dark beers

**BigMacFU** · 09-22-2005, 10:06 PM

Quiet, seeing as though you're in Ohio, look for Great Lakes Brewing Company beers and Goose Island Brewery beers. Heck, there may be some Bell's Point Brewery stuff. The first is based out of clevehole, the second out of Chi-town, and the third out of Michigan (I'm assuming Bell's Point). All there stuff in general is good. Any of their ales are leaps and bounds ahead of and MGD, Bud, or other crappy American 3:2 beer. It's like the Amstel Light commercial depicts, light beers are good for, well, watering the plants.

**QuietC** · 09-22-2005, 10:16 PM

Originally Posted by BigMacFU

Quiet, seeing as though you're in Ohio, look for Great Lakes Brewing Company beers and Goose Island Brewery beers. Heck, there may be some Bell's Point Brewery stuff. The first is based out of clevehole, the second out of Chi-town, and the third out of Michigan (I'm assuming Bell's Point). All there stuff in general is good. Any of their ales are leaps and bounds ahead of and MGD, Bud, or other crappy American 3:2 beer. It's like the Amstel Light commercial depicts, light beers are good for, well, watering the plants.

I'll have to add those to the list too.

**mithril** · 09-22-2005, 11:53 PM

i haven't tried any of those yet. i'll pick some up soon and give it a go.

**Corona Gigante** · 09-23-2005, 08:30 AM

When I visited our local micro-brewery, St. Arnold's, the owner commented that, in terms of aging, beer is like bread and wine is like cheese. With the possible exceptions of the beers that undergo secondary fermentation in the bottle, fresh beer always tastes better than older beer. As a result, I'll always give the local brew a try.

**Kenyth** · 09-23-2005, 10:40 AM

It's that time of the season when Oktoberfest style beers are out. Almost everyone likes these as they're medium bodied and malty without biterness or roastiness. Most stout beers (deep black ones) are made with roasted barley and dark toasted barley malts. They will have a roasty flavor, like coffee. Some will be dry (like Guinness), others will be more on the malty side. You'll have to experiment to find out what you like. The fact that you don't generally like beer much doesn't bode well though. Artesian beer appreciation is an aquired palate like fine coffee, gourmet food, fine wine, or fine cigars.

If you want to try something wild, buy a bottle of Barleywine style ale. Wow! It's not cheap, but it has a flavor, and alchohol level, you won't forget soon!

**Corona Gigante** · 09-23-2005, 11:14 AM

Originally Posted by Kenyth

Artesian beer appreciation is an aquired palate like fine coffee, gourmet food, fine wine, or fine cigars.

Mmmm... Artesian beer. Is that the stuff that flows spontaneously like a fountain from deep within the earth? Got to try me some of that.

**stjohnroe** · 09-23-2005, 11:31 AM

Originally Posted by Kenyth

If you want to try something wild, buy a bottle of Barleywine style ale. Wow! It's not cheap, but it has a flavor, and alchohol level, you won't forget soon!

This stuff has knocked me on my arse more time than I care to count

.

**Devil Doc** · 09-23-2005, 03:14 PM

Might I suggest Molson XXX or Longtrail's Double Bag. They're both 7.3% ETOH so be careful.

**SuperChuck** · 09-23-2005, 03:50 PM

Originally Posted by Corona Gigante

When I visited our local micro-brewery, St. Arnold's, the owner commented that, in terms of aging, beer is like bread and wine is like cheese. With the possible exceptions of the beers that undergo secondary fermentation in the bottle, fresh beer always tastes better than older beer.

Many high-gravity beers (that's beer geek for "high alcohol") go well with age. I've got a couple bottles aging that I can't wait to taste in a few more years. Barleywines and some trippels require some age to mellow out a bit. The suggested aging for barleywine is about 7 years.

Otherwise, drink your beers early and often! :)

As a result, I'll always give the local brew a try.

Support your local brewer! Whaoooo!!
(shu'up, it's Friday)

**grand cru no 2** · 09-23-2005, 09:58 PM

Originally Posted by mithril

i'm not sure if it is considered 'dark' but you might want to try Negro Modelo. its a mexican beer that is somewhere in between a MGD and Guiness.

This is my absolute FAVORITE beer! It's not dark but man it is AWESOME!!! Certainly give this one a try!!!

A few others that rank high on my list are:

Red Stripe
Cerveca Aguila (brazilian I believe, very good)
Killian's Red
Pete's Wicked Ale
I am also a big fan of the St. Arnolds Summer Ale but not sure you can still find it this late in the year.

Happy 21st brother! Have a great birthday!!!

**QuietC** · 09-23-2005, 10:01 PM

Originally Posted by grand cru no 2

This is my absolute FAVORITE beer! It's not dark but man it is AWESOME!!! Certainly give this one a try!!!

A few others that rank high on my list are:

Red Stripe
Cerveca Aguila (brazilian I believe, very good)
Killian's Red
Pete's Wicked Ale
I am also a big fan of the St. Arnolds Summer Ale but not sure you can still find it this late in the year.

Happy 21st brother! Have a great birthday!!!

thanks man

I wasn't really expecting so many different types of beers, alot more out there than I thought. I have a mile long list now.

I'm gonna hopefully try and find some before I actually go out to the bars and test them that way I have an idea of a few I like.

**thepyrofish** · 09-23-2005, 10:13 PM

The bars around here are as bad as the cigar shops. The taps have Rickards, Sleeman's, Molson, Bud and Coors. Thuper. I like some of those, but would like to try something new...and microbrewed. The liquor stores aren;t much better. They have a small selection on less-common beers, but I've pretty much worked through those already.

**QuietC** · 09-24-2005, 02:22 PM

Well got a thing of Guinness Extra Stout today to try, gonna test it out later during the fight. Would you guys suggest a full flavored cigar with it?

**BigMacFU** · 09-24-2005, 02:50 PM

NO QUIET C, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOO

Seriously, go return that if you have the receipt, the extra stout is not real guinness. You need to buy Guinness Draught in a bottle or can, NOT EXTRA STOUT.

See, what makes guinness guinness is the combination of head and beer, the frothy creamy taste that guinness is known for requires a good head. Extra stout means no head because there is no "widget" (technical term) in the can/bottle to release nitrous into the beer at the moment of opening, thus giving that straight from the keg taste. Guinness extra stout is the worst abomination, and I'm a HUGE Guinness fan.

Please, please return it quickly before you swear off guinness because of the bad experience you will have.

**QuietC** · 09-24-2005, 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by BigMacFU

NO QUIET C, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOO

Seriously, go return that if you have the receipt, the extra stout is not real guinness. You need to buy Guinness Draught in a bottle or can, NOT EXTRA STOUT.

See, what makes guinness guinness is the combination of head and beer, the frothy creamy taste that guinness is known for requires a good head. Extra stout means no head because there is no "widget" (technical term) in the can/bottle to release nitrous into the beer at the moment of opening, thus giving that straight from the keg taste. Guinness extra stout is the worst abomination, and I'm a HUGE Guinness fan.

Please, please return it quickly before you swear off guinness because of the bad experience you will have.

Well, I can't really return it. I'll have to give it a shot, I'll try Guinness Draught within the next few days though. I'll post what I think of the Extra Stout later tonight.

**SuperChuck** · 09-24-2005, 05:43 PM

Originally Posted by QuietC

Well got a thing of Guinness Extra Stout today to try, gonna test it out later during the fight. Would you guys suggest a full flavored cigar with it?

I'm a fan of Extra Stout... And would definitely go with a strong smoke with it!

The main difference between the extra stout and the "draught can" (draft can if you're an American) is the little widget BigMacFU mentioned. If you get Guinness at a pub, it's a "nitrogen push", which means they use nitrogen instead of CO2 to dispense the beer. This results in smaller bubbles, which is why Guinness has that really thick head. It also lends to a smoother mouthfeel, which makes it taste creamier.

If you can get your hands on a few cans, I suggest Murphey's Stout. Yum.

**cls515** · 09-24-2005, 06:29 PM

Not a big fan of dark beer, I guess it is too rich. If I am buying, my personal favorite is Dos Equis (XX) Amber. It may not be the best or anything, but everyone has their preferences and that is my personal favorite.

**prophetic_joe** · 09-25-2005, 02:05 AM

i don't mean to insult anyones taste but imo guiness is terrible. i prefer to drink not chew my beer. but i was reading an article about the proper way to drink beer and i am not doing it anywhere near right as far as that's concerned so what do i know.

**sungrownbill** · 09-25-2005, 08:03 AM

I just read through the thread and didn't see the most obvious question..... Why a dark beer? I do agree with many of the replies that a micro brew or pub is the best place to go exploring. Most will let you sample one you're interested in trying. I would find the one you like, and enjoy, regardless of color! Having been a beer drinker and cigar smoker for 20+ years now, I have found that ratings, peer pressure, and fads have little to do with actual enjoyment. Enjoy your new found (and now legal) passion.