There's a real ale festival at a local bar this weekend (well, Fri and Sat). Hopefully they'll have some good ones on tap.



I really like their pale ale and Torpedo (when it was still sold here). I had their stout or porter in the summer. Good, but nothing that special. The pale ale and Torpedo are great if you get a fresh batch with a lot of crispy hoppiness. Trendy or not, Sierra Nevada's pale ale is still pretty much the benchmark for American pale ales.

I've been having an ongoing rivalry with my Belgian flatmate over the past few months to determine whose country produces the best beer (arguably a moot point, as he's actually British too, he just lives in Belgium outside of term time).

Anyway, I'm all for British ales, with my favourites including Jenning's Cumberland Ale, Wychwood's ever-popular Hobgoblin, and Wells' Banana Bread Beer, which has to be tried to be believed. I've recently been getting into the real Belgian lagers too, which taste miles apart from the piss brewed and consumed in Britain. Leffe Blonde and Chinay Bleu are two of my favourites, and I also enjoy wheat beers like Hoegaarden, which I hadn't tried until prompted to by my flatmate.

Needless to say I hope we never manage to settle this argument, as it's proving very enjoyable to investigate...

You are, in fact, busting my balls. Blue Moon tastes nothing like Coors to me. But hey, it is what it is.

3 brewdog tokyos, paradoxes, riptides (really fantastic stout that) 4 hardcore IPAs, 2 bottles of infernally strong barley wine, hobgoblin, old speckled hen, some summer ale and lager for the old man... Gonna be some great drinking ahead. Loving the strong stouts.

I love Tokyo, Paradox doesn't do it for me though. Never had Riptide, looks kind of interesting though.

Most Samuel Jackson brews, but I really love Blue Moon more than anything else. If nothing like that is available, I'll have a Budweiser, but I have to wash it down with some Jack and a pizza, since I don't like the taste.

Anyone here ever try Apostle Bräu? If not, don't. It is like swallowing a punch.

Caspian, how is that riptide stout? Are we talking super bitter with fine undertones or a creamier style?

Certainly more of a brute force, burnt wood and crude oil type of stout than anything creamy. Pretty bitter, vaguely chocolatey, but yeah, mostly just this crude, rude stout. It's fucken awesome, basically.

I've had the tokyo before and it was fantastic and the one I had last night kept up the fantastic-ness. Tried the hardcore IPA- it's nice but I'm not sure if IPA's that alcoholic work, it's either this brilliantly strong beer or (as my mum commented) it's like perfume with subtle beer undertones. I've got three more of 'em so I intend on figuring them out

Keen on the Paradox but I'm heading back up to work today, so no nice beers for two weeks

9.2% is on the upper extremes of alcohol for an IPA for you? Poor deprived Aussies. I recommend letting a bottle or two hang about for a couple of years. Bottle aging can really mellow out a harshly hopped beer, letting you experience the non-bitter aspects of the hops flavor profile without having to reach through all of that bitter white noise.

yeah, the Sink The Bismarck aside that's the strongest IPA I've ever seen by a very long way. ALl of the ones on sale here (and we have some tasty ones) are around the 5% mark.

I haven't had a very broad selection of beers to sample, given my age...

But for me it's a tie between MGD and Asahi. Totally different, I know, but they're on my top.

sounds tasty! picked up a bottle of Old Speckled Hen a while ago, chosen because of its color... never expected that taste but fuckin' A it was good

Unfortunately, the only Wild Devil at the store is a batch from 2009. Not that it matters with a brett- and bottle-conditioned beer, but I figured the hops would have faded too much to get a real IPA character out of it.





Did you try any of their four 30th anniversary beers? I really liked the "black barleywine" they did, the third one. Got two put away in the basement for the long haul.

I have to admit I'm fairly new to beer beyond Shiner, Budweiser, Heineken, etc., only about an year into the deep end actually. There's a cool beer and liquor store down the road called Sheila's Spirits runned by Sheila, the nicest hippy lady I've ever met. Whenever i go over to pick up a couple of cases I take her some acid rock that she will pop into her stereo as I'm browsing. Me being completely clueless as to what is what, she gives me suggestions what belongs in the same flavor or brewing method category. I started out with ales, then moved onto a couple of stouts. Next, I tried wheat and pilsners.

As far as I can remember I have bought the following once or twice this past year. I have never been disappointed with any of them except for the Hop Devil, man that is some hoppy shit. I had to chug those babies to get them out of the way. Wish I could give you a run down of what each of these tastes like but I don't think my palette is sophisticated enough to tell you exactly what I'm tasting. All I know is that they were all good.

I tried to put them in their respective group but like I said I'm still new to this so more than one may be in the wrong category.

Saint Arnold Fancy Lawnmower Ale, True Blonde Ale, Pinstripe Red Ale, Little Kings Ale, Full Sail Pale Ale, White Rascal.

Left Hand Milk Stout, Young's Double Chocolate Stout,

Franziskanner Weissbier, Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat, Sierra Nevada Hefeweizen, Weihenstephaner, Sam Adams Cherry Wheat

Konig Pilsner, Victory Prima Pils, Pilsner Urquell

currently testing these out: Warsteiner Premium Verum and Spaten Optimator..very good.




Just had a couple of pints there the other day with a large pizza. That is the only other place I'll eat at besides Dirty Al's(jumbo fried shrimp). You know I've never bought my beer at the Island. Any good stores I should pay a visit to? Have you been to Sheila's Spirits in Los Fresnos? It's right there on Hwy 100 right before you get to Paredes Line Rd. You can even place an order of a box of your favorite choice of beer.

Although a bit beyond OP, I found a funny video about relationship of my nation to beer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSqO16fA9yY

I don't drink much, I only drink it when I can get it for free from a friend. Beer is Metal so therefore it is cool.

For me, nothing can go past Coopers Sparkling Ale and Best Extra Stout for something I can get anywhere, or, for a local micro, Holgate ESB from Woodend.

Good man!

Sparkling on tap is dangerous, due to the amount of consumption it inevitably forces.

This little beauty is something I've been drinking a lot of recently. Fantastically creamy, with an awesomely smooth flavour, really great summer wheat beer from a local micro brewery. Tends to be a tad too expensive though for what it is.

Just got back from the brewpub down the street. They'd been closed for about a year due to their roof caving in during last year's snows and just had their grand re-opening last night. They've still got the same brewmaster but I'll be damned if their beer didn't jump up a few grades. Their nut brown was spot on and they had a really tasty oak aged imperial amber.

Blue moon with a small orange slice is the shit. Also this beer called Gulden Drak (or something like that) I had once was pretty good. Think it's some nordic shit. Usually I just drink whatever is around and available.

I've been meaning to try out Murray's stuff, problem is availability up here in QLD. Only place I know of that stocks it is Archive in the West End...

I'm a 40 man myself... love me some Mickey's, King Cobra, Budweiser. I'm also a fan of Tecate and MGD... man I think I might get a beer tonight.

Belgian actually, one of my favorites. The second word is spelled with two "a"'s by the way ("Draak").

I don't consider myself a beer expert, but my favourites as of now include Tuborg, Hansa, carlsberg and some Heineken every now and then. Also a big fan of the local brewery around here called Borg. Cheep ass beer, but tastes damn good!

Also, I've heard that the actual Czech Budweiser tastes far, far better than the Budweiser that is produced in America. Can anyone verify this?

You guys need some Rochefort in your lives! Just had the Rochefort 10 beer (11.3%), and it fucking kills!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochefort_Brewery

EDIT: I also like Chimay alot, the white one being my favourite. Trappist monks sure knows how to brew beer!

Only tangentially beer-related but...

I learned today that I'm you can't mail items packaged in Steel Reserve boxes...

Dumbass law, but my postman was really cool about it (He likes the 211 as well, harhar).

Anyway, I had to put it in an envelope. So much for the gag packaging (I sent some CD's to a guy who doesn't like to drink. I think he would have gotten a laugh out of seeing that in the mailbox)...

I would be, but I live in the backwards shithole that is Alabama, where 40's aren't legal to sell, and you have to be 19 to purchase tobacco!

I do <3 malt liquor though... Malt liquor and low-end fortified wine.

WHITE TRASH 4 LIFE!

If you enjoy a decent (American styled I might add though) wheat beer, then you should try it, as it is very tasty. Sucks about the availability thing where you are. The Murray's Pale Ale is also quite good on tap, which my local now has. Recommended.

.
well, that makes sense then.

Currently sipping my way through a Brewdog Paradox. On the label they're all "ROOM TEMPERATURE" but fuck that dudes, the room here is 35C or something and the last thing I want is a warm beer. Having it around 10C or so instead. To be honest it's basically not all that different from their Riptide stout but the flavours are a lot more subtle, more subdued, there's a touch more alcohol bite, vague hints of dark chocolate and yeah, the oak barrels that they say they've been aged in do affect the taste noticeably. Hard to articulate the taste properly; I guess I'd say it's got a very deep taste, a bottomless well of slowly unfolding flavour. A very nice stout, but I'm not enough of a beer snob to drink it at room temperature, at least not in summer...

my favourites are paulaner, biere du boucanier, gordon, carlsberg and ceres

Yeah, Czech Budweiser is great, one of the weaker mainstream Czech beers though but that's just a sign of the general quality beer has there.

And it surely sucks to live in Norway in regards to beer, Hansa was amongst the most awful beers I had, and it cost about €3,50 in the supermarket. Yuck!

For me the best Austrian beer is Murauer, other than that I really love Kozel (Czech), Leffe (Belgium, especially Leffe 9%, really need to get to Belgium for more than two hours waiting for the next train, I heard that Leffe is one of the weeker beers there and I'm in love with that stuff already), most beers by the Orkney brewery, espedially Skull Splitter (Scotland) and Augustiner Edelstoff (Bavaria).

Well they meant Scottish room temperature, so 10C was probably spot on.

Just discovered Mackeson Stout, it's only 3% and rather delicious so I figured I have a few cans while I'm doing university work in the afternoon. Hell, why not?

Been ages since I posted here so I thought what the hell, this topic is perfect for me.

Alas the beer I settle down upon almost 80% of the time would be Colt 45. Ya know, the kind that gets you nice and gooned real quick, only because it's cheap, affordable and I'm really poor.

If I have money I'll go with the more tastier Lucky, and if I'm in a real good mood I'll start mixing a shot of whiskey in each beer of Lucky I'm drinking, you know, for good measures.

Is that sold as the XXX Stout there? I used to be able to find Mackeson XXX Stout here and I drank it pretty regularly as it was like a syrupy, lactose-laden concoction of deliciousness, but I haven't seen it anywhere for a couple of years now. I thought maybe the brewery went under.

I'd love to try some Paradox, however even Brewdog are out. I think I might find some at bars here, but for ridiculous prices. Seriously, when it comes to alcohol policy and especially beer policy, this country is pretty damn bad. But yeah, you definitely shouldn't have it at 35 degrees, though I think 10C is definitely too cold. Something like fifteen is good. What batch of Paradox was it?

Just consumed a year-old North Coast Old Stock Ale, essentially an English barleywine. It's great, not perfect after a year but a hell of a lot better than fresh, I have a few more bottles stored away for later consumption. I'm thinking about waiting until November before opening one next.

I have a bomber of Stone Old Guardian BELGO 2011 waiting in the fridge for some time when I feel like getting a headache.




I have two bottles each in my basement (Chimay Blue and Rochefort); patiently waiting on them to try at one year intervals. Though I'm sure Rochefort 10 will be plenty flavorful after five years, that beer is a beast.

Anybody have a Butt Head Bock? At - 8.2% with a caramel touch you can't go wrong.