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Expanding Beer Palate
EclecticGroove
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So as I'm sitting here finishing off my last bottle I figure I'd ask here and see if I can find some good recommendations on other beers to try. Most of the people I know like the crap beer like Bud... they might get a little "wild" and go for a Coronoa at some point.
I find those beers terrible and can't stand them.
Currently my two favorite beers are Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout and Sam Adams Oktoberfest. Problems with those is that the Stout is very hard for me to find, and the Sam Adams is a seasonal (it's also much better on tap than in bottle every time I've tried it).
Some things of note:
1) I can't stand Hoppy beers. I've tried a number but something about the taste just totally throws me off.
2) I always seem to enjoy the dark beers (IE: Stouts) far more than others, even if I don't think the particular one I'm tasting is great.
3) Places to buy online would be awesome. I could stock up on a couple cases/sampler packs of some recommended beers and go to town.
I find those beers terrible and can't stand them.
Currently my two favorite beers are Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout and Sam Adams Oktoberfest. Problems with those is that the Stout is very hard for me to find, and the Sam Adams is a seasonal (it's also much better on tap than in bottle every time I've tried it).
Some things of note:
1) I can't stand Hoppy beers. I've tried a number but something about the taste just totally throws me off.
2) I always seem to enjoy the dark beers (IE: Stouts) far more than others, even if I don't think the particular one I'm tasting is great.
3) Places to buy online would be awesome. I could stock up on a couple cases/sampler packs of some recommended beers and go to town.
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Oh, I know this. I have business in Cali off and on and I've tried a few. They just don't do anything for me. Friends out there seem to love it tho.
Try looking out for Nut Browns. They are usually pretty solid if you want a darker beer. I know Goose Island makes one, and so does Samuel Smith. Also, I know its an Anheuser-Busch beer, but give the Winters Bourbon Cask Ale a try while its out as a seasonal.
Then I went to a restaurant and decided to drop some big bucks on this stuff:
then, after the first sip, it just come together and make sense.
To problem with beer is that most people drink a shitty alcohol solution. To truly enjoy beer, you need beer that actually haves a flavor.
there are tos of different stouts. check out boddington pub ale its good stuff. oatmmeal stout and chocolate stouts are also good
Oatmeal stouts:
New Holland Brewing Co. - The Poet
Southern Tier Brewing Co. - Oat
Terrapin Beer Co. Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout -It's exactly what the name sounds like. An oatmeal stout brewed with coffee for a lot of coffee flavoring.
Milk stouts - these are a bit sweeter than a standard stout:
Terrapin Beer Co. Depth Charge - This is a milk stout which was brewed with coffee.
Duck Rabbit Milk Stout
Imperial/Russian Imperial stouts:
Stone Imperial Russian Stout
Lagunitas Imperial Stout
Clipper City Brewing Co. Heavy Seas Peg Leg Imperial Stout
Other stouts and porters:
Stone Smoked Porter
New Holland Brewing Co Dragon's Milk - Oak barrel stout
Bluegrass Brewing Company Jefferson's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout - A stout with a hint of bourbon. Good stuff.
Double Bocks - these are dark, but generally sweeter than stouts and porters:
Troegs Troegenator - It's been awhile since I had it, but I remember liking it.
Paulaner Salvator
Spaten Optimator
I would also recommend anything else from Lagunitas, Stone, Terrapin, New Holland, and Left Hand. Be warned that a LOT of the beers from Stone are IPAs and some of the most bitter IPAs I've ever drank at that. Terrapin covers a lot of ground, some are very hoppy, some are not. They almost all have a big, strong flavor, though.
Beer is the greatest thing ever.
Location would help. You mention California. So I'll assume you're a west coaster American.
Some breweries to look for:
Deschutes
Sierra Nevada (fyi, the christmas beer is an IPA)
Lagunitas
Alaskan Brewing
Ballast Point Brewing Company
AleSmith
Midnight Sun Brewing
Russian River Brewing
Lost Coast Brewery
Anchor
I find the term 'hoppy' to be a bit misleading. A beer can be incredibly hoppy and have no bitterness or vice versa. There are many different smells and flavours to hops. They are broken down in to two groups, bittering and aroma. Some are piney smelling, grapefruity, cedary, lemony, floral, Columbus hops smell a bit like marijuana.
The best way to is just to go to a beer store and start buying a style(s) you like then branching out from that. Styles I recommend to start with based on the two you mentioned are:
Porters
Stouts
Brown Ales
Oktoberfest (out of season, you may find a few stragglers)
Baltic Porters*
Russian Imperial Stouts*
Dunkels
Winter Ales/Winter Warmers
Belgians**
Bock
Double Bock*
Rauchbier and other smoked beers.
Wheat Beers***
* High alcohol, may find them 'hot'
** Huge variance in styles we can go in that more if you want.
*** Wheat beers are incredibly easy to get in to. They come in many names; Weisse, Hefe-Weizen, Wit, White, and the near extinct Gose.
Its Winter now, so check out those winter seasonals. I just picked up several bottles of different breweries here in BC's winter seasonals. Most winter ales tend to be more malty, roasty, toasty, and some are spiced.
I've tried a few Hefe-Weizen beers before that are pretty good.
By "Hoppy" I specifically mean anything in the style that many of the IPA's mentioned have to their flavor.
I've never really had a Belgian. Every place I've been to with a tap has essentially either had a "fine" selection of Bud/Miller/etc, or are strictly micro brews/house beers. Many of those house/micro's can be excellent, but fairly limited in terms of obtaining for consumption in my own home.
Places that sell beer that I've been to do not have anyone on hand that has any real knowledge of what they sell, and do not provide any sampler... so I'd be flying blind with what to branch out from. I also do not know of any beer store near me that is decent at the moment. They tend to only get things from major breweries, so might have a few of the more unique brews from them at best.
Oh my goodness, you mentioned La Fin Du Monde (The End of the World)... that stuff is awesome. Only had it once but it came in a 1L clasp-and-cork bottle. Awesome stuff. Its from Quebec, so I don't know if you'll be able to get it.
Not hoppy beers... I don't really know what you mean. If not India Pale Ales (too bad, I love them) then I'll second whoever mentioned Wheat beers. Try any unfiltered Wheat Ale... cloudy, sweet, totally different. Love in my belly.
PSN - sumowot
Another BC boy
PSN - sumowot
La Fin Du Monde is truly a thing of beauty. If you can find it - which shouldn't be a problem, they distribute far and wide - definitely grab one.
BevMo is west coast exclusive. I never heard of them before I moved out here.
Their best brews tend to be IPAs, but you should definitely try the Midas Touch, the Punkin Ale (if you can still find it) and the Chicory Stout (which just came into season).
And one of my personal favorites
Every week we grab either a case of something totally new and a 6 pack of a tried and true, or a case of a tried and true and 2 new drinks
basically anything we have never tried, though occaisionally its something one of us has tried but is really good
I will need to find some of this stuff
Suggestions I have:
Tetley's Pub Ale from the nitrocan is a fairly good simple ale--maybe simpler than your tastes, but I thought I'd recommend it anyway, because it's one of the better lighter ales I can think of. Its real smooth out of the can and tastes just fine at room temperature. I tend to pour it into a glass, although I imagine there's no law stating you have to.
Belhaven Scottish Ale, St. Andrews, and Wee Heavy - expecially from the tap, but I've had bottled. Another one you'll probably want to pour in a glass to enjoy, but maybe that's just me. Sweet, a little on the thin side, and with many flavors (talking about the Scottish Ale variety here).
Finally, Hobgoblin. On the expensive side, and I wouldn't worry about it unless it's on tap (if you see it on tap, get it immediately though!). Reddish-brown. Malty, bready, sweet. Delicious. One of my favorite tap beers ever.
Sorry they're all imports. Two local bars have beer list programs, and another one has a five random beers for $10 thing (which is always 2 cheap, 2 medium, and one slightly expensive), and those are good ways to try new beers and find something you like even if you don't finish the list. Also, find a local bartender who really loves beer, and you can go far on his advice as well. They usually like people interested in their hobbies, and I've had bartenders give me samples of several beers, just to see how I judged them.
Unibroue does make some excellent brews, and I'm partial to Maudite myself. You might also try Young's Double Chocolate Stout, which always seems to be a favorite with people just getting into the range of beers. You can't really go wrong trying Belgians. Maredsous is a fantastic suggestion, as is Duvel and Kwak.
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You can also try finding local breweries, these places usually have free or cheap tastings done by people who know a ton about beer. They can talk about different types and why they taste the way they do.
Both can be very enlightening and educational, not to mention a ton of fun
For you guys looking to try a Milk Stout, the Duck Rabbit one is delicious, but it's ridiculously highly carbonated. You'll definitely need to pour it into a glass (the "right" way to drink a beer, but even with these fancy beers I tend to stick to my barbaric, straight from the bottle drinking ways).
I'll second Hobgoblin, which Pil mentioned. It's a bit more watery than I generally like, but it's still good.
A couple more suggestions while we're at it:
Skullspliter - it's expensive, but it's good. No, the name is not referring to your headache the next day. It's delicious and named after a fucking viking king. You don't get much more awesome than that.
Kostritzer Schwarzbier. The only place I've seen this is Capital Ale House, but since you're in Va, that might be feasible. It's also obviously available elsewhere, I just don't know where. It's dark, dark, dark stuff. Looks like motor oil. What's really interesting about it is the hint of black licorice flavoring. I know that sounds nasty, but seriously, it's fucking delicious.
Capital Ale House also tends to have people on staff who know and love beer, I believe. I've only been there a couple of times, because it's also fucking expensive, but they have a huge beer list and can make good suggestions. There are a couple people at my Total Wine and More who are beer people, too, who give me suggestions and point out new beers that they really like. I go to the one at Midlothian Tpk and Robious rd if you're in the Richmond area.
Its nice. But I find it tastes too vanillaee. Try the Red Racer Winter Ale from Central City (Surrey), or my favourite from last year Father John's Winter Ale by Howe Sound (Squamish). Red Racer comes in 6 packs and the Howe Sound are 1 litre swing tops.
I bought a R&B Auld Nick yesterday. Also got Granville Island other winter seasonal - Jolly Abbot, a strong dark belgian style ale. Never had them yet. Going to try soon, can't wait.
The 90 Minute IPA is incredibly balanced and I would say its more malty than hoppy. Its the only beer I have drank of theirs, however I do have a 60 minute sitting in my beer closet. I really want to try that new beer they are making for the Extreme Beer Festival (EBF). They're using plantain flour in it. There is contest to come up with a name for it. You have to be attending the EBF to be able to enter though.
Arrogant Bastard would be probably too hoppy for the OP right now, but I've never had it. I missed my chance at the Great British Beer Festival this year. That's what I get for leaving the World Bar until the second to last friday.
Kiltlifter would be a style right up the OP alley. Scottish Ales are much heavier on the malt side of flavours, however this can lead them to being quite sweet.
Are you a whiskey fan? You could try yourself a Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale. It has that woody whiskey taste, and a scent of bourbon that's pretty enjoyable. It's the only bourbon beer I've ever had, so I don't know where it stands when compared to others. Also beware the 8.7% alcohol; that can sneak up on you fast if you're not paying attention.
Old Dominion Brewery: last I was there they had a really good stout and a good ale (not very hoppy). If they still do their summer beer festival that is totally worth going to - you get to check out beer from up and down the east coast.
Hard Times Cafe: this is a chain specializing in chili, but they normally have a great beer selection.
Sweet Water Tavern: they brew their own beer and go through lots of different types. You could go one month and again the next and not find much of their beef repeated.
The Brickskellar: I think they hold a world record for most beers. Most are bottled, but there are literally hundreds of beers and you can definitely find one you like.
Total Wine has already been mentioned, but there is a good chance there is one near you. Try Saranac Caramel Porter or Rogue Mocha Porter for some beers you'll probably like.
I've heard good things about Old Dominion, Sweet Water and the Brickskellar. Brickskellar has the largest selection in the USA with over 1000 beers, Delirium in Brussels has the largest selection in the world with over 2000 beers.
Sweetwater has a pot theme with all their stuff, but their dank tank productions sound good/interesting.
Most of the New Belgium stuff, I.E. the people that make Fat Tire, is pretty fantastic for middle of the road beer, their Abbey and Trippel are pretty great if you like the Belgian type stuff.
Sierra Nevada also makes a good stout and porter, and Red Hook's ESB and darker things are also pretty good, and I would assume easy to find en masse.
Deschutes Brewery also makes plenty of fantastic beers, my favorite being their Black Butte Porter, not sure if they're everywhere or just in the northwest.
As far as extremely specific stuff that may or may not be available everywhere, as I've heard Seattle has it pretty good in terms of beer selection and may be a bit spoiled, here are some things in the medium to dark deliciousness range:
Storm King - Victory - Imperial stout - Really, very powerful, was my first beer and still one of my favorites.
Old Rasputin - north coast brewing co. - Imperial stout - Another pretty beefy mug of obsidian glory.
Blue Dot - Hair of the Dog - Double IPA - it's hoppy, but it really is very well balanced, and I'm not that in to the hoppier stuff like Pliny the Elder and the like, but it's worth a shot.
Ten Fidy - Oskar Blues - Imperial Stout - stuff has some serious body, comes in a can.
Chimay - Bières de Chimay - various Belgian styles - the blue one is the most mild, sticks with the general spiced banana flavors that most Belgians have.
Those are the ones I regularly return to. Also, here's a general overview of the styles if you're interested without having everyone say things about esters or toasted coffee with dark chocolate and bee's rectum is as follows:
Imperial Stout - Dark, Thick, Bitter
Stout - Not quite as Dark, Thick and Bitter, but still quite a bit so
Porter - Dark, some are pretty thick, but usually much more mild
ESB - Usually lighter with some bitterness, doesn't taste like flowers
IPA - Bitterness varies, it's a different type though, tastes like flowers or pine trees
Doppelbock - Beer flavored syrup
Bock - Beer flavored caramel
Barleywine - ehh...
Brown Ales - take the flavor of budweiser or whatever and intensify it a bit, usually tasty but very basic
Hefeweizen - Not sure how to describe these, but they have a different base flavor and tend to be pretty crisp
Belgian dubbels/abbeys - They tend to have a banana-ish aftertaste, tons of variance but that seems to be the common underlying theme
Belgian Trippels - Same flavor vein as the doubles, but stronger, alcohol wise, and some can have quite a bit of bitterness on the first taste
Pilsners - usually stray towards the IPA style of hops, light and flowery, many are quite tasty though
Scottish ales - have a habit of being very sweet, thick and syrupy
Hope something in there can help you!
Always delicious! I have many Chimay Glasses.
Also, my every day drink is Yuengling, and being on the east coast it should be everywhere for you.
If you're ever passing through Iowa, Millstream Colony Oatmeal Stout is really good too. Although their best is Schild Brau Amber*.
*Four time consecutive winner at the Great American Beer Festival. Double gold winner at North American Brewer's Association.
It is released once a year in limited quantities as a fund raiser for charity. You can usually find bottles for trade/sale on many of the beer review websites (see: Beer Advocate). It is definitely one of the finest beers I've ever had.
Otherwise, you and I have roughly the same palette for beer taste. I've found the following beers are widely available and fairly delicious:
Smithwick's - (Ireland) Irish Red Ale
Robert The Bruce - Three Floyd's Brewery (Regionally Available in Midwest Around Chicago/Indiana) - Scottish Style Ale
Warsteiner Dunkel - Warsteiner Brauerei (Germany) - Dunkelweizen (German Ale)
The list could go on and on, but these are simply a few specific makes of beer that I enjoy thoroughly. Just look around a local liquor stores/pubs for some of these.
Possibly the best beer in existence. Spitfire is pretty strong, also. Far easier (for me) to get is Smithwick's... not too shabby.
On this side of the pond, I'm a huge fan of Goose Island Nut Brown.
Sadly, here in Alabama, the only shot I have at anything decent (i.e. dark) in most social situation is a Guiness. Not that there's anythign wrong with that... just wish we had more variety here.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Gouden Carolus-Belgian Brown Ale
Chimay Grande Reserve (the blue one)-Trappist Ale
Kasteel Tripel
Delerium Tremens: Belgian Blonde
Delerium Nocturne: Forget exactly what it is but it is yum!
La Fin Du Monde: Amazing Belgian-style French Canadian beer.
Personally I like the Chimay the most, but only by a bit. They are all wonderful.
Also, consider a Framboise Lambic. It's really different and sweet, but delicious.