Tip jar

If you like CaB and wish to support it, you can use PayPal or KoFi. Thank you, and I hope you continue to enjoy the site - Neil.

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Support CaB

Recent

Welcome to Cook'd and Bomb'd. Please login or sign up.

March 19, 2024, 07:03:12 AM

Login with username, password and session length

BEERS #2 - Beyond the Pale

Started by Shoulders?-Stomach!, March 30, 2020, 03:56:03 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Shoulders?-Stomach!

Hey, so I think the last Beers thread is locked. Most people I talk to are getting used to home drinking, which is not something I have favoured over the years, much prefer the pub. But due to Coronavirus it seems like a good time to discuss what we are drinking and where we are sourcing some good deals right now.

I picked up 12 x Bocktoberfest Doppelbock 440m cans from Vocation & Co for £34

By sharp contrast I just found a mixed Brooklyn pack of 12 x 355ml cans - at Home Bargains of all places - for the ridiculous price of £6.99

How are the online stores doing right now? Any good voucher codes/deals?

Pink Gregory

Picked up a box of Moor beer cans for the lockdown, haven't done much of making it last; only had the core range which is a shame, but still excellent beers.  Two stouts, two porters, one IPA and one bitter left.


holyzombiejesus

Quote from: Shoulders?-Stomach! on March 30, 2020, 03:56:03 PM
By sharp contrast I just found a mixed Brooklyn pack of 12 x 355ml cans - at Home Bargains of all places - for the ridiculous price of £6.99


Was that online or in store?

Shoulders?-Stomach!


Norton Canes


Shoulders?-Stomach!

Ooh you fucker

Gutmann and Weltenburger are fantastic. Haven't had a bad anything they have done. I don't recognise 3rd from the left and 4th from the right.

The Vitus will be a pale Weizenbock though, if you haven't had one of those yet.

Pseudopath

I would say Paulaner Salvator, but I've just spotted the Ayinger Celebrator. That's one immense beer (and you get a free toy goat too).

Pseudopath

Quote from: Shoulders?-Stomach! on March 30, 2020, 05:39:30 PM
I don't recognise 3rd from the left and 4th from the right.

Looks like a Dampfbierbrauerei Zwiesel Dunkel Hefeweisse and a Hofbrauhaus Freising Dunkel to me.



Sorry to lower the tone. Holsten for me, Stella for my better half. (I'm as common as shit, me).

Pseudopath

Quote from: Voltan (Man of Steel) on March 30, 2020, 06:06:16 PM


Sorry to lower the tone. Holsten for me, Stella for my better half. (I'm as common as shit, me).

Nice. I like that your better half only gets half as much beer just to balance things out.

gib

Just had 3 cases of Maldon Gold delivered and a case of Nut Bastard. The latter is a bit too strong for my tastes but i got a good price so will get it down me. They seemed keen to shift some stock now the pubs aren't taking it, so i would suggest asking your local brewery if they are now doing home deliveries.

Norton Canes

Quote from: Shoulders?-Stomach! on March 30, 2020, 05:39:30 PM
The Vitus will be a pale Weizenbock though, if you haven't had one of those yet

Vitus is pretty much my favourite beer, so I had to sneak one onto the order. Had the Gutmann (from Titting! Who says the Germans don't have a sense of humour?) last night, it was a little more delicate than the very liquorishy Erdinger dunkels I'm used to but bloody lovely.

I was intending to make this order last a month. Not sure if I'll manage to make it last until the end of tomorrow night.

DrGreggles

My Beerhawk order has been dispatched!

purlieu

Quote from: Norton Canes on March 30, 2020, 05:22:26 PM
Wer bestellte dunkel?



Well this looks bloody great.
Here's my haul from last week:

Quote from: Pseudopath on March 30, 2020, 06:17:28 PM
Nice. I like that your better half only gets half as much beer just to balance things out.

We both started with the same amount but she drinks more than I do. She's also likely to bully me out of my share if I'm not careful.

phes

What's the best lager I can buy in a supermarket? I've tend to have a bit of a thirst come Friday and like something cool and relatively light on the palate that I can quaff a couple of pints of before opening something to savour. I've been finding most wheat beer a little sweet and heavy for this. Anything overly hoppy isn't refreshing in the way I want. Last Friday I picked up a couple of 660ml bottles of Brewdog's dry hopped pilsner (I think it was called Lost Lager) and while I'm fairly clueless on pilsners so don't have much of a frame of reference, that seemed fine and hit the spot.

purlieu

Pilsner Urqell, if you can find it, is probably as good a bottled lager as you'll find in a supermarket.

phes

I spotted a Sainsbury's in Sheffield had begun selling can six-packs of urqell. I'll keep an eye out for it but I reckon it's 50/50 at best it'll be in any of the smaller stores round here

Pseudopath

Good shout on the Urquell. If you can't get that, you usually can't go wrong with Italian lagers like Peroni or Birra Moretti. I've heard Menabrea is supposed to be nice too, but haven't got around to trying it.

idunnosomename

home bargains had a load of sadler's bottles for a quid the other day but because they dont have buying limits there were none left today

bottles of bass from asda for a pound each it is

Emma Raducanu

staropramen is widely available and up there with Urquell.

purlieu

Quote from: phes on March 30, 2020, 08:52:23 PM
I spotted a Sainsbury's in Sheffield had begun selling can six-packs of urqell. I'll keep an eye out for it but I reckon it's 50/50 at best it'll be in any of the smaller stores round here
I find it a bit sickly in cans for some reason.

Staropramen is a decent second choice to Urquell, definitely.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

QuoteWhat's the best lager I can buy in a supermarket?

Lost Lager isn't too bad, I didn't think. I think Brooklyn Lager is a passable Vienna Lager considering its in a mainstream market.

As for supermarket lager, Krombacher is a stock German pils that's superior to the rest of them, Becks, etc...the flavour balance is correct.

Budvar is in my view the best of the Czech options. I think the fact it is nearer helles than pilsner in character gives it more of a chance in bottled or canned form. Staropramen fine but the stuff is brewed under license and seems to be all over the place quality wise. One day surprisingly good, the other, pure shit gloop. Pilsner Urquell...? Well... I really don't rate it unless it is tapped. The higher bitterness really works when it's on tap with the thicker smoother texture. I wouldn't choose it.

If you try M&S, Booths, Waitrose you might find stuff like Hacker Pschorr and Paulaner's helles which are always a step up.

If you can get the Belgian export Stella Artois I still have a soft spot for it.


phes

Noted, thanks. Perhaps I'll revisit Brooklyn Lager, it's been a long time since I last drunk it.

Do Camden make anything good? It's one of those cans of beer that I always notice in hedges or left on the grass after BBQs and so perhaps unfairly I have always assumed it is S4C

Abnormal Palm

If cost and availability were no object, what five beers would you recommend someone to try?

I really like the Trappist/Abbey stuff I've tried but I also really enjoy a generic beardman IPA of any variety. I just don't drink very much at home besides wine and if I fancy a decent beer I usually go the pub.

Now is my chance to go for it. Shoulders, please do your best.

Pseudopath

Westvleteren 12 would surely be near the top of anyone's list. Bloody hard to find though.

Other than that, I'd recommend the following German beers (not being racist, it's just where my beer smarts have been focused):

Ayinger Celebrator: Mentioned earlier in the thread, this is a stunning example of a doppelbock. Shame the bottles are so small, but they were probably thinking of our health and safety. It's only 6.7% but hits you like a truck.

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen: The classic smoked beer from Bamberg. Not exactly a session beer, but if you've ever fancied drinking liquidised bacon, it'll be right up your Strasse. Some people reckon their Fastenbier is even better, but this is probably the best place to start.

Schneider Weisse Aventinus: Can't believe that some places in the UK actually have this on tap. Lucky bastards. Another corking doppelbock which tastes like some mad fruity chocolate dessert.

Paulaner Hefe-Weissbier: You can get this down M&S and Majestic usually have cases of it too. I know S?-S! will probably want to fight me, but this is simply the best wheat beer in the world. Every sip tastes of sunshine. First time I tried it was at the Chinesischer Turm in Munich, finished the last glorious gulp, then immediately noticed a topless woman riding a massive white horse around the Englischer Garten. Still not sure if I was hallucinating to this day.

Sorry that this post was so Teutonic. Hopefully someone can chip in with some other suggestions to scratch your IPA itch.

BlodwynPig


poodlefaker

For everyday at-home necking I favour St Austell Proper Job: six quid for four 500ml bottles at my local Asda, which seems crazily cheap. It's bottle-conditioned, which gives it the "pint-of-real-ale-in-the-pub" character I require, esp. if you leave it for a while so it goes a bit flat.

The quality of some bottle-conditioned beers can be very variable, esp. from smaller brewers, but  I've never had a duff bottle of this.

Cuellar

Got a Beerwulf order on the way (or it better fucking be)

4    Corsendonk Agnus Tripel    
4    De Koninck Triple D'Anvers    
4    Hapkin    
4    Lefort Tripel

Might have to just order that again for when it runs out

Shoulders?-Stomach!

QuoteIf cost and availability were no object, what five beers would you recommend someone to try?

I haven't tried too many mega expensive or mega rare beers but can definitely have a crack at answering this question.

I am first mindful that the craft scene has brought a lot of styles back in fashion, Gose, Porter, Stout etc, and so I will be focusing on styles that have been generally passed over.

In no order at all:

1) Rodenbach Grand Cru / Duchess de Bourgogne

The Flemish Red/Oud Bruin styles are a real breakthrough for anyone looking to widen their palate. Tends to be divisive. Some people immediately love it, others can't get their head around it. The former is more sour and oaken in flavour, with hints of cherries and reddish in flavour. The latter has more of a Balsamic vinegar element. I couldn't boil it down to 1 as these 2 tend to divide. This style is a must try purely for the potential for your beer love to reach new heights.

See also: Vichtenaar, VanderGhinste, Ichtegems, Petrus Aged Red, Bacchus Oud Bruin

2) Schneider Weisse Aventinus / Hopf Muospacher Bockfotzn

Dark, strong wheat Bock. Rich, thick, complex and holistically satisfying on virtually every level. Again, the former is easy to come by, the latter very much not. I never thought I'd say this but the latter may even be slightly better. These are both 5 star beers for me, Clive.

See also: If you can't get hold of either, Erdinger Pikantus is a reasonably tasty alternative.

3) Pilsner Urquell (only on tap, hladinka pour)

Easy option. There are loads of other Czech options I could mention and will do below. On their day I prefer them. But the 'mother's milk', a hladinka pour of Pilsner Urquell is the archetypal Pilsner (Urquell meaning original source, and being brewed in Plzen). The depth of flavour, and sheer smoothness matches what is a strongly hopped lager. Every mouthful provides a balanced but rich satisfying hit. It is as pleasant to sit and savour as it is to knock back. Extra points if you have a pint of their unfiltered version, difficult to come by. Germany brew some great lagers, but their standard pilsners come nowhere close to the vibrancy and richness of Czech pilsner which is poured quickly from a side pull tap with a big head on it. I have had some OK craft pilsners but none have showed a full understanding of the Czech method or the importance of the pour.

See also: Poutnik, Benedict, Bernard, Fabian

4. Kellerbier from the wooden barrel. Mauerscheisser by Krug-Brau is one example.

Kellerbier, also often referred to as Zwickl or Landbier, is a poorly understood, badly marketed and curious style that, a bit like English bitter, can only be properly understood drunk on tap barrel conditioned. Normally I would describe Kellerbier as a cross between a helles lager and a wheatbeer, in the sense that it usually has the crisp finish of a good lager, but being unfiltered has a cloudy thicker texture more like wheatbeer. Like English bitter there can be a fair range of flavours, particularly by German standards, so you can find caramel, biscuity Kellers, dry grainy ones with gentle floral and citrus notes, earthy and richly malty ones. In Germany these are usually served in a stone jug, meaning you can't even properly see what you are drinking! Kellerbier offer some of the most ultimate refreshment, along with Czech lagers, the pinpoint balance between flavour and refreshment. Be warned, craft versions, bottles and cans will not be the best way of experiencing Keller at its best. Possibly the best place to start is at Landbierparadies in Nuremberg.

See also: Pyraser, Zirndorfer, Landwehr, Buttenheim, the list could go on and on.

So... #5.... Where to go from here. A Rauchbier? It was mentioned above so perhaps not. An English bitter? Easily the most interesting of all beer styles, unique, but one everyone will be familiar with and have their own views on. Gueuze? Similarly fascinating and delicious, but 2 sours on a list of 5 would be excessive.

5) Black IPA, so Dark Arches by Northern Monk, Black Ice by Titanic, or Morovy Doktor by Pivovar Zhurak.

Other than the great work done on sour beers, the craft movement's best breakthrough in my opinion has been the Black IPA. Well hopped, usually dryish, with a potential to showcase dark berries, coconut, and malt, for a change. It also works very well on cask, keg, cans and bottles making it versatile and reliable. I have tried 8.5% strength Black IPA and 3.8%, both worked nicely. Though I like Schwarzbier, I think this style overall possesses more potential and rewards exploring.