Booze The recommend-a-beer thread

[UnholyGoalie]

I'm not terribly partial to pumpkin beers. It seems a little wierd to me. Kinda like beers that have blueberries and raspberries in them. I don't mean lambics, I mean beers with fruit in them. It just seems like a bit too much.
I want to see how far a brewer can push his water, malt, hops and yeast instead of reaching for pomegranite or goose berries.

sorry, I guess I'm crazy

You're not crazy. Just different strokes for different blokes. I think a lot of brewers try to make pumpkin beer into "pumpkin pie in a bottle" and some are good some not so. A friend of mine brewed a pumpkin beer and it was probably the truest form I've ever tasted. Very different than what you normally get as the spices were all but absent leaving behind a beer with a blunted vegetable quality. At first I didn't know what was up but when I was told it was a pumpkin beer, sure enough, the pumpkin was pronounced. A good beer but different than what you'd expect.

 

[UnholyGoalie]

Ladyface Wiezenbock (delicious)
Ladyface Wiezenbock with pumpkin pie spices (friggin' delicious)

 

[daxx]

Had Staropramen in Prague a few months ago, and I'll see how it tasts here in the States because Bevmo now carries it. Pretty effin cool!

You know what, it was almost the exact same as it is on draft in Prague. It had an extremely mild skunk to it that the beer in CZ didn't have. Other than that it was awesome. It made me feel like I was back there. Pilsner Urquell may be the original pilsner, but I think Staropramen is way better. It has a nice mild malt flavor and an almost honey like after taste, but it isn't sweet. I definitely recommend it!

 

[DRGinLBC]

You're not crazy. Just different strokes for different blokes. I think a lot of brewers try to make pumpkin beer into "pumpkin pie in a bottle" and some are good some not so. A friend of mine brewed a pumpkin beer and it was probably the truest form I've ever tasted. Very different than what you normally get as the spices were all but absent leaving behind a beer with a blunted vegetable quality. At first I didn't know what was up but when I was told it was a pumpkin beer, sure enough, the pumpkin was pronounced. A good beer but different than what you'd expect.

I wish I had a buddy that brewed. Damn.

I'm seriously thinking of buying a starter kit and trying something. Does it need to be in a temperature controlled area? I'd have to use my garage and the temp fluctuates drastically.

 

[daxx]

I wish I had a buddy that brewed. Damn.

I'm seriously thinking of buying a starter kit and trying something. Does it need to be in a temperature controlled area? I'd have to use my garage and the temp fluctuates drastically.

If you brew in the winter time, and the garage doesn't get too crazy with the swings in temp you might be fine. If you get a small kit you can keep it inside when it's fermenting and just have it in a corner for the necessary time. That's what my buddy did, and he made great beers that way.

 

[mitchrock]

one of the best pumpkin beers out there. and I have no idea what that red thing is.

Tried this on Saturday based on BeerMan's recomendation. Great stuff. First thing I've tried by Hangar 24. Impressed I am.

 

[Stormy2213]

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

Word out of Sierra Nevada is that Celebration Ale shipped last week. I haven't seen it in the stores here yet, but I know SLO County blasts through the stuff like water. One of my all-time favorite beers. I wish they made it year round.

 

[mrm55]

Pilsner Urquell may be the original pilsner, but I think Staropramen is way better. It has a nice mild malt flavor and an almost honey like after taste, but it isn't sweet. I definitely recommend it!

Pilsner Urquell is great for an upset stomach.

 

[UnholyGoalie]

Bliss in a 12oz bottle. Need. To. Find. More!!!

 

[ICHockeyPeeps]

I liked this. Very crisp. Kinda tart & tangy.

 

[ICHockeyPeeps]

I like the smell, the taste, and the color. No lacing or head, whatsoever.

 

[rinkrat]

 

[BeerMan]

one of the best pumpkin beers out there.

go find this and come back to me.

 

[Salty Dog]

Had both of these this weekend, and both were damn fine beers. This coming from someone who isn't the biggest Belgium fan:

Straffe Hendrik Quadrupel - Chocolate, coffee, and spices with 11% ABV, but surprisingly without the strong alcohol burn of other similar beers.

Pauwel Kwak - more of an amber, still strong at 8% ABV, and with a fun drinking mug to go with it.

I got these at The Globe in downtown Garden Grove. If you like Belgiums, I highly recommend giving this place a try, all they have are Belgiums and the food was great too.

 

[UnholyGoalie]

Aventinus. Now I totally get why people love this beer.

 

[DougW8]

one of the best pumpkin beers out there.

go find this and come back to me.

Damn you Beerman! Now I have another quest, in which I will find 5 other beers I also want to try. I may be broke for the holidays, but at least I will have beer.

 

[roenick]

So we have a Seattle brewery called Elysian. They have some very good beer. A couple of years ago they hooked up with a local afternoon radio show, The Mens Room, and started brewing Mens Room Original Red, which was done for a portion of the proceeds for charity. The following is their explanation on the beer:

A portion of the net proceeds from every Mens Room Original Red sold goes to helping support the families of our military vets through the VA Puget Sound Fisher House and Ft. Lewis Fisher House.

So it is good call on what they do and they have raised about $300K for Fisher House in the past couple of years. I would fully recommend the Red. The interesting thing is that they made a very short run on a variation of the Red, which they called Mens Room Black. I have yet to find any but I will report back on it when I do. Apparently it is a dark red. Below is pics of both the Red and the Black bottles.

(sorry for poor shot of this but can't find any on line! same label only dude is "black" not red)

The black is described as: a limited edition imperial ale

If you find either of these I would suggest trying them. Good luck. Oh and you can listen to the Mens Room on podcast off of kisw.com. Great show.

 

[DMAN3474]

Virtual Taste: Brown Shugga' - YouTube

great beer, and at 9.9% it will have you feeling good in no time at all.

 

[DMAN3474]

ALso, this years Anchor Steam seasonal beer isnt bad. Way better than last years though.

 

[BeerMan]

Damn you Beerman! Now I have another quest, in which I will find 5 other beers I also want to try. I may be broke for the holidays, but at least I will have beer.

don't blame me. blame the wench.

we're exactly like you, always ending up with more than one bottle on a quest.