Open Beer Review? What are you drinking now?

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Jackson,

Stella, less bitter? I dislike it because I always end up with a terrible bitter aftertaste on my lips when I've tried it. Perhaps the imported Stella is different from the locally brewed stuff.

[Xray the Enforcer]

I don't like Stella. It's one of the very few Belgian brews I don't like.

that's because it's a lager, Scot. All of the Belgian beers you like (at least, the one's you've mentioned over the years) are made with a completely different yeast strain entirely. just because it's from the same country does not mean it's equivalent in any way, shape, or form, from a brewing perspective.

[WarriorPrincess]

I have never seen any of the fancier brands of beer in my area, only Miller and Busch products. You develop a taste for cheap beer if that's all you can drink. I prefer vodka and would take it over beer any day.

Alas, it'll be a few more months before I can drink.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Xray,

Interesting. I though most Belgian beers were Ales. You're right I didn't realize Stella was a lager.

This is not to say I dislike lagers generally. I had the Abita Andygator helles Dopplebock (made with lager yeast) on Tuesday. It was lovely.

[Solmyr]

Jackson,

Stella, less bitter? I dislike it because I always end up with a terrible bitter aftertaste on my lips when I've tried it. Perhaps the imported Stella is different from the locally brewed stuff.

Wait, what kind of beers are you drinking across the pond? I always imagined the taste is a lot different than ours, but never did I imagine them any less bitter than Stella. I've heard people around here (Eastern Europe) equate Stella to sugary carbonated water. The other 2 beers I listed (Staropramen and Kozel) are much more bitter than Stella. And if you spend some time on Czech Republic or the region you can find even more bitter brews ;).

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Chimay, Orval, Gulden Draak, St. Bernardus, none are anywhere as bitter as Stella.

[aceluby]

LOVE me some beers. Too much in fact as I need to limit myself to 1-2 otherwise it goes right to the gut. As you will be able to tell, I'm a big fan of hops. Currently in my fridge I've got:

Summit EPA - Ever so slightly hoppy, but w/ good balanced malt. Great hot day beer for those who like hops as it isn't overwhelming.

Fulton Sweet Child of Vine - Labeled as an IPA, but very, very balanced. Somewhat hoppy, but again, not overwhelming. Really great beer to give to people who typically don't like IPA's

Fulton Lonely Blonde Ale - Sweeter, malty ale with a great balance of hops. Another good summer beer.

Summit Saga - A pretty heavy IPA, very hoppy and made for those who like hops

Surly Furious - Best red ale I've ever had. Pretty much a double red ale, though Surly does not label it as such. Could drink this by the gallon. Very hoppy.

Surly Overrated - Best west coast IPA I've ever tasted. Took me right back to my trip to Seattle when I was trying as many local brews as possible. Delicious and balanced, though still quite hoppy. My fiancé who doesn't like hops even likes it.

Sam Adam's Light - Best light beer on the market, bar none. Fiance LOVES the stuff and I've been known to pick up a 6 pack for myself every so often.

Surly Hell - Budweiser on steroids. Fantastic lager with lots of flavor. Good balance and great finish.

[Solmyr]

Chimay, Orval, Gulden Draak, St. Bernardus, none are anywhere as bitter as Stella.

Never even heard of any of those :). I've only drank European beers, most of it was lager and most of it was [more] bitter [than Stella]. German and other central European beers are more bitter, Belgian beers have some odd tastes (including non-bitter), but the mainstream are bitter. I don't think non-bitter beer is even popular in Europe.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Jackson,

Those are all Belgian beers.

[Prince of the North]

I don't like Stella. It's one of the very few Belgian brews I don't like.

I'm with you, Scot! I think Stella's ok but that's about it. I like a great many different kinds and styles of beer (ales and lagers) and my wife and I even brew our own but in our opinion Belgians are the best. Lately, we've been enjoying a few Belgian pale ales and an Irish wee heavy that we brewed earlier this spring to enjoy now and through the summer. We're also bringing a 5 gallon keg of cream ale (most people should get along with this beer) and a variety of other bottled homebrews to my in-laws' 50th wedding anniversary bash later this month :cheers:

[aceluby]

Never even heard of any of those :). I've only drank European beers, most of it was lager and most of it was [more] bitter [than Stella]. German and other central European beers are more bitter, Belgian beers have some odd tastes (including non-bitter), but the mainstream are bitter. I don't think non-bitter beer is even popular in Europe.

There are nuances in the types of beers you describe. You really can't make blanket statements about all the beers coming out of a country or region.

Also, I'd suggest figuring out what the 'bitterness' you described is caused by. Is it the hops used? Is it the malt? Is it the balance between the two? Is it the immediate taste that hits your tongue, the lingering of the flavor as it goes from cool to warm on your tongue, or the finish after you've swallowed?

Just saying xyz beer is 'bitter' or 'more bitter than abc' is not that descriptive because there are many levels that this could be attributed to.

[aceluby]

I refuse to drink Stella since I refuse to support InBev and the monopoly of the beer market they have. I try to keep my beers to travelling less than 100 miles and HIGHLY suggest anyone getting into beers to do the same. So many good brews out there that are being brewed right in your backyard. Look up some brewery's and pick up some beer directly, most can offer gallons for a reasonable price, and if you start to get known around the brewery they are typically very responsive to critiques or trying out other styles that you may like more.

My ever longing hope is that beer in the US becomes a localized thing where the beers of the area represent what the local people like to drink and change base on their changes and changes in demographic. I'd love for there to be a day that Bud and Coors no longer exist.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Ace,

Oh, there are a number of good breweries in SC now. I partake of their products regularly. :)

[Stannisaurus]

Carslberg is the beer I like the best. Then again I have only tried four or five brands. I can't recall the brand, but the worst beer I ever drank was one of those brown-coloured piss masquerading as beer.

[aceluby]

Ace,

Oh, there are a number of good breweries in SC now. I partake of their products regularly. :)

From what I've seen and my (admittedly limited) travels is that nearly everyone in the US is 100 miles or less away from a small brewery. It's a great thing and whenever I do get lucky enough to travel I ALWAYS stick to the local brews as much as possible. It's a double bonus if they are a brew-pub. Those are my absolute FAVORITE and our local guys from Surly just opened theirs up :)

[Boxus]

I refuse to drink Stella since I refuse to support InBev and the monopoly of the beer market they have. I try to keep my beers to travelling less than 100 miles and HIGHLY suggest anyone getting into beers to do the same. So many good brews out there that are being brewed right in your backyard. Look up some brewery's and pick up some beer directly, most can offer gallons for a reasonable price, and if you start to get known around the brewery they are typically very responsive to critiques or trying out other styles that you may like more.

My ever longing hope is that beer in the US becomes a localized thing where the beers of the area represent what the local people like to drink and change base on their changes and changes in demographic. I'd love for there to be a day that Bud and Coors no longer exist.

Cheers! I'm a big supporter of local business, and I really hope more people will be going in that direction. Here in CA I'm lucky to have so much good beer within a few miles of home. Drake's is probably my favorite brewery here in the east bay, and I've had some great beers from smaller local operations like Linden Street and Faction Brewing. Definitely recommend them to anybody in the Oakland area.

[Prince of the North]

I refuse to drink Stella since I refuse to support InBev and the monopoly of the beer market they have. I try to keep my beers to travelling less than 100 miles and HIGHLY suggest anyone getting into beers to do the same. So many good brews out there that are being brewed right in your backyard. Look up some brewery's and pick up some beer directly, most can offer gallons for a reasonable price, and if you start to get known around the brewery they are typically very responsive to critiques or trying out other styles that you may like more.

My ever longing hope is that beer in the US becomes a localized thing where the beers of the area represent what the local people like to drink and change base on their changes and changes in demographic. I'd love for there to be a day that Bud and Coors no longer exist.

Ah, a return to much closer to what the brewing landscape looked like pre-WWII in the US! I'd be all for that (although it will not happen). I am greatly enjoying the veritable explosion of craft brewing, etc. in the US. However, I happen to live in a relatively sparsely populated part of the country where change usually happens much more slowly than most everywhere else so we just recently got a couple of local breweries. One that just distributes locally and one brew pub.

That's why a couple of friends and I got into homebrewing when we were in college about 25 years ago. In our small home town when we went home each summer to work about the most exotic thing one could get was maybe a Michelob Dark. My wife and I have just recently gotten back into homebrewing the last few years (mainly because of her showing an interest in it) and we have a lot of fun with it. Plus, it never hurts having a hobby to do together with your spouse ;)

From what I've seen and my (admittedly limited) travels is that nearly everyone in the US is 100 miles or less away from a small brewery. It's a great thing and whenever I do get lucky enough to travel I ALWAYS stick to the local brews as much as possible. It's a double bonus if they are a brew-pub. Those are my absolute FAVORITE and our local guys from Surly just opened theirs up :)

I'm with you. I always try to sample the local stuff wherever I may be. On my so far single trip overseas to England I did that as well and it was great! You mention Surly. Are you around the Cities by any chance or do you mean Surly is expanding into your area? We've brewed some clones of their beers :cheers:

[Fez]

Leinenkugel Summer Shandy

And I don't care what anyone says about it. It tastes like hard lemonade with pulp in it, and its great for these southern summer days.

[awesome possum]

So I went into the liquor store the other day and got a 6-pack of Goose Island's 312 and I told the cashier a pint of "Beam" expecting to get Jim Beam. What she put in the bag instead was something called "Beam's Five Star" or something like that. You might recognize it by its other name: rubbing alcohol with caramel coloring.

[aceluby]

Ah, a return to much closer to what the brewing landscape looked like pre-WWII in the US! I'd be all for that (although it will not happen). I am greatly enjoying the veritable explosion of craft brewing, etc. in the US. However, I happen to live in a relatively sparsely populated part of the country where change usually happens much more slowly than most everywhere else so we just recently got a couple of local breweries. One that just distributes locally and one brew pub.

That's why a couple of friends and I got into homebrewing when we were in college about 25 years ago. In our small home town when we went home each summer to work about the most exotic thing one could get was maybe a Michelob Dark. My wife and I have just recently gotten back into homebrewing the last few years (mainly because of her showing an interest in it) and we have a lot of fun with it. Plus, it never hurts having a hobby to do together with your spouse ;)

I'm with you. I always try to sample the local stuff wherever I may be. On my so far single trip overseas to England I did that as well and it was great! You mention Surly. Are you around the Cities by any chance or do you mean Surly is expanding into your area? We've brewed some clones of their beers :cheers:

I'm in the cities. Fulton is the new young gun, but only a few varieties. Surly has been around for a few years now, tried expanding to Chicago, but couldn't keep up w/ the demand and had to remove their distribution to them. They've now expanded and may try it again, but they come out w/ some FANTASTIC beers. If you can find an 'Overrated' clone I'd HIGHLY suggest trying it out. It's damn good. Summit is the local powerhouse though. Been around for 25 years now and has been my brew of choice ever since I started drinking beer. They are somewhat national, so you can sometimes find them in other places besides MN. There was a long while when New Belgium and Summit were the only craft brews in the Midwest, which obviously ended a few years back when the craft brew craze really picked up.

Leinenkugel Summer Shandy

And I don't care what anyone says about it. It tastes like hard lemonade with pulp in it, and its great for these southern summer days.

That stuff is delicious. Don't drink it all the time, but a 6 pack every once in a while in the summer is great. I love taking one to a softball tournament since I know every one of the guys will take a Mich Golden over anything else 9 times out of 10. They hate it when I bring beer.