Thread: Good beer / ale

This is a great thread, thank you all for posting. I find CAMRA's styles to be incomplete, exceptional styles of ale are neglected. A few examples are: Belgian ales of all sorts, German ales (alt, wheat beers, etc...). Of course, understandably so. Stouts derived from porters and through the years, their strength somewhat inverted. That is, initially, stout porters were the strongest porters available and nowadays porters are typically stronger than stouts (not including export versions of stout, which are outside the UK, and Imperial stouts). Contrary to popular perception, stouts, particularly dry stouts, the style associated with Guinness (again, not the export), are very weak beers. Both stouts and porters are typically considered as ales, although many porters, particularly those known as "brown porters" and a few Baltic porters, are brewed with lager yeast. Despite all of that, the late Michael Jackson, perhaps the highest beer authority in the world in recent times, list both stouts and porters separately from other ales in his book The Beer Companion. Surely, a must read for all beer enthusiasts out there. I believe that this distinction is made because the high percentage of roasted grains (malted and/or unmalted) that are used in the manufacture of stouts and porter, although I am not sure about his real reasons.

Al raz.

pretty much anything from great lakes brewery (anyone near cleveland will probably agree) and i also like the willoughy brewing company, it is about 40 minutes east of cleveland in the city of willoughy. but now that i dont live near cleveland anymore i must find something else, although i guess i live close enough to have people deliver it to me

-dan-

Here's what makes me happy, a woman who can please 12 men at the same time!

mmmmm.... beer....

Well, let me get out my list.

Brewed by, Country, Name

Wychwood, UK, HobGoblin
Erdinger, Germany, Weissbier
Holsten, Germany, MaiBock
Unibroue, Canada / PQ, La Fin Du Monde or Maudite

Cheers

Karl

Ahh, a wonderful thread!

Too many favorites to name--and I used to brew my own and taught classes in it for UT Informal Classes in Austin. Currently on a Belgian ale tear.

As for best place for me to find 'em--9 words:

"Refrigerated Beer Alley in downtown Austin Whole Foods Market"!

Can't stand the store's pinko politics (i.e., they carry magazines for Buddhists, Hindus, New Age, gay, yoga...everything EXCEPT anything Christian), but they do carry good ale and food.

What a hilarious image kaptain!

I dig on the Fat Tire Ale from Fort Collins, CO for stateside stuff.


Though it is rarely available the Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale is decidedly delicious (and filling).

For that matter, I've never seen Fat Tire east of the Mississippi.

How about this one nominated for the man of the year award.

Al raz.

Still a high fan on Leininkugel, even after all these years...

I'm a big fan of Scuttlebutt Amber Ale, brewed in Everett, WA (north of Seattle), and I loved Sam Adams Cranberry Lambic the couple years it was available here. Also, though it's more a wine than a beer, I love mead. There's an excellent meadery nearby so most local grocery stores carry it.

I like Long Trails Pale Ale made in Vermont.