Let's talk good beer

[Chico23231]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Why I Don’t Drink Budweiser…and Why I’m Not Alone | The Pour Fool: What to Drink from the World and the Northwest - seattlepi.com

Really good article. Its amazing when i go into my beer stores how pack they are these days. Especially eye opening is young drinkers in there. I drank my first dark beer in 1995, by my sophmore year in college I was hooked. I was brought up by older frat brothers who went to breweries and brewed there own beer. Sam, Serria Nevada, Spanish Peaks, Oregon, Red Hook, Abita, Dominion, Foggy Bottom, Brooklyn, Breckenridge is what I cut my teeth on. I never really thought good beers would catch on, but to see marketshare numbers like that is encouraging that one day the primary beer will be micro crafted

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Chico23231

Really good article. Its amazing when i go into my beer stores how pack they are these days. Especially eye opening is young drinkers in there. I drank my first dark beer in 1995, by my sophmore year in college I was hooked. I was brought up by older frat brothers who went to breweries and brewed there own beer. Sam, Serria Nevada, Spanish Peaks, Oregon, Red Hook, Abita, Dominion, Foggy Bottom, Brooklyn, Breckenridge is what I cut my teeth on. I never really thought good beers would catch on, but to see marketshare numbers like that is encouraging that one day the primary beer will be micro crafted

It's funny when you go to a good beer store now and all the crappy domestics are hidden away in a back corner. Proof that the cream rises to the top, eventually.

I've even noticed at supermarkets the past few years the # of micros they carry has noticeably increased. The first time I saw some celebration ale at the grocery store I was like wow, get the hell outta here.

[Chico23231]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

It's funny when you go to a good beer store now and all the crappy domestics are hidden away in a back corner. Proof that the cream rises to the top, eventually.

I've even noticed at supermarkets the past few years the # of micros they carry has noticeably increased. The first time I saw some celebration ale at the grocery store I was like wow, get the hell outta here.

I remeber going to a Total Wine and Beer Store just built in Springfield Va in NOVA in 1998 on a weekend. Its like a chain warehouse-like (box store) and literally being one of like 2 people in the entire store. I remember thinking this is great, then thinking how the hell can this survive? Place was empty

[mooby]

Originally Posted by Chico23231

I remeber going to a Total Wine and Beer Store just built in Springfield Va in NOVA in 1998 on a weekend. Its like a chain warehouse-like (box store) and literally being one of like 2 people in the entire store. I remember thinking this is great, then thinking how the hell can this survive? Place was empty

I actually did a Jack and Coke sampling (the weak 5% premixed stuff Jack D came out with) there on the July 4th weekend and the place was packed. They were moving kegs like it was nobody's business. They were 10 times as busy as the Giant in Springfield Plaza a couple blocks away, which I've also done a couple beer samplings at.

[Alvin Walton]

Budweiser = The Evil Empire

[BringBackJoeT]

I saw that same list posted in the article on the beers that are taking a radical downward turn in sales. However, I wondered whether it was partly misleading. If you look at the list, it's beer-specific, not brand. For example, Milwaukee's Best and Milwaukee's Best Light are both on the list. I think that is relevant because, while Budweiser is down, it doesn't mean, for example, that Bud Light is down. In fact, it seems to me that at any sports event I'm at, it's Bud Light and Miller Lite that are being exclusively sold under those brands (Bud Light seems, unfortunately, everywhere). So, I really wonder whether the light beers of Miller, Bud and Coors are really hurting. Plus, the other beers on the list--Old Milwaukee, Milwaukee's Best, Michelob--don't strike me as ones whose downward turns can be considered surprising under any circumstances. The Milwaukee beers were ones I drank in high school 20+ years ago from places where we knew we wouldn't get carded. Even then, years before I began to love the microbrews, I considered them to be crap.

[MTK]

The light beers are the most heavily marketed. I wonder how much of their sales are artificially propped up by stadium/event sales where choices are limited.

[mooby]

In the spirit of the chance encouters with sports figures thread, I met Dick Leinenkugel when I was at the PX in Quantico on Friday doing a Leiny's beer sampling. He came in with his honchos and talked to servicemen and helped me out with the sampling for about an hour. Really nice guy to talk to and knows his beers. I had one of Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest beers about a month ago (before I went on my diet/workout routine) at a private sampling and it's really good for a traditional Marzen lager.

[Chico23231]

I really havent enjoyed a whole lot by New Belgium Brewery, but the Ranger IPA is a solid beer. Nothing outstanding buy solid.

[mlmdub130]

Originally Posted by Chico23231

I really havent enjoyed a whole lot by New Belgium Brewery, but the Ranger IPA is a solid beer. Nothing outstanding buy solid.

i really like everything i have had from new belgium, especially the seasonals. the winter one is pretty strong, it's called snow day.

Snow Day Winter Ale - New Belgium Brewing - Fort Collins, CO - BeerAdvocate

i was also in york pa last weekend and had a troeg's mad elf, their winter seasonal, and it was pretty damn good. i only had one but the waitress informed us upon ordering it you can only have 2 per visit since it is 11%. i'm definitley going to track down some more of this stuff this weekend.

Tröegs Mad Elf - Tröegs Brewing Company - Hershey, PA - BeerAdvocate

[Chico23231]

Originally Posted by mlmdub130

i really like everything i have had from new belgium, especially the seasonals. the winter one is pretty strong, it's called snow day.

Snow Day Winter Ale - New Belgium Brewing - Fort Collins, CO - BeerAdvocate

i was also in york pa last weekend and had a troeg's mad elf, their winter seasonal, and it was pretty damn good. i only had one but the waitress informed us upon ordering it you can only have 2 per visit since it is 11%. i'm definitley going to track down some more of this stuff this weekend.

Tröegs Mad Elf - Tröegs Brewing Company - Hershey, PA - BeerAdvocate

didnt know New Belgium was brewed in Colorado. Colorado is really has top notch breweries.

[mlmdub130]

Originally Posted by Chico23231

didnt know New Belgium was brewed in Colorado. Colorado is really has top notch breweries.

i was out there visiting my buddy in feb, hopefully make it back out there this feb/march. it's crazy how many breweries are out there and the selections you have to chose from at different bars, it's kind of overwhelming. my buddy that lives out there says the brewery tours are awesome too, he took one in the summer and paid $20 for the tour lasted about an hour then they went in a room with a bunch of pitchers of beer. apparently everyone else on the tour had one or two beers and they "had" to clean up the rest. there was also a beer and wine store there that appeared to be an old grocery store that had nothing but beer and wine and liquor through out the store, it was like heaven. and the kicker was, there was a dispesnsary right next door, colorado is pretty sweet.

[Chico23231]

Originally Posted by mlmdub130

i was out there visiting my buddy in feb, hopefully make it back out there this feb/march. it's crazy how many breweries are out there and the selections you have to chose from at different bars, it's kind of overwhelming. my buddy that lives out there says the brewery tours are awesome too, he took one in the summer and paid $20 for the tour lasted about an hour then they went in a room with a bunch of pitchers of beer. apparently everyone else on the tour had one or two beers and they "had" to clean up the rest. there was also a beer and wine store there that appeared to be an old grocery store that had nothing but beer and wine and liquor through out the store, it was like heaven. and the kicker was, there was a dispesnsary right next door, colorado is pretty sweet.

Brewers | Colorado Brewers Guild

The list is tremendous and we probably only get 20% of those shipped out here.

My favorites: Avery, Brenckenridge, Great Divide, and Oskar Blues. Left Hand and Pikes Peak pretty solid as well. My uncle who has been making homebrew for 20+ years has met and hung out with Dale (founder, brew master) at the Oskar Blues brewery while on vacation.

[BringBackJoeT]

Originally Posted by Chico23231

I really havent enjoyed a whole lot by New Belgium Brewery, but the Ranger IPA is a solid beer. Nothing outstanding buy solid.

I generally agree, but I recently tried their Trippel and was very pleasantly surprised. Liked it so much that I went to the top of the Trippel class and bought a four pack of La Fin De Monde (read that it's one of best of the style). Loved it--highly recommend.

[MTK]

I'm contemplating going for a 3rd celebration ale, either that or a Guinness. Or I could just go to the liquor cabinet for some bourbon. Decisions.