Beer

[Keith Sinclair]

Back in my kayak camping days that crowd liked to drink Guinness.

We would ship our kayaks on Young Brothers barge to outer islands. Paddling open ocean to remote valleys. Had some great week long trips. Ice would last two days after that no coolant.

 

[29palms]

My local brewery has a good assortment of beers they make, but my favorite is "Farmer's Daughter" a Rye IPA. It's not too hoppy and it's their flagship brew. 5.5 - 6 ABV depending on the batch.

 

[milkbaby]

Does anyone have access to Pliney the elder? Been trying to get that for years.

You should take up @Johnny.B.Good offer, it's really very good. I had it 2 or 3 times when friends brought it back or got in a trade and was always delicious.

Personally not a big fan of the haze trend, although I felt Heady Topper was decent, it wasn't anywhere near my favorite IPA.

Long story short, I think we're in the golden age of beer right now in the US.
I don't think it's a stretch to say the US making some of the best beer in the world right now.

I agree with this. The US has been at the top of the beer world for quite some time now IMO. Almost everywhere you can drink something local that is at least decent. And brewers all around the country are making both delicious and interesting beers.

One thing I do laugh about is hype from beer geeks. I know I said above that PtE is worth trying and is very good, but I think anywhere in the US a beer fan can find a terrific beer to drink that is also easy to obtain. Some of the best beer experiences for me were drinking a beer with friends when we had little expectations of it and being really surprised how good it was.

Edited to add: I wish some breweries would bring back some of the beers that were special one offs. RUINten IPA from Stone Brewing was one of them that they did once or twice more after the first run. POW! Triple IPA that was Highland Brewing's 20th anniversary special deserves a yearly appearance.

 

[erickso1]

On an actual beer front one of my favorites growing up was runaway red from ice harbor brewery in pasco, wa.

 

[LostHighway]

I moved back to Minnesota from Northern New England just under two years ago. IMO the craft beer scene in Minnesota is good but not quite up to New England standards. I particularly miss Allagash's coolship beers and to a lesser extent Bissell Bros. and a few other NEIPA producers.
Freed from regional constraints I'm primarily a saison, hefeweizen, APA, and IPA drinker. I'm not a huge fan of the currently popular U.S. gimmicky kettle sours but I'd very happily drink the Allagash and Russian River coolship offerings, along with Dre Fonteinen, and Cantillon if access and disposable income permitted.
For some reason most of the North American breweries are terrible at lower gravity (<5%ABV) beers. Finding a truly good bitter, ESB, mild, Kölsch, etc. in America is a very rare find.
I do not and will not buy beers from AB-InBev as they have been an active enemy of good beer for decades. However, if someone hands one to me I'll drink it.
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[tgfencer]

For some reason most of the North American breweries are terrible at lower gravity (<5%ABV) beers. Finding a truly good bitter, ESB, mild, Kölsch, etc. in America is a very rare find.,

If you ever find yourself in my neck of the woods (western North Carolina) there’s a brewery or two here that would be up your alley. The headbrewer of my favorite called Zebulon Artisan Ales is a historical British ale geek and makes cask ales for their beer pump, as well as doing truly excellent German styles. Too small to distribute though.

Having lived in the UK I love a good ale and as a farmer I appreciate easy drinking, low abv styles that are made with flavor in mind. Much harder to get up early in the morning after a couple of of 8-10% beers.

 

[Corradobrit1]

Belgian Trappist Ales

 

[LostHighway]

Belgian Trappist Ales

I've never had Westvleteren but I have a deep affection for the beers of Orval, Westmalle, and Rochefort, Chimay Red was the first abbey beer I ever had but I haven't revisited it for a long time. I do like their washed rind cheese.

 

[Keith Sinclair]

A light ale from local brewery & eats one of the best beers I've ever tasted. On tap from a keg. Fresh is best.

Read somewhere that English pubs had their own brewers. I guess it's that way in other countries too. Fresh brew.

 

[panda]

A light ale from local brewery & eats one of the best beers I've ever tasted. On tap from a keg. Fresh is best.

Read somewhere that English pubs had their own brewers. I guess it's that way in other countries too. Fresh brew.

best beer ive ever had was only available for one day from a local brewery back in maine. it was a 'brewer's choice' meaning it was a single batch only and that was it. was a brown ale style that just blew my mind.

 

[LostHighway]

best beer ive ever had was only available for one day from a local brewery back in maine. it was a 'brewer's choice' meaning it was a single batch only and that was it. was a brown ale style that just blew my mind.

Do you remember which brewery? I don't remember any really exceptional brown ales from Maine but Hill Farmstead (Vermont) and the late, lamented, Pretty Things Beer & Ale Project (Mass) both have produced some superb examples.

 

[panda]

It was seadog brewery in topsham. Their beer isn't very good, I was there for brunch. But that batch was exceptional. My fav Maine beer is rising tide and Bissell brothers

 

[LostHighway]

It was seadog brewery in topsham. Their beer isn't very good, I was there for brunch. But that batch was exceptional. My fav Maine beer is rising tide and Bissell brothers

Thanks! I love Bissell Brothers although their flagship, The Substance, isn't one of my favorites. I much prefer Swish and Lux and a few others to a lesser extent. Rising Tide was kind of hit and miss for me. I also like Maine Beer Company despite being overpriced. Tying their brand to those expensive German 500ml bottles looks like a mistake in retrospect.
Too bad the food and drink at Seadog Topsham isn't better as the site is nice. I spend more time just across the bridge at the Frontier.

 

[panda]

Can't go wrong with allagash either, grittys makes a good brown on tap but it's gross bottled.

 

[Johnny.B.Good]

I also like Maine Beer Company despite being overpriced. Tying their brand to those expensive German 500ml bottles looks like a mistake in retrospect.

It has worked well for Russian River who bottle Pliny in 17 ounce bottles. I see Maine Beer Company standard offerings on shelves here in the Bay Area now (not limited releases like "Dinner," but "Lunch" and at least one other I find average to above average), so they must be having real success to distribute so far and wide.