What's your favorite flavor (beer that is)?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Carrie Cox on April 2, 2010 at 9:56pm

I prefer Stouts, Porters, and Brown Ales as well as several Belgian-style ales. We brew our own beer, so I have developed a particular preference for those beers, but there are several commercial beers I like as well.
Dogfish Immort Ale
Bell's Special Double Cream Stout
Heavy Seas - "Thre Great Pumpkin" an Imperial Pumpkin Ale
Heavy Seas - "Peg Leg" - an Imperial Stout
Kona Brewing Co. Pipeline Porter
Old Rasputin - Russian Imperial Stout

And I really could go on. :)

Permalink Reply by David Branagin on April 3, 2010 at 1:01pm

You know...I really could go on as well! lol! That was just my newest favorite flavor.

I see you are back east, so I don't see some of the breweries you mentioned selling their stuff out my way. I was originally I west coaster, but have since moved to Colorado.

The Bell's Double cream stout sounds delicious!
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I also use to homebrew. It's funny how home brewer's seem to gravitate towards the big, strong, beers (including many Belgian flavors). Of course there's always Guinness...the traditional recipe would be neither big or strong, but still has great flavor and is very satisfying. Maybe I should have said it's all about good flavor.

Yes, the list could get very long indeed. If you have access to a store with a good Belgian selection, try to find one called Triple Karmeliet (sp?). It's a 3 grain triple with a big rocky head...one of my top 3 all time favorites.

Permalink Reply by David Branagin on April 3, 2010 at 1:03pm

Speaking of Old Rasputin, isn't that the beer label used on the photo for this group?

Permalink Reply by michael on April 5, 2010 at 6:07pm

Big fan of IPAs. My most recent favorite is Raging Bitch Belgian IPA from Flying Dog Brewery. I think it's a seasonal, so if you see it, get it!

Permalink Reply by Cornelia on April 6, 2010 at 11:55am

I'm always up for trying new microbrews. Love the Victory and Magic Hat sampler 12-packs lately. Tried a cherry blossom beer from Smuttynose a few weeks back (meh, a little sour for my taste - it was the packaging that got me). The Sam Adams Noble Pils is actually very good, too. A friend is launching the country's first session ale - Notch - in a few weeks and I'm very excited to try it.
My husband loves the IPAs, too, but I can only take so much hoppy hop sting on my tongue. Gimme a good blonde any day!

Permalink Reply by David Branagin on April 7, 2010 at 1:25am

"Gimme a good blonde any day!"
Cornelia, I can't tell you how many times I've caught myself saying the exact same thing!
OK, everyone saw that one coming, but seriously...A great IPA need not sting your tongue. Much more important (to me) is a wonderful hop nose, especially from a beer that's dry hopped! Oh that fresh, floral hop aroma! mmmm!

Why isn't there a beer style called brunette?

Permalink Reply by Jim Giddings on May 31, 2010 at 11:22am

Stouts, porters, IPA's - it really just depends on what mood my palate is in. I'm simply getting more snobbish as time goes by and I learn more. I don't think I could drink another crappy beer now. The road only leads in one direction from here on out : )

There's a Belgian Dubble out there called 'Angelique' I think - in a large 22 oz bottle with a cork - that was just some yummy stuff.

Currently fermenting on my counter is 5.2 gallons of an Old English style Ale - roughly 7 lbs of malt, 1 lb of Belgian Rock Candy, 4 oz. of Molasses, 1 lb of Brown Sugar. And some hops and American Yeast pitched. Should go into bottles in two weeks, and then Ill try it three weeks after that.

Seriously - it should either be a great beer, or a bizzare ice cream flavor. We will see!

Permalink Reply by David Branagin on May 31, 2010 at 11:46pm

Interested in how that turns out. Keep us posted.

With 7 lbs of (what I'm assuming is pale) malt, combined with the the 2.4 lbs of brown sugar and molasses, I'm guessing you'll finish with something not overly alcoholic, but probably quite dry/breathy and somewhat cidery. Of course there are so many factors that come into play! That's what makes homebrewing such a fascinating past time.

Jim Giddings said:

Stouts, porters, IPA's - it really just depends on what mood my palate is in. I'm simply getting more snobbish as time goes by and I learn more. I don't think I could drink another crappy beer now. The road only leads in one direction from here on out : )

There's a Belgian Dubble out there called 'Angelique' I think - in a large 22 oz bottle with a cork - that was just some yummy stuff.

Currently fermenting on my counter is 5.2 gallons of an Old English style Ale - roughly 7 lbs of malt, 1 lb of Belgian Rock Candy, 4 oz. of Molasses, 1 lb of Brown Sugar. And some hops and American Yeast pitched. Should go into bottles in two weeks, and then Ill try it three weeks after that.

Seriously - it should either be a great beer, or a bizzare ice cream flavor. We will see!

Permalink Reply by David Branagin on July 8, 2010 at 12:31pm

Sometimes I think of myself as being a bit of a hop-head, but whenever I have a great 'low hop' beer, I remember what really changed my beer drinking habits in the first place (from macros to micros)......flavor! One of the things I like most about the IPAs, some pale ales and other select styles, is not the bittering hops but the aroma hops. Dry hopped beers (assuming all else is done well) can really excite me, and one thing I sometimes do is to make a malty (or balanced) red ale with dry hopping. It can be subtle and still add that extra character that makes a beer stand out amongst it's peers.

And yes, I wish there weren't so many "no-flavor" micros out there. I am not sure why this occurs so often. Perhaps it's primarily an economic decision, and maybe the brewhouse owner(s) either got too big...or got into the business for reasons that I personally wouldn't agree with.

As always, I wish I could try everyone's recommendations, but most are not found where I live. Well, maybe it's a good idea to write down everyone's suggestions. It's nice to plan stops to a new "recommended" brewery when traveling to a new area!

Tina Perricone said:

I am a big fan of amber ales and get rather disappointed at the slim pickin's what with all the IPA craziness that goes on, personally I cannot stand the bitter-babes. A favorite local amber is the Beach Chalet's (San Francisco) Riptide Red. It is a nice complex red in a sea of so-so "yes it is red, but has no flavor" brews. My sister and her boyfriend made a heather brew (I picked the heather) and with very few hops added was a lovely brew, and not heavy on the floral at all. Local SF brew pub Magnolias has my other favorite seasonal (winter) brew: Weekapaug Gruit. It is a Scottish Gruit / Ancient Herbed Ale style beer. Best served cask style IMHO.

Permalink Reply by Pat Johnson on July 8, 2010 at 1:32pm

I'm a homebrewer and I always tell folks beers are a lot like foods. Although Pizza might be my favorite food I sure wouldn't want to eat it 3 times a day for the rest of my life. Same thing with beer. In the summer I prefer the lighter ales and wheat beers but in the fall I switch over to the IPAs and Porters and eventually end up with stouts and even an occasional Imperial something or other. So I guess it depends on when you ask me as to what my favorite beer is. Today in the hottest part of the summer here on the Gulf Coast, I need something I can drink a few of without getting too full or too drunk. An American Wheat beer is currently on tap but I have to confess there is a 5 gallon keg of dry stout my chill box too! I'm not a big Hop fan but recently I tried a Victory "Hop Wollop" that would make even the most devout Hop fans drool!