241 replies to this topic

[SteveT]

It's beer time, suckas!  I don't know if we've had a beer thread yet, but for our international viewers, American beer no longer sucks.  At least, it no longer has to suck.  For a while, the beer industry in this country had converged into an oligopoly, and everyone was sad.  More recently, there were some new laws or something that made smaller breweries more viable.  I don't know the details, but now we are happy again.  Point is, craft brews have been taking off and there's all sorts of great beers available.

 

In my mouth right now: Gnomegang, a blonde ale by Ommegang.  Ommegang is in upstate NY and focuses on Belgian style beers.  Because who better to emulate?  The bottle is telling me that it was a joint effort betweenthem and Brasserie d'Achouffe, an actual Belgien brewery.  Malty, fruity, delicious.  I bought the Ommegang variety pack because I've had nothing but good experiences with their beers, and this pack had two I'd yet to try.  Gnomegang was one of those two.

 

So it's Saturday night.  What's in your bottle?

[SteveT]

Addendum: Just because Americans have good beer available doesn't mean they have good taste in beer yet.  Now that we recognize the American lager for what it is, a depressing number of craft beer enthusiasts have switched allegiance to IPAs.  And I hate them for it.

[frogmonkeys]

fierce melon gatorade. then once that's all gone it'll be refilled with water. that's basically all I drink. water, gatorade, then more water. some sweet tea thrown in every few days too. though bill's down in cannon beach makes a beer called blackberry beauty that is the only beer I've ever actually enjoyed. seems brewhouses or whatever they are called are the popular thing now a days though. there's 4-5 locally that I can think of in tiny Clatsop county...

[deep]

New Belgium's Trippel.

 

I'm a big fan of trippels. Lots of flavor, solid ABV with tasting like an IPA.

[Hana-Nezumi]

Caffeine-free Diet Coke. Alcohol just makes me sleepy.

[Nevermind]

Oh man, oh boy, oh man.

 

I'm very much a lager man. There are a few ales I enjoy but mostly I'll go for the lagers, most of them European.

 

Peroni

Budejovicky

Weihenstephaner

Zipfer

Hoegaarden

Asahi

Sapporo

Tsingtao

 

Those are the ones off the top of my head. There are also your more popular ones like Carlsberg, Becks, Stella Artois. When I go to the beermart, I always hit up the international section. I've tried so many and enjoyed so many.

 

 

Last night it was just half a bottle of Canadian Club mixed with ginger beer and a random selection from the bars.

Edited by Nevermind, 03 August 2013 - 11:13 PM.

[Twinrova]

I can hardly stand most beers and stuff I try nowadays, so I go for margaritas or some kinda other mixed fruity thingy. Right now I have big girl lemonade blenderized with some frozen fruit and ice. <3

 

I do quite like cider too though. My favorite is Angry Orchard. :B

[Jasi]

Ah well I'm on vacation right now! So I'm drinking a lot. I generally drink a lot of wine and beer and gin.

 

Today I drank a riesling from a local winery here in Oregon somewhere (sorry Oregonians, don't remember which one). I also had a cocktail at a restaurant that was a blueberry-pomegranate-ginger cosmo. I don't care how stereotyped it is, the cosmo is a damn good cocktail, and so was the blueberry-pomegranate-ginger version that I drank.

 

Will keep posting daily with my new beverage of the evening. I have one of something most nights. (Don't worry, I get drunk pretty infrequently, I just like to have one drink very regularly.)

Edited by Jasi, 04 August 2013 - 12:17 AM.

[Toan]

I like fruity shit. Thus, fancy mixed drinks/cocktails with things like coconut rum and pineapple juice are totally my thing.

In the beer realm, I like lagers, ales, and ciders. There's a local beer called Red Oak I really love are here, but I did get to try the Lonerider Sweet Josie Brown Ale on Friday and I really enjoyed it, too - I still have quite a bit of local beer exploring to do. On the cider side of things, I love Crispin (especially the Honey Crisp Artisanal Reserve) and JK's Scrumpy Hard Cider (Northern Neighbor variant here for me). Framboise Lambic and other lambics are delicious too, mmm.

I also like to cruise the aisles of Total Wine for stuff I haven't seen before that looks unique and tasty and give it a shot - last time we did this, Dizzy and I ended up with How Now Brown Cow, a chocolate espresso wine. It was tasty, but weird. XD

[J-Roc]

I like all sorts of drinks.

 

Been really into craft brewed beer as of late, so I could sit here and bore you with local brews you wouldn't recognize.

 

Just arbitrarily my favourite beer has always been Beck's. Very decent.

[Sir Deimos]

I have only recently been getting into beer. Scotch and bourbon are more my thing. But, for not being huge into beer I have managed to taste what many feel is the greatest beer in the world. Westvleteren 12. This beer is usually only able to be purchased directly from the monastery that brews it, but they have made a small batch available in order to raise the funds to fix a hole in the roof. And... it was fucking amazing.

[frogmonkeys]

jasi where in Oregon are you? the only place winery I've had something I've like was nehalem bay. their mead is so sweet and yummy. almost didn't wanna leave the bottle I got for J with quis the other day lol. but... breastfeeding and alcohol don't mix.

[SteveT]

I have only recently been getting into beer. Scotch and bourbon are more my thing.

 

You should try Innis&Gunn Rum Cask sometime.  It's beer aged in a cask, so it's pretty much Scotch except they skipped the distillation step.

 

On the cider side of things, I love Crispin (especially the Honey Crisp Artisanal Reserve) and JK's Scrumpy Hard Cider (Northern Neighbor variant here for me).

 

Being on the other side of the country, Woodchuck has my allegiance.  Cider really seems to be catching on.  I'm seeing a new brand every year.

[Veteran]

Oh man, oh boy, oh man.
 
I'm very much an Australian.

FTFY.

I'm a cider man. Beer is not my cup of tea.

Currently on Cidre.

[Twinrova]

Being on the other side of the country, Woodchuck has my allegiance.  Cider really seems to be catching on.  I'm seeing a new brand every year.

 

Oh I forgot about Woodchuck!! The Fall one is my favorite. <3

[SteveT]

Yes!  It's like a fermented slice of apple pie.

[Egann]

Well, now that it's Sunday morning, I can tell you what I DRANK. Clearly it wasn't too powerful.

 

A whisky. I can't tell what it is because a friend of mine gave it to me in a hip flask, but it tasted like a Dickel. Too smooth to be a really cheap brand. My guess is Dickel No 12. In any case, I had it mixed with a sour lemonade and a skoosh of my dad's vin ordinare merlot. Because I'm about as far away from being a purist as one can conceivably get.

 

EDIT: AND YES. WOODCHUCK IS AWESOME.

 

Ordinarily I'm a gin and tonic guy, but I've been spoiled with good gin and I know it.

Edited by Egann, 04 August 2013 - 09:49 AM.

[Quistis]

Ah well I'm on vacation right now! So I'm drinking a lot. I generally drink a lot of wine and beer and gin.

 

Today I drank a riesling from a local winery here in Oregon somewhere (sorry Oregonians, don't remember which one). I also had a cocktail at a restaurant that was a blueberry-pomegranate-ginger cosmo. I don't care how stereotyped it is, the cosmo is a damn good cocktail, and so was the blueberry-pomegranate-ginger version that I drank.

 

Will keep posting daily with my new beverage of the evening. I have one of something most nights. (Don't worry, I get drunk pretty infrequently, I just like to have one drink very regularly.)

 

 

Wait, you're in Oregon?  Where?

 

 

 

 

To answer the topic question:  Water with blueberry lemonade Mio.

[DarkJuno]

You know, I have nothing against alcohol and I will drink now and then with friends, but I personally can never taste anything but the alcohol itself no matter how much fruit or salt or whatever other indgredients you stick in it. On the other hand, I can hold liquor better then everyone else I know, so it's a shame there's nothing I really like. I pretty much jsut take...whatever, so if anyone has any suggestions I'm game.

[SteveT]

Wines and ciders are probably the best introductory stuff, if you're interested in developing a taste for alcohol.  Start with sweet reds--the kinds that wine aficionados derided as grape juice.  Lighters beers like Wittes might be agreeable, too.

 

The paradox of hard liquor, especially whiskeys, is that the cheap stuff tastes harsh and awful, so it's bad to start with.  But why spend money on the expensive stuff if you don't have a taste for it yet?

Edited by SteveT, 04 August 2013 - 11:10 AM.

[Egann]

The paradox of hard liquor, especially whiskeys, is that the cheap stuff tastes harsh and awful, so it's bad to start with.  But why spend money on the expensive stuff if you don't have a taste for it yet?

Because, when combined with ketchup, molasses, horseradish, liquid smoke, and seeded chipotle chilies in the proper combination, it makes the best barbecue sauce of all time.

[Selena]

I can't have beer or grain-based spirits, so my selections are a little bit limited. Whiskey used to be my favoritist of favorites, but can't have it anymore. Maybe if it's triple distilled, but I haven't been brave enough to try because every attempt has ended badly. So I mostly drink cider and wine. Stuff like tequila, rum, and certain vodkas (Absolut is the only "big" one to not upset my intestines) make up my hard liquor selection.

 

CIDER

* Woodchuck is okay as far as daily drinking goes.

* Crispin has some really nice varieties.

* Samuel Smith's is good with food, because it's dry and light and doesn't have overpowering sweetness.

* Original Sin is another one I really like.

 

WINE

I'm not particular about which winery it comes from. But since Washington and Oregon have a lot of wineries, a lot of stuff in our stores does come from local sources. Especially the fruity wines. I refuse to spend more than $15 on a bottle of wine unless it's a big occasion, so. I mostly like dessert wines and rosé wines. Strong reds are offputting. Too much tannic, blech. I only use those for cooking.

 

* To transition from cider, the wineries around here make really good apple wine.

* Cranberry wine is also really good.

* Moscato is a good after dinner wine, but tends to be more expensive than most other dessert wines.

* Riesling is my go-to wine variety at restaurants. Light, sweet but not overly so, and mostly inexpensive.

* Zinfandel is a backup for when Riesling isn't available, but that's about it.

* Pinot Noir is awful for drinking, but really good for cooking.

* But most importantly....

 

MEAD

MOTherfuckin mead is technically a wine, but it deserves its own category because MEAD. The downside to mead is that people charge more for it than other wines because it's not as common. So I don't buy it very often. Mead is honey wine. It tastes like honey. Alcohol that tastes like honey. Do you understand? Yes, good. This stuff is dangerous because you've suddenly downed the entire bottle without realizing it. Warmed, spiced mead is heavenly during the fall and winter months.

 

I don't have any recommended brands, because the best ones are always local anyway, but I can WARN you of one not to try:

 

* Chaucer's. Fuck this. Don't let "Ye Olde English" name fool you. It is awful and tastes like rubbing alcohol. UGH. DO NOT.

[SteveT]

Because, when combined with ketchup, molasses, horseradish, liquid smoke, and seeded chipotle chilies in the proper combination, it makes the best barbecue sauce of all time.

 

Why can't you Southerners enjoy one flavor at a time?

[Sir Deimos]

There's nothing wrong with complexity to flavors. #scotchguy

[SteveT]

Complexity is nice, sure.  But there has to be a line.  I'm just...not a barbecue kind of guy.  I wouldn't last long in the south.

[deep]

Dr. Pepper must be a harrowing experience for you.

[SteveT]

This has gotten out of hand.

[Toan]

I bought a bottle of Traquair Jacobite Ale last weekend to try, and I'm just now cracking it open to give it a shot. It tastes a bit maltier/peatier than I expected, but fairly smooth and extremely rich. Not likely something I'll try again for casual consumption, though.

Also, since I'm a pansy lightweight and this bottle says 8% on it, I'll likely feel it by then end of the bottle..!

EDIT: oh god all I can taste is the cilantro

EDIT 2 ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: Nope, nope, couldn't even finish it. Cilantro is overpowering everything else. Gonna wash this away with some Corona...

[Jasi]

To those who asked, I'm on the coast mostly in Cannon Beach visiting my mom. It was the Nehalem Bay winery. I didn't try any mead though, I can't stand sweet beverages (including most Woodchuck, ew, you guys are gross. I like Original Sin though Lena, and some Crispin). Except like, hot chocolate. Obviously.

Edited by Jasi, 04 August 2013 - 09:36 PM.

[SteveT]

It is now time for milk.  Because milk is awesome.