Your Favorite beer and why!

Dearfolk,
Finally I manage to answer the thread and not in reply to other posts!
Athens is blessed to have a good selection of craft and import brews, some local and others from such far-reaching places as Colorado, Maine, and California.
The very best brew I can find, however, is at my local brewpub, Copper Creek Brewing Co. Brewer Matt Buley is a dadblamed genius. Right now, the four tap handles there are pouring his Kolsch (oops -- no umlaut key!), Steam Beer, Bock, and Espresso Stout.
A German fellow in Friday night really liked the Kolsch, although he teased that we didn't have the proper glassware. "Your Kolsch here is credible," he allowed.
Matt's Steam Beer is a proud re-creation of Anchor, only he doesn't have the shallow pans in which to ferment it. It's got a loverly (correct!) bite to it.
The Bock that's on now lagered for so long that he almost forgot he had it in the vat. It goes down so easy that it's easy to forget the wallop it packs... Pow! Socko!!
His Espresso Stout is one of his two best beers. There is no decaf in his coffee blend, which is from a local roastery. To tell you how good this brew is is impossible... I just wish that I could march all 2,868 of you in, 35 or so at a time, for one glass apiece. Sigh.
Matt also produces his outstanding India Brown Ale periodically: it's probably the very best thing he makes. -- If any of you ever get to Athens, the place is absolutely worth a stop.
Other than Copper Creek, we have Terrapin Rye Pale Ale, which started here and is being brewed in Frederick, MD. by a contract arrangement until the Terrapin guys can find a suitable brewery location in Clarke County. Terrapin also makes a Cream Ale and several seasonals, all excellently made. Look up www.terrapinbeer.com
Atlanta has two microbreweries: SweetWater Brewing and Atlanta Brewing that make well-crafted products.
And, in spite of my self-suggestion, I'm on the wagon tonight.
How Dry I Am-ly, Ort. Carlton in Wet (for liquor) Since 1966 Athens, Georgia.

Ort -

In your opinion, how does the Copper Creek Espresso Stout compare to Terrapin's Wake n Bake?

First, Ort or BrentK (or anyone else who cares), have either of you taken a look at www.ratebeer.com or www.beeradvocate.com? I prefer the former, but they're both great sources for beer info and both let you rate beer (which I have done in somewhat large quantities on the former site).

OK, I am a big beer snob and have been serious about beer for 20+ years, so "favorite beer" to me is just as hard as "favorite restaurant." So I'll put down a couple of faves briefly categorized:

Favorite all-time beer was probably De Dolle Brouwers Stille Nacht Reserva (2000), a strong sweet Belgian ale that I had one time and which is impossible to get now; nectar of the gods.

Favorite beers that are relatively accessible:
New Glarus Belgian Red, the best fruit beer from the best fruit beer brewery, in Wisconsin
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock, smoked bock from Germany available throughout most of US

Favorite Vermont beers:
McNeills Bucksnort (barley wine) and Imperial Stout
most of the beers at the Alchemist Brewpub, one of the best in the country IMHO, about 15 miles from where I live

Favorite pilsener/light lager:
Christoffel Blond, amazing strong and bitter Dutch pils that would probably be perfect if I could ever get a truly fresh bottle

Favorite product from the "big 3" (Bud, Miller, Coors):
none of them. That's like "favorite food from McDonalds". These are swill to get drunk on if you're cheap and have no tastebuds from years of smoking or chewing tobacco; they aren't something to drink if you care as much about flavor in your beer as you do in your food. And I do.

Sourdust, loved the post.
I just had a draft beer that I really really really enjoyed, no really!
Veltins Pilsener. It had a great balance of hoppiness, bitterness and mouth feel. This is a beer I'll seek out. http://www.veltins.com/index_goto.php3?goto=/1_company/faq/

quote:

Originally posted by brentk
Ort -
In your opinion, how does the Copper Creek Espresso Stout compare to Terrapin's Wake n Bake?

Brent,
I dunno... they're both pretty amazing, but the brewpub doesn't carry many bottles, so I can't compare the two side by side unless I get permission to bring in a bottle and do a horizontal test.
That's a good idea! Maybe I'll do it Tuesday afternoon.
Uncaffeinatedly, Ort. Carlton in Amazing Athens.

quote:

Originally posted by Sourdust
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Urbock, smoked bock from Germany available throughout most of US

Sourdust,
Ever since Georgia raised its percentage up from 6.0%, great brews like that have been entering our state. It reminds me of attempting to drink bacon, which is an acquired taste for most people but dreadfully pleasant to me.
You've got good taste in beer.
If you ever make it to Athens, you'd like the brews at Copper Creek.
Nonbeerifiedly, Ort. Carlton in 30601-land.
P. S. Yes, I'm familiar with both those sites, and thanks for reminding me/us and for the links.

quote:

Originally posted by brentk

I'm finding this thread very interesting as the beers named, by and large, are all lager styles.

On other food boards that I frequent - egullet and chowhound - the list would be very different and a lover of Bud, Rolling Rock or even Shiner would be fending off the occasional drive-by insults. (Not that those boards are meaner as I have certainly seen the occasional insult fly around here.)

Clearly, Roadfood has more mainstream beer drinkers than those boards. I don't care for lagers but I believe that people should drink what they like so I wouldn't criticize people's choices.

But I'm curious as to whether folks around here have an awareness of the craft beer market and such styles as Russian Imperial Stout, Imperial IPA, Barleywine, Belgian Dubbel, etc., that craft brewers are producing.

Anyhow, to respond to the topic, my all time favorite beer is Alpine Exponential Hoppiness, a San Diego brew available only in draft. I've only tasted it a few times when I am in the area but it has left a memorable impression of extreme citrusy hoppiness on my tastebuds.

As stated in an earlier post, I have had about 200 different beers, lagers, ales, barly wines, meads, heffes, bocks , and dopple bocks. The point of this thread was to find regional and national favorites. I'm just curious about the population of roadfooders not the general population. I have noticed that we at Road Food do enjoy our fair share of beer and sodas, as it is more affordable and safer when ingested with a meal. I have worked in several "micro breweries" and so far only a few really stand out to me. New Belgium Brewery,CO. Coyote Springs,AZ. Phantom Canyon, CO.

quote:

Originally posted by Ort. Carlton.

quote:

Originally posted by boyardee65
I ordered a Fat Tire Ale and I found the hoppy flavor agreeable, but the yeastiness of the head turned me off. I have taken the tour at the New Belgiam Brewery and the beer or "ale" didn't exehibit the same yeasty flavor. Maybe it is the freshness of the product at the source....

Boyardee,
Yes, that is a factor, and so is how the beer is stored in its journey to Friday's -- and there as well!
Beer is more highly perishable than many people think. A lighter product will go skunky quicker than will a heavier one, and hoppy beers last far better than do mild-flavored ones. Hops act as a preservative in Fat Tire, but the wheat in the malt can cause the off-flavor you describe... and it might have been an old sample as well.
My suggestion would be for you to try Fat Tire on draught at another account (I am assuming that you were drinking it out of the bottle) and see if that pint of brew isn't more to your liking.
Hope this helps you.
Bulgingly UnBelgianly, Ort. Carlton in Amazing Athens, Georgia.

Actually, the draught was off the tap but I think that it may have traveled hard to the site. As stated in the above post, I have had it very fresh at the brewery in two seperate tours. The yeastiness of the ale onsite was there but in a pleasent soft palet way. At Fridays (r) It seemed strong and slightly bitter. This may have been a problem with storage, age, heat or any other source. Beer is extremely perishable as we know.
Thanks for the post and happy quaffing!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Ort. Carlton.

quote:

Originally posted by AndreaB
There is a beer called "Blackened Voodoo" that I enjoy.Andrea

Andrea,
You'd better stock up on Blackened Voodoo, because if I understand correctly, Dixie Brewing in New Orleans went out of business recently. It may well have been a Hurricane Katrina casualty.
Someone else may be brewing it for Dixie now, or maybe the company obtained an infusion of new capital and reopened... I'm really not sure. You might check around on Google to be sure.
I've never seen Kalik anywhere in this country, unless it has somehow eluded me. Their website (assuming they have one!) might give you more information. If it is anywhere in the U. S., I would think of Florida first.
Unthirstily, Ort. Carlton in Fixing-To-Rain Athens, Georgia.

Ort.,

Dixie is back in business BUT...I've heard that it tastes horrible. It's no longer brewed in New Orleans but in Lake Charles or somewhere else in LA.

I'm happy that my beloved Dixie has been resurrected and heartbroken that the taste may be gone for good. I had a Blackened Voodoo last January when they were all but gone from the land and I made sure to savor the taste, knowing it might well be my last.

When in Canada, I love an ice cold Labatt Blue. In second place would be a Molson Canadian. They have to be in Canada though. Even though you can purchase them here in the US it just doesn't taste the same.

When money is no object favorites:
Old Peculier - this is my alltime favorite beer for taste and potency!
Sam Smiths Nut Brown Ale
Paulaner Oktoberfest (Not the amber but the original dark brew)
Newcastle Brown Ale
Bass Ale
St. Pauli Girl Dark

Budget Favorites:
Calgary (not sure if this is still made)
Labatts blue
yeungling (sp?)


I did my undergraduate studies in Greeley, Colorado during the microbrew craze - lucky me! So I have a seperate list for CO microbrew favorites:

New Belgium Brewing Company - Fat tire, old cherry ale, frambozen
O'Dells - Nut Brown Ale
Coopersmiths - Not Brown Ale
Union Colony Brewery - 8444 Ault
HC Berger brewing company had one that I liked but I can't remeber the name - It wasn't the IPA - too bitter for my tastes


Generally speaking I prefer dark malty ales.

Interesting concept...fav beer.

Americans look at it differently than the rest of the world. We want to walk into a bar and order whatever. In most of the rest of the world you simply order beer. That bar or restaurant you happen to be sitting in serves one brand.

In Amsterdam it may be Bavaria, Heinie or AH the third name escapes me. Just a different concept. BTW in Amsterdam or England I generally drink the hard cider.

My favorite is Guinness, however, it has to be in Ireland, and the closer to Dublin the better, as it is fresher, and the bartenders know how to draw the perfect pint. I am not real keen on the bottle and canned stuff we get in the states by way of Canada. I am also partial to Smithwicks, Newcadtle and Boddingtons. Those three taste pretty good. For lighter moments I am taken by Kalik and Carib from the Bahamas, and Red Stripe from Jamaica.

A couple of my newer discoveries are Dead Guy - from Rogue Ales, Newport , Oregon. It has a nice malty aroma. The other is Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale, which is tempered over burning witches, it is from the Black Sheep Brewery, Masham, Yorkshire, United Kingdom.

Now for a hot day, after working hard, getting all sweaty, dirty, grimy, hot, ill-tempered, I still can't find any beer that tastes better, goes down smoother then that old stanby PBR, for some reason, maybe it harkens back to my mis-spent youth, but I really enjoy Pabst Blue Ribbon during the dog days of summer.

quote:

Originally posted by CCJPO

I am taken by Kalik and Carib from the Bahamas

Carib is brewed in Trinidad and Tobago in theWest Indies

I guess I should have read all the entries before I posted;

I have to agree with Sourdust as to the BIG 3 - can't stand them, no flavor no head, no aroma, zip, zilch, nada, nothing.. Won't drinkCoors at all, not since I was up river from one of their water sources in Colorado, oh so many years ago, a peed in it. Actually that batch probably tasted betteer then the batch they made before I took a leak. As to the De Dolle Brothers Stille Nacht Reserve. I think you are probably right. I have had the pleasure of partaking of that particular beverage on several occasions, and have found it to be a most extraordinary brew. Sort of like savoring a fine single malt, to savored not gulped.

Now you have to take into consideration that I am typing this while drinking a nice cold bottle of ROLLING ROCK GREEN LIGHT, which my a**hole son brought me when he dropped off my grandaughter for me to babysit while he and his wife take a short vacation. I asked him to bring me a six pack when he dropped her off, so he thought it would be funny to buy me some swill. nI think I will teach her to swear while they are gone.

V960: Not to ba a contrarian, ok so maybe I am. I have to politely disagree with your premise regarding the one beer concept. I have consumed beer, ale, lager, bitters, etc all over Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas',and have found in most countries, except for some of the less developed nations, that the one beer fits all is not necessarily accurate, especially in the past 10 years or so.

It has been my experience that a person is most likely to get just a beer in the United States, if you walk into a bar and say "gimme a beer" You are most likely to get whatever they have on tap, with no questions asked. Just my experience.

I'm kind of partial to Otter Creek Cooper Ale, and Long Trail Ale. Both are brewed in VT. As is always the case, both are best on tap, but bottled is still better than all others. For a real treat if you are ever in Stowe, VT at The Shed, they brew a beer called Mountain Ale. It is a higher alcohol content then most, but is extremely smooth and pleasent tasting.

quote:

Originally posted by GCD1962

I'm kind of partial to Otter Creek Cooper Ale, and Long Trail Ale. Both are brewed in VT. As is always the case, both are best on tap, but bottled is still better than all others. For a real treat if you are ever in Stowe, VT at The Shed, they brew a beer called Mountain Ale. It is a higher alcohol content then most, but is extremely smooth and pleasent tasting.

I concurr, good choices around here locally in "quality beer deprived Southern New England"

quote:

Originally posted by V960

Interesting concept...fav beer.

Americans look at it differently than the rest of the world. We want to walk into a bar and order whatever. In most of the rest of the world you simply order beer. That bar or restaurant you happen to be sitting in serves one brand.

In Amsterdam it may be Bavaria, Heinie or AH the third name escapes me. Just a different concept. BTW in Amsterdam or England I generally drink the hard cider.

I managed to hit 20 pubs in England and Wales in 15 days and most all had a wide variety of tap beers. London, Bray-on-Thames, Henley-on-Thames, Maidenhead, Windsor, Albury in Surrey, Salisbury, Oxford, Dolgellau, Machynileth, Carenarfon, Stratford on Avon, Burnham-on-Sea to name a few places.

V960 is right to a cetain extent. Most restaurants or pubs in Germany will usually serve the local brewery brand, but they will often also have available a national brand, esp. for a pilsner(Warsteiner for example.)

Other places want to separate themselves from the others so will offer brands from other breweries, and in some cases from other countries. (Believe it or not, American Budweiser is actually quite popular in Germany.)

Typically though, one orders a "bier" , "Pils" or "Hefeweissen" just by saying those words, not by the brand name, and you will get what they happen to be offering in that particular classification. If there are multiple choices, of course, they will ask you to clarify.

Best I've ever had was while vacationing in Prague, the Czech Republic. I drank the same beer every day there, called Staropramen, always on tap. The bottle was fine, but the tap beer was the pinnacle of beer drinking. I liken it to eating fresh seafood from a restaurant where the food is caught that same day. If anyone has ever been to Prague, it is surrounded by hops fields, at least on the entire northern border. The economy of this country relies heavily upon beer. Pilsner Urquell was another brand there, as well as Budvar. However, Staropramen beat them both. Honorable mention would go to Macs, a beer in New Zealand (imbibed on both the South and North Island on my honeymoon) that claims to be completely organic, with no preservatives. I believe them. I was drinking about 7-8 a night, and not a hint of a hangover the next day.
Best beer in the US right now I would give to Odell's Easy Street Wheat, a Colorado microbrew. Mendocino Red Tail is another great one. Some other notables would be Long Trail Ale from Vermont, and Leinenkugels, from Wisconsin. When it comes to beer with a meal, the Belgian trappist ales served at Monk's in Philadelphia are the best. Westmalle, Rochefort, and Orval come to mind.

A friend of mine was in Prague recently and said that the beer he drank there was, hands down, the best he's ever had.

In addition to my love for Sam Adams Boston Lager (mentioned in an early note on this thread), I also like Grolsch from Holland. An excellent lager with real character.

quote:

Originally posted by Ciaoman

A friend of mine was in Prague recently and said that the beer he drank there was, hands down, the best he's ever had.

In addition to my love for Sam Adams Boston Lager (mentioned in an early note on this thread), I also like Grolsch from Holland. An excellent lager with real character.

I proudly serve Grolsch in my bar but I don't know how fresh it really is. I wish I could find it on tap. Some of my other favorites are Eisch Baum Bier from central Germany, Heiniken from the Netherlands, and New Castle from across the "pond".

I like beer and have drunk many different brands. Of all, the most outstanding is Carlton Draft of Melbourne, Australia. It has a real beer flavor that has never been disappointing. We spend some time each year in Australia visiting our daughter.
Carlton Draft is a basic working mans beer that is on tap at most Melbourne pubs and also sold in bottles.
http://www.fosters.com.au/enjoy/beer/carlton_draught.htm It is part of the Fosters group. http://www.fosters.com.au/enjoy/beer.htm
Contrary to our TV commercials, you don’t see that much of Fosters down there but you do see their many offerings. Check out the above sites.
My very favorite place to enjoy a Carlton is at a very old and famous pub – the Young & Jackson.-- http://www.youngandjackson.com.au/
There you can sit in a window across from the equally old and famous Flinders Street Station, enjoy a Carlton Draft and watch the world down under go by.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flinders_Street_Station

I don't think anyone has mentioned my two favorites: Pilsner Urquel and Anchor Steam. I am that rare animal, a female beer drinker. I actually prefer beer to wine or mixed drinks.

I don't much like the real heavy dark beers, although my husband does. He belongs to a beer of the month club and has received some really good ones that are not available locally.

Corona is my choice for home consumption. When I am out, I usually order a Guinness even though it is usually served to cold.

A real treat was Guinness in Ireland. The flavor is much different. It was smooth and tasty.

Another favorite is London Pride, served warm in London. The real deal.

Ah, mbrookes, I was almost going to lose my heart to you, a female beer drinker, what a treaure.Then ye had to go and spoil it all by mentioning ye had a husband. A tear that may never behealed.

I just had two pints of Boddington's Pub Ale on tap at Jake O'Connor's Public House earlier this evening along with a chicken pot pie. Excelsior, Minnesota is looking up in the refreshment category.

I've had Guinness and Boddington's all across England and Wales but sadly not Ireland (yet). The Local Irish Pub in downtown Minneapolis can hold its own serving a great Guinness to match those I had across the pond. I think a lot of taste is in the head and not the glass. Naturally it is going to be better in Ireland because of that.

One brew I had was Barooni's from Waiheke Island in the Bay near Auckland, New Zealand. How? My former neighbor lives there and brought me back a bottle to try. They will not ship because they cannot guarantee its freshness (I asked them). It was exquisite and I hope to visit the brewery there some day soon.

Always found at my house:
Negra Modelo
Guinness (in the can, with carbonater ball--tastes amazingly close to tap)
Rolling Rock
Hoegaarden

quote:

Originally posted by mbrookes

I don't think anyone has mentioned my two favorites: Pilsner Urquel and Anchor Steam. I am that rare animal, a female beer drinker. I actually prefer beer to wine or mixed drinks.

I don't much like the real heavy dark beers, although my husband does. He belongs to a beer of the month club and has received some really good ones that are not available locally.

I saw the Pilsner Urquel on an earlier posting about Beers from The Czech Republic. Please scroll up to the top of the page and read down SLOWLY.
David O.

Thanks everybody for the great responses to this posting!!! Beer is a great topic to talk about because there so many to choose from! Probably more beer producers in the world than vintners!!! Please expound on the reason why you like your particular favorites. Does anyone else brew their own stuff out there? I brewed a very nice Nut Brown Ale that tasted suspiciously like New Castle once but haven't done it since. I wish I had the time to brew again but with a five year old in the house it's just not feasible. Hope to get some more feedback and keep this post alive for a while.

Happy Quaffing, David O.