California is perhaps "THE" Mecca for beer in America. But I just want to give some love to a brewery that's not been mentioned in here yet, and that's Russian River. Russian River makes so many AMAZING beers. The Temptation and Consecration will blow you away. Their Pliny the Elder is easily one of the best beers I've ever had, so balanced, full of grapefruit, citrus, and caramell malts in the background. Fantastic stuff. Though I love a thick heavy Russian Imperial Stout on a cold winter day. There are so many good ones out there!
Other great breweries:
Great Lakes
Goose Island
Stone
Bells
Founders
Three Floyd's
Lost Abbey/Pizza Port
Cigar City - they make some beers that are meant to be paired with cigars, like their Bolita Brown Double Nut Brown Ale
Alesmith
Obviously, this is a very small list, but were just some that I thought of off the top of my head.
"Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." - Benjamin Franklin.
I have had at least one beer from almost all of these breweries and I have to agree. Anything from Stone or Bells is just fantastic! Lost Abbey, Great Lakes, Founders - all great breweries.
I recently got a package from Phil (TatuajeVI) containing a book about home brewing and I plan to get in to that when I get home. I am fairly confident that I can make some decent beer, and even tailor it to my liking. Hopefully it works out!
I also plan on reviewing different beers when I get home. It was somehting that I was in to a little bit before I left and I loved it. I will be sure to post them on here if there is any interest in hearing what I might have to say.
California is perhaps "THE" Mecca for beer in America. But I just want to give some love to a brewery that's not been mentioned in here yet, and that's Russian River. Russian River makes so many AMAZING beers. The Temptation and Consecration will blow you away. Their Pliny the Elder is easily one of the best beers I've ever had, so balanced, full of grapefruit, citrus, and caramell malts in the background. Fantastic stuff. Though I love a thick heavy Russian Imperial Stout on a cold winter day. There are so many good ones out there!
Other great breweries:
Great Lakes
Goose Island
Stone
Bells
Founders
Three Floyd's
Lost Abbey/Pizza Port
Cigar City - they make some beers that are meant to be paired with cigars, like their Bolita Brown Double Nut Brown Ale
Alesmith
Obviously, this is a very small list, but were just some that I thought of off the top of my head.
"Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." - Benjamin Franklin.
I have had at least one beer from almost all of these breweries and I have to agree. Anything from Stone or Bells is just fantastic! Lost Abbey, Great Lakes, Founders - all great breweries.
I recently got a package from Phil (TatuajeVI) containing a book about home brewing and I plan to get in to that when I get home. I am fairly confident that I can make some decent beer, and even tailor it to my liking. Hopefully it works out!
I also plan on reviewing different beers when I get home. It was somehting that I was in to a little bit before I left and I loved it. I will be sure to post them on here if there is any interest in hearing what I might have to say.
I've played around with the idea of brewing some of my own beers, I guess I'm just a little gun shy though. Living in Colorado tends to raise one's expectations when it comes to beer and I'm afraid I'll never meet my standards. Having said that, I've had some amazing homebrews. At the GABF this year, I had a homebrewed watermelon lambic. Wow, that was incredible!!
Did you rate beers on either Beer Advocate or Rate Beer? I'm a current member on RateBeer. It's a good place where I go to learn what I need to be looking for. They also have a homebrewing forum and from what I've seen, they're all very helpful. If you had any questions, I'm sure they would be willing to help. Good luck with your adventure and be sure to let us know how it turns out!! Sounds like fun.
California is perhaps "THE" Mecca for beer in America. But I just want to give some love to a brewery that's not been mentioned in here yet, and that's Russian River. Russian River makes so many AMAZING beers. The Temptation and Consecration will blow you away. Their Pliny the Elder is easily one of the best beers I've ever had, so balanced, full of grapefruit, citrus, and caramell malts in the background. Fantastic stuff. Though I love a thick heavy Russian Imperial Stout on a cold winter day. There are so many good ones out there!
Other great breweries:
Great Lakes
Goose Island
Stone
Bells
Founders
Three Floyd's
Lost Abbey/Pizza Port
Cigar City - they make some beers that are meant to be paired with cigars, like their Bolita Brown Double Nut Brown Ale
Alesmith
Obviously, this is a very small list, but were just some that I thought of off the top of my head.
"Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." - Benjamin Franklin.
I have had at least one beer from almost all of these breweries and I have to agree. Anything from Stone or Bells is just fantastic! Lost Abbey, Great Lakes, Founders - all great breweries.
I recently got a package from Phil (TatuajeVI) containing a book about home brewing and I plan to get in to that when I get home. I am fairly confident that I can make some decent beer, and even tailor it to my liking. Hopefully it works out!
I also plan on reviewing different beers when I get home. It was somehting that I was in to a little bit before I left and I loved it. I will be sure to post them on here if there is any interest in hearing what I might have to say.
I've played around with the idea of brewing some of my own beers, I guess I'm just a little gun shy though. Living in Colorado tends to raise one's expectations when it comes to beer and I'm afraid I'll never meet my standards. Having said that, I've had some amazing homebrews. At the GABF this year, I had a homebrewed watermelon lambic. Wow, that was incredible!!
Did you rate beers on either Beer Advocate or Rate Beer? I'm a current member on RateBeer. It's a good place where I go to learn what I need to be looking for. They also have a homebrewing forum and from what I've seen, they're all very helpful. If you had any questions, I'm sure they would be willing to help. Good luck with your adventure and be sure to let us know how it turns out!! Sounds like fun.
I have never posted my reviews/ratings before. It was just something I did for fun, for my own enjoyment. I will def. let you all know what happens as I try to brew my own beer. The only thing is, I wont be able to start until I get home from Afghanistan in about 3 months...
I am in love with beer. My favorite beers are all IPA's. I love Stone IPA, Bell's Two Hearted, plus so many more... There is a bar about 50 mins away called The Flying Saucer and they have about 400 different beers in stock. I try to make it there as often as possible because there are always new beers that I have never tried. Plus, all the waitresses wear VERY short skirts and tight tops. It's pretty much the best place ever. I normaly spend all night saturday there and every sunday after noon. It's like my second home and they let me smoke my cigars so I can't beat that.
Def. try that Stone IPA, as well as anything else by them. The IPA is amazing, and the rest are just great. Also, anything brewed by Bell's is great as well.
If you like IPA's, try Russian River's Blind Pig - it's up there with Stone's, imo. Also, have you had any Dogfish head? I really like their 60 minute IPA, the 90 minute is just over the top bitter for me (and I like DIPA's). If you have access to Avery, try their Maharaja. And of course, RR's Pliny the Elder is a world renowned legend.
Have you had anything by Alaskan? If you like porter's, they have a very tasty Smoked Porter. They smoke the porter with the alder wood from a fish smokery across the bay. This beer is very tasty and is fantastic with barbecue or any smoked meat. Even by itself, it's terrific.
I'm lucky enough to be able to live in the Great Northwest where we have a LOT of breweries, especially in Portland.
Some of my fav's are
Lost Coast Great White
Bridgeport IPA
Rogue Dead Guy Ale
Anything from Deshutes Brewing, esp. Green Lakes Organic
Anything from McMenamins Pubs and Brewery
Spaten Oktoberfest
Spaten Optimator
Newcastle Brown Ale
Yuengling, too bad I have to go to Ohio and PA to get it.
Alaskan Summer Ale
anything from Widmer
Anything from MacTarnahan's including their new single malt Scotch, yum
I am in love with beer. My favorite beers are all IPA's. I love Stone IPA, Bell's Two Hearted, plus so many more... There is a bar about 50 mins away called The Flying Saucer and they have about 400 different beers in stock. I try to make it there as often as possible because there are always new beers that I have never tried. Plus, all the waitresses wear VERY short skirts and tight tops. It's pretty much the best place ever. I normaly spend all night saturday there and every sunday after noon. It's like my second home and they let me smoke my cigars so I can't beat that.
Def. try that Stone IPA, as well as anything else by them. The IPA is amazing, and the rest are just great. Also, anything brewed by Bell's is great as well.
If you like IPA's, try Russian River's Blind Pig - it's up there with Stone's, imo. Also, have you had any Dogfish head? I really like their 60 minute IPA, the 90 minute is just over the top bitter for me (and I like DIPA's). If you have access to Avery, try their Maharaja. And of course, RR's Pliny the Elder is a world renowned legend.
Have you had anything by Alaskan? If you like porter's, they have a very tasty Smoked Porter. They smoke the porter with the alder wood from a fish smokery across the bay. This beer is very tasty and is fantastic with barbecue or any smoked meat. Even by itself, it's terrific.
Like my list for cigars, my list of beers to try keeps getting longer every day. I will certainly add these to my list of "must try's". I plan ot get through most of that list the first month after I get home. Hopefully I still have a liver after that haha
A couple more weeks until my first homebrew is ready to drink. An IPA. Let's hope I didn't screw it up, lol.
I am so glad to know that it wont take like 50 years to brew an IPA. I was soo worried that it would take a long time. I am in love with IPA's, this is def. great news!
So, one of my buddies has just been sent home early (due mostly to the fact that the people we are working for are worthless). And all I can think about is how he gets to drink a nice cold brew months before I do. NOT fair!
Keep your head focused on keeping your butt safe. We will have plenty of beer here in America when you get back.
Haha, I have all but mastered the art of keeping my next beer in mind while remembering to keep my head down. Actualy, I never leave the camp. Which is a nice change of pace form last time I was here (let's just say there were quite a few close calls this time last year).
So, until I get home, keep popping tops and enjoying those beers. I'll be home to enjoy along with all of you in a couple more months!
Keep your head focused on keeping your butt safe. We will have plenty of beer here in America when you get back.
Haha, I have all but mastered the art of keeping my next beer in mind while remembering to keep my head down. Actualy, I never leave the camp. Which is a nice change of pace form last time I was here (let's just say there were quite a few close calls this time last year).
So, until I get home, keep popping tops and enjoying those beers. I'll be home to enjoy along with all of you in a couple more months!
Seeing that you're from NC, you have to try Duck-Rabbit. Their Baltic Porter is one of the best in the world. But then, almost anything from Duck-Rabbit is a worth while venture.
I finally found a beer I liked yesterday. Prior to that, I was right there with JSnake in thinking all beer tastes like piss... My buddy and I went to a brewery/restaurant in Sacramento (River City Brewing Company, I think) and did their beer sampler. I ended up really liking their stout - super smoky with an awesome dark chocolate finish (and I lOve dark chocolate)... Before yesterday, you'd never see me order a beer myself, but I'd order that stout without a doubt..
¨The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea¨ - Isak Dinesen
¨Only two people walk around in this world beardless - boys and women - and I am neither one.¨
I love the fact that i live and work in the same city as stone brewing co - but my favorite brewery of all time is ballast point - need to try the double dorado ipa
Twas a Heineken in the bottle... Delicious. But that was 6 or so years ago. Still like a good Heiny every now and then.
But I can't get enough of the Rouge these days. And constantly on the hunt for this mysterious "Yuengling Lager" that is talked about...
My dry salty city doesn't have the best selection of brew to quench my thirst of beer. As long as people keep making it, I'll keep drinking it. Kinda like cigars, there are so many different flavors and origins that I just have to keep sampling more.
Twas a Heineken in the bottle... Delicious. But that was 6 or so years ago. Still like a good Heiny every now and then.
But I can't get enough of the Rouge these days. And constantly on the hunt for this mysterious "Yuengling Lager" that is talked about...
My dry salty city doesn't have the best selection of brew to quench my thirst of beer. As long as people keep making it, I'll keep drinking it. Kinda like cigars, there are so many different flavors and origins that I just have to keep sampling more.
I'm gonna ruffle some feathers here, but I have to say this. The Yuengling is very...well...it's bleh (imo). It's one step away from the macro swill I've come to dispise so much. There, all you Yuengling lovers can shoot me now.
The Stone Imperial Russian Stout was my favorite stout till I had Deschuttes The Abyss. Having said that, I absolutely love Stone's Stout. Indeed, Stone makes some very high quality beer.
Twas a Heineken in the bottle... Delicious. But that was 6 or so years ago. Still like a good Heiny every now and then.
But I can't get enough of the Rouge these days. And constantly on the hunt for this mysterious "Yuengling Lager" that is talked about...
My dry salty city doesn't have the best selection of brew to quench my thirst of beer. As long as people keep making it, I'll keep drinking it. Kinda like cigars, there are so many different flavors and origins that I just have to keep sampling more.
I'm gonna ruffle some feathers here, but I have to say this. The Yuengling is very...well...it's bleh (imo). It's one step away from the macro swill I've come to dispise so much. There, all you Yuengling lovers can shoot me now.
The Stone Imperial Russian Stout was my favorite stout till I had Deschuttes The Abyss. Having said that, I absolutely love Stone's Stout. Indeed, Stone makes some very high quality beer.
What vintages have you had for the stone imperial stout? for the launch of beer week this last satuday in san diego i had a 2004 vintage on draft ... needless to say it was awesome
Keep your head focused on keeping your butt safe. We will have plenty of beer here in America when you get back.
Haha, I have all but mastered the art of keeping my next beer in mind while remembering to keep my head down. Actualy, I never leave the camp. Which is a nice change of pace form last time I was here (let's just say there were quite a few close calls this time last year).
So, until I get home, keep popping tops and enjoying those beers. I'll be home to enjoy along with all of you in a couple more months!
Seeing that you're from NC, you have to try Duck-Rabbit. Their Baltic Porter is one of the best in the world. But then, almost anything from Duck-Rabbit is a worth while venture.
I will def. add that to the list. Thanks for the suggestion!
I love the fact that i live and work in the same city as stone brewing co - but my favorite brewery of all time is ballast point - need to try the double dorado ipa
So far, Stone is my all time favorite brewery. I LOVE their IPA so I will def. be giving that one from Ballast Point a try. I have had some other brews from Ballast Point (I can't remember the names right off the top of my head) and they were delicious.
Twas a Heineken in the bottle... Delicious. But that was 6 or so years ago. Still like a good Heiny every now and then.
But I can't get enough of the Rouge these days. And constantly on the hunt for this mysterious "Yuengling Lager" that is talked about...
My dry salty city doesn't have the best selection of brew to quench my thirst of beer. As long as people keep making it, I'll keep drinking it. Kinda like cigars, there are so many different flavors and origins that I just have to keep sampling more.
I'm gonna ruffle some feathers here, but I have to say this. The Yuengling is very...well...it's bleh (imo). It's one step away from the macro swill I've come to dispise so much. There, all you Yuengling lovers can shoot me now.
The Stone Imperial Russian Stout was my favorite stout till I had Deschuttes The Abyss. Having said that, I absolutely love Stone's Stout. Indeed, Stone makes some very high quality beer.
I can agree with you a little on this one. While I do enjoy Yuengling from time to time, it is a bit bland. The lager is my favorite from them. I have had the stout as well and was not impressed. Their beer tends to be fairly bland, decent flavor, but there just isn't much of it.
I know that the Texas people here will hang me for saying this (and I have family from Texas) but I have found most of the Shiner beers to be the same way. I like them, except the black and tan, but they are bland and lack the complexity in flavor I love in other beers. They got the main flavors spot on, but they lack the profile of other beers. just my thoughts anyway.
Edit - I forgot to add my thoughts on Heineken...
I LOVE a Heine from time to time, I tend to keep at least a 6-pack in my fridge. I have to say though that in a bottle it's just not nearly as good as in a can. I am a huge hater of canned beer, but this one I have to have either from a tap or from a can. I am no scientist so I do not know the reason for the difference in taste but the can just does it for me with a Heineken.
As for my FIRST beer, if my memory is correct, I had a Coors Light. It was just what my dad kept around. One night we were out on a camping trip and he tossed me one. I swore from that day forward I would never drink another beer. Obviously that has changed.
I can agree with you a little on this one. While I do enjoy Yuengling from time to time, it is a bit bland. The lager is my favorite from them. I have had the stout as well and was not impressed. Their beer tends to be fairly bland, decent flavor, but there just isn't much of it.
I know that the Texas people here will hang me for saying this (and I have family from Texas) but I have found most of the Shiner beers to be the same way. I like them, except the black and tan, but they are bland and lack the complexity in flavor I love in other beers. They got the main flavors spot on, but they lack the profile of other beers. just my thoughts anyway.
Edit - I forgot to add my thoughts on Heineken...
I LOVE a Heine from time to time, I tend to keep at least a 6-pack in my fridge. I have to say though that in a bottle it's just not nearly as good as in a can. I am a huge hater of canned beer, but this one I have to have either from a tap or from a can. I am no scientist so I do not know the reason for the difference in taste but the can just does it for me with a Heineken.
As for my FIRST beer, if my memory is correct, I had a Coors Light. It was just what my dad kept around. One night we were out on a camping trip and he tossed me one. I swore from that day forward I would never drink another beer. Obviously that has changed.
GASP!! I can't believe you would say such-a-thing about Shiner! (um, ditto!!)
There's a huge difference between bottles and cans. Canned beer used to be really bad since most beers took on a metallic quality from having contact with the can. However, nowadays, they have developed a water based lining that they put into cans which prevents the beer from ever touching the can. When this is accomplished, cans are superior to bottles (at least so I've been told). Light naturally destroys and breaks down much of the qualities in beer. It's always better when beer is packaged in a brown bottle than a say a green one or a clear one (like MGD). Since a can prevents any light from reaching the beer, this is one area where a can is superior. Another destructive element is air. Bottles leave a small amount of air in with the beer. Newer technologies allow the canning process to remove any and all air from a can.
I'm not saying that all current canned beer is canned with these processes, but I would expect this to really take off. A brewery here in Colorado, Oskar Blues, cans all of thier beer...not a single bottle is used by this brewer. Their beers are fantastic and are very highly regarded in the craft beer community. I'm one who is slow to change and I still prefer beer in a bottle. Well, that's the current thought on canned beer anyway. We'll see how well this movement takes off.
I remember my first beer like it was yesterday. I was a bit older, at about 25 yrs. old and it was an MGD. From the very first sip I took, I loved it! I've always loved bread and the flavors of the grains. This beer reminded me so much of liquid bread that I thought I was in heaven. Now, MGD is one of my least favorites, ha!!
Speaking of delicious Heine... Has anyone had the DraughtKeg? Since my city of salt wont allow such a product to be distributed within state boundaries... I will be traveling out of the state on a "vacation". I mean, it's Heineken, of course it's going to be tasty, but is it worth it?
I'm not sure the prices or anything either, and if there are any note worthy B&M's in or around the Evanston WY area. Any help is good help fellas.
Many craft brewers are now starting to use cans because they can get a draft like flavor; as has been said, protection from light and stuff really makes a difference. And the beer lover isn't going to drink it from the can anyway, to be enjoyed properly and to develop the flavor it needs to be in a glass.
Many craft brewers are now starting to use cans because they can get a draft like flavor; as has been said, protection from light and stuff really makes a difference. And the beer lover isn't going to drink it from the can anyway, to be enjoyed properly and to develop the flavor it needs to be in a glass.
And not a frosted mug either!! this is a mistake I see too many of my friends making. It actualy does make a difference in the flavor and aroma. I tell them all the time when I see someone reaching for a cold mug that I will just have one from the cupboard. Heine is a good example of a beer that will taste and smell differently depending on the temperature of the glass. If the glass is too cold it will taste a bit more bitter and foul and you wont get the grainy aroma from it as much. Try it out some time, you can really notice the difference. This is one of the reasons why I love The Flying Saucer so much, room temperature pint glasses and they have a HUGE selection of taps brews.
About the Heine fridge-keg. I bought one about a month before I left for Afghanistan and finished it in two days. It was delicious! Same as Heine in a can.
I used to be a bottle guy, I would only drink beer if it came in a bottle. Well, one day I had a party and bought cans because they crush and you can fit more in the bag during clean-up (weird reasoning, I know). I have now started drinking more from cans for two reasons - they get cold faster and, in some cases, they cost just a little bit less. Now armed with the knowledge about cans from BStayer I think cans will be my go-to container and I might even have to buy a keg for my homebrew.
You've got it... the reason mass market beers are served ice cold is so you can't taste them. I've got a self-built kegerator system supporting four corny kegs. I used to use a tap-a-draft system, works OK. I need to get it out of the closet and sell the damn thing.
You've got it... the reason mass market beers are served ice cold is so you can't taste them. I've got a self-built kegerator system supporting four corny kegs. I used to use a tap-a-draft system, works OK. I need to get it out of the closet and sell the damn thing.
It's amazing what happens to beer when it warms up! It's a whole new profile...just as ejenne said. It makes perfect sense why you see Coors Light (Silver Bullet) always advertised to be drunk at freezing temps...it tastes like cat piss when it warms up!! Most people do not realize, but most beer (non-macro) is supposed to be drunk at about 50-55 F. So much of a beer is muted when it is drunk at cold 'frosted' temperatures.
I need to make myself a kegerator...I think it would be so friggin' awesome. How long does a keg, or pony keg, or whatever size you use last before the beer goes bad? I'm the only one at my house that drinks and I don't think I could drink any kind of keg before the beer went bad.
How long the keg will last depends on what type of delivery system you use. I don't know the numbers on this, so I am ust going with what I "think" I remember reading. If you use a hand pump or anyhting that pressurizes the keg with air the beer is supposed to be "bad" in about 3-5 days. If you use a CO2 tank the beer can last from 3-5 weeks. I am not positive on the numbers, but I am pretty sure they are close.
Comments
I recently got a package from Phil (TatuajeVI) containing a book about home brewing and I plan to get in to that when I get home. I am fairly confident that I can make some decent beer, and even tailor it to my liking. Hopefully it works out!
I also plan on reviewing different beers when I get home. It was somehting that I was in to a little bit before I left and I loved it. I will be sure to post them on here if there is any interest in hearing what I might have to say.
I've played around with the idea of brewing some of my own beers, I guess I'm just a little gun shy though. Living in Colorado tends to raise one's expectations when it comes to beer and I'm afraid I'll never meet my standards. Having said that, I've had some amazing homebrews. At the GABF this year, I had a homebrewed watermelon lambic. Wow, that was incredible!!
Did you rate beers on either Beer Advocate or Rate Beer? I'm a current member on RateBeer. It's a good place where I go to learn what I need to be looking for. They also have a homebrewing forum and from what I've seen, they're all very helpful. If you had any questions, I'm sure they would be willing to help. Good luck with your adventure and be sure to let us know how it turns out!! Sounds like fun.
If you like IPA's, try Russian River's Blind Pig - it's up there with Stone's, imo. Also, have you had any Dogfish head? I really like their 60 minute IPA, the 90 minute is just over the top bitter for me (and I like DIPA's). If you have access to Avery, try their Maharaja. And of course, RR's Pliny the Elder is a world renowned legend.
Have you had anything by Alaskan? If you like porter's, they have a very tasty Smoked Porter. They smoke the porter with the alder wood from a fish smokery across the bay. This beer is very tasty and is fantastic with barbecue or any smoked meat. Even by itself, it's terrific.
Some of my fav's are
Lost Coast Great White
Bridgeport IPA
Rogue Dead Guy Ale
Anything from Deshutes Brewing, esp. Green Lakes Organic
Anything from McMenamins Pubs and Brewery
Spaten Oktoberfest
Spaten Optimator
Newcastle Brown Ale
Yuengling, too bad I have to go to Ohio and PA to get it.
Alaskan Summer Ale
anything from Widmer
Anything from MacTarnahan's including their new single malt Scotch, yum
Sweet!! Let us know how it turns out!! Good luck and cheers.
So, until I get home, keep popping tops and enjoying those beers. I'll be home to enjoy along with all of you in a couple more months!
Seeing that you're from NC, you have to try Duck-Rabbit. Their Baltic Porter is one of the best in the world. But then, almost anything from Duck-Rabbit is a worth while venture.
¨Only two people walk around in this world beardless - boys and women - and I am neither one.¨
Twas a Heineken in the bottle... Delicious. But that was 6 or so years ago. Still like a good Heiny every now and then.
But I can't get enough of the Rouge these days. And constantly on the hunt for this mysterious "Yuengling Lager" that is talked about...
My dry salty city doesn't have the best selection of brew to quench my thirst of beer. As long as people keep making it, I'll keep drinking it. Kinda like cigars, there are so many different flavors and origins that I just have to keep sampling more.
I'm gonna ruffle some feathers here, but I have to say this. The Yuengling is very...well...it's bleh (imo). It's one step away from the macro swill I've come to dispise so much. There, all you Yuengling lovers can shoot me now.
The Stone Imperial Russian Stout was my favorite stout till I had Deschuttes The Abyss. Having said that, I absolutely love Stone's Stout. Indeed, Stone makes some very high quality beer.
I know that the Texas people here will hang me for saying this (and I have family from Texas) but I have found most of the Shiner beers to be the same way. I like them, except the black and tan, but they are bland and lack the complexity in flavor I love in other beers. They got the main flavors spot on, but they lack the profile of other beers. just my thoughts anyway.
Edit - I forgot to add my thoughts on Heineken...
I LOVE a Heine from time to time, I tend to keep at least a 6-pack in my fridge. I have to say though that in a bottle it's just not nearly as good as in a can. I am a huge hater of canned beer, but this one I have to have either from a tap or from a can. I am no scientist so I do not know the reason for the difference in taste but the can just does it for me with a Heineken.
As for my FIRST beer, if my memory is correct, I had a Coors Light. It was just what my dad kept around. One night we were out on a camping trip and he tossed me one. I swore from that day forward I would never drink another beer. Obviously that has changed.
GASP!! I can't believe you would say such-a-thing about Shiner! (um, ditto!!)
There's a huge difference between bottles and cans. Canned beer used to be really bad since most beers took on a metallic quality from having contact with the can. However, nowadays, they have developed a water based lining that they put into cans which prevents the beer from ever touching the can. When this is accomplished, cans are superior to bottles (at least so I've been told). Light naturally destroys and breaks down much of the qualities in beer. It's always better when beer is packaged in a brown bottle than a say a green one or a clear one (like MGD). Since a can prevents any light from reaching the beer, this is one area where a can is superior. Another destructive element is air. Bottles leave a small amount of air in with the beer. Newer technologies allow the canning process to remove any and all air from a can.
I'm not saying that all current canned beer is canned with these processes, but I would expect this to really take off. A brewery here in Colorado, Oskar Blues, cans all of thier beer...not a single bottle is used by this brewer. Their beers are fantastic and are very highly regarded in the craft beer community. I'm one who is slow to change and I still prefer beer in a bottle. Well, that's the current thought on canned beer anyway. We'll see how well this movement takes off.
I'm not sure the prices or anything either, and if there are any note worthy B&M's in or around the Evanston WY area. Any help is good help fellas.
About the Heine fridge-keg. I bought one about a month before I left for Afghanistan and finished it in two days. It was delicious! Same as Heine in a can.
I used to be a bottle guy, I would only drink beer if it came in a bottle. Well, one day I had a party and bought cans because they crush and you can fit more in the bag during clean-up (weird reasoning, I know). I have now started drinking more from cans for two reasons - they get cold faster and, in some cases, they cost just a little bit less. Now armed with the knowledge about cans from BStayer I think cans will be my go-to container and I might even have to buy a keg for my homebrew.
It's amazing what happens to beer when it warms up! It's a whole new profile...just as ejenne said. It makes perfect sense why you see Coors Light (Silver Bullet) always advertised to be drunk at freezing temps...it tastes like cat piss when it warms up!! Most people do not realize, but most beer (non-macro) is supposed to be drunk at about 50-55 F. So much of a beer is muted when it is drunk at cold 'frosted' temperatures.
I need to make myself a kegerator...I think it would be so friggin' awesome. How long does a keg, or pony keg, or whatever size you use last before the beer goes bad? I'm the only one at my house that drinks and I don't think I could drink any kind of keg before the beer went bad.