270786 Tue Oct 21 12:16:42 -0700 2003 21 17 What's My Craving? 0 1426702 Need a birthday present for a beerhound. Can anyone recommend a nice Belgian curvee? This hound is really into Belgian brews, but I would love any recommendations you have for something unusual, out of the way, especially good. I know the usual suspects, Chimay etc, but would like to get him something he might not have tried before. Suggestions for where to shop would be very appreciated! Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, wherever the best stuff lurks. Tue Oct 21 12:16:42 -0700 2003 0 plum 1 1426704 For Awesome Belgian trappist ale don't get anything but the best: 1) Westvleteren 2) Rochefort These are the very best. For a "special beerhound" you might also want to get them a bottle of Fullers Vintage Ale...the 1999 is the best but 2000 and 2001 also very very good. Also, a very rare "super imperial stout" like Dogfish Worldwide would be a major treat. Chimay is a bit of a step down. If you get it be sure to get the large BLUE bottle with the cork, not the smaller 4 or 6 pack blue. Where to buy them....the most well-stocked liquor store you can find. I'm assuming that Sherry-Lehmann has them but don't know for sure. In Chicago Sam's has them, maybe you can order online at samswines.com Tue Oct 21 14:23:16 -0700 2003 1426702 0 Chicago Mike 2 1426705 Sorry, that's samswine.com not samswines.com. Anyway, just searched their site. You can get Rochefort #10 and Westvleteren #12 right now. Do beer search under style "trappist". Under style "imperial stout" they are showing Dogfish World Wide in stock (you MUST get a true beerhound this stout!). One other "super premium" beer not to be missed: Three Floyd's Dreadnaught I.P.A.... the most gorgeous imperial india pale ale made anywhere. BUT looks like Sam's might be out of stock. Whole Foods carries it sometimes, also. Tue Oct 21 14:30:23 -0700 2003 1426704 0 Chicago Mike 3 1426706 I can't resist another beer recommendation: you can never go wrong with Anchor Old Foghorn barleywine. Sams has that in stock also under style "barleywine"...one of the very best of this style and all true beerhounds love it. Tue Oct 21 14:32:24 -0700 2003 1426705 0 Chicago Mike 4 1426709 One could do worse than Rogue Old Crustacean or North Coast Old Stock Ale as well, since we're discussing barley wines. Tue Oct 21 16:09:15 -0700 2003 1426706 0 Jim Dorsch 5 1426714 IF IN THE MIDWEST, GO W/A COLLECTION OF BELLS BEERS AKA KALAMZAOO BREWING. ANYTHING BUT THE THIRD COAST BEER. THIRD COAST OLD ALE, MMMMM GREAT. ALSO, CHIMAY. NO MATTER WHAT ANOTHER POSTER SAID IT IS NOT A STEPDOWN. THIS TIME OF YEAR THE XMAS BEERS START APPEARING, SIERRA NEVADA CELEBRATION, JUBEL FROM DESCHUTES, FISH OAK AGED BEERS/ALES, AND ON AND ON.... Tue Oct 21 21:59:28 -0700 2003 1426709 0 IVAN STOLER 5 1426715 IF IN THE MIDWEST, GO W/A COLLECTION OF BELLS BEERS AKA KALAMZAOO BREWING. ANYTHING BUT THE THIRD COAST BEER. THIRD COAST OLD ALE, MMMMM GREAT. ALSO, CHIMAY. NO MATTER WHAT ANOTHER POSTER SAID IT IS NOT A STEPDOWN. THIS TIME OF YEAR THE XMAS BEERS START APPEARING, SIERRA NEVADA CELEBRATION, JUBEL FROM DESCHUTES, FISH OAK AGED BEERS/ALES, AND ON AND ON.... Tue Oct 21 21:59:32 -0700 2003 1426709 0 IVAN STOLER 2 1426710 Abbaye des Rocs Grand Cru is a nice one. If a person wanted to spend some serious cash on a bottle of beer, Cantillon Lou Pepe Gueuze, at around $30, would be a nice gift. Tue Oct 21 16:13:06 -0700 2003 1426704 0 Jim Dorsch 1 1426712 i've really been enjoying a belgian brand called ommegang lately. tasty stuff. Tue Oct 21 19:59:08 -0700 2003 1426702 0 mrnyc 2 1426716 Ommegang is from Cooperstown NY. Decent stuff. Duvel just bought them out last winter. Tue Oct 21 22:02:24 -0700 2003 1426712 0 The Rogue 3 1426739 hey man they are putting one over on me at MARKT. guess i should learn to read the labels. Sat Oct 25 12:22:34 -0700 2003 1426716 0 mrnyc 1 1426717 Kind of interesting that most of the comments don't pay attention to the fact that you are looking for places in NYC. You might want to post again on the Outer Boroughs Boards since there are some great places to get beers in Brooklyn. I just can't remember the names or addresses. I think one is called Bierkraft, but I may be wrong. There's a good beer distributor with a great Belgian selection on Chrystie St just north of Sammy's Roumanian (157 Chrystie St). There's is also a huge distributor off of the NY State thruway at the Fordham Rd exit. Go west at the exit over the University heights bridge andmake a left at the first light after bridge and it's directly onyour left. Cash Only. They have a new small room for the decent brews. Great prices but not a huge selection right now. Tue Oct 21 22:09:14 -0700 2003 1426702 0 The Rogue 2 1426724 (Rouge, I believe the What's My Craving Board covers all five boroughs.) So, I second (or third) the choice of Thrifty American on Court St. in Brooklyn. They'll deliver (to Brooklyn and Manhattan) if you don't have a car and pick out too much to carry. To help you make your choice you might want to look at Rate Beer.com, a sort of cross between Zagat and Chowhound for beer. Unfortunately, they just changed their policy and their overall Top 50 listing is only available to paid subscribers (but you can join for one month for $1.99). However the rating for individual beers are availabe to all, as is the top ratings by country (I'd look at the Belgium, America and the UK listing for ideas). Link: http://ratebeer.com/default.asp Wed Oct 22 13:17:39 -0700 2003 1426717 0 bobjbkln 3 1426729 The other big beer rating site is beeradvocate. Link: http://www.beeradvocate.com Wed Oct 22 23:33:26 -0700 2003 1426724 0 Jim Dorsch 1 1426718 For shopping in the 5 boroughs of Manhattan, I can recommend the following distributors: American Thrifty Distributors 256 Court Street in Cobble Hill Brooklyn. (718) 875-0226 www.americanbeerbuzz.com They have an excellent selection of Belgian beers as well as beer glasses that would make a wonderful gift. I also second the recommendation for New Wholesale Beer Distributors on Chyristie Street in the Lower East Side. Also, excellent selection of Belgian beers but they close early (usually at about 6:30pm). I would avoid Bierkraft in Brooklyn. Good selection but the prices are MUCH higher than American Thrifty. As for a recommendation of what to purchase, I would go with Rochefort. Wed Oct 22 09:27:24 -0700 2003 1426702 0 DeeDee 1 1426721 In the city you might want to check out Lucky Beverage on 21st in Astoria (for a lark) with the following caveat- be very wary of bottles that have been on the shelf too long. Personally I have found a number of beers there that I haven't seen elsewhere, though 'taking a chance' is easy to do if it's for your own consumption. (I was able to haggle a deal to clean them out of the last of their LeCoq's Imperial Stout and Aass Bock at a nice discount- the LeCoq's was dated 1999- and it was worth the risk) Ya never know... Something in your post caught my eye, though. The part about something unusual and especially good. If money is little or no object then I recommend all east coasters investigate http://www.horsebrass.com/belmont_station/index.html, an Oregon mail order. A hell of a lot of the best beers brewed in America don't make it past the rockies and what does usually sits on shelves till it is well past its prime. Keep a keen eye out for the 2003 release of Alaskan Smoked Porter, a legitimate contender for best beer in the country and well worth jumping through hoops to get. The freight can be costly but it can be offset by teaming up with people to place a large order. Wed Oct 22 09:57:11 -0700 2003 1426702 0 Tongo Rad 2 1426723 The A Le Coq will be great! Holds up for years. Vintage Cellar in Blacksburg, VA is another mail-order source, although obviously they won't have the cool west-coast beers you mention. Wed Oct 22 12:01:39 -0700 2003 1426721 0 Jim Dorsch 3 1426725 I took a quick scan over the Vintage Celler site, Jim, and there are some interesting selections listed. Plus there's the added attraction of not being made to buy in bulk. It's still not cheap, but I would recommend Hair of the Dog's Adambier to Plum's lucky acquaintance. Legendary stuff... Wed Oct 22 14:22:37 -0700 2003 1426723 0 Tongo Rad 1 1426736 For a place to buy, check out this place in Cobble Hill, B'klyn. The URL is http://www.americanbeerbuzz.com/ They have a wide section of Belgian abbey ales. Ommegang of Cooperstown, NY is a great domestic label but your friend the beerhound likely knows that already. I like almost all the beers from the Brooklyn Brewery. The Post Road Pumpkin Ale is like pumpkin pie in a beer & the Imperial Chocolate Stout is exceptional but not available until winter. Save the stout for a Christmas present. Good luck. Fri Oct 24 22:13:57 -0700 2003 1426702 0 Will 1 1426782 So, Plum, what did you end up purchasing? Thu Oct 30 12:46:29 -0800 2003 1426702 0 DeeDee 1 1426818 Hopefully this is better late than never, but if your friend has never had SkullSplitter Orkney Ale, it is a must. Made in Orkney (sp?) Scotland, by the Orkney Brewery (I think). It's something of a barleywine, though not that high in alcohol. Incredibly smooth in mouthfeel, loads of malt but not too sweet. Also, it has an incredible picture of a viking-like-man on the label, with the sea behind him. I think they have moved to a cartoon viking, but I have yet to see that bottle in stores. Sun Nov 02 14:24:20 -0800 2003 1426702 0 Daniels Digestivo 1 1426844 Orval, a Belgian Trappist ale. Available from Thrifty American on Court, suggested several times below. A fascinating, unbelievably complex beer. $8 a bottle or so. Wed Nov 05 13:17:27 -0800 2003 1426702 0 Sir Gawain