Whats the best beer you've had & why?

Beej1

Beej1

Senior Member
When I was there (US) in 2011, the common (boring) beer section containing Millers, Budweiser, Pabst etc was about 1/5 the size of the craft beer section in most supermarkets I went to. That's CA, UT, CO & AZ. Same for BC in Canada. Admittedly I was probably going into slightly more upmarket supermarkets ... but still. And as rednighmare states - it's ridiculously cheap: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was my yardstick ... $8 there, $23 here. Expensive boat trip & trip through customs I guess?

I discovered this Porter in Utah. Wasn't great but the tagline and artwork was spot on for the location:
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Last night I drank one of these:

Very much liked it. Close to Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in flavour but slightly less bitter, which was what I felt like.

Probably the best beer I've had though, was some completely unknown beer in Hakuba, Japan during a ski trip in 2004. Never found out what it was ... the best they could do in English was "local beer". But I've never found it online again. A dark ale served not-too-cold in a snow-filled valley at a really nice, not-too-strictly-conservative Japanese bar with a hot spring running through it's outdoor area. Probably the atmosphere made it taste better, but the thread title was for best beer I've ever had.
 
Beej1

Beej1

Senior Member
scblack said:
I also like the one in the background - Dead Horse. That's sounds cool too.
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Yeah the Moab Brewery was actually pretty awesome. Really, really great food. But then pretty much everywhere I ate on this little journey had awesome food. I liked their Scorpion Pale Ale quite a lot, but they don't seem to make it any more. The Deraileur Ale was also pretty good. I didn't try the Dead Horse ... at least, not that I remember (had at least one big night there).

Other beers spotted in the US:
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indica

indica

Serial flasher
Rogue Dad's Little Helper Black IPA 650mL.

IBU 92
ABV 6.8%

Crack the lid and have a sniff. Pine, big hop aroma, some roastedness there.
Pour it into my favourite IPA glass. Black, deep colour, clear - looks like coke.
Smell is big, dank, hoppiness, lots of pine.
Taste, wow. Big beer. 92 IBU? dunno, I get lost after about 60. It's good, upfront bitter, then roasted, then a licorice like finish.
Drinking it with a pizza with habanero chilli on it. Kills that.
Hop burps.

Great beer.
 
johnny

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
I just ate two inch thick porter house steaks and a Tbone which is now being washed down by a Hop Thief.


Yep.
 
indica

indica

Serial flasher
Beechworth Brewery India Saison.
7.5% hoppy saison. Bottle conditioned. Poured cloudy, big fluffy white head. Lovely smell, hoppy, passionfruit.
Taste, dry, bitter and the hops again. Good stuff. Subdued yeast, background funk blending well with the hops.
I may have to make something like this.

Beechworth Brewery Fat Man, Red Suit, Big Sack.
7.5% red IPA. Small head, good lacing on the glass. Great fresh and fruity aroma. Some dankness. Bitter and hoppy caramel flavour. Lovely amber colour. feckin good stuff again.
 
The Duckmeister

The Duckmeister

Has a juicy midrange
Was down at Forrest for the Festival on the weekend.... The Brewery still has the Blocksplitter Imperial Stout on tap (but no bottles left). Lovely thick black syrupy goodness, makes an awesome dessert after a thick, juicy medium-rare steak.

Last year's 'Splitter was a bit of a let-down, a bit rough & bitter, but this year's one is phenomenal.
 
T

takai

Eats Squid
Just to continue the US love, i was in San Diego for a conference over the last fortnight. While i was there i went along to a craft beer reception. Here is just a sampling:







Plus we went to a BevMo and Total Wine and grabbed a bunch of awesome brews for the evening debriefs. Most of which are tagged up on my Untappd: https://untappd.com/user/takai

I miss the US... for so many reasons.
Had a wedding when i came back on the Sat night (<24hrs after leaving LA) and was drinking JS Pale Ale... bleh.
 
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takai

Eats Squid
Yeah, it was an international conference, so people also brought what was local to them. I took a Hargreaves Hill Russian Imperial Stout, and there were a couple of MOA bottles from the NZ people. There were a few quite average beers as well, and someone brought Heineken and Fosters... blergh.

But yes, it was quite a serious tasting overall.
 
johnny

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
Lol at the Newcastle, Fosters, etc. being placed in that same crowd.

I can't hack on JS beers. For booze that's become a widely available regular I still think it's pretty good - I put it in the same category as Coopers. It's not finely crafted and ultimately unique but then again it's not even comparable to swill like VB, XXXX, Corona, Bud, etc.
 
Beej1

Beej1

Senior Member
Has anyone been to the Portland Hotel lately? The 'James Squire Brewhouse' component of that pub used to produce some pretty decent beers that weren't ever available by the bottle, nor did I find them in many other pubs on tap. Just wondering if it's still the same.

When I used to work in town years ago they had the "Highwayman Thrice Hopped Red Ale" available, as well as a really good wheat beer that I forget the name of, and an IPA that was in line with their currently bottle-available Hop Thief.

In any case, I like how both Lion Nathan and CUB both purchased their own microbrewery in the early 90's to get a slice of the craft brewing pie once they realised not everyone like their regular swill on offer. Does anyone know who got which first? I've always wondered if it was LN buying Malt Shovel Brewery, or CUB buying Matilda Bay, and whether one was a reaction to the other?
 
D

DJR

Likes Dirt
nuclear_powered said:
Has anyone been to the Portland Hotel lately? The 'James Squire Brewhouse' component of that pub used to produce some pretty decent beers that weren't ever available by the bottle, nor did I find them in many other pubs on tap. Just wondering if it's still the same.

When I used to work in town years ago they had the "Highwayman Thrice Hopped Red Ale" available, as well as a really good wheat beer that I forget the name of, and an IPA that was in line with their currently bottle-available Hop Thief.

In any case, I like how both Lion Nathan and CUB both purchased their own microbrewery in the early 90's to get a slice of the craft brewing pie once they realised not everyone like their regular swill on offer. Does anyone know who got which first? I've always wondered if it was LN buying Malt Shovel Brewery, or CUB buying Matilda Bay, and whether one was a reaction to the other?
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It is there but do yourself a favour and walk up to Mrs Parma's or down to beer deluxe as well
 
D

DJR

Likes Dirt
LN buying MSB wasn't a thing. It was tooheys buying Hahn brewery, to basically get Hahn Premium in the late 90s then the old brewery in camperdown eventually became the MSB.

CUB buying MB happened much later. And now SAB miller owns CUB.

The whole mass produced craft beer thing is interesting, on one hand it means there is more flavoursome beers, the cynical side of it though is that the "one free tap" allowed under the old brewery contracts in pubs sometimes becomes the brewery's own craft beer and not someone else's ( e.g. a local brewery). Competition for that tap is fierce...
 
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T

takai

Eats Squid
Which is where having more craft brewers, and demand for good beer in pubs will end up with better service all around. The tiny pizza joint I went to in San Diego (Berkeley Pizza) had 12 taps full of craft beer.
 
scblack

scblack

Leucocholic
DJR said:
LN buying MSB wasn't a thing. It was tooheys buying Hahn brewery, to basically get Hahn Premium in the late 90s then the old brewery in camperdown eventually became the MSB.

CUB buying MB happened much later. And now SAB miller owns CUB.

The whole mass produced craft beer thing is interesting, on one hand it means there is more flavoursome beers, the cynical side of it though is that the "one free tap" allowed under the old brewery contracts in pubs sometimes becomes the brewery's own craft beer and not someone else's ( e.g. a local brewery). Competition for that tap is fierce...
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"One free tap" - what are you talking about there? I have never heard that. Please let me know.
 
scblack

scblack

Leucocholic
takai said:
Which is where having more craft brewers, and demand for good beer in pubs will end up with better service all around. The tiny pizza joint I went to in San Diego (Berkeley Pizza) had 12 taps full of craft beer.
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I found the same in LA a few months ago. The pizza joint (Pitfire Pizza) around the corner from where I stayed had about 10 on tap - and good beers too.
 
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