The Beer Thread

James wrote:
Wow, $20 a pint. I can't imagine it was worth it (?)

The one bottle I had was not good

James wrote:
Wow, $20 a pint. I can't imagine it was worth it (?)

Of course it wasn't worth 20 bucks, but hey the show was free and I got a New Belgium glass with it. I do stand by my conclusion that Clutch is the best beer from New Belgium. Its fairly unique and has a sour aroma that I found interesting. The other beers I tried from them were good I guess, but not really stand outs.

Don't know if any of you are driving through MD this week, but Pine Orchard liquors in Ellicott City is having a huge sale with the entire store 1 dollar over cost.  I did see some hippie kid buy all the pumking, but there's plenty else to chose from.

K8teebug wrote:

I had the Guinness Black Lager over the weekend.  Not a terrible beer, but I think I'd rather stick with regular Guinness.  Somewhere between a lager and a porter, but without the porter bite.

Have you had the Full Sail Sessions Black Lager? Just wondering how you think it compares.

When it comes to Guinness, is there anything that beats the Foreign Extra Stout? I think not.

James wrote:
When it comes to Guinness, is there anything that beats the Foreign Extra Stout? I think not.

I can't say definitively until I try the black lager.
When it comes to beer, drinkin' is better than thinkin' when it comes to taste.

I had a bottle last night - it was good but needed to warm up significantly for all the flavours to come through

James wrote:
We survived a Sunday afternoon in the National Zoo with a four year old that also included some sort of Latino festival in the zoo (I think I saw Hutch walking around with a bowl of fruit on her head!!!), so decided we needed to reward ourselves with a stop at ChurchKey on the way home.

Where we both had this amazing beer. 10.8% abv with some excellent hoppy and roasty action going on. Highly recommended, get it while you can.

slappy wrote:

James wrote:
When it comes to Guinness, is there anything that beats the Foreign Extra Stout? I think not.

I can't say definitively until I try the black lager.
When it comes to beer, drinkin' is better than thinkin' when it comes to taste.

I would say that it's just okay. 

Just got back from Frisco Grille in Columbia where they have the Clutch New Belgian on tap (for now).  It's really good!

just discovered a place where i live that has ayinger oktoberfest on draft.  but i'm not telling you anything else.

So I tried SixPoint Bengali Tiger in a can last night - did not like at all - too bitter - just generally seemed unbalanced

walkonby wrote:
just discovered a place where i live that has ayinger oktoberfest on draft.  but i'm not telling you anything else.

If you live 50 miles from DC, I don't think anyone cares!!  ::)

In other news, anyone been to PI DC yet on 9th and F? Great draft and beer list.

Yada wrote:

walkonby wrote:
just discovered a place where i live that has ayinger oktoberfest on draft.  but i'm not telling you anything else.

If you live 50 miles from DC, I don't think anyone cares!!  ::)

In other news, anyone been to PI DC yet on 9th and F? Great draft and beer list.

you never disappoint.

in other backwoods news . . . not bad for picking it up at seven eleven.

Plan to stop at the Burley Oak Brewery sometime to check it out. It's brand new and suspect it might take a little while to really take off.

Don't know if it will be all lost on me or not since I'm not much of a beer drinker at all. I never go up to the Dogfish Brewery because I cannot stand any of their products. Got a chance to taste lots of different ones at some trade show and they were all just really nasty to my pallet. Still love a nice rich Guinness on tap or maybe an ale on the sweet side. I tend to like wheat beers too. Really like Newky and a Stella, preferably on tap. Stella bottles are okay but not as sweet as on tap. So, whatever I come back and say about Burley Oak beer, take it with a fistful of rock salted beer nuts and pretzels. Generally, I tend to prefer a nice wine or cocktail over beer. Depends on my mood.

I'll grant you that a Guinness is good beer (though there are a hundred craft brwewed stouts that are equal or superior, imo).

But saying that you can't stand Dogfish and two sentences later saying you really like Newcastle and Stella is analagous to saying you can't stand My Bloody Valentine but you really like Phil Collins and Bob Seger.  ;)

Jaguar wrote:
Plan to stop at the Burley Oak Brewery sometime to check it out. It's brand new and suspect it might take a little while to really take off.

Don't know if it will be all lost on me or not since I'm not much of a beer drinker at all. I never go up to the Dogfish Brewery because I cannot stand any of their products. Got a chance to taste lots of different ones at some trade show and they were all just really nasty to my pallet. Still love a nice rich Guinness on tap or maybe an ale on the sweet side. I tend to like wheat beers too. Really like Newky and a Stella, preferably on tap. Stella bottles are okay but not as sweet as on tap. So, whatever I come back and say about Burley Oak beer, take it with a fistful of rock salted beer nuts and pretzels. Generally, I tend to prefer a nice wine or cocktail over beer. Depends on my mood.

^ Ha ha. I told you I'm not a beer person. Dogfish would make me sick if I had to finish a whole bottle. Lots of beers are like that to me. Not sure exactly what it is. The hops maybe? Something in the brewing process? Landshark and Corona are super easy for me to drink but even I can't help but wonder where the beer is in their products. For me, it's about whether or not I can stomach the beer, then select by taste. Seriously limits the quality of my very short acceptable list.

I prefer a thick creamy and sweet stout when going dark. Which would you suggest? I've had a few others but tend to go back to Guinness providing it's on draft. The cans and bottles are barely even worth cooking with. Shame they can't properly preserve that quality in a packaged good.

Come celebrate Oktoberfest in style with free beer at DC?s St. Pauli Girl competition!  SEPTEMBER 22

Are you ready for DC?s St. Pauli Girl competition? Come cheer on the contestants and help us crown DC?s St. Pauli Girl as they compete for $700 in cash prizes based on best costume, German accents and beer pouring ability! RSVP for the event, but act quickly as space is limited to the first 100 people. Plus, those who RSVP will get a free beer courtesy of St. Pauli Girl, Biergarten Haus and On Tap Magazine!

You can walk away a winner too! A 50/50 raffle will be held during the event to benefit the Perry Center, Inc. One ticket for $5 or three for $10.

RSVP NOW » http://www.ontaponline.com/stpauli/
Must be 21+

Biergarten Haus
1355 H St. NE
Washington, DC 20002

DATE: Thursday, Sep 22
TIME: 7:30 PM
(rain date: Sep 29)

Hmmm…anybody else have some ideas on this?

Limiting myself to stouts which aren't overly hoppy, are sweet-ish, aren't overly high in alcohol (ala Guinness), and are available locally, Id say:


Bells Double Cream Stout or Bells Kalamazoo Stout
Rogue Chocolate Stout or Rogue Shakespeare Stout

or maybe even a porter, like

Founders Porter
Smuttynose Robust Porter

or, sticking within geographic proximity to Guinness


Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout
Young's Double Chocolate Stout

Heck, even Stockyard Stout at $5.99/ sic pack from Trader Joes (actually brewed by Goose Island I think) is pretty good.

Jaguar wrote:

I prefer a thick creamy and sweet stout when going dark. Which would you suggest? I've had a few others but tend to go back to Guinness providing it's on draft. The cans and bottles are barely even worth cooking with. Shame they can't properly preserve that quality in a packaged good.

I recommend Meantime London Porter, or Stout if you must.

Thanks for the suggestions you two. Will try to keep those in mind as I'd like to try them.

Had a London Stout once and kind of liked it but still think the Irish do it better. Then again, it was bottled which might be an unfair comparison to a Guinness on draft.

All of those sound good. Generally, it's not the alcohol content that seems to bother me. Something else within the brews of most beers. I don't like containers over 16 ozs either. By the time I get that low in the drink, it all gets too flat, warm and nasty.

The Trader Joe's and Wegmans thing is a big tease for me. Neither of those stores anywhere around here and, due to effed up Maryland liquor laws, I can't buy them when I'm in town visiting family. Of course, I do go to both those stores to stock up on food and other products they offer. Better selections and prices.

Have to go off to work and hope to see a few more suggestions when I get back.

There was some German beer that I really liked a whole lot that I had at the House Of Europe (or whatever it's called) in Tenly Town (I think) on Wisconsin Ave.. Think it started with a B. Biersomethingorother maybe. It was a very nice creamy lighter ale.

Cheers.