Question: Beer guys. Clue me in to craft beers.

BlackCat said:
I almost got a bottle of that milk stout but I decided to try a couple of lagers first.



This one doesn't look particularly boutique but it was on the shelf with all the other brands I've never heard of and it was a lager.

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That is a lager brewed by Full Sail Brewing, out of Hood River Oregon. See the FS and the sail near the top of the label? It is a stubby bottled quaffing beer which I think is pretty good for that style of beer. A good hot day beer. Not really what most would think of as a micro brew, but it is, just a micro brewed popular, lighter style.
 
Aahzz said:
....

Seeing as you're in NYC, you have access to what is probably the best beer bar I've ever frequented - the Peculier Pub. It's on Bleecker between Thompson and LaGuardia. http://www.peculierpub.com/ - over 350 beers available, and a knowledgeable staff to help you choose right.
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I used to live in that neighborhood but it was a long time ago and probably before that bar opened.

There's a place right around the corner called the Double Windsor that seems to have a pretty extensive beer menu.
 
I love IPAs....especially in the summer. But the over-the-top hoppiness of some of them are a bit much to handle.
 
Here's a heads up... Unless you acquire a taste for hops, DON'T try this one:

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Though it really isn't that hoppy, comparatively. I had some Hopslam the other night. drool0
 
Looks like that one was done by a skater!
Jeremy said:
Here's a heads up... Unless you acquire a taste for hops, DON'T try this one:

uba6eru7.jpg


Though it really isn't that hoppy, comparatively. I had some Hopslam the other night. drool0
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I think I would like both of those. I like good hoppy beers. Some can be over the top, but I do like me some American Pale Ales, India Pale Ales, and NWPale Ales.

Thursday night, and that is usually a night I have a beer or two. I think I have some good stuff in the beer fridge in the garage left over from Superbowl!
 
Yeah, Revolution is a buncha aging skaters. :) the brewery is about 4 blocks east of me, but I don't get over there nearly as frequently as I'd like. I bought these at the supermarket :embarrassed:
 
Here's my take: if you're new to wide world of beer and experimenting with new stuff, going ""oh, I don't like IPAs", or "I mostly just like porters and stouts", or "Hefeweizens are gross" or whatever is actually denying yourself. I think that if you keep challenging yourself and keep exploring examples of different styles, you will find (as I have, after a lot of beer over a lot of years) that, even if you do end up gravitating to certain styles, you will find examples of beers in virtually every style that you really enjoy. (For example I thought I didn't like Hefes at all, and while it's far from my favorite style, I found some ones I thought were terrific)

The payoff to pushing yourself is that you'll be able to enjoy the whole range of styles for what they are.
 
IPA's are hoppy by definition. When they were still looking for a good way to get to India, they had to add extra hops as a preservative so their beer would last the trip.
 
BATCAT said:
Here's my take: if you're new to wide world of beer and experimenting with new stuff, going ""oh, I don't like IPAs", or "I mostly just like porters and stouts", or "Hefeweizens are gross" or whatever is actually denying yourself. I think that if you keep challenging yourself and keep exploring examples of different styles, you will find (as I have, after a lot of beer over a lot of years) that, even if you do end up gravitating to certain styles, you will find examples of beers in virtually every style that you really enjoy. (For example I thought I didn't like Hefes at all, and while it's far from my favorite style, I found some ones I thought were terrific)

The payoff to pushing yourself is that you'll be able to enjoy the whole range of styles for what they are.
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I've been drinking microbrews/imports and brewing my own beer for many years - I have yet to find an IPA that I like, and have tried dozens. Heavily hopped beers just aren't my thing.
 
w/r/t IPA, Martyn Cornell (who has an excellent beer history blog and book) has written a few times about the history of the IPA:

"Because of its popularity, most craft drinkers know – or think they know – how IPA began. To quote one version of the popular history of the style: "Back in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, England held a large colonial presence in India. The soldiers, sailors and civilians had a huge appetite for beer. Trouble was, the voyage to India was long, and by the time the ship made it there the traditional beers had spoiled. Even when they didn't, the dark porters that were popular at the time weren't quite the ticket in the hot climate of India. George Hodgson of the Bow Brewery in London was the first person to come up with an answer to this problem. He began brewing a lighter style of beer, known as pale ale. Hodgson realized that high alcohol and hop levels would retard spoilage. His process succeeded, and for about 50 years he held a virtual monopoly on the market."

Trouble is, almost none of the above is true. Ale and beer were being successfully exported to India – and farther – from at least the beginning of the 18th century, and while there was some spoilage, the beers that were being sent out could easily last a year or more in cask. So nobody needed to invent a new style of beer to survive the journey better. Porter continued to be popular in India through the 19th century, and strong dark beers are still drunk in hot climates, from Sri Lanka to the West Indies. Pale ales were around for at least a century before George Hodgson began brewing."

http://www.beerconnoisseur.com/the-origins-of-ipa
http://zythophile.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/four-ipa-myths-that-need-to-be-stamped-out-for-ipaday/

Something else to consider is that today's craft IPAs that are hugely popular & showcase a variety of hop aromas and flavors probably don't really have a whole lot in common from a flavor/aroma pov with the original "IPAs"
 
BlackCat said:
Impression: too sweet.

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Next time you go out to a bar w/ a decent selection, tell the bar tender what you like to drink and ask for a recommendation. Any bartender who knows his stuff should be able to recommend something more in your wheelhouse.
 
I had a German macro brew last night that was more up my street.

(wasn't a dark beer it's just the way the photo came out).
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I tried a taste of Firestone pilsner and kind of liked it even though it was pretty hoppy.
Went with a bear stout and that was good.

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