jack,

I think portland is a better beer town then Seattle.

All the beers avaialble in Seattle are widely avialable in portland. SOme beer that is available in portland (the more obscure bridgeport and widmer brews come to mind) is difficult to come by in Seattle.

Portland also trumps seattle in number of microbreweries.

Plus Portland has the mission theatre and pub which is basically the best thing ever.

Very very good advice, thank you very much. A friend of mine is a freshman at Cornell (BTW) and he drinks loads of crappy lights, I can't drink that watered down crap and never will. I am not much of a drinking contest/beer pong type of person, I am more of a beer appreciator than a drinker, so my main goal in buying beer is flavor.

I need to try more of the Sam Adams varieties. I do enjoy Yuengling and Heineken, though they are both somewhat boring.

I like some of the Magic Hat beers, what is your opinion of those as someone with a wider beer experience?

I am eagerly awaiting my 21st when I can pick up whatever specialty stuff strikes my fancy.

I will certainly try Sierra Nevada, I have never tasted it.

Thanks for the response!

I agree that Portland is a really great beer town and I've enjoyed every visit to the city. I'm sure Portland has more microbreweries per capita, but I'd be a little surprised if the overall number were greater.

Mission theatre and pub is indeed the best thing ever, and Seattle's lack of anything comparable is an embarrasment to an otherwise almost-perfect town.

I judge a beer-town not just on the number/quality of microbrews, but also on the number/quality of bars. In Seattle you can hit a different, amazing, bar every week for a year. In Los Angeles, which is a much bigger city, I cannot name one. Not one. (there are four or five decent beer places in this city of millions, but anything good in LA tends to get quickly overwhelmed, which ruins the experience).

I haven't seen anyone mention Anchor beers yet in this thread. They're a fairly tasty option.



El Diablo or other SFers--ever had Anchor on draught? How is it?

Ty,

supermarket variety beer: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, like Jack said. Other good choices, Sam Adams, Pilsner Urquell, and Tsing Tao.

Jack,

Great post. I've really started to think about starting a home brew.

As for best beer city, what are some other good ones? I've heard Portland is great. I know Burlington, VT is great (lots of microbrews, most famously Magic Hat). Where else?

neuro,

I find Anchor Steam to be pretty bad. I've tried one other Anchor beer, and I didn't like that much either. I don't think I'll spend any more money on their stuff.

kc, neuro,

I have been underwhelmed w/ Anchor Steam and Anchor Liberty. I found their Christmas ale pretty much undrinkable, not just uninspired. Their porter, however, I liked alright. I found it tasted more like a milder imperial stout than a porter, though. Their beer is on the expensive side, so you can do better for the price.

I've also had the Anchor Steam - it is not good.

I'll make a few "hopful" suggestions here:

Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye - Very hoppy with a nice rye kick. I've reviewed this in the TLDR thread I believe.

Stone Double Bastard - Also reviewed this in TLDR. A great hoppy double IPA with a strong malt backbone. Very nice as it warms, especially if you don't mind the alcohol profile.

Alesmith Yulesmith - Really a nearly perfect beer.

If you want a standard IPA, Drake's makes a great one. Stone's is also solid. At Trader Joe's you can find Boont's Hop Ottin' IPA at a decent price as well. This is one of those beers that never gets old.

Anyone here tried flemish sour beers - like Rodenbach, Monk's, Duchesse de Bourgogne, or New Belgium La Folie? It is probably the most unique beer style there is, and so tend to be loved or hated. I love them.

Miles,

Bear republic, is that in CA?

Guys,

Surprised at the anti-Anchor Steam sentiment! I like it quite a bit, but I know some find it a little too bitter for that type of beer. I like Anchor just fine. Anchor Steam and Sierra Nevada are two pretty standard taps in SF bars. Maybe you guys are comparing it to "special" beers like the other ones in this thread, but here these are just standard issue beers, and by that standard, I think they are very good.

nah.. I expected "standard".. I just can't ever see myself choosing that over Sierra Nevada, Fat Tire, etc.

I also really don't like Anchor and would only get it if Bud was my other option.

IMHO the best Bay Area brewer is

http://www.bisonbrew.com/
BISON BREWING

(Russian River is also excellent but they're not really bay area)

Seconded. Portland is fantastic.

No one has mentioned La Maudite (the damned) or Duvel's Golden Ale. These are great beers all on their own, but they are especially useful when you are trying to introduce a friend with conventional beer-buying habits (e.g., bud/miller) to craft beer.

Maudite works despite the fact that it is very different from the mass market lagers with which your friend will be familiar. Unlike many 'different' beers that are not well received by mainstream palates (e.g., the good hoppy beers), Maudite has a subtle but tasty caramel flavor that the uninitiated often find appealing. The sweetness is not heavy-handed (e.g., ahem, Adam's Cherry Wheat), so your friend will have no doubts that they are drinking Beer.

Duvel takes a different route. As a light beer, it has some similarities to the lagers your friend will have previously enjoyed. But put Duvel side-by-side to a common lager and the difference in quality will (I think) jump out immediately.

Edit: I should add that I think the difference between getting Maudite on tap and in the bottle is greater than the typical tap/bottle gap among beers. Since it is somewhat rare to get Maudite on tap, you should definitely try it if you find it.

Maudite is a good beer, and I agree it's a good wake-up to good beer. Some people don't dig the Belgian style, and Maudite isn't my favorite from Unibroue (LFDM or Trois Pistoles win that honor), but it's still solid.

Another variety of beer that's great for waking people up to good beer is a Scotch ale. Generally, these are dark brown, malty, unhopped beers that are pretty agreeable even to people who say they don't like beer in general. I just tried the Kilt Tilter from the Middle Ages brewery and thought it was great. There's a local brewer that also puts out a good one.

Lastly, jack, glad to have you in any and all beer threads .

Yes, very far north I believe.

I just wouldn't say Anchor Steam and "connoisseur" really go together. When I said it wasn't good, I really meant I would only pay for it if I were very restricted on options. So at a bar or restaurant that only has, say, Corona, Heineken, a crappy Hefeweizen, BMC, and Anchor Steam, then I'll pay for it. Since it is priced similarly to other much better beers, I will never buy it at a store. Note I've only had Anchor Steam from the Anchor brewery - I'm not talking about the brewery as a whole.

The very first microbrew I tried when I moved to Seattle five years ago was the Kilt Lifter, a scotch-style ale made by the Pike Place Brewery. At that point I knew next to nothing about good beer, and the Kilt Lifter drew me in.

Strangely similar names.

Well, I agree that for retail prices of $10/6 pack, you can do better--Fuller's ESB comes to mind, for example.

I particularly like the fact that I can get Anchor beers in the big 22oz bottles at my local convenience store. There aren't many non-dreck beers available in the big size.

I love Anchor Steam

Kalik Bears, the only Bear of the Bahamas.

Maybe not available in convenience stores, but many of the very best beers in the world come ONLY in 22's or 750 mL bottles.

Just picked up some beers (including Delirium Nocturnum, Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Young's Oatmeal, Sam Smith's Oatmeal, Sam Smith's Nut Brown Ale, Hitachino Nest Beer).

Started with Young's Oatmeal onto Sam Smith's Oatmeal and I agree with cbloom:

Not close imo. I think this sums up Sam Smith's Oatmeal very well (from the ba review):

-Al

Edit - oh yeah people don't like Anchor Steam? Got addicted to it as standard beer living in SF.

>Barcade's Feb. 8th, 07 (tonight!)

> Please join us in welcoming Syracuse, New York's Middle
> Ages Brewing and head brewer Tim Butler on Thursday,
> February 8th at 6pm. On draft:
>
> 2005 Oak Aged Dragonslayer Imperial Stout
> 10th Anniversary Double IPA
> Druid Fluid Barleywine
> Duke of Winship
> Syracuse Pale Ale
> Wailing Wench (on cask)
> Winter Wheat
>
> Official Event Website:
> http://www.barcadebrooklyn.com

Also free BBQ pulled pork sandwiches and brisket 6-8pm w/purchase of MI brew.

I'm wary of going b/c I really want to crash in NYC if I go but that's not very plausible. I'm still considering going anyhow though. The dragonslayer RIS should be amazingly good. Here's my ba review:

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile...04/?ba=deBeers