The NEVERENDING Beer Thread

[Maister]

Make sure you are at Bell's during the holiday Bell's Eccentric Brew Day! NOW THAT is a pilgramige worth attending! Lots of wierd people and great BREW! They open the Brewery up out back later on in the night!

Eccentric day is fun. Almost a little too crowded for my tastes. The beer is always great at Bell's. The best possible reason to go is because it is a Monday, I think.

And for PlannerbyDay and Michaelskis benefit I wish it to be publicly known I do NOT usually get that wasted off a mere four Two Hearted ales.

[PlannerByDay]

And PlannerbyDay introduced me to Bells Java Brew. Beer with Coffee Beans added in the process. It will wake a person up while sitting in the garden behind the old brewery in Kalamazoo.

For the longest time Java Stout was only available at the pub as well as many other beers. SOme of the other beers only available at the pub that are worth trying too one of my favorites is Harvest Ale, made with locally grown hop.

And for PlannerbyDay and Michaelskis benefit I wish it to be publicly known I do NOT usually get that wasted off a mere four Two Hearted ales.

TOO Funny Maister

That was a fun time, when I got home late the Future MRS. Plannerbyday was waiting for me and she knew I had more than a couple beers. Bells Beer is pretty strong compared to other beers. If you like hops like I do and apparently Maister the Two Hearted is a great beer that comes in at 6.0% ABV.

MMMM YUMMY

[michaelskis]

And for PlannerbyDay and Michaelskis benefit I wish it to be publicly known I do NOT usually get that wasted off a mere four Two Hearted ales.

Here is the funny thing... Maister has the same crazy thoughts when he is drinking Mt. Dew as well!

We have all been tipsy... it is more than ok.

[Dan]

You know, a K-Zoo Alefest might be do-able some weekend. Just have to pack the dogs in the car, leave on Friday, and find a place to bunk down for a couple of days.

Bells. Good stuff. If you're willing to drive a couple of hours, though, there's an even nicer treat ... Three Floyds in Munster.

[tsc]

I actually have become fond of my hometown brewery...the Ithaca Beer Company. I joined their Growler Club... because the beer I like most is not available in bottles... they make a brew for a restaurant downtown that is great...some type of ale for MacGregors. Flower Power India Pale Ale is pretty good too.. but the alcohol content is really high... so not a good boating summer ale.

[Maister]

I actually have become fond of my hometown brewery...the Ithaca Beer Company.

I hear nothing but good about Ithaca Beer Co., although I have yet to try it myself. I will however taste some next year as it is a scheduled stop on the Great American Microbrew Escape 2005.

[tsc]

I hear nothing but good about Ithaca Beer Co., although I have yet to try it myself. I will however taste some next year as it is a scheduled stop on the Great American Microbrew Escape 2005.

actually... I don't like most of their beers...just the one they make for the restaurant. There is something fun too about going and getting your growler (jug) filled.

[Maister]

actually... I don't like most of their beers...just the one they make for the restaurant. There is something fun too about going and getting your growler (jug) filled.

I just looked online and saw that growler refills were only $2.50!!! Can that be true? a half gallon of beer for $2.50?

[tsc]

refills are $5. Off course... I usually sample a pint for free while filling the growler!

[Maister]

Anyone think there is any difference in the flavor of the same beer in bottles vs cans?

[michaelskis]

Anyone think there is any difference in the flavor of the same beer in bottles vs cans?

YES! cans are wrong... simple as that. I do not like the metalic taste that the can leaves. Bottles are the way to go.

*Bottles are cheeper for the brewery, but they can fill cans 5 times as fast, that is why cans are cheeper. Even the guide at America's Oldest Brewery mentioned that they sell 8 times more bottles than cans because of the quality.

[Richmond Jake]

Anyone think there is any difference in the flavor of the same beer in bottles vs cans?

Not after the first 12-pack.

[Maister]

YES! cans are wrong... simple as that. I do not like the metalic taste that the can leaves. Bottles are the way to go.

I think most beer afficionados would be inclined to agree with you. Maybe it's a label bias - I don't usually drink beers that come in...cans . I guess I'm guilty of it to some degree. That angle perhaps had more merit 5 years ago than it does now, as more and more beers (and I mean GOOD beers) are being offered in cans: Guinness, Boddington's Pub Draft, Old Speckled Hen, Wexford Ale, and many others.
I've done the double blind taste test where a bottle and a can of Labatts are decanted into glasses and was unable to tell any difference, but I still can't shake that impression of th different drinking experiences one gets when drinking directly out of the bottle or can......

[biscuit]

Anyone think there is any difference in the flavor of the same beer in bottles vs cans?

Yes, yes and yes! Strangely the only beer I've ever had that was better from a can than from a bottle was Rolling Rock. And even then it wasn't that good.

[Gedunker]

I, too, have done the blind taste test and could not tell which beer came from the can and which the bottle. But, holding a long neck in your hand is so much more satisfying than a can. And my mustache sometimes gets snagged in the pop top when I do have to drink from a can.

Until recently, you could not buy beer in a can in Denmark. It was not any kind of beer purity act, however. Danes saw cans as too easy to discard and thus harm the environment. The bottlers lost out to the canners, and now you can have your Tuborg Gron Ol in a can.

[Duke Of Dystopia]

I think most beer afficionados would be inclined to agree with you. Maybe it's a label bias - I don't usually drink beers that come in...cans . I guess I'm guilty of it to some degree. That angle perhaps had more merit 5 years ago than it does now, as more and more beers (and I mean GOOD beers) are being offered in cans: Guinness, Boddington's Pub Draft, Old Speckled Hen, Wexford Ale, and many others.
I've done the double blind taste test where a bottle and a can of Labatts are decanted into glasses and was unable to tell any difference, but I still can't shake that impression of th different drinking experiences one gets when drinking directly out of the bottle or can......

Canning machines are much more expensive to operate. Cans also do have some effect on the taste of the beer, while glass does not. Glass in the pub may affect teh taste of your beer as there is NO possible way to remove the soap/cleaning fluid successfully until it has been "conditioned" by that first full beer.

Ever notice how the second beer tastes a lot better than the first if it is from the same glass?

You can purchase a complete 7.5 barrell brewery for about $15,000 but the equipment to bottle that beer may actually run close to $45,000. Canning machines are much more expensive.

[Maister]

Canning machines are much more expensive to operate. Cans also do have some effect on the taste of the beer, while glass does not. Glass in the pub may affect teh taste of your beer as there is NO possible way to remove the soap/cleaning fluid successfully until it has been "conditioned" by that first full beer.
Ever notice how the second beer tastes a lot better than the first if it is from the same glass?

Well, then here's a question for you. At home I drink beer primarily out of 3 containers: a tall glass pilsner (good head retention), a sturdy glass pint mug (I use this one the most just because it holds a pint), and a pewter mug (looks kinda like a cool-ass viking horn). I have noticed a couple of things about the pewter. An insert that came with the mug said that pewter mugs keep beverages cold longer and I have found this to be true; it stands to reason that metal is a good conductor and as long as you're holding the mug by the handle the metal should conduct the beer's cold. The insert also said that if you are going to drink beer out of the mug then only drink beer as the mug's interior is 'conditioned' by whatever beverage is put in it. My 'conditioned' pewter mug is great in these respects, but here's my question/problem - why does it foam like a rabid dog no matter how carefully I pour on the side of the mug?

[Gedunker]

<snip>My 'conditioned' pewter mug is great in these respects, but here's my question/problem - why does it foam like a rabid dog no matter how carefully I pour on the side of the mug?

Does this happen each time, or just the first? If it is the latter, then it may be the dtergent you use to wash the vessel. I have heard beer aficionados say that they simply wash with hot water and no soaps because that affects the glass/metal and the taste of the beer. For what it's worth 0.02.

[roger]

And with this I ask, do you make beer, and if so what recipes are you willing to share, tips and tricks, and anything that would help a young soon to be brewer.

I used to homebrew back in my undergrad days. For a great beginner's resource (and some good recipes) check out The Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian.

[Duke Of Dystopia]

......My 'conditioned' pewter mug is great in these respects, but here's my question/problem - why does it foam like a rabid dog no matter how carefully I pour on the side of the mug?

in addition to Gedunkers statement, it could also be the shape of the vessel. Certian beer should be consumed from certain vessels for best effect. Like you pilsner glass, is it a Grand Pilsner glass used for Wiess beers or is it the tall thin straight edged glasses used for pilsner? Some pilsner is also drank from glasses that look like pitcher plants.

I can't find any reason other than listed above why pewter specificly would do that. I don't know everything!

[Maister]

Does this happen each time, or just the first? If it is the latter, then it may be the dtergent you use to wash the vessel. I have heard beer aficionados say that they simply wash with hot water and no soaps because that affects the glass/metal and the taste of the beer. For what it's worth 0.02.

The very first time I used it my wife washed it using dish soap - I freaked! I rinsed it about 900 times afterwards, so I am pretty sure that's not it. It does not foam like a 'mad dog' every time (I have attributed it's different degrees of foaming to the properties of the beers poured, but I think its safe to say it always foams more than just pouring the same beer in a glass

[mgk920]

Hamm's is my favorite "rafting beer". The criteria for a good "rafting beer" is: 1) it must come in cans (broken bottles could puncture the raft or a person), 2) it must be inexpensive, 3) it must not be heavy, and 4) it must taste good very cold.

Pabst is another good rafting beer. Busch is another.

Whatever happend to Schiltz? When I was a underage drinker back in the 70s, Schitlz was everywhere and I drank a lot of it. Haven't seen it in probably 15 years. Is it still around? Only available regionally?

That was about the time that Schlitz Brewing committed one of the worst errors in consumer product manufacturing -- they changed their formula (see 'New Coke' from the 1980s) . The mistakes, blunders and arrogance that followed destroyed the brand and the company. Prior to that, they were indeed one of the top selling beers in the World. An idea of how big, the Milwaukee Road railroad hauled at least four 100+ car trains off of the branchline that served their brewery every day.

There is a non-Milwaukee company that still makes the brand, but I seldom see it in stores.

BTW, what is the latest with plans to redevelop the former Schlitz brewery site on the north edge of downtown Milwaukee?

Mike

[Rumpy Tunanator]

Not after the first 12-pack.

I second the motion.

It really depends on the type of beer your drinking too. I just found a place that sells PBR in a bottle, although I can get a 24pk for 6.99 with mail in rebate at Rite Aid.

Bottle, can, both! Although I prefer the bottle

[Gedunker]

That was about the time that Schlitz Brewing committed one of the worst errors in consumer product manufacturing -- they changed their formula (see 'New Coke' from the 1980s) . The mistakes, blunders and arrogance that followed destroyed the brand and the company. Prior to that, they were indeed one of the top selling beers in the World. <snip>
Mike

Didn't Schlitz once own Olympia? That was a major brand that I really did like: "It's the Water" was their tag line. Maybe it was Strohs. I'm confused.

[boiker]

The very first time I used it my wife washed it using dish soap - I freaked! I rinsed it about 900 times afterwards, so I am pretty sure that's not it. It does not foam like a 'mad dog' every time (I have attributed it's different degrees of foaming to the properties of the beers poured, but I think its safe to say it always foams more than just pouring the same beer in a glass

If there is difference between pouring the same beer into two different containers it may be from the smoothness of the insert vs. the smoothness of the glass. Glass is relatively smooth and will allow for the carbonation to cling to the glass better. The larger bubbles will ride the sides up. Less smooth surfaces will force foaming because the smaller bubbles can't coalesce into larger ones and are immediately released.