Craft Beers

It was pretty good the few times I've had it (once was actually one tap during a Founders tap take over). I heard its better if you age it a few months (6 min) so it can mellow. So I guess that's a good tip if you haven't had it already.

When I had it I actually preferred bourbon county. BCBS had a much more balanced and complex taste even though its higher in ABV. Both are great of course though. I'm sure if I had aged it I would have liked the KBS more. My buddy who got it for me thought I was crazy for preferring BCBS though. So maybe I'm full of .... haha.

 

Hey, all. I'm a fellow craft beer (also, just good beer in general) enthusiast! As a displaced Michigander I once lived in a location with an embarassment of riches in terms of craft breweries. Alas, Arizona hasn't quite figured it all out yet. It is improving though!

Question for you guys. My absolute favorite style is the Hefeweizen (also Dunkelweizens, Weizenbock, etc.) with my favorite Hefeweizen being either Paulaner or Weihenstephaner depending on the day . However, it seems that this is one style that most craft brewers can't seem to crack. Commonly, American versions are too hoppy.

The best craft version of the style I've found is Sierra Nevada's Kellerweis. Which is certainly a good beer, however, I'm wondering if any of you have suggestions.

Also, my latest haul. Heavy on German brews. Preparing myself for my trip over there in July.

 

after having it i liked it quite a bit... but i also liked the bourbon aged rasputin just as much; and that is more readily available

 

One thing I love about living in Michigan! Sorry I don't have any recommendations for you, my preferences are mostly stouts.

 

Yeah, we tend to WAY over hop things in American craft beer. Hops are cheap, recognizable to consumers, and hide some of the worst of the off-flavors.

If I had to choose some good American Hefes:
- Widmer
- Victory
- August Schell
- Firestone Walker

They all make Hefes closer to what you're looking for, as a general rule, hunt down the lower ABV stuff as it's typically more traditional. Upping the alcohol is another thing American brewers are fond of.

Some standbys from the "Old World":
- Hacker-Pschorr
- Ayinger
- Franziskaner
- Hofbräu

You might want to look into kristalweizens as well, the filtered version of hefes. A lot of the same flavors with more subdued fruits and less bready. Great for the warmer weather.

As for some AZ stuff, check out Oak Creek. One of the better trending crafts out there.

 

I had a huge hefe phase.A little burnt out on it for now . it is a style the Germans just seem to do better

I liked many brands but for a dependable great hefe I am partial to Schöfferhofer


oh and any Aussies on here if you have a chance to try and riverside brewing beers do it . fantastic little brewery in Parramatta . Their 9.5% imperial ipa is amazing

 

Stouts are probably second on my list. So many good ones to choose from up there! I lived pretty close to Bell's when I was working in Kzoo after graduating. I spent far too much time there .

People hate on it sometimes for being kind of a chain now but I make sure to stop by HopCat in East Lansing (or GR) whenever I'm up there!

I'm familiar with those imports, all are pretty solid. I'm not huge on Hofbrau's Hefe, but I like plenty of their other brews.

I will look at those craft versions too!

 

Well for one, there's been a bit of confusion about American wheat beers. Most aren't really hefeweizen's, and luckily most won't call theirs a hefeweizen but rather use the term wheat instead. Under the BJCP guidelines the style is called American Wheat or Rye beer and falls under light hybrid beer: 2004 BJCP Style Guidelines

note the examples at the bottom, Widmer's is listed there yet Widmer's calls their beer a Hefeweizen. I don't personally think Widmer's should be classified as a hefeweizen either. Some companies do make authentic hefeweizen's however.

Anyhow, all that aside I think Ramstein's hefe's are good, most preferably the Dunkel but both are good, brewed in NJ: Beers | Ramstein Brewery

*EDIT - the BJCP guidelines linked above are very old but are linked for simplicity. The current version is a PDF and the information given still applies. if you want to see the latest guideless here's a link to the pdf and the page for American Wheat is page 16: http://www.bjcp.org/docs/2015_Guidelines_Beer.pdf


Rev.

 

Might be hard to find in other parts of the world but my favourite craft beer in Sweden is Oppigårds amarillo IPA. MMMmmmMMM!

 

So this happened last night (excuse the potato quality photo). Along with a Westvleteren 8, two Cantillons, and a bunch of other cool Euro beers we got from a friend who lives in Germany.

 

nice. just last week I was at my beer guy and he just got a few of those Westvleteren things in stock .I'm always buying his expensive stuff but $65 a pop was too rich for even me



my craft beef funds are effectively gone for the rest of the year as the missus maternity pay has run out and we are down to 1 wage . so have been stepping up my home brewing . drinking a dubbel and and IPA I brewed with extracts and added some stuff and they are both coming along nicely . going to bottle a black IPA this weekend and put down a saison extract recepie

 

I drink a lot of different craft beers. In fact, I try to have a different one every time I go out. I drink a lot of tasty ones, even more mediocre ones, but it's not often that one stands out and I go "Oh man, I gotta remember this because I want to buy this and drink it at home all the time." And here it is for you!



It's hard to read the bottle in that pic but it says GRAND TETON, which is a company I had never heard of. And I know that it's going to sound crazy, but this beer kinda tastes sweet (for an APA), and it kinda tastes like grass. I know that sounds crazy, but honestly this is one of the best beers I've had in a while. Totally unexpected.

 

MISS FANCY’S TRIPEL | Avondale Brewing

Local brewery by the house serves this one. 9.7% alcohol and absolutely delicious. I don't drink beer much at all, but when I do, I get the miss fancy

 

I think this photo could easily tell you two things: 1) I was just on the West coast, and 2) I fvcking love stouts.



When I was in Portland, I also had a pint of Rogue's Dead Guy Ale and I have to say, it was damn good.

Also, if any of you guys can get your hands on beer from Quebec brewers Les Trois Mousquetaires, their Grande Cuvées are incredible. A favourite of mine is the Baltic Porter.

 

O_O $65 for one?! The guy My friends did a beer trade with gave us like 20 super rare beers for $150 (3 of these ) with shipping included from Germany. I didn't actually put any money towards it because I think that's ludicrous but they were still kind of enough to let me try a few sips.

 

Westvleteren tends to be pretty hard to get, even here in the Netherlands. People used to line up at the brewery just to get a couple bottles. Supply & demand unfortunately.

For y'all Americans, Dutch brewery Jopen did a rye IPA collab with Grateful Deaf. It's pretty good.

Lately I've been sticking to national breweries as we simply have so much of them and I've yet to discover them all. De Molen makes some fantastic stuff, lots of high abv (~10%ers) and a couple smokey ones which I always dig. Still hooked on Emelisse and their specials too. I'm a sucker for barley wines, barrel aged, etc.

A month or so ago they celebrated a craft beer week in Amsterdam themed "brettanomyces", aka sour as kitten stuff. Some were alright, a couple were like drinking pickle juice

 

yep. for 1

. I was there over the weekend picking up a beer and he only had a couple left from the 12 he got so someone is buying them

I was actually looking at them thinking" its my first fathers day ,should I get one for the hell of it " but couldn't do it


bottled my home brew saison on Saturday and it was pretty damn tasty out of the fermenter . came in at just over 7%. gonna be hard to give it a few weeks to condition before trying one

 

last post a full year ago, this thread needs a serious bump :

today the post officer brought me a large package from Pax Bräu Germany:

6x 33,8oz (1 Liter) big bottles vs my Firestone 22oz (0,65 Liter)





from left to right: "From Asia with Love: Szechuan Style"; "Maibock"; "OLD AGE IPA"

i tried the Szechuan Style that is brewed with Habanero Chili, and yes its weird and insane in your throat but not as "hot" as you might think.
it's special and i like it

 

.... I've been drinking:
Epic Tart and Juicy sour IPA
Founder's ReDankulous imperial red
Southern Tier Choklat Oranjchocolate/orange stout
Bitburger pils
Schneider Weisse Tap 6 Unser Aventinus weizenbock

I ran a german tasting a couple weeks ago and those last two became favorites of mine. Hofbrau Maibock and Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen get honorable mentions.

 

some I have been enjoying latley

riverside 777
deschutes hop henge
stones ruin ten
and the numbered rogue IPA's are great (the 4,5,6,7,8 ) . all are good but I think 6 is the best