Here's to Beer!!

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With the weather warming up, there are few greater things than a delicious beer after a hard day of work -- or a soft day of doing nothing, for that matter. I eagerly await the supple goodness of a cool wheat beer this afternoon, the billowing head of foam, the yeasty cloudiness in the tall glass, the creamy but refreshing taste. Thing is, *all* beer tastes better this time of year. What are your favorite spring/summer beers?

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Beer is great in pubs.

If I'm chilling at home, I go for the slightly more girly Bacardi+pineapple.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:11 (twenty-two years ago)

hmm. i like hefeweizens especially in the summer. I also prefer the local brewerys beer, Wachusett Country Ale and Wachusett Summer Breeeze. Then again when Im feeling cheap I like good old Michelob Light. If I'm doing manly things around the house I'll go with the cheap stuff. Out at bars the good stuff.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:12 (twenty-two years ago)

I find Corona with lime truly refreshing. I used to think it was too light, but my tastes have changed. I no longer enjoy a porter or stout like I used to. Witbier is also nice and crisp, with its coriander hints.

― Maria d., Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:13 (twenty-two years ago)

I had a lovely summery pint of Flowers last Friday in the Prince Arthur. Nothing too complex, just easy drinking good stuff.

― Pete (Pete), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:16 (twenty-two years ago)

i'm not much of a beer drinker, but i was recently introduced to quilmes (argentinian lager) and have become obsessed with it. jesus christ, it's tasty. also difficult to find, which is annoying.

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:20 (twenty-two years ago)

is this available in nyc?

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Pabst, Blatz, and maybe High Life if I'm feeling especially classy. I used to be a beer snob, kind of. I've gotten over it. I am poor, and I accept that. I'm no longer going to spend $10 on a six-pack when i can spend $7 on a twelve-pack.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:24 (twenty-two years ago)

they have PBR 30 packs here for $11.99.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:24 (twenty-two years ago)

i had it at azul, an argentinian bistro in the les. apparently there are a few importers, but i haven't done the research yet.

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:24 (twenty-two years ago)

my default right now is the $5.49 six-pack of yuengling at key food. black and tan, please.

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Yuengling black and tan is definitely one of the sickest under-$6 a six-pack beers around -- along with Saranac stuff.

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:34 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm not rich by any stretch either. My solution: drink less, but drink better.

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:37 (twenty-two years ago)

drinking less is not an option.

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:38 (twenty-two years ago)

one night I decided to try a Duvel at this local bar, I almost shit when i got the tab and it was $8.00

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:39 (twenty-two years ago)

haha Jody, I said it was my solution, but I didn't say I had figured out how to implement it yet. ;-)

I guess I should mention that I work at a wine and beer shop and can get those good beers for cheaper, though.

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:39 (twenty-two years ago)

That's why you drink the expensive shit at home, Chris! One of those little bottle in a retail shop is like $4 and change, tops.

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Right. I used to go by the "drink less, but drink better" thing, but then I realized, hey, I'm 22, I only have a year of college left, and I might as well go for the cheap stuff and have a good time.
a couple of x-posts
Ew, Chris, that happened to me with Chimay, except that I had four of them before the bill came. $32? No thanks.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:41 (twenty-two years ago)

I hate cheap beer with a passion, that's my problem. Shitty liquor? No prob: mix it, rip it, get insanely drunk. Even crappy wine has a certain rustic charm. Cheap beer is just ass, though.

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Last time at the bar between me and my two friends we drank 8 pitchers of Coors Light, 2 pints a piece and three beers before we got to the bar and the bill was only $94. Needless to say Saturday morning wasn't until 4:40pm.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Well, you could get a six-pack of your fancy stuff and switch to the cheap stuff after you've got a good buzz going. Ease into it. You'll be glad you did.

― kirsten (kirsten), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:44 (twenty-two years ago)

any beer is at least tolerable if it's cold enough.

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:44 (twenty-two years ago)

I agree with Jody.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Although I have to make and exception for Master Brau.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:46 (twenty-two years ago)

I agree with Chris and Jody. Although I'm not feeling Clarke on the "rustic charm" thing; cheap wine is absolutely the worst.

― Broheems (diamond), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually yeah Broheems, cheap wine is pretty undrinkable. I guess I just don't like having like six beers in my stomach -- it feels extremely gross. Shitty beer obviously has rustic charm, too -- see: ironic appropriation of PBR, "haha 'the Champagne of Beers,' yo!" etc. etc.

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:51 (twenty-two years ago)

everytime I drink the High Life (lots of my friends drink it) I get the runs.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:52 (twenty-two years ago)

haha lauren I drank quilmes about 2 years ago when it was in a bargain bin in my local off licence. I forget if it was nice.

― Ronan (Ronan), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 16:55 (twenty-two years ago)

last night I got a six-pack of Old Speckled Hen, had never tasted it before. It was really good. I guess I don't know as much about British beers as I thought I did.

― hstencil, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 17:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Quilmes isn't too hard to find by the bottle in Manhattan, but it's a little watery and boring to my palate. Stencil OTM re OSH; they have it on tap at Raga on East 6th, where it counterpoints the avant-Indian cuisine just beautifully.

Last night I checked out the famed Mugs Ale House in Williamsburg, which is kind of grungy but did pour a lovely fruity cask-drawn summer IPA.

― Paul Eater (eater), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 18:05 (twenty-two years ago)

I know an old bartender buddy of mine in his 80's that told me that all American beers (except the bocks) used to taste like Pilsner Urquell or Becks... Bud, Coors, Hamms, etc, were all super hoppy Central European style. He said they didn't start getting crappy and watery until the late 40's.

― andy, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 18:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Paul, you went to Mugs? Awesome! I kinda like that place.

― hstencil, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 18:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I really like Harpoon Summer Beer, it's super crisp.

― Magic City (ano ano), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 18:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Stencil: yeah, I've been hearing about Mugs for a long time so finally I dragged myself to Brooklyn and checked it out. $4 for a gourmet imperial pint suits me just fine. But why are the places with good beer selections always dank and sticky and filled with loud plump men?

― Paul Eater (eater), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 18:41 (twenty-two years ago)

I think you answered your own question there. Last time I was at Mugs was last fall, actually, with some friends. It's a good place to watch the Yankees lose.

― hstencil, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 18:43 (twenty-two years ago)

i had a couple murphy's stouts over the weekend, and a speckled hen and some natural light and a bud light, and basically i get sick of the flavor of a beer after a beer or two so i just switch flavors every time i go to the package store.

― kephm, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 18:45 (twenty-two years ago)

OLD STYLE, FUXXXX0RZZZ

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 18:54 (twenty-two years ago)

I can't get it in Brooklyn, dammit.

― hstencil, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 18:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah. I watched the Canadiens win there last night. Their food looks decent too. But where are the lady beer connoisseurs [connoisseuses]?

― Paul Eater (eater), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 19:07 (twenty-two years ago)

I dunno, there were ladies in my party when I went, and I seem to remember some other ladies there that night too.

― hstencil, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 19:12 (twenty-two years ago)

This is definitely true, Andy, from what I've read. During WWII, with lots of women on the homefront, brewers oh-so-enlightenedly began making their beers less hoppy and lighter, to attempt to what they thought was the typical woman's palate. Turns out, the manly men off fighting the war drank the hell out of it when they got home, and so the style stuck. Whether sales were up because of the change in the beer, or because, hey, just maybe, we just got through a terrible war and wanted to throw down, remains unknown. It certainly is funny, though, to realize that your present-day "GRRR, MACHO" brews were originally created to please the palates of the ladies.

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 19:26 (twenty-two years ago)

I lied about the wheat beer; I've got it, but now that I'm home I'm drinking a crisp, flavorful, refreshing Brooklyn Pilsner. Pilsner gets a bad rep among beer snobs because that's what all the major American shit beers are. It's a clean, light, simple style, perfect for when you're warm and exhausted. People who think darker/more hoppy/more intense automatically equals better are lame anyway; they're like teenagers first getting into experimental and noise music who think that anything "listenable" is automatically shit. I understand where they're coming from, but they've got on mad blinkers, and it's seriously cutting into their potential to enjoy beer.

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 19:34 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.paristransatlantic.com/magazine/monthly2002/10theoreticagirlscover.jpg

― Dada, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 19:36 (twenty-two years ago)

I agree that Yuengling is the best, but we can't get it in St. Louis. Usually I just get Rolling Rock if I'm on a budget - it tastes like I'm going to Maxwell's.

― mike a, Tuesday, 20 April 2004 20:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Quilmes isn't too hard to find by the bottle in Manhattan, but it's a little watery and boring to my palate.

i found it crisp and refreshing, but i'm not really a beer drinker - it tends to make me sleepy and sick to my stomach.

― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 20:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Every Rolling Rock I've had has been skunked to high heaven. That's the thing with "expensive" beer. It's really not that much more expensive! It's not like with wine, where you can spend bajillions on a single bottle. Two or three bucks more, and you're into a whole new realm of taste.

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 20:10 (twenty-two years ago)

And that's bucks-per-six-pack, not per bottle. Also search Belgian beer!!!

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 20:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Currently rocking: Adnams Bitter, Grimbergen, Trent Mild, Black Sheep Baltika 6 (when I can be arsed to get to forest gate or queensway to get it)

anyone know of black sheep on tap in London?

― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 20:12 (twenty-two years ago)

You're out of luck Ed, nearest pub serving draught is in Leicestershire.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 20:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Presidente beer (Dominican Republic) is nice on a hot, humid day.

― lawrence kansas (lawrence kansas), Tuesday, 20 April 2004 20:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Skipping 50 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

I'm sorry about that up there. It's too much fluids-that-aren't-beer in my tummy talkin.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 16:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Heineken always tastes skunked to me.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 16:18 (twenty-two years ago)

the skunkiest beer is by far Grolsch (which i love). i have a funny use for those red rubber grommets.

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 16:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Eeeeeewwwwww.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 16:21 (twenty-two years ago)

its the green bottle theory. any beer that comes in a green bottle cannot effectively filter out the light, therefore skunked. i wonder why there are clear bottles.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 16:21 (twenty-two years ago)

That's aight, Nick! Schlitz and off-brand Nilla Wafers works in a pinch...

Yeah, that's because Heineken IS always skunked! Those green bottles let a lot of light in, which spoils the beer quickly -- that, combined with the fact that it's probably really old, and has changed temperature at least 10 times (going on and off special, going from cooler to display floor to temporary fridge and back again). Shit, Heineken costs what, $7 a six-pack at least? Blech.

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 16:22 (twenty-two years ago)

oops x-post.

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 16:22 (twenty-two years ago)

im also upset that michelob changed the bottles. they used to be shaped all curvy and like a woman.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 16:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Also, pilsners and light lagers will reveal their skunkiness way more than other beers -- there's less weight to the beer to hide its flaws.

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 16:23 (twenty-two years ago)

not from the keg though! (clarkeb, did you go to Toronado when you were in SF?)

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 16:24 (twenty-two years ago)

At the Toronado tonight:

(and yes, the beer expert's name is indeed Michael Jackson all you "haha excelsior" one-liner jokers)

April 21, 2004
Michael Jackson Beer Tasting
Description:
Michael Jackson Tasting

Michael Jackson will be leading a tasting of five
beers, each beer paired with a small sample of
food .
The five beers to be tasted are :

1. Malheur Bier Brut 11% ABV from Belgium

2. Unica by Casta 8% ABV Belgian style Abbey
Ale from Mexico

3. Grottenbier by Pierre Celis 6.5 ABV from
Belgium, aged in a cave

4. SPF 8 by Tomme Arthur 8.75 % ABV Belgian
style Saison from USA

5. Malheur Black Chocolate 12% ABV from
Belgium

Admission is $25.00, space is limited, tickets are
now availible at the bar at the Toronado.

Location: Toronado, 547 Haight, San Francisco, California
Time(s): 6:00 PM
Admission: $25.00
Contact Email: [email protected]

― gygax! (gygax!), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 16:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Clarke, can I just have you come out here and plan all my shopping for me? It would save me a lot of time.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 16:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Ned, you're reading my mind. I've been thinking lately how awesome it would be to become a professional specialty beverage consultant.

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 16:30 (twenty-two years ago)

And gygax, unfortunately I did not, a fact which I've been kicking myself in the ass for ever since, especially after reading things like what you wrote above and what friends have said. Emily and I are going to try and make it out there again sometime this summer, though, if we can come up with the dough. FAP must happen this time, for sure.

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 16:31 (twenty-two years ago)

QUITE SO, sir.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 16:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Has anyone had a beer yet today? I had one with lunch when I got home (half-day at work) -- a yummy Paulaner hefe-weizen. Is it beyond the pale to have a beer with lunch?

― Clarke B. (Clarke B.), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 19:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Not at all. Done that many times.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 19:27 (twenty-two years ago)

having one right now.

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 19:28 (twenty-two years ago)

we dranks so many 40's in college we moved up to the 64ounceColt 45. has anyone ever had the pleasure? no pouring it out in a glass and putting the bottle in the fridge either.

― kephm, Wednesday, 21 April 2004 19:37 (twenty-two years ago)

four years pass...

FYI, Belgian beer fans: the Liefmans brewery has now definitively been taken over by Moortgat (of Duvel fame). Buildings, machinery and recipes - Moortgat didn't have any Kriek (cherry) beer in their portfolio yet, so they'll probably continue to produce it.

― StanM, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 18:30 (seventeen years ago)

Good news, even if I find Liefmans too sweet.

― Ed, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 18:32 (seventeen years ago)

I prefer Lindemans myself, that's even sweeter :-)

― StanM, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 18:34 (seventeen years ago)

Drij Fonteinen is my pick, as I think I have related before.

― Ed, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 18:35 (seventeen years ago)

Will check out, thanks for the tip!

― StanM, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 18:36 (seventeen years ago)

Stan, recommend me a good Belgian from this bar. (I'm already familiar with DeKoninck, Hoegaarden, Chimay, Delirium Tremens, and Leffe.)

― jaymc, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 18:48 (seventeen years ago)

I'd pick Rodenbach Grand Cru.

(Should have said Poperings Hommelbier because I'm from Poperinge myself, but it's too sour, I feel)

― StanM, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 18:53 (seventeen years ago)

(second choice: Maredsous Dubbel 8)

― StanM, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 18:55 (seventeen years ago)

Thanks! I think I'm going to be there on Friday. The beer menu is kind of overwhelming, so I usually just close my eyes and point.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 19:00 (seventeen years ago)

I would pick Orval and 3 Fonteinen Kriek. Their english selection is shocking although I would pick Ridgeway from what they have, I haven't had it but Brakspeare's do not produce anything bad.

― Ed, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 19:01 (seventeen years ago)

Well, Belgian is really the specialty.

― jaymc, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 19:03 (seventeen years ago)

I drink geuze, exclusively. I don't even drink water anymore.

― dell, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 19:07 (seventeen years ago)

I had 4 Don De Dieu's last night, some ale from Quebec. incredible taste, plus it packs a serious wallop.

― Bill Magill, Tuesday, 24 June 2008 20:49 (seventeen years ago)

So, jaymc, what did you have and was it OK?

― StanM, Sunday, 29 June 2008 19:01 (seventeen years ago)

three weeks pass...

pyramid apricot ale tonight, and i've got some peach sorbet as a chaser

― get bent, Thursday, 24 July 2008 04:23 (seventeen years ago)

oregon brewers fest tonight, somewhere between 6 and 7 halfs consumed in a 60+ min period

― kingfish, Thursday, 24 July 2008 04:58 (seventeen years ago)

one month passes...

http://www.molsoncoorsinternational.com/media/CID%20Media/Site%20Images/kasteel_cru/kasteelcru02.jpg

tried this for the first time last night. really nice, goes down a treat. bit pricey, mind.

― rollerblading on the back of a cereal box in 1997 (internet person), Sunday, 21 September 2008 20:48 (seventeen years ago)

I stick by Westmalle Tripel.

― I know, right?, Sunday, 21 September 2008 20:49 (seventeen years ago)

one month passes...

http://www.treehugger.com/bottle-2.jpg
http://www.treehugger.com/bottle-4.jpg
http://www.treehugger.com/temple-interior.jpg
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/10/temple-built-from-beer-bottles.php

― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 19 November 2008 22:18 (seventeen years ago)

Frank Booth would not approve.

― UEK - Big Tempin' (Oilyrags), Thursday, 20 November 2008 01:00 (seventeen years ago)

one year passes...

Haven't tried this but I'm told it has a really creamy head.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2702/4346355834_4c9b9ebb77_o.jpg

― The Man With the Magic Eardrums (Billy Dods), Wednesday, 10 February 2010 15:12 (sixteen years ago)

one year passes...

I just realized... I don't have a favorite beer anymore.

I have a brewery I'm obsessed with (Duck Rabbit) but they don't sell in MA so I never drink their stuff.

;_;

― whelping at his sandpapery best (DJP), Monday, 4 April 2011 19:50 (fifteen years ago)

my favorite is Sam Summer, which just came out for the year. I had many on Friday. I follow that with La Fin Du Monde and then Dogfish 60 Minute IPA, then Allagash White.

― Zero pumps, massive boner (thebingo), Monday, 4 April 2011 19:52 (fifteen years ago)

oh yeah that Dogfish is choice

― whelping at his sandpapery best (DJP), Monday, 4 April 2011 19:53 (fifteen years ago)

the 90 minute in pushing it and the 120 is not good.

― Zero pumps, massive boner (thebingo), Monday, 4 April 2011 19:54 (fifteen years ago)

one year passes...

do we have a tasting notes type beer thread? i've had a TON of different beers over the last year and i need to put notes somewhere for future reference. maybe i'll put them here? here's a case i just bought: http://21st-amendment.com/beer/hell-or-high-watermelon

http://domestocrat.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/img_9931.jpg

― Mordy, Tuesday, 11 September 2012 21:02 (thirteen years ago)

that stuff used to be real, real bad

it's ok now

― catbus otm (gbx), Tuesday, 11 September 2012 21:03 (thirteen years ago)

guy at the depot i buy beer at (lulz PA blue laws) highly recommended it

― Mordy, Tuesday, 11 September 2012 21:03 (thirteen years ago)

i got another case of sampler fall beers but i can't remember the brewery off-hand. also came recommended.

― Mordy, Tuesday, 11 September 2012 21:04 (thirteen years ago)

Beer in the new era

― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 11 September 2012 21:05 (thirteen years ago)

awesome, thanks

― Mordy, Tuesday, 11 September 2012 21:05 (thirteen years ago)

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