Official Craft Brew Thread

[Deleted]

Not sure this will last or if people will contribute, but I thought it - like Boz's concert thread - might be a nice alternative to all the politics. So...

... had any good beers lately? I'm talking craft brews (breweries that produce around 15,000 barrels or so per year), so that does NOT include the likes of Sam Adams, all these new Michelob brands, etc. Some recent tastings I've had:

Saranac Pumpkin Ale - a mediocre pumpkin ale. Has a nice caramel and cloves aroma, but the pumpkin spice taste is a bit artificial. Seemed watered down.

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale - really good pumpkin ale. The malt and pumpkin flavors are nicely balanced, there's some cinnamon to it, and the pumpkin spice doesn't taste artificial. Pretty smooth.

Otter Creek Oktoberfest - a decent American Oktoberfest. Sweet malts with a nice citrus taste. Not a traditional Oktoberfest, but a bit tastier than your average choice.

Great Lakes Oktoberfest - delicious. I do most of my new beer tastings with my cousins and my one friend, and we all agreed... there is more flavor in the Otter Creek, but this is a more traditional Oktoberfest, and another beaut from GL. A much more "organic," toasted, malty taste.

Rogue Chocolate Stout - Rogue is one of my five favorite breweries (Rogue Brutal Bitter being perhaps my favorite beer ever), and the Chocolate Stout (not sure how it escaped me for so long) didn't disappoint. Thick, malty, nutty and - of course - chocolatey. Has a nice hoppy back to it. I've had better chocolate stouts/porters, but this is very good.

and

Southern Tier Pumking - as the name might suggest, the absolute king of pumpkin/American oktoberfest beers, if you ask me. Great pumpkin taste without tasting artificial, notes of gingerbread, strong ABV, tastes of brown sugar and caramel. It literally tastes like you're drinking mom's homemade pumpkin pie. Just needs some whipped cream!

Let's hear what you've had recently.

EDIT: Also, anyone willing to trade? NY distribution laws suck, so I can't get my hands on the likes of Bells, Breckenridge, Three Floyds, etc.

[JohnJacquesLayup]

Although you may not care for that particular Saranac, have you had the Brooklyn Brown Ale? Despite what the bottle label may say, I'm 99.9% sure Brooklyn is a contract brew from the Matt brewing company (makers of Saranac) in Utica, NY.

[Bando]

I went to the Magic Hat brewery in August. They had a beer that smelled like scotch who's name escapes me at the moment. It was quite drunktastic.

[kchoya]

B-E-E-R???

-- living in Utah

[hoopsmccan]

Huge fan of Rogue beers - have you ever had their Hazelnut Brown? Definitely one of my favorites - its not a beer you necessarily will make a night out of drinking, but having one or two to start out a night is a good way to go. I run into it very randomly on tap at bars (for some reason, several Nashville bars had it, but I only found it once in NYC). Some liquor stores carry it though, so I get my fix...

(and the Rogue Chocolate Stout works really well in chili...i use it instead of Guinness)

hm

[Filo]

I love Porters. My favorite is from al ocal NJ brewer, Flying Fish Brewing Co., but I can't seem to find it lately. Not sure how widely available it is but probably limited to the mid-Atlantic.

There is a Chickory Stout from Dogfish Head that is pretty good (Dogfish Head is a Delaware brewer, but seems to be more widely distributed than Flying Fish).

I did not really like the Smuttynose Porter all that much.

Otter Creek's Stovepipe Porter is OK.

Not sure if Fuller's London Porter counts as a craft brew - don't know much about it, but I just bought a six-pack and it is pretty good.

Another of my favorites is Dogfish Head's Raison D'Etre (A deep, mahogany ale brewed with beet sugar, green raisins, and Belgian-style yeast. As complex as a fine, red wine. Voted "American Beer of the Year" in January 2000 by Malt Advocate Magazineis also excellent.)

Will definitely have to find the Rogue Chocolate Stout, as well as some of the pumpkin ales suggested (I have not been all that thrilled with the pumkin ales I have had so far).

Thanks for starting this Buff. Great idea.

[rosslynhoya]

I tasted Bell's Oberon, a summer wheat from Kalamazoo, for the first time last night. It had a slightly spicy aspect to it, overtones of nutmeg perhaps. With an orange tone, it also reminded me of pumpkin. The only negative was perhaps a little too much sediment in the bottle, which almost seems a token gesture to demonstrate that they're not a homogenized mass-market brew.

I definitely rate this a "Buy" if you can find it, but it'll be replaced by their Oktoberfest soon, or so I'm told. PS- it's fun to say Kalamazoo.

[Deleted]

Filo - Southern Tier Pumking is a gift from God him/herself. Get your hands on it somehow.

hoops - the Hazelnut is fantastic. I actually rocked a 22 of it on opening day for the Bills at our tailgate. Fantastic way to start the season, as I'm sure you could imagine. Good call on the Raison D'Etre, very tasty... although Dogfish head pi--es me off with their ridiculous prices for FOUR packs of 90-min and 120-min IPA's. I know there's a hops shortage and all, but c'mon now... Oh, and the Rogue Chocolate Stout in chili? Genius. You're a god amongst men.

Bando - are you talking about Jinx? That and hI.P.A. are the only Magic Hats I enjoy anymore. Their quality has steadily decreased over the years, in my opinion. But Jinx and hI.P.A. continue to delight.

JJL - have you been on the Matt Brewing brewery tour? Its one of the best I've been on, although admittedly I haven't been on many (not counting the Labatt and Molson breweries in Canada). Saranac can be hit or miss for me, but I am a huge fan of their Imperial IPA. Had it at the Buffalo Brewfest last summer poured pretty fresh, and it was amazing.

[Deleted]

Sept 24, 2008 9:39:22 GMT -5 rosslynhoya said:

I tasted Bell's Oberon, a summer wheat from Kalamazoo, for the first time last night. It had a slightly spicy aspect to it, overtones of nutmeg perhaps. With an orange tone, it also reminded me of pumpkin. The only negative was perhaps a little too much sediment in the bottle, which almost seems a token gesture to demonstrate that they're not a homogenized mass-market brew.

I definitely rate this a "Buy" if you can find it, but it'll be replaced by their Oktoberfest soon, or so I'm told. PS- it's fun to say Kalamazoo.

Bells makes amazing beer, and unfortunately one of the brands I can't get here in facist New York State. I hope you didn't drink the sediment... I haven't had Oberon, but some beers have a second or third fermentation in-bottle where you're supposed to pour everything but the last quarter inch or so.

And for those of you who said you liked stouts/porters, Bells Expedition Stout is the best stout I've ever had, and lordy lord is it STRONG. Definitely a sipping beer.

[JohnJacquesLayup]

Sept 24, 2008 9:41:10 GMT -5 buffalohoya said:

JJL - have you been on the Matt Brewing brewery tour? Its one of the best I've been on, although admittedly I haven't been on many (not counting the Labatt and Molson breweries in Canada). Saranac can be hit or miss for me, but I am a huge fan of their Imperial IPA. Had it at the Buffalo Brewfest last summer poured pretty fresh, and it was amazing.

Yeah, I've toured the Matt brewery and it was pretty awesome. I've only been to a couple breweries also, like Dominion and Williamsburg (VA), so I don't have a lot to compare it too either. One of my old GU roommates is the son of the owner, so there were some perks with that.

[CAHoya07]

Tombs has a nice, new craft brew that has replaced Miller High Life. It's called Starr Hill Pale Ale, it's brewed in Charlottesville, VA, and has won a bunch of awards recently. It's a very tasty IPA, with lots of hops and bite. I don't know if Tombs has ever had a local, craft brew on draft, at least not since I've been going there.

On a side note, I'm sure many will bemoan the removal of Miller High Life, but Busch Light is still available for $7.95 a pitcher.

Other craft brews that I've had recently:

Samuel Smiths Imperial Stout - all their beers are great, and this might be the richest, smoothest stout I've had. Also try Nut Brown Ale and Oatmeal Stout.

Victory Hop Devil - solid, rich IPA, a little darker than most.

Victory Festbier - a dark, rich, tasty Octoberfest style lager.

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout - supposed to be a winter seasonal, but randomly found it at Harris Teeter last week. Can be be hard to find, but it is worth it. Strong (10% ABV)

Spaten Optimator - a dark, German doppelbock, very rich and tasty.

Zywiec Porter - a strong Polish porter (9% ABV), a lot of great flavors going on.

Clipper City Marzhon - another Octoberfest style lager, dark and delicious, can't wait to try more of their beers.

Sam Adams Octoberfest - not sure if they apply, and not quite as good as other Octobest beers I've had, but worth a try. Malty flavor with some caramel and even fruit flavor.

This has been one of my hobbies as of late, so I'll probably be back with some more at some point. Also, anyone near the NYC area should take a look at the Brooklyn Brewery, it's a small, simple place with a lot of great brews. They have tours on weekends and a happy hour special on Friday night, I believe.

[hoopsmccan]

People might want to look into beer-of-the-month clubs to checkout different microbrews. It was a Christmas gift many years ago that kept on giving (until I moved out of DC to states which frown upon alcohol deliveries). I received two six packs a month from two different micro breweries. Mainly hits, some misses (though even the misses found a way to disappear). I wish I had kept a list of the beers I really liked. Its not like Wagners was carrying the beers anyway, but now that I have access and can afford quality stuff, it would be nice to have that list. I guess that means I'll have to research the craft beer issue further...

hm

[rosslynhoya]

That's the kind of research I can support. Screw all this curing incurable diseases crap.

On the other hand, if you're not a commitment guy and/or want more control over what you sample, I strongly endorse checking out the fruity gourmet beer isle at Whole Foods ... there always seems to be something new (or something new by a familiar someone). Best of all, they have a tendency to put at least some of the weird stuff into the refrigerated section.

The other places to surprise me are the random little deli/convenience stores of northern VA. There's nothing like running in someplace random to pick up a cold six-pack and getting to choose from multiple varieties of Stone, for example.

Mmmmm, it's going to be a long day today....

[SFHoya99]

San Diego is known for Stone, but if you get a chance, try Green Flash beers as well. I think I've actually seen them in NYC.

Up in the Bay Area, Berkeley-based Trumer makes a great Pilsner -- which is pretty rare in the micro-brew world where IPAs rule. I'm also a big fan of El Toro's Poppy Jasper, but that's been around a long time.

Pyramid's Draught Pale Ale is probably my favorite Pale -- incredibly smooth -- but I've only actually seen it at their breweries. It's obviously not bottled.

The West Coast is pretty cool for Beers. We have a lot of really small craft beer places. They aren't necessarily all great, but they are all good. I've got one right next to my work (Pacific Coast Brewing, plus a Pyramid, Trumer and some more corporate places) and two right next to my parents' place in SD (Karl Strauss - mediocre, Pizza Port - very nice).

[PushyGuyFanClub]

This is good: www.northcoastbrewing.com/beer-rasputin.htm

[Boz]

I like my beer like I like my music:

British and Sassy!

Boddington's & Old Speckled Hen are two of my favorites.

I don't think those fall into the "craft" beer category Buff established, but just sharing.

The little corner store near me always carries Brooklyn though, so I do pick that up once in a while, whatever "flavor" strikes me that day. It gets the job done.

But the beer I drink the most?

I think it's a Central American or South American Lite beer, I can't tell the language. All I know is it's got that weird "double L" thing going on in the middle of the name, so I'm not sure how it's pronounced.

I think it's: "Mee-Yair." ;D

[Deleted]

Sept 24, 2008 10:52:56 GMT -5 SFHoya99 said:

San Diego is known for Stone, but if you get a chance, try Green Flash beers as well. I think I've actually seen them in NYC.

Up in the Bay Area, Berkeley-based Trumer makes a great Pilsner -- which is pretty rare in the micro-brew world where IPAs rule. I'm also a big fan of El Toro's Poppy Jasper, but that's been around a long time.

Pyramid's Draught Pale Ale is probably my favorite Pale -- incredibly smooth -- but I've only actually seen it at their breweries. It's obviously not bottled.

The West Coast is pretty cool for Beers. We have a lot of really small craft beer places. They aren't necessarily all great, but they are all good. I've got one right next to my work (Pacific Coast Brewing, plus a Pyramid, Trumer and some more corporate places) and two right next to my parents' place in SD (Karl Strauss - mediocre, Pizza Port - very nice).

Green Flash Imperial IPA is like drinking buds. No joke.

I'm not talking nasty bong water, I'm talking delicious, delicious nuggets.

[hoyatables]

Tombs + Starr Hill = heaven for this Georgetown undergrad/UVA law person. Thanks for the tip. I've seen Starr Hill making its way around here for some time. Sadly I learned that they no longer host concerns down in Charlottesville, which is very sad.

[hifigator]

Sept 24, 2008 12:32:54 GMT -5 buffalohoya said:

Sept 24, 2008 10:52:56 GMT -5 SFHoya99 said:

San Diego is known for Stone, but if you get a chance, try Green Flash beers as well. I think I've actually seen them in NYC.

Up in the Bay Area, Berkeley-based Trumer makes a great Pilsner -- which is pretty rare in the micro-brew world where IPAs rule. I'm also a big fan of El Toro's Poppy Jasper, but that's been around a long time.

Pyramid's Draught Pale Ale is probably my favorite Pale -- incredibly smooth -- but I've only actually seen it at their breweries. It's obviously not bottled.

The West Coast is pretty cool for Beers. We have a lot of really small craft beer places. They aren't necessarily all great, but they are all good. I've got one right next to my work (Pacific Coast Brewing, plus a Pyramid, Trumer and some more corporate places) and two right next to my parents' place in SD (Karl Strauss - mediocre, Pizza Port - very nice).

Green Flash Imperial IPA is like drinking buds. No joke.

I'm not talking nasty bong water, I'm talking delicious, delicious nuggets.

Isn't that supposed to be my line?


As to the beers, I too love Old Speckled Hen.

Another one of my favorites is just about anything from the Flying Dog Brewery. I'm not sure how big they are, so they might not officially fit into this category, but if so, then I give them a "buy" rating. The beers have nicknames, like "Tire Bite" and "Snake Bite," and are recognizable by their appearance. They have straight line graphics on them with almost Picasso-like random pictures and the color of the bottle gives away the flavor. I really like all of them that I have had except the wheat ale. For some reason, that one didn't do much for me. They aren't super expesive or budget beers either. I think they hit an attractive price range, typically from a low of $6 a six pack to up around $9 depending on location.

One thing to look for: last Christmas they had gift packs. I think there were 3 each of 5 different flavors for a 15 pack mix. That's a decent way to try an assortment.

[Deleted]

Flying Dog graphics are done by Ralph Steadman, good friend of - and sometime illustrator for - Hunter S. Thompson.

Flying Dog, beer-wise, is pretty decent.

EDIT: Many craft breweries put out seasonal packs, often for summer, autumn and winter.