Discussion The Beer Thread!

[Kaiten]

I always know a pairing is good if the drink cleanses my palate without overwhelming the flavor of the food. Raubier is very intense and smokey, it would need to be paired with robust tasting food. Steak, pork chops, ribs, bleu cheese, something like that. I actually prefer pairings that contrast slightly, but can't think of anything that would be a nice contrast to the smokiness, and yet still robust enough not to be overpowered.

I did not actually eat pulled pork with the Marzen. I had pulled chicken with Orval, a very good pairing. The dryness of the Orval complimented the chicken very well, the slightly sweet bbq sauce contrasted the beer nicely.

---------- Post added at 11:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:19 PM ----------

I'm not really sure about rauchbier with pulled pork. Pulled pork might not have a strong enough flavor for such an intense beer.

 

[Kaiten]

I tried two new beers this weekend, both by Belgian brewer Brasserie d'Achouffe. The first was La Chouffe, an 8% ABV blonde ale. A very interesting tasting beer with hints of clove, pepper, and caramel. A good beer I would recommend, something I definitely will try again.

Spoiler: La Chouffe

Next was Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel, one of the best beers I have ever tried. The flavor is incredibly complex; very bright tasting, with a lot of hops, typical of an IPA. With 9% ABV, it also had the deep, dark flavor typical of a tripel.

Spoiler: Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel

]

 

[igotthegoods]

I love La Chouffe! Pretty sure I've mentioned it here before. It's on tap at one of my favorite bars downtown, so I always have one when I go there. I haven't tried the Houblon yet, but it sounds like my type of beer. I need to check that one out soon.

 

[Kaiten]

You have. I recognized the blonde ale browsing for something to drink. I can't remember if you rec'ed the IPA though. La Chouffe was great, the IPA Tripel was better.

Weyerbacher Insanity, 11.1% ABV Barley Wine. Microbrew from northeastern Pennsylvania. Kicked my fucking ass:

Spoiler: Weyerbacher Insanity

 

[xi0]

Okay so I still haven't tried some beers that I picked up over a month ago...but I went and got more. I had one few weeks ago that I forgot to post about though.

Weihenstephaner Korbinian

I don't have enough experience with doppelbocks to know if it's a good representation or not and I'm not sure whether the bottle I got was good because there was virtually no head at all. In any case, it was decent. Really syrupy and heavy but still smooth. Malty as hell. Spicy and sweet at times. Not necessarily a summer beer, but I don't care much for seasonal "rules" in the first place.

I got some more Hitachino brews, a Gouden Carolus Strong Dark Ale (11% abv), a strong english ale from Samuel Smith, and a Faro Lambic since I think Lambics are funky and weird and want to try as many different styles as possible. I'll post my thoughts after I partake.

---------- Post added September 19, 2012 at 09:45 PM ---------- Previous post was September 12, 2012 at 03:34 PM ----------

Lindemans Faro Lambic

I had the Gueuze so long ago, but this certainly has the same cidery taste and sour feel to it. But perhaps a bit sweeter. Plenty of carbonation, but sweet, bitter, and sour all at random times. Lambics are brewed with Wild Yeast, and "wild" is the perfect way to describe this beer. Some might say the beer is a bit of a mess, but it's just too unique not to experience.

---------- Post added at 09:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:45 PM ----------

Hitachino Nest Real Ginger Brew

Spicy. I'm not really getting much ginger from it but it certainly has a big flavor to it. It's drinkable, but it seems sort of thick and syrupy, which isn't something that goes well with this kind of taste. For me at least. I was expecting something brighter and cleaner for some reason. No bad aftertaste at least.

---------- Post added at 10:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:53 PM ----------

Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout

When I poured this it looked like crude oil, or more appropriately, black coffee. That's a consistent thing. It tastes like a strong, roasted coffee and like any stout, it's incredibly malty and creamy. Thick in body and robust, there's also something chocolatey about it. If you're a fan of black coffee, then holy crap get this. I would have preferred for it to be a bit sweeter, as I don't drink my coffee black. But man, what a brew. I really recommend it.

---------- Post added at 11:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:39 PM ----------

Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale

Something a little less unique in style, but still great. Reminds me a lot of a Pale Ale but unique in that there's a bit of a berry flavor to it. Not as layered and complex as a Strong Pale Ale. Really bright and clean. I think this is the most drinkable of the three I tried tonight. Recommended.

---------- Post added September 23, 2012 at 01:49 AM ---------- Previous post was September 19, 2012 at 11:20 PM ----------

Cuvée Van De Keizer Blauw

Holy shit. This 11% abv Strong Dark Ale packs a punch. The alcohol is noticeable but it blends well with the sugary/fruit flavors I get from it. Reminds me of darker fruits. Decent carbonation, but smooth, and still sort of fades away and leaves no gross aftertaste. So good. I've had Strong Dark Ales before, but the extra umph of alcohol is warming, yet it STILL blends well and isn't offensive somehow.

I don't know if it's my favorite Strong Dark Ale, but it does a good job of being pretty drinkable

I might have consumed a large portion of the bottle too quickly

 

[Teubier]

Lindemans Faro Lambic

I had the Gueuze so long ago, but this certainly has the same cidery taste and sour feel to it. But perhaps a bit sweeter. Plenty of carbonation, but sweet, bitter, and sour all at random times. Lambics are brewed with Wild Yeast, and "wild" is the perfect way to describe this beer. Some might say the beer is a bit of a mess, but it's just too unique not to experience.

I remember tasting this one in the midst of the engine sounds at the Nurb... unique beer for a unique experience.

Spoiler

Unrelated, but I couldn't help to get this from the name when I discovered it:

Talking about Lindermans, I just tried La Pecheresse, which, for a sinner, was actually pretty decent. Jazzyjeff13's overall opinion is word for word what I felt about it:
"This isn't actually as sweet as some others that I've tried, but I'm not sure if that's simply due to age. It has a mildly oxidised mustiness that suggests it's been left a bit too long - but as it's a lambic it's hard to tell to what extent this may be the case. At any rate, it's OK but no masterpiece. Too sweet and one-dimensional; oude lambics blow this out of the water. Drinkable if taken on it's own terms. Try it once."
I'm hoping to taste something a bit more memorable from L'Angelus.

 

[xi0]

Ah, I've tried most of what Lindemann's makes. Seems it's similar to the Peche, which I wasn't a huge fan of. All of those are fine as dessert drinks, but the sweetened lambics pale in comparison to the traditional ones. But I enjoy sour things a lot, so who knows. Still drinkable though.

 

[igotthegoods]

The most interesting beer I've tried in a while is Cuvee Des Jacobins Rouge, my first Flanders Red Ale. It was part of a beer flight that my friend ordered a couple of weeks ago at a bar, so I only had a few sips. But those few sips made a definite impression. I didn't have any previous knowledge about Flanders Red Ales, so I wasn't expecting it to be sour. I almost thought it was a cider at first sip. It's quite tart, with a definite cherry flavor. I want to try it again sometime to see how drinkable an entire glass would be, but I liked the small amount that I did have. I would recommend trying it if you're looking for something a little off the beaten path.

 

[Crude]

So I'm in Germany at the moment and was wondering if anyone could recommend me some great beers? Also, I'll be going to Austria soon and would like to know what are the best brands there as well.

 

[xi0]

So I'm in Germany at the moment and was wondering if anyone could recommend me some great beers? Also, I'll be going to Austria soon and would like to know what are the best brands there as well.

Anything by Weihenstephaner

---------- Post added at 11:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:11 PM ----------

Weyerbacher Blasphemy - I've taken recommendations from the closest liquor store to me before, and the last one was disappointing as well. The guy said it was aged in bourbon barrels or some nonsense. Needless to say, I won't be taking recommendations from there again. Nothing really good about this one. Sickening sweet, gritty and just too intense on all fronts. I'm fine with intense flavors, but there's just no balance to it or quality. It's just super harsh-tasting and blargh. Nothing pleasant about it and I didn't even finish the 750ml bottle. It's blasphemous

 

[Schabrak]

So I'm in Germany at the moment and was wondering if anyone could recommend me some great beers? Also, I'll be going to Austria soon and would like to know what are the best brands there as well.

Tried a Herforder Pils already? It's nothing "special", but a great beer anyway. Got to promote my neighboring town's tasty beverage somehow. Or some Beck's in all it's variations..

And here is the official BILD chart for popular brands. Doesn't mean every single one is savory though.

1 Oettinger 6,59 Mio. - 1,9 %
2 Krombacher 5,38 Mio. -1,3 %
3 Bitburger 3,85 Mio. - 0,2 %
4 Warsteiner 2,84 Mio. - 4,9 %
5 Beck‘s 2,83 Mio. - 4,2 %
6 Hasseröder 2,74 Mio. + 4,5 %
7 Veltins 2,47 Mio. - 3,8 %
8 Paulaner 2,16 Mio. - 0,5 %
9 Radeberger 1,81 Mio. + 0,8 %
10 Erdinger 1,59 Mio. + 2,5 %
11 Sternburg 1,41 Mio. - 14,8 %
12 König 1,31 Mio. - 4,9 %
13 Augustiner 1,26 Mio. + 5,2 %
14 Holsten 1,15 Mio. - 1,2 %
15 Jever 1,10 Mio. - 3,9 %
16 Franziskaner 1,09 Mio. - 0,4 %

 

[xi0]

Beck's? Are you serious?

 

[Schabrak]

Ne, seriös bin ich net.:O It's not great, but Gold was mild to drink, the normal one isn't bad tasting either, but I dislike most of their mixed stuff. But me and drinking are years apart, so I will just hide away again.

 

[xi0]

Ne, seriös bin ich net.:O It's not great, but Gold was mild to drink, the normal one isn't bad tasting either, but I dislike most of their mixed stuff. But me and drinking are years apart, so I will just hide away again.

LOL...no. I just said so because in taking a trip to Germany, it's a not a beer worth seeking out. In fact, it would be quite easy to find no? Beck's is all over the place here and I wouldn't be surprised if he could obtain it in his home country. It's like going to Holland to drink Heineken. There has to be better choices.

 

[Schabrak]

Looking for those special beers will be quiet hard in any normal super market, so he can just as well ask a store clerk once he gets into one with a good assortment. And since Crude Cross will be here, he can also try some good Czech beer too. Someone on FB posted a beer advent calender again, will take a screen shot sometime later.

 

[xi0]

Looking for those special beers will be quiet hard in any normal super market, so he can just as well ask a store clerk once he gets into one with a good assortment. And since Crude Cross will be here, he can also try some good Czech beer too. Someone on FB posted a beer advent calender again, will take a screen shot sometime later.

Yeah, I wasn't really sure whether he was going on brewery tours or not myself

 

[EMS]

i'm drinking the classic bud light and to finish corona this weekend..

 

[mikkih]

I tried Imperial Coffee Chocolate Stout from New Belgium Brewing. Supposedly it came out in Oct., 2012. I didn't like it all that much but liked it when I put some coffee ice cream in it. First time ever to make an ice cream float with beer.

 

[xi0]

I tried Imperial Coffee Chocolate Stout from New Belgium Brewing. Supposedly it came out in Oct., 2012. I didn't like it all that much but liked it when I put some coffee ice cream in it. First time ever to make an ice cream float with beer.

I've heard of making ice cream floats with fruit lambics but never this

Sound's interesting

 

[mikkih]

Sound's interesting

Speaking of interesting, I thought Schlenkerla Urbock, smoke beer, tasted interesting.