what? right NOW?

been drinkin' San Miguel,Heinekin and Fosters all night long.

/I am an animal that needs to sleep

wow, i am shocked that not only the person who started this thread picked heineken, but many of you obviously have not tried superior micro-brewed or imported beers. Sierra Nevada celebration ale (available only in the winter season) and dogfish head's 60 minute and 90 minute IPA's are some of my absolute favorite microbrewed, probably 2 of the best brewers in america. Hofbrau imports some great brews, some are mostly malty though and not enough hop flavor. I saw someone mentioned samual smith's , they have a great selection of decent to great brews. I geuss i am just a hop head.

1. Bavaria (with lime)
2. New Castle Brown Ale
3. Rikards Red

Bavaria is my new found freind though, it's so good...especially with lime. I think it's from Brazil.

The reason people started drinking Mexican beers with lime is that they come in a clear bottle. Doesn't make sense? OK, some elementary beer chemistry: The bitterness, flavor, and aroma of beer come from Hops - how long the hops are boiled with the wort (malt and water - proto-beer) determines to which iof those characteristics they contribute most. Now, the most stable chemicals in Hops, the ones that last longest, are the Alpha Acids. They are a yellow, waxy substance in the hops flowers. They are not soluable in water. However, when exposed to heat and water, they turn into iso-alpha acids, which are soluable. (Hence, the hops longest in the boil contribute most to bitterness.) Unfortunately, Iso-alpha acids are so constructed as to become a particularly foul aromatic compound when exposed to ultraviolet light for as little as 10 seconds. This compound has many of the same characteristics as skunk scent. Now, brown glass blocks ultraviolet light, but clear and green glass do not. Hence, clear bottled Mexican Beer is almost invariably skunked. Fortunately, it doesn't take a lot of iso alpha acid to make a beer bitter, and the clear bottle Mexican beers, such as Corona and Sol, are both watered down industrialized versions of the classic Czech Pilsner (lamentably frequently bottled in green glass) which is not particularly bitter. Therefore it is generally possible to cover the skunked flavor and aroma with citrus juice - lime. That's how it starts. If you like the taste, more power to you, but I think you're fooling yourself if you think you're enjoying good beer. You're enjoying cheap, spoiled beer with fruit juice. (Very similar argument for why Americans think sake is served hot. It's only served hot if it's stale.)

In any case, my favorite beer is one I brewed myself, and which recently took over first place from another I had brewed myself. My favorite is Defenestrator Doppelbock - a black doppelbock similar to Salvator (but made with love instead of Jesus), and certified as "Damn Tasty" by a BJCP certified beer judge. The one it eclipsed was Up All Night Extra Stout, an export style stout with espresso in the wort.

Commercially, my favorite beer is Arrogant Bastard Ale, partially because it's perfecly marketed to me (I am most certainly arrogant, and my mother and father were never married), but mostly because it is a mongo-hops monster well balanced with just the right amount of malt - not so little as to be overwhelmed by the truly staggering amount of bitterness and hops flavor, but yet not so much as to render the beer a syrupy sweet mess (like Dogfish head 120 minute IPA. Save your money on that one, folks). My favorite stouts are Old Australia, a vinous imperial stout, and Mackeson's XXXX Milk Stout. (Keep your Guinness. It isn't even the best Irish stout.) Far and awy my favorite barley wine is Old Dominion's bourbon barrel aged Millennium. Absolutely fantastic, and only available at the brewery. They made 200 cases of it this year, and are charging 100 bucks a pop. It'd be a bargain at twice the price. It really is that good. If you're in the greater DC area you should google them, get directions, and go there immediately.

However, my own beer is only available at my own house, Arrogant Bastard is not a beer with mass appeal, and Milennium is, as I noted, limited in quantity, so I have my favorite bar beer: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Finally, swilling beer. Anyone with pretensions of dipsomania needs to find a beer that will load its feight of alcohol into one's grateful veins without dropping a lead-like freight of malt liquor in one's belly. For me, that's Budweiser. See, it really is useful for something beyond cleaning car battery contacts.

that is some seriously cool shit!!!! thanks for the education Tophat665. :thumbsup: so it's a conspiracy with the mexican beer companies, bottle makers, and lime growers of the world? :D why don't they use brown bottles? or is that too obvious?

tophat: I'm glad someone in here understands the finer points of hops. I learned plenty growing up the child of a Miller employee. On that note, Miller is too sweet for my tastes but one brewery my dad worked at had great beer: Shipyard Brewery. Their IPA was decent (Fugle's), better than most, but the stout and Longfellow's Ale were astounding, especially straight out before it even touched the bottling tubes.

Mirror Pond from the Deschutes Brewery in Bend Oregon is my favorite. :)

Mr. Perrets stout and Cornish Doombar are my favorites at the moment. On a hot day a cold pint of Leffe or Staropramen goes down well. Or Corona with lemon :)

Random trivia: hops is in the same family as marijuana.

Also, beer with a lot of hops has a kind of liquid estrogen.

So, when you're drinking beer with lotsa hops, it's like you're drinking a high woman :p

Learned that on Dennis Miller a few nights ago when he had some beermeister on.

Not sure if they qualify as beer, but I love "Woodchuck Hard Cider."

http://www.woodchuck.com/

IMO - Corona tastes too much like the cheap beer I could when stationed in Panama, for 25 cents (10 cents refundable) in the 90's On top of that, everyone wants to drop a lime (or lemon) slice into the beer - wtf?
Personally, I prefer a dark beer. Amber Boch; Red Wolf (when I can find it), please do not confuse w/Red Dog. The taste of dark vs. light is distinct.

I have just discovered the greatest beer ever. This being my first true drinktatstic Oktoberfest, I had the opportunity to drink Spaten's Oktoberfest brew. It was amazing. I strongly reccomend getting this before the season is up.

read tophat's reply above..........very enlightening.

Yanjing Ale. Don't know why, but I really love the stuff. Its from China (hence the name), and about the smoothest stuff around. Yanjing seems to be a style of Chinese ale, however. The only one we can get here in Texas is a brand that promotes itself as an "Extra Yanjing" Ale, and proudly proclaims itself the state ale of China(Insert Yakov Smirinov "In China Ale drinks you." joke here). Anyone else drink it?

Fat Tire from Colorado is very very good! Also for those in the NE, Philly area, Yuengling is also real good, and just as cheap as a Bud

Here's two microbrews that most outside the northest probably haven't heard of:

Long Trail - Blackberry Wheat (seasonal for the fall harvest)
http://www.longtrail.com/home.cfm
Any Sea Dog brew, but especially a Blue Paw Wheat Ale
http://www.seadogbrewing.com/

Changes from time to time but latly Abita Turbo Dog is the best. This is a New Orleans beer but I am starting to see it in other States.

Bell's beer, from Kalamazoo, MI, is the finest microbrewery in America. In a few centuries, we will be referring to them as we do the Trappist monks in Belgium. I recommend the Oberon in the spring and summer and the Double Stout (Chocolate and Cherry) or Amber Ale in the fall and winter. Their 3rd Coast Ale, at 18bucks a 6pack, is quite a treat as well.

As I live in California, I don't have access to it anymore. Can anyone help?

Paulanner Hefewizen, out of a tap, is also excellent.

Saranac Black and Tan. Good for cooking too.

1. Grolsch
2. Steinlager
3. Bass
4. Moosehead
5. Corona

Augunstiner Weissbeer. Nothing better.

Depends on the situation but my overall favs fall out this way:

Blackened Voodoo (can't believe no one here has mentioned this one yet)
Negro Modelo
Guiness
Rogue Shakespearean Stout (Oregan Microbrew available in much of the country)

About to start brewing my own soon.

Straub.. it comes in a plastic bag and you can get it at our local pub for 1 dollar a pint. It tastes like banana's but does the job quickly and cheaply!

All Time Fav: Sam Adams Light

Does anyone know where to find Pumpkin Ale? It's in season and I had it several years ago, but can't find it anywhere as of late. Some of you might think that beer and pumpkin is a bad combo, however, it has a great taste. Tis is the season for the Autumn brews!

i'm curious about the kinds of beers people who aren't really into beer like. i just don't like the taste and super carbonation of the stuff. for instance the most "luxurious" beer i've drank was some gordon biersch thing from their restaurant...heinekins, coronas, coors are popular around here but they still taste like beer to me. EXCEPT Kirin Ichiban...I dunno why, it still tasted like beer, just good for some reason. Odd ain't it. I'm guessing if I just sampled more beers I'd probably find a few more that are at least tolerable. I just don't understand how people chug that stuff without belching every other second, and pissing every 5 minutes, which seems to happen to me. Ah well. Good drinking to everyone.

My own homebrew....

Weissbier. Never found it in the States...

Pyramid Apricot Ale. Sounds wussy, but its really good when you're in the mood for a lighter beer. There's a local brewery near my house that makes great stouts. My favorite dark beer is Young's double chocolate stout. The real test for a beer, hold it up to the light. If you can see through it, it's not a real beer.

Heineken and Guinness.

And I'm sometimes partial to Jame Squire Ale from Tasmania.

But generally Heineken and Guinness.


Mr Mephisto


PS - Yes, the Guinness does taste better in Ireland!

I'm going to have to chime in and say that there are two non-local microbrews that I will drink and they are the only two. Corona Light and Amstel Light.

Guinness for when I want to sit down and enjoy a good beer with a meal and some rational conversation.

Bud Light for when I want a six-pack to slam at a party or fill some beer pong cups with yellow foamy liquid stuff that kinda qualifies as beer.

obviously depends on the situation...

generally newcastle or any ipa if relaxing or out at dinner, bud/pbr if just finished mowing the lawn.

Not looking hard enough, then. Ayinger, Paulaner, Valentin, Schneider, Maisel, Aventinus, and at least a dozen others all have Weizenbeirs, Dunkelweizens and/or weizenbocks available at better retailers in the States. Now, if you mean by Weissbeir, Berlinner Weisse (like with raspberry or woodruff syrup, sour enough to make your cheeks touch in the middle of your mouth), there are only two brands imported, and they're pricey. One is Berlinner Kindl Weisse, and, as I have never had the other, I can't recall the name, but they are out there, they just take some finding, and cost like $2.50 a bottle when found.

Ironhorse Stout at the Market Street Brewery in Nashville. Great taste, massively filling.

Makes note to ask Tophat when I fuck up my next home brew :D

The current one I just bottled is Cascade Golden Harvest Lager - will let you guys know when it is ready to drink (in a couple of weeks):

http://www.cascadehomebrew.com.au/home/default.asp

Okay, so I heard that the reason that beer tastes different overseas because they don't pasturize the beer. Is that true?

If so how much of a difference does it make? (looking for those who have gone overseas and can honestly taste the difference) and finally, are there non-pasturized beers here in the US? Does heat pasturized and "cold-filtered" really matter in regards to beer taste?

Hmm...I'd have to pick Guinness (Mmmm...Extra Stout), Killian's and Bell's Oberon.

My favorite beer is a Cuh-hold one. http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail39.html

But anyway, ill second the motion on Pyramid Apricot Ale, and I've also been enlightened by tophat's post. Still love mexican beer, just going to make sure to add the fruit juice.

Yuengling is by far my favorite...I used to go to school in PA and when I came home to NY, I couldn't get my hands on it...recently they started moving into other states and I can't get enough!!!

Blue Moon Belgian White gets a nod for second place