Modern Vespa

True, Sam Adams is the marijuana of the beer world. It's a gateway beer to the wonderful world of micros.

i have been liking this lately

Don't know if you're kidding or not. Seriously, I drink NA's now. None of that "Old Dudes" stuff mind you. The SPG NA is pretty decent. I also drink Clausthaler and the Beck's NA when I want a hoppy lager. Kaliber, made by Guinness, is a decent NA ale.

My personal opinion on NA's is that they are for folks who love beer but can't drink anymore. When I drank, I would never have considered drinking a NA under any circumstances. If you're used to the alcohol then they taste pretty weird. I don't know of many drinkers who switch back and forth between alcoholic brews and NA's. Once I gave up strong drink and became acclimated to the taste of NA they seemed to fill that void.

I know, I'm getting old.

When i quit drinking, i had NA's for a while. Clausthaler is the best, IMHO.

Still, they all taste like honey water... so sugary. In a bad way.

Then i started on Ginger Beers... but they started getting too hard on my stomach.

So, i got used to drinking club soda. Club soda with bitters in it is a great.

I buy these Faygo ( local brand ) 1 liter bottles of flavored sparkling water.... 0 calories, 0 artificial sweetners, etc. So, i carry these around and drink them when everyone else is boozing it up.

And i smoke lots of small cigars to kill any urge.... which can get REALLY strong when i see people drinking whiskey, which i think was invented to destroy me.

So, does that mean noone is supposed to send you a decent bottle of scotch for all of your help on this forum?

no, but cigars are welcome.


Chad sent me a really nice Punch a couple weeks ago that i really enjoyed.

Have you ever been over there?

They have a beer tasting Sunday, where for $5 you get a glass and three or four refills. My wife and I went about a month or two ago and there was a huge mob of people in the place. The lines were crazy. We got one beer each and boogied on out of there.

I haven't had the divine reserve, but I thought that you had to stake out your neighborhood liquor stor to get it. I need to check the local Specs to see it they have it.

I have made beer a few times back in the late '80s. The last time I made it, it was in the summer in an apt with no A/C. While I was priming a bottled batch, several bottles started popping. I thought someone had broken in and was firing off a shot gun.

As for beers, I tend to like porters and stouts, various pils and lagers, lambics. I like a lot of the microbrews and have started sampling IPAs (I love the history of them) but I can't remember the names. Our local brewery is Abita. A lot of folks around here seem to like their Amber but I find it too syrupy. I do like their Andygator which is a Helles Dopplebock and very strong 8%. I thnk my favorite big produced brand of beer is Carlsberg (boring I know) I just like it. I have a great love for PBR in a can, I don't know if it is just nostalgia (my first beer ever) but really I think it is a just damn good mass produced beer.

I've done the tour twice. Once as Joe Public, and a few years ago as a private party type deal. The private group deal was killer, KILLER. We drank as much as we wanted and just had a blast.

They kegged a couple of the Divine Reserve from what I understand, and I have semi-reliable knowledge as to where one of the kegs is (and when it will be tapped.) Heh , heh. *Greedily rubs hands together*

Lucky!

I am planning on going back and doing the tour once they move into their new location that has luxuries like space and climate control.

The Hoegaarden Forbidden Fruit is also brewed with coriander (Cilantro for you foreigners) and orange peel and it is also best drunk in moderation due to the strong taste, high price and 8.8% alcohol content.

I had to google 'Growler' because I was pretty sure that had a different meaning to what we're used to. To put it politely, I believe Growler is derived from the Cockney term for the female genitalia.
We'd call that a: Pub Pet, Flagon or Rigger.

I've been leaning toward darker hoppier beers lately. Must be a winter thing. Give it a few more weeks and I'll be back to the lighter coloured stuff.

Beer is great for working on scooters, individually packaged in sturdy disposable containers, I'd never find a safe place for a wine glass or a high ball in my garage.

Nice, I'll have to share this with my wife. Gives new meaning to filling up the growler.

beer=good

personally I have a rule of "if I can see through it, I won't drink it", with the lone exception of IPAs.

my personal favorites are Xingu, Bell's Kalamazoo stout, Pre-2008 dogfish head world wide stout, Lindemans Cuvee Renee Gueze Lambic, and sam smith oatmeal stout. though I honestly like most of the dogfish head and Bell's brews.

I'd like to make my own, but I already have enough hobbies.

Hilarious!!! When you read you must have thought "MAN she must be hard-up, PAYING for THAT!" Reminds me that my Italian friends always insist I speak American, not English.

Jeremy - give me a call next time you are in Des Moines, you need to hit El Bait Shop and the High Life Lounge if you haven't. Anyway, this stuff is the goods:

http://www.surlybrewing.com/index.php

When on the scooter, I drink Caliber (by Guinness) it is great!

My wife and I were sitting in El Bait Shop last Thursday night...love that place. 8)

yes, i was serious

i like all the na beers

st pauli
bitberger
hackenbeck
becks
heiniken(buckler)
i'l even drink a really cold oduls

O'Douls is out for me most of the time. Funny thing is, many people in my life know I drink NA's only and they are so proud when I visit to show me that they bought Old Dudes just for me. I shut up and drink them.

I've not had Hackenbeck so I guess it's probably not available here. I don't think I've had the Bitburger either but on my trip to Germany in the 80's Bitburger was everywhere and is a pretty decent everyday lager. I would imagine their NA would be pretty good too.

we have to remember the origin of beer was not as a alchy drink

it was a substitute for bad water

beer is awsome

i'm a wimp though, so mine has to be cold

Did I hear someone say IPA???

One word: Pliny the Elder.

Well, Ok that would be three words, but who's counting?

http://www.russianriverbrewing.com/web/brews/plinytheelder.htm

cheers!

\\osc

Oops. almost forgot (on account I just drank three).

Today, the Twenty-Fourth of September in the Year of our Lord Two-Thousand-Nine, is Arthur Guiness Day.

It is the 250th anniversary of the Guiness Brewing Company.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Guinness

"Here's to a long life and a merry one.
A quick death and an easy one.
A pretty girl and an honest one.
A cold beer and another one! "

\\osc

Had to walk out and have a pint after I realized that was today (well, yesterday now). My goodness, my Guiness!

Wow. I'm amazed to see all the folks that don't or have quit drinking in all or part here on this forum. Not that I considered you all booze hounds before, but my wife and I feel like the odd couple out in most situations because neither of us drink at all.

I'm with Eric. I'll smoke whenever I'm around folks that are drinking just so I don't feel like such an oddball, and also because I greatly enjoy it. I'm a huge fan of clove cigarettes (which are unfortunately gone in the US come 12/22/09) but I've started to get big on pipe smoking in the past few months as well. I think once the time rolls around, I may have to cheat and buy some whole clove at the grocery store and figure out the ratio to make my own clove tobacco. My dad smokes cigars and pipes as well. Pretty much the rest of my family smokes plain old cigarettes, which everyone knows are just gross.

Yeah, I don't smoke at all... YET. I keep telling my wife that when I turn 60, I'm taking up pipe smoking. Why 60? Because as I start getting into that age group, I figure I've lived through enough and I should be able to smoke whatever I'd like.

So, my plan is, Get my ninja skillz up with drinking single malt scotch, then when I turn 60, start smoking some great smelling pipe tobacco. Just thinking of that smell takes me back to me as a little kid listening to old WWII guys telling war stories.

Plus, I want to look like Ward Cleaver.

after hearing eric say IPA's are the thinking mans beer i had a quick think about it and bought some Cage Roads IPA its another of the local craft beers of wich we are spoilt for choice here in australia. and while im a thinking man i think ill try a little creatures pale ale again havnt had one of those for about five years

Hit the trifecta last night for a near perfect Sunday evening.

The entire family was gone doing their own things.

I sat alone in my garage with 5 gallons of face melting IPA brewing away, watching "Goodfellas" on TV, and tinkering with a smallframe carb.

I was at peace with the universe.

it's moments like that, that i live for

I just got back from our Hops Farm in the Yakima Valley. I can attest that Jeremy brews excellent products!

The Segal Ranch does not grow Amarillo's. Impossible to get roots for commercial growing. We do grow: Nuggets, Cascades (first farm to grow this variety in 1968), Fuggles, Willamette's, Palisdades, Northern Brewers, Galena and Glaciers.

Customers: Anchor Brewing Co. (They brew with almost all Segal Ranch Hops), Lagunitas - Try their Double IPA called Maximus, Bell's Brewery, Long Trail, Saranac, Green Flash, Victory Brewing Co. and AB/.Inbev.

Serious brewers can PM for free hops in exchange for Home Brew samples.

Cheers,

G

And I can attest to this offer... 8)

Forum has been slow on so I thought I would bump the beer thread.

I'm currently sitting on 20 gallons of beer in my basement, working on bringing that up to 30 very soon.

Bottled and conditioning are:
Amarillo Pale Ale
Ferocious IPA
India Brown Ale (IBA)
Belgian IPA (IPA made with Belgian Malt, Saison yeast, and US Hops)

Should be enough to get me through the Holiday season...

I am getting thirsty hint, hint!

Would love to taste them!

Cheers,

Gianni

*Try and get a bottle of Lagunitas Brown Suga and their new product called Little Sumpin. Great stuff with Segal Ranch Hops in them...

30 Gallons should take you past Thanksgiving at least...

Meanwhile back in hicksville:

Funny, Saturday my better half said we needed to do something special as the kiddo was at the grandparents. So, being the good soldier that I am I went to the store to get us a 12 pack of Pabst. I upped the ante though and got a 12 pack.... of tallboys. How's that for special? 16 oz of pure PBR deliciousness per can. Who says I dunno how to treat the ladies? 8)

Stepping out of hicksville:

I was just treated to a Czech beer called Klaster Premium Lager it was so good my face melted a little bit. Highly recommend.

I was in Prague a couple of years ago and had a beer called Krusovice, it was nothing short of sensational. You know when you remember something to be better than it actually was? Well I returned last year and it was even better than I remembered it.

Criminally, I can't find it anywhere here (UK), but if you ever get the chance, you won't be disappointed.

,,well being a chief cook in the Merchant Marines 21 yrs i did my share of beer sampling all over,, here are a few>

*i went to UGA in the late 70`s and Pabst was still made in Pabst ,GA.
Pabst Bock was a fall dark beer in limited supply sold in those old short, brown bottles only, same label just a bold BOCK on it, that my friend was my all time favorite american beer.,, now only posers pay that $ for a generic brew called a Pabst. ( I`m from Savannah,Ga) we have a nodding aquaintance with beer.

IPA = thinking man`s beer, you are correct sir,!! brewed for the Brit Military during the India campagne, Pale (or lite) compared to regular brit lager, so Bass got the job and hence the contract and hence the Bass.

I lost my taste for beer in about `07, beered out and confused by all the options and lingo that made no sense to me., beer is a peasant drink, few royal drink it unless to have a novelty of their name or label. it is just a "brew" of whatever the pigs are eating and fermented and well it takes the edge off poverty. same as cane liquor,,or excuse me Rum ( my drink of choice when drinking hard stuff) not just any Rum mind you, but back to subject.

Double Diamond is a great brit lager i love it can`t get it here, well unless you`re on a frigate in dock.,
Some place in Portalnd ,ME and Portsmouth,NH called "Gritty`s" makes some good beer but to me it`s like a bowl of oats,,ughh
,,The Germans gave the Mexicans alot of pointers in brewing for sure, Bohemia is a good example.
as is Brahama in Brazil
I like a ice cold Banks when i`m in Barbados, nice 10oz bottle and it thick and they reuse them,, ahh, nice wif a flyin fish basket
,, i guess i`m a "when in rome" beer drinker and thank god i lost my taste for beer, now i can take it like food not for buzz factor because it is one shitty hangover to me, a young man`s buzz not mine (i`m 50)
But 2-nite is fresh mahi fish tacos and i`m goin back to San Diego on this rainy nite to remeber how good a cold Tecate taste wif some spicey good food,,
Cheers Big Ears!!!

Abita all the way!
http://abita.com/brews/jockamo.php

it's true. my best friend is club promoter, and the bar charges $5 for PBR tall-boys. a Corona is $10.


I go through stages with beer....

I do drink a lot of IPA's they are more pairable.

Chimay is good.

Stouts.

My favorite beer is Singha.

Someone needs to explain Fat Tire.... it never tastes good to me.

always skunky.

it sucks. an overrated, gimmicky beer.

the first time I had it, i thought it should be renamed flat tire.... glad I'm not crazy.

I believe you can order Pliny the Elder clone kits off of the internet. That will be my next brew when I get around to it. If it goes south maybe I'll pester you for your recipe!

I've heard that Russian River beers are not widely available in the rest of the country... I read an article by the brewmaster that it's because he doesn't want to grow the way they need to in order to distribute more.

I feel like IPAs vary a lot by region - - our San Diego IPAs tend to be really hoppy, more so than Oregon or the East Coast IMHO (other than Dogfish Head of course!) Perhaps it's just coincidence. My favorites are the REALLY hoppy ones - - around here they are:

Pliny the Elder and Blind Pig by Russian River
Hop 15 by Port Brewing
Ruination, IPAs by Stone
Green Flash's Imperial IPA

i love me some hoegaarden or blue moon but when im eatin spicy foods i love some thai Chang