WAY too much beer!

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jymbee

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We don't dine out all that often but when we do we like to visit restaurants we haven't been to before. Real adventurers be us.

Anyway, I like beer and the last few places we went to presented us with a long list of their Craft Beer offerings. A list I found to be somewhat bewildering given I had never heard of any these brands. Here's a sample from the beer menu at one place:
  • Bury the Hatchet
  • Forsaken Fields Saison
  • Tremper Station Dunkel
  • Freaktractor Wild
  • Naked Flock
  • Apollo’ Summer
  • Ascension’ Pilsner
  • Summer Camp Landbier
What 'th... ?? If we're lucky enough to be served by a wait person knowledgeable about their offerings that's a good start to begin to narrow down the choices. Otherwise, it's a crap shoot. Take you pick and hope for the best.

Obviously I'll have increase my consumption significantly in order to keep up with all the offerings from all the new craft beer places popping up. Or else just give up and "just give me a Heineken". Stay tuned...
 
I like exploring local craft beers from around the country. It’s all fun names and often find good brew.
Had a couple Belgian ales this evening brewed in Petoskey, MI called Horny Monk.
Wasatch Brewery in UT makes a dark brew they call Polygamy Porter. The label reads,
“Why just have one? Polygamy Porter is a smooth, chocolatey, easy-drinkin' brown porter that's more than a little naughty. Take some home to the wives!”
 
Ah beer.. Now I sometimes post that the reason I don't drink is I don't care for the taste of alcohol.. Actually this applies to "hard liquor"and to Wine.. Beer. last time I tried it.. kind of tasted like water.

So I drink water.
 
In Tokyo there was a place that had at least one beer from like each country in the world - OK not all but close.

We'd go in and the game was the next beer had to share a border (or ocean shoreline) with the current beer with the goal to circumnavigate the globe. Africa had some interesting beers like Giraffe beer (log neck bottles - 😉) I don't remember anyone ever completing but come to think of it I don't ever remember "leaving" that bar either 🤪🥴
 
It's just their way of marketing, and that's OK. Call it whatever you like, just don't compromise on the methods or ingredients. Some will list ABV and IBU which gives some idea what to expect but somewhere in the description or by asking wait staff I want to know what the primary type is. It's not unusual for some brewpubs to only have a handful of real beers out of a menu of a couple dozen but I can work with that. There have been a few where I scan over the menu, not see one thing that interests me and I drink ice tea. Others I'm a kid in a candy store and I lament I only brought a couple growlers to fill. The highlight is to chat with the brewers or brewmaster, talk shop, and learn a little bit about their operation. Booze of any kind is a science and to do it well takes discipline, skill and knowledge, so I appreciate what goes into making complex brews and spirits.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
 
Back in the 80s I was taking Amtrak from St. Louis to Chicago and the St. Louis train station had a shop that was the Baskin Robbins of schnaps ... 31 flavors. I tried several varieties and don't remember much else about the train ride.
 
Ive been to this place a few times, and it's approach is kinda cool... They have 52 beers and 6 wines on tap.. It is a serve-yourself place.... The give you a bracelet that contains a ID chip, when you walk in... You hold the bracelet next to the tap you want, it activates the tap, and you pour yourself as much as you want... You pay by the ounce.. Pour 1 or 2 oz, and taste... Don't like it, get another glass and try another, until you find one you like... Or try different beers... At the end, they know what you poured, and charge you accordingly... Nice way to try different beers or wine.. Pretty darn good bar food too..
 
Big Sky Brewery in Missoula, MT makes a favorite of mine called Moose Drool. Shiner Brewery in Shiner, TX also makes some very good beers but they are also growing and may not be considered to be a craft brewer any longer. I always liked their original product, Shiner Bock, but lately I much prever the Shiner Black.
 
Often I think that craft brewers put as much effort into a catchy name as they do into brewing their beer. Maybe more in some of them. Maybe necessary when your IPA is no different than dozens of others and your only claim to fame is brewing with more hops than Bud Light. But maybe that's just my particular tastes - I favor a rich creamy beer with a low IBU and modest ABV. I want my taste buds caressed rather than blown away. :cool:
 
I like the IPAs... Problem with them is,if you drink mostly them, everything else taste bland... I'm kinda to that point now... Everything else is to bland or malty... I really like the high IBU beers, but don't necessarily need the ABV... I've been drinking session IPAs mostly...
Butch
 
your only claim to fame is brewing with more hops than Bud Light
I don't care for any IPA and am not big on Porters either. I mostly buy stouts and lagers. As to Budwiser products, I once heard a commercial by Bud that stated, "life is too short to drink cheap beer." I concluded that the announcer was right and have not bought any Budwiser since that day. ;)
 
Back in the days when I could still drink beer my brother introduced me to " Pliny The Elder". Not a very descriptive name but the waitress described it well enough for me to want some. She knew the details of every beer they made. Part of her job. It was good. Very good.

 
Back in the days when I could still drink beer my brother introduced me to " Pliny The Elder". Not a very descriptive name but the waitress described it well enough for me to want some. She knew the details of every beer they made. Part of her job. It was good. Very good.

That was kind of revered in the "craft beer circles" back in the day... I don't follow the trends much any more, so I don't know the latest thoughts... But it was good the last time I had it... There is a mexican restaurant near me that used to be more of a "beer" place... They had beer diners, where they would match a single brewery's different beers with each course... Cool idea, but I couldn't eat or drink that much beer.. They would also rent a bus, and take everyone to a brewery... They were sold, and the new owner made it more about the food, than the beer...
Butch
 
That was kind of revered in the "craft beer circles" back in the day...
There used to be bars that would advertise having 100 or more different beers but I haven't see one in a while. There were also resteruants that had microbreweries in them and served a house beer. I think that some Appleby's were that way but I haven't seen one in some time. I did an internet search for Dallas and found several that I need to investigate further.
 
I was on friendly terms with the owner of a small craft brewery for awhile and we chatted about the beer "craft" on a number of occasions. His opinion was that IPAs are popular to brew when getting started in the craft because the basics are simple and you can tinker with the flavors by using more or different hops or adding a flavor ingredient near the end of the brewing cycle (e.g. a spice or a fruit). However, a nice tasting wheat beer, pilsner, hefeweizen, lager (etc) is more challenging for the brewer, involving special yeasts and subtle differences in the brewing to get the desired result. Lagers, for example, involve a chilled process and yeasts that can ferment at those temperatures.

I'm not suggesting that IPAs are in any way inferior, just that small craft brewers find it easier to offer a variety of IPAs. That leads to a wide choice of IPAs we typically see at the beer taps but usually only a few of the other types.
 
There used to be bars that would advertise having 100 or more different beers but I haven't see one in a while.
One such is World of Beer. I know there are still a few of those in central & south Florida. They survive where there is enough demand for esoteric types & brands to make their huge selection financially viable. My daughter & I visit one occasionally because she likes some of the exotic types such as a raspberry frambois. Besides, they have one of the best pretzels anywhere, and what's not to like about pretzels & beer?
 
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