Beer!

Discussion in 'Food and Drink' started by jexby, Sep 28, 2015.

  1. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    Just finished up the rest of my liquor because I purchased a few six-packs from Total Wine. Even pour some liquor down in the kitchen drain for my homies.

    Typing this drunk....

    From my pervious posts in this thread, I'm super bias for German beer. This bias has gotten more involved due to I like the simple ingredients due to the legacy of the Reinheitsgebot, and I truly believe that beer shouldn't be complex with weird flavors. Belgian Ales don't do it for me, or stouts, I think those styles are borderline wrong in the feeling to me (yeah, I'm a snob). IPAs also to me are the devil. Uber bias I will always be, considering I'm not even German. Hefewiezen great in the late mornings/early lunch, a plis is great on hotter days/afternoons, doppelbocks during the colder months, and a dunkel is a nice treat or good with a sandwich with bolder flavors.

    Here's some that I picked up, favorites and new ones from Total Wine. One rare moment that I wished I lived in Germany due to the huge options of beers to drink. Export versions for this smuck.

    Hofbrau Dunkel: My goodness I haven't try any other Dunkel ATM that has the right balance of boldness and sweetness. This Dunkel has it, and it is just a basic mainstream Dunkel. Works great for medium or heavier meals or just a snack drink. Doesn't go down heavy.

    Weihenstephaner Hefe-Weissbier: Still one of my favorite wheat beers, complex and bold at the same time without being heavy. The smells that this beer gives out is more than the usual bananas and cloves. More of a strong wheat flavor and fruitiness. I tried other wheat beers from Germany and this is by far my favorite.

    Kulmbacher Reichelbrau Eisbock: Haven't tried this Eisbock style yet (Dunkel but double the alcohol normally done in a different deep freeze process).

    Weihenstephaner 1516 Kellerbier: Haven't tried this old style lager, most likely may not like it but I been surprised on some reviews who said a beer sucks but I like it.
     
  2. mitochondrium

    mitochondrium Friend

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    Hi,

    there are still lots of small breweries in Germany especially in Bavaria. Some follow the trend and started making special(i)ties. Nevertheless they mostly still also do traditional German beer. While I was in the Chiemgau I discovered the Privatbrauerei Schönram:

    https://www.schoenramer.de/de/brauerei-bayern

    They make very nice beer. I do not know whether it is available in the States. Interesting point their brewmaster Eric Toft is American.
     
  3. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    Would be great to try out the Schoenramers, but I have to settle what agreement Total Wine has with the beer distributors. Due to this we keep getting the bigger common beers in their stores. Keep in mind there's thousands of breweries, so unless you live in Germany it is almost possible to try them all out.
     
  4. Brause

    Brause Friend

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    Heyhey, I was born into this brewery in Bamberg, Bavaria.

    http://www.franconiabeerguide.com/michaelsberg.asp

    My great grandfather had established it in 1899 - it was in the family until 1968, when both of his sons died. Beer had been brewed in this location since the 11th century - by Benedictine monks.

    Bamberg is in Franconia, northern Bavaria, which has the world's highest brewery density: 5500 people per brewery. Kulmbach belongs to this area, too.

    Franconia offers the world's best beer. You should try the Schlenkerla Rauchbier.
     
  5. ushanka

    ushanka Facebook Friend

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    I have not tried this specific one, but I had some dark unfiltered Kellerbier (cannot remember the brewery unfortunately) that was absolutely fantastic. That one had a fair share of complexity though, which may be not your stick?

    If you manage to get your hands on one, try Iron Horse High Five Hefe. From the country of over-the-top IPAs this is actually a really fantastic rendition of the German classic, with more robust malts and good balance of citrus. Of course, better on tap, but here it is local so every second ski mountain has it ...

    Is that based on only testing New England IPAs? Because if so, I can understand that. Specifically *seasonal* IPAs in PNW can change people's minds on the idea of the genre (without changing their minds on 99% of the IPAs out there). A good seasonal will take the classic German ingredient list and turn upside down the flavor balance, but not by throwing bitterness at it, rather just bringing out more of what hops can offer. Of course, an IPA like that is only good for a few weeks - after that may as well toss it. Without the intense aromatics of fresh hops there is just no point.
     
  6. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    Got a beer/glass set for Christmas. Kwak is a favorite of mine. Belgian style amber. Good balance with bitter and easy to drink.

    The unique shape of the glass comes from coachman drinking while riding and needing something they can hang off the side.

    C2BEAA19-9305-4760-B528-8DB9C680F904.jpeg
     
  7. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    can't stand most IPAs. Most of my experience is from SoCal breweries. I do like Dogfish 120 minute IPA and seasonal PNE does sound interesting
     
  8. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    I'm with @Cspirou, but I go a step forward and say IPAs are for people who lost their taste buds. :confused:

    Common joke, I go to this restaurant that mostly have an older crowd clientele. Most of their beers on draft are IPAs, since the inside joke with the staff is the restaurant is the "retirement home."
     
  9. ushanka

    ushanka Facebook Friend

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    Dogfish 120 is fantastic, but it is definitely a different kind of beast. And Stone has set a weird trend in SoCal. I like Stone's "Enjoy By" series, but I am really not sure why the rest of their beer exists at this point. It's 2020, I thought we moved past the microbrewing shock factor.

    Either that, or they want their drink to be a metaphor for their curmudgeony.

    My friend after visiting Portland, OR: "I don't mind IPAs, but can I just have some other flavor at least once in a while?". The dominance of tap lists that are various grades of IPA and one imperial stout is really frustrating.
     
  10. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    Beer doesn't need to be a hoppy mess, or aimed for a bunch of hipsters having porno mustache. I dunno, hops weren't designed to be the big flavor profile. It was intended to help preserve the beer and balance the sweetness of the grains. What do I know, I'm a snob.
     
    Last edited: Dec 25, 2020
  11. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    ^This is the way. it's why the Belgians rule.
     
  12. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    7EF1B443-4824-4DD6-BD18-501D5D575000.jpeg
     
  13. Biodegraded

    Biodegraded Friend

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    f**k off, IPA haters. There's no objective standard of bitterness, so we experienced ones who've gone through more than you children have exposed your own taste buds to will not suffer to be taken lightly.

    Having said that though, I agree there's no reason that beer needs to taste bitter for the sake of bitterness or to be alcoholic for the sake of percentage. Good IPA needs neither. And while admiring the taste of my old friend @Brause 's ancentral Bavarian brews, I must note that taking the Reinheitsgebot literally means there'll be none of that yeast stuff in there too.
     
  14. Brause

    Brause Friend

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    Yeast is actually allowed according to the Reinheitsgebot. It is not really an ingredient because of its small amounts - but rather a natural additive. An Erdinger Hefeweizen is therefore in accordance with the purity law.

    Why was yeast not initially mentioned in the Purity Law? Yeast was unknown at the time. You cannot see yeast without substantial magnification. A yeast cell measures only 6 to 12 micrometers. About 10,000,000 (ten million) single-celled cells live in one milliliter of thick yeast. Yeast is a multitude of unicellular fungi. It was discovered after the invention of the microscope.

    Here my crazy uncle drinking a bottle of Pilsner Urquell purchased from the brewery in Plzen, Czech Republic. This is still considered the world's best Pilsner when fresh.

    Prost!

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Dec 26, 2020
  15. YMO

    YMO Chief Fun Officer

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    Reinheitsgebot when it became law only allowed malt, hops, and water. Yeast wasn't added until later when science advanced and people discovered what yeast had on the beer in brewing.

    Having this Eisbock for a colder night in FL as I typed this:

    [​IMG]
     
  16. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

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    St. Bernardus Watou Tripel

    A98BBEE1-A9EE-4A20-B067-20C9D485C244.jpeg
     
  17. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    if that is St. Bernardus from Watou- looks like St. B changed the labeling, I suspect the recipe remains the same. a good way to end 2020.
    I am staring a Year's End tradition called the "3 Fog Night".
    local Belgian brewpub, and World Gold Medal winners, 12Degree Brewing has 3 different quadruples on tap this time of the season, and of course best to save the Midnight Fog for midnight and 2021!

    [​IMG]
     
  18. Cooper12

    Cooper12 Almost "Made"

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    That's right! Closing out 2020 with St. Bernardus and Big Star
     
  19. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    you should get +3 Likes for using proper glassware with a St. B beer!
     
  20. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    No pic but instead of champagne I opted for a Chimay blue big bottle I've been aging for a year as an experiment.

    i really liked it. Had some chocolate notes and the bitterness was toned down a little
     

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