Beer!

Having a Deschutes Obsidian Stout, they can do no wrong.

Yeah, that's a good one.

Do any of you like sours? If so, what's some of your favorites? I recently had a New Belgian Sour that was pretty good.

Kind of a warm weather beer for me and i'm not well versed on them. There is a local, Iron Horse Brewery that made on last year called Shortcut Sour that I enjoyed.

Nope I don't like sours at all.  It's the one beer style my fellow beer snob and I disagree on; he loves them and I can't stand them.

there are more than a few famous metal bands selling/endorsing beer or coffee....are any of 'em good?

Where I live there is a low population, so I'll probably never have a pint of Trooper; am I missing out?

When it comes to Trooper you're not missing anything IMO.   I found it just slightly better than the average stuff from mass market brewers.

Trooper is meh. A Toute le Monde is pretty good if you like lighter Belgians.
Maiden has one out that's a Porter i'd like to try.

tohostudios wrote:

Nope I don't like sours at all.  It's the one beer style my fellow beer snob and I disagree on; he loves them and I can't stand them.

Wonder if there is a double sour that will change your mind?

DallasBlack wrote:

tohostudios wrote:

Nope I don't like sours at all.  It's the one beer style my fellow beer snob and I disagree on; he loves them and I can't stand them.

Wonder if there is a double sour that will change your mind?

I don't think sours work like IPAs.   But you never know....

tohostudios wrote:

When it comes to Trooper you're not missing anything IMO.   I found it just slightly better than the average stuff from mass market brewers.

Dark Horseman wrote:

Trooper is meh. A Toute le Monde is pretty good if you like lighter Belgians. Maiden has one out that's a Porter i'd like to try.

Don't listen to these wankers. Trooper is good stuff!! A Toute le Monde wasn't bad, but not really my taste. One or 2 and I'm done. Anthrax's Wardance was very good.

Maiden's Red & Black Porter is a little too dark for my tastes. I probably wouldn't drink more than one. I would drink multiple Troopers or Wardance though (and have).

I love the dark, thick beers. Victoria Brewing Co., in Victoria, BC., Canada makes a delicious dark called Hermann's Dark....being a heavier beer, I felt great (not full of beer) after 8 pints. I now enjoy 2-4 pints of beer, not 8+. Some hemp beer I've tried was decent....I'm looking for a very clean, dark hemp beer. Can anyone suggest a good, dark, hemp beer?

MetalGuy71 wrote:

tohostudios wrote:

When it comes to Trooper you're not missing anything IMO.   I found it just slightly better than the average stuff from mass market brewers.

Dark Horseman wrote:

Trooper is meh. A Toute le Monde is pretty good if you like lighter Belgians. Maiden has one out that's a Porter i'd like to try.

Don't listen to these wankers. Trooper is good stuff!! A Toute le Monde wasn't bad, but not really my taste. One or 2 and I'm done. Anthrax's Wardance was very good.

Maiden's Red & Black Porter is a little too dark for my tastes. I probably wouldn't drink more than one. I would drink multiple Troopers or Wardance though (and have).

I liked the Trooper Ale but haven't had the others you mentioned. I guess they're not available in my area?

It's Mr. Wanker to you. Now go drink something with Lite on the can.

moonspell67 wrote:

I love the dark, thick beers. Victoria Brewing Co., in Victoria, BC., Canada makes a delicious dark called Hermann's Dark....being a heavier beer, I felt great (not full of beer) after 8 pints. I now enjoy 2-4 pints of beer, not 8+. Some hemp beer I've tried was decent....I'm looking for a very clean, dark hemp beer. Can anyone suggest a good, dark, hemp beer?

  Sorry, the only hemp beer I've had was from O'Fallon Brewery which is local and I'm pretty sure you can't get it.

Metalguy's post got me thinking.

I'm pretty sure we all started our beer-drinking experience the same way; drinking whatever you could get your hands on. 

But for you other beer snobs out there, what opened your eyes (not to mention tastebuds) to what real beer could taste like?

And for you who are still perfectly happy drinking Budweiser, Coors, Miller or (gulp!) Pabst, why do you still stick with those beers?  Price?  Don't like the taste of stronger beers?

I know my "gateway experience" to beer snobbery but I'm interested to hear what other beer fans think.


Just curious...

I'm one of those that is happy on drinking the mass produced stuff (Coors,etc) and it does mainly come down to price for me. I believe it was Freddy who said quantity over quality. But don't get me wrong, I do like the micro brewed IPAs, pale ales and all, but I usually just get them as a treat every now and then.

I suspect price point is the main issue for most people who drink macro-brews.  And I totally understand that.  I'd probably still be drinking Budweiser if I had a family to support.  But fortunately I can squander some of my budget on craft beer and not feel guilty or have anyone else yell at me for it.

Couldn't get into the mass produced schlock when I was young though Weinhard's Dark was ok. Wasn't until I had a Grant's Scottish Ale that things changed for me though my friends hated it. Bridgeport and and Widmer were starting to get some traction then too though you had to go to their brewpubs but quickly craft beer was everywhere. I came of age at the explosion of craft beer.

"Dragon's Milk" was my "gateway brew".  I had already moved on from mass produced stuff and was drinking Sam Adams, Schlafly, Goose Island etc.  Then I had to attend a training class for work in downtown Clayton.  During the lunch break one day my friend and I were walking around and we found a place called The Wine and Cheese Shop.  We walked in and discovered the whole back half of the store was full of craft beer.  I loved the artwork on Dragon's Milk so I bought a 4 pack. 

And the rest is history.

That's a great brew.

What a coincidence. I went to the local beer store today and they had a Dragon's Milk Reserve on an endcap. For the uninitiated, the Dragon's Milk Reserve series features variations on New Holland's Dragon's Milk ale. This one is "Mexican Spice Cake" Dragon's Milk. I've previously had a cinnamon version and a coffee version in the DM Reserve series.

Just poured this one now. Haven't tried it yet.

Sounds interesting. I'm curious how the chili comes through?

I don't remember a specific incident, but I guess somewhere around my early 30's(?) when I stopped drinking beer just to get drunk and started drinking beer for the taste. Before the whole micro-beer craze, when the companies started putting out mass-produced darker beers, like Yuengling. More variety that just regular or lite beer. Black & Tans or reddish-hued beers were new and fascinating.

The microbrews were fun for awhile too, but I think they've gone too far in putting everything-and-the-kitchen-sink into beers, looking for the next big thing.

If I want chocolate chip cookie dough, I'll eat a tube of Toll House. I want my beer to taste like beer.