OT: 300 beers and counting...

[nafnikufesin]

For those of you that still care (wait...did anyone ever care?), we rated our 300th different beer tonight. Thankfully, there are still many, many more to try. The updated ratings are still here: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mmmmbeer/

And for those that don't wish to bother checking out the wholle set of ratings, Boddington's is still the top rated out of the 300 so far, while I'm not sure any beer will ever rate lower than Ed's Original Chili Pepper Beer which still sits as the worst.

 

[Drokk]

Cool man, I'll check it out. Highest-rated is Boddington's, eh?

 

[johnnieCzech]

Come to fucking Prague and get some real fucking beer

 

[Drokk]

Come to fucking Prague and get some real fucking beer

Definitely! Btw, I was pretty hungover Friday; 6 Prazdroj(u? genitive pl.?), fuck. But you guys never seem to even get buzzed! That Czech tolerance, I guess.

However I'm a bit tired of the same style of beer over and over. I want a stout, an IPA, a Hefe, a Kolsch, an amber, an Oktoberfest, a Maerzen, etc. (well, I have to have SOMETHING to look forward to back in the U.S., right?)

 

[johnnieCzech]

Definitely! Btw, I was pretty hungover Friday; 6 Prazdroj(u? genitive pl.?), fuck. But you guys never seem to even get buzzed! That Czech tolerance, I guess.

However I'm a bit tired of the same style of beer over and over. I want a stout, an IPA, a Hefe, a Kolsch, an amber, an Oktoberfest, a Maerzen, etc. (well, I have to have SOMETHING to look forward to back in the U.S., right?)

Yeah, "u" is right. You can get some stout here I guess, as well as the other beers. Like two weeks ago I was out with a friend and had 6 Stella Artoises (Belgican beer) and it was ok but the next day I felt like shit. Good ole Pilsner.
Talking about beer, I'm starting to get thirsty how about this week?

 

[Drokk]

Yeah, "u" is right. You can get some stout here I guess, as well as the other beers. Like two weeks ago I was out with a friend and had 6 Stella Artoises (Belgican beer) and it was ok but the next day I felt like shit. Good ole Pilsner.
Talking about beer, I'm starting to get thirsty how about this week?

Yeah, fuckin' Stella.....NOT representative of Belgium, a land of some fine fucking beers (VERY different from Czech beer). You've noticed that many cafes (only cafes, it seems) has been exclusively serving Stella? I don't like this, but that's international business for you. It's OK, but nothing compared to, say, Prazdroj, Bernard, any Czech beer, really. Kelt calls itself a stout, but in reality it's a Czech dark lager (Starop.) served with nitrogen. Not a real stout (which would be made with ale yeast, much more bitter, very dark roasted malt, etc.)
takze! Dobry napad. Dneska? Zitra? Statni svatek!

 

[johnnieCzech]

I can't today, tomorrow is OK (don't worry, the pubs are open even though it's státní svátek)

 

[remington69]

Come to fucking Prague and get some real fucking beer

My husband had some good Czech beer over the weekend, except I don't remember the name. We were at a Czech restaurant, and they had tons of imported ale. I think the name started with a C.

 

[Miltbrand]

Don´t remember how much or which beer I had during the weekend....
Started out with a couple of litres of cheap 14,5% apple wine around noon on thursday, and after that the next 72 hours are a bit cloudy. I do think i had a few 1 litre mugs of beer at the gigs thursday and friday night.
If I drank as much as usual it was probably 15-20 a night thursday, friday, and saturday. But I´m not gonna drink next weekend, so I guess it was ok...

 

[Drokk]

My husband had some good Czech beer over the weekend, except I don't remember the name. We were at a Czech restaurant, and they had tons of imported ale. I think the name started with a C.

Czech beers aren't ales. They are lagers (meaning made with bottom-fermenting yeast; ales are made with top-fermenting yeasts, ferment for shorter periods and at higher temperatures than lager yeasts)
It might have been Czechvar, the U.S. name for Budweiser Budvar, which is the real Budweiser. That's how they've managed to penetrate the U.S. market. I have to say, Czech bottled beer in the U.S. isn't very good, as the bottles are usually green, and pilsners aren't meant to travel thousands of miles and sit on a shelf under flourescent lighting. Light is beer's worst enemy. Crap beer is my enemy.

 

[nafnikufesin]

Come to fucking Prague and get some real fucking beer

So far, we've only had the opportunity to try 2 Czech beers so far...Pilsner Urquell and Czech Rebel. The imports probably don't compare well to the real thing on tap, but neither of these has scored very well.

Crap beer is my enemy.

Then you may wish to avoid our bottom 10. uke:

 

[remington69]

Czech beers aren't ales. They are lagers (meaning made with bottom-fermenting yeast; ales are made with top-fermenting yeasts, ferment for shorter periods and at higher temperatures than lager yeasts).

Can you tell I'm not a beer drinker?


My father-in-law just gave us a case of some polish beer, too. I think it starts with a P?!?

Hubby's the beer [font=&quot]connoisseur in the house. I'll stick with vodka and tequila. But, not together.
[/font]

 

[Drokk]

Dude...Heineken number 28?? Stella Artois number 42?? Hell, I'll stay away from some of your top 50!
Yes, Kriek is beer.
Yes, Hoegaarden has a sour taste, because of yeast in the bottle and various spices. Not used to Belgian Wit?
Jesus. Harp number 72?
I just don't know what to make of this.

 

[Drokk]

Can you tell I'm not a beer drinker?

I know, I know, I thought I would just give you some beer edjamacation.

 

[Drokk]

Oh yeah...so what if Grasshopper is in a can?
Hardly any stouts. Kalamazoo Brewing Co. sadly overlooked.
By the way, where are these done? I'm just wondering, as it would tell me what U.S. micros would be available to you; I see the list is heavily dominated by big conglomoes

 

[nafnikufesin]

Dude...Heineken number 28?? Stella Artois number 42?? Hell, I'll stay away from some of your top 50!

Keep in mind 2 things:

(1) Individual taste is a very unique thing, and noone will have an identical top 10, nevermind top 50 or 300. I expect that there are beers that I hate that you like, and vice versa. That said, the ratings we do are always an average of at least 2 people (sometimes as many as 7 or 8, depending how many of us show up on any given Monday, so hopefully that helps to balance out extremes in taste on this list.

(2) We rate beers based on 7 different categories: look, smell, taste, first sips, aftertaste, last sips, drinkability, and overall. Some beers may be very good in one category, mediocre in another, awful in yet another. I've sometimes been surprised at how a beer I used to hate I now rate high (this includes Stella), and beers I used to drink by the gallon in University sit very low. This project of ours has been going on for 2 years now, and I've come to pay attention to beer qualities that I never thought about before (ie. appreciating the beautiful looks of a well-poured Guinness, or the amazing smell of a Grandville Island Winter Ale).

Yes, Kriek is beer.

Of course, it wouldn't be on the list if it wasn't. The comment was made partly in jest as we argued about fruity-flavored beers being girly drinks. Notice that despite the debate, Bellevue Kriek rates very high.

Yes, Hoegaarden has a sour taste, because of yeast in the bottle and various spices. Not used to Belgian Wit?

Just because its supposed to taste sour doesn't necessarily make it taste any better (same as just because Ed's Original Chili Beer is supposed to have a chili pepper in each bottle, doesn't necessarily make it any more tolerable ). That said, Hoegaarden was tried fairly early in our project...it might be interesting to see how ratings of some of the early beers would change now that our tastes have become a bit more experienced. A number of Belgian (or Belgian-style) white beers have rated quite well.

Jesus. Harp number 72?
I just don't know what to make of this.

Make of it what you want. We're drinking as many different kinds of beer as we can for fun, and I'd encourage you to do the same. Make your own list. I don't expect it to be the same as mine by the time you reach 300, but you'll have a lot of fun getting there.

 

[nafnikufesin]

Oh yeah...so what if Grasshopper is in a can?

Rating from a can, bottle, or draft can sometimes have a drastic effect on the appearance, texture, and taste of a beer, so when we are presented with a choice, we list which one we tried.

Hardly any stouts. Kalamazoo Brewing Co. sadly overlooked.
By the way, where are these done? I'm just wondering, as it would tell me what U.S. micros would be available to you; I see the list is heavily dominated by big conglomoes

We rate in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. As such, most of our beers come from what is available in Edmonton liquor stores. Everyone is expected to bring a beer we haven't tried yet each time they come, and to bring enough for everyone. Naturally, the big breweries are most readily available in every liquor store, so most have been tried and rated early on in our ratings...they're also cheaper and more readily available in 6-packs, making it easier to ensure you're bringing enough for everyone. Whenever any of us travel, we're always on the look-out for beers not available in Edmonton, and we always get friends and relatives that travel to bring back interesting beers for us, so we can expand our horizons (my sister even *mailed* me beer from Denmark). Sadly, the microbrew-oriented "Beer of the month" clubs in the US do not ship to Canada, so that is not an option for us. At least a few of the specialty liquor stores here have probably a good 100 or so beers we haven't tried yet, so we've still got lots of drinking to do.

 

[DarbysDad]

Czech beers aren't ales. They are lagers (meaning made with bottom-fermenting yeast; ales are made with top-fermenting yeasts, ferment for shorter periods and at higher temperatures than lager yeasts)
It might have been Czechvar, the U.S. name for Budweiser Budvar, which is the real Budweiser. That's how they've managed to penetrate the U.S. market. I have to say, Czech bottled beer in the U.S. isn't very good, as the bottles are usually green, and pilsners aren't meant to travel thousands of miles and sit on a shelf under flourescent lighting. Light is beer's worst enemy. Crap beer is my enemy.

Yeah I hear you I tried Pilsner Urquel and I think it didn't like the trip the US and sitting in Sav-Ons

 

[Drokk]

Rating from a can, bottle, or draft can sometimes have a drastic effect on the appearance, texture, and taste of a beer, so when we are presented with a choice, we list which one we tried.
We rate in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Certainly, what the beer is poured from affects everything. I was just checking if being from a can had a negative effect on its rating, because I would argue that a can is actually a very effective receptacle for beer, especially pilsners.
It's too bad that shipping to Canada seems to be such a problem; so many good beers from the U.S. that aren't available to you. I like Big Rock's beers, by the way. Hell, maybe when I get back to Minnesota I'll send you some beers! (don't know if I could do that, though; customs and whatnot)

Hey, man, no disrespect meant! Just a friendly ribbing. Everyone has different tastes; now you can get a window into mine. I can understand why Prazdroj (P Urquell) would rate low, as the exported bottled version is very stale at best. I always stay away from green bottles; light kills beer, especially lighter styles like pilsners. It's funny that American drinkers expect an "imported" bland international light lager to be skunky; that's because it's spoilt from light exposure due to green bottles. I guarantee that Prazdroj exported in a can would taste better; sadly, they don't that, as the green bottle is a brand. You wouldn't believe it's the same beer if you had it from a tankovna in Prague, or unfiltered from the brewery. I also stay away from the bottled version or Newcastle of Sam Smith's beers, as they're clear. Newcastle is always stale. I've had it on draught and I couldn't believe how good it was.
Do you have any local brewpubs, if at all? My philosophy has become to drink locally; freshest is beshest, er, best. Cheers!

 

[nafnikufesin]

Hey, man, no disrespect meant! Just a friendly ribbing.

None taken, trust me, I get much worse from some of my buddies that think Budweiser is a great beer

The microbrew and brew pub scene isn't great in Edmonton (or Alberta for that matter), but we do have a couple, and another one just opened up (we're rating a lager from it next week). Some of my favorite breweries are close enough, including Grandville Island and Shaftebury from BC, Yukon Brewing Company from (where else?) the Yukon, and Unibroue from Quebec (at least until it was taken over by Sleeman's...I'm not sure how that will effect quality)