Well I found a place nearby hat sells Bells. They had a bunch of different 6 packs for sale, but no Hopslam. I asked if they ever get this in and they said they got allocated 2 cases from the recent shipment. 6 packs sold for $20 each and they were gone in 1/2 a day.
To me that means it is "beerus unavailiem" in my neck of the woods. So I went to my favorite beer bar and tried some Bells 2 Hearted Ale on tap. Decent enough, but not a fave.
Switched to Allagash Hugh Malone and was much happier. Then had a Bellhaven Black for dessert. |
Yeah, Hopslam is in a different league than 2 Hearted. But it is certainly getting harder to find.
For other beers in that neighborhood, look for Sixpoint Hi-Res or Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree. |
I was drinking SweetWater Georgia Brown Ale this winter. Not a big far of dark brown ales - some are too malty for me, but this struck a nice balance with the caramel and chocolate malts plus the hops.
I like Bells Two Hearted Ale. Now that spring is here (almost feels like summer here in Charlotte today), I'll try the Oberon. |
Andre the Giant was reputably the champion beer drinker of all time (look it up) and preferred Molsen Canadian. |
I didn't know Molsen Canadian came in kegs. |
My brother-in-law is dating a Canadian and she refuses to drink Molson's American version. The Canadian version did seem to be more robust....but I don't know and make no claims.......
I've always heard that American brewers started using rice to appeal to feminine tastes during prohibition, and the big American names do taste watered down by comparison. |
Belgium's top selling beer, Palm Ale. |
If it's Canadian beer it likely comes in kegs Nonoise. lol |
I've really gotten into the sours that are being made from Wicked Weed brewery in Asheville, NC.
Favorites include:
Amorous
Briars & Brett |
Best beer isn't from the bottle at all. Still searchin' but so far tasted L’ Amère à Boire local micro-brewery in Montreal, Rue St-Denis.
Got tipsy after a 16oz glass without feeling an alcohole content consuming with extreame pleasure and watching bicycle stunts at the same time. |
The best part of searching for the best beer is the journey itself.
For those of you who are into trying different beers, check out a phone app called "Untapped". You can track your beers, comment and rate them, and see what others have to say.
Enjoy,
Bob |
We now have 15 microbreweries in Eugene and I am quite happy with the selection of fresh brews. Ninkasi leads the bunch but they are the largest, so far... |
I'm already on it. Search "Lloyd Christmas". :) |
Brazilian Brahma Malziber and Chopps
Pliny the Elder
Damnation, another Russian River effort |
Founders Harvest Ale is excellent. Alas, I have become a Founders fanboy. |
We are making a trip up to Founders tomorrow. Any other recommendations currently on tap? |
You lucky dog!
If they currently have it:
Backwoods Bastard
Kentucky (or Canadian) Breakfast Stout
Porter
All three outstanding, expecially the stout. |
The Breakfast Stout is definitely coffee like, if it is the same that I had before. I like the Porter but never had Backwoods Bastard so I will give that a try. Thanks for the recommendations. |
I often find myself agreeing with Loomis J's music and audio posts, now I have to second his beer observations (except that I've enjoyed many a Pliny over the past couple of years). Do music, sound, and beer tastes correlate? Is Loomis a Burgundy and Borolo fan, too? Are entangled quantum systems at work here? Mysteries abound, I suppose.
I especially agree that Sam Adams is underrated, possibly because it's a big company these days. Their chocolate stout, in particular, is a great example of delivering excellence on a style that's often abused by smaller, more fashionable producers. I think Sam Adams generally does a great job of balancing hops bitterness and malt sweetness, something that seems to elude most of the more revered craft brewers IMO.
For those claiming home brews rule, I'd point out that one big difference is consistency. Like a restaurant vs a home cook, the restaurant needs to make its signature dishes taste the same each time. Even if it tastes good, variation from one meal to the next is a problem. It's very tough for most home brewers to achieve that consistency because precise temperature control is key, and the systems required to achieve that are too expensive for most home brewers.
Final note: If you find yourself in San Diego, check out White Labs. They are a commercial yeast supplier and they have a tasting room that features up to five examples of beers that are brewed identically, except for the yeast strain. AFAIK, it's the only place in the US (world?) where you can do such a controlled tasting. Kinda like finding an audio retailer with five identical turntables - except each is equipped with a different cartridge - feeding the same system. The rarest of A/B/C/D comparisons. |
Anyone remember Andeker? Brewed by PBR from 1972 through the mid 80's. My favorite beer during the mid 70's. PBR's Michelob.. same price, but I though it was much better. Wish they'd bring it back. |
thanks, marty. since we're logrolling here, i agree with you wholeheartedly on the hop/malt balance thing--the trap i think many of these young gun microbrewers fall into is overamping the hops and/or alcohol to give their potions more "character"--the net effect is that they alienate a lot of potential acolytes, whose taste buds just aren't that acclimated to extremes--sorta like a green day fan being exposed to death metal. to which end, i just quaffed at gordon bierch--while i generally eschew all things franchised or cloned, i gotta say their beer is very good--it's accessible without being cloying. damn good brisket, too. |
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Guiness stout and Heineken satisfy me still ;-) |
Estrella Galicia "Red Vintage" ("La Colorada"). |
I'm a Sam Adams fan and also agree they are somewhat underrated. That being said, as of late I've been enjoying Leffe Brune. It's a bit sweeter than what I normally like but is just delicious. |
One of my favorite stouts is Keegan's Mother's Milk. Smooth,rich, & creamy. |
For me, with rare exception, the only beers that matters are India Pale Ales.
One beyond excellent examples are Russian River's Pliny The Elder. I would also include Elysians's Space Dust and Deschutes Fresh Squeezed on my personal short list.
As an aside, I recently learned that Elysian's master brewer is going out on his own. This is great news indeed, now that Elysian has been gobbled up by Anheuser-Busch. Elysian still maintains, however, that "corporate beer still sucks." Right. |
I like a lot of different beers, some local some imported.
Deep Ellum, Dallas Blonde (USA)
Bitburger (Germany)
Grolsch Premium Lager (Holland)
Sam Adams Rebel IPA (USA)
Negra Modelo (Mexico)
Paulaner Hefe-Weizen (Germany)
Peroni Nastro Azzurro (Italy) |
Albert,
Not a porter on your list? |
Albert,
Not a porter on your list? One of the reviewers at Dagogo always sings the Johnny Cash song "Hey Porter" every time he sees me. I love it and references to good beer are welcome as well :-). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkWGYydqjxM Old stuff ;-) |
