Beers To Try List

Anyone tried Whole Foods' house Pale Ale? I don't know who brews it. I saw it for $5.99 a 6-pack today, which isn't exactly cheap, but it's hardly expensive.
 
Each of the lambics is named after the fruit that is brewed into it, so I'd recommend drinking one whose fruit you enjoy.

Kriek = cherry (and is pretty much the most commonly consumed lambic when in Belgium)
Framboise = raspberry
Cassis = Currant (my favorite lambic)


DC-- that is the most fabulous beer list I've ever seen outside of Belgium. In fact, it's better than any I saw in Belgium due to the variety, since the Belgians tend to drink regional brands and only go national on the pilsners like Jupiler, Maes, and Stella. Wow. Just... wow.
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Sorry, can't help you on the lambics. I've only had them a handful of times. About all I can say is that I liked the plain "guezue" better than the fruit ones, but I'm not a big fan of fruit in my beer to begin with.

Dang, if I'm ever in DC I gotta remember to find this place. That list is truly amazing.

I just now noticed that Stella Artois is the last beer listed. Please do not come back here tomorrow and say you tried the Stella Artois.
 
UTEE - I tried some Belgium raspberry beer several weeks ago and it was terrible. Gave it to the girlfriend and she drank it right up. I'm kind of gun shy about trying another for $14 a bottle.
 
DC-I assume you went to the Dogfish pub in Rehoboth, Delaware? I have been there, great place.
The Dogfish 120 is for uberserious beerheads only, though. It must be 80 proof. Took me four evenings to get through one bottle. I can't take that stuff.
Lambics seem like a specialty beer for dessert-like a fruity wine, might be OK with a cobbler or something where you wouldn't ordinarily drink a beer to accompany the dish.
 
Lambics are definitely a very specific taste. If you don't like the fruity beers, then I wouldn't bother drinking them, certainly not at those prices. Personally, I really like them, but even I would only drink one in any sitting. And if you want to stay away from the lambic, you should also probably stay away from the Geuze too, because they tend to have a really wild tang to them in addition to the fruit flavor.

Something to remember about Belgian beers is that they are primarily bottle-conditioned, so drinking them draught isn't necessarily the best way to drink them. I'm not saying it's bad, but if you stick to only the draught beers, then you're going to miss out on some of the special flavors that are characteristic of Belgian beers.

If I were the one drinking from this amazing beer list (didn't I mention how jealous I am?), then I'd probably feel the need to have at leats 4 different ones. I hope dinner lasts a long time, because most of these are high in alcohol.

I would want at least one of the Saisons, probably the Saison de Pipaix. I'd probably also drink a Strong, maybe the Kasteel Donker. For an Abbey, I might go with the St. Bernardus Abt. 12. And I like the Belgian wheats, but you can find Hoegaarden just about anywhere, so I'd probably try the Wittekerke.

Of course, if you asked me tomorrow, I'd probably pick four completely different beers.
 
Back in 2004 or early 2005 I split a bottle of the 120 with a friend. It was good for the first couple of sips... after that it was work to finish it.

My taste in beer has changed a bit since then, so I don't know what I'd think of it today... but back then it was way too sweet for me... I don't remember tasting any hops... in an IPA.
 
I lived in Dublin for a few months back in 2005 and those guys have a different story about "black and tans".

They'll tell you that the English army uniform was black and tan. "Black and tans" was a nickname for army men, in fact. The Irish will then go on to say that when they were occupying Ireland, they didn't like the darker beers like Guinness because they were *******. Thing was that Guinness was everywhere, and it was hard to get Bass and other pales from back home. They'd ration their pales by splitting it with the Guinness to make it more drinkable. Thus, the drink took on the name of the English ******* who invented it.

"Drink your Guinness like a man. No need to ruin it," I was told.
 
Great story Sneezy. I believe I'll ask some of the Irish that work at the pub that I frequent if they've heard of the story. Love it!!
 
I didn't see anyone pimping Victory beers, but I highly recommend the Prima Pilz as an introduction to hops and the Storm King Stout for an imperial stout.

Also, a pretty common Belgian beer that is fun to drink because of the mild flavor and the ridiculously fluffy head is Duvel. If you can find a Duvel tulip glass to pour it into, you're in for a treat.

Your best bet is to take a trip to the Gingerman or the Flying Saucer, or any other decent beer bar near you and just start trying beers. You'll eventually gravitate to a style or two that you like, and then from there you can start branching out.

Sorry for the confusion on the other thread, I was being sarcastic. Obviously these craft breweries (I'll give Shiner some slack here) have different recipes for each beer.
 
Back on topic, another good beer to try is Bernard Czech Lager. It's not anywhere nearly as widely distributed as Pilsner Urquell or Budvar/Czechvar, but I think it actually tends to make the trip over the ocean a little better, and tastes over here more like it does in the Czech republic than do some of the other Czech beers.

Bernard_Premium_Large.jpg
 
I would think it's comparable to a bottle of champagne, UTEE. Easier to control the conditioning in a bottle rather than a keg.
The Belgians do some weird marvelous **** with beer. They use stale hops so that the hop flavor doesn't overwhelm the distinctive yeast flavors that Belgian beers are known for. The yeast strains have been cultivated for centuries.
They also use brewing candy and other cool fermentables to tweak the product.
My favorite has to be the Corsendonk Monk's Pale Ale. It's unlike any pale ale you will ever have, and it's hard to find nowdays.
Damn, now I'm thirsty.
 
Yes, the West Coast/Pacific NW is famous for hoppy beers. Which makes sense given that a good portion of the country's hops are produced there.

I'm not familiar with Corsendonk Monk, but it is unlikely that many Belgian beers will be particularly hoppy, certainly not in the West Coast view of hoppy. That's just not what the Belgians are traditionally known for.
 
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