favorite bottled beers

[spacemonkey]

Ahhh Behold the power of beer...Nothing like a good chimay in the glass. or for some thing domestic a good fat tire or a sierra nevada pale ale.. Boulevard beer in Kansas city ships a good pale ale

Newcastle is the best cleanest tasting brown ale...

what about the red hook winterfest that was tasty..

Only beer that wont pass my lips is one of the big three bud miller coors that is not really beer it is horsey honkey!!!

[Stone]

I, too, prefer Corsendonk to Chimay, but's it not as easy to find.  Singha is also preferable to Tsing Tao or, in my opinion, any Japanese beer.

I also recommend Golden Eagle as my favorite Indian beer.  I find it has a great bite to it, almost salty.  Perfect for the flavors of Indian food.

My current favorite bottled beer is Sierra Nevada, recently listed one Saveur's 100 best foods (or whatever they call it).  It has an excellent hop character that's not overwhelming.

Other beers I love to find:  Harpoon's Winter Ale (I don't know if it's bottled).  Great undertones of pumpkin and clove.  Sam Smith's Nut Brown -- a little sweet for some, but well worth the price for the bottle.  Orangeaboom.  Can't seem to find it outside of England.

And yes, on a hot summer day, nothing beats a Bud.

[jhlurie]

Quote: from spacemonkey on 1:00 pm on Feb. 3, 2002

Newcastle is the best cleanest tasting brown ale...

spacemonkey, I completely agree.  I love Newcastle--no matter how many times people tell me there are better brown ales, I always return to it.

[Stone]

Yeah, Newkies are great.  Have you had Threakstons (sp?)?  

[Thomas Secor]

For those who have been praising the Anchor Steam, I would also strongly suggest the Liberty Ale (also put out by Anchor), which has fantastic depth of flavor, although it can be a little overwhelming for those who think beer should be something relatively tasteless, reserved for hot days.  In addition, occassionally you can find Small Beer brewed by Anchor.  Traditionally "small beers" are brewed using a once used mash, in Anchor's case, the mash from their barley wine beer (the exact name of which I cannot recall).  Because the original batch has such high alcohol content, a second batch can be brewed from the same mash and still have some flavor and alcohol content (though nothing like the first).  The rationale I have heard most often is that historically, it was not the output that was taxed, i.e. the beer itself, but rather various of the ingredients, so that if a brewer could get more product from the same amount of ingredients he would effectively be paying less tax per unit.

Amusingly, Anchor Steam's Small Beer, comes in very large bottles.  And is quite good.

I concur that Brooklyn is one of the foremost small breweries in the States right now.  For those who havent tried anything but the lager, the Pennant Ale is much crisper and cleaner (an easier switch for a bud drinker).  The double chocolate stout will introduce you to the concept that the label "beer" is a tremendous umbrella.  I think that Oliver Garrett (the brooklyn brewmaster) is one of the more creative brewmasters in the States.  If you get a chance to hear him speak at a beer festival, you should go.  He is an extremely dynamic speaker and lucid educator regarding the subject.  On top of all that, the Brooklyn brewery has attempted to revive a wilting community in Brooklyn by sponsoring open houses, block parties and various other community events.

Sam Adams ?  Don't care much for it, I think Sam Adams is bested by numerous similar beers (including Brooklyn Lager, Red Hook, Goose Island etc.), but continues to get the kudos for being the "alternative" to the big three, which it ironically receives, because its the most widely distributed, and therefore best known and most ubiquitous, "microbrew" (a term it doesnt deserve).  I think that Sam Adams is the only microbrewery (other than Red Hook) to have gone public (late 95?) and taken its distribution national.

If anyone in the Northeast gets a chance to try it, I highly recommend Stoudt's line of beers, including Stoudt's Fest, which has received many awards.  I believe the brewery is located in Pennsylvania.

For those of you in the States who like the white (wheat) beers, you can try Celis, which promoted itself as the first U.S. belgium beer, and is amusingly located in Texa (Austin, I think).

For those of you in London like myself, you can find a great range of beers, including the Anchor line, at Borough Market.

Good drinking.

[Stone]

I agree that Sam Adams is over-rated.  I think they got a huge boost by being the first well-distributed alternative to the big-guys, but it's not all that interesting compared to a lot of other stuff out there.

As for IPOs, I'm pretty sure that Pyramid went public (and didn't do well).

What about Pete's Wicked Ale?  I find it too sweet to be refreshing, but it still seems to sell well.  (I think Pete's might have gone public also.)

[Jim Dixon]

Portland is a great beer town, and our best beers probably don't travel too far. Most of this winter I've been drinking Bridgeport's malty and dark seasonal ale, Ebenezer. In the summer I switch to their award-winning IPA, loaded with hops and the first thing I want when I climb off my bike after work.

But our very best is brewed by the tiny Hair]http://www.hairofthedog.com/beers.html]Hair of the Dog. Fred Eckardt called it the best brewery in the country, but they named a beer after him so he's probably a bit biased.

Jim

[stellabella]

So you can't make it down to your local microbrewery...

local microbrewery?  cruel, cruel, cruel.............

i agree with steven that belgian beers are the best tasting, but they put me to sleep instantly.  in paris my sister and i went to a belgian place and tried six different beers--three hours later we were eating cigarettes and crying.  belgian beer tastes so good but it makes me postively drunk and uncharming.  so unfair.  when i was actually in belgium i loved the rochefort--but at 9% alcohol it nearly killed me.  I found that it went well with food.  it's not something i'd knock back after a long day at work, on an empty stomach.

when i'm up north i buy my husband cases of yuengling porter, lord chesterfield, black and tan.  in central PA last summer we tried Troegs and brought back several cases of it--still have a couple six packs left.

on valentine's day i went to the farmer's market in Atlanta looking for some sam smith's for my hub and they didn't have it.  instead i picked up mackeson's triple stout brewed by whitbread in london.  i like it a lot--tho it's probably too sweet for some palates.

i chime in to the consensus on sam adams--i was just thinking about that today.  too heavily hopped for me.

newcastle, negro modelo, when we run out of our PA beer, are our cervezas de la casa.

[winodj]

When it comes to German Beer: I have two words War Steiner. :-) Michigan Brewing Company, a local brewer in Lansing Michigan area makes a nice Ale... can't recall the name of it though. But I don't usually drink exotic beers. Of course, I'm sure that will change eventually. I usually drink Labatts. Its a big beer but a decent one. Definitely a step up from Red Dog, Schlitz or whatever else was on sale at the Supermarket in college.

[rmajumdar]

Best bottled beer ever: Schneider Weisse.  Full, Spicy, complex.  Great head.  Best served with the proper glass.  Pour (as the Germans do) with the head of the bottle in the beer, remove just before it's empty, swirl and pour the rest in, watching the yeasty deposit fall to the bottom.

[yvonne johnson]

Worthington White Shield. It's been a couple of years since I had one, but it is a very fine beer. I don't pour in the sediment, but I hear some people do. The next time I'm over to London I must have one.

For those unfamiliar with this beer, here's some more on it from Michael Jackson

http://www.beerhunter.com/documents/19133-000194.html

[rmajumdar]

Yvonne,

The last time I was in the Wenlock I noticed they had some White Shield although I always stick to the draft.  

Robin

[AdamLawrence]

White Shield: a truly classic drink. Best of all, it's one of the few beers that has (eventually) benefitted from all the shenanigans in the UK brewing industry. After journeying round several UK breweries, production of White Shield is back where it belongs, in Burton (it's now being brewed at the Bass Museum).

I haven't had White Shield for a while, but strongly recommend it. Even before the recent explosion of bottle-conditioned beers, White Shield stood out as a fantastic drink.

[yvonne johnson]

Robin, Thanks for the tip. Between your and Simon's as well as stellabella's hearty recommendations on the Wenlock, I really can't miss it the next time.

[Damian]

I'd like to second Secor's recommendation of Anchor Liberty.  I love the stuff on draft, huge hops.  I've looked for it on tap and in bottles in NYC, but so far no luck.

[bigbear]

For those of you who are in the notheast US, give a try to the stuff coming out of Victory Brewing, Downingtown, PA. On their website, they list the places that sell their products.

Victory Brewing

[thom]

Ok, a bit esoteric (and I realise I am late to the thread), but I fancy championing a local cause (very local, as it sits barely 200m from my front door. Bear with me, I'm a Brit:

If any of you make it to England, and them manage to make it North to Manchester, then I urge you to visit the Marble Brewery at The Marble Arch Pub (1/2 mile North of city centre).

It's cloudy and flavoursome (award winning) organic ales are microbrewed in the back of the pub, which has an intact Victorian interior that has to be seen to be believed. Don't listen to me blather on, check out the site at http://www.marblebeers.co.uk/inn.html

In fact Manchester has a great brewing tradition, as well as a thriving modern day industry. As well as the bastardised (now corporate) Boddingtons, you should try Robinsons, Hydes, Holts and Lees, (all with their own regional bias within the city). That's not even mentioning other local micros such as the Boggart Hole Brewery.

Manchester may not be a regular stop off for everybody, but make the most of it if it appears on your itinerary.

[ebraun]

My favorite bottled beer is Ommegang Abbey Ale.  Rich, sweet, dark and glorious.  The head on this beer is wonderuly creamy and has some serious staying-power.  It's the most complex beer I've ever tasted with herbal, fruit and grain notes pounding you like waves on a shore.  You have to be careful though, the alcohol is pretty high for this one.  They have two other beers available too that are very good, Hennipin (Saison) and Rare Vos which is similar to the Ommegang in style with different herbal notes.  The folks at Brewery Ommegang are very committed to traditional brewing and import a lot of the Belgian Ales on the market today through their Venburg/DeWulf importer biz (Duvel, DuPont, Moinette).  I was surprised to see someone earlier in the thread not like the Ommegang offerings, you might want to give them another try.

Also from earlier in this thread someone mentioned Celis beers brewed here in Austin, Texas.  Unfortunately, Celis teamed up in an ill-fated partnership with Miller, who eventually bought controlling rights and promptly shut them down... bastards.

Pierre Celis, helped bring back the traditional Wit back to Belgian breweries when he was the brewmaster with Hoegaarden starting back in the mid-60s. Losing Celis was a real tragedy for this style in the states, I have yet to find one that matches it (except at a brew-pub here in Austin that is using up the last stash of Celis' spice bags).  But, you can still buy Hoegaarden at your finer shops, so all is not lost... but they don't exactly give it away either.  

Cheers!

[Damian]

Eating cigarettes and crying, heh, that kills me Stella.  Don't eat those things, they'll do you in.

Lots of good suggestions here, thanks to all who have posted.

[nyfirepatrolchef X]

While the late great Times Square Brewery Restaurant (RIP snff snff) used to produce a kickass Boch (Bock??)

BROOKLYN BREWERY!

http://www.brooklynbrewery.com

produces some WONDERFUL seasonals...to wit:

Black Chocolate Stout

DunkelWeisse

And for regular year round drinking....

The Brown Ale

And by Sam Adams...

Honey Porter

And the influence of my late mom....

Guinness Stout

she learned me good!

[Jaymes]

Dos Equis, the dark one, the wonderful one.

[Shiva]

Thomas, Anchor's barleywine is called Old Foghorn.  Great stuff, but not for novices.

I concur on the kudos for Stoudt's.  Carole Stoudt may very well be the world's best active brewster.

[Beachfan]

Chimay, but I forget what color.  I think red, but it's the more expensive one.

Since even the most expensive beer is cheap vs. wine, I don't know why Belgian beers aren't suitable for everyday.

After Belgian beers, the English have it (Samuel Smith, Watney's, Newcastle, Old Peculiar (love that name)).

After English (and very close for some) Red Tail and various Seattle bears.

After that, it's a slippery slope Sam Adams, Anchor Steam, Millers High Life....

PS No slight meant by excluding the nice Asian and Mexican beers which go well with their cuisine.

[Beachfan]

I need to amend my post above.  I think my favorite, based on tonight's meal, must be Kona Brewing Company's Pale Ale.  A little like Tsing Tao.  But if you're drinking it, you must be in Hawaii.

Then there is St. Pauli Girl, probably my favorite easily available beer.  It clearly is superior to American beers; beyond flavor, it appeals to my prurient interest at point of sale rather than in advertisements.

I can talk about wine forever.  However, with beer, my attention span is...., hmmmm, was I saying something?

[Deacon]

Every decision you make in a restaurant, bar, liquor store, etc. is a compromise between what's good, what you can afford, and what's available. (And you usually are expected to do the calculation very quickly.)

On an abstract level, when price and availability are not considerations:

anything by Anchor (especially Anchor Steam, my favorite)

anything by Sierra Nevada (although their stuff is definitely an acquired taste, very "astringent")

anything by Samuel Smith's (especially their Imperial Stout)

Spaten

Warsteiner

On a regular basis, though, I generally find myself ordering one of five that are widely available:

Dos Equis Amber (as opposed to Dos Equis Special Lager)

Heineken

Sam Adams (too sweet for drinking with food, IMHO)

Beck's

Bass Ale

Guinness? Forget it! Like drinking Karo syrup.

Budweiser, Miller, Coors, Michelob? Yeah, when I was young and didn't know there was anything better out there. I don't buy it--I'd feel like a pawn of aggressive marketing.

For those who have just reached 21, who have very little spending money, and who just want a quick and expedient buzz, may I recommend that perennial favorite of my callow youth: Shaeffer! Tastes like cold dishwater strained through a dirty sock, but it will get you drunk, I suppose. . . .