The Official Beer Lovers Thread

[ksBRONCOfan]

...the beer.



My sister-in-law gave me a bottle of Santa's Butt last night. It tasted like your run of the mill porter, nothing special.

[ksBRONCOfan]

Picked up a sixer of these last night. Really good.

[Circle Orange]

Red Bull. Smooth, full bodied and even in taste. Kick.

Molson. Smooth, slightly dry with a kick.

Magnum. Deep, slightly 'malty sour' taste. slow kick.

[broncoblue]

Originally Posted by Circle Orange

Red Bull. Smooth, full bodied and even in taste. Kick.....is high energy soft drink here

Molson. Smooth, slightly dry with a kick.....beer

Magnum. Deep, slightly 'malty sour' taste. slow kick.

.....80's telly PI and a chocolate ice cream...hahaha

[Circle Orange]

Heh, for some reason Red Bull dosen't appear as beer in some localities. But trust me, it exists in 40s, 32s, 24s, and six packs. Looks simililar to the blue bull logo except it's red.

(or pink, as in elephants)

[Irish Stout]

Originally Posted by Circle Orange

Heh, for some reason Red Bull dosen't appear as beer in some localities. But trust me, it exists in 40s, 32s, 24s, and six packs. Looks simililar to the blue bull logo except it's red.

(or pink, as in elephants)

Its made by schlitz-miller and there is red bull and red bull ice. I've only ever seen it in 40s and 32s here in CO. If you ate nothing but burnt toast covered in tobasco sauce for a month then took a dump, brewed that dump into a malt liquor thats what red bull would taste like. It is absolutely horrendous, but pretty fantastic if you are 16 years old and trying to get wasted quickly and cheaply.

[ksBRONCOfan]

Hey Stout, I saw over on the main board you made some home brew. (Didn't want to beer jack the PJ Pope thread)

What style did you make? I need to get a batch going soon, but can't decide what to make.

[Irish Stout]

Actually I've got a 5 gallon keg of pale ale and I've got a bunch of bottles of what was supposed to be a porter but tastes a little more like fermented cardboard instead. I don't know why, but I have so much more success with my beers when kegging... Its easier and quicker.

[ksBRONCOfan]

Hmm.. I haven't looked into kegging. I've only made a hefeweisen so far. It turned out pretty good. I've been thinking about doing an irish red, but I might want something with a little more kick, like a pale ale or even a IPA.

[BroncoBuff]

Today's Seattle Post-Intelligencer taste-tested seven "craft-brews" from major brewers, and they didn't do too well. One was compared to UW football (winless) ... the tasters said it was more like lemonade than beer

This were supposed to be MAJOR brewers' craft beers, but the winner was Colorado's New Belgium Brewery ... with their "Mothership Wit," rated 9 out of 10.

Are big brewers' new craft beers any good? We taste and find out

By GEOFF KAISER
SPECIAL TO THE P-I

While the typical U.S. beer drinker historically has preferred light American lagers, consumers' taste buds are changing. The larger brewers, such as Anheuser-Busch, SABMiller and Molson Coors, have noticed that the craft beer segment is the rising star of the beer market. While the light American lager will always remain the bread and butter of these large breweries, they are expanding their product lines across the country to include various styles typical of craft beers.

The larger breweries have been trying to grab market share from the craft beer market for several years now, with the likes of Blue Moon (brewed by Molson Coors) and a variety of styles from Michelob (Brewed by A-B). But, A-B's recent release of Budweiser American Ale has garnered serious attention.

"We are living in a time period that many see as a 'beer renaissance,' and consumers have many choices," said Keith Levy, vice president of brand management for A-B. "Craft beers are a key driver for the growth of the industry, and we feel that Budweiser American Ale and our Michelob craft line will allow consumers to explore beer styles with a name that America trusts."
The main question on many craft beer drinkers' minds: Are these "macro-craft" beers really any good?

The response to the new American Ale has been mostly positive, even from many die-hard craft beer drinkers. But it's going to be a tough sell in markets such as Seattle and Portland, which are arguably the two most craft-beer-dominated markets in the country.

We recently held a blind tasting of craft-style beers and included several beers from the large brewers, as well as beers from more traditional craft brewers. The participants included casual beers drinkers who usually reach for a light lager, as well as typical craft-beer drinkers who enjoy a variety of styles from various brewers. The beers were judged on a 10-point scale.

Amber Ale

Budweiser American Ale: 6/10
Alaskan Amber: 7/10

Looking at both of these beers in their glasses, it's impossible to tell which is the macro and which is the craft. Overall, the Alaskan Amber came out ahead in the tasting, but not by much. The American Ale held its own with a lightly sweet malt backing and a definite taste of citrus from the dry-hopping process. But several tasters thought the sample was "watery" and just too thin for the style. It's a step in the right direction for A-B, and it is a good option for craft beer consumers focused on price. The American Ale recently was selling for $6.99 per six-pack at a local grocer, while the Alaskan Amber was selling for $7.99 per six-pack (on sale from $8.99).



Pale Ale

Michelob Pale Ale: 5/10
Full Sail Pale Ale: 7/10

Michelob Pale Ale was released in September, but it was tough to find in the Seattle market. Once again, the A-B product held its own and surprised with an ample hop aroma. But there was an overbearing bitter astringency in the taste that several of us noticed. In contrast, the Full Sail Pale Ale was more balanced, offering some caramel malts and mild hop flavor without the bitter astringency. With so many great pale ales in the Northwest, the Michelob could be a tough sell.



Belgian-style wheat ale

Michelob Shock Top Belgian White: 4/10
Blue Moon Belgian White: 6/10
New Belgium Mothership Wit: 9/10

There is a large market for this thirst-quenching style, but there are few regular offerings from local brewers, which leaves plenty of opportunity for the big brewers. Molson Coors has been brewing Blue Moon Belgian White since 1995 and has been successful in marketing the beer across the U.S. A-B followed suit with Shock Top in 2006 and has a lot of ground to make up. We all agreed the Blue Moon was pleasant and refreshing, but it also was a little bland. The Shock Top was disappointing and offered very little character from the wheat. One taster noted it was "as bad as Husky football," and another stated, "It tastes closer to lemonade than it does beer." Ouch. Neither of these macro-craft beers lived up to the full, yet still refreshing, taste of the Mothership Wit from well-known craft brewer New Belgium Brewing in Colorado.


Summary: All of the tasters agreed they would welcome good craft-style beers from the large brewers. But after seeing the results of this blind tasting, no one was running out the door to buy any six-packs. The Budweiser American Ale is the most impressive of the bunch, but the big guys still have a long way to go. I encourage consumers to try these and make their own decisions, but don't forget to support your local breweries as well.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/food/387357_beer12.html

[Irish Stout]

Originally Posted by ksBRONCOfan

Hmm.. I haven't looked into kegging. I've only made a hefeweisen so far. It turned out pretty good. I've been thinking about doing an irish red, but I might want something with a little more kick, like a pale ale or even a IPA.

Kegging is way easier than bottling and its not too hard to haul around the 5 gallon kegs. Problem is once you've got the kegs you'll want a kegerator. The kegs can be found for like $35 and the CO2 tanks between $40-80 depending on size and use.

[ksBRONCOfan]

I picked up the Saranac 12 Beers of Winter pack. So far I've tried the Season's Best and the India Brown Ale. The Season's Best was ok, but I really liked the IBA. The IBA was like an IPA with some malt flavor. The Season's Best was a little too nutty.

[ElwayMD]

Might have said it before but Magic Hat Circus Boy is just an easy drinking and complex beer...




it almost has a citrus aftertaste to it. Needless to say I pick up a 6 whenever I'm around the only store in my area that carries it.

[alkemical]

That's actually one of my fav's -

I was drinking Stoudt's Fat dog and Spatan Optimater over the weekend.

[alkemical]

http://www.stoudtsbeer.com/brewery_s...big-beers.html

[elsid13]

Kona Brewery - Pipeline Porter. I was a little wary of this one, since I have other selections from them that were underwhelming to say the least. But this actually good. It made with Kona coffee beans and you can tasted them in the brew. If you like the taste of coffee in your porter and stout this good one to go with.

[ksBRONCOfan]

The holiday's brought me a set of these awesome Sam Adams glasses and a bottle of this delicious Chocolate Bock. It had a smooth chocolate taste to it with a smokey finish.

[Irish Stout]

The real question is how smokey and how chocolatey and did they go together?

[elsid13]

Originally Posted by ksBRONCOfan

The holiday's brought me a set of these awesome Sam Adams glasses and a bottle of this delicious Chocolate Bock. It had a smooth chocolate taste to it with a smokey finish.

I have a bottle in the fridge that I am plannning to have after I get over the freaking cold.

[ksBRONCOfan]

Originally Posted by Irish Stout

The real question is how smokey and how chocolatey and did they go together?

It starts with a smooth chocolate flavor, not like you are drinking chocolate milk, but enough to taste the flavor of chocolate. The smokey flavor comes at the end, it not a strong one like in a scotch. And yes, I think they go great together. It was a very tasty beer.

[elsid13]

Originally Posted by ksBRONCOfan

It starts with a smooth chocolate flavor, not like you are drinking chocolate milk, but enough to taste the flavor of chocolate. The smokey flavor comes at the end, it not a strong one like in a scotch. And yes, I think they go great together. It was a very tasty beer.

If you like this, you need to pick up Stone Brewery Smoked Peat Stout. It is an excellent brew. Be warned it will hit you hard if you not ready for it.

[ksBRONCOfan]

Originally Posted by elsid13

If you like this, you need to pick up Stone Brewery Smoked Peat Stout. It is an excellent brew. Be warned it will hit you hard if you not ready for it.

Hmmm... I doubt I can get it my small town.

Another special brew I've had from Sam Adams was the Imperial Pilsner. I enjoyed the heck out of that. That thing was loaded with hops. One of these days I'm going to get my hands on a bottle of Utopia.

[Irish Stout]

Just had the Red Hook IPA. Not that sharp, tastes more like a pale ale. However, it was delicious with a full body taste. Its similar to a 90 shilling with a smoother, less pungent after taste and more citrus up front. Its what I would call a simpler beer, but with all very good quality in its simplicity. Its hard to believe this is an IPA, its just not that bitter, but it is good. As the PAs and IPAs have definitely become my favorite styles of beer I can gaurantee I will be drinking a lot of this.

The Longhammer IPA exceeds the quality of Red Hooks old standby ESB and comes in at a reasonable price of around $12/12 pack at my local beer store.

[Circle Orange]

Originally Posted by Circle Orange

Red Bull. Smooth, full bodied and even in taste. Kick.

Molson. Smooth, slightly dry with a kick.

Magnum. Deep, slightly 'malty sour' taste. slow kick.

Oh, and Miller gold premium is good. lots of clarity.

[elsid13]

Dragon's Milk by New Holland. It is very interesting ale. Very dark (as dark as most porters) until you hold it to the light were you will see the reddish highlight. Very complex taste with the vanilla, the caramel-malts and oak barrel brewing. The oak barrel gives that slight whiskey aftertaste that some might not like, but I am a fan. I wish I was to get this on tap fresh, because I think I could really love this ale.