Alright I need a suggestion

[dk_ace]

I've tried quite a few beers lately, but they always leave me wanting something more. I tried a couple at a cigar shop VIP room the other night that let me know what I was missing. I'm interested in beers that I can find in a store with a decent selection (there are several close to me). Anything that goes well with cigars would be a real plus. I've tried some of the real bitter hoppy beers, and while those are great when I'm in the mood for them, they aren't something I find myself wanting to drink very often.

The beers that I typically drink now are Shiner Bock, Newcastle, and some Fat Tire. The only expensive beer I've bought up to this point has been Chimay which I absolutely loved, but it doesn't come in standard four or six packs which is a problem for me.

Thanks,
D

 

[alexgtp]

(where is Denver dog when you need his expertise)


Good tasting beer does not have to be expensive.
a small list of starter beers

-Delerium Tremens (uses 3 different types of yeast for a unique flavor) by Huyghe Brewery.

Another great brewery out of INdiana is Three Floyds (i am partial to their Alpha King Pale ale) dreadnaught ipa is also recommended
and when i season you must have the Dark Lord Imperial Stout

Thomas Hooker Liberator dobblebock by Thomas Hooker ales and lagers (dopplebock)

double bastard ale by Stone brewing company (american ale)

Imperial IPA by Goose Island Brewery out of chicago (IPA)

Two Hearted Ale by Bells Brewery (IPA)

Siberian night imperial stout by thirsty dog brewing (russian imperial stout)

 

[Cards&Gars]

The beers that I typically drink now are Shiner Bock, Newcastle, and some Fat Tire....

Based on what you like now, let me suggest the following (easily acquired here...maybe in an HEB):

Pilsner Urquell (-German and international title, Plzeňský prazdroj in Czech)
is a bottom-fermenting beer produced since 1842 in Pilsen, Bohemia (now Czech Republic).

Stella Artois (pronounced / stellah artwah) is a 5.2% ABV global lager first brewed in Leuven, Belgium in 1926 as a Christmas brew, and named Stella after the Latin for "star."

Blue Moon, a Belgian-Style white beer (witbier) brewed by the Molson Coors Brewing Company, was launched in 1995. Blue Moon is a somewhat typical example of a Belgian white ale. The beer is orange-amber in color with a cloudy appearance due to the fact that it is unfiltered. It is also spiced with coriander and orange peel in addition to the hops found in most beers. Blue Moon does have a more pronounced orange flavor than many other beers of the style.

Some weiss and hefeweizen beers are commonly served with a slice of lemon in North America. Blue Moon, however, is traditionally served with a slice of orange, as it is said to accentuate the flavor of the brew.

If you ever come to my house, I am ALWAYS stocked with Newcastle, Urquell, Stella Artois or Blue Moon.

C&G...I am a beer 'o holic.

 

[ewanzel]

well, you are in Texas, so I'm not 100% what you can find down there. I personally love dark beers and belgians, so these should get you started (some of them are hard to find)...

Dark Beers
Anchor porter
Founders Breakfast Stout
Avery Out of Bounds Stout
Rogue Skullsplitter
Fort Collins The Kidd Lager (Schwarzbier)
North Coast Old No. 38 Stout
Smuttynose Robust Porter
Samuel Smith Taddy Porter

Belgian-style most but not all will be found in the 750s...sorry, but they are worth it IMO
Westmalle Dubbel
Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel
St Feuillien Triple
Rochefort Trappistes 8
Lost Abbey En Garde
Russian River Deification
St. Bernardus Blanche (Witbier)
Allagash White
De Ranke XX Bitter
Orval
Any and all Ommegang, but especially the Biere de Mars

EDIT: Better yet start brewing your own...Linky

 

[Matt R]

Bud Light, just buy a lot more than usual and it'll get expensive.

 

[JHolmes763]

Russian River Deification

??? Uh, that just doesn't sound good at all! ???

 

[ewanzel]

Russian River Deification

??? Uh, that just doesn't sound good at all! ???

Noun 1. deification - the condition of being treated like a god
condition, status - a state at a particular time; "a condition (or state) of disrepair"; "the current status of the arms negotiations"
2. deification - an embodiment of the qualities of a god; "the capitalists' deification of capital"
avatar, embodiment, incarnation - a new personification of a familiar idea; "the embodiment of hope"; "the incarnation of evil"; "the very avatar of cunning"
3. deification - the elevation of a person (as to the status of a god)
apotheosis, exaltation
worship - the activity of worshipping

It's common for belgian style's to have religiously natured names as a throw-back to the monks of old.

 

[Carps]

Dark- try the St bernardus abt 12, and golden drak (both Belgian), Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout (the best in the world, all their beers are great), Youngs Oatmeal Stout.
I'm not a big fan of IPA's or Pale Ale's so I cant help you there. A great german kolsch is by Reisdorf, awesome and hits the spot on a hot day. Try some German dunkels, but stay away from the weise beers unless you like those cloudy unfiltered ones. An excellent amber ale is by Flying Dog brewery in colorado called Old scratch ale. Something worth seeking out if your a fan of pumkin beers is by Buffalo Bills brewery in california and simply called pumpkin ale. The best i've ever had out of 30 or so pumpkin ales. just to name a few.

 

[Satchmo]

In the midwest, the Three Floyds, Bell, are good beers. I enjoy the New Glarus brews also. Great Lakes Brewing has some tasty treats also.

Try Stone if you can get it. Jonas told me to try it. I have my sister in CO fly back whatever Stone brew she has extra room for!!

 

[denverdog]

Like most of the others, I prefer a sweet and or malty beer as opppsed to something bitter or hoppy, as it really seems to compliment a cigar quite well. If you are looking strictly for four and six pack beers, that does limit you somewhat but here are a few suggestions you can probably find locally..

Victory Storm King Stout - Russian Imperial Stout (6 pack)
Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #5 - Texas Brewery, excellent Russian Imperial Stout although somewhat limited (6 pack)
Kulmbacher Eisbock - German Eisbock, sweet, chocolaty, wonderful with a cigar (6 pack)
Deschutes Obsidian Stout - American Stout (6 pack)
Flying Dog Gonzo - Baltic/Imperial Porter (4 pack)
Flying Dog K-9 Cruiser Winter Ale - Winter Warmer (6 pack)
St Bernardus - Belgian Styles, several of their beers come in 4 packs
Koningshoeven - Belgian Trappist, quad, dubbel and trippel all in 4 packs

More to come when I have little more time to think on it.

 

[dk_ace]

Wow guys! I turn my head for just a few minutes and look what happens! I'll make a list from these of things that sound interesting to me and take it to the store tonight or tomorrow to see what I can find.

Thanks again!

D

 

[audilicious]

I know Yard House is supposed to be expanding to TX, but their website doesn't show any listed yet.

One of the first things I do before traveling is check out a few sites, 2 of which are.

http://www.pubcrawler.com/Template/

http://beeradvocate.com/beerfly/

Of your beers listed and rec's...

Chimay is excellent, they have a full line of wonderful beers worth trying. As mentioned above, Delirium Tremens, this beer is not for the faint of heart, some quite profound events have transpired after the consumption of these "spicy" brews, worth trying even with the sticker shock, have a driver available.

Last year around this time I had the pleasure of trying Fullers Vintage, it's a beer to sip and contemplate the flavors and layers of flavors.

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale is great and is only available this time of year.

Stone Brewing, a local SoCal San Diego brewery makes some excellent craft brews, the Arrogant Bastard is great, haven't tried the Double Bastard yet, but hear from friends it's even better.

Lighter Beers, Stella was mentioned already, try all the popular wheats, Pyramid, Widmer Hefs, Blue Moon. Anchor Steam has a character all it's own.

I'm drawing blanks right now, but try to find some local bars with lots of taps or liquor stores/deli's that have hard to get imports and start trying out different beers.

And please report back your findings.

 

[CigarStone]

The beers that I typically drink now are Shiner Bock, Newcastle, and some Fat Tire....

Based on what you like now, let me suggest the following (easily acquired here...maybe in an HEB):

Pilsner Urquell (-German and international title, Plzeňský prazdroj in Czech)
is a bottom-fermenting beer produced since 1842 in Pilsen, Bohemia (now Czech Republic).

Stella Artois (pronounced / stellah artwah) is a 5.2% ABV global lager first brewed in Leuven, Belgium in 1926 as a Christmas brew, and named Stella after the Latin for "star."

Blue Moon, a Belgian-Style white beer (witbier) brewed by the Molson Coors Brewing Company, was launched in 1995. Blue Moon is a somewhat typical example of a Belgian white ale. The beer is orange-amber in color with a cloudy appearance due to the fact that it is unfiltered. It is also spiced with coriander and orange peel in addition to the hops found in most beers. Blue Moon does have a more pronounced orange flavor than many other beers of the style.

Some weiss and hefeweizen beers are commonly served with a slice of lemon in North America. Blue Moon, however, is traditionally served with a slice of orange, as it is said to accentuate the flavor of the brew.

If you ever come to my house, I am ALWAYS stocked with Newcastle, Urquell, Stella Artois or Blue Moon.

C&G...I am a beer 'o holic.

Good idea...............where do you live?

 

[dk_ace]

Alright guys, thanks for all your help. I scribbled down six of your recommendations and went to two stores. Neither of them had any of the ones I wrote down, so I looked for something familiar. I wasn't sure if they were recommended, but it turns out they were. I got Samuel Smith's Oatmeal stout and Westmalle Trappist Dubbel (sp?). I'm about to eat something and give one of them a try before I report back with my findings.

D

 

[smellysell]

Lots of good suggestions so far.

If you like Newcastle, there are lots of brown ales around that are much better IMO. My personal favorite is Dogfish Head India Brown Ale, which is actually an American brown, opposed to English Brown, which Newcastle is.

As far as the Chimay, it depends which one you had. I'm not a huge fan of Chimay myself, although the have quite a following. Try any Rochefort you can find, but my favorite is the 10.

I'm not sure which Ambers you would be able to get there, but the majority of microbreweries make and amber. If you enjoy Fat Tire, I would suggest trying some of the local choices.

Jonas gave somebody this advice a while back, and I couldn't agree more. A great way to introduce yourself to craft/import beer is trying as many different styles as you can, to get a taste for what you like. Then start trying different beers within the styles you like. I personally have been on a kick lately where I've been trying every BSDA I can find, especially quads.

 

[dk_ace]

Why didn't somebody tell me about this stuff before!!!

I just poured the Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout, and oh my God is it good! I think my days of grocery store beer are done. I never dreamed beer could taste like this. Chocolate, coffee, and sweet malty flavors that I never expected from a beer. This is the same kind of revelation as my first great cigar.

Now look what you've done!

D

 

[Smoking Mex]

well, you are in Texas, so I'm not 100% what you can find down there. I personally love dark beers and belgians, so these should get you started (some of them are hard to find)...

Dark Beers
Anchor porter
Founders Breakfast Stout
Avery Out of Bounds Stout
Rogue Skullsplitter
Fort Collins The Kidd Lager (Schwarzbier)
North Coast Old No. 38 Stout
Smuttynose Robust Porter
Samuel Smith Taddy Porter

Belgian-style most but not all will be found in the 750s...sorry, but they are worth it IMO
Westmalle Dubbel
Chouffe Houblon Dobbelen IPA Tripel
St Feuillien Triple
Rochefort Trappistes 8
Lost Abbey En Garde
Russian River Deification
St. Bernardus Blanche (Witbier)
Allagash White
De Ranke XX Bitter
Orval
Any and all Ommegang, but especially the Biere de Mars

EDIT: Better yet start brewing your own...Linky

Wish I could find some Founders somewhere....

 

[Carps]

Why didn't somebody tell me about this stuff before!!!

I just poured the Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout, and oh my God is it good! I think my days of grocery store beer are done. I never dreamed beer could taste like this. Chocolate, coffee, and sweet malty flavors that I never expected from a beer. This is the same kind of revelation as my first great cigar.

Now look what you've done!

D

I'm glad you liked my recommendation. I had one last night watching the football game.

 

[ewanzel]

Wish I could find some Founders somewhere....

They have such a small distribution area...my stocks are a bit low (only 2-3 left IIRC)...next time I'm up in IL and pick some up I'll try to remember to send you some.

 

[dk_ace]

I was so excited from my experience last night that I went back to the store tonight. I came out with Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Breckenridge Oatmeal Stout, and Old Rasputin Russian Imerial Stout.

This could turn out to be as dangerous a hobby as cigars I'm afraid. Maybe a little more dangerous since there are calories along with this one.

My next trip will focus on ales I think, but I've got to drink these stouts first since I'm running out of fridge room. My wife's going to kill me when she opens the fridge tonight.

D