Monday, December 8, 2008

Favorite Imbibations

Ambivalent Academic posted a Kick-Ass Chili Recipe that calls for beer that is not "pee in a can", and in one of her comments said that "lousy beer is an abomination." This made me think about beers that I like.

So, I'll list my favorites and invite you to do the same in the comments:

In general, I like darker beers. I'm not a fan of tons of hops, I like rich, smooth flavor, not too bitter. My least favorite type of beer is the IPA. My most favorites include:

Smithwicks
Newcastle
Guinness
Killians

Smaller brews that I like:

Monkey Butt (seriously, it's good despite the name)
Long Trail Amber Ale
Blue Point Toasted Lager

What do you like?

12 comments:

Julie @ Bunsen Burner Bakery said...

I, too, enjoy darker beers -- generally any of them. Beer = Good. As a born and raised Pennsylvania girl, I will ALWAYS be true to Yuengling though, especially their Black and Tan.

And I hate (hate!) IPA.

Unknown said...

A most excellent list Phiz! I concur on your most favorites, but have not yet sampled the smaller brews you list - will have to try some.

Other small brews that I like include just about anything from Anchor or Breckenridge...they're both kind of pricey even for microbrews but IMHO you get what you pay for with these.

PhizzleDizzle said...

EB: I know, IPAs are mcnasty in my book!!! I don't know why anyone drinks them, but to each their own :).

AA: I think I've had anchor before but i'm sure it was at a party where i was having all sorts of stuff and don't recall what it was like. i don't think i've heard of breckenridge, i'll have to give that a try.

blank said...

I love Carlsberg. Nothing quite like a cold pint of Carlsberg on a Friday evening.

Our piss in a can-dutch gold. Commonly referred to as "Dutch" and the beer of choice for teenagers in a field. And broke college students at a house party.

Being Irish though, I still don' like Guinness. It's too bitter for my tastes. Managed a full glass of it this summer with some blackcurrant in it-kills the bitterness, though the true drinkers says, kills the taste.

JLK said...

I like beer that doesn't taste like beer. LOL

My general drink of choice for beer-like indulgence is Smirnoff Ice Triple Black, preferred only since Budweiser discontinued my Bacardi Silver Original.

The only BEER beer that I will actually purchase for myself is Michelob Ultra. And I'm sure we all concur that it does NOT taste like beer.

I'm a wuss when it comes to that stuff, but give me some hard liquor and I can mix up some magic. ;)

Unknown said...

JLK I feel sorry for you. I know many people who have not acquired a taste for genuinely good "real" beer (sorry to say but Michelob does not qualify in my book)...but I recognize that it is an acquired taste. You can still use real beer in chili without risking exposure to that real beer taste though.

Verification word: "holycomp"...am I supposed to be getting some kind of cosmic benefits for this comment? That would be sweet! Where do I cash in?

Gail Carmichael said...

Generally speaking, I hate beer. My poor husband, who LOVES beer and even crafts his own from scratch, has got me to try a few beer-related drinks that have worked out recently. I got hooked on Strong Bow (totally not beer related, but where I got started). Then I tried mead (mmm!). We went for a trip to South Carolina (drove all the way from Ottawa, ON!) and stopped in Delaware to visit Dogfish Head. We got some higher alcohol "beers" (barley wines technically, I think), and I actually liked them. Midas Touch was great. So that's where I'm at now.

PhizzleDizzle said...

JLK, are you my sister? She drinks a lot of pee-in-a-can like Bud Light, but also liked Michelob Ultra quite a bit. And she loves the hard liquor.

I hated beer when I first discovered it in college, then I got used to the flavor of Beast (which was all we drank), until one day I tried Killian's and realized there was a ton more flavor, and progressed to discovering that I freakin' love (some types of) beer.

Give it a chance :).

@Gail: Have you ever tried Lambic? It's Belgian brewed, so there's some credibility there but there are lots of fruity varieties like raspberry (called framboise). If you can find this, give it a shot, it's good (especially for people who don't like beer).

And I can't believe you drove from Ottawa to SC - that's a looong drive!

Gail Carmichael said...

One of the higher alcohol beers I tried recently was a Trappist beer, maybe from Belgium.. not sure. Lambic sounds familiar too, but really, I'd have to get the hubby to tell me what I tried, hehe.

The drive south was about 20-22 hours total (only 18 if you don't detour through Delaware). Not bad if you break it up into two days ;) Photos here if anyone is interested (including brewery tour shots!).

Eppendork said...

Love Trappist beer - Lambics are so, so, so good. Peach lambic beer is good. I do like the raspberry as well. Having said that I dont really drink a lot of beer - we were in Berlin in the summer - loverly Weiss Beer was had. Eppendork likes beer without lots of preservatives that hurt her head.

E.

microbiologist xx said...

I have tried my best to acquire a taste for the beer, but it just isn't happening. I don't like cheese either, so go figure.
If I do drink beer (as apposed to vodka), then I will drink Blue Moon, preferably with the oranges. :)
I am intrigued by Monkey Butt though.

PhizzleDizzle said...

I looked today and Butt Monkey (I had it backwards) seems to be gone - the website no longer exists. The general reviews I saw didn't favor it either, though I thought it was pretty good.

Oh well.