What's your favourite beer?

I love beer!

But I've been getting really sick of insipid mass produced beer of late, and I cant stand the trendy ciders that are flooding the UK market at the moment so I've been looking around for good alternatives.
It wasnt easy but after months of careful experimentation and testing and a trip back to Alaska I've narrowed it down to 3 recommendations.

Punk IPA by Brewdog ( http://www.brewdog.com/punk_ipa.php ) - this stuff is the absolute balls! A fusion of traditional British and contemporary american IPAs - and it delivers a face kicking hoppiness of 65 IBUs!! - I'm really looking forward to their new Atlantic IPA which they are actually maturing on a ship - just like it was supposed to be

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Sierra Nevada Pale ale ( http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/paleale.html )
Not as Hoppy and bitter as the Brewdog product - but still crisp and tasty - for the days when you dont feel like you want to be kicked in the face by a beverage

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Anything at all brewed by the Alaskan Brewing Co of Juneau (http://www.alaskanbeer.com/index.html) - with Alaskan Amber Ale and the Alaskan Summer Ale taking equal first place - This brewery seems to clean up in the gold medal stakes every year at the World Beer Cup - sadly I cant find anyone who imports this to the UK - in fact very little of it seems to even leave the state - just like the Germans, they keep the good stuff for their own consumption.

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anyone else got any recommendations or favourites?

 

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Sapporo

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Widmer Hefe
Sierra Nevada pale and porter
Deschutes obsidian stout

Widmer, Sierra Nevada and Deschutes all have good to great brews.

 

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Nice to know I'm not alone in my love of the SN Pale Ale - found a pub in Greenwich this summer that had it imported on draught - I stayed for 2 days

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I'm keen to try Brewdog's new Tokyo Intergalactic Fantastic Stout - at 18.2% ABV and flavoured with jasmine and cranberries its gonna be insane!

http://www.brewdog.com/tokyo.php

 

For me one of the keys is to let them warm up slightly and the use of a good beer/pint glass.

Like wine, I think it needs to be out of a glass in order to appreciate the good beers.

When it's really hot I will have an ice cold cheap beer, I don't pour it in a glass, I don't want to see what color it is and once it warms up I have to toss it, so I drink those fast.

 

Downtown Brown from the Lost Coast Brewery.

 

Good old PBR

 

I think it depends on the beer - as a general rule of thumb I say that the lighter the beer (in colour) the colder it should be - so dark beers should be around room temp - pale ales should be cold - a bit like the red wine, white wine rules.

Likewise with glasses - a fragrant room temp dark or brown beer should be served in a glass - a more punchy pale ale can be drunk straight from the bottle

There's no hard and fast rules and a few exceptions tho - traditionally an India Pale Ale (IPA) is served at around or just below room temp - but the Americans like them cold - and I'm inclined to agree on that - likewise brown ales like the classic Newcastle Brown Ale should be served cold - but in a glass.

 

I see you are wise in the ways of the beer.

The one beer that I don't or won't drink is a nut brown. I don't know about other brands but I have tried to drink a few Newcastles, and for some reason I get real nasty and short tempered. I don't know what it is. I never get mean with any other alchohol period, and it's not like I become a mean drunk, just like all of a sudden I'm having a bad day. It's weird.

It must be something in the beer's ingredients, the process what have you that does it. I just know, stay away from the brown beer and I am fine.

If I am out and that is all they have, it's water for me.

 

nom nom nom

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Guinness

 

I thought you were under 21...

 

im 22

 

I'm a big beer fan. I have got an extremely extensive "beer resume" (I've tried a LOT of different beers). I am also frequent microbrewery patron.

My favorites right now (changes all the time):
Schafly Pumpkin Spice Ale
Dogfish head Palo Santo Marron
Terrapin Gamma Ray

As for drinking out of a bottle -- I totally disagree. It needs to be in glass.

I want to start brewing my own. I bought a kit, but I haven't used it yet. I need a bigger house


A few suggestions (these are all US based brewers):
North Coast brewing company
Victory Beer
Highland Brewing Company
Abita
Magic Hat
Left Hand
Saranac
Pyramid
Sweetwater
Rogue
Great Divide
BlueGrass Brewing Company
Yazoo (if you ever visit Nashville)

 

When I used to meet friends at the LCB, I'd always order Bass Ale. I suppose they had it on tap for people like me who find most micro brews too bitter. I'm neither a big drinker, nor a big fan of beer, but when I do buy some, I get Bass Ale.

 

PABST BLUE RIBBON!

 

PBR with a sraw.

 

have yyou ever had saki?

 

yes and I liked it a lot. warm.

but I am not a beer/alcohol fan, I usually drink very rarely (2 times a month)