Beer?

[threebikesmcginty]

I know beeradvo's ranking system is wrong because all my favourites aren't in the top 10!

 

[Flying_Monkey]

I know beeradvo's ranking system is wrong because all my favourites aren't in the top 10!

Given the number of beers in the world, I can't imagine that there would be much overlap for any of us!

Anyway, this sounds like the time for a Top Ten discussion then - what are yours? I am off to have a think about mine...

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Given the number of beers in the world, I can't imagine that there would be much overlap for any of us!

Anyway, this sounds like the time for a Top Ten discussion then - what are yours? I am off to have a think about mine...

Good idea, I'm going to pour a Kernel Export India Porter later and make a list, that's one for the list for a start.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

I think my current Top 10 is as follows - a mixture of old and new. For DP, there are plenty of Belgians I have enjoyed but none either regularly or recently enough to remember specifically - but this isn't a list of 'the best', just an entirely subjective and temporary ten.

Old British favourites:
Rivet Catcher, bitter (Jarrow Brewery, UK)
Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout (Samuel Smith, UK)
Jaipur IPA (Thornbridge, UK)

Canadian micros:
Péché Mortel, imperial coffee stout (Dieu du Ciel, Quebec)
La Fin du Monde, triple (Unibroue, Quebec)
Don de Dieu, triple wheat (Unibroue, Quebec)
St Ambroise Oatmeal Stout (McAuslan, Quebec)
Legendary Muskoka Oddity, Belgian pale ale (Muskoka, Ontario)

And finally, two recent Japanese additions, but there will doubtless be a lot more competition here as the year goes on:
Shohei's First Golden Ale (Baird, Japan)
Suruga Bay Imperial IPA, double IPA (Baird, Japan)

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Windsor and Eton Kohinoor IPA, a bit cheesy with all the diamond jubilee and commonwealth nonsense but the beer itself is very good, jaggery cane sugar, jasmine petals and spices add a bit of unusual IPA pizzazz, just the right amount of hoppiness, turning out to be a fine brewery, W & E!

 

[User169]

First attempt at a top ten. I've tried to limit it to brews which are produced regularly, rather than being strange one-offs.

Duvel - oft imitated, never surpassed.
Rochefort 10 - better than Westvleteren 12 in my opinion (which seems to be so highly rated only because of its rareity).
Moriau Geuze - not one of the better known geuze, but a great summer refresher. If you like scrumpy, you'll love this.
Schneider Weisser Tap 7 - the perfect Bavarian weizen, best enjoyed with a lump of suckling pig.
Orval - completely unique. Tastes great fresh when you really get the east kent goldings dry hopping, but equally good when aged and the brett has worked its magic.
Thornbridge Jaipur - a great modern IPA and preferable to the more aggressive US versions.
Kernel Scanner Darkly - I think we can now consider dark/black IPA a distinct style and this is the best one I've had. Beautifully hoppy, but also good roasted malt flavour. A classic!
Westmalle Tripel - the echt tripel. Hoppy, but plenty of estery loveliness.
De Molen Hel en Verdoemenis Misto - barrel aged imoerial stout. Crikey this is nice - it's like Rioja on the nose.
De Struise Pannepeut - Spicy dark ale; the new wave of Belgian brewing.

So that's 6 Belgians, 2 English, one Dutchie and one German.

If I knew US beer better, I'm sure there'd be a double IPA and imperial stout in the list. I've really enjoyed beer from Weyerbacher, Crooked Tree and Green Flash and would love to try Russian River, Allagash and Stone.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

De Molen Black Damnation 666
Westmalle Dubbel
De Struise Pannepot
Orval
Duvel
Kernel Export India Porter
Kernel Breakfast Stout
Fullers 1845
Thomas Hardy Ale
Hook Norton Old Hooky

Bit of crossover with some on DP's list, I prefer the Westy Dub to the Tripel. Love The Kernel, they're better at dark beer IMO, the stout and porter here is top class. De Molen's 666 is probably my favourite beer, wonderful stuff just not readily available.
Gone for some English beers; 1845, great beer, strong stuff too. Hook Norton is the nearest brewery to me, and it's steam powered, and if you drink it in a local pub the casks are delivered using a horse and cart, if that's all I could get from now on I wouldn't be too disappointed, kept well it's lovely beer. Thomas Hardy's is on the list as it's totally bonkers, wait 20 years for it to be ready, and you can't get it for the moment, I've got a (nearly) whole case stashed away!

Good shout on the Sammy Smiths Oatmeal Stout, FM - it's what winter was made for!

 

[User169]

Flying Dog "Snake Dog IPA". Very spicy - cant quite put my finger on the flavour, but not bad.

 

[User169]

Double dog pale ale. Ay caramba - 11.5%!! More of a barley wine than a pale ale to be honest. Tastes good, but can't get much aroma over the waft of petrol from the neighbours barbie.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Ballards In The Drink, 7.4% barley wine. It's actually not very nice, musty kind of aroma, the taste isn't brilliant and there is a strong alcohol aftertaste, reminiscent of Gold Label if you've ever tried it. I've tried their beer before and it was excellent so this is a bit of a disappointment. I might stick with it, it could get better, then again...

 

[User169]

Ballards In The Drink, 7.4% barley wine. It's actually not very nice, musty kind of aroma, the taste isn't brilliant and there is a strong alcohol aftertaste, reminiscent of Gold Label if you've ever tried it.

When I worked in a boozer 25 years ago, the only partakers of Gold Label were musty old ladies! I wonder if its still brewed?

 

[threebikesmcginty]

When I worked in a boozer 25 years ago, the only partakers of Gold Label were musty old ladies! I wonder if its still brewed?

You can still get it in tins, I do have a bottle kicking around somewhere, Michael Jackson used to rate it quite highly iirc.

Edit: Found it, best before July 06, should be fine for a few years yet.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

You can still get it in tins, I do have a bottle kicking around somewhere, Michael Jackson used to rate it quite highly iirc.

Edit: Found it, best before July 06, should be fine for a few years yet.

View attachment 26888

That looks like some kind of cooking sauce!

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Duvel - oft imitated, never surpassed.
Rochefort 10 - better than Westvleteren 12 in my opinion (which seems to be so highly rated only because of its rareity).
Orval - completely unique. Tastes great fresh when you really get the east kent goldings dry hopping, but equally good when aged and the brett has worked its magic.
Westmalle Tripel - the echt tripel. Hoppy, but plenty of estery loveliness.

These four would all have been in my top ten had I been doing this 5 years ago - I honestly just can't recall well enough what they taste like now, all I know is they were all excellent! I would still say that any of the triples produced by Unibroue would give Westmalle a run for its money, though. I would also really like to try some geuze again; I have drunk a few in my time but I think I just didn't have as educated a palate back then and they weren't what I expected.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Wednesday's Tokyo craft beer bar will be the legendary Popeye's. It features in numerous beer guides as one of the world's best bars, and claims, despite its own website address, to have 70 beers on tap at any one time - unfortunately, I know this means it will be full of tourists. However, I have particularly keen to try some summer brews by HitcahinoNEST and Sankt Gallen, as well as whatever more obscure smaller producers they have. This time around, some of my friends from the place I live are joining me (in fact they will be starting earlier while I am off training) so I may be later and end up drinking a bit more than usual...