Recommend me a beer

[ACDoyle]

Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier

Ballast Point Yellow Tail and Big Eye IPA

 

[acidboy]

Got a load of these delivered yesterday to try out this weekend.

 

[quevola]

^^ Whoa Acidicboy - looks like a good choice. Please post a review to let us know what you think.

 

[Cravate_Noire]

Originally Posted by acidicboy

Got a load of these delivered yesterday to try out this weekend.

German frat cellars are full of that. I live in paradise. But as I stated earlier, Augustiner and Schneider Weiße is the most heavenly of all wheat-beerish delights.

 

[quevola]

Originally Posted by Cravate_Noire

German frat cellars are full of that. I live in paradise.
But as I stated earlier, Augustiner and Schneider Weiße is the most heavenly of all wheat-beerish delights.

Hey Cravate, out of curiosity, what is the legal drinking age in Germany?

 

[Cravate_Noire]

For beer, wine, champagne etc. and anything that is not taxed as liqueur or above it's 16.
Liqueurs and the hard stuff from 18.
Deduct 4-6 years from these figures and you have the average age of the beginner alco^^.
I don't know if there were any changes in law, but concerning the 16 year category alcohol there was an exception: for private and explicit non-public festivities only (like family meetings or similar), drinking the lesser stuff was allowed from 14, when supervised by parents or any legal guardians.

 

[acidboy]

Originally Posted by quevola

^^ Whoa Acidicboy - looks like a good choice. Please post a review to let
us know what you think.

Had a bottle last night, with some cheese. I'll try to do a beeradvocate.com review:

Appearance: Poured a .5l bottle on a freezer chilled glass. Color is surprisingly light and clear in a golden shade. Head was frothy but was quickly gone leaving a light froth on top, and bubbling was very minimal.

Aroma: Proportionally light as the color, b,ut you could still smell hints of banana and clove as you would any other hefeweizens.

Taste: Hefe-light. Carbonation was milder than what I prefer. It doesn't taste watery though. A good beer choice for warm days.

Mouthfeel: Very crisp from the first sip, with the palate cleaning sensation of having a citrus based sorbet.

Drinkability: Easy, what they call a "session beer"

Originally Posted by Cravate_Noire

German frat cellars are full of that. I live in paradise.
But as I stated earlier, Augustiner and Schneider Weiße is the most heavenly of all wheat-beerish delights.

Yes, I wish we could get a wider choice of beer here.

 

[unpainted huffheinz]

Originally Posted by Cravate_Noire

For beer, wine, champagne etc. and anything that is not taxed as liqueur or above it's 16.
Liqueurs and the hard stuff from 18.
Deduct 4-6 years from these figures and you have the average age of the beginner alco^^.
I don't know if there were any changes in law, but concerning the 16 year category alcohol there was an exception: for private and explicit non-public festivities only (like family meetings or similar), drinking the lesser stuff was allowed from 14, when supervised by parents or any legal guardians.

In the late 80s I was gladly served at the Hofbrau at age 13 or so if I was with my parents. I think the Bavarians are keen to get the teens into the traditions under proper supervision.

 

[garmentmerchant]

cave creek chili beer a serano chili hand dropped in every bottle

 

[LoneRover]

About six months ago I finished a year long tour in Belgium, spending many nights drinking many beers. The better beers are harder to find and most have a very limited distribution, sometimes only within region of the country. However, there are a few that you can find at import and gourmet shops in the states that I find noteworthy.

Below is a quick list of some I recommend that are obtainable in the U.S.

Maes (5 degrees) - Really light beer. I often referred to it as the Belgian Bud Light, although one of my drivers would threaten to fight me for comparing a Belgian beer to Bud Light. It isn't heavy and overpowering with flavor so it makes a good "frat boy drunk" beer. If you are in Brussels you can head downtown to an Irish Pub named Celticas and buy a case at the bar for 24 euros. We often started with this on many nights to get us in gear for a late night.

Duvel (8.5 degrees) - Very strong flavor, and is an acquired taste for some. It grew on me quickly in more ways than one, because after a few weeks of steadily drinking Duvel I noticed some of it decided to settle at my waist line and had to be quickly worked off. This beer has the most awkward head and pour of any beer I have encountered. It is best served in a proper Duvel glass with the laser cut D in the bottom. Tilt the glass approx. 45 degrees and set the lip of the bottle just above the inward curve of the glass. Keep the bottle at a diagonal and rotate it as you pour.

Tripel Westmalle (9.5 degrees) - Another beer made by monks, and a damn good one at that. Westmalle was of my first choices when I could find it, but was hard to get a decent quantity to stock the bar in our house. I first had it in Bruges and found it in Brussels on occasion. It is light amber in color and has a bold, full flavor.

Kasteel (11 degrees) - One to be weary of. Has a great flavor and is very potent, similar to the Westmalle but not as sweet and is a little stouter but still very smooth.

Orval (6.2 degress) - Monk made beer again. Another favorite of mine (along with Corsendonk and Westmalle) although not as strong as some in alcohol, it lacks nothing of flavor. It also has a very elegant color when poured.

Corsendonk, Agnus Tripel (Cannot recall alcohol content) - Another one of my favorites. This one has great color as well, but is more golden than others. It is very smooth and bubbly, finishes well with a good meal.

Hoegarden (5 degrees) - This beer is very popular, but not one of my favorites. It has a distinct flavor and the spices didn't hit my palette as it seemed to most people. The version I have drank and seen distributed in the states is different than that in Belgium and was not as good in my opinion. Like I said it is a good beer, just not one of my personal favorites.

Chimay Bleue (9 degrees) Very dark, very strong and very good. Slightly bitter and fruity and is great when paired with cheese (as are most Belgian beers). It is default classic and for good reason.

As I said before these are technical reviews and I am most certainly not an aficionado by any means. I just tried to convey my experience of each beer in a clear and concise manner. Writing this I have started drooling as I am currently in Nepal with a limited selection of mediocre beers.

 

[quevola]

^^ Excellent post LoneRover! I'll seek to find some of your recommendations.

 

[totally epic]

I think Orval tasted like nail polish.

 

[indesertum]

what's that one beer that's made by monks in a monastery somewhere in europe that you have to pick up by hand at the gates?

 

[theincumbent]

Flying Fish Octoberfish

A great beer, and unique rendition of an Octoberfest (Though I don't believe it is a lager.)

 

[nootje]

Originally Posted by indesertum

what's that one beer that's made by monks in a monastery somewhere in europe that you have to pick up by hand at the gates?

thats westfleteren, the one I mentioned... Some shops nearby have small amounts however, one can only pick up one case a time. So there you have it.