Best Beer Thread (returns)

I see potential for KPK recruitment .

i was thinking the same... but managed not to say it.

cider: try Thatchers farm house cider ... Nethergate's Ruby ale or Bateman's Combined Harvest, Spring Breeze or Autumn Fall are great ... from Germany, try Einbecker Urbock

On the Welsh one's, every cider by Gwynt-y-Draig I have had has been absolutely fantastic! (I've had at least 8 of their varieties, including perries)

Innis and Gunn is brilliant and very unusual and fairly widely available.

As far as American beers go, everything I've had by Victory, Stone, or Dogfish Head has been pretty great, especially Golden Monkey from Victory and Ruination IPA/Arrogant Bastard from Stone. Troegs is another very solid American brewer. I really like their Mad Elf Ale, a Belgian Strong Dark Ale. I'm also a big fan of North Coast Brewing's Old Rasputin. I think the best beer I've had is the St. Bernardus ABT 12 and their Dubbel and Tripel are really excellent as well.

Gotta say my finest hours at the pub were when I was studying in Prague. Nothing like getting Staropramen or Pilsner Urquell on tap that's bigger and way cheaper than what you'll find at US bars--I usually paid $1.50 or $2 for a half liter, whereas in DC it's more like $5 for 0.3 liters. Absolutely gorgeous city, too, and seemingly a bar on every block.

I heard about these archeological beers. They find ancient sites that have beer, use science to find what there made of and remake them. I heard they taste epic

Meed is good. Honey.

I've got to say that Lombardy (in Italy) has got some of the best beers I've ever had, with micro-breweries all over the place.. If you ever come across beers by Birrificio di Lambrate, La Cruda or L'Orso Verde, I'd highly recommend them.. a million percent better than Peroni or Nastro Azzurro..

http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/great-lakes-brewing-company-brews-sumerian-beer.28754/

I've had one of those ancient beers, the Dogfish Head Midas Touch. A very interesting brew, quite unique as I remember it, though not something I enjoyed enough to get again since then.

Alright, so I've been compiling a list of my favorite beers that I give to all my European friends when they visit the States, so here goes....

Lagers

Yuengling Lager: My first beer. Best deal for the money in America. Possibly the world. Buy it in bottles. Yuengling also makes a black and tan (lager/porter blend) that's really flavorful and interesting as well. http://yuengling.com/

Blue Point Toasted Lager: This won best lager in the world in some brewing contest recently. It was well-deserved. Not expensive, either. http://www.bluepointbrewing.com/bpbc/microbrews/toasted-lager/

Pabst Blue Ribbon: The old standby. If you drink it, you'll automatically
become cool. Also, very cheap. Don't let anyone feed you Bud Lite if you're having a rowdy one out, make them buy you a PBR. http://www.pabstblueribbon.com/AgeVerification.aspx

Ales

Kentucky Bourbon Beer: This was my hands down favorite new find last time I was in the States. It is so, so, sooo tasty. There are a lot of Bourbon barrel beers coming out. Don't settle for any of them, drink this one. The downside, however, is I'm not sure how widely available this one is outside of Kentucky and Cincinatti. http://www.kentuckyale.com/kentucky-bourbon-barrel-ale

Rogue "Dead Guy Ale": This beer is no joke and it's consistently rated the best ale in America. http://www.rogue.com/beers/dead-guy-ale.php

New Belgium "Fat Tire": This was my new favorite ale when I left the States. Brewed in small batches and has a really cool looking cap (as does Magic Hat, might I add...). http://www.newbelgium.com/beer/fat-tire

Magic Hat "Number 9": Sounds weird, but this is brewed with apricots. It's not sweet, but oh so incredibly smooth. It's one of my all-time favorite beers. http://www.magichat.net/

Hefeweizen/Belgium

Magic Hat Circus Boy: Just a damn fine hefeweizen. http://www.magichat.net/elixirs/circus_boy

Flyer Fish Dubble: as good as anything that comes out of Belgium! (Maybe.) Another one with a cool cap, might I add. http://flyingfish.com/

Blue Moon: Corporate, but still delicious. http://www.bluemoonbrewingcompany.co.uk/

IPAs

Dogfish 90 Minute IPA: Just the best IPA in America. That simple. They also do a 120 Minute IPA that comes in 15-20% alcohol each year. So be careful with that. http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/year-round-brews/90-minute-ipa.htm
http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/occassional-rarities/120-minute-ipa.htm

Upland IPA: This will probably be tough to find outside of Indiana, but if you can locate it, it's well worth it. http://uplandbeer.com/

Flying Dog Raging Bitch Belgium Style IPA: Really interesting and complex and at 8.3%, it'll knock you on your ass. Also, the guy who did the illustrations for the Hunter S. Thompson books does all the Flying Dog labels. It's good souvenir. http://flyingdogales.com/beers/#/Year-Round/Raging+Bitch -

Terrapin Hopsecutioner: Brewers seems to love a pun and regardless of how we may all feel about that, this is a damn tasty, hoppy beer. http://terrapinbeer.com/brew/year-round/hopsecutioner-ipa/

Goose Island IPA: Again, bought out by one of the big breweries, but still pretty damn tasty. http://www.gooseisland.com/

Other:

You may also want to try any of the Sam Adams beers. They're not my favorite, but they are very good quality and there's quite a selection. Stay away from the Cherry wheat tho, it's utter shite.
http://www.samueladams.com/verification/?nocookie

See if you can find anything from the Weyerbaucher Brewery. They
specialize in 'high gravity' type beers, but fucking hell, if those bastards
can't make an 11% beer taste incredible. http://www.weyerbacher.com/cwo/Home

Blenheim Red Cap Ginger Beer: I'm saving this one for last because it's not actually a beer. It's a non-alcoholic ginger been and it is wonderful and spicy, like a kick to the back of the throat followed by a gingery kiss to resuscitate you. Again, it's going to be tough to find, though. Keep an eye out if you're North Carolina or Tennessee. http://www.blenheimgingerale.com/#

I'm a surprised this is not in libcommunity/bin, shall I start a discussion on what brand of heroin is best on the street now?

In case you think I'm being flippant - as well as being an anarchist I am a health worker, living in a town which most years comes top in UK heroin deaths, but never the less Alcohol remains responsible here for far more annual deaths and days lost to ill health. Not to mention alcohol’s use as a method of social control and general weakening of our class...

Please move to libcommunity/bin.

If you come to America, avoid malt liquor. You have been warned. That shit is disgusting. It gets you drunk, but you'll hate the drunk. It's worth getting drunk at a slower rate and drinking PBR and such than going for a Steel Reserve.

Agree about Stone. Best brewery, IMO. Love Arrogant Bastard. It's expensive, but it's so hardcore that it will mess you up after a couple of them. Don't let the ABV fool you. This shit messes me up more than the malt liquor that have higher ABV %.

Arguably, the regulation of alcohol has been just as much a method of social control. During the early industrial period, employers supported temperance unions (often providing pledges at the workplace) on the grounds that alcohol inhibited productivity. And there was a huge employer offensive against things like "blue monday" and having low-alcohol content beer on the job, again on the grounds that it impeded productivity. Not to mention the link between the so-called Protestant work ethic and abstinance.

So I don't want to pretend that alcohol doesn't have adverse affect on working class communities (of course it does), but I think such arguments are often more a form of ruling class scapegoating of the poorest and most disenfranchised than anything else.

Heineken

we were talking about beer, not about pee (although the two are related)

One beer that gets my mouth watering just thinking about it is Rodenbach both regular and Grand Cru. Its style like other belgian sour reds, is unlike any beer out there, and without doubt my favourite ale. Its very very sour and not very hoppy/bitter.

Great.

OK OK OK how about.............Stella Artois

That's real beer nerd territory there, I applaud.

I used to go to a bar with this beer menu:

All the bottles have gone out for the recycling already but I brough back a bunch of trappist beers and they are always excellent. I usually like the trippel best.
Westmalle
Carmeliete
Chimay
These days I don't really drink enough to remember them. Had some nice beers on tap recently but forget the names.

what about wine ... I like especially Italian reds like Primitivo, Nero d'Avola or Sangiovese and Anatolian reds like Buzbag or Yakut (haven't found a place in the UK which sells them )

Toff

like ~ 95% of workers in Spain, France, Italy, Greece, etc. ... and Toffs drink expensive Bordeaux, starting with £50 a bottle

yep thats the excuse all toffs use....

This is what Turkish people call "köpek öldüren", which translates as something like 'dog killer'.

Devrim

I like mine in lolly form.

Rodenbach is delicious. Got my hands on a bottle of their 2009 'Barrel 145 Vintage' on the weekend; it is wonderful. Not as sour as the Grand Cru, with sweet raisiny flavours like some kind of fortified wine...