The Great Beer Thread

[Nathan Flowers]

Yeah, I didn't actually drink it from the can, though I have no qualms with the can as a container.

Rumblefish, I have had their Breakfast Stout, but am waiting to find the barrel aged version.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Move over, absinthe. The new high-alcohol import headed to the U.S. is super-strong beer.

At 32 percent alcohol by volume, Tactical Nuclear Penguin is more than six times more potent than the average American Budweiser. It's also among the world's strongest beer, thanks to Scotland's edgy and sometimes controversial BrewDog Brewery, which freezes its formula for more than three weeks at an ice cream factory, removing water and upping alcohol concentration.

Intrigued beer-lovers will soon be able to sip the stout that is almost as strong as liquor, as BrewDog is now in the process of shipping more than 400 bottles to stores in California and New York City, including a Whole Foods supermarket.


Duncan Brown, BrewDog
Tactical Nuclear Penguin, one of the world's strongest beers, is on its way to retail shelves in California and New York.

"We wanted to push the envelope and take innovation in beer to places where it has never before been," Jim Watt, one of BrewDog's co-founders, told AOL News. "We want to show people that there is an alternative to the mainstream, monolithic, generic industrially brewed beers. "

Watt and co-founder Martin Dickie founded the Fraserburgh, Scotland, microbrewery in 2007 at age 24, declaring their mission to shake up the British beer market. Three years later, they became determined to create Tactical Nuclear Penguin, what they describe on the company Web site as an "audacious attempt to make the world's strongest-ever beer."

After aging their batch for 18 months in two different types of Scottish whiskey casks, then freezing the beer for 21 days at -6 degrees Celsius (21 degrees Fahrenheit) -- "penguin temperatures" according to the BrewDog boys -- Watt and Dickie succeeded.

But success didn't last long, as a German brewer soon stole their strongest-in-the-world title with a 40 percent alcohol by volume beer called Schroschbock. It only took Watt and Dickie a few weeks to regain beer bragging rights with Sink the Bismarck!, now the world's strongest beer at 41percent. It is sold out at the BrewDog Web site.

Beer battles aren't the only snafus BrewDog has encountered, as alcohol regulatory boards have criticized them for failing to provide fair warning about their high-alcohol, high-risk product.

The chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, Jack Law, slammed BrewDog's beer as "irresponsible." Another of their brews, the 18 percent alcohol by volume Tokyo brand, was yanked from shelves in Scotland in December after its marketing materials were deemed to encourage excess drinking.

Duncan Brown, BrewDog
BrewDog's James Watt and Martin Dickie pose with their brew, Sink the Bismarck!, now the world's strongest beer at 41 percent alcohol by volume.

The obstacles aren't prohibiting BrewDog from releasing Tactical Nuclear Penguin in the U.S.

"TNP is not dangerous at all...It is ignorant to assume that a beer cannot be enjoyed and savored in the same way you would drink a nice scotch whiskey or other spirit," Watt told AOL News, pointing out that both TNP and Sink the Bismarck! come in small, 330-milliliter bottles with re-sealable caps, allowing customers to enjoy them over a period of time.

BrewDog also tells drinkers that Tactical Nuclear Penguin is not to be imbibed like your everyday brew with a warning label on its bottles that reads: "This is an extremely strong beer; it should be enjoyed in small servings and with an air of aristocratic nonchalance. It is exactly the same manner you would enjoy a fine whisky, a Frank Zappa album or a visit from a friendly yet anxious ghost."

TNP will soon be available for the responsible sipping in the U.S. -- but high-alcohol content comes at a high price -- about $53 a bottle.

"This product is very much for connoisseurs and beer aficionados – people who seek out very special beers," Watt said.

*Culled from AOHell*

 

[rumblefish]

^Thanks for this post.

My distributor needs an 18 bottle order. Got my name first on the list, and waiting for the other 17 or 16...

I think it would have been nice to see this in a porcelain topped bottle.

 

[dingdongdaddy]

good evening gents. my personal favoerite is becks, but the new sam adams noble pils is getting it's share of abuse lately!

 

[1961MJS]

Hi

My favorite beers are British (in spite of Muellers, Schroeders, Brokamps, and Lindemanns in my family tree). My favorite for years was Newcastle Brown ale, but Goose Island Brown ale has a bit nuttier flavor. I also like India Pale ales including Goose Islands' version. Murphy's and Beamish Stouts and Scotch ales are also great.

I believe that Guinness Irish Stout defined what beer is.

For summer I buy S A L E beer (the cheap stuff) and mix two beers with a can of Spicy V8. I also like Cream ales like Little Kings.

I've never drank a Wheat beer or a Russian Imperial Stout that I liked.

Lately I've been drinking Schlitz, the newly brought back 1960's recipe. It's great stuff, but suddenly went from $3.99 a six pack to $6.99 a six. It's more expensive than Budweiser, and tastes a lot like it. Now it's not worth the money.

 

[Puzzicato]

My all-time favourite beers are from the Lord Nelson pub in the Rocks in Sydney. Three Sheets, Trafalgar and Quayle Ale. Delicious, well-balanced and perfect.

In their absence: Hoegaarden (draft if possible) in summer, Leffe Blonde when it is cooler, Erdinger (also in summer). For British beers, I like an IPA, or Rebellion Blonde. The only stout I really enjoy is Tooheys Old, which I can't get in England!

 

[BinkieBaumont]

If i owned this Lovely Art Deco Pub, I would instal Black glass walls , Chrome accents, and white Pig skin Sofas ( Couch) and Bar Stools"

I visited recently and it was rather" tired looking"

 

[Tango Yankee]

I am not sure if it was a recent improvement in canning technology but canned micro brews are coming onboard.

There was an article about this not too long ago in All About Beer magazine. IIRC, the big issue is the cost of the canning equipment. A company has designed equipment that's aimed more at the microbrewery's production numbers and is a lot less expensive.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[rumblefish]

sam adams noble pils is getting it's share of abuse lately!

It's already gone by me- except for my beer shelves . I'm told it's seasonal (to replace their White Ale).[huh]

 

[skyvue]

Some of my fellow beer drinkers may wish to check out the Cladrite Radio blog today. As part of our ongoing look at old advertising slogans, culled from a 1949 book called American Slogans, we today feature a list of slogans that were utilized by companies that manufactured and marketed brews (beer, ale, etc.) back in the day.

Here's the direct link to that post, for those who may not see this until later: http://www.cladriteradio.com/ppbeer

It's interesting to note that, in some ways, not much has changed.

 

[grundie]

I had a single sip of the Brew Dog Tactical Nuclear Penguin a few weeks ago. A freind invested in a bottle one night when he was both inebriated and had access to the internet.

Let just say you don't drink it for the flavour. The flavour is along the lines of "There's a party in my mouth - A party of Hells Angels with flame throwers".

The regular strength Brew Dog beers are rather nice though. Their Punk IPA is rather scrummy.

 

[Mr Vim]

There is a Belgian beer I'm particularly fond of Blanche De Bruchlles... a nice wheat.

However, now that I am in Juneau, Alaska home of the Alaskan Brewing Company I have access to all their seasonal beers that are near impossible to get anywhere else. And what beer! Their Whiskey Smoked Porter is fantastic. A great Smoked Porter aged in Jack Daniels Whiskey Barrels. If you ever see that beer on tap whereever you are, have a snift of that.

Cheers

 

[Chainsaw]

I'm still slugging this passion piss, "Bud light lime".

 

[swinggal]

Hoegaarden, Kriek Cherry Beer, Little Creatures

Not that I drink a lot of beer.

 

[Diamondback]

Geez, it's been years now since my last one... 4? 5? Anyway, I remember it was a Guinness... usually, when I'm not under a 24-hour rule I prefer a good mixed drink myself.

 

[Pompidou]

I've been heavy into craft beer for a year or so now, having finished the book, The Naked Pint. I've been trying a different beer every week. My current unsurpassed favorite is Rogue's Old Crustacean - every sip of that one is like a punch in the face. Every now and then Stone's Russian Imperial Stout rivals it as favorite. They shift back and forth. I've tried every Trappist ale but Koenighoeven and Westvleteren. The former is available stateside but just hard to find, and there are plenty of beers I can try till I care to hunt. The latter is import only, and ridiculously expensive. I might pick up a bottle later just for bragging rights, alongside a Koenig - finish the Trappist monasteries.

 

[the hairy bloke]

I've come late to this thread, and I haven't read all 32 pages, so if I post something stupid, please correct me quietly .

As a Brit I noticed how this thread, like the whole forum, is mainly populated by US residents. No bad thing, but it does have a baring on how one views beer.

This is something I know a bit about, as one of my masters dissertations was about brewing and the beer industry worldwide. I looked at the US industry, and prior to Prohibition, there were all the styles one would expect from a Melting-Pot nation made up of Germans, Brits, Irish and other brewing countries. I stand to be corrected but the Belgians do not seem to have emmigrated to America, so there were few Abbey-style beers.

Volstead changed all that, and most of the craft breweries dissapeared, and those companies that survived did so on volume: Anheuser-Busch, Coors etc.

I do know that during the last decade or two there has been a revival in craft brewing in the States, with Sam Adams, being quite easily availible in Britain.

In the UK we still have many brewers, and more opening all the time.

It is interesting to note that some of those beers mentioned as favourites are ones I consider to be mass-market, and insipid: Boddingtons, Guiness and Newcastle Brown (known as "Dog", and no longer produced on Tyneside). Double Diamond, and Worthington E are the two beers, more than any other, that spawned the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) in the UK, as they were, basically, tasteless keg rubbish.

So that said: what are my favourite beers? Having moved recently to Cornwall, in the wild west of Britain: Skinner's Betty Stoggs, and St Austell Ton Fifty. I have liked Fullers London Pride, and Black Sheep for a number of years, but if it were still availible Fullers Hock (a goldern mild) would always be my beer of choice. Skinner's "Cornish Blond" does come close.

 

[swinggal]

We have so many microbreweries in Australia. Perth has many; Mash, Duckstien, Matilda Bay, Little Creatures (which has become a HUGE success), Bull Ant, Bootleg, Sail and Anchor, Last Drop Brewery, Black Salt, Billabong Brewery, Gauge Rds Brewery, Feral Brewery, Elmars.

Little Creatures has been so successful it has opened brewing outlets in Melbourne and now sells Little Creatures Pale Ale overseas. It's giving the big guns a run for their money

 

[Fletch]

I just realized I am going on 40 DAYS without beer. AIEEEEEEEEE

A day without wine is like a day without sunshine.
But a day without beer is like...trust me, let's not even go there.

 

[the hairy bloke]

The other night I had some of the "Punk IPA" from the same firm as "Tactical Nuclear Penguin".

Not keen.
I know this style of beer is one of the family of brews known as "bitter", but that implies a subtelty of flavour as well. I thought Punk was just bitter, as in lemon, but with little taste at all.

What worries me is that most yeasts die well below ten percent abv, so how they create a beer at 30+% is beyond me. My guess is that it will tast of little but alcahol. If I wanted to drink that I'b buy a bottle of white spirit from the hard-ware store.