I finally found a beer I liked yesterday. Prior to that, I was right there with JSnake in thinking all beer tastes like piss... My buddy and I went to a brewery/restaurant in Sacramento (River City Brewing Company, I think) and did their beer sampler. I ended up really liking their stout - super smoky with an awesome dark chocolate finish (and I lOve dark chocolate)... Before yesterday, you'd never see me order a beer myself, but I'd order that stout without a doubt..

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For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
2 Timothy 4:3

I love the fact that i live and work in the same city as stone brewing co - but my favorite brewery of all time is ballast point - need to try the double dorado ipa

I remember the very first beer I had...

Twas a Heineken in the bottle... Delicious. But that was 6 or so years ago. Still like a good Heiny every now and then.

But I can't get enough of the Rouge these days. And constantly on the hunt for this mysterious "Yuengling Lager" that is talked about...

My dry salty city doesn't have the best selection of brew to quench my thirst of beer. As long as people keep making it, I'll keep drinking it. Kinda like cigars, there are so many different flavors and origins that I just have to keep sampling more.

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Tim B. (The Beard) -Coffee- "A patented mixture of ritalin and prozac with a little bit of jameson for taste."

"If I cannot smoke in heaven, then I shall not go" Mark Twain

nightmaremike31:

I remember the very first beer I had...

Twas a Heineken in the bottle... Delicious. But that was 6 or so years ago. Still like a good Heiny every now and then.

But I can't get enough of the Rouge these days. And constantly on the hunt for this mysterious "Yuengling Lager" that is talked about...

My dry salty city doesn't have the best selection of brew to quench my thirst of beer. As long as people keep making it, I'll keep drinking it. Kinda like cigars, there are so many different flavors and origins that I just have to keep sampling more.

I'm gonna ruffle some feathers here, but I have to say this. The Yuengling is very...well...it's bleh (imo). It's one step away from the macro swill I've come to dispise so much. There, all you Yuengling lovers can shoot me now.

The Stone Imperial Russian Stout was my favorite stout till I had Deschuttes The Abyss. Having said that, I absolutely love Stone's Stout. Indeed, Stone makes some very high quality beer.

BStayer:

nightmaremike31:

I remember the very first beer I had...

Twas a Heineken in the bottle... Delicious. But that was 6 or so years ago. Still like a good Heiny every now and then.

But I can't get enough of the Rouge these days. And constantly on the hunt for this mysterious "Yuengling Lager" that is talked about...

My dry salty city doesn't have the best selection of brew to quench my thirst of beer. As long as people keep making it, I'll keep drinking it. Kinda like cigars, there are so many different flavors and origins that I just have to keep sampling more.

I'm gonna ruffle some feathers here, but I have to say this. The Yuengling is very...well...it's bleh (imo). It's one step away from the macro swill I've come to dispise so much. There, all you Yuengling lovers can shoot me now.

The Stone Imperial Russian Stout was my favorite stout till I had Deschuttes The Abyss. Having said that, I absolutely love Stone's Stout. Indeed, Stone makes some very high quality beer.

What vintages have you had for the stone imperial stout? for the launch of beer week this last satuday in san diego i had a 2004 vintage on draft ... needless to say it was awesome

BStayer:

ejenne87:

jsnake:

Keep your head focused on keeping your butt safe. We will have plenty of beer here in America when you get back.

Haha, I have all but mastered the art of keeping my next beer in mind while remembering to keep my head down. Actualy, I never leave the camp. Which is a nice change of pace form last time I was here (let's just say there were quite a few close calls this time last year).

So, until I get home, keep popping tops and enjoying those beers. I'll be home to enjoy along with all of you in a couple more months!

Seeing that you're from NC, you have to try Duck-Rabbit. Their Baltic Porter is one of the best in the world. But then, almost anything from Duck-Rabbit is a worth while venture.

I will def. add that to the list. Thanks for the suggestion!

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GO 'CUSE!!!

shamrocked:

I love the fact that i live and work in the same city as stone brewing co - but my favorite brewery of all time is ballast point - need to try the double dorado ipa

So far, Stone is my all time favorite brewery. I LOVE their IPA so I will def. be giving that one from Ballast Point a try. I have had some other brews from Ballast Point (I can't remember the names right off the top of my head) and they were delicious.

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GO 'CUSE!!!

BStayer:

nightmaremike31:

I remember the very first beer I had...

Twas a Heineken in the bottle... Delicious. But that was 6 or so years ago. Still like a good Heiny every now and then.

But I can't get enough of the Rouge these days. And constantly on the hunt for this mysterious "Yuengling Lager" that is talked about...

My dry salty city doesn't have the best selection of brew to quench my thirst of beer. As long as people keep making it, I'll keep drinking it. Kinda like cigars, there are so many different flavors and origins that I just have to keep sampling more.

I'm gonna ruffle some feathers here, but I have to say this. The Yuengling is very...well...it's bleh (imo). It's one step away from the macro swill I've come to dispise so much. There, all you Yuengling lovers can shoot me now.

The Stone Imperial Russian Stout was my favorite stout till I had Deschuttes The Abyss. Having said that, I absolutely love Stone's Stout. Indeed, Stone makes some very high quality beer.

I can agree with you a little on this one. While I do enjoy Yuengling from time to time, it is a bit bland. The lager is my favorite from them. I have had the stout as well and was not impressed. Their beer tends to be fairly bland, decent flavor, but there just isn't much of it.

I know that the Texas people here will hang me for saying this (and I have family from Texas) but I have found most of the Shiner beers to be the same way. I like them, except the black and tan, but they are bland and lack the complexity in flavor I love in other beers. They got the main flavors spot on, but they lack the profile of other beers. just my thoughts anyway.

Edit - I forgot to add my thoughts on Heineken...

I LOVE a Heine from time to time, I tend to keep at least a 6-pack in my fridge. I have to say though that in a bottle it's just not nearly as good as in a can. I am a huge hater of canned beer, but this one I have to have either from a tap or from a can. I am no scientist so I do not know the reason for the difference in taste but the can just does it for me with a Heineken.

As for my FIRST beer, if my memory is correct, I had a Coors Light. It was just what my dad kept around. One night we were out on a camping trip and he tossed me one. I swore from that day forward I would never drink another beer. Obviously that has changed.

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GO 'CUSE!!!

ejenne87:

I can agree with you a little on this one. While I do enjoy Yuengling from time to time, it is a bit bland. The lager is my favorite from them. I have had the stout as well and was not impressed. Their beer tends to be fairly bland, decent flavor, but there just isn't much of it.

I know that the Texas people here will hang me for saying this (and I have family from Texas) but I have found most of the Shiner beers to be the same way. I like them, except the black and tan, but they are bland and lack the complexity in flavor I love in other beers. They got the main flavors spot on, but they lack the profile of other beers. just my thoughts anyway.

Edit - I forgot to add my thoughts on Heineken...

I LOVE a Heine from time to time, I tend to keep at least a 6-pack in my fridge. I have to say though that in a bottle it's just not nearly as good as in a can. I am a huge hater of canned beer, but this one I have to have either from a tap or from a can. I am no scientist so I do not know the reason for the difference in taste but the can just does it for me with a Heineken.

As for my FIRST beer, if my memory is correct, I had a Coors Light. It was just what my dad kept around. One night we were out on a camping trip and he tossed me one. I swore from that day forward I would never drink another beer. Obviously that has changed.

GASP!! I can't believe you would say such-a-thing about Shiner! (um, ditto!!)

There's a huge difference between bottles and cans. Canned beer used to be really bad since most beers took on a metallic quality from having contact with the can. However, nowadays, they have developed a water based lining that they put into cans which prevents the beer from ever touching the can. When this is accomplished, cans are superior to bottles (at least so I've been told). Light naturally destroys and breaks down much of the qualities in beer. It's always better when beer is packaged in a brown bottle than a say a green one or a clear one (like MGD). Since a can prevents any light from reaching the beer, this is one area where a can is superior. Another destructive element is air. Bottles leave a small amount of air in with the beer. Newer technologies allow the canning process to remove any and all air from a can.

I'm not saying that all current canned beer is canned with these processes, but I would expect this to really take off. A brewery here in Colorado, Oskar Blues, cans all of thier beer...not a single bottle is used by this brewer. Their beers are fantastic and are very highly regarded in the craft beer community. I'm one who is slow to change and I still prefer beer in a bottle. Well, that's the current thought on canned beer anyway. We'll see how well this movement takes off.

I remember my first beer like it was yesterday. I was a bit older, at about 25 yrs. old and it was an MGD. From the very first sip I took, I loved it! I've always loved bread and the flavors of the grains. This beer reminded me so much of liquid bread that I thought I was in heaven. Now, MGD is one of my least favorites, ha!!

Speaking of delicious Heine... Has anyone had the DraughtKeg? Since my city of salt wont allow such a product to be distributed within state boundaries... I will be traveling out of the state on a "vacation". I mean, it's Heineken, of course it's going to be tasty, but is it worth it?

I'm not sure the prices or anything either, and if there are any note worthy B&M's in or around the Evanston WY area. Any help is good help fellas.

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Tim B. (The Beard) -Coffee- "A patented mixture of ritalin and prozac with a little bit of jameson for taste."

"If I cannot smoke in heaven, then I shall not go" Mark Twain

Many craft brewers are now starting to use cans because they can get a draft like flavor; as has been said, protection from light and stuff really makes a difference. And the beer lover isn't going to drink it from the can anyway, to be enjoyed properly and to develop the flavor it needs to be in a glass.

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Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (and Explosives!) should be a convenience store - not a government agency.

zoom6zoom:

Many craft brewers are now starting to use cans because they can get a draft like flavor; as has been said, protection from light and stuff really makes a difference. And the beer lover isn't going to drink it from the can anyway, to be enjoyed properly and to develop the flavor it needs to be in a glass.

And not a frosted mug either!! this is a mistake I see too many of my friends making. It actualy does make a difference in the flavor and aroma. I tell them all the time when I see someone reaching for a cold mug that I will just have one from the cupboard. Heine is a good example of a beer that will taste and smell differently depending on the temperature of the glass. If the glass is too cold it will taste a bit more bitter and foul and you wont get the grainy aroma from it as much. Try it out some time, you can really notice the difference. This is one of the reasons why I love The Flying Saucer so much, room temperature pint glasses and they have a HUGE selection of taps brews.

About the Heine fridge-keg. I bought one about a month before I left for Afghanistan and finished it in two days. It was delicious! Same as Heine in a can.

I used to be a bottle guy, I would only drink beer if it came in a bottle. Well, one day I had a party and bought cans because they crush and you can fit more in the bag during clean-up (weird reasoning, I know). I have now started drinking more from cans for two reasons - they get cold faster and, in some cases, they cost just a little bit less. Now armed with the knowledge about cans from BStayer I think cans will be my go-to container and I might even have to buy a keg for my homebrew.

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GO 'CUSE!!!

You've got it... the reason mass market beers are served ice cold is so you can't taste them. I've got a self-built kegerator system supporting four corny kegs. I used to use a tap-a-draft system, works OK. I need to get it out of the closet and sell the damn thing.

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Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (and Explosives!) should be a convenience store - not a government agency.

zoom6zoom:

You've got it... the reason mass market beers are served ice cold is so you can't taste them. I've got a self-built kegerator system supporting four corny kegs. I used to use a tap-a-draft system, works OK. I need to get it out of the closet and sell the damn thing.

It's amazing what happens to beer when it warms up! It's a whole new profile...just as ejenne said. It makes perfect sense why you see Coors Light (Silver Bullet) always advertised to be drunk at freezing temps...it tastes like cat piss when it warms up!! Most people do not realize, but most beer (non-macro) is supposed to be drunk at about 50-55 F. So much of a beer is muted when it is drunk at cold 'frosted' temperatures.

I need to make myself a kegerator...I think it would be so friggin' awesome. How long does a keg, or pony keg, or whatever size you use last before the beer goes bad? I'm the only one at my house that drinks and I don't think I could drink any kind of keg before the beer went bad.