Beer

[bono_212]

A 12 can pack here is like $3.

I've been finding 24 packs for between $5-$6 lately, which has been sweet.

Boy am I glad we picked an Irish pub for our meet up, at least I know the beer is good there.

Of course, just because of the commercially available beers, you shouldn't bother at all trying the many many many different varieties of excellent beers in America and Canada. That's not at all what a great deal of this thread is about.

we get it, the basic U.S. beers suck.

So does your basic Australian beer (Fosters), so does the basic Mexican beer (Corona).

It frustrates me so very much that every one discounts the VAST amount of microbrews and lesser name brands just because the three or four big big names suck.

If anyone likes Blue Moon and is within spitting distance of Wisconsin, try Leinenkugel's Sunshine Wheat.

(I found it in a Whole Foods in Las Vegas last summer.)

Their Summer Shandy, I believe, is just pure bliss to me. I love that stuff.

 

[iron yuppie]

Ha, I always suspected you were a scotch man, iYup.

Ha, yes - blame my grandfather for that.

My cocktail of choice is the Manhattan - there's the influence of my second grandfather.

Those two consumed a lot of alcohol in their day.

 

[The Sad Punk]

Absinthe

Did you drink it over the sugar cube and all? I've always wanted to try it lol.

Oh yeah, I've got a pouring spoon. It's worth a try for sure, at least if you enjoy aniseed drinks. I personally prefer French to Czech style but it's much of a muchness unless you're a connoisseur.

Of course, just because of the commercially available beers, you shouldn't bother at all trying the many many many different varieties of excellent beers in America and Canada. That's not at all what a great deal of this thread is about.

we get it, the basic U.S. beers suck.

So does your basic Australian beer (Fosters), so does the basic Mexican beer (Corona).

It frustrates me so very much that every one discounts the VAST amount of microbrews and lesser name brands just because the three or four big big names suck.

Also, a lot of Irish beers aren't very good, at least the common ones are no better than a lot of common US/Canadian beers. I'd take Samuel Adams over any variety of Guinness, Kilkenny and Harp.

Banned forever?

 

[kramwest1]

I enjoy a good whiskey or scotch unmixed. With almost any liquor, I think, the low quality ones will go down very rough, whereas the higher-end ones will be smoother. Tequila is the exception - all of it is difficult to manage.

I haven't tried tequila straight while sober. I suppose I should.

I generally like my Scotch with one ice cube. I'm not a regular drinker of it, but when someone offers me one, I usually accept. (I love watching the History Channel's show about making Scotch--I think it's Modern Marvels.)

 

[kramwest1]

Their Summer Shandy, I believe, is just pure bliss to me. I love that stuff.

Have you been to Leinie's Lodge? We went there for the free tastings, but didn't have time for the brewery tour.

I've actually never toured a brewery (despite my family's best efforts to keep them in business ).

 

[iron yuppie]

I'd take Samuel Adams over any variety of Guinness, Kilkenny and Harp.

I would agree with this. Sam Adams is consistently excellent (and a tremendous brewery tour as well). I dare say that American microbrews are the best that I have had. There are some great ones in the UK as well, but the US edges them.

 

[bono_212]

Have you been to Leinie's Lodge? We went there for the free tastings, but didn't have time for the brewery tour.

I've actually never toured a brewery (despite my family's best efforts to keep them in business ).

Never toured. A brewery myself, either . Once Travis turns 21.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

een's too lazy to post in here, but he's fallen in love with this stuff:

 

[LMP]

Anyone played Wizard Staff? All you need is canned beer, duct tape, and a liquor source. For every beer that you finish, you duct tape a new one above it. Every fifth beer, you have a boss battle which means you take a shot of something. Whoever has the longest staff after the beer runs out is the Wisest Wizard.

Also, you can only speak in wizard lingo. "I will get another beer" becomes "Hark, I shall fetch me another potion!"

 

[LemonMelon]

Their Summer Shandy, I believe, is just pure bliss to me. I love that stuff.

Very much enjoying them right now, anyway. That Saranac Lager & Lemonade stuff we had a while back was a lot sweeter than this, but I still get a nice palate-cleansing light citrus aftertaste off of it. It's cool and refreshing, so it has a lot of value there.

For the record, my favorite crappy, ultra-commercialized beer is Red Stripe. Barely tastes like anything, but it has a pleasant sweetness about it that I find appealing more often than not. Plus, the bottles are great.

 

[cobl04]

Anyone played Wizard Staff? All you need is canned beer, duct tape, and a liquor source. For every beer that you finish, you duct tape a new one above it. Every fifth beer, you have a boss battle which means you take a shot of something. Whoever has the longest staff after the beer runs out is the Wisest Wizard.

Also, you can only speak in wizard lingo. "I will get another beer" becomes "Hark, I shall fetch me another potion!"

Yes, though I didn't realise it was a game. We just call it the "wizard stick" and you just keep taping empty beers together until it breaks. Good times.

 

[kramwest1]

Anyone played Wizard Staff? All you need is canned beer, duct tape, and a liquor source. For every beer that you finish, you duct tape a new one above it. Every fifth beer, you have a boss battle which means you take a shot of something. Whoever has the longest staff after the beer runs out is the Wisest Wizard.

Also, you can only speak in wizard lingo. "I will get another beer" becomes "Hark, I shall fetch me another potion!"

Oh, shit. That could be fun.

It could become Highlander, too, where the longest swords battle because there can be only one.

 

[kramwest1]

I didn't try any local beer in Montreal. I'm a beer loser and somehow I will atone for that.

 

[agentorange]

Mmmm-hmmm.

Probably could have gotten some small batch Unibroue on tap, at the very least. They do some good stuff (Don de Dieu, La Fin du Monde), but they are pretty large scale for those of us with the elitist defect of needing something small to discover and latch on to as our own.

 

[kramwest1]

Mmmm-hmmm.

Probably could have gotten some small batch Unibroue on tap, at the very least. They do some good stuff (Don de Dieu, La Fin du Monde), but they are pretty large scale for those of us with the elitist defect of needing something small to discover and latch on to as our own.

To be fair, I didn't drink any beer in Montreal. It was (lots of) red wine for the first night meet-up, and nothing after that. They only had Budweiser at the concerts. It was too hot, and I wasn't going to spend $7 on Bud, even if it is different than what I get at home.

I will definitely go back to Montreal soon, and walk the entire city for food and beer. It's a great place.

 

[Numb1075]

Anyone played Wizard Staff? All you need is canned beer, duct tape, and a liquor source. For every beer that you finish, you duct tape a new one above it. Every fifth beer, you have a boss battle which means you take a shot of something. Whoever has the longest staff after the beer runs out is the Wisest Wizard.

Also, you can only speak in wizard lingo. "I will get another beer" becomes "Hark, I shall fetch me another potion!"

sounds like a good time...I'll need to google "wizard lingo" before I play this game...It would be boring if for 6 hours all I could say was "Fetch me some more potion !"

 

[LMP]

A lot of the fun comes out of ad-libbing wizard lingo, since you're not really a wizard, you know? It's all acting.

 

[bono_212]

Very much enjoying them right now, anyway. That Saranac Lager & Lemonade stuff we had a while back was a lot sweeter than this, but I still get a nice palate-cleansing light citrus aftertaste off of it. It's cool and refreshing, so it has a lot of value there.

Damn, that's right Saranac was what we had before. But the Summer Shandy is absolutely wonderful, so I stand by my original statement.

A lot of the fun comes out of ad-libbing wizard lingo, since you're not really a wizard, you know? It's all acting.

You pretend to be the person you are portraying at the party.

 

[PhilsFan]

Sir Ian, Sir Ian, Sir Ian ... WIZARD, YOU SHALL NOT PASS! ... Sir Ian, Sir Ian, Sir Ian.

 

[bono_212]

How did I know what to say? They had my lines written down on a script. How did I know where to stand? People showed me.

 

[RavenBlue]

This years Garrison Blackberry Wheat is really quite disgusting. Last year it was a mild fruit beer.. this year, it tastes like a cooler.

 

[kramwest1]

Tried Alexander Keith's Red, White and Summer special white (or whatever) at the Elephant and Castle in Toronto--pretty good beers. Probably should have had more water in the Toronto heat, but beer sounded too good.

 

[cobl04]

Bought a can of Guinness, since I've never had it before. What's with the thing rolling around inside? Do you shake it or something? Cos if there's one thing I've ever been taught in my life it's not to shake beer.

 

[The Sad Punk]

The widget's just there to keep it fresh and heady.

 

[cobl04]

Hated it!

 

[RavenBlue]

It's an aquired taste

Had some St.Ambroise Oatmeal Stout last night and Pumphouse S.O.B. The Pumphouse is a nice bitter but not digustingly so. The stout is incredible.

 

[RavenBlue]

I didn't try any local beer in Montreal. I'm a beer loser and somehow I will atone for that.

When you come to Moncton you should try Pumphouse brews (they are based in Monkeytown) and Picaroons (another NB craft brewery)

 

[kramwest1]

When you come to Moncton you should try Pumphouse brews (they are based in Monkeytown) and Picaroons (another NB craft brewery)

At Montreal 2, I finally decided I was hydrated enough and felt like a beer between Interpol and U2. So when did the beer guy finally come around? During The Fly. Asshole.

Anyway, I almost drank Budweiser in Montreal, which is probably worse than not having any beer there. We'll see about Moncton, but it'll probably come down to what's available at the site.

 

[coolian2]

i tried coors light at a bowling alley in memphis - it was the only option. it was basically a less palatable version of water.

 

[kramwest1]

i tried coors light at a bowling alley in memphis - it was the only option. it was basically a less palatable version of water.

If it was Mississippi water, I don't know how you'd tell the difference these days--lotta farm run-off lately.