Thread about actual beer

FORANE said:
Don't be a hater.
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Ignore him. He doesn't even like IPAs so not a surprising reaction. I homebrewed an oatmeal stout once which was fantastic but each beer was like a meal. For 25+ years now, I always have a Blueberry Porter on tap. I'm enjoying one now. Several have said it's the best beer they've ever had.
 
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Half Fast said:
I have no idea how a thread about “real beer” ever goes beyond Guinness.
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You know... I used to hear that a lot, and then I'd hear how Guinness in the US sucks compared to Guinness in England (or Ireland), all of which I took with a grain of salt. I tried Guinness a few times and, as much as I wanted to like it, I just didn't.

Then we spent some time in London, Belfast, and all around Ireland. Now I get it. Guinness in a pub in Belfast/Cork/Galway is fantastic. Guinness in a pub in London... not so much; their idea of "draught" seems to extend to "put the can of Guinness in a thing that pierces the bottom and drains it into a glass". Guinness in the US, whether in cans or bottles... no thanks. No, really, no thanks.

It seems to be a wonderful product that simply does not travel well.
 
DaleB said:
You know... I used to hear that a lot, and then I'd hear how Guinness in the US sucks compared to Guinness in England (or Ireland), all of which I took with a grain of salt. I tried Guinness a few times and, as much as I wanted to like it, I just didn't.

Then we spent some time in London, Belfast, and all around Ireland. Now I get it. Guinness in a pub in Belfast/Cork/Galway is fantastic. Guinness in a pub in London... not so much; their idea of "draught" seems to extend to "put the can of Guinness in a thing that pierces the bottom and drains it into a glass". Guinness in the US, whether in cans or bottles... no thanks. No, really, no thanks.

It seems to be a wonderful product that simply does not travel well.
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I had draft Guinness in England some years ago and it was fantastic, but so were all the local brews I tried. Beers in the US just don’t come close, but I still like draft Guinness even here.

And I love a Guinness + Bass black & tan.
 
DaleB said:
....It seems to be a wonderful product that simply does not travel well.
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Taxes also plays a role. Taxes are based on ABV. As a result, the Guinness we drink is very different from what you consume abroad.
 
I'd take an "americanized" guinness over a grande mocha latte pecan pie infused vanilla blueberry raspberry oatmeal porridge oyster creme brulee ipa, um, "beer".
 
Half Fast said:
…. And I love a Guinness + Bass black & tan.
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Yes. I also like a Fuller’s ESB, but alas they’re hard to come by here.

Son’s in year 2 of a 3 your outside Munich. Now there’s a place to get real beer. I love a good hefeweizen.
 
Half Fast said:
I had draft Guinness in England some years ago and it was fantastic, but so were all the local brews I tried. Beers in the US just don’t come close, but I still like draft Guinness even here.

And I love a Guinness + Bass black & tan.
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The Guinness and most any other draught beer in British pubs in the late 90’s was fantastic. At that time most of the pubs were locally owned and operated.
I was in England a couple years ago and most every pub I went to, even some of my old haunts, had a very commercialized feel. The beer was crap (by British standards) and the food was all delivered frozen and reheated.
After talking to some locals I discovered that most of the pubs have been purchased by one or two large corporate venture capitalists and have standardized everything (ruined everything that a British pub was supposed to be). I heard there were still a few that were locally owned and those were still great, but they seem to be going away fast. It’s sad, and seems all too familiar.
 
aterry1067 said:
The Guinness and most any other draught beer in British pubs in the late 90’s was fantastic. At that time most of the pubs were locally owned and operated.
I was in England a couple years ago and most every pub I went to, even some of my old haunts, had a very commercialized feel. The beer was crap (by British standards) and the food was all delivered frozen and reheated.
After talking to some locals I discovered that most of the pubs have been purchased by one or two large corporate venture capitalists and have standardized everything (ruined everything that a British pub was supposed to be). I heard there were still a few that were locally owned and those were still great, but they seem to be going away fast. It’s sad, and seems all too familiar.
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That’s too bad. I was there around 2000 and enjoyed the local pubs serving local beers on draft.
 
Half Fast said:
I have no idea how a thread about “real beer” ever goes beyond Guinness.
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Four CEOs of beer companies are having a meeting and they decide to get a drink.

The CEO of Budweiser orders a Bud light. The CEO of Miller orders a Miller Lite. The CEO of Coors orders a Coors Light. The CEO of Guinness orders a Coke.

The three CEOS then ask him, why aren't you ordering a Guinness?

He replies: "If you guys aren't drinking beer than neither will I."
 
I've only been to Ireland once. I not really a fan of Guinness here, and I do think it was better there, but everyplace that had Guinness there also had Smithwicks, which I believe is a Guinness product. That became my favorite beer. I used to trade consulting time for cases of it, before it was imported to the US....it was available in Montreal and this guy had family up there he'd visit. Now, I kinda like a porter. But I don't drink enough to buy a 6 pack without it going stale, so I normally don't bother. I'm boring.

I don't understand IPA's. To me, they're kinda like ordering an off-brand soda - you don't know what you're going to get, except it's going to be light and fizzy. I don't understand light and/or rice based "beers" like bud, unless you're 18 and looking to get drunk and can tolerate the taste. Oh - and one exception, one person gave me a reasonable reason to buy bud. You can buy a case, put it in the back of a car and drive it around in 100 degree heat, then chill it down and it'll taste exactly the same. It's the NASA version of beer...so processed it's indestructible.
 
Albany Tom said:
I've only been to Ireland once. I not really a fan of Guinness here, and I do think it was better there, but everyplace that had Guinness there also had Smithwicks, which I believe is a Guinness product. That became my favorite beer. I used to trade consulting time for cases of it, before it was imported to the US....it was available in Montreal and this guy had family up there he'd visit. Now, I kinda like a porter. But I don't drink enough to buy a 6 pack without it going stale, so I normally don't bother. I'm boring.
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Smithwicks and Killkenny are both on tap at Sean O'Donnel's. A special treat when I have a reason to go there.

I don't understand IPA's. To me, they're kinda like ordering an off-brand soda - you don't know what you're going to get, except it's going to be light and fizzy. I don't understand light and/or rice based "beers" like bud, unless you're 18 and looking to get drunk and can tolerate the taste. Oh - and one exception, one person gave me a reasonable reason to buy bud. You can buy a case, put it in the back of a car and drive it around in 100 degree heat, then chill it down and it'll taste exactly the same. It's the NASA version of beer...so processed it's indestructible.
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I used to turn my nose up at IPAs. But, there are some really good ones out there. Don't let the crazy names or artwork on the can fool ya. Georgetown brewing, a Seattle local is outstanding with everything they brew. My favorite is Bodhizafa (misspelled on purpose). It comes in a goofy orange can. But, is also on tap just about everywhere within a 100 miles of downtown Seattle. At 6.9% ABV, there's nothing "light and fizzy" about it. Its a good hearty ale.

PS: No Pecan and vanilla beer for me either!
 
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TCABM said:
Yes. I also like a Fuller’s ESB, but alas they’re hard to come by here.

Son’s in year 2 of a 3 your outside Munich. Now there’s a place to get real beer. I love a good hefeweizen.
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Which is not "real beer" as far as the Germans are concerned...
 
One of my favorite beer memories was on liberty in Rhodes, Greece sometime in the early '80s. It was hot and I was hungry and thirsty. Sitting at an outdoor table with a real Greek Gyro and a giant Pilsner glass, so cold frost was sliding down the sides and full of Carlsberg. It seemed like just about everywhere the US Navy made port, the bars and restaurants all had Carlsberg.
 
wilkersk said:
One of my favorite beer memories...hot and I was hungry and thirsty...
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That's how I got into Blueberry Porter. My wife and I stupidly decided to stain our deck on one of the hottest days of the year. At the end of the day I was exhausted. We went out to dinner and had to wait a bit for a table prolonging my agony. For whatever reason, I ordered a Blueberry Porter from Oregon. This was ~92 before the explosion of microbreweries so it was novel. Man did it hit the spot (which probably would have been the case for most beers). When I started home brewing a couple years later I found a recipe and gave it a go. As I said earlier, every winter since I always have a keg of it going.

Doing my part to make sure every PoA thread experiences some drift, any of you New Englanders ever have Nantucket Red? A buddy of mine founded the company. He's raising additional capital to fuel east coast expansion. I'm considering rolling the dice. The market seems pretty hot right now with High Noon as an example.
 
DaleB said:
You know... I used to hear that a lot, and then I'd hear how Guinness in the US sucks compared to Guinness in England (or Ireland), all of which I took with a grain of salt. I tried Guinness a few times and, as much as I wanted to like it, I just didn't.

Then we spent some time in London, Belfast, and all around Ireland. Now I get it. Guinness in a pub in Belfast/Cork/Galway is fantastic. Guinness in a pub in London... not so much; their idea of "draught" seems to extend to "put the can of Guinness in a thing that pierces the bottom and drains it into a glass". Guinness in the US, whether in cans or bottles... no thanks. No, really, no thanks.

It seems to be a wonderful product that simply does not travel well.
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Guinness opened their first North American brewery close to BWI and was brewing their stout in the US but I think they've stopped. They were using the brewery (which is a really cool space and great restaurant) to test beers for the NA market and did some really neat variations including some recipes from very early in their history.

If you're ever at BWI with time to kill it's 10 minutes away - worth the visit - -https://www.guinnessbrewerybaltimore.com/
 
Half Fast said:
I have no idea how a thread about “real beer” ever goes beyond Guinness.
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At the very same time you were writing that, I was at a local Irish Pub enjoying a lovely pint of Smithwick's as opposed to Guinness. Guinness is a very rare choice for me...so heavy. But has it's place. As cold as it was here last night, maybe I should've opted for the Guinness.
 
I'm curious as to when everyone here discovered "real" beer. I grew up on the tail-end of the American pale, watered-down, post-prohibition standard. When I turned 21 back in 2003, IPA was an unknown-term. Shortly after that is when I noticed micro-brews becoming a thing and finding more than just Miller, Coors, and Bud on the shelf.

I was stationed at the OBX of North Carolina from 2005-09. Somewhere during that time, an off-duty group of us got together for a round of golf off the islands in the very small town of Grandy, NC. One of the guys with us lived in that town and raved about the local micro-brewery called the Weeping Radish. We went there for our 19th hole and given it was a weekday, we were the only 4 in the place. Bartender was a friend of our friend and this was not a place that had any of your typical, common beers. Only the stuff they made in house. Bartender was fantastic, asked each of us what beers we liked. By this time, most of us had explored things better than the common aforementioned water-beers. For example, I mentioned Shiner Bock so he handed me a lovely beer called Fest (which forever became my favorite there). My buddy from Matthews County, VA says "Bud Light." Bartender hands him a water.

Anyway, that was the day I started on my journey of discovering new, different, and good beers. I primarily keep Miller Lite in the house...cheap and not very fatty. But a quick review of my Untappd app shows I've sampled over 368 beers since December 2015 when I started keeping track.

My wife got me a home brewing kit many years ago for Christmas. While making beer at home is fun, I feel the same about homebrewing as I do pictures of the Grand Canyon. There are so many excellent artists (brewers and photographers) out there, why would I bastardize it by making/taking my own?

By the way, Weeping Radish was featured on DDD several years ago. Even if you're not a beer guy, the German food they have there is excellent and should be a must-visit if you find yourself headed to the beach.
 
KE5BM said:
I'm curious as to when everyone here discovered "real" beer.
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I started trying local beers while traveling, and some of them have since entered national distribution. I recall the first time I had a Fat Tire was on a business trip to Boulder, and it was strictly a CO brew at the time. Now I can get them at Publix.

The first Shiner Bock I tried was during an SCCA race weekend at Texas World Speedway in College Station, TX. I wasn't driving that weekend; I was crewing for a buddy who was racing a Spec Racer Ford. What a way to try a beer.....

See, there was a keg of Shiner at the worker's party. I had just grabbed a second one when I spotted a friend, Jack, who happened to be the chief steward that weekend. Some folks were giving track tours to workers and other folks, and since I'd never visited TWS before I asked Jack if he could get me a lap or two. "Sure, but you'd better hurry up and finish that beer." I chugged it down while he went off to talk with a driver.

About 10 minutes later, Jack came back with a driver in tow. Jack, knowing that I was also a driver (I raced in Improved Touring), had gotten me a fantastic ride. The guy he recruited was the previous year's Showroom Stock national champion, and that guy gave me one helluva track tour. With my brain buzzing from having just slammed down the Shiner, we took a hot lap that wasn't quite race pace, but easily 9/10 of it. My head was swimming and my eyes were crossing.

I've loved Shiner Bock ever since.
 
I used to drink Guinness when I was in Germany. Well I drank German beers to but Guinness also. It tasted the same as the stuff over here but it was very strong, as in two of them would knock me on my a**.

I have grown to hatred IPA's. ESB is about as close as I will get.
 
Beachy said:
When given choices at a bar, I'll always pick a draft over a bottle over a can.
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I’ll always take a can over draft, assuming a good brewery and style. I’ve had way too many old, stale or worse drafts. But I’ll take a draft over most bottles assuming they have 8 taps or less. Places with 50 taps are begging for stale beer on half of them.

DaleB said:
Guinness in a pub in Belfast/Cork/Galway is fantastic. Guinness in a pub in London... not so much
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I wonder how it compares to the Guiness brewery in Baltimore or Chicago. Anyone had both?
 
masloki said:
I’ll always take a can over draft, assuming a good brewery and style. I’ve had way too many old, stale or worse drafts. But I’ll take a draft over most bottles assuming they have 8 taps or less. Places with 50 taps are begging for stale beer on half of them.
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when it comes to guinness, can is def better than bottle, and only in very rare cases is a draft better than the can. a lot of places, at least around here, have long tap lines and guinness just doesn't pour right. but at the right places, a draft is def better, IMO.
 
KE5BM said:
I'm curious as to when everyone here discovered "real" beer. I grew up on the tail-end of the American pale, watered-down, post-prohibition standard. When I turned 21 back in 2003, IPA was an unknown-term. Shortly after that is when I noticed micro-brews becoming a thing and finding more than just Miller, Coors, and Bud on the shelf.
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Growing up in the Midwest and the typical American beers then the USN had the “wisdom” in 1998 to send me to fly EA-6Bs out of NAS Whidbey in WA state. The micro revolution was just starting and the PAC NW was a hotbed. Never looked back.
 
I lived on the Central Coast in California. Our town had one of the first microbreweries, opening in 1985. Three years later when I turned 21, it was one of the first bars I went to and I learned about good beer. NorCal had a quickly growing brewery scene; it was a great time, and it was before IPAs dominated.

Between craft beer, wine, and coffee (it was also far ahead of the curve with coffee), my tastes were honed toward the finer side. Becoming more fiscally responsible and largely losing my taste for alcohol has offset the expense. Coffee? I’ll fight to the death to keep it!
 
KE5BM said:
...if we ever enter a SHTF world - being a home brewer would come in really handy....
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lol I know I'm eccentric in many ways making my own beer, sausage, bacon, pasta, bread, you name it. Several have joked over the years, if the zombie apocalypse hits, they want me in their clan :lol:

One of my favorite beers is NoDa's Hop Drop and Roll. It retails for ~$12/4 pack. I can make it for less than half of that and people cannot tell the difference.
 
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