The Great Beer Thread

[John in Covina]

Victory Brewing does not seem to know how to make a bad or mediorcre beer.:cheers1:

 

[tortswon]

Victory Brewing

I will pass all the kudos along to Bill at Victory. I am with you on the Hop Devil and the impact of hoppy American beers on the beer world. To oversimplify things, I think there are four great brewing nations, in no particular order, Germany, England, Belgium, and the United States. Germany and England are mainly about grains, Belgium about yeast and the United States about hops. Best, Sam

 

[Odalisque]

Oh, how exciting. A multi-page list of good beers!
While I don't know much when it comes to beer, I do know what I like to drink.
And I'm currently shopping for a replacement for my beloved late favorite, GreenFlash Ruby Red. It was discontinued last year and I've still yet to recover.

 

[carter]

Brewed and Bottled in Tadcaster, Yorkshire, England. The Samuel Smith Old Brewery is independently owned and operated. Lovely English Pale Ale. One of my all time favorites.:cheers1:

 

[rumblefish]

Brewed and Bottled in Tadcaster, Yorkshire, England. The Samuel Smith Old Brewery is independently owned and operated. Lovely English Pale Ale. One of my all time favorites.:cheers1:

This and their Taddy Porter were my introduction to unusual (not Heineken or Molson) foreign beer, about 20 years ago.

 

[carter]

This and their Taddy Porter were my introduction to unusual (not Heineken or Molson) foreign beer, about 20 years ago.

I'm a fan of their Taddy Porter as well. I don't think they can make a bad beer. Maybe I'll have one for lunch!

Here's a link to one reviewer's comments on their products.

http://worldofbrews.tripod.com/samsmith.htm

 

[tortswon]

Sam Smith beers

I have tried a number of the Sam Smith products and have not generally been happy with them on this side of the ocean. The beers are good when they are fresh in the UK but here in Philly, I just cannot find a fresh one. Maybe it is our distributor but in this neck of the woods these beers always seem to fall short for me.

 

[John in Covina]

Handle with care.

Samuel Smith's ales are consider to be classic representations of the styles they produce. Travel when storage conditions are not optimal will harm many beers. Pilsner Urquel in the keg was noted for not traveling across the Atlantic and staying in good condition. If you know the distributor you may ask if they will be getting in stock in the winter, the cold weather while in transit should help maintain the flavors better. (It was one of the faults of Trader Joe's they would buy beer that had been handled poorly.)

Theakston's Old Peculiar on tap thru a pump tap is wonderful. I haven't had it on tap in over 10 years. They had it at the John Bull pub in Pasadena for a while. Also Fullers ESB thru a pump tap is great, a lot of the nuances become a little more apparent when it goes thru the pump.

 

[El Erico]

My favorite beer of all time.

 

[carter]

I have tried a number of the Sam Smith products and have not generally been happy with them on this side of the ocean. The beers are good when they are fresh in the UK but here in Philly, I just cannot find a fresh one. Maybe it is our distributor but in this neck of the woods these beers always seem to fall short for me.

Even if the distributor handles everything correctly, the local operator/barkeep/restauranteur must have their draft system at optimum efficiency. It's most often the operator's system(s) that are the problem.

 

[dnjan]

Even if the distributor handles everything correctly, the local operator/barkeep/restauranteur must have their draft system at optimum efficiency. It's most often the operator's system(s) that are the problem.

And sometimes everything works out well. I recently had a visitor from Munich, and we went to a local Seattle establishment and had a Franziskaner Hefeweizen. He was surprised, 1) because it was here, on tap (served in the correct glass), and 2) because it tasted just like back home.

Long-distance shipping, local distributor, condition of equipment at the bar/restaurant, and experience/skill of the bartender can all contribute to the success (or failure) of an import on tap.

 

[Kermez]

Right now I'm drinking Oaked Arrogant ba***rd Ale.

 

[ortega76]

I don't drink very much, preferring one or two great beers over getting smashed on junk. I love Fat Tire Amber Ale. My favorite tipple is a framboise, though.

 

[Nathan Flowers]

On Thursday I had the good fortune to find Rogue Independence Hop Ale on draft in Greenville, SC. It was not a hop monster, but was a very balanced American IPA. Quite tasty.

 

[tortswon]

Hop monsters

Having enjoyed a great many hop monsters, I find that I am moving toward the more balanced beers. I used to love all that bitterness but it no longer agress with me. These days I am partial to the Belgian beers that are more yeast driven and to the German malt driven beers. Best, Sam

 

[ET]

Here are a few of my favorites

Guinness, either straight from the tap or one of the fancy cans- usually I can't stand canned beer but this is an exception.
Leinenkugels original or (gasp) light when it starts to warm up-their varietals don't excite me even though I live only a couple miles from the brewery. They have a good double bock that is now rarely brewed now that they are owned by Miller.
India Pale Ales
Porters as it starts to cool off.
When it is icy out time to switch to Jameson and Powers-

Ed

 

[rumblefish]

I had Avery Brewing's Mephistopheles' Stout over the weekend. Ooh fa! Don't plan to drink anything after it. The heavy malt, high alcohol (16%), and intense hopping knocks your taste buds right out. I don't think I'll drink another one of these alone. I don't mean by myself, I mean without food!

 

[BeBopBaby]

I've said it before and I'll say it again...

Erie Brewing Company's Rail Bender Ale

Had a few this weekend. I've been a fan of Rail Bender for years and I still can't get over how good this beer is.

 

[Nathan Flowers]

Having enjoyed a great many hop monsters, I find that I am moving toward the more balanced beers. I used to love all that bitterness but it no longer agress with me. These days I am partial to the Belgian beers that are more yeast driven and to the German malt driven beers. Best, Sam

I'm also not a fan of the intensely hopped beers that are all the rage these days. If I have an IPA or American ale, I want some malt to balance out the hops. Trappist and abbey-style ales are my favorite beers.

 

[dnjan]

To my taste, a hoppy beer always tastes better if available on a pump (British beer engine) rather than from a normal tap under CO2. Less bite, and the hops bitterness doesn't cover the rest of the flavour.