Perhaps, oh, um, BEER?!???!!

[Snowdog]

Fosters Lager, the famous Aussie beer, is in fact rarely drunk in Australia. If I turned up to a session with a slab of Fosters, my aussie mates would can me to no end.

So a friend from Makay told me. She showed me a can of Fosters in our store, and its imported... from Canada!

I'd like to get some more of that Tooheys Old!

[Last Child of Ungoliant]

i walked home from the next villag today, a good 5 miles, with a lovely can of guinness, only it wasn't lovely when i drank it, it was warm

[Snowdog]

Warm Guinness in a can??? Must have been a foamfest!

[Elfmaster XK]

Originally Posted by Last Child of Ungoliant

i walked home from the next villag today, a good 5 miles, with a lovely can of guinness, only it wasn't lovely when i drank it, it was warm

Guinness in a can is wrong anyway...not that I like it, but Guinness! In a can! *shudder*

[Insidious Rex]

Strange... I was JUST looking at this thread and now its been posted in and back in the front...


Well since its back again I might add that I just spent the past long weekend at a Belgian Beer Festival in upstate New York. It was a blast. Kind of a mini burning man thing but with good beer as the theme and less naked hippies.

Ommegang Brewery is definitely one of the best breweries in the country and every summer they invite all good and true beer lovers to their rolling compound in the middle of no where in upstate New York to camp on their fields and partake in consumption of quite good beer. Theres also horse riding, cooking under the stars and impromptu jamming for anyone that has a guitar and a set of drums laying around. And the bon fires of course. Fun stuff. Cant wait till next year.

Anyone else know of any good local (to you) beer festivals or brewery sponsored merriment?

[Mercutio]

I don't know...but I was in a hotel elevator in Charlotte with the Budweiser Donkey (or a Budweiser Donkey).

[Insidious Rex]

Couldnt fit the Clydsdales in there Im guessing...

[flupke]

Just hab 4 beers (2 stella atrois, 2 jupiler and 1 other, can't remember wich one) and i still can't believe anyone can drink Guinnes out of a can , that's just crazy

[Rána Eressëa]

I can't answer this question without admitting I've violated some laws.

So. Erm. Yeah. I have no idea what you're talking about.

[Snowdog]

Yes, a thread for us who like, or even love beer, ales, and barley wines! Yes, beer, that lovely mix of barley malt, hops, water, & yeast with maybe other stuff mixed in! Since I like beer so much, I have quite a list which I will share...

Breweries

3 Ravens Brewing - a Microbrewery in Melbourne Australia that puts out a great line of ales. I've had their 'Blonde', but hope to procure some 'Dark' as I seem to like that style.

Alaska Brewing - Their 'Amber' is quite good and is a good choice if its on tap and I'm undecided, but its their 'Winter' ale that first drew me to their products.

Anchor Brewing - Steam. A quality brew that is hoppy yet quite quaffable!

Big Sky Brewery - Moose Drool Brown Ale is about all I like of theirs.

Boundary Bay Brewing - IPA (India Pale Ale) is what I first tried quite by accident when the first two brews I tried to order at the Taphouse blew out. A refreshing 'dry-hopped' ale! Yum!

Coopers Brewing - Dark, and Pale Ale are what satisfies my thirst here (if I can find it here in Queensland)

Deschutes Brewery - Twilight Ale is a great summertime ale, but I haven't had a Deschutes brew I didn't like.

Fish Tale Organic Ales - Their 'Blind Pig' porter warms me up when I go to Leavenworth for the Christmas tree lighting. Afterward I walk next door to Gustav's where I have Sleeping Maiden Porter.

Great Divide Brewing - Yeti Stout! All I can say is make sure you ain't driving if you have one of these.

Hale's Ales - I used to like their porter, but of late they have gone into nitrogen fortifying which really 'creams the product. I find they make Gustav's house porter I mentioned earlier the old way, so I prefer it.

Iron Horse Brewery - It was the only beer available at the Ellensburg rodeo on Labor Day, and their dark is a worthy brew!

J. Boag & Son Brewing - Honey Porter! I found a six pack of this hard to find seasonal in a national park store and could only get 2 bottles due to the extreme price. I have to say it was worth it!

Lost Coast Brewing - Indica IPA! Brewed in northern California, I have to wonder if they brew some in with the hops...

Mac n Jack's Brewery - African Amber! Unfiltered and unpastuerized, it has a good warming taste. Quite popular at the tavern by my folks, mainly I'm thinking because the 'African' bit appeals to the hood locals, and its this or one of the industrials. If you have too many, the consequence is usually discovered about a day and a half later. :|

Malt Shovel Brewing - James Squire Golden Ale. Refreshing, lighter ale that has more to it than the typical Aussie lagar (they being Victoria Bitter, Carlton, XXXX, Cascade... No Americans, not Fosters.)

Matilda Bay Brewing - Beez Neez! A honey wheat beer that is very refreshing on those hot afternoons!

Mountain Goat Brewing - Totally organic brew which I had only recently discovered! Bottle conditioned and has to be stored in the fridge upright as the yeast settles to the bottom. Good full bodies ale!

Nimbus Brewing - A nice refresher after trekking the Arizona desert.

Pke Brewing - I love the Kilt-Lifter Scottish ale, and their Naughtie Nellie's IPA is good too!

Red Hook Brewery - My original microbrew! Their original red ale was tops, but they changed the recipe a bit and it became ESB (Extra Special Bitter). Always a good choice when one is undecided.

Rogue Ales - Arrogant B@stard and Dead Guy ales are what they are known for. Good, strong, and heavy!

Roslyn Brewing - My local choice when visiting the Brick Tavern in Roslyn, where the TV show Northern Exposure was filmed. A pint of this and an order of their beer-batter prawns set me for lunch many times!

Samuel Adams Brewing - Boston Lagar! A good beer when you want a full flavor but dont want a heavy one. I point to this one when Aussies deride American beers because all they had was Miller and Bud. Most who try this like it!

Snowy Mountain Brewing - Razorback Red Ale! Another recent discovery since returning down under! Can't get it at the bottle shops so I mail ordered me some!

Speakeasy Ales & Lagars - IPA! The Eyes have it! I was first drawn to try this at the Taphouse when I was ordering a sampler, and the eyes on the tap-handle kept looking at me. I was not sorry!

Tooheys - Of all the Australian lagars, I like Tooheys New the best! The nearby pub has it on tap superchilled where they have a thermometer on the tap reading -2 or -3 degrees C! Tapped into a frosted glass and the ice forms on the outside of the glass! MMMMmmmmm! I like their ad for this as well, touted as "The poms worst nightmare" :lol:

Now that I'm 'down under', I find that Fosters Group doesn't use that name here, only outside of Australia. Here they're still known as Carlton-United Breweries.

[Insidious Rex]

Nice revival snowdog. Good line up of breweries there. I especially agree with you about Deschutes and Lost Coast (and don’t forget NORTH Coast!). The west coast stuff you had access to while you were living there is some of the best in the world. I was in San Fran just the other month and finally got a chance to hit the great Toronado (Beer Mecca to us beer geeks) and sample their wears. Amazing line up… I was in heaven. In fact I enjoyed myself so much I stayed too long and wasn’t able to make it to Magnolias for their 10th anniversary celebration which I still kick myself for…

I would add Moonlight Brewing Company to your list as well since it’s a small local (N. Cali) brewery that you simply cant get on the east coast because they (the lone brewer actually) doesn’t bottle his beer. But they make some of the best beer in the country. Finally got a chance to try their Reality Czeck Pilsner… Yum. And had some Marin Brewing stuff that Id been hearing so much about (after winning a bunch of awards at this years GABF). What a great brewery. And the Russian River stuff is on tap everywhere you go! Amazing! To have Pliny The Elder available at your local bar whenever you want it is a mind boggling concept if you live on the east coast believe me…

Of course they had some Southern California stuff there as well. Tomme Arthur’s Pizza Port stuff is widely available including his new Abbey line which is stunning. And wet hop season was just ending when I went out there so I got a chance to sample some of the best and freshest hopped beers on earth.

Heres looking forward to my return…

[Snowdog]

Yes, its a pit of culture shock coming down here to the land where pubs have 5 different yellow lagers (Hahn's, XXXX, Victoria Bitter, Carlton Draught, Tooheys New) & Guinness. If you're lucky you might find Cooper's Pale Ale on tap. Fortunately the craft microbrewing wave is just now hitting this country with some good ones coming along, but they're mostly in the colder climes of Tasmania and Victoria. South Australia and New South Wales wine country is catching on, and there are a couple here in Queensland, but its rare to find any in one of the bottleshop chains. Still, there is a new distributor who takes care in transport to move some of the fine brews. Also, the old Times Square brewery was moved lock, stock & barrel to Melbourne and just now started brewing. I have to hit that town for a pub-crawl...

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Originally Posted by BeardofPants

Ahh, gimme a trappist ale any day of the week... Mmm... belgian beer.... mmm......

Amen! Thank God for monks; that's where the best beer comes from! Though, if I actually have to PAY, I'll pass up the trappist's stuff...gods, it's pricey! O.o

Sam Adams is pretty decent, but the more widespread American beers (coors, bud, miller), are basically just dirty water. Nasty stuff.

When it comes to enjoy beer, the best way to do it is really to go to a microbrewery. I love going to the local microbrewery; if any of you are in Ventura, CA, check out Anacapa on main street. Great beers! The food is decent, but nothing to write home about; eat elsewhere, drink at Anacapa. I like to check out microbreweries when I travel; I'm looking forward to checking out Tinkoff here in St. Petersburg.

[Insidious Rex]

Not sure how far you are from Santa Monica Gwaimir but you may want to check out Fathers Office. Fantastic selection.

[sisterandcousinandaunt]

Any fans of Dogfish? http://www.dogfish.com/

Beer is in trouble with the damage this year to the European Hop crop.

[Ben]

During the summer I went to the Brickskeller bar in DC, which apparently holds the Guinness World Record for greatest number of beer varieties on the menu - 1032 choices. I can barely tell an ale from a lager so I just ordered randomly, but it was pretty cool; would probably be even more fun for connoisseurs like some of you guys!

[Insidious Rex]

Originally Posted by Ben

During the summer I went to the Brickskeller bar in DC, which apparently holds the Guinness World Record for greatest number of beer varieties on the menu - 1032 choices. I can barely tell an ale from a lager so I just ordered randomly, but it was pretty cool; would probably be even more fun for connoisseurs like some of you guys!

Ben, I work about a mile from the Brick. Go there for lunch once in a while and to beer tastings there often. I know the owner, Dave Alexander, who has actually been knighted in Belgium as a "Knight of the Brewers' Mashstaff". One of a very few Americans with that honor. Its a great place if you dont mind the hit or miss beer list (which you have to accept when you list more than 1000 beers... you cant have them all available at one time). What were you doing in DC? Next time you are there ask what they have on cask (if anything) or what goodies does Dave have deep in his beer vault. They often get stuff otherwise unavailable in the area and put it on tap.

Sister, Dogfish Head is a great if not extremely eclectic brewery. Their 60 Minute is great and their 90 Minute is truly sublime. The 120 is a bit much for me though. But Sam is a Zymology Archaeologist in every sense of the word... I hear they are coming out with a recreation of an ancient Aztec cocoa based alcohol drink that they discovered when they had ancient drinking vessels from Honduras analyzed molecularly. Its composed of cocoa powder and cocoa nibs, honey, chilies, and annatto (whatever that is). Sounds... interesting... not sure if its beer though. But then this wouldnt be the first time theyve done some history based brewing like that. They also did the Midas Touch.

[BeardofPants]

When I was in Munich (and Vienna) recently, I drank so much beer that I'm surprised I didn't die of alcohol poisoning. Vienna was awesome cos it had a lot of the Munchen beers on tap, and well, there ARE those awesome beer gardens in Munich proper... So much good beer, so little time, was my excuse (what, it tastes better when it's on tap!).

[Snowdog]

I want to go to Vienna, Budapest, and especially Prague! One day...

I have to say that what I miss being in the southern hemisphere is the winter seasonals, like Jubulale, and 2 Below, and Ebenezer...

[Snowdog]

VBuilt me a six-pack by picking out bottles of Aussie craft brews:

• Mountain Goat Hightail Ale
• Wizard Smith's Ale
• Grand Ridge Moonshine Scotch Ale
• Grand Ridge Moonlight Nut Brown Ale
• Outback Pale Ale
• James Squire IPA

I'll review them on Beer Guide to Australia as I drink them!