We all know that it is really unlikely that wine.woot! will ever offer beer due to the regulations, the cost-efficiency, etc., but that doesn't mean we ("we" meaning those who obviously enjoy somewhat esoteric genres of things, i.e.: wine and food) don't enjoy a good craft beer.

So, what do you drink? What are you discovering?

Had the first sour beer I enjoyed tonight. Well, I've only had it once before, so I guess it's not a fair judgement. Also had some craft lager, but unfortunately I really don't have a clue about what I'm tasting other than "it tastes good" or it doesn't. I was impressed with the intricacies of it all as the other stood around and talked shop. All went over my head. Would love to hear more!

Tonight I am enjoying a Drakes Denoginizer imperial IPA. It's very tasty stuff! A touch of citrus, good piney quality and a mouth feel that is big but not heavy.

What is everybody's beer style preference? I pretty much like them all but Belgian, IPA and stout are my go-to styles.

I drank a Sam Adams Cream Stout last night. Nice coffee notes, but I wish it were thicker.

@ajrod27: I HATE Belgian beers almost wholesale. There are a few that I've enjoyed at the awesome burger joint by me (The Back Abbey) -- they have a Belgian stout called Buffalo that's really good -- but otherwise, no Belgians for me. Stouts and porters, I enjoy, but used to more so. These days, I want pale ales, American strong ales, IPAs, and black IPAs (my current favorite).

For a good cheap American non major label beer try the full sail ltd series. I bought recipes # 4 & 5 last time and they are awesome at about a dollar bottle.

For a while, Fat Tire was my daily go to. However, the price on that has skyrocketed, so I am now drinking Leffe Brune.

Got the Red Hook sampler a couple of weeks ago, and like them all. Long Hammer IPA, the ESB, the Pilsner even.

Brown Belgian Abbey style are still my favorite. Although my GF has been buying Köstritzer Schwarzbier (German black lager).

wkdpanda wrote:
Brown Belgian Abbey style are still my favorite. Although my GF has been buying Köstritzer Schwarzbier (German black lager).

Was it the Unibroue Maudite that we had at the Cajun restaurant in Buffalo during the ice wine festival? I believe you were the one who introduced it to me; it's now an auto-buy if I see it at a local store. Delicious!

ajrod27 wrote:Was it the Unibroue Maudite that we had at the Cajun restaurant in Buffalo during the ice wine festival? I believe you were the one who introduced it to me; it's now an auto-buy if I see it at a local store. Delicious!

All the BevMo's by you carry a few Unibroue labels - usually Maudite is among them. If oyu like that stuff, you should try the TJ's seasonal winter ale. It's brewed for them annually by Unibroue and lasts a good long time. Aged beer anybody?

Also, if you've got a reason to drive to Palo Alto/Stanford area, check out Willows Market at the corner or Middlefield and Willow. They've got a crazy selection of brews.

klezman wrote:All the BevMo's by you carry a few Unibroue labels - usually Maudite is among them. If oyu like that stuff, you should try the TJ's seasonal winter ale. It's brewed for them annually by Unibroue and lasts a good long time. Aged beer anybody?

Also, if you've got a reason to drive to Palo Alto/Stanford area, check out Willows Market at the corner or Middlefield and Willow. They've got a crazy selection of brews.

That's odd, I haven't seen it at Bevmo; I'll have to look more carefully next time. Do you know when the TJ's winter ale usually releases?

I've never had an aged beer but I do have some 2010 double arrogant bastard and 2010 Grand Teton cellar reserve ales sitting in my cellar. I have no idea how beer develops with age. Any advice?

Pretty dull boy here, been drinking Guinness pretty much exclusively now for nearly 30 years. Used to get a keg, 14.7G, every weekend at the Northern and Southern Ren Faires, back in the day. During a business trip in 2000 to the continent, I made a pilgrimage to St. James Gate and spent pretty much the entire day there. While I expected it to taste different at the source, I was surprised at the differences.

Still happy with it, but willing to venture out a bit from this style, but not far, given suggestions.

rjquillin wrote:Pretty dull boy here, been drinking Guinness pretty much exclusively now for nearly 30 years. Used to get a keg, 14.7G, every weekend at the Northern and Southern Ren Faires, back in the day. During a business trip in 2000 to the continent, I made a pilgrimage to St. James Gate and spent pretty much the entire day there. While I expected it to taste different at the source, I was surprised at the differences.

Still happy with it, but willing to venture out a bit from this style, but not far, given suggestions.

Yes. Big G fan. And Scotch Ales. Pretty much any black beer. Though, I do love all of the New Glarus line. They won't ship outside Wisconsin though, so its an infrequent treat.

I also like quite a few boulevard brews, especaly the sixth glass.

Anyone checked out all the beers being offered at Invino yet? Pretty interesting assortment.

Purple Haze FTW!

Sorry, I just do not like the heavier style beers, nor do I like much hoppiness, so IPAs and stouts are nowhere near my wheelhouse.

JOATMON wrote:Purple Haze FTW!

Sorry, I just do not like the heavier style beers, nor do I like much hoppiness, so IPAs and stouts are nowhere near my wheelhouse.

Do not like IPAs either.

In regards to fruit in beer. First time we went out in grad school with the Slovak, we get a pitcher of boulevard wheat, comes out with lemon slices in it. He's just staring at it. I ask him, "you OK peter?" He just looks at me and says, "What is hike wrong with you Americans to put such fruit in beer?" I almost died laughing. He was just beside himself. Drank a lot of the beer, but couldn't wait to email home to tell his friends about the fruity beer.

Course, he also couldn't wait to take some Budweiser home so him and his dad could make fun of the road trip beer we drink.

They take their drinking VERY seriously in Slovakia.
By far the the drunkest I've ever been was on Slivovitza that the other Slovak's dad made in a bathtub that was smuggled here in two liter clear Pepsi bottles (which apparently still existed in 2002 in Slovakia.)

bhodilee wrote:Do not like IPAs either.

They take their drinking VERY seriously in Slovakia.
By far the the drunkest I've ever been was on Slivovitza that the other Slovak's dad made in a bathtub that was smuggled here in two liter clear Pepsi bottles (which apparently still existed in 2002 in Slovakia.)

Ditto on the IPA's.
What, no posts for posterity from Slivovitza, wonder how the woot filters would have dealt with them?

Russian River Brewing - Pliny the Elder

if you dig an IPA and see this on the menu (tiny distribution), try it

girl and the fig in sonoma has it and despite their wine list, I always get the Pliny

Been drinking a lot from Dogfish Head these days. I have liked everything. The 120 minute IPA is fantastic, malt sweetness vs. hoppy. Noble Rot was my favorite, but only found one.

Another favorite is Allagash, which is Belgian style from Maine. Allagash Black. And Victor, which is brewed with grapes.

polarbear22 wrote:Been drinking a lot from Dogfish Head these days. I have liked everything. The 120 minute IPA is fantastic, malt sweetness vs. hoppy. Noble Rot was my favorite, but only found one.

Another favorite is Allagash, which is Belgian style from Maine. Allagash Black. And Victor, which is brewed with grapes.

Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale will be coming out really soon and I'll be buying some, along with a whole lot of other pumpkin ales and Oktoberfests.

ajrod27 wrote:That's odd, I haven't seen it at Bevmo; I'll have to look more carefully next time. Do you know when the TJ's winter ale usually releases?

I've never had an aged beer but I do have some 2010 double arrogant bastard and 2010 Grand Teton cellar reserve ales sitting in my cellar. I have no idea how beer develops with age. Any advice?

The TJ's gets released in the Oct-Nov time frame. I'm honestly not sure how to gauge the ageworthiness of a beer. Since the processes are roughly the same as with wine, I'd wager the effects are similar. Since you're dealing with largely different flavour compounds, though, I'm not sure how oxidation works its way into the final flavour profile.

kylemittskus wrote:Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale will be coming out really soon and I'll be buying some, along with a whole lot of other pumpkin ales and Oktoberfests.

Pumpkin ales aren't in my wheelhouse, but Oktoberfest brews are. I had the good fortune to be in Munich late August one year. The Oktoberfest beers were out but the crowds weren't. It's too bad we get so few good German options here.

Need more East Coasters in this thread. So many beers are regional. At least Dogfish Head gets out to CA. Then again, there are some DH beers with limited distribution here, so I doubt they make it to CA.

rjquillin wrote:Ditto on the IPA's.
What, no posts for posterity from Slivovitza, wonder how the woot filters would have dealt with them?

That was pre woot. 2002 I think. It was an interesting night.

Tonight I'm drinking a Sam Adam's Cherry Wheat and I'm loving it. I think it's their best.

polarbear22 wrote:Need more East Coasters in this thread. So many beers are regional. At least Dogfish Head gets out to CA. Then again, there are some DH beers with limited distribution here, so I doubt they make it to CA.

If it helps, peter king always prattles on about Allagash White, so I was at least tangenitally aware of what you speak

bhodilee wrote:If it helps, peter king always prattles on about Allagash White, so I was at least tangenitally aware of what you speak

And since I hate Belgian beers, I can't stand Allagash.

bedonwineboxes wrote:Russian River Brewing - Pliny the Elder

if you dig an IPA and see this on the menu (tiny distribution), try it

girl and the fig in sonoma has it and despite their wine list, I always get the Pliny

Drat! I've been wanting to try that, and neglected to look for it when I was at the G&F 2 weeks ago. At least I really enjoyed the Viognier flight I had with our cheese plate and my Croque Monsieur, both of which were also excellent.

bsevern wrote:Anyone checked out all the beers being offered at Invino yet? Pretty interesting assortment.

I've been told by a reasonably reliable authority that what they're doing can't be legal. That came out in a conversation about how ironic it was to find a beer of the month club ad at the top of the wine.woot page, after all the clamoring over the years for a beer.woot.

I basically love anything that Russian River puts out there (been to their brewery several times). However, their sours truly stand out and sets them apart. Obviously Pliny the Elder is excellent, but then again there are several other IPAs that are on par with this beer. Another great brewery in the same general area is Bear Republic. They are located right in the town of Healdsburg, so if you ever want a break from wine tasting, I highly recommend you give them a visit.

I'm lucky enough to live in San Diego and there are some excellent local breweries here (Stone, Ballast Point, Green Flash, etc.).

Dogfish Head is definitely my favorite East Coast brewery. I'm always on the lookout for new beers/collaborations by them.

sdwindansea wrote:I basically love anything that Russian River puts out there (been to their brewery several times). However, their sours truly stand out and sets them apart. Obviously Pliny the Elder is excellent, but then again there are several other IPAs that are on par with this beer. Another great brewery in the same general area is Bear Republic. They are located right in the town of Healdsburg, so if you ever want a break from wine tasting, I highly recommend you give them a visit.

I'm lucky enough to live in San Diego and there are some excellent local breweries here (Stone, Ballast Point, Green Flash, etc.).

Dogfish Head is definitely my favorite East Coast brewery. I'm always on the lookout for new beers/collaborations by them.

Bear Republic is very nice. I was able to try their Racer 5 at Oenotri (killer green garlic pizza). You guys on the west coast have some serious brews. some others with better distribution that are in rotation are dales pale ale, hopsecutioner, hopslam, jai-alai, bell's two hearted.... we have a bit of a problem with ipas

I drink a lot more wine these days than beer, but not that many years ago I was much more of wine on special occasions and beer for any occasion kind of guy.

I can appreciate the over the top IPA's that our out there right now, and enjoyed a Firestone Walker Double Jack over the weekend, but have to admit it is not my favorite style. Although not as new or trendy as some craft beers, I very much enjoy an Anchor Steam. It tastes particularly good on tap and goes well with a huge variety of foods. I've also enjoyed their Breckle's Brown, which is a new addition to the line up post Maytag ownership.

Some of my favorite breweries are local with Anderson Valley, North Coast and Anchor being the first three I'd name off the top of my head.

cheers!

SmilingBoognish wrote:I drink a lot more wine these days than beer, but not that many years ago I was much more of wine on special occasions and beer for any occasion kind of guy.

I can appreciate the over the top IPA's that our out there right now, and enjoyed a Firestone Walker Double Jack over the weekend, but have to admit it is not my favorite style. Although not as new or trendy as some craft beers, I very much enjoy an Anchor Steam. It tastes particularly good on tap and goes well with a huge variety of foods. I've also enjoyed their Breckle's Brown, which is a new addition to the line up post Maytag ownership.

Some of my favorite breweries are local with Anderson Valley, North Coast and Anchor being the first three I'd name off the top of my head.

cheers!

Anchor Steam on tap is FANTASTIC.

I bought a case of Guinness the other day and had a bottle last night. There is something absolutely perfect about a nicely poured Guinness. Damn fine beer. Simple, creamy, delicious.

kylemittskus wrote:I bought a case of Guinness the other day and had a bottle last night. There is something absolutely perfect about a nicely poured Guinness. Damn fine beer. Simple, creamy, delicious.

One of the irishmen in my office almost slapped me when I said I drank it cold.

I've spent a lot of time in the Czech Republic, and Germany, and have found that the best beer I've had, hands down, were from the Czech Republic.

bsevern wrote:I've spent a lot of time in the Czech Republic, and Germany, and have found that the best beer I've had, hands down, was from the Czech Republic.

Yeah, good beers for truth. The Slovak always brought us beers from Czech Republic whenever he'd go home over a break. Good stuff Maynard.

cortot20 wrote:One of the irishmen in my office almost slapped me when I said I drank it cold.

been to quite a few bars between Dublin and Shannon and don't recall ever receiving a warm pour. What I did find odd was that they usually order the Bulmers on ice. very refreshing but you gotta knock it back before it gets watered down

bkarney! Dude! Blast from the past! HTH are you?

Dogfish Head. I love most of their beers, and am friends with a brewer there. Also a huge fan of Vermont beers such as Long Trail and Wolavers. Allagash and Southern Tier are also awesome. My favorite german beers are by Hofbrau and Schneider.

bkarney wrote:been to quite a few bars between Dublin and Shannon and don't recall ever receiving a warm pour. What I did find odd was that they usually order the Bulmers on ice. very refreshing but you gotta knock it back before it gets watered down

In fairness he had been in the states for awhile and tastes may have changed over time as refrigeration equipment has become so plentiful.

PBR

UBlink wrote:PBR

Introduced at the World's Fair and still a classic.