Mononoke wrote:I've tried Hennepin, Rare Vos, Ommegang abbey ale and three philosophers from that list and they're all superb. Generally anything from Ommegang is really good

Cadillac Mountain Stout
A full-bodied stout with focused chocolate flavors and plenty of hops and malt, Cadillac Mtn. Stout was selected World Champion Dry Stout 1995 and the best hard-to-find beer in America by Men’s Journal.
WBC tasting notes
"Outstanding smoothness & complexity make this a benchmark show Stout. A meal in a glass, this slides down like black velvet."
"Dark, with a creamy tan head. Fresh, clean aromas reminiscent of creamy hot cocoa. Full-bodied and mouth filling without being cloying or heavy. A mild French Roast style bitterness emerges on the finish. Very stylish and inviting."

gleniedee wrote:There is no such thing as bad beer. There is only beer,good beer and gooder beer.

I've only tried I think 4 American Beers; Millers,Pabst, Budweiser and Coors.Quite liked Coors.The best that can be said of American beer is that you can buy it delis and supermarkets,you get a discount for 6 AND you WILL get drunk if you drink a dozen or so.
I love English beer,ales or lager, and REALLY love Guinness,which is an entire food group all by itself. Numerically have probably tried more English beer than any other,including Australian.

Like most European beers,though although not fond of Stella.

Like most Asian beers,especially San Miguel, but not fond of Singapore's Tiger Beer.

Aussies drink mainly lager, I've tried the major brands in every state.I like almost all,but not fond of Fosters, which tastes what I think chilled cat's urine might taste like. After about 6 or so you really don't care about the taste.

Here supermarkets and delis do not sell alcohol.You only get a discount for a slab. (24 bottles or cans) Discounted ordinary beer(as opposed to low alcohol,diet, premium or imported) is around $45 a slab. Up to $60 without the discount.

Scot Dutchy wrote:I dont buy canned beer only bottles.

I refuse to drink out of a can or bottle that is what glasses were invented for.

rJD wrote:

Scot Dutchy wrote:I dont buy canned beer only bottles.

Canned beer is, necessarily, overly-gassy and (in my experience) always horrible. Glass bottles are a pretty good substitute if you can't get cask.

I refuse to drink out of a can or bottle that is what glasses were invented for.

Absolutely. Real beer has smell, and it needs to be served in a glass for this to be appreciated. Of course, as you'll be more aware than most, Belgians take this to an extreme with a multiplicity of specialist glasses for different beers.

purplerat wrote:In fairness to the OP, the US craft brew scene has developed quite a bit in the 6 years since this thread was last active.

Boyle wrote:I love the craft industry so much, have found some real gems. I favor IPA's and sours, so I top my list with Stone, Ballast Point, Dogfishhead, Lagunitas, New Belgium, Ninkasi, and Bear Republic.

kiore wrote:

purplerat wrote:In fairness to the OP, the US craft brew scene has developed quite a bit in the 6 years since this thread was last active.

The craft brewing in the USA world class, and a huge variety available, my 'local' beer shop has over 200 varieties of local and imported beers available. One thing I seriously miss here is a serious home brew market, the kits available are for 5 or 6 litres, really at the hobby end of the market and a generation behind world leaders like Australia or New Zealand.

tuco wrote:Micro brew aside as that is category on its own, one problem with "American" beer are fridges. They are everywhere, huge and set to very low temperature. Beer, at least over here, is said to be around 7th cellar step temperature, which is quite warm in comparison. Not so sure about the 7th but anything too cold loses taste.

"Commercial" beer is like anything commercial not in pejorative sense. I found commercial "American" beer of lower quality then I was used to tho it does not say much as that was some time ago and I am not really drinker.

Boyle wrote:I favor IPA's and sours...

Both Canada and the United States were traditionally ale (and whisky) consuming regions in the British traditions before the late 19th century. Pale lager was later introduced to both Canada and the United States by German immigrants. These German brewers developed their beers from the American six-row barley which has a higher tannic acid and protein content and greater husk per weight than continental European barleys (two-row barley). In addition, the Tettnanger and Saaz hops of Europe were not available. Therefore, to balance taste, and dilute the excessive protein, the grain mixture was adjusted by adding up to 30% corn to the barley malt mash. However, the beer was brewed to full-fledged European strength and to the practices of a pale lager style. Later, rice gained popularity in the domestic brewing market during World War II, due to grain rationing on the home-front. Most breweries were unable to afford the necessary amounts of barley required for production and so began using rice as a filler. This also had the added benefit of lightening the flavor of beer, making it more appealing to some of the new female workforce. After the war, the process was not changed.