Topic: The beer thread

[milkanannan]

So cheers to Foster's. Cheers to mediocracy.

With the right marketing execs they could make this work as a campaign

Affligem Tripel is easily the best beer I've ever tasted. Only seen it in one craft beer shop which has stopped stocking it now though



https://www.ratebeer.com/beer/affligem-tripel/3734/

Has anyone homebrewed before?

I've never had Affligem Tripel nor heard of it. Can you expand on the taste a bit?

Regarding homebrew, yes I have. My wife and I used to live in a conservative Muslim country and illegally homebrewed a bit, but everything we made didn't taste all that good! We couldn't get kits, so it was down to tutorials we found online and adding ingredients here and there we thought would enhance the flavour.

How about anybody else? Any quality homebrew experiences?

[milkanannan]

I want to post about Chinese pop beer choices for a moment. My wife and I recently came back from a month in countryside China. Chinese beers tend to be watery by international standards (roughly 3% alc) and rural Chinese beers even more so (2-2.5% alc)! Because many parts of China are humid and many Chinese household refrain from turning on the AC, you end up sweating A LOT, so an extra watery beer served ice cold goes down very nicely under these conditions. It is sort of the opposite of that harder bite you want from your beer if drinking in a colder climate.

Anyway, there are several of these beers I like but one you see most places is Suntory Premium (it's actually Japanese by origin) - a really lovely crisp flavour that instantly refreshes any hot humid situation. Also because the alcohol is so low you can sort of crank through these guys pretty quickly without feeling too groggy afterward. Really fits the setting when you've been sweating your ass of in humid East Asian heat all day!

[milkanannan]

Had a Stella weekend here. I've always liked Stella for its somewhat sharp, flavourful take on lager. It's refreshing and a somewhat bold flavour when compared to other pop culture beers.

What are others having this weekend?

[dactylopus]

Last night I had an Emergency Drinking Beer, in preparation for the coming hurricanes.  It is produced by Wild Heaven Beer.



Not bad.  Only 4% ABV, and a taste that has hints of apple juice.  Or at least that's what I tasted, not everyone around agreed.

I also had some more of those Orpheus Brewing Transmigration of Souls.  I currently reside in Georgia, and these are both local breweries.

[milkanannan]

That sounds great. Cool name. Reminds me of these beers my wife and I used to buy 'Brussels' at Carrefour in Shanghai that included fruit. Flavour wasn't overpowering, so it was sort of a nice hint to otherwise good beer.

This is them (can't get them here though):

[milkanannan]

Back to my native land (Canada) for Christmas. I have the chance to get back to a few of my hometown/province brews, so thought I'd share here. First up I tried a Bobcaygeon brewery Common Loon:



It's a full, lager-y feel with mild citrus finish and hoppy aftertaste that lingers, which gives it a sort of lager-IPA mix to it. Slight cloud in appearance. Not an entirely unique flavour but a flavour that appeals to most palates.

[LimpingFish]

Reviews aren't great, but I'm quite partial to it. Kind of sweet, a little malty, and devoid of that unpleasant yeasty taste I get from most beers.

[Baron]

I'm from Canada, too, but I don't drink a lot of local beer aside from Steam Whistle (and only because it's the only beer on tap at my local drinking hole).  I used to experiment quite a bit with European beer: my favourites were usually the Irish and the Czech beers, with Polish and German beers a close second.  These days I've become less adventurous, though.  In summer I almost always drink Corona with a very large quantity of lime juice added.  In winter I tend to go more for the comfort beer these days: Stella, Guinness if it's really cold outside, and my especial favourite Boddingtons.  I forget how I got hooked on Boddingtons - no one I know likes it, and I've never been anywhere near Manchester.  But there's something about that creaminess and subtle carbonation that just warms the soul.

[Stupot]

I like that you call Stella a comfort beer. You know we call that Wife-Beater in the UK.

[Radiant]

[milkanannan]

I'm from Canada, too, but I don't drink a lot of local beer aside from Steam Whistle (and only because it's the only beer on tap at my local drinking hole).  I used to experiment quite a bit with European beer: my favourites were usually the Irish and the Czech beers, with Polish and German beers a close second.  These days I've become less adventurous, though.  In summer I almost always drink Corona with a very large quantity of lime juice added.  In winter I tend to go more for the comfort beer these days: Stella, Guinness if it's really cold outside, and my especial favourite Boddingtons.  I forget how I got hooked on Boddingtons - no one I know likes it, and I've never been anywhere near Manchester.  But there's something about that creaminess and subtle carbonation that just warms the soul.

Yes, I like Boddingtons too. Funny story: just this past summer I bought some for my father in law (Chinese). He had only had watery Chinese beer in his day but really like Boddingtons a lot and it sparked an interest in more flavourful ales, which we tried during the time my wife and I were visiting.

[milkanannan]

I like that you call Stella a comfort beer. You know we call that Wife-Beater in the UK.

[Baron]

I like that you call Stella a comfort beer. You know we call that Wife-Beater in the UK.

It can be two things!

[Ben X]

Boddingtons! I haven't heard of that in years! I really only know it because of the tv adverts from the 90s, this one in particular which parodies ad tropes of the time and also made me fall in love with Melanie Sykes:

[Stupot]

You wanna fleeeek with that loov?

[milkanannan]

You can show people actually drinking in an English TV ad? (mind blown)

[Kumpel]

Wait... there are a serious amount of beer ads without people drinking the stuff? O.o

[milkanannan]

Wait... there are a serious amount of beer ads without people drinking the stuff? O.o

Yeah, I think tight-assed Canada/US might be the only two, but it's been strictly forbidden to actually drink beer in any advertisement as long as I've known.

[milkanannan]

Sometimes I like a beer for a pop culture reference behind it. For example, I read this short book by Murakami, What I Talk about When I Talk about Running, and in it the main character runs some crazy race that's longer than a marathon. When he's finished, he grabs an ice cold roadside Amstel.  I'm living that spirit now. 

[dactylopus]

My most recent beer was a Scofflaw Double Basement IPA:

x1 x2 x4 x8

Delicious, and 10.5% ABV.

Scofflaw Brewing Company has some good beer.  Basement IPA is good at 7.5% ABV.  They also have a version called POG Basement (POG stands for passionfruit, orange, and guava) that is mighty tasty.

You may notice by reading my posts that I live in the Atlanta, GA area.  There are a lot of great breweries here.