The Beer Thread!

[kkck]

Ok, I did not drink guiness out of the can (I was surprised pouring it was exactly like in the web page video lol). I would compare it with the bottled one I drank earlier but I noticed that the one I drank before did not have the widget so perhaps I should look for the bottled one with the widget for the comparison. Anyways, I did feel a difference in the flavor but it was not THAT significant. Canned was better but perhaps I need to try both of them together to feel the difference (I am not a beer snob yet ).

There is something I am mildly confused about though. Are lagers supposed to be low class bears so to speak or are there high quality lagers? It just seems like ales are generally the upper scale ones. I have been completely unable to find a lager outside of the known ones so far and I am not a fan of ales. Perhaps I should focus on stouts and weiss then....

[xi0]

I have to say I'm really surprised at the reviews of Kwak on beer advocate. I really enjoy it, so I'm shocked it's rated so low. Maybe I'm not a proper beer snob? I don't know.

I like Kwak, but I think it's simply a case of the presentation exceeding how good it really is. There are better Strong pale ales IMO.

Maybe they didn't like the glass. Honestly, I don't know who invented it, it's so unpractical. But the Kwack itself is really tasty.
Speaking of Belgium beers, can you find some lambic in the US ? Everytime I go to Brussels, I make a stop at La Becasse estaminet to drink some.

I've had a bunch of different Lambics - Kriek, Framboise, Cassis, Peche, Pomme, and Gueuze. The Gueuze is obviously much different than the fruit lambics, but I enjoyed it. The darker Fruit lambics like Kriek, Framboise, and Cassis are MUCH better than Peche or Pomme in my opinion. The Peche didn't really taste like a Lambic at all, since it didn't have the sourness, and the Pomme was sort of offensive. It's weird, because you'd expect Apple and a cidery taste/feel to go well together, but it just didn't. I haven't tried Faro yet, and there a bunch of fruit ones I haven't got my hands on.

Ok, I did not drink guiness out of the can (I was surprised pouring it was exactly like in the web page video lol). I would compare it with the bottled one I drank earlier but I noticed that the one I drank before did not have the widget so perhaps I should look for the bottled one with the widget for the comparison. Anyways, I did feel a difference in the flavor but it was not THAT significant. Canned was better but perhaps I need to try both of them together to feel the difference (I am not a beer snob yet ).

There is something I am mildly confused about though. Are lagers supposed to be low class bears so to speak or are there high quality lagers? It just seems like ales are generally the upper scale ones. I have been completely unable to find a lager outside of the known ones so far and I am not a fan of ales. Perhaps I should focus on stouts and weiss then....

If the bottle you had didn't have a widget in it, it probably wasn't Draught. It was probably Extra Stout, which is slightly more alcoholic and different tasting than the draught. There's a novelty to the Draught, and it isn't a bad beer by any stretch, but it just can't compare to being on tap. It may look the part, but it doesn't taste the part.

It sounds like you're going for Lagers made by big labels. There are plenty of microbrews and craft breweries that make good Lagers. I will agree though, that Ales tend to be more complex tasting than Lager. Lagers are brewed and fermented cold...usually, and Ales are brewed/fermented at warmer temperatures. In my opinion, there is just more going on with Ales since more goes into to making them...like if they're bottle or cask conditioned and undergo secondary fermentation because of that. Not to get too deep into chemistry, but Ales tend to be sweeter as well because less sugar gets converted into alcohol during the process.

[kkck]

Nah, I am certain it was the draught, at least the bottle said so.

So with lagers it is simply a matter of looking harder then... thats good news, I was begining to worry. For the time being I will focus on searching for weiss, stouts and lager which I currently do enjoy and see if I get a taste for ales later on (still not sure how to describe why I haven't liked the ales I have tried lol). I am going back home from the US so finding beers to try will be rather dificult from now on, I am reasonably sure I already tried most beers from back home(nationals and imported). At least I will be able to count on franciscaner, endirger and guiness lol and the national beers are not as bad as a mass produced beer would seem.

[xi0]

Nah, I am certain it was the draught, at least the bottle said so.

So with lagers it is simply a matter of looking harder then... thats good news, I was begining to worry. For the time being I will focus on searching for weiss, stouts and lager which I currently do enjoy and see if I get a taste for ales later on (still not sure how to describe why I haven't liked the ales I have tried lol). I am going back home from the US so finding beers to try will be rather dificult from now on, I am reasonably sure I already tried most beers from back home(nationals and imported). At least I will be able to count on franciscaner, endirger and guiness lol and the national beers are not as bad as a mass produced beer would seem.

You sure it was Draught? Because cans have the widget, and the bottles have the widget/rocket thing in it. The cans are meant to be poured but the bottles aren't. Maybe you didn't notice the rocket in there?...hmmm

Yeah, like I said before, a lot of people just have a preference for styles. And tastes can change it you find the right ale. Don't be discouraged that you don't care for ale though, it's not like there aren't a ton of other brands to try.

[mikkih]

@igotthegoods Hi~. Good to hear that you love beers, the good ones. I love them but I hardly drink but rather sample them. So, you are Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout fan Do you also like their Imperial Stout? I love Oatmeal but some reason I am not a fan of Imperial. I think I started out with Sheaf Stout and tried different beers and settled with Guinness and Oatmeal Stout.

@kkck I hope we are not forcing you to drink stout.

@xi0 It's been so long since I had Framboise. I am not a big fan, but I am with you that the darker fruity ones taste better. I don't like (American) Samuel Adam's seasonal Cranberry Lambic

@Kaiten Hi

@Teubier Your recommendations to kkck, Asahi & Yebisu are right on, I think. He might find them quite ordinary but would probably like these malt beers.

[xi0]

@xi0 It's been so long since I had Framboise. I am not a big fan, but I am with you that the darker fruity ones taste better. I don't like (American) Samuel Adam's seasonal Cranberry Lambic

That's because it isn't a real Lambic. Lambics are only brewed in a specific region near Brussels, there was even some possible legal controversy when Sam Adams came out with it. The idea of a cranberry lambic sounds cool, since I like cranberry a lot, but everyone I know who's had it and from what I've read, it sounds like a disappointment.

I think I prefer Cassis the most overall. Framboise is the most intense flavor-wise, and I like Raspberry, but I enjoy Kriek and Cassis more.

[mikkih]

kkck, isn't it great that you can now cross out Samuel Adam's Cranberry (pseudo?) Lambic from your beer list? Still, you must have a long to-do list.

[kkck]

You sure it was Draught? Because cans have the widget, and the bottles have the widget/rocket thing in it. The cans are meant to be poured but the bottles aren't. Maybe you didn't notice the rocket in there?...hmmm

Yeah, like I said before, a lot of people just have a preference for styles. And tastes can change it you find the right ale. Don't be discouraged that you don't care for ale though, it's not like there aren't a ton of other brands to try.

I actually picked the bottle from the trash to confirm for the third time it was draught lol. And it did not have the widget. Only other thing I can do from now is to take a picture and post it . And there never was any rocket, there is no way I would have missed it even if I had not known about it, I would have felt it inside the bottle when it hit the bottle....

---------- Post added at 02:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:56 PM ----------

@igotthegoods Hi~. Good to hear that you love beers, the good ones. I love them but I hardly drink but rather sample them. So, you are Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout fan Do you also like their Imperial Stout? I love Oatmeal but some reason I am not a fan of Imperial. I think I started out with Sheaf Stout and tried different beers and settled with Guinness and Oatmeal Stout.

@kkck I hope we are not forcing you to drink stout.

@xi0 It's been so long since I had Framboise. I am not a big fan, but I am with you that the darker fruity ones taste better. I don't like (American) Samuel Adam's seasonal Cranberry Lambic

@Kaiten Hi

@Teubier Your recommendations to kkck, Asahi & Yebisu are right on, I think. He might find them quite ordinary but would probably like these malt beers.

Nah, I have been drinking stouts since for a long time lol (drinking age is 18 when I come from but not even parents care to enforce it.....). Of course it is still something sporadic though given the usual price constraints and brand limitations. Need to search for that imperial stout too, seems epic. I have been trying every beer I care to find for many years now but it is only recently that I increased my efforts to try even more beers and learn more about them.

---------- Post added at 02:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:02 PM ----------

kkck, isn't it great that you can now cross out Samuel Adam's Cranberry (pseudo?) Lambic from your beer list? Still, you must have a long to-do list.

My objective is every non light beer on earth so whatever helps lol . Somehow I have been avoiding samuel adams up to now, do they have any beers worth trying? I tried one of theirs a year or two ago but even by mass produced beer standards it seemed rather bland. Honestly, someday I hope to go to octoberfest and try every beer I can. My only worry is that my liver will rebel against me and break out of my torso to beat the shit out of me (figuratively) in the middle of it. After that I would hope to go to belgium just for the heck of it lol.

[mikkih]

Wondered if we need to add "For Age 21+" or something next to the title of this thread.

[k-dom]

21 is legal age only in US :-)
If you happen to travel to France or have a good liquor store nearby, you can try the Picon-bière. Picon is a bitter magic liquor which makes any average beer taste better. It was quite forgotten, but the revival of old beverage give it a new chance.

[kkck]

Agreed, in most places which even do have a drinking age it is generally 18 and then again there are plenty of places where such a thing is either non existent or not enforced. Cool anecdote, I was in europe looking for a bottle of wine to take back home for my parents. I asked the dude selling wine what was the drinking age and the response was that we were not in america. To boot, I am not even from the US....

[igotthegoods]

@igotthegoods Hi~. Good to hear that you love beers, the good ones. I love them but I hardly drink but rather sample them. So, you are Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout fan Do you also like their Imperial Stout? I love Oatmeal but some reason I am not a fan of Imperial. I think I started out with Sheaf Stout and tried different beers and settled with Guinness and Oatmeal Stout.

I haven't tried the Imperial Stout, sorry. I do love a good stout, though. Drinks like a meal. Have you tried a milk stout before? Left Hand Milk Stout is one of my faves. It's got a nice coffee flavor and is very creamy and smooth. Yum <3

[xi0]

Anyone who likes Lambics should try Kasteel Rouge. While it doesn't have the cidery, lambic taste, it is reminiscent of Kriek and has a bit more alcohol in it

[mikkih]

Have you tried a milk stout before? Left Hand Milk Stout is one of my faves. It's got a nice coffee flavor and is very creamy and smooth. Yum <3

I have not tried it yet. It sounds interesting. If I can find it locally, I will definitely give it a try.

---------- Post added at 01:33 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:40 AM ----------

Somehow I have been avoiding samuel adams up to now, do they have any beers worth trying? I tried one of theirs a year or two ago but even by mass produced beer standards it seemed rather bland. Honestly, someday I hope to go to octoberfest and try every beer I can. My only worry is that my liver will rebel against me and break out of my torso to beat the shit out of me (figuratively) in the middle of it. After that I would hope to go to belgium just for the heck of it lol.

I think Samuel Adams makes decent beers but nothing is extraordinary. I give them a credit for producing seasonal beers so that people can have fun trying different flavors though. Boston lager and Oktoberfest are alright I guess. Among American beers, I used to like Sierra Nevada but you need to like hoppy type. I don't mind taking local beer brewer tours sometime. That's one thing that I should try but have not.

By the way does anyone know what kind of Christmas beers are served in Germany? I remember having 2 colored (green and red) beer long ago, but I don't remember what I was having. It was probably wheat beer. Is there any common way to serve 2-colored beer?

---------- Post added at 01:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:33 AM ----------

21 is legal age only in US :-)
If you happen to travel to France or have a good liquor store nearby, you can try the Picon-bière. Picon is a bitter magic liquor which makes any average beer taste better. It was quite forgotten, but the revival of old beverage give it a new chance.

The link is in French, so I read ENG version. (If I were reading beer reading material, my French could have improved a bit better. I gave up on it long ago.) So, is it good?

---------- Post added at 01:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:39 AM ----------

21 is legal age only in US :-)

Legal age for drinking is 20 in Japan. Also there are beer vending machines available on the streets.

[kkck]

^There are?I remember seeing those in a TV show but I did not think it would go to that extent lol. Damn western culture lol (for that matter, why don't regular vending machines accept credit or debit cards lol)?

Anyways, weekend is approaching and I have an exam tomorrow for which I am grossly under-prepared another one on monday so how about some beer recommendations which can be found in a regular supermarket or liquor store? Might be going to taco mac (respectable beer selection of over 100 from what I recall) too so something from them would be nice (not in the mood of finding my taste for ales wherever it might be, just saying ).