BEER

I like ales of various types and pilsners the best, but pretty much all styles of beer have their redeeming qualities. I probably like stouts the least of all major beer categories; I really have to be in a certain mood to go out of my way to order/purchase stout.



Right now I've got 2/3 of a six pack of Barrel Trolley Nut Brown Ale in the fridge which I'm liking a lot, especially for the price. Korea's just starting to get into the there are other kinds of beer besides "beer" trend so some local microbreweries are popping and the bigger domestic brewers are starting to brew stuff other than Budweiser clones which makes me happy. It also seems like there's more imported brew, and the retail price on said brew has dropped considerably.

I recently have been on a Ninkasi / Stone kick.

The former's Oatis Oatmeal Stout is really fucking tasty, and the latter's Go To IPA has all the goodness of an IPA without piling on ridiculous amounts of hops, which seems to be a new fad.

I think most beers are pretty good. I'll drink most beers if presented with them.

Tonight I'm drinking Dark Island from Orkney. It's a pretty good stout. One of my favourites from the dark beer category.

The Warlock is terrific. A worthy member of their Blackwater series, and it's pretty much the only pumpkin beer I like at this point. (I've enjoyed many over the years, but I tasted Sam Adams Fat Jack about a month ago and it put me off the style almost completely.)

I also love, love, love the Creme Brulee and Choklat from Southern Tier.

We are very spoiled for craft beer around here. I love a good porter or stout, but I drink plenty of other styles as well, though I generally avoid IPAs. I'm no hophead.

Seriously jealous of that list. It reads like the breweries showed up to impress, a feeling you don't get at Dallas-area beer festivals. Beer culture is still growing here, and quickly, so I believe we'll get there. Right now our festivals are hyper-local - which, I mean, that's great and all, but I've tried all that stuff already - combined with a BUNCH of mega-names like Kirin, Sopporo, I think there was a Dos XX's tent at the last one.

Larger national breweries like Dogfish, Firestone Walker and Oskar Blues do show up, but a lot of them only bring their annuals.

Gonna post about a few, so my note first is that I've found I like to buy an indulgent amount of beer when buying, so that rather than finishing one box or six-pack before moving on to the next, at some point you end up having a few different varieties lying around from all the previous purchases you haven't yet finished (also can work well for things like Christmas, where even if you can't really stockpile a huge number of bottles, you can still get a fun little bit of variety).

So the other day, I had one or two of these while watching the rugby, the Founders 2009 IPA, with space shuttle picture on the bottle (don't pretend this information wasn't helpful you



Mild, which isn't necessarily too bad for an IPA as it meant it wasn't all hops on the front end, so it was pleasingly consistent and smooth, although that same mildness also meant that while it was fairly even, it also dissipated fairly quickly in regards to aftertaste, which isn't all bad, but makes it more very nice and solid rather than new favourite.

I may have had a Harrington's Nghare Gold Strong Lager (7.2%) after that when I was bingeing on about four games in a row, which I tried just to see how it worked. And that is not bad or anything, but it tastes a bit like a lager depth charge/boilermaker, where I think the lager isn't as good as a more flavourful beer of working with the higher alcohol content (although I really like a shot of dark liqour and beers of all types when they're separate).

Then this evening, a Moa Pale Ale



Possibly even milder than the Founders IPA, so pleasantly smooth and easy to drink, but lacking maybe that extra little bit of kick to really make you think you have to get some more next time you see it. I think the more cost effective lager (well, when it's on sale at the right price) to be a better drop in terms of bang for buck, and this Palem Lager isn't quite good enough to stop you making those kind of comparisons. 

Also, as I had a couple left lying around, a Coopers Pale Ale, a lighter pale ale



An unusual combination of a more mass-market beer sold aimed at all sorts that is also bottle conditioned, where you can either decant or give the bottle a gentle roll to release the sediment and get a cloudier beer. I've had and enjoyed it many times before, so I know what I'm getting - I like to give it a roll and get a cloudy beer that of all things, isn't that far away from a wheat beer, with a light, fruity touch that avoids being too yeasty or bitty with the sediment. I think it's a fine little drop and at its price, I consider it a winner. 

I had some La Fin yesterday. I forgot how incredibly delicious it is. 

The Oly sears in the flavor of my michelada/red beer/red eye moreso than Hamm's. Thus, the reasoning for my hierarchy unfolds.

I hold the slightly varying but diversely branded adjunct brew in high regard. It slakes a thirst most completely.

I like everything really. Deschutes Black Butte and Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald are probably my two favorites overall and they're both porters, but I can go for a nice IPA or pale ale at anytime too, whereas the darker stuff is a more seasonal thing.

I have a couple bottles of Elysian Dark O' The Moon pumpkin stout ready to go to celebrate an upcoming race, assuming I don't die during it. Pretty stoked.

Coooool. If I remember rightly it was regular beer priced (£2-2.50 per bottle) but I'll double check before I pile in.

I actually had no idea what the name of the brewery was. And I've actively tried to find it. On the bottle, the only thing you see is Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, and then, next thing you know, you finished the 4 pack and can no longer read.
They make a pumpkin barrel aged beer as well. It's good, though a bit too spiced. But yes, the beer itself is like drinking bourbon with no burn. It's amazing.

Same here! It was also my introduction to craft beers, so it hits a nice nostalgic note as well.