent an afternoon licking metal utility poles. I do, however thoroughly enjoy ciders. MMMMMMmmmm. I started out as a weakling, only able to ingest the super-sweet Wyder’s Pear Cider, but quickly moved on to the still-sweet-but-less-so Hornsby’s Apple Cider. Now, if I am brave enough to drink cider (not only are they super fattening, they are ridiculously expensive: $10.99/6-pack), I enjoy Strongbow Cider. My God/Hydrogen/Allah that shit is addicting!
My boyfriend however is a big beer fan. Times have been rough for him as of late (after being laid off), so I have been enjoying buying his beer. And I’m not kidding. I love buying him beer. I like buying him different kinds & seeing which he likes best. He despises anything Bud/Coors/MGD, etc. and also favors anything from OR. We took a vacation to Portland and he fell in love with Full Sail & Mirror Pond. He likes IPAs & pales but isn’t too big a fan of Hefeweizens (sp?). His ‘go-to’ beer is Pacifico so that is stocking our fridge now but once I get paid on Wednesday I have every intention of hitting up our local BevMo (best store EVER!) & buying him some new kind. Per WB’s suggestion I sure hope they have Raging Bitch in stock. I know they carry Flying Dog, but I haven’t tried that on him yet. We’ll see & I will report back with his ruling.
I would like to enjoy beer. He turned me onto wine which I also previously detested. Now I love wine. I thought the same could happen with beer, but no matter how many times I have tasted his my tastebuds won’t cooperate. So, I live vicariously through his beer enjoyment.
Cheers!
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I won’t call myself a beer snob, more of a beer explorer. I don’t have the knowledge to be a snob. I only started a few years ago with beer. My favorites depend solely on the time of year. Warm weather would be Anchor Steam and cold weather it’s Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout with Left Hand Milk Stout receiving honorable mention.
The old standby/cheap beers are Miller High Life and Dos Equis.
Also, when did it become trendy to be seen with a Pabst Blue Ribbon? Seems to be the 19-25 demographic beer of choice now. I remember when it was just working men and rednecks.
Anyone here a Taco Mac Passport Club member? Where do you stand? I’m only at 74 so far.
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@Madz, I agree with your wine post. I shudder when I see family or people in restaurants ruining a perfectly fine wine by placing ice in the glass. I have a friend who even puts ice in her reds! It drives me crazy. Why not pour yourself some Welch’s grape juice and call it a day?
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I can’t tolerate beer at all. My taste buds are no fans. I have been the proverbial wall flower at many a micro-brew house, until one day a friend changed my life. He took me to a snobby beer garten in Atlanta and introduced me to “Lambic!”
Oh joy, oh rapture, twice fermented Belgian beer that is wonderfully sweet and fruity!!! I found my own private slice of heaven…
I have to go to a beer-snobbery place to find it, but it’s worth every red cent!
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IMO, beer snobs are dickwads just like wine snobs. If I hear one more person go on and on about Rufus Taint’s Cornchip Blowhole Tumbleweed Stout, I’m gonna puke. No one cares, drink your beer and shut up.
In answer to your question: Yuengling, Yuengling and Yuengling…I’m a simple guy.
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Sorry I am hogging the posts today, but I just remembered something I was going to tell Jeff awhile back. Since he loved Yuengling so much I was wanting to buy some for the boyfriend but nobody here in CA has it! BevMo and other liquor stores don’t carry it. In fact, one guy I asked looked at me like I was nuts so I wondered if I was mispronouncing it. (How do you pronounce it?!) I wrote it down & he looked it up and said it isn’t carried in CA but doesn’t know why.
The next time you go on a tour of the brewery, Jeff, make sure to lodge a complaint on this CA resident. Thanks!
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Best beer I ever tasted? Not really sure, but I think it all depends on the situation and atmosphere that you’re in. A beer that stood out when I had it was Brooklyn Lager, as I was drinking it with my future wife on a “date” in NYC at the Mulberry Street Tavern down near Little Italy. I could have drank (drunk) them all night.
Everyday beer for me is Yeungling, while the cheapest stuff I used to drink was “Red, White, and Blue” a brew that cost only $19 for a half keg back in the college days.
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I don’t care much for beer, but I do know a thing or two about whisk brooms. Forget about those cheap plastic Libmans and Ace brooms that come with a free dustpan: If you are serious about whisk-brooming, then you need to check out the SM Arnold model 85-654. The feel and action on that baby simply cannot be beat.
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And if ya buy it, buy it from Amazon via the WVSR:
http://www.amazon.com/SM-Arnold-85-654-Whisk-Broom/dp/B0007LMC6C
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I’ve never heard of Flying Dog or Dogfish Head, but I have heard that Defectating Monkey Extra Special Bitter (ESB) is quite tasty.
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You heard me: “Defectating”!
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Melissa: The correct pronunciation is “yingling.” However, for most of the 30 years I’ve drunk the stuff, I’ve pronounced it “yengling,” and still prefer to say it that way, even though I know the actual family members say “ying” not “yeng.”
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Not a beer fan. I find it to be a very inefficient alcohol delivery system. However, I must agree with Swami B. that a pint of bitter at a British pub is about as good as it gets.
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I managed a micro brewery up here for a few years so I have a strong bias toward micro and craft breweries and an intense dislike of major labels. The best beer I’ve ever had is Chimay from Belgium. It’s obviously an import so it’s dammed expensive, especially in a restaurant, but worth it. Second goes to Het Ij a brewery in Amsterdam. The place is located in an old windmill near the Artist’s Zoo on the east side of town. I tried 4 or 5 beers there, all brewed by them, and they were all great. Sadly they don’t export.
My day to day beer is Creemore Lager, Sleeman’s Honey Brown, or Waterloo Dark depending on what mood I’m in and what’s available.
For the record the worst beer I’ve ever had is Schlitz. I’ve never tasted another beer where the flavor of butanol was so strong it tasted like rancid butter.
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I’ve never cared for the taste of beer, except in kiss. That started, I guess, with my first really good kiss (the kind that made me weak in the knees) and he had been drinking beer.
I like reading your descriptions – about the beer and the whisk brooms.
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I’ve been drinking a lot of Bell’s out of Kalamazoo, MI (I know, right?) lately, particularly the Bell’s Oberon and the Bell’s Two Hearted Ale. I also like sitting down to a couple Delirium Tremens when I can get my hands on it, but you have to be careful with that stuff. The label says it is 8.5% ABV, but I swear it’ll sneak up on you pretty quickly. It drinks a lot heavier than an 8.5%, that’s for sure.
My everyday, out on the boat or out on the beach beer is still Bud Light though…sue me.
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And Melissa, I’m with ya on the Strongbow cider! In fact, in the past month I’ve polished off a couple of cases of that delicious stuff in the evenings while I’ve been painting the walls of my new house. That’s another thing I picked up from my 1985 trip to England — when we got bored with drinking the most delicious beers on earth, we’d break the routine with a pint of cider. It was either Woodchuck or Strongbow back then. Both are good. And at that time, cider was pretty much unheard of in the U.S., so it was quite a treat. On my re-visit to London last summer, it was interesting to see that there are a lot more different brands of ciders in the pubs than the two standbys of ’85.
But those Strongbows go down so quick and easy that while I’m doing my painting, I finish the “cutting-in” of the fine lines and woodwork before popping my first can or bottle of the night — when I’m ready to do the rolling (rollering?), that’s when the Strongbows start flowing, as precision isn’t as important.
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Correction: The British cider was Woodpecker, not Woodchuck. Woodchuck is a U.S. brand, the name probably having been inspired by Woodpecker.
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JDL-Rufus Taint’s Cornchip Blowhole Tumbleweed Stout sounds interesting, any idea on the ABV or the IBU’s?
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mark0510 – Beer has the same effect on me – but with hugging. I describe it to others who haven’t experienced me as “all this, only louder”.
I’m with Metton.
Best beer ever WAS a Bud light draft… on a freakin’ hot sweaty day at Bushe Gardens in a plastic cup …but when that cold hit my hand and the condensation dripped down to my wrist and I took a sip of the amber goodness I was in pig heaven. It tasted like…more.
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I have been laying off the beer. Makes me feel like a blowfish…and look like one. If feels like someone pumped air up my ass. Not fun. Not pretty. But even if I do break down and have one it’s a cheapy for me. Sorry Jeff.
I’m not crazy about the taste of any booze. Never was. However, of all things to drink when I go out it’s a Jack & Coke. Yes whiskey. Of all things to drink when I hate alcohol of any kind.
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My boyfriend is a beer snob. He LOVES Three Floyds beers. The brewery is about 25 minutes from our house in Munster, Indiana, and he just can’t get enough of that place. I went there with him one time, (they have a bar in their brewery), to eat some food and have a few exotic beers. All the beers are over 8% alcohol, so I could only stomach one ‘Gumballhead” before switching to a tiny snifter of ‘Alpha Kong’. Alpha Kong tasted like a banana creme wine (14%) , and was music to my toungue, but only in very small doses. After that I very sheepishly had to switch to a PBR.
They have a festival there every year called Darklord Fest, where they have a beer called Darklord that they only brew once a year. Last year my boyfriend let me sip it, and it was nothing less then sipping furniture polish, but he would take a bath in it and drink it afterwards if he had the option. He also had New Glarus ‘Spotted Cow’ and ‘Nutty Squirrel” during our trip to Wisconsin Dells last year. He also had Dogfish Head during our Six Flags trip.
I’m not a beer snob, so I guess you wouldn’t like me. I drink Select 55 because I’m trying to diet, but I love beer. I used to be fascinated with Busch Light and used to buy the shit in 30 packs for 12 bucks. I can’t do all those crazy, hoppy, black liquorice beers, ick.
Butt, I commend those that can. I appreciate the fact that you guys know what good beer is. Trust me, I know Select 55 is not considered good beer, lol, but it’s all I can stomach!
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Best beer ever – Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
Everyday beer – Sierra Nevada Torpedo
Cheap Ass beer – PBR or Naragansett
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Full Sail is available in the South (New Orleans)
You should try Stone’s Ruination Ale. About $16/six pack, but high alcohol content and a great flavor and buzz.
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dkline-Jesus man, G I Bourbon County Stout? A friend brought me one to try. I’m not a stout person but I do like bourbon. It was more than I could handle on it’s own so I cut it with Budweiser, took six of them to drink all 12 ounces of the stout. I hope that story doesn’t make you ill.
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Budweiser gives me gas. It’s inevitable.
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..and maybe I should learn how to spell… Busch.
I’m a marketing dream – I try new beers based on the commercial – dumb but it’s what I do:
- Gretchen mentioned “stay thirsty…” yup tried 2 x’s… it was ok but never bought any more.
- Heard about a Dutch beer “da vun vith da great tashte” – yup bought some Grolsch but didn’t like the waste that seemed to be the capping system.
- The only beer names I recognized when in the UK a while back were Stella Artois and Fosters so you know what I tried (Guiness just isn’t my cup of warm brown swill – sorry)
- tried Sleeman Clear and have been enjoying sporadically ever since.
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I’m with Alice on this one, I remember the first time I kissed my xhusband, I was 12 and he was 14 and he had been drinking beer. Melted my heart. Hmmmm, also should have given me the hint he was an alcoholic, lol!! Nothing like a WV boy!
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I know I will be quite unpopular when I say that I really like Miller lite. its my favorite however i have been branching out lately, i like some other beer now but not if its too hoppy. i hate the fruit beers like shock top and blue moon. can’t drink stout but am good with Amber beers, best beer ever is brewed by my friend who currently has 12 on tap that he brews i don;t know what he does to it but its wonderful.
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I, much like our illustrious host, was a Rolling Rock fan, tried and true, until they sold out to the corporate whores that are Anheuser Busch. The taste of that pale ale definitely changed. I drank one bottle of the new recipe, declared it to be shit and haven’t had one since.
Everyday beer > Miller High Life, the Champagne of Beer.
Cheapest beer > Golden Anniversary, it’s like 8 bucks a case. Worked for a guy back in college, a raging functioning alcoholic that drank a case and a half a day.
Some of the craftier beers I’ve enjoyed > Grolsch Blonde lager. Some local micro brew called Fresh Hop. Also recently enjoyed a Samuel Adams Spring Ale, very tasty.
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@Swami: Strongbows are the best! If I am not careful (and when I do get to drink them I am never careful), I can polish off a 6-pack very quickly. So the $10.99 per 6-pack generally means a $50 sale since I will buy several. I love them also because I never get hungover after getting seriously shit-faced off of them.
The only downside is how bloated I feel/look a few days after drinking them. If it weren’t for that I would proudly become a full blown alcoholic with my drug of choice being Strongbow.
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daily beer is usually Rolling Rock. If I’m feeling fancy I pick up some Nimbus Pale Ale. Its local (Tucson) and delicious.
when times are lean, or its quantity over quality, we turn to keystone light. not usually a light fan of light….but the regular is awful. consider the red box to be a red flag of nastiness.
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I drank something while visiting a friend at Ohio University in the early 90s called Hudy’s Delight. It was ridiculously cheap, like $6/case, and absolutely terrible. I swear it still had bits of hops, barley or something floating around in it. Anyone from Ohio know if they still sell that swill?
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http://www.hudydelightbeer.com/main.html
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oh yes Beer is good.
We dont get bitter in Scotland. If you ask for a pint of bitter up here you’ll get a dirty look. Honest. (its an England /Scotland thing). The staple beer here is McEwans 80 Shiiling ,or ‘Heavy’ as the locals call it.
This can vary from pub to pub, and you can often hear the phrase ‘ you get a great pint of heavy in there’. When you do get a good one though its worth the walk!
Deuchars IPA is refreshingly pleasant too. It really tastes of grapefruit, though thats not an ingredient.
We’ve got loads of wee breweries too, though the price of beer has almost doubled in the past few years, unless your into Bud and Stella, which seem to be getting cheaper!
I’m with Tyrosene on Browerij Het Ij in Amsterdam – Fine, Fine beers. There’s a beer fest in Amsterdam when they release all there dark beers (Bock Beers)in the autumn/fall. its a wonderfull place to be!
Sleemans honey brown is pretty tasty too!
I’m at work just now, and all this talk of beer has left me ‘choking’ for a drink!
‘Pish!’
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We had a place here for a while called Iggy’s that served a beer called Bluesberry Hefeweizen and yes thats how it was spelled Bluesberry. and it was wonderful they served it with a big Ol slice of orange. for casual drinking beer I like Budweiser Select, and the worst skunk beer I ever had was Busch Beer
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The #1 beer in my book (yes, I keep a book) is Founder’s Brewing Co.’s Kentucky Bourbon Stout. 70 IBU and 11.2 ABV. Stout ale aged for a year in oak bourbon barrels, brewed with coffee and chocolate. It’s the one that inspired me to keep a book. #2 is most anything from Troegs or Dogfish Head.
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~Chuck in Belpre, try a lager from North End Tavern’s homemade selection. I think you’ll really enjoy it.
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Holy hopback, Jeff, you’ve hit upon a subject near and dear to my heart. Asking which beer is my favorite is like asking a dad which of his children he prefers.
A few beers that have caught my attention lately are Sierra Nevada Torpedo, Weyerbacher Simcoe, Deschutes Mirror Pond pale ale and Coronado Islander IPA. Perennial favorites include Dogfish Head 60 Minute and Victory Storm King. Victory also makes a consistently excellent Belgian-style tripel called Golden Monkey; a dead ringer for Kasteel Gouden Tripel. There are many outstanding, authentic Belgian-style beers coming out of Ommegang in New York. Oh yeah, and the Cantillon Lambics are very good but hard to find.
@UF Monica, you may be interested to know that Lindemans Framboise can be turned into a really nice ice cream.
@TILLY, Shock Top and Blue Moon are not fruit beers; they’re wheat beers which are inexplicably served with a slice of fruit. They are both copies of Hoegaarden, or maybe ST is a copy of BM. Kudos to your friend who has the gumption to keep brewing; I lost said gumption years ago.
My beer snobbery began in the late 1970s when a bar in town offered a “world tour” via their excellent (for the time) selection of imports; I’m sure they had a micro or two as well, but there weren’t many in those days. Never did finish that tour.
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Try Schlafy’s from St Louis, they make a good variety of micro-brews.
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Wow, I’m surprised nobody’s yet mentioned (unless I missed it) that Jeff is giving Nancy(!) props for introducing him to a major interest in life. Who would have thought?
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I just thought I’d take note that Sierra Nevada is mentioned as a favorite by five different Surf Reporters, above. Three times for Pale Ale, and twice for Torpedo. I’d say that makes Sierra Nevada the favorite beer of Surf Reporters. We do have good taste, now, don’t we. (No question-mark, as that was a comment, not a question.)
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I like all kinds of beer, but it has to be cold.
At least, the first dozen or so…
I’m not a snob about it, I don’t think, but I don’t much like the major US brands, or the similar Canadian vanilla lagers, and their Lite variations, a little too light for me.
At home it;s Keith’s IPA, or Brava with lime, a local cheap mexican style lager in the summer, but when I’m out, I’ll change the station, not too much variety per night, but open to different styles.
I like Guinness, Waterloo Dark, Modello Negro, Grolsch, Harp Lager, Moosehead, and I’m willing to try local stuff anytime.
Haven’t been over the pond yet, but I’m told I’d enjoy it.
Wheat beers give me a headache, so I avoid those.
I’m not fond of Sleemans or Creemore, which are the big Ontario indie brewers, for some reason, but Steamwhistle’s pretty good.
Yeungling got high marks when I tried some camping in Western NY a few years back, good campfire brew, and I like the way the cans melt.. Anchor Steam, I didn’t like so much. I too, enjoyed the old Rolling Rock, which was an exotic import, here in Ontario, but they do not seem as good anymore, since the takeover.
A trip to Chicago not too long ago, had me hanging out at a brew on site place called Rock Bottom, they had some good stuff, and handy tasting sample sizes as well. The names escape me, but at least I can name the bar, unlike the brew pub in Vegas…
All beer tastes pretty good in the desert, I noticed.
Then there’s the perennial faves, free beer, and the next beer.
“Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son.” Dean Whoever in Animal House.
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i keep shitty beer at the house. beast, bud, etc. i call it house beer. i love most by dogfishhead. cincy is seriously ramping up it’s brewing history resurgence. living in okc i can find some good beers, but you can’t ship beer cold into this state so new belgium is out.
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rock bottom is actually a chain with 29 locations. they do give their brewmasters pretty good leeway though.
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gretchen, i love you. hudy is back, brewed by christian moerline, as well as burger.
my facts may be off, but i love me a cincy beer.
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http://www.facebook.com/posted.php?id=322706111953&share_id=110102555696465&comments=1#!/group.php?gid=101806339865901
Hey guys….
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Sorry for my last post. No spam, I assure you. Please don’t boot me, Kay.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=101806339865901
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I’ve been in the “lean years” for a while now, so my everyday beer happens to be cheapshit beer: either Pabst or Natural Light. Both of them come in 30 packs and go on sale frequentlly (sometimes Pabst 24packs for $10.99) so that’s what I’ve been drinking. Lots of them, I might add.
Bell’s Oberon on tap during some happy hours has been a nice change of pace, as has Magic Hat #9. Yuengling is always a good go-to beer, as Jeff mentioned, though it’s not some beer-snob beer. I just don’t have the cash to stock it very often at home.
I also used to drink Rolling Rock; loved those old-school silkscreened longneck bottles. When they sold it off and started brewing it in New Jersey, I never drank it again.
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@CHILL- those beers taste like perfume to me. I really don’t like them. I wish we had a good microbrewery around here because I really liek the stuff my friend brews. He made an Indy pale ale that was great but then I tried it at a restaraunt and it was awful. Who knows.
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Loved fresh Shaeffer (sp) when it was brewed locally in NY years ago but I have to go with Tyrosine that Chimay red or blue fills your mouth like the best chocolate milk you ever had .
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Oh man – I could spend all day talking about my favorite beers. I love Bell’s Oberon with a big slice of orange in it, and I’m also partial to Arbor Brewing Company’s Strawberry Blonde – both are seasonal, so I probably like them so much since I can’t get them all the time. I’m also a big fan of Franziskaner and Hacker-Psorr. I’m a big fan of wheat beers in general. Love Yuengling, but we can’t get it around here. I also like Sam Adams
When I’m broke, which is often as of late, I turn to Labatt – I hate it less than the other swill beer brands.
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Jeff_in-SW-Ontario: It was Dean Wermer!
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I’ve started becoming a beer snob too. I’m always trying new beers. The truth is that most of them suck. I had a 6 pack of firehouse (I think) last night and it tasted like it was fortified with rubbing alcohol. Many of the unusual beers I’ve tried taste like bottled ball sacks.
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I am with Taiwon On, beer is not the most efficient alcohol delivery system. When I am in the mood for one, though, it is Breckenridge Brewery’s Oatmeal Stout. The husband’s fave is Fat Tire.
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Ah, beer
I don’t have the afternoon free, so I’ll have to be brief.
If you live anywhere near Downingtown, PA visit the Victory brewery – wonderful food as well as ~20 of their beers on tap. Lovely place.
Couldn’t possibly pick a favorite beer, my Top 10 would difficult enough.
LOL at the Strongbow comments. As a teenager in England 2 liter bottles of Strongbow were the illicit drink of choice. I still have a taste for the stuff today…
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Hey Limey,
Ice cold Olde English is even better than Strongbow, dryer and more crisp, and absolutely the dog’s bollox on a hot summer day, sat in the garden of a canalside pub. Wachoo think?
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best beer ever:
I will put this stuff up against any beer in the world, even that Chimay swill. (just kidding Chimay is great)
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/323/41154
Ola Dub 30 year reserve. It is from Harviestoun Brewery Ltd. in Scotland. I have never had any better beer than this.
Great beer: I like the Stone Company’s Arrogant Bastard oak aged and all of the Stone Co. beers. Flying Dog makes a great line as well. Gotta also give props to Cleveland’s Burning River as well as Cleveland’s Buckeye line that you can obtain here…
http://buckeyebeerengine.com/
Oh, and any beer from Belgium and most Belgian knock offs. (Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown NY, and Unibroue from somewhere in Canada to name a couple)
Utility beer: Rolling Rock, Labatt’s Blue, Red Hook ESB, Some Sam Adams, Old English 800, Mickey’s
Cheapo: Stroh’s is first choice, Then PBR, then Natty Ice. (Natty Ice has almost 6% alcohol)
I’m sure I missed something.
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@TILLY – “Indy pale ale” is so named after they had to up the alcohol and hop content in regular ale because the mullets and sloping foreheads in Indiana made the regular ale go bad en route
@Mark0510 – both are very nice on a hot afternoon in the park. Better than school. I don’t remember, but I assume it was Strongbow because that’s what the offy who sold to children stocked. Probably the same reason I prefer McEwan’s over Special Brew.
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Swami,
Funny you mentioned Heineken Dark….in the late eighties, my fraternity had a sign posted at our parties “As usual, Heineken Dark on tap”—it was really Yuengling Porter but no one knew the difference.
I would agree for consistent quality you can’t go wrong with Sierra Nevada. Another recommendation brewed here in New Jersey is Flying Fish–their Hopfish IPA is wonderful.
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Mark0510, I wonder if that’s the same “Olde English” which is sold under that name in the US?
If so – or if not – the present company may enjoy the comprehensive taste tests of similar beverages at
http://www.drunkard.com/issues/03_03/03-03_forty_fury.htm
Or not.
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Chill, had a look and I don’t think it’s the same. This does not mean I wouldn’t drink it though! Cheers for the link, it made me very thirsty. Desperately thirsty in fact!
Limey, prefering anything to special brew is God’s way of telling you that there is still hope in life. After 2 swigs you are obliged, under law I think, to pee your pants and argue with the little people hiding in your shoes. 3 swigs of the stuff induces the instant urge to fight a bus.
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My beer pendulum: PBR, Miller High Life, Red Stripe, Ballantine, Sam Adams, Shipyard/Geary’s/Gritty’s (all from ME), Boddington’s, Pemaquid Ale (another ME local brew), and anything homebrewed. Fresh, homemade beer is such a different experience from store-bought – befriend a homebrewer today!
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i didnt get to reading this post until today and what a coincidence…I got a case of 60 min IPA last night.
mmmm, so tasty…
I think I suggested it in another thread too but the dogfish head spring seasonal “Aprihop” is wonderful as well, but hard to find.
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The aprihop is excellent. There’s at least one place in my hometown where I can get it (Marietta, OH). Also there are a few places in Cincy where you can get it. OKC, not so much.
My fave dogfish is Fort (Made with over a ton of pureed rasberries).
One of the cops on reno 911 – miami had a sixer of dogfish beer (Just saw it this morning).
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The Dogfish 60 is great, the 90 sublime and the 120 is way, way too hoppy. You *can* have too much of a good thing.
If finances allowed Dogfish 90 would be a staple (not a treat) in my beer fridge
Yuengling is perpetually $16/case (bottles) at Total Wine in Cherry Hill, worth filling up the trunk with if you periodically drive by there like I do.
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Dogfish 90 Minute is incredible, though I think it wise to find it only in four-packs… Stone IPA is quite good as well, but my favorite for years now has been Terrapin Rye Pale Ale, from a friendly Athens, GA brewery (though it’s still also brewed to spec in Maryland). Atlanta’s Sweetwater IPA is also mighty fine.
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But, but…Full Sail is available in the east, or at least in Ohio! There are some Pale Ales in my own fridge at the moment, and one of the local beer stores has started stocking Full Sale Dark Lager at our request. (You should consider adding their Dark Lager, and their Session Lager, for that matter, to your everyday beer list.)
Anyway, if you can get it in Columbus, you can surely get it in Scranton–see if you can talk one of your local retailers into stocking some.
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In PA you can only buy beer in full cases*, which makes Dogfish 90 quite an investment, and sadly one that (literally!) turns to piss in short order at my house. I now have a couple of new beers to pick up and try a bottle of next time I’m shopping out of state at the store that sells single bottles, so thanks
Not sure I like the term “beer snob”. I don’t eat dog turds – does that make me a brown food snob? Most beers have some merit – of course I don’t consider Budweiser** a beer, it’s a slightly alcoholic fizzy rice drink.
*yes, I know there are a few exceptions
**Check out Budvar, the real Budweiser – very nice.
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Agree with Limey regarding Budvar. It is from God’s own fridge.
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