I don't have many hobbies outside of my love for baseball and cardboard. My wife and I like to travel, but our days of taking long trips have been put on hold until our daughter gets older. Right now I have to settle for wherever work might take me and some long weekend getaways.
The only other activity/hobby that has been a consistent part of my adult life is beer. Now I'm not talking about drinking a 12 pack of Keystone every other day, but enjoying a nice craft brew. The days are long gone of college style partying so my beer choices need to emphasize quality over quantity. I'm far from someone who can break down a beers taste to excruciating detail, but I know what I like. Seriously, have you read some of the beer reviews on beeradvocate.com? Beer snobs are just as bad as wine snobs.
I'm very fortunate to have friends who enjoy beer so it makes for fun outings when we are all together. My big disadvantage is being in West Virginia. While things are getting better in terms of beer distribution, WV still has trouble getting some of the higher end beers on the shelf because of archaic laws and taxes. Fortunately I'm only about 10 miles from the Pennsylvania border and 25 from Maryland. Both states usually have top notch variety. My other perk is that two of my friends are from DC and NJ which have nice options as well.
One thing I've been doing lately has been organizing beer tastings on Friday evenings. This has allowed me to try a ton of beers that wouldn't have even been available to me before. Being that I work at a University many people that participate are from all over the US and often contribute beers from their area.
So with that being said, do any of you have a favorite go to beer? What about harder to find high end beers? Here are a few of my favorites in no order...
Founders Breakfast Stout
Dogfish 90 Min
Bells Two Hearted Ale
Deschutes Black Butte Porter
Mothman Black IPA (my favorite WV beer)
Has anyone ever traded beer? I have a friend that did this, but it seems like pain in the butt.
Deschutes Black Butte Porter is definitely a favorite of mine too. I drink a lot of Rogue.. they have "garage sales" every 2 or 3 months where you can by a case for half the typical price. The Hazelnut Brown might be my favorite, though I have a tendency to burn out on it after buying a case of 12 bombers. Another favorite is Stone.. I got to enjoy a tour last time I was in San Diego.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, my wife hated beer when we met, but thanks to my influence, she's become a beer snob. We go to beer festivals once or twice a year and she takes notes and stuff. Me, I like craft brews but am not above slumming it with PBR or Milwaukee's Best Ice to save some money.
I went to the Deschutes tap room when I was in Portland a few years back. It was really nice.
DeleteI always liked Dead Guy ale. It was one of the first true micros that you could get in WV.
You've tapped into my other passion, my friend. My buddies and I have a monthly poker game/beer tasting. We're playing this Saturday, so I'm looking forward to trying some great new stuff that night.
ReplyDeleteI like your Dogfish choice, but there are so many new ones all the time, it's hard for me to pin down any go-to's.
We should talk beer more often, buddy.
I miss poker....need to start playing again. As for the beer tasting we've been going strong for about 2 months. We've tried over 50 beers! I would love to talk beer!
DeleteBTW - my beer snob friends will kill me for this, but my latest go-to is chilladas. If u don't know, these are akin to bloody mary's made with mexican lager. I'm hooked!
ReplyDeleteI've been making them at home for the playoffs!
Beer snobs are the worst. If you like it, drink it! Been a while since I've had a good bloody mary.
DeleteBack In my drinking days,I remember having a Moosehead draft In Toronto Canada .That was the best damn beer I ever had.
ReplyDeleteDon't have many Canadian beer stories other than getting drunk on Molson at a Pens game.
DeleteMan, that's a great second hobby. Most of the people I know are the twelve pack of keystone types, but I've settle in with the craft beer crowd. Definitely not a snob, but I love tasting new brews.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite after mowing the yard is the Stiegl Radler.
When out for Mexican it's Negra Modelo.
I like Sapporo when having sushi.
In winter I'll drink any type of porter or stout, but I stay away from them when it warms up.
This is my favorite time of year . . . pumpkin brews! The Schlafly pumpkin ale is my favorite this year.
When I can find it, my favorite is probably Moose Drool by Big Sky Brewing. Don't let the name fool you, it's a nice brown ale that I can drink when ever and where ever.
DeleteI'm not a pumpkin beer fan. More of a mental block for me as I got really sick one Thanksgiving. I've had the Sclafly and its good. The Tasmanian IPA is really good too. I actually have a six pack of that in my basement!
DeleteNever had Big Sky brewing.
DeleteStone Brewery from San Diego. Seriously. Try their beer!
ReplyDeleteHave many times. Just drank a bomber of the ipa this weekend. Delicious!!!
DeleteThen, next, try Sweetwater beers from Atlanta. :-)
DeleteSee, you need to come to Atlanta. Come for a card show, stay for the beer!
DeleteHad a few Sweetwaters. Girl I work with brought some back from Richmond I think....
DeleteI need to get to Atlanta. It has been a while. Card shows and beer!!!!
DeleteThis needs to happen. Brews and cardboard in the Atl!!!
DeleteIt can be an official peace treaty to our wars.
DeleteI love Bell's Two Hearted!
ReplyDeleteOther Faves - 21st Amendment Brew Free or Die, Rheingeist Truth, Goose Island Matilda, and 3 Floyds' Zombiedust. Zombiedust is like...legendary stuff, and I love it, but I recently picked Truth in a blind taste test over it and was like oh...hmm...
I would love to try Zombiedust. I've heard good things. Can't get 3 Floyds here.
DeleteBeer, God's gift to casual baseball fans around the world.
ReplyDeleteI'm usually sitting by one of those casual fans who drinks way too much at a game.
DeleteI don't drink too much beer - just never really got into it. It is my alcohol of choice, but I can go months without one and not have any loss.
ReplyDeleteI prefer my beers to be wheats. Right now, I have been buying a lot of Boulevard lately, though I will drink Leinies, Blue Moon (hey - hate me, but I like that stuff), Dundee's Honey Brown, .....
If you like it so what. Only beer snobs bitch about what other people drink. I have had some Boulevard beers. They were really good!
DeleteI never hardly drank any alcohol until I hung out with my father-in-law for the first time. He's from England, with family in Ireland, so he knows a good beer. At the time, he was living in Phoenix so he had me try Four Peak Kilt Lifter (meh) and some Irish Cream Ale in a green can (can't remember the name of it) and Guinness. Guinness the became my go to beer.
ReplyDeleteOver the years, I've branched out and if I feel I'm in the mood for a cold brew, then I try to drink local craft beers. Cincinnati has a rich brewing heritage with Hudepohl and Christian Moerlein. I haven't tried Hudepohl yet but my current favorites are anything amber ... Christian Moerlein Over-the-Rhine, Mt. Carmel Amber Ale, Killian's, and Third Shift, which is brewed and bottled at the Miller-Coors Brewery that's literally three minutes from my house.
As far as seasonal brews go, my favorites are the Mt. Carmel Springtime Ale which is just light and smooth and the Great Lakes Oktoberfest, a very nice fall brew that's perfect for a cool fall evening.
I agree about the Great Lakes Octoberfest. They make one of the better ones. I also like the Ayinger.
DeleteSounds like Cincy has some good German brews by the names of the companies. Sounds delicious!
6 pack of 120 has arrived
ReplyDeleteI need to get one of those for the beer tastings. No one will be able to driver after it!
DeleteSummer Kolsch was my favorite when I lived in Chicago, always good. I liked drinking the local cheap beer too Old Style. Now I'm back near Philly I stick to the classic Yuengling
ReplyDeleteNothing wrong with a classic Yuengling.
DeleteI've got a co-worker who brews his own beer... and I'm pretty sure he trades some of his with his friend who brews too. As for a favorite beer... I don't really have one. I used to drink Genuine Draft, because of that Rusty Wallace commercial... but hated the taste. Not a big drinker in general, but if it's my social duty... give me a rum and Coke.
ReplyDeleteMGD is pretty rough. I would choose the rum and coke too!
DeleteThere is tons of it all over Colorado. Left Hand Milk Stout (especially on nitro) is always a favorite.
ReplyDeleteI love the Nitro Stout. Actually saw a case of it yesterday, but the date was pretty old. It was in my cart and everything....kind of disappointed.
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