beer aficionados

[johnthejock]

Any beer aficionados out there? Recommendations of beers? Homebrew recipies?

 

[Rick]

My two favorite are the free and the cold 

[Ivanhoe]

I tend to like most bottled Porters from micros here in the States, but it is nearly impossible to find in my current AO.

When I lived in Virginia, I used to get a sixer of Sierra Nevada porter every few months.

[DB]

Astonishingly, the excellent tinned kit I last used was bought from Wilkos, made stock but kept brewing for significantly longer than the instructions said (it continued to evolve gas so was clearly running a bit on the slow side. Online forums give a lot of tweaks that can alter the flavour significantly.

This one: https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/woodfordes-admiral-reserve-real-ale-brewing-kit-3k-g/p/0435886

Bottled up as about 32 500ml bottles, not 32 pints. Perhaps some evaporative losses due to the extended brewing time, but more probably just poor measurement on my part, or the brewing vessel markings being inaccurate. The bottled beer lasted at least a year, primarily because I don't drink much solo - it's a bad habit.

[johnthejock]

On 11/7/2022 at 10:50 AM, DB said:

Astonishingly, the excellent tinned kit I last used was bought from Wilkos, made stock but kept brewing for significantly longer than the instructions said (it continued to evolve gas so was clearly running a bit on the slow side. Online forums give a lot of tweaks that can alter the flavour significantly.

This one: https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/woodfordes-admiral-reserve-real-ale-brewing-kit-3k-g/p/0435886

Bottled up as about 32 500ml bottles, not 32 pints. Perhaps some evaporative losses due to the extended brewing time, but more probably just poor measurement on my part, or the brewing vessel markings being inaccurate. The bottled beer lasted at least a year, primarily because I don't drink much solo - it's a bad habit.

very nice brand woodfordes have done Nelson's a while back very nice.  The best I did ages ago was from scratch 3kg pale malt 1oz of citra hops in the boil which are strained, topped up to 25 litres then dry hopped with another 1 oz of citra hops. leave for 1/2 of final fermentation then remove bag of hops and leave to finish off then barrel. Was down Glastonbury at the weekend and got some of the best cider I've had for a long time from here https://honeypotfarm.org/

[Stuart Galbraith]

I used to love Cider, but after an unfortunate incident I would rather not relate some 25 years ago where I unwisely missed Cider and V2 Vodka, I really cant drink it without tasting the rotten apples anymore. Apple juice is about my limit now.

Always been fond of Guinness. It always  makes me  chuckle that Eire had to change the flag for fear someone would misinterpret as the Guinness logo...

 

[johnthejock]

16 minutes ago, Stuart Galbraith said:

I used to love Cider, but after an unfortunate incident I would rather not relate some 25 years ago where I unwisely missed Cider and V2 Vodka, I really cant drink it without tasting the rotten apples anymore. Apple juice is about my limit now.

Always been fond of Guinness. It always  makes me  chuckle that Eire had to change the flag for fear someone would misinterpret as the Guinness logo...

 

No it was due to the linkages between Irish republicanism and French republicanism, nothing to do with the Guinness emblem, this is an urban myth, the colours are also to represent the ideals of Wolfe Tone (protestant) and others for unity among the peoples of Ireland. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Ireland

https://www.irishpost.com/life-style/bratach-na-heireann-11-cool-facts-didnt-know-irish-flag-150525

But the real republican flag is the Starry Plough https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starry_Plough_(flag)

Stu as your folks were from Ulster did they like the porter (as shown in the video) it was utterly linked to Ulster working class drinking, but it was also seen so in London but was mixed differently with more of a stout mixed with a something like a bitter, my father used to drink it before it went out of fashion in the mid 60's. But if you are looking for a Guinness alternative, Dundalk brewery do a mighty fine stout 

https://www.dbbd.ie/product/newly-launched-premium-imperial-nitro-stout/

Its a pity you were put off cider as your neck of the woods has a large number of great cider makers/orchards

[johnthejock]

One homebrew I would like to try to make / drink is ....... no giggling at the back!!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cock_ale

[Rickard N]

I drink pretty much any type except Rauchbier (smoke beer). Favourites are Modus Hoperandi (IIPA from SKA in Durango), much of what Pike in Seattle is doing, a couple of Swedish brews, Belgian Lambics (from Boon, 3 Fonteinen, Rodenbach for example).

/R

[Angrybk]

I like All The Beers except I was getting pretty bummed when my local region (Sf area) got obsessed with IPAs. Every beer was named “Hop Destructo Super Explosion! 8 percent!!” Etc. They all ended up just tasting bitter as hell and if I wanna get hammered I’ll just drink hard liquor. They’re doing a lot of nice Pilseners and stuff now though. 

[Angrybk]

I remember when I was in heavily old school NYC Irish bars in the 90s a lot of them served the Guinness/Cider combo, which was delicious. I eventfully learned not to ask for a Black and Tan.

Edited November 8, 2022 by Angrybk

[DB]

We have a few "specialist beer" pubs in the area. They "speciailise" in the beers that come in 330ml cans when you buy them retail, rather than the more traditional for the UK 440ml or 500ml.

Some of those are OK, but they do tend to suffer from the issue mentioned by BK, above - many of the US sourced stuff seems to be inappropriate IPAs that try to outdo each other with both alcohol content and bitterness rather than drinkability. I see a parallel with a lot of worse than mediocre over-oaked Chardonnay wine with a California label on it - although that's perhaps more related to trying to force the growth of the popular grape in terroirs that don't suit it and masking the mediocrity with oak.

[Sardaukar]

My first UK beer was Newcastle Brown Ale.

Still like it.."The dog".

In the North East, Newcastle Brown Ale is often given the nickname "Dog", alluding to the British euphemism of seeing a man about a dog. It is also known as Broon, "brown" pronounced in the Geordie dialect. Elsewhere in the UK, it is known as Newkie Brown.

 

[Harold Jones]

I went through an IPA phase, but these days my beer preferences tend toward what they call session beers.

Quote

“Session” is basically an adjective used to describe a beer that is: lower in alcohol (generally under 4 or 5% ABV) and high in refreshment. Generally, it applies to beers that are not too filling. These beers also tend not to be too anything. They're not too bitter, not too hoppy, not too malty.

In the summer I drink a lot of cider and the occasional sour beer. I also like a good black lager, but they aren't as easy to find here in Iowa as they were in Colorado.

[Sardaukar]

Kilkenny for winter if wanting to go "Irish". 

Guinness is too "thick" for me. I call Guinness "raisin soup"

[DB]

When you say cider, do you mean cider, or do you mean cloudy apple juice?

That session beer description is unduly dismissive - yes the alcohol content is typically below 5%, but to claim that these beers lack much of anything else makes me suspect beardie hipster snobbery is involved.

[Harold Jones]

7 hours ago, DB said:

When you say cider, do you mean cider, or do you mean cloudy apple juice?

That session beer description is unduly dismissive - yes the alcohol content is typically below 5%, but to claim that these beers lack much of anything else makes me suspect beardie hipster snobbery is involved.

I mean cider, although I do use the cloudy apple juice version when I smoke spareribs.  Yeah, the description is on the snobbish side, but it is essentially true.  Beer snobs are going to snob. I ordered a Kolsch at a brewery restaurant one day at brunch and the waiter (complete with scraggily beard and man bun) asked me if I didn't want something more challenging.  

[DB]

Then he was an arse.

On re-reading the quote, though... "too (much)" means an excess of, so there is that - why would you have "too much" when "enough" is, well, enough?

It's like choosing to eat the hottest curry in the restaurant because you're being "tough" when the purpose of eating at a restaurant is to enjoy yourself, not to take part in an Indian flavoured episode of "Endurance".

[Sardaukar]

Not strictly beer...but my ex in her past life (she was then 18) managed to silence whole pub in Inverness...

She ordered Jack Daniels with coke and ice (somehow popular drink in Malta).

That was like triple insult...US whiskey in traditional Scottish pub, with coke...and ice....

Her parents told me that you could hear pin drop...

[Harold Jones]

1 hour ago, DB said:

Then he was an arse.

On re-reading the quote, though... "too (much)" means an excess of, so there is that - why would you have "too much" when "enough" is, well, enough?

It's like choosing to eat the hottest curry in the restaurant because you're being "tough" when the purpose of eating at a restaurant is to enjoy yourself, not to take part in an Indian flavoured episode of "Endurance".

To me the existence of session beers is an indication that too many beer styles have been taken too far. IPAs are fine, but do you really want to sit down and drink 4 or 5 Arrogant Bastards (100 IBU) in a row?   I like spicy food and because I eat a fair amount of it, I have a high tolerance for heat, but when I am offered a heat scale I almost always choose medium.  I figure I can always get it hotter the next time and also super high spice levels can cover up badly prepared food. I have the same general theory about BBQ, I always prefer to get it 'dry' and add my own sauce as wanted or needed.  

[bojan]

As someone said to me "only poor kajmak is oversalted". That applies to spiciness, bitterness and all else.

[Angrybk]

2 hours ago, Harold Jones said:

To me the existence of session beers is an indication that too many beer styles have been taken too far. IPAs are fine, but do you really want to sit down and drink 4 or 5 Arrogant Bastards (100 IBU) in a row?   I like spicy food and because I eat a fair amount of it, I have a high tolerance for heat, but when I am offered a heat scale I almost always choose medium.  I figure I can always get it hotter the next time and also super high spice levels can cover up badly prepared food. I have the same general theory about BBQ, I always prefer to get it 'dry' and add my own sauce as wanted or needed.  

I came across a couple of microbreweries in the Charlottesville, Va. area (this was like ten years ago) that specialized in session beers. The idea was that if you're drunk-driving-phobic (as you should be), you could drink more than one and not have to worry. 

[johnthejock]

I always thought session beers were merely a rebranding of small beer/ table beer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_beer

 

[DB]

Maybe traditionally, but that's not how I've ever used the term.

[Angrybk]

I think in the US at least, "session beer" usually refers to relatively low-alcohol-content beer, although according to some definitions it's up to 4.1 percent, whereas Guinness is 4.2 percent, so it's still a real drink (Budweiser is 5 percent, which I found mildly surprising). The Destructo Hoptastic IPA(tm) stuff can get up to 7-8 percent or so, at least in Cali.

"Small Beer" as I understand it (and wiki sez at the above link) is a lot less boozy, often barely alcoholic at all -- up to like 2.8 percent, usually much lower. In other words, if you're trying to go on a bender with it you better have a helluva bladder. British laborers drank it all day, and it was prescribed to children, it was probably quite refreshing and nutritious.

Edited November 11, 2022 by Angrybk