BEER (and apparently, WINE)

[Kindling]

Have you tried any American lagers?  Here's a tip, don't.  Instead, collect your dish water once the dishwasher has run, and drink that.  Guarantee it'll taste better.  Ales and stouts are more my thing.  No offense, but I enjoy flavor when I drink my beer. [/rant]

I agree with you on all counts except, oddly enough, Budweiser. Sure, it used to be generic pisswater, but a year or two back they changed the recipe... now made with "all natural ingredients" whatever that means, it's actually become a fairly decent, although not exceptional, lager.

I like a good ale or bitter as much as the next man, but I can't help but find they do sit very heavily on the palette and in in the stomach, so I drink lagers just as often, especially when the weather's sunny... it just doesn't feel right drinking anything but a light beer in the summer.

[SDragon]

I still don't like Bud all that much, really.

If you've never tried American beers, and want a sample of what they have to offer, try Pabst Blue Ribbon. I think it's very telling of almost every American beer I've ever had, save for a few microbrews.

[Haphazzard]

I agree with you on all counts except, oddly enough, Budweiser. Sure, it used to be generic pisswater, but a year or two back they changed the recipe... now made with "all natural ingredients" whatever that means, it's actually become a fairly decent, although not exceptional, lager.

I like a good ale or bitter as much as the next man, but I can't help but find they do sit very heavily on the palette and in in the stomach, so I drink lagers just as often, especially when the weather's sunny... it just doesn't feel right drinking anything but a light beer in the summer.

I'm not saying lagers don't have their place, but many of the lagers I've had just don't have flavor, the worst part is that those are the popular ones.  I've made lagers with more flavor than them.  As far as budweiser, it depends on what your talking about.  Bud light tastes like dishwater, but Budweiser Select isn't half bad.

If you've never tried American beers, and want a sample of what they have to offer, try Pabst Blue Ribbon.

I've found that people either swear by Pabst, or hate it.  I choose to describe it as though a really really really drunk man peed in a can and made me drink it.

On a further note, not half an hour ago my roomate's friend just said that "Beer is beer."  After resisting the urge to tar and feather her I continued to listen, and even after my roomate said that there's a difference between types of beers she asked "Really, you think so?"  I wanted to turn around and say "Well, considering it's a KNOWN FACT, I would have to go with a pounding and resounding YES."  I managed to save her life by focusing on Neverwinter Nights 2.  Nothing relieves stress quite as well as blowing away 10 people with a fireball.

[LordVreeg]

D'arenberg 'Dead Arm' '03.  Yummy, heavy, jammy.

Chateau D'agassac '98, thin at first, grows, adds berry and a wheaty lead taste, more smokey at the end.

[Kindling]

I'm not saying lagers don't have their place, but many of the lagers I've had just don't have flavor, the worst part is that those are the popular ones.  I've made lagers with more flavor than them.  As far as budweiser, it depends on what your talking about.  Bud light tastes like dishwater, but Budweiser Select isn't half bad.

Oh, I agree wholeheartedly. At least 90% of commercially-widespread lagers taste like metal, yeast, onions, vomit, urine or any combination of the above.

[LordVreeg]

Pio Cesare 97 tonight,  One of the best Barolo vintages in trhe last 20 years.  Stellar, smooth, deep, with a thickness and acidity that sneaks up on you like Thomas Dolby's 'Velvet gauntlet in Vaseline'...

[LordVreeg]

Beringer Alluvium '98 tonight.  Has a little spice before the dark velvet crushes in.  very yummy.  Very good with the rib eye done on thre grill with garlic and volcanic salt.

[Nomadic]

Personally I prefer a good stewart's



mmm root beer. Now that is the beer of champions ;)

[brainface]

ROOT beer? are you CRAZY?

THIS is a beer:

[LordVreeg]

Maybe I should keep my wine reporets to myself.

[Ishmayl-Retired]

No, no, no, don't be silly.

[Nomadic]

yes please no wine-ing



</horrible pun>

[SDragon]

No, no, no, don't be silly.

Agreed. I've actually been waiting for the chance to happen across one of the wines you've reviewed, so I can try it out myself.

[Haphazzard]

Maybe I should keep my wine reporets to myself.

Then what fun is there in life?  I happen to enjoy the discussions we have here, your wine reports included.  Though, the thread is titled just BEER.  So, I don't see why we should wine and other spirits and not Root beer.

[Mock26]

For beers my favorite at the moment is Blanche de Chambly, a nice Belgium style white ale made in Quebec.  I also recommend Maudite and La Fin de Monde, both by the same brewery, Unibroue.  I'm also a big fan of lambics.

For American beers, Three Floyds out of Indiana has some of the best consumer rated beers in the country!  (Check out www.beeradvocate.com)  Goose Island also makes some good beers here in Chicago.  If you are going to buy American I would suggest micro-breweries.  For those in central New York State I would suggest Middle Ages Brewery in Syracuse.  They make some very nice beers, especially their Kilt Lifter and Druid Fluid.

Please keep the discussion open to wine!  In fact, let's open it up to all alcoholic beverages, especially scotch and mead.