Favorite Brew

[sydnie7]

As we've wandered into the realm of "everyday, standby" beers. . . my go-to brews are Newcastle, Fat Tire, Dos Equis, pretty much anything by Sam Adams or Sierra Nevada, Bass -- that's after I've asked the server "what's your darkest beer" and either gotten a blank look or "IPA" LOL

We'll be heading over to the Karl Strauss restaurant to celebrate Bob's b-day this month. Piri-piri wings are his treat, mine is a nice snifter of their Wreck Alley Imperial.

[imrichmond]

I always like to taste local brews. For that reason, when travelling, I always like to try the local beers or, at least, beers brewed in whatever country I'm in. For the same reason, having lived in various parts of Canada, I like to drink the regional product.

A beer of which I was very fond when I lived in Nova Scotia was Sharp Angus Hemp Ale, a Scottish-type ale brewed with hemp seeds. At that time, it was produced by a small brewery in Pictou, Nova Scotia, that put out a small selection of Scottish-style beers. I see that Sharp Angus is now produced by the Propeller Brewery in Halifax, NS, which also produces a quite nice, although rather mild, IPA. I haven't been able to get Sharp Angus since I left NS and, even there, it was often difficult to obtain because of its very limited production. I don't know how the Propeller Brewery version compares to the original.

Here in BC, there are some excellent brews. A couple of my current favourites are Suncoast IPA, brewed by the Townsite Brewery right here in Powell River, Cutthroat IPA made in Kelowna, BC, by the Tree Brewing Company and Piper's Ale, a robust pale ale from the Vancouver Island Brewery in Victoria, BC.

[Old Hippie]

I always like to taste local brews. For that reason, when travelling, I always like to try the local beers or, at least, beers brewed in whatever country I'm in. For the same reason, having lived in various parts of Canada, I like to drink the regional product.

Well then, Lad, you need to be heading for Kamloops and pints at the Noble Pig.

I firmly hold with beer writer and scholar Charlie Bamforth when he says "My favourite beer is fresh and local." He's a bit outspoken, having declared that most imports have a "charming odour of dog pee" from their long travels.

Besides, it's really for my own benefit. I collect and compost all the spent grains from the brewery, so the more people drink the more compost I'll have.

Best choices at the Pig include their IPA (if you like "West Coast" IPA), an occasional ESB, and the porter. They also do seasonals, including at this time of year "Witless Blonde" and a ginger beer. Was just in the other day for a little spine-straightener after loading 20 5-gallon buckets of wet spent grain and enjoyed the IPA while chatting with a student of mine who's paying his way through university behind the bar there. So it also demonstrates my commitment to higher education, you see...

[imrichmond]

Well then, Lad, you need to be heading for Kamloops and pints at the Noble Pig.

Sounds like my kind of place. Alas, Powell River is a long way from Kamloops and I don't get there very often. I'll certainly try to look it up next time I'm there, though.

[Nathan]

The green bottle is the problem. I have no idea how Heineken is supposed to taste because, by the time it has reached my mouth, the green bottle has let in so much visible and ultraviolet light that the alpha acids in the hops have reacted to create something that is molecular-ly similar to what a skunk sprays out of it's behind.

Hehe, my friend Glen MacInnis will only drink beer from a green bottle. Doesn't matter which one, Heineken, Becks etc... but for him it must be a green bottle. Taste is a very personal thing.

[Aussie_Don]

I had the misfortune(if you can call it that) of growing up on
the East coast of the US, about a block away from a pub owned
by an expatriate German. He used to keep about 50 or so brands
of European beer in stock, mostly German.

So I definitely prefer anything German, because they seem to be
the only beers still brewed with grain, hops and water. Most others
have sugars added to a varying degree. (And I've got a theory about
sugar in beer -- for some other time.)

Pilsner Urquell is also a favourite -- may not be all grain, but I
think that it's close. And it is arguably the original model of the
Pilener style.

I have been known to drink a Guiness or several at festivals.

Of the Germans, I like the Bremen style, Becks and St Paulie Girl.
Unfortunatley, the dark versions of these aren't imported into
Australia.


Lately, a lot of the "imported" beer here in Australia has actually
been brewed locally. It's necessary to read the label closely or
you get burnt.

I've noticed some real flavour differences between the local and
import versions of the beers. Someone mentioned a Heiniken tasting
horrible, I wonder if it was Dutch or a local under license brewing?

Some beers that I wouldn't drink even if they were free include
Iron City, Lone Star, West End(Brewed in Adelaide, South Australia).
In most cases, I'd attribute their poor taste to the water that they
start with -- after all, beer is 90+% water.

-Don

[OC Richard]

Yes it would be a blessing to live in Britain! When I travel there I go into Free Houses and ask for whatever is local. It's always great.

Here in the USA we've been playing catch-up, and nowadays (at least here on the West Coast) practically every town has a local brewery and/or a brew pub. This local stuff varies but it's always miles ahead of the horrible American mass-market stuff. Around here, in Orange County, the brew pubs all make a range of at least six products, usually including an IPA, a stout, a red, a lager, a porter.

Then there are the places that are famous for the sheer quantity of things they have on tap. Close to me is Goat Hill Tavern, described in a local paper as a "stinky, funky rathole" but having over 140 things on tap



What's great is all the West Coast microbrews that you can't find on tap anywhere else.

There are more places like this in the LA Basin, here's a review of some of them, but beware that when I went into a local Yard House they had greatly reduced their selection and most of the taps weren't hooked up.

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/top-l...-beers-on-tap/

Anyone subscribe to Consumer Reports? I rely on their information when buying a car, but I wonder how equipped they are to judge beer. In the current issue they have an article "Best in Beers" in which they say

In blind tests of 23 ales and lagers our experts found 13 that were excellent or very good. All are members of the growing category of "craft" beers (according to the Brewers Association producing no more than 6 millions barrels per year)

Excellent: Stone IPA, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA

Ale Very Good: Shock Top Wheat IPA, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Lagunitas IPA, Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen, Widmer Brothers Drifters Pale Ale

Lager Very Good: Samuel Adams Boston, Brooklyn, Anchor Steam, Coney Island, Lagunitas Pils Czech Style Pilsner

[Laird_M]

Either Ringwood IPA, Ringwood, Dorset or Belhaven brewed in Scotland.

[Nile]

Excellent: Stone IPA, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA

Ale Very Good: Shock Top Wheat IPA, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Lagunitas IPA, Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen, Widmer Brothers Drifters Pale Ale

Lager Very Good: Samuel Adams Boston, Brooklyn, Anchor Steam, Coney Island, Lagunitas Pils Czech Style Pilsner

Thank you for that information Richard! The four beers emboldened above are ones I drink on a regular basis (I guess I'm an IPA kinda guy) along with a couple of local ones that I buy in growlers.

If you ever get to Delmarva, the Dogfish Head brewery is well worth a visit (make sure you have a designated driver); they are very generous with samples. A friend of mine is a brewer at Dogfish Head and had the pleasure of meeting Robert Plant (LZ), when he visited the brewery last year.

[Dale-of-Cedars]

I've very pedestrian tastes, I really like Granville Island Brewing's Cypress Honey Lager.