perhaps interestinghttp://adage.com/article?article_id=140106-Whether it isbeerand food or just drinks?
-If you drinkbeer..what brand?Replies
- A
AJun 11, 2010Being more a wine enthusiast I still share liking for beer in particular situations, which are: with certain foods, on a hot day, after sauna or just when particular kind of thirst. But which beer? Depends on situation, of draught lagers my absolute favourite is the Plzenska tankovna, non-pasteurized version of Pilsner Urquell/Plzensky prazdroj that is unfortunately available only in few selected pubs in CZ (in Prague a bit ovr 30 of them, in other towns and cities usually max 1 or 2). More: http://www.praguepubs.co.uk/tankovna.php . When in need of a darker brew, Eastern European bottom yeast Porters/Stouts are hefty and good, also nice to drink less chilled (lose aroma if fridge temperatures) so ideal for picnics and nature. Drawback is high alcohol content that forces one to be careful with amounts drunk. Some of good Porters include Львівске (Lvivske) from Western Ukraine Carlsberg subsidiary in Lviv (http://www.carlsberggroup.com/brands/Pages/lvivskeporter.aspx some info of Beer Museum in Lviv http://lvivecotour.com/index.php?/news/lviv-beer-museum/ ), A.Le Coq Porter in Tartu (subsidiary of Finnish Olvi http://www.alecoq.ee/eng/drinks/beer/porter ) in Estonia, Utenos Porteris in Lithuani ( http://i.amstudio.lt/utenosalus2010/en/produktu-katalogas/15#turinys ) and Балтика 6, Russian Porter, which brewed at least in St. Petersburg (Baltika brewery has several breweries throughout Russia, more of Baltika 6: http://eng.baltika.ru/brand/0/3/13/6_porter.html ).
Usually when travel drink more beer than at home, and mostly local brands everywhere. Some countries (like Spain) do not have much domestic dark beers, so then in case of need for darker brew, one has to grab imports. Usually in each country I have a few national brands that I like more than others, so my consumption is somewhat diversified. Of Lagers the well-hopped fresh but full-bodied beers get usually to be my favourites, but special brews like Hefe-Weizen (both dark and light), Gueuze, Bock, Red Beer and so on, have also advantages in certain situations. Some of my national favourite Lagers of different European countries: San Miguel, Krusovice Export, Slavutich Premium, Velky Saris, EB, Saku Originaal, Karjala Export, Jever, Feldschlösschen Export, 33, Stiegl Pils, Baltika 3, Utenos, Tuborg grøn, Grolsch Amber, Spendrups, Efes Pilsner, Krinitsa.
What comes to American lagers I do not much fancy most of them, some smaller breweries and microbreweries produce very good beers though, but major breweries rarely. Like an old proverb says: What's in common between a couple making love in a boat and US Budweiser Beer?
- Both are fucking close to water...
Microbreweries of course in today's uniformed beer world form their own microcosmos worth exploring, but some of them simply not worth mentioning and due to very limited availability and many brands of which most are seasonal, not really point to list them.
Enjoyment of beer drinking depends a lot on the place where you drink it, so over the years there have developed pubs I don't lightly pass by if I am in the neighbourhood.
Cheers!ReactReply - NJ
njmikeJun 11, 2010TravelNudie, thanks for the list of European brews. Something to look for if I ever travel those parts (which I hope to someday). Also loved the joked about American beers - so true. I worked with a German scientist once who complained we water down everything in America - the beer, the coffee, we even water down the water (lol). I agree the best brews in the US are from the craft brewers, and some of the smaller regional breweries such as Saranac (F.X. Matt), Yuengling, and Leinenkugel. For us in the US, we can always get really good beers from Canada that are realtively inexpensive.
MikeReactReply - JO
JoeJun 14, 2010My beer of choice at the moment is Blue Moon with a slice of Orange in the glass.
For all your Corona drinkers, if you want to kick it up a notch just add a shot of Barcardi and Lime Juice or just a shot of Barcadi Limon. Just take a mouthfull from bottle then add the ingrediants and mix it up and you have what I call a Buckineer.ReactReply - NJnjmikeJun 15, 2010
NJ Devil - good suggestion! An interesitng take on the boilermaker (shto of whiskey and beer) and the submarino (shot of tequila and ber).
MikeReactReply - JA
JackNeilsonJun 15, 2010Visited the White Horse Inn in Faversham once a few years ago and can agree that it is a fine beer. We were visiting relatives in Somerset and only went to Kent for two days. My wife was brought up in St. Nicholas at Wade.
ReactReply - SM
SmilinBareJun 16, 2010My father was a lifelong Schlitz lover...I remember buying cases of the stuff for something like six bucks! Yeccch!
I like locally brewed beers and ales especially IPAs because they're FRESH i.e. they haven't been sitting in a warehouse or bouncing around in the back of a tractor trailer for the past few months. Buy local and support your hardworking neighbors.ReactReply - NJnjmikeJun 17, 2010
SmilinBare - I agree. Better taste and appearance. In the words of the Mishawaka Brewing Company - "Think globally, drink locally."
MikeReactReply - AAJun 24, 2010
Hi all,
few more words about beer on tap. Truth is that in some brands the distance from brewery is a factor especially when beer is stored in barrels/casks - some brands again are so full of standardized high-tech additives that they pretty uch the same regardless of distance. Also worth remembering is that wll-known breands are often brewed in different breweries around the world. So the actual brewing site may not be that far away even if brand's original home is a distant location. Another issue is what's the point of drinking Foster's brewed in Germany or Carlsberg Green brewed in Thailand.
An important factor in quality of draught beer is the pub/bar proprietor's own input. Storage and serving temperature are important but most of all counts cleanness. The tap itself and hoses/pipes leading to it from the barrel have to be regularly and meticulously cleaned to preserve good quality of beer. That is the hardest part to know when visiting a new place for malty refreshment - and even in a joint visited regularly i tmay not be clear - or practice of cleaning may vary depending on person in charge of that duty.
So far only country where the tap hygiene problem has been tackled is Czech Republic, where Plzensky Prazdroj -brewery has reacted to complaints of varying quality of their brew and started to award "Cistye Trubky"-diplomas (means roughly "clean pipes") to pubs that serve Pilsner Urquell or other beers of the brewery (like Gambrinus) on tap and are performing the cleaning according to brewery's requirements to keep the beer quality immaculate.ReactReply - RE
renebbareJun 24, 2010Hello, I can drink any beer but prefer a natural product to a 'chemical' one. Bitter and dark beers with plenty of flavour. Like TravelNudie I cant see the point in drinking something that has traveled for days or weeks (by sea) and local beers are invariably fresh from the brewer.
Mmmmm.ReactReply - NJnjmikeJun 24, 2010
Good points, TravelNudie. Guiness is a perfect example. The Guiness you drink in Ireland tastes better than the Guiness you will drink anywhere else in the world. Some of my friends and I agree it's just something that doesn't travel well. And you are correct about some brands being brewed in various breweries in various countries. The Fosters lager sold in the USA is actually brewed in Toronto - one might as well enjoy a fine Canadian brew, and for less money!
I and a lot of my friends agree that draft beer is better, but only when the draft lines are clear of any junk or buildup. You can easily tell when there is - yoru favorite brew just won't taste the same.
MikeReactReply - JAJackNeilsonJun 24, 2010
When I tell people that Guinness tastes better in Ireland they think I am bonkers but it is very true. Although still good here in Canada it does lack something undefinable.
ReactReply - RErenebbareJun 24, 2010Jack - as a kid I used to go to Earls Court for the boat show every year with my father. Guiness used to bring a tanker over especialy and when it was finished that was it!! Outside of Ireland it was the best guiness you could get
They don't do it now I'm sad to say.
However I was there the year after they stopped and the company that supplied the Royal Navy with rum - Pussers had taken over. It was served in 1/5 gil glasses and you were allowed water with it! - We were all a very sorry state!ReactReply - JAJackNeilsonJun 24, 2010
Yes, have had pussers rum - very strong. We can buy it at the liquor store here in Ontario but it is much weaker and you cannot get the stuff they used to issue to the Navy
ReactReply - MI
MidGaNudistSep 19, 2010I enjoy several beers from a small brewery in Atlanta, GA. Sweetwater Brewing produces a few beers that I really enjoy such as Georgia Brown, Sweetwater IPA, and an extra pale ale called Sweetwater 420. They also produce a variety of seasonal beers which are very good.
ReactReply - MUmurat25Sep 19, 2010
do you know efes dark?
ReactReply - M_
M_JimmieM_MSep 22, 2010[quote][quote]AN OPEN BEER....[/quote] provided that its not empty[/quote] The only bad beer is a skunkie beerReactReply - NJnjmikeSep 22, 2010
In regards to skunkie beers, and friend of mine had this simple philosophy: Life's too short for bad beer! Well put, I'd say.
I've had several of the brews produced by Sierra Nevada, and was never disappointed. I'll have to give this one a taste.
MikeReactReply - MEMemberSep 22, 2010
Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale is my beer of choice...... or simply a Corona
ReactReply - MEMemberSep 22, 2010
whatever beer anyone buys me
ReactReply - MEMemberSep 22, 2010
but if i am buying, a Cobra with an indian meal. Superb
ReactReply - BA
BarefooterSep 30, 2010I'm usually a Corona guy. This summer, I tried an amazing beer called Pyramid Audacious Apricot Ale that I haven't been able to find since. Talk about frustrating! I think it's a seasonal thing.
ReactReply - RU
runner4lifeNov 3, 2010I have to say Pabst Blue Ribbon, Miller High Life or Coolers Light, Miller Lite for light beers is my fall back beers. I change what I drink time to time. But free beer is the best beer!
ReactReply - NJnjmikeNov 3, 2010
A lot of Corona fans here. If you like that, you might want to also try Tecate or Simpatico, Presidente, or Indian (from Puerto Rico) - all fine brews that go down well in warm, sunny weather.
MikeReactReply - MEMemberNov 3, 2010
Can't beat a Cobra. Indian beer
ReactReply