beer. discuss [Archive] - The Paceline Forum

BoulderGeek

03-09-2007, 09:14 PM

Not to urinate on your procession, but I bought some Dogfish Head a few weeks back at the urging of a beer geek. It was not even good (to me), much less great. I had to choke it back. Maybe that's why it is in 4-packs.

And I love the hoppiest of the gnarly bitters.

I keep a keg of newborn Colorado microbrew IPA on draft right next to my rollers. You can guess which gets used more.

Wynkoop EBS in Denver, on cask beer engine. Smooth Northern British style bitter.

Avery IPA from Boulder (what I usually have, since the brewery is five miles from my house). Filtered, crisp, with a nasty hops snap.

Mountain Sun FYIPA ("Fkuc Yeah, IPA!"). Unfiltered, high alcohol, with potent hop bite.

Il Vicino Wet Mountain IPA. Very similar to the FYI.

When in California, I drop in to the Triple Rock in Berkeley. Where, for me, it all began.

FX McRory in Seattle. Best onion rings on the planet, 70 or so craft beers.

I used to tend bar in a Bass pub in Yorkshire, UK. I had a few beers. I'd go to the CAMRA pubs (Campaign for Real Ale, their micros). I've done the British Beer Festival, the European Beer festival, 5x the Great American Beer Festival, and visited every city beer garden in Munich on foot.

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." - B. Franklin, 1776

"What care I how time gives way, for I am drinking ale today." Edgar Allen Poe

csm

03-09-2007, 09:17 PM

drank a few budweisers after skiing today. gotta say.... pretty good. something about skiing all day and cheap (relatively) beer afterwards.

davids

03-09-2007, 09:19 PM

I will drink anything from the following breweries:

Samuel Smith

Fullers

Ipswitch
I'll happily drink Sam Adams lager or Bass ale whenever there's nothing more exotic around.

Dogfish doesn't do much for me. Are they the ones that make (urp) Raisin d'Etre? Nasty, sweet stuff. For people who think the Belgians can make beer...

p.s. The Sunset Grill & Tap (http://www.allstonsfinest.com/) . There's a halfway decent bike shop near there, too...

http://wbztv.cityvoter.com/GetImage.ashx?img=00/00/00/00/45/58/4558-22809.jpg

big shanty

03-09-2007, 09:36 PM

Victory Storm King
Weyerbacher Old Heathen
Rogue Stout on nitro
Rogue Black Soba
Brooklyn Lager
Hood Canal Breidablick Barley Wine
Maritime Pacific Imperial Pale Ale
Pilsener Urquell (from tap in Czech Rep. Best beer ever!)
Straub's

obtuse

03-09-2007, 09:43 PM

wwjd?

what would jmewkill drink?

that's what i'm having.

obtuse

bcm119

03-09-2007, 09:52 PM

I've bored everyone with my beer blabber here before, so I'll throw something else out there- favorite beer bars. No "brewpubs", just beer-geek nirvana. A hobby of mine is visiting these places while traveling. Heres my top 10 in no particular order, well, after #1-

d.b.a. NYC
Toronado, San Fran.
Horse Brass, Portland OR
Concordia Alehouse, Portland OR
Publick House (used to be Anam Cara) Brookline/Boston
Map Room, Chicago
Mahar's, Albany NY
Brouwers Cafe, Seattle
Sunset Grill, Allston/Boston
Spuyten Duyvil, Brooklyn

Archibald

03-09-2007, 09:58 PM

Beer is ghey. Microbrews are sOoooo 1990's.

Handmade whiskey is where it's at. (http://www.stranahans.com/index.php?fuseaction=main.home)

http://www.stranahans.com/images/home.jpg
Mother tasted, JMewkill approved!!!

DarrenCT

03-09-2007, 09:59 PM

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/4923/32134ei0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

mjb266

03-09-2007, 10:02 PM

North Fork Beer Shrine and Wedding Chapel
Boundary Bay Brewery

dave thompson

03-09-2007, 10:15 PM

myette10

03-09-2007, 10:15 PM

Pawtucket Patriot at Union Station Brewery in Providence is my current favourite.

Nothing beats a draft.

aaronbarker

03-09-2007, 10:16 PM

......... Fraoch Heather Ale. Period. Your counterpoints will forever fall on deaf ears if you try to convince me otherwise. Pure and crisply flavored. The sweetest hint of dew-covered heather forming the base of this divine nectar. I'd trade all the pure water in the world for an endless supply.

Now, more, errrr...uhhhh.....mmmmm...humbly........

Agreed, any Sam Smith is a welcome treat. I remember seeing it for the first time on a local beer menu and thinking 'Oatmeal Stout'? I gotta try that just for the name......and never looked back.

I've also enjoyed Timberline Amber and several Gordon Biersch samplings as well.

In a pinch I'd take a classic Guinness pint with a welcome smile and enjoy my odd affection for all things Canadian by having a Unibroue offering such as Maudite, Fin du Monde, Trois Pistoles among others.....

time to head for the fridge.....

aaron

wanderingwheel

03-09-2007, 11:30 PM

Lately I've been on a homebrew kick. Some surprisingly good ... and some not. I'm also trying to track down some Kelpie Seaweed Ale (made by the same brewery as the Fraoch Heather Ale).

quehill

03-09-2007, 11:54 PM

:beer:

72gmc

03-10-2007, 12:08 AM

Deschutes Brewery's Obsidian Stout and Black Butte Porter are particularly good when you're sitting by a river in waders. Maritime brews are good sitting or standing.

MarleyMon

03-10-2007, 12:41 AM

Bell's Winter White Ale from Kalamazoo, MI. They make several good beers.

stevep

03-10-2007, 05:49 AM

i drink whatever is in front of me...
same as my bike...whichever one is on the end gets ridden.
dont care that much.
sad but true.

sokyroadie

03-10-2007, 06:29 AM

My favorites:

Leffe Abby Ale
Sam Adams Double Bock
Paulaner Double Bock
Guiness
Killians Irish Red

Unfortunately I live in a "dry county" in KY - no alcohol can be sold :crap: . The closest place to buy is in TN - 28 mi. away. The closest place to buy any craft beer is 40 mi. Tennessee also has a weird law, beer stores can't sell liquor or wine and liquor stores can't sell beer.

JB

stevep

03-10-2007, 06:34 AM

Unfortunately I live in a "dry county" in KY - no alcohol can be sold :crap: . The closest place to buy is in TN - 28 mi. away. The closest place to buy any craft beer is 40 mi. Tennessee also has a weird law, beer stores can't sell liquor or wine and liquor stores can't sell beer.

JB

THANK GOD FOR THE LEGISLATURE.
soky, they are saving you from yourself.

DarrenCT

03-10-2007, 07:54 AM

Bell's Winter White Ale from Kalamazoo, MI. They make several good beers.

mmmm i've heard so many good things about this bells place. think i can order it up online?

cheers

-d

Chad Engle

03-10-2007, 08:37 AM

Spilker Ales, Hopaluia.

Old Mil light

dancinkozmo

03-10-2007, 08:49 AM

Bells Oberon....end of discussion

catulle

03-10-2007, 08:52 AM

Kiss

fishbolish

03-10-2007, 08:55 AM

Bells two hearted ale,Bells even has a MTB bike race team (they get free bells)awsome looking jerseys also...

jchasse

03-10-2007, 08:57 AM

I've got suspiciously few veggies in my refridgerator, but no shortaqe of beer. :beer:

skyflash

03-10-2007, 08:59 AM

Dogfish Head is good stuff. Had a number of their beers. One of my favorits was Panagea (sp?) - it claimed to have an ingredient from every continent including water from Antarctica.

Other beers - I'll second the real Budweiser Budvar (or Czechvar depending where you live), Duvel, Ommegang, or anything in a British CAMRA pub.

Favourite beer bars - all in NYC:

DBA (East Village)
Burp Castle (East Village)
Ginger Man (Midtown)
BXL (Times Square)

mschol17

03-10-2007, 09:14 AM

Bell's is good, but Founder's (from Grand Rapids) is better, imho.

My favorite? Belgian triples, golden ales, and wheat beers. Duvel, Hoegaarden, Chimay, etc..

Number one?
Delirium Tremens.... the best beer in the world. :beer:

Tom

03-10-2007, 09:40 AM

Anything from downstairs that has no label, just some cryptic magic marker scribbles on the cap. Or the 16oz swing tops with no markings at all because I know what's in them, I made it.

I don't buy beer. I make ale. Maybe I bring some to the Open House and teach you people what a real brew is.

saab2000

03-10-2007, 09:43 AM

Last night I drank some Founder's Pale Ale in Grand Rapids, MI.

It is overrated and a bit bitter. Not for me.

I could drink Paulaner Hefe-Weizen for the rest of my life and never feel like I needed something else.

mike p

03-10-2007, 10:34 AM

Bell's Winter White Ale from Kalamazoo, MI. They make several good beers.

No selfrespecting marleymon would be caught dead without a redstripe.

Mike

PacNW2Ford

03-10-2007, 11:48 AM

What's in the 'box today...

dsimon

03-10-2007, 12:12 PM

HOW about this :beer:

BumpyintheBurgh

03-10-2007, 12:20 PM

Iron City, of course.
As Norm from Cheers would say, "I never met a beer I didn't drink."

Other Norm quotes:

"Can I draw you a beer, Norm ?"
"No, I know what they look like. Just pour me one."

"How's a beer sound, Norm?"
"I dunno. I usually finish them before they get a word in."

""What would you say to a nice beer, Normie?"
"Going Down?"

"What's new, Normie?"
"Terrorists, Sam. They've taken over my stomach and they're demanding beer."

"What'll it be, Normie?"
"Just the usual Coach. I'll have a froth of beer and a snorkel."

""What'd you like, Normie?"
"A reason to live. Give me another beer."

"What'd you say, Norm?"
"Any cheap, tawdry thing that will get me a beer."

"Would you like a beer Mr.. Peterson?"
"No, I'd like a dead cat in a glass."

"Beer, Norm?"
"Have I gotten that predictable? Good."

"What's going on, Mr. Peterson?"
"A flashing sign in my gut that says, 'Insert beer here.'"

""Pour you a beer, Mr. Peterson?"
"Alright, but stop me at one....make that one-thirty."

"What's the story, Norm?"
"Boy meets beer. Boy drinks beer. Boy meets another beer."

"Can I pour you a beer, Mr. Peterson?"
"A little early isn't it, Woody?"
"For a beer?" "No, for stupid questions."

MarleyMon

03-10-2007, 12:47 PM

No selfrespecting marleymon...

Aye, there's the rub.

My recollection is that Bob, as a Rasta, didn't drink alcohol.
Did you see that "Burning the Wailers" was recently selected for inclusion in the Library of Congress recording archive? That ain't no Red Stripe he's holding on the cover! I, though, have held a few.
"Get Up Stand Up" - stand up on your bike!

Kevan

03-10-2007, 05:44 PM

another impossible topic to answer with just one reply.

I'm currently hooked on:

http://www.stonebrew.com/tasting/ipa/ipa.jpg

Darren, you can find this stuff in Katonah, at the beverage place just south of r35.

San Diego based and the same wonderful folk that bring you Arrogant Bastard Ale.

Good shtuff!

Bud

03-10-2007, 06:52 PM

Mountain Sun FYIPA ("Fkuc Yeah, IPA!"). Unfiltered, high alcohol, with potent hop bite.

+1 Fcuk yeah...

And Oskar Blues Gordon (though ti's too expensive) is severely hopped :D

And Dales' PA is one of my stand-bys.

Oh- and right now I'm into a Duvel....

Kevan

03-10-2007, 07:12 PM

[QUOTE=BudOh- and right now I'm into a Duvel....[/QUOTE]

Treat yourself to one of these glasses, or two. I enjoy other beers in this glass too.

https://secure5.worldaxxs.net/ssl.ommegang.com/graphics/graphics/00000005/Glass_Duvel.jpg

FATBOY

03-10-2007, 07:51 PM

Lev double bock
Spaten Optimator
Rogue Obsidian Stout
Full Sail Amber
Duvel
Fat Tire Ale
Big Sky Brewing Co. Moose Drool
Roosters Brewing Co. Cyclops Irish Stout (Ogden, UT)

R2D2

03-11-2007, 08:05 AM

Homebrewer here.
All grain 10 gallon batches.
IPA on tap.
Nut Brown Ale ready to keg.
Bitter next to be brewed.

Of commercial brews I love Flowers Cask Conditioned Ale but haven't had any in some time since I can only find it in England.

goonster

03-11-2007, 10:30 PM

I'll throw something else out there- favorite beer bars.

d.b.a. NYC

I'll play.

Never been to any of the others, but d.b.a. really is pretty good.

Haven't been to that many, but I'll add:

Monk's Cafe, Phila
Chapter House, Ithaca, NY
Zeno's, State College, PA
Cafe Abseits, Bamberg, Germany

By the way, if there is any place in Germany that's worthy of a trip for the beer, it's Bamberg. This corner of Franconia has the highest concentration of breweries in the world, and also consumes more beer per capita than anywhere else in the world. Bamberg is a town of 75,000, and has ten breweries, just inside the city limits. This is the home of the smoked lagers (no they don't taste like ham, but sense memory makes you think so), although even here there are only two breweries who make it. Go there, and pm me for the best accomodations.

Germans are wailing and gnashing their teeth over the shuttering of small breweries and the loss of their beer diversity (such as it is), but America is slowly (re)approaching the German model: small, excellent craft brewers serving a limited region. Beer fans scouring the country for the chewiest mega-imperial are missing the point. The best beer, your beer, is on tap down the road. Victory distributes to WA, but I'm not drinking it there. I'll drink something local there. That said, Victory is the best lager brewery in the country, and if you have another contender, I'd love to hear about it.

The stuff in growler at the moment is their St. Victorious, a double-bock with a smidgen of beechwood-smoked malt. The smoke is buried deep in the aroma and flavor, nestled among wonderful biscuity melanoidins. Victory do a true decoction mash, a time consuming and slightly risky process step that is used only for dark lagers and is allegedly falling out of favor even among German brewers. St. Vic is a flat-out fantastic beer and I look forward to its appearance around my birthday every year.

I've also been homebrewing, for about ten years, and got a BJCP judging pass a few years ago. Last month the local club had its big competition, with 440 entries, some mailed in from the left coast. I judged 25 entries (including the best-in-show winning Maibock) and tasted at least 25 more.
Tiny, tiny quantities of each, I assure you. I don't like making comparisons to commercial beer, but good homebrew is very, very good, and crappy homebrew is still almost always drinkable.

One more thing on the subject of home fermentables and Germany. The non-fortified cider I started Thanksgiving '05 is now in the keg and I was pleased to conclude, from extended tasting and field research, that it conforms very well to commercial Frankfurt-style ebbewoi (apple wine), that is to say, they are both faintly reminiscent of chilled dishwater. :beer:

Taking notes at Spezial, Bamberg, 11:30 am on a Sunday. That is Bock.

http://www.picpile.net/ims/pic_264UD99M/12669.jpg

Ginger

03-11-2007, 10:42 PM

Bell's Winter White Ale from Kalamazoo, MI. They make several good beers.

*And* they sponsor a mountain bike race team! I liked their two hearted ale.

Previously I was shut out of these beer discussions because well...I only liked a few dark beers (Unibrau's Maudite comes to mind) and since I was diagnosed Celiac, I couldn't drink any of them anymore.

Well. That's changed.

I currently have three different brewery's beers in the fridge. New Grist, Ramapo Valley, and a beer from Nick Stafford's Hambleton Ales...

New Grist Ale isn't bad, (it used to suck, now it's better than budwiser) and two I haven't tried yet. One is a honey beer (for passover) and the other is Toleration "Complex Flavour and aroma profile expected from a British Ale" I'm not expecting too much from it, but we'll see.

I just need to burn enough calories to be able to treat myself to one of them. :p

Jeff N.

03-12-2007, 12:06 AM

Arrogant Bastard Ale. Yummy! Jeff N.

fierte_poser

03-12-2007, 12:45 AM

Good stuff.

HBPUNK

03-12-2007, 02:46 AM

Fat Tire
Bastard Ale
Stone IPA
Racer 5
Chimay

Jeff N.

03-12-2007, 07:09 AM

HOW about this :beer:"Heineken? FCUK that SIHT! PABST BLUE RIBBON!!!" -Dennis Hopper in Blue Velvet

jemoryl

03-12-2007, 08:29 AM

"Heineken? FCUK that SIHT! PABST BLUE RIBBON!!!" -Dennis Hopper in Blue Velvet

I tend not to take beer advice from characters in David Lynch films. NYC hipsters seem to be obsessed with drinking PBR out of cans. A friend who thinks this is the thing to do recently bought me one and I thought it would be just another tasteless US macro, but it was worse than that. Metallic, thin and really bad - can't even drink as a joke.

In my fridge right now: Southern Tier IPA, Ommegang, Rare Vos, some assorted bottles from the late Heavyweight Brewery down in south Jersey.

Nice Brooklyn beer crawl, Williamsburg edition: Mugs, The Levee, Spuyten Duyvil, Barcade and then possibly Harefield Road if you can still walk.

Jeff N.

03-12-2007, 08:48 AM

I tend not to take beer advice from characters in David Lynch films. NYC hipsters seem to be obsessed with drinking PBR out of cans. A friend who thinks this is the thing to do recently bought me one and I thought it would be just another tasteless US macro, but it was worse than that. Metallic, thin and really bad - can't even drink as a joke.

In my fridge right now: Southern Tier IPA, Ommegang, Rare Vos, some assorted bottles from the late Heavyweight Brewery down in south Jersey.

Nice Brooklyn beer crawl, Williamsburg edition: Mugs, The Levee, Spuyten Duyvil, Barcade and then possibly Harefield Road if you can still walk.PBR is just undrinkable. Out of the can, bottle or keg, it is equally horrible. Jeff N.

BoulderGeek

03-12-2007, 10:41 AM

My nadir of the undrinkable is Iron City Light.

That's just not fit for man nor beast.

This thread makes me think of pints I have loved. Samuel Smith's Museum Ale in East Yorkshire. That was a proper pint.

I am thinking of taking a week and riding through Belgium this summer. I think that I will need to get quality beer time. Any suggestions on beer bicycling Belbium?

bcm119

03-12-2007, 11:25 AM

Zeno's, State College, PA
Cafe Abseits, Bamberg, Germany

As an undergrad at penn state I spent many evenings at Zeno's. Good memories. I remember the fresh Stoudt's ESB always tasting good there. Thick smoke was my only complaint, but its been 8 years and maybe thats changed.

I visited Bamberg about 6 years ago but missed Cafe Abseits somehow. We stayed in a small room above the Maisel brewery, which was nice. Highlights for me were the Mahrs brewery and lunch at Spezial... and some kellerbiers that I've forgotten who brewed.

No argument from me on Victory lagers. I still have yet to taste an American pils that can touch the Prima. With the trend towards "big sticky mess" beers now (what a shame imho!) I doubt I will in the near future.

Cheers to another beer nut-

catulle

03-12-2007, 11:26 AM

"Heineken? FCUK that SIHT! PABST BLUE RIBBON!!!" -Dennis Hopper in Blue Velvet

Ma same feeling, atmo...

SGP

03-13-2007, 11:45 AM

Arrogant Bastard Ale: This is an aggressice beer. You probaly won't like it. It is quite doubtful that you have the taste of sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth. We would suggest that you stick to safer and more familiar territory- maybe something with a multi-million dollar ad campaing aimed at convincing you it's made in a little brewery. Or one that implies that their tastless fizzy yellow beer will give you more sex appeal. Perhaps you think multi-million dollar ad campaings make a beer taste better. Perhaps you are mouthing your words as you read this.

big shanty

03-13-2007, 11:58 AM

Paeffgen.

http://www.paeffgen-koelsch.de/photos.html

kbone

03-13-2007, 12:41 PM

+1 for PBR

Hoegaarden when I want to spend a bit more.

goonster

03-13-2007, 01:42 PM

Paeffgen.

http://www.paeffgen-koelsch.de/photos.html

Interesting that you should bring this up. :beer:

The standard joke that I like to tell other beer fiends is that "there's a reason why Koelsch hasn't caught on anywhere else in the world." :rimshot:

Of course, the same could be said for Alt, and one does have to pay respect to Cologne's venerate beer culture.

I'm also glad that you name Paeffgen, since they are small and truly independent. In January I landed (by chance) in the excellent "Bierhaus en d'r Salzgass" which serves Paeffgen exclusively.

So, I'm familiar with the little wooden kegs, the revolver-cylinder trays, the grease pencils and the whole scene ("Koebes!"), but the biggest beef I have with the style is that if you find yourself drinking it anywhere else in the world, you ask yourself "why?"

(By the way, in Cologne everybody I asked told me to go to Muehlen. I'll check that out next time and report back.)

BumpyintheBurgh

03-13-2007, 01:49 PM

[QUOTE=BoulderGeek]My nadir of the undrinkable is Iron City Light.

That's just not fit for man nor beast.

Hey, watch what younz are sayin'...them's fightin' words. Da Burg.

72gmc

03-13-2007, 02:03 PM

2nd date. Me: "I'm getting a beer, what can I get you?" Her: "I'll take a Guinness."

Of course I married her. Beer matters.

big shanty

03-13-2007, 03:36 PM

Interesting that you should bring this up. :beer:

The standard joke that I like to tell other beer fiends is that "there's a reason why Koelsch hasn't caught on anywhere else in the world." :rimshot:

Of course, the same could be said for Alt, and one does have to pay respect to Cologne's venerate beer culture.

I'm also glad that you name Paeffgen, since they are small and truly independent. In January I landed (by chance) in the excellent "Bierhaus en d'r Salzgass" which serves Paeffgen exclusively.

So, I'm familiar with the little wooden kegs, the revolver-cylinder trays, the grease pencils and the whole scene ("Koebes!"), but the biggest beef I have with the style is that if you find yourself drinking it anywhere else in the world, you ask yourself "why?"

(By the way, in Cologne everybody I asked told me to go to Muehlen. I'll check that out next time and report back.)

When I was there, there were ~30 breweries in Cologne....all producing virtually the same beer. There were a handful of bad ones to be avoided (e.g. Kueppers), most them fell in the middle....and then there were Paeffgen and a few select others that were nectar-like. I loved drinking alt too....we used to take the train up to Duesseldorf, I would sometimes lock myself in the crapper for the duration of the ~20 minute ride to avoid paying a fare, and then drink and obscene amount of alt at Zum Fuchsen, Uerige, etc.

My recollection is that there were only 3 places you could get Paeffgen....the original brewpub on Friesenstrasse, the small outpost in the Cologne Altstadt, and some mysterious bar that supposedly served only Paeffgen and had stacks of old phone books instead of chairs. This must be the place you mentioned....although maybe they have chairs now?!

SponsorsWanted

03-13-2007, 03:41 PM

Natty Light seems to be the campus choice here, and ya'll know frat dudes love beer. Me? a 40oz OE please...that's gangsta...take notes

goonster

03-13-2007, 03:49 PM

When I was there, there were ~30 independent breweries in Cologne....all producing virtually the same beer. There were a handful of bad ones to be avoided (e.g. Kueppers), most them fell in the middle....and then there were Paeffgen and a few select others that were nectar-like.

Apparently that's all still true, except that now there's more like 20, and not all are independent. Maybe what I need is some really foul Koelsch to get dialed in on the style.

Aside from all the cultural aspects, Koelsch is notorious for travelling poorly. I know I can get cases of Gaffel and Frueh a short drive from my house, but I'm not touching that stuff. I've had Victory's decent Koelsch, which they brew as a summer draft seasonal, but again, it just doesn't make sense in a half liter glass, five thousand miles out of the shadow of the Dom.

Most of this talk probably applies to bitters and Real Ale too. I'm not kidding myself about getting those styles until I spend a month in Yorkshire. :beer:

Serotta PETE

03-13-2007, 04:03 PM

looks like you are a happy man - - -

I've got suspiciously few veggies in my refridgerator, but no shortaqe of beer. :beer:

Simon Q

03-13-2007, 04:37 PM

Generally into crisp European and Asian lagers but Menabrea would be my no.1.

http://www.birramenabrea.com/

Ozz

03-13-2007, 05:13 PM

yum.

pdxmech13

03-13-2007, 09:28 PM

hair of the dog

FREDFRED

wanderingwheel

03-13-2007, 11:29 PM

Natty Light seems to be the campus choice here, and ya'll know frat dudes love beer. Me? a 40oz OE please...that's gangsta...take notes
Ouch. Bad memories. Natty Light cost all of 25 cents at my school's pub, even when I was there there recently.

SponsorsWanted

03-13-2007, 11:35 PM

I got a few cans worth of for free not too long ago; all I had to do was perform a handstand on a big trash can like thing and suck the beer through a hose.

Orin

03-14-2007, 12:05 AM

jemoryl

03-14-2007, 07:30 AM

Back in college, Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Bitter from the wooden cask behind the bar :) Then they went to Theakstons on handpumps - I was never too keen on their best bitter and much preferred their "XB". A few pints of their "Old Peculier" and you are under the table.

Now, I live within a couple of miles of the Red Hook brewery in Woodinville, WA. We start and end our sunday rides in their parking lot. They have a pub attached and usually have one or two cask conditioned ales on handpump. Both their ESB and IPA are much better unfiltered and cask conditioned. I'm not that enamoured of Red Hook's bottled beer. I prefer some of the Deschutes offerings from OR - I noticed a picture of their "Inversion" earlier, one of Deschutes better offerings IMO.

Orin
:beer:

Some years ago Theakston's became part of the Scottish&Newcastle (e.g. Newcastle Brown) evil empire and the quality was mediocre; I'm not sure who controls them these days. And Sam Smith's had reduced their cask lineup to just OBB and removed cask ale from many pubs (which is unfortunate, since they tend to have nice pubs). When in Yorkshire, we always tended to look for the smaller breweries like Timothy Taylor's. The annual CAMRA Good Beer Guide is a reliable source of what breweries are up, down or gone.

I'd rather seek out a cask conditioned US micro rather than drink most of the UK imports available here in the US.

Orin

03-14-2007, 11:54 AM

Some years ago Theakston's became part of the Scottish&Newcastle (e.g. Newcastle Brown) evil empire and the quality was mediocre; I'm not sure who controls them these days. And Sam Smith's had reduced their cask lineup to just OBB and removed cask ale from many pubs (which is unfortunate, since they tend to have nice pubs). When in Yorkshire, we always tended to look for the smaller breweries like Timothy Taylor's. The annual CAMRA Good Beer Guide is a reliable source of what breweries are up, down or gone.

I'd rather seek out a cask conditioned US micro rather than drink most of the UK imports available here in the US.

Theakston's is back under family ownership. Pity about the 'decline' of Sam Smith's. I worked in London (Newman St, Gt Portland St) when they were opening up some of their London pubs... it was a pleasant surprise at the time.

What always disappointed me was the independent pubs with a dozen or so what should be decent ales available. It was always a lottery as to which would be fresh. I could never believe they could turn over so many beers fast enough.

I agree about the UK imports. I wouldn't pick any I've tried over the cask conditioned at Red Hook. I don't understand how Red Hook have set up their hand pumps though. When I worked on our college bar, two pulls of the pump was a (UK) pint with a decent head. Here, they seem to be injecting 50% air - pull, let it settle, pull again and about 25% froth overflows, repeat until you get near a pint of beer.

Orin.

BoulderGeek

03-14-2007, 06:01 PM

Orin, can I come and rent a room? I'll bring my kegerator.

That sounds like a great life.

I used to work at a Bass Pub in Hull, Humberside, East Yorkshire. But, when I wasn't drinking my profits from work, I was at the Samuel Smith's pub supping down the Museum Ale and Best Bitter. Mmmm, those were good times.

There are some good locals in Colorado, but still nothing like I used to get amid the White Rose.

Regarding the Red Hook cask you observe, it is probably a "sparkler." The spigot has a tip which injects air into the beer. It produces much more of a head than one gets in the Southern (London) pubs, which I noted were sparkler-free, hence the clearer, flatter beer consistency.

The beer up North was colder and served with a sparkler. One would always have to let the pint settle and top it up. Trick was in not putting too much force in, but just enough. Control of the flavor of the pint and how long it lasted was in the barman's grasp.

bcm119

03-14-2007, 06:26 PM

I'd rather seek out a cask conditioned US micro rather than drink most of the UK imports available here in the US.
+1

My favorite pint while in London was Marston Pedigree... boring as all hell in the bottle over here. Since I've spent a total of one week in the UK I've never gotten into english ale, but I certainly enjoyed it that week. If I drink imports its usually a dark german lager.

Orin

03-14-2007, 07:17 PM

Orin, can I come and rent a room? I'll bring my kegerator.

Regarding the Red Hook cask you observe, it is probably a "sparkler." The spigot has a tip which injects air into the beer. It produces much more of a head than one gets in the Southern (London) pubs, which I noted were sparkler-free, hence the clearer, flatter beer consistency.

The beer up North was colder and served with a sparkler. One would always have to let the pint settle and top it up. Trick was in not putting too much force in, but just enough. Control of the flavor of the pint and how long it lasted was in the barman's grasp.

We had sparklers on the pumps on the college bar... I seem to recall they were adjustable and we just didn't have them adjusted so tight.

We do actually have a couple of rooms available in the Woodinville bicyclist house at the moment. Problem is the garage is already full of bicycles.

Orin.

jemoryl

03-14-2007, 07:38 PM

Theakston's is back under family ownership. Pity about the 'decline' of Sam Smith's. I worked in London (Newman St, Gt Portland St) when they were opening up some of their London pubs... it was a pleasant surprise at the time.

What always disappointed me was the independent pubs with a dozen or so what should be decent ales available. It was always a lottery as to which would be fresh. I could never believe they could turn over so many beers fast enough.

I agree about the UK imports. I wouldn't pick any I've tried over the cask conditioned at Red Hook. I don't understand how Red Hook have set up their hand pumps though. When I worked on our college bar, two pulls of the pump was a (UK) pint with a decent head. Here, they seem to be injecting 50% air - pull, let it settle, pull again and about 25% froth overflows, repeat until you get near a pint of beer.

Orin.

Nice to hear that about Theakstons.

Yeah, some 'free houses' tend to have too many beers for the turnover that they have. To find a good one is a great thing. There is an art to keeping cask ale and some of these places don't really know or care what they are doing. In my travels around the UK I found it was harder to find good pubs in London where the focus was on beer quality than in the countryside or some cities up North. Fullers and Youngs pubs were usually a good bet if you like their beers. Me, I drank many pints of Cain's in Liverpool....

The tight/loose sparkler issue is one of those North/South things. But you are right: when the beer engine is properly adjusted it will deliver a half pint per pull. When you order a cask pint around here (NYC/NJ area) the bartender sometimes looks like a guy feeding the slots instead of pouring your beer. Tight sparklers seem to be the norm.