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Posted: Feb 15 2013 04:59 pm

The thread is exactly what is says in the title. If you have a beer you want to share with, go ahead and do it! Please include a 1 - 5 rating and a recommendation of what the beer should be enjoyed with. If you can get a picture of the beer in the glass (I had to dig this one off the internet) please do. I'll kick us off with...

The O'Fallon Smoke

I had it last night. It was my Valentine's Date. I found it in a Binny's Build a Six Pack section and thought it looked pretty neat. Turns out that it was pretty neat. It starts off with a strong, chocolaty dark beer flavor that tapers off into a wonderful smokey flavor. It had the same after taste that good smoked meat does. The palette is where it's at, and while this is a splendid beer, I'm going to knock it a single point because the transition from that initial sweet chocolaty taste to the heavy smoke is a little jarring the first few sips

Score: 4/5

Drink with: A good piece of red meat. This beer with a BBQ rack of ribs would have been perfect.

Joined: Oct 19 2009 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 1479

I support this thread. I will contribute the next time I buy an interesting beer (fridge is currently stocked with New Belgium 1554).

Joined: Apr 14 2006 Location: Lake Michigan Posts: 3332

Great idea!

Killian's Irish Stout:

Tried it last night for the first time after picking it up at Binny's previously. Killian's is traditionally known for their Irish Red lager, but this American brand owned by Coors, with Irish roots, recently expanded this variation nationwide. While not as good as Guinness, it's a nice, cheaper alternative in a bottle, for when you are at home or at a house party, and cannot get to a draft of Guinness Stout at a good Irish bar.

Score: 4/5

Drink with: Stouts are great with the traditional fish & chips. In this Lenten season, a Friday night dinner consisting of this combo makes it easier to deal with not being able to have most meats, out of fear of offending God somehow.

Cheers!

Posted: Feb 15 2013 06:35 pm

Wieselburger:

It's a famous austrian beer and the my favorite beer. It comes with a good price and tastes pretty good. Hard to describe the taste, i would call it well balanced. It's not to sweet nor to bitter and it doesn't come of to heavy over all. Try it if you ever have the chance to, you won't disappointed.

Drink with: I don't know. Great boredom. I tend to smoke cigarettes while i drink it or it Nachos with cheese dip. Just be creativ.

Posted: Feb 15 2013 06:52 pm

Cattivo, I just had that stout a few weeks ago. Hooooly shit was I impressed. I'm a dark beer guy, and that's one the best ones I've had in some time. I prefer it to Guinness, honestly, since it's got that really fantastic coffee flavor.

Joined: Apr 14 2006 Location: Lake Michigan Posts: 3332

Better than Guinness? Wow. I really liked Killian's, but I guess how I have Guinness up on a pedestal prevented me from praising it that highly. I am definitely going to start getting it regularly, though, especially because of the price. I just hope it starts showing up at local grocery stores soon, as I don't want to make the 15 minute drive to the local binny's just for that too often, dealing with the awful, surrounding traffic. Way easier to just pick it up while grocery shopping 5 minutes away.

Posted: Feb 16 2013 06:32 pm

I did not even know that Killian's made a stout, so that's on my list of drinks to try.

Also, my fridge is also currently stocked with some New Belgium 1554. Props, Lesh.

I guess it's best to stay in the darker beer direction that this thread is taking. Both of these guys are around the same spectrum, and are both excellent, if a bit pricey.

Fuller's London Porter, Griffin Brewery, UK
I'm pretty sure I've plugged this guy in the past. This is a very, very smooth porter with noticeable chocolate, caramel, coffee, and toffee flavors. It's probably my favorite drink, and the aftertaste is wonderful.

Founder's Breakfast Stout, Michigan
Many of the same flavors as the Fuller's, with more of a coffee orientation and some oatmeal to boot. I guess the best way to describe it is that it's still pretty smooth, but has some additional bite.

Posted: Feb 16 2013 07:02 pm

LeshLush wrote:

I support this thread. I will contribute the next time I buy an interesting beer (fridge is currently stocked with New Belgium 1554).

Thumbs up!

Joined: Oct 19 2009 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 1479

Never had Killian's Stout before, but I'm not sure if I can believe that it's better on Guinness. A good draft of Guinness is maybe my favorite beer.

Posted: Feb 17 2013 04:42 am

My biggest buzzword when it comes to beer is coffee. I love the mix of coffee and beer flavors, and the Killian's stout has a very strong coffee taste on the note. For that reason alone, I rank it above Guiness. It's also a lot smoother, to my reckoning.

Joined: Aug 04 2009 Posts: 2515

I'm going drinking tomorrow, if I buy anything cool i'll photograph it.

Joined: Apr 14 2006 Location: Lake Michigan Posts: 3332

I am not big on the taste of coffee in general, so maybe that's also why I like Guinness more (and put a lot of creamer in my morning coffee). Don't think I've ever sensed any note of coffee in Guinness, but I don't think I have a very distinguishing palette. After all, I prefer cheap wine to the expensive stuff, as the latter tends to taste more like alcohol as opposed to the better tasting table wines, like Ecco Domani and the like.

Joined: Aug 04 2009 Posts: 2515

Excuse picture quality.

Guinness tastes nothing like coffee. It is very smooth though, I will grant that. To me it tastes like liquefied iron - why is why to me it is the drink of men!

On that actual pint though, I've had better pints of Guinness. They seem to taste different on tap wherever you go.

I also had a Harp, but I don't have a good photo. My drink of choice when it comes to golden nectar.

Posted: Feb 18 2013 05:48 pm

I only drink Guinness in those really awesome Irish Car Bomb things. Otherwise Guinness tastes awful to me, it tastes roughly like what I'd expect motor oil to taste like with a similar consistency. Just not really a fan of dark beers, I tend to prefer fruity beers. lol

So I'm going to review my favorite fruity beers and take this thread in another direction. Wink

First is Leinenkugel's Berry Weiss:

I drink this stuff all the time, and have gotten several others hooked on it. I think it finds that middle ground between wine and beer, where it is sweet but not to the point of being super sweet like wine due to the beer bite it has.

I'd probably give it a 5/5 based on the fact that I think it is one of the best fruity beers I've ever enjoyed. A lot of them lose their attraction after a few bottles, but Berry Weiss seems to always taste good no matter how many I drink. It has been rare that I could find a beer that I wanted to buy more than a single pack of.

I usually have it with appetizers like potato skins and nachos, but I think it would go pretty well with a steak too I just can't afford steak.

I'll do a second one while I'm doing this so next is another Leinenkugel's, Lemon Berry Shandy:

This one is interesting, and only around for a limited time so I've been drinking it a lot lately while it is here. This is sweeter than Berry Weiss and doesn't really have that much of a beer taste. It really kind of tastes like a very alcoholic blackberry lemonade, which I guess it kind of is. I'm not sure it is one I'd drink all the time but I suspect it would be really, really good during/after a hot summer day.

I'd give it a 3.5/5 mostly because it really feels more like a spiked lemonade than a beer even though it is pretty tasty in the right situation.

As for what I'd drink it with, I really don't know. Maybe sandwiches? Chips? Something like that or whatever the hell you would eat with lemonade.

I can give reviews on others if they are wanted but I know a lot of people don't really care for fruity beers. Razz

Posted: Feb 18 2013 06:05 pm

Guinness tastes pretty good to me, although I have not had in in quite some time and have never gotten much of a coffee taste out of it. It sort of has more of a "bread" complexion to me and my friends, and I do not mean that in an insulting way.

Beach Bum wrote:

I only drink Guinness in those really awesome Irish Car Bomb things. Otherwise Guinness tastes awful to me, it tastes roughly like what I'd expect motor oil to taste like with a similar consistency. Just not really a fan of dark beers, I tend to prefer fruity beers. lol

Leinenkugel's is a pretty interesting brewery, I'll admit. I think you hit the nail on the head with the Berry Weiss being in between beer and wine. An occasional one is all right in my book, as some of my friends are hooked on 'em and have 'em in stock somewhat frequently. I don't believe I've ever felt the notion to buy myself a sixer, though.

I have not tried the Lemon Berry Shandy. However, friends and I agree that the Sunset Wheat tastes exactly like liquid Fruity Pebbles. Again, it's a bit of a strange taste that I don't go for very frequently, but it works for what it was designed for and you may like it, Beach.

On that note, I have found Shock Top's Raspberry Wheat to be pretty disgusting. I know I haven't been providing the rating and dining aspects that this thread called for, but it didn't taste much like raspberries or wheat, two items that I normally enjoy. If you prefer darker drinks and are looking to get into the fruitier stuff, I would not recommend the Shock Top Raspberry Wheat.

Joined: Apr 14 2006 Location: Lake Michigan Posts: 3332

I tried a Shock Top Lemonade brew a few months ago and really hated it.

Typically I haven't like the Leinekugal fruit brews, but my gf's cousin had a bunch of one type of them while tailgating an NIU football game, and I loooooved it. Can't remember what type it was, though. Probably a seasonal of some sort. Maybe it was Oktoberfest? I don't know.

Guinness is definitely an acquired taste. I hated it in college (although I probably only sampled the draught version), but have come to love stouts in general since then.

Posted: Feb 18 2013 06:35 pm

I forgot to mention that the Leinenkugel Vanilla Snowdrift Porter is also is not too bad; there wasn't a very strong vanilla taste, but it is pretty smooth, so I give it a 3/5. I believe it is a seasonal item, so you may have a hard time finding 'em as of late.

Posted: Feb 18 2013 06:51 pm

I'm not a huge fruity beer fan, but I do like Leiny's Summer Shandy. I hate their berry weis and lemon berry, though. The Snowdrift porter is the tits.

If you want a really good, refreshing fruit beer, I highly recommend the O'Fallon Wheach, which is a wheat beer that tastes like peach pie.

Posted: Feb 18 2013 09:29 pm

I didn't care much for the Vanilla Porter or the Special Dark (I think that is what it is called) by Leine's they were too dark for my taste but I got them for free so I tried them anyway. The Special Dark made me think I was drinking dirt and twigs. The Vanilla Porter reminded me of Vanilla Coke and had a nasty vanilla aftertaste. Couldn't finish either one. My friend really liked the Special Dark though so it must have just been me.

I do like their Summer Shandy though. It is kind of an occasional beer, not one I could drink very often. Sunset Wheat is pretty darn fantastic too.

I haven't tried Shocktop but I'll probably stay away now, unless I can do one of those build-your-own packs and just get one to try.

Posted: Feb 19 2013 12:20 am

I'm not a Shock Top fan, but I also don't like most light/wheat beer. The drinkers here seem to prefer dark beer like me, so it might not be best to take our word for it depending on what your into.

Posted: Feb 19 2013 12:59 am

Fighter_McWarrior wrote:

I'm not a Shock Top fan, but I also don't like most light/wheat beer. The drinkers here seem to prefer dark beer like me, so it might not be best to take our word for it depending on what your into.

Well I've had some other fruit+wheat beers and on the whole they generally weren't very good with a few exceptions.

Seadog Blueberry Wheat for example would be one I'd give a 2/5 at best. It was overwhelmingly Blueberry flavored with little hint of the Wheat or really any beer taste. Actually there really wasn't even much alcohol taste at all, it was essentially like drinking some really expensive blueberry juice.

On the other hand Seadog's Raspberry Wheat was probably a 3.5/5. It managed to not be super sweet like you'd expect from raspberry, though it was still pretty sweet, and you could taste the wheat and the alcohol which helped offset it some. Hard to find around here though. I've never actually seen it sold in stores, usually only see the blueberry. Had it at a restaurant that closed down and it seemed to go pretty well with my fried chicken that night.

Title: Titlating Joined: Dec 17 2007 Posts: 5042

Whenever I go out this is my primary drink of choice

whenever I want a fruity beer I go for this

Usually cheap and surprisingly strong

Posted: Feb 19 2013 03:39 pm

Wild Blue is pretty good. I've never had the other. What's the brand and product? Kinda hard to read in the picture alone.

Joined: May 22 2008 Location: Goshen, VA Posts: 6544

Quit drinking when my kid was born, but when I just wanted to drink casually I'd go for either of these:

When I wanted to just get shit hammered I'd just chug Fosters.

Joined: Apr 09 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 3112

Fighter_McWarrior wrote:

Wild Blue is pretty good. I've never had the other. What's the brand and product? Kinda hard to read in the picture alone.

Yuengling Traditional Lager. Flows like water here in PA. Notable as America's oldest brewery, and one of the few cheap beers to taste pretty damned good. About a $1.50 a bottle at bars here in PA, and if you just say "lager" they'll pour you a Yuengling. Traditional Lager is good, Black and Tan is pretty meh, and their light beer is surprisingly tasty and full. Brewed in Pottsville, and that place is fucking insane since most people there are tanked on it 24/7.

The traditional has a clean flavor, and is nice when you want a good, reasonably-priced beer without a bunch of shitty fruit and over-hopped flavor. It's the simplest taste, refined well.

The drink of choice during the winter in much of PA, though, is Tröeg's Mad Elf:

It's very sweet and full, flavored with cherry and honey. Some say it's too sweet until you tell them that it's probably there to mask a whopping 11% alcohol content. It's pretty mean, and bartenders like to recommend it to lightweight hipsters trying to impress everyone with their unique new redneck microbrew that they found.

A sip initially hits you with kind of a thick liquid that's not immediately identifiable. As you drink, you taste the honey and cherry in the liquid, and leaves the traditional beer bite behind. Some people like a lighter flavor, but it's hard to find anyone who dislikes Mad Elf's altogether.

It's a good beer to drink when you both want to get tanked (for obvious reasons), or if you just want to sip. It tastes good, but will fill you up and satisfy a sweet tooth, so if you drink slow, you'll get lost in the first bottle, with a second one going even slower. Chug it, and you won't be fucking scared of the police.