646290 Thu Aug 20 19:01:48 -0700 2009 14 35 Beer 0 4964231 I wanted to start a nice long discussion about why we love a certain beer. No hate, just love. As I've mentioned many times before, if I had only 1 beer to drink it would be the "Original", original/Urquell, Plzen. Why? When fresh, the bouqet is better then the perfume of your first love, and the body is just right. The mind is also sweet,sharp and quick. Enough curves in the right places, not too top or bottom heavy. It's drinkable year 'round. Sadly, it's not the same anymore and like "Sweetheart of the Rodeo" it lead to many cloying, awful copycats/knockoff's, pale imitators (the Eagles, Firefall).... Thu Aug 20 19:01:48 -0700 2009 10491 MOREKASHA 1 4964293 Traquair House Ale, from Scotland. Luscious, malty, strong, warming, and...dang it...expensive as hell. Runner up for favorite would probably be Bigfoot...many of the same descriptives with the addition of a nice wallop of hop bitterness. And thankfully, NOT as expensive as hell. Thu Aug 20 19:36:53 -0700 2009 4964231 116047 The Professor 1 4964651 I don't presume to know the "best" anything, and beer is much too subjective for there to be any meaningful consensus. Having said that, I love Pliny the Elder. For me, it's the right amount of hops but balanced, refreshing, and full of flavor all along the palate. I find it comforting and at the same time challenging. It's my lodestone for DIPAs. Fri Aug 21 00:22:50 -0700 2009 4964231 74192 chuckl 1 4967557 Orval was the first thing that came to mind. The flavors, to me, are elusive, shifting, and intriguing. Sometimes the hop bitterness seems forward, other times citrus, sometimes a kind of funk that's hard to place. There's a certain amount of creaminess in the texture. A little pepper sometimes, sometimes a bit of tartness. It's like a saison, but not exactly. It's not exactly anything, except Orval. I wish I could give a better description, but it's a beer that just doesn't sit still in my mind. Great stuff. Sat Aug 22 00:21:47 -0700 2009 4964231 149239 juantanamera 2 4967625 You get some of that leathery, horse blanket in Orval from the brettanomyces. Wonderful stuff. Sat Aug 22 03:57:15 -0700 2009 4967557 10998 Jim Dorsch 2 4972856 >I wish I could give a better description That was a fantastic description actually. Made me want one. Mon Aug 24 10:27:26 -0700 2009 4967557 238787 Insidious Rex 1 4967586 Fred from Hair of the Dog ...but for drinking only in the winter. Sat Aug 22 01:56:48 -0700 2009 4964231 11938 Tripeler 2 4971502 For winter only, Bells' 3rd coast Old Ale. Delicious and not a style we see very often Sun Aug 23 21:00:14 -0700 2009 4967586 10491 MOREKASHA 3 4971734 Expedition Stout for me ... Mon Aug 24 00:40:51 -0700 2009 4971502 10998 Jim Dorsch 4 4973147 For Winter I'd have to have Ramstein Ice Bock. It's their Winter Wheat, frozen and supercharged up to 13.5% ABV. It's delicious, as is the regular Winter Wheat. Mon Aug 24 11:33:40 -0700 2009 4971734 229968 DrewEck 5 4973377 Do they bottle that? I haven't seen their products in a while, at least not in NYC? I guess, I'll have to cross the bridge. Got beer, will travel.... Mon Aug 24 12:37:59 -0700 2009 4973147 10491 MOREKASHA 6 4975838 The Winter Wheat is bottled. The Ice Bock is only available in growlers. I think Ramstein is available at Whole Foods in Manhattan. Tue Aug 25 08:58:27 -0700 2009 4973377 229968 DrewEck 7 4976162 I'll give it a go. Thanx Tue Aug 25 10:24:11 -0700 2009 4975838 10491 MOREKASHA 8 4980894 I would choose Avant Garde from Lost Abbey. I find the flavor profile keeps me interested, it has a some punch at 7% and maintains a refreshing quality. Unlike some of my other favorites, I don't think I would get tired of it if it was the one beer I could drink. Wed Aug 26 16:45:41 -0700 2009 4976162 163246 tofuburrito 1 5005084 Coniston Bluebird Bitter (4.2% ABV) - Really complex taste w/ delicate hoppiness in the finish and a bit tart. Ocean salinity surrounds the tongue in the middle along with gentle maltiness. A bit of sweetness upfront tastes a bit of honey. Finish is long. Fri Sep 04 10:32:47 -0700 2009 4964231 26180 Chinon00