BEER

Heehee, OK, I'll stop being a snob.

I think I like the ruination better than the standard IPA. I like the PA (Pale Ale) better than the IPA. Their IPA goes just a little too far, IMO. And I like a hoppy brew.

Does that mean you think their IPA is too hoppy? And Ruination tones it down a bit on the hops?

If I remember correctly, yes.

Hoppy

Oooooh! A topic of existential importance! Why haven't I noticed this thread up to now? Bookmarking.

Re: BEER

Having lived in Munich for 18 years, I'm predictably partisan to the local beers there. The Augustiner brewery makes two delicious lagers called Edelstoff and Helles, of which I prefer the Helles by a hair's breadth. Then there is the Erdinger brewery, which makes the best Weizenbier. I don't think Weizenbier has an English translation. It has somewhat less hobs in it than Lager, tastes a little more malty, and has just a very slight vanilla note in it. Needless to say, there is no actual vanilla in it. Like all German beers, it complies with the Reinheitsgebot, the toughest and oldest purity standard in brewing history.

Is the Weizenbier a wheat beer?

It is. "Weizenbier" even is the literal translation of "wheat beer". I just assumed you don't have wheat beer, because local microbreweries here use the German word for their version of it. Are they just being snobby and boutique-ish?

We have wheat beers. Sometimes we call them Weiz. I'm not sure what their thinking is. Maybe it's snobbery and maybe they're just tipping their hats to the original wheat beers in Germany.

I need to do more exploring in America. Apart from my New Brunswick microbrewery, my only progress from Budweiser mediocricity has been to Sam Adams, which I found surprisingly good for an American mass-product.

Sam Adams has a wheat beer. I'm not sure what they call it. It might just be called Summer Ale.

Hmmm... wheat ale? I think we use wheat in beers, call them wheat such-n-such. And then we only call true weizens by their german name.

Damn! Now I have to go look if the liquor store is still open.

Sam Adams has a yeast wheat beer. They call it Hefeweizen. It's not quite the real thing, but a pretty good approximation to the real thing. This sixpack will probably not be the last I bought.

I asked about the Arrogant Bastard too, but New Jersey apparently isn't good enough to receive deliveries from them.

Sam Adams also makes a cherry wheat beer. American words for American spin. Traditional words for the traditional take.

I think many people feel like Sam Adams is a good stand by.

Did the people at the liquor store know the name Arrogant Bastard?

They did. They're an Indian family who lived in Boston until about 10 years ago. So I assumed they knew it, and they didn't react surprised when I brought up the name.

Each state licenses alcoholic beverage distributors. Unless the distributors decide there is a big enough market, they won't bring it in. Try beer stores near colleges and universities.

I'm trying to remember if I tried it at your party back in February. I remember you giving me the empty bottle to read. I remember liking the attitude of it. But I cannot for the life of me remember the taste of the stuff. There are several possible explanations: (1) I'm getting senile, as befits a guy who's rapidly approaching the dreaded age of 40. (2) The taste, wasn't so spectacular, unlike the attitude. (3) It's such a strong beer it knocked out my memory. (4) You drank it all yourself, so all I got to see was the empty bottle.


The Rutgers campus. Bingo!

Have you tried Yuenglings CHESTERFIELD ALE yet? Its made in Wilkes Barre and Pottsville Pa. You can get to Pa by rt 80 W .
Its an IPA type with a very high hop flavor. Some people dont like it for that reason but when I needed beer, I always sought it ought.

It accompanies AMerican cuisine (pizza, steak sammiches, fried clams, hoagies) quite well.
It was never as smooth as a lot of the English or German beers but it was for that reason that I liked it. I havent tasted it for about 12 years so it may have had its recipes changed. (AMerican "hedge row" hop farms have been in serious decline in the last decade so most ales (like the old BAllantine) may have been de-hopped.

PS-any beer with fruit in its name is only good for putting on pancakes and waffles.

No I haven't, but I think I just saw it in our liquor store. (I'm sure the brewery was Yuenglings, I'm not so sure the beer was Chesterfield Ale.) Thanks for the tip, I'll check it out.

Beer on pancakes and waffles? That works, tastewise?