Beer ...I Drank Some.

Runs with Scissors said:
I just can't drink lager or pilsner anymore, since I acquired a taste for IPA...and IPA on steroids (think Lagunitas Maximus or equivalent). Herz equates it to licking sweaters...I like me some sweaters. The woollier, the better!!:thumbsup:

I also like stout, porter, etc. Traditional Guinness, Sierra Nevada Porter, and the lightest beer I can stand anymore is a Bass Ale (the tan portion of a black & tan).

Budweiser's parent company's acquisition of Golden Road, while tragic, is not the end of the world. Thankfully, there are literally hundreds of microbrews out there and with the advent of BevMo and Total Wine & More, we can get them.
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I think you are confusing terms. There are as many lagers out there as there are ales. Lager just refers to bottom-fermentation and cold finishing, and you can have pale lagers (such as Pilseners) or dark lagers (such as Schwarzbier, Bock, Doppelbock, Märzen, etc).

IPA is just an extremely hoppy pale ale. Hops, of course, was primarily used in ales for its anti-bacterial properties - the more hops the longer the (not cold stored) ale would last. India Pale Ale was created when the East India Company requested a strongly-hopped pale ale for export to India. It needed to be strongly hopped to last on the voyage. Hopping creates a bitter aftertaste (high IBU) that some drinkers enjoy.

Lagers tended to not be as strongly hopped because there was not as much need for preservation because the beer was stored cold. Nowadays the boundaries are blurred... Pilsener as an example is a hoppy pale lager.
 
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Got it. I like IPA+. I'm not much satisfied with Bud, Miller, PBR, Schlitz, etc. I have acquired a taste for taste, which the lagers and pils don't have. Short story long, l like the hop flavor. The less hops, the less I like it That's just me, of course, and I can't and won't attempt to speak for anyone else.
 
Hey Scissors check it out...

For directional reference, here's an official IBU chart. If you like bitter beers (like IPA) it can help you locate other cool tastes to try that you might not otherwise consider - like American Barleywine or Russian Imperial Stout.

And if you want to knock your socks off...

The 100 most bitter beers in the world

My eyes water just thinking about it, LOL! I don't happen to like hops, but I like flavor :) I like maltier beer is all - smooth versus sharp - but still plenty of kick.
 
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Thanks BNut! Yes, I like bitter. I've had barleywine, didn't care for it. Too cloying. Commie Imperial, however, is good stuff. Bitters are good, tasteless swill is not. :)
 
All of this talk made me thirsty... Here's a tasty lager for you! Fine, malty double bock!

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Runs with Scissors said:
The German stuff is (or at least can be) almost as good as the Belgian Trappist ales. Chimay rocks. I must sample others.
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Hey, Scissors.

Diggin' the Belgians? Two years ago I visited the Saint Sixtus Abbey in Westvleteren, Belgium. THIS is the holy grail of Belgian ales, and they're VERY restrictive about who they sell it to and how much you can get. Don't ask; I no longer have any.

The cool thing? Here in OC, you might pay ten bucks or more per bottle of good Belgian ale. In Belgium, you can walk into any convenience store and pick up the same beer for a couple Euros. Same with chocolate. You walk into a 7-11 here and pay a buck for a crappy candy bar. There, you pay half as much for the world's best chocolate creations--quality you can't even get in the U.S.

Now you've got me thinking I need to to pick up some Belgian ale. One of my favorites is La Chouffe. Look for it.

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Runs with Scissors said:
The German stuff is (or at least can be) almost as good as the Belgian Trappist ales. Chimay rocks. I must sample others.
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I used to live in Germany on the French border close to Luxembourg. My favorite German beer they don't export. Exportation is a hassle, requires large volume production runs, and in some cases requires a degree of heat pasteurization. Then you always run the risk of getting old product on the shelf... because it took 6 months to get from brewery to California :( Last year I found some Spaten here in Southern Cal that was 14 months old :(

Many of the smaller breweries are gone. Even the larger breweries have had trouble - Lowenbrau and Spaten had to merge, and they in turn got gobbled up by InBev. Now the old Spaten brewery in Munich is closed, and they produce all their beer from a new high-tech beer factory. Some of the unforeseen "benefits" of the EU and open competition, I guess.

I haven't been to Belgium in years, but there is nothing like a local brew that isn't served more than a handful of miles from where it is made. I used to be able to pour a Weizen bier at my local bar and the head would remain for 15 minutes... Plus I was right in the middle of the German wine district. I could pick up a good bottle of wine for $2.99...
 
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Some day we'll have to go on a virtual tour of good European imports. I don't have a good source for a retailer around here that imports the rare stuff, though. Even Total Wine just carries the larger labels. Let me know if you have a good source...

Last year they were having trouble getting Spaten Oktoberfest into California - in the peak of the Oktoberfest season. This is the original Oktoberfest Marzen - supposedly unchanged from the first Oktoberfest. I sent the InBev distributor an email asking "what's up" and here was his response:

I share your frustration and angst with the Spaten Oktoberfest situation. Let me tell you what I know. The Spaten Oktoberfest 12 packs were discontinued by the supplier. The 6 pack is still available and in production. We have been out of stock since October 2 and have been told that it is because of the fire at the Harbor. It is our understanding that a number of containers are backed up. The containers are hauled from the Harbor to ABI Van Nuys and sent to wholesalers from there. We are receiving 72 cases sometime today. They will be sent to stores beginning Tuesday.

When I read stuff like this, how InBev can't even keep their big brands in stock at the height of the season, it makes me a little pessimistic about a little brewery being able to import into the US :(
 
Runs with Scissors said:
$100 for an empty container???? And $50 to ship it?
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I know right? There are only 6 Belgium Trappist breweries, and it just so happens that a few years ago, the Westvleteren 12 won several "best beer in the world" awards. Previously they only brewed enough beer to pay the bills, and so they limited sales per person, and there were almost no exports. Back in 2012 they needed a new roof (not kidding) so they released a "limited edition" box which they exported to the US. 6 beers in special bottles and 2 glasses retailed for $85 - and even Total Wine got a few in per store.

Well they got their new roof, and now they are back to their old production levels, which means you can't buy this beer in the US... legally. However there are "grey market" exporters who will ship it to you from Belgium... for a price. FWIW the regular bottle does not have a label - all the info is on the bottle cap - so these bottles they are selling on eBay are somewhat unique in that they have the painted name.

Reminds me of when I returned home from Germany - I shipped a case of beer home before I left. My dad only drank Old Style. Ack!
 
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BTW Mark, if you are interested in going in on half a 6-pack of the Westvletern 12, I'd be game. We could drink the first together and have two left over for "special occasions". Or maybe Rob would join us and we could get the price down to a "reasonable" $60 for two :) Anyone crazy enough about beer to go visit a Trappist Brewery in Belgium has to have a little loose change in his pocket :)
 
Runs with Scissors said:
Oh man...the one missing the label must be the super potion. If I ever end up in Europe again the monks are on my list.
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Yes. Note that both the Westmalle and Westvleteren use the same bottles. Reminds me of when I went on a tour of E&J Gallo HQ and they showed me their bottle plant. Doesn't make sense for every winery to own a bottle plant, so they make bottles for all the wineries on the west coast - including their competition.

BTW - Spencer Ale - in the middle - is made in the United States. It has only been brewed since December, 2013, after a rigorous period of development and certification. It is a blonde, so I'm not sure it is up your alley, but they are only brewing a single beer for the first five years, and a pale blonde is probably the easiest / safest. (They are located in Spencer, Mass)
 
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Three of my current favorites, lagunitas hop stoopid, elysian brewing space dust and you can't go wrong with almost anything from stone, bourbon barrel aged arrogant bastard for me is one of their best, if you like ipa and can find the space dust buy it you won't be disappointed. And with all of these it's probably a good idea to not be anywhere near a car since they're all over 8%

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@psm - I've had both the Arrogant Bastard and Hop Stoopid. Both are excellent. But I've never tried nor seen the Space Dust..any idea where it can be found?

Arrogant Bastard is the only Stone I like. The rest just don't do it for me.
 
Runs with Scissors said:
@psm - I've had both the Arrogant Bastard and Hop Stoopid. Both are excellent. But I've never tried nor seen the Space Dust..any idea where it can be found?

Arrogant Bastard is the only Stone I like. The rest just don't do it for me.
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I have a liquor store on my route that I can tell them what I want and he gets it, but I think you can look up elysian brewery and they list where it's available they're out of Seattle.
 
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