Leffe: Vladimir's Beer Thread

With me it's situational:

Winter brew: Guiness - I know it's spring when I lose my taste for it and order something else....

Summer: Marston's Pedigree (well, that's my usual "habitual beer" at the local....) but when at less regular places I like to try something different. Green King "Abbot Ale" is about the most drinkable pint in London pubs, and goes down WAY too easily. There's a small area around Sheffield where Stones is really good, like drinking alcoholic ice-cream, very smooth, and very pale for a bitter.

When travelling: check what the locals are drinking :2thumbsup: In Worcestershire I developed a real taste for the perry ("pear cider") that I could buy from the farm down the road, straight out of the barrel. Excellent summer drink (and rather effective, too ~D) In the Netherlands I got quite a taste for Hooegaarten, but don't think I'd drink it anywhere else.

In Oz (I think I might be about to make Rythmic cringe, here :laugh4: ) I used to drink VB - I love that Aussie tradition of buying by the jug and distributing it at the table :2thumbsup:

In my brief spell in the US (Miami) I came across a really tasty micro-beer, alas I can't recall it's name or where it was brewed, but it was quite spicy and flavoursome, a bit like liquid ginger biscuits.

When buying bottles for drinking at home (you know, the ones that help to keep the lawnmower running etc) then it's been Hobgoblin of late, which is quite a nice spicy one, but I'll probably revert to Bluebird when the weather gets a bit hotter.

My local brewery is Everards, and I won't touch their dishwater with a bargepole - although their "exports" to other parts of the country seem to be quite popular. I think they just save the dregs for the locals.....

:clown: Now this is making me thirsty....

I'm not a beer drinker - give me spirits any day.

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Originally Posted by macsen rufus

In Oz (I think I might be about to make Rythmic cringe, here ) I used to drink VB - I love that Aussie tradition of buying by the jug and distributing it at the table

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Haha, too true. VB's alright since it's so damn cheap, but other's like Carlton Draught :sick:. Cat piss for sure. Especially since it costs only a few dollars less than imported beer!

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Originally Posted by Rythmic

Haha, too true. VB's alright since it's so damn cheap, but other's like Carlton Draught :sick:. Cat piss for sure. Especially since it costs only a few dollars less than imported beer!

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Bleugh! Carlton Draught = bottled vomit...

Lest we forget.

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Originally Posted by Vladimir

Lest we forget.

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Indeedely-doodely. We just may have to move all this over to the next town.

Give that man a cigar!

Cough-cough... testing...

By the by, there's something I've never fully understood: What's the difference between lager and ale? Is it in the ingredients, and/or in the way they're made? Even my beer-snob friend couldn't really explain it to me. :help:

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Originally Posted by Martok

By the by, there's something I've never fully understood: What's the difference between lager and ale? Is it in the ingredients, and/or in the way they're made? Even my beer-snob friend couldn't really explain it to me. :help:

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It's the yeast. Ale uses top-fermenting yeast, which generally works quickly at higher temperatures. Lagers use bottom-fermenting yeast, which run at colder temperatures and enables lagering, or extended fermentation at lower temps.

Personally I love spaniard beers. Estrella Damm is probably my favorite, but I also love San Miguel, Mahou or Coronita.
Talking about non-spaniard, Judas and Guiness are the number ones for me.

La bump.

I'm drinking an Alexander Keith's India pale Ale right now, just FYI.

Oh, man... I really apologize -- I had no idea this existed. :embarassed:

I guess I'll repost my favorite beers here.

Edit:

Personally, when I have to consider how much money I am spending, I would have to go with Heineken. At around $7.50 per six-pack, it's still not exactly cheap, but I have high-quality tastes when it comes to beer. And it's a damn good beer considering that it is a big-time label, something that usually implies low quality in the beer world. It's also very easy to find.

When I can find it, though, I prefer Elephant, a Danish Malt Liquor. It sells for around the same price as Heineken in DC, but it's a damn good beer. Beer enthusiasts may be put off by its lack of hops, but I find it to be a very smooth beer; and besides, it has an alcohol content of 7.5%. Only problem is, it's harder to find than a Leperchaun; I've only seen it once, and that was in the liquor store in the Watergate, which is pretty far away from where I live.

If money is no object, on the other hand, my favorite beer of all time is most definitely Duvel. True to the name, it kicks like a devil: it has an alcohol content of 8.5%! I love the flavor, as well; some may find it too sharp, but for me it hits the spot, bigtime. Only problem is, it sells for around $13-14 a four-pack, so it's a special-occasion only beer.

Edit 2: No way am I reposting all those pictures. However, I felt it necessary to mention that I am currently getting drunk on Leffe... not bad. Not one of my favorites, but not bad.

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Originally Posted by Reverend Joe

However, I felt it necessary to mention that I am currently getting drunk on Leffe... not bad.

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Frontroomish behavior if I ever saw it. ~:cheers:

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Originally Posted by Reverend Joe

Oh, man... I really apologize -- I had no idea this existed. :embarassed:

I guess I'll repost my favorite beers here.

Edit:

Personally, when I have to consider how much money I am spending, I would have to go with Heineken. At around $7.50 per six-pack, it's still not exactly cheap, but I have high-quality tastes when it comes to beer. And it's a damn good beer considering that it is a big-time label, something that usually implies low quality in the beer world. It's also very easy to find.

When I can find it, though, I prefer Elephant, a Danish Malt Liquor. It sells for around the same price as Heineken in DC, but it's a damn good beer. Beer enthusiasts may be put off by its lack of hops, but I find it to be a very smooth beer; and besides, it has an alcohol content of 7.5%. Only problem is, it's harder to find than a Leperchaun; I've only seen it once, and that was in the liquor store in the Watergate, which is pretty far away from where I live.

If money is no object, on the other hand, my favorite beer of all time is most definitely Duvel. True to the name, it kicks like a devil: it has an alcohol content of 8.5%! I love the flavor, as well; some may find it too sharp, but for me it hits the spot, bigtime. Only problem is, it sells for around $13-14 a four-pack, so it's a special-occasion only beer.

Edit 2: No way am I reposting all those pictures. However, I felt it necessary to mention that I am currently getting drunk on Leffe... not bad. Not one of my favorites, but not bad.

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Duvel indeed is one of the best beers. If not the best. Its sad you have to pay that much for Duvel in the US. I like Leffe too. What Leffe are/were you drinking if I may ask? Though I can't understand you liking Heineken :no:. How much is a stella six-pack , it can't be that much more expensive?

Heineken is a bit of an enigma, sometimes it tastes great and sometimes it tastes like crap. Certainly not our best beer, that would be Hertog Jan or Brand.

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Originally Posted by Fragony

Heineken is a bit of an enigma, sometimes it tastes great and sometimes it tastes like crap. Certainly not our best beer, that would be Hertog Jan or Brand.

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Zijt ge heel zot. La trappe, de enige Nederlandse trappist, owns Hertog Jan en Brand by far!

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Originally Posted by Moros

Zijt ge heel zot. La trappe, de enige Nederlandse trappist, owns Hertog Jan en Brand by far!

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Didn't know that was dutch, it's indeed pretty good. Nah I'll just get the quality beers from you guys nobody can beat the belgium brewers. Hertog Jan and Brand are excellent pils though, especially Brand, imho the best pils in the world comes from the czech republic, and Brand gets it ingredients there, it's the closest we got to that bliss.

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Originally Posted by Moros

Duvel indeed is one of the best beers. If not the best. Its sad you have to pay that much for Duvel in the US. I like Leffe too. What Leffe are/were you drinking if I may ask? Though I can't understand you liking Heineken :no:. How much is a stella six-pack , it can't be that much more expensive?

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I was drinking the Leffe Blond. That stuff laid me out; I was surprised.

Never had Stella Artrois... perhaps I should give it a taste. Then again, Heineken is a good dinner-beer; it is watery enough to be refreshing, but it still tastes a kinda like real beer.

Edit: If you were talking about the Trappist I had once, by the way, that was some of the worst beer I have ever had. :brood: It tasted like funky apple juice.

Gotta second Fragony, Czech pils is easily my favourite beer. Perhaps it is indicative that at the party I had last weekend, all the Czech beer I laid on got drunk, and I was left with a whole case of Becks which someone had brought :thumbsdown:

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Originally Posted by Reverend Joe

I was drinking the Leffe Blond. That stuff laid me out; I was surprised.

Never had Stella Artrois... perhaps I should give it a taste. Then again, Heineken is a good dinner-beer; it is watery enough to be refreshing, but it still tastes a kinda like real beer.

Edit: If you were talking about the Trappist I had once, by the way, that was some of the worst beer I have ever had. :brood: It tasted like funky apple juice.

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funky apple juice Trappist? Are you sure you didn't pop some Cider?

Anyway when it comes to pils well Czech pils indeed is good. If you want something light and refreshing you might want to try a Hoegaarden. Which is the perfect summerbeer. Add a slice of orange and it's even better. You shouldn't use Lemon like the dutch do, but orange. Cause it actually has Orange in it.

Another light refreshing beer is Rodenbach. A bit sour, but great when you are thirstie.

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Originally Posted by Moros

Add a slice of orange and it's even better. You shouldn't use Lemon like the dutch do, but orange. Cause it actually has Orange in it. .

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Didn't know that, got to try that. It's also good with lemon though.

Too bad you didn't like it. Anyway I'm going to pop a botle of rodenbach and take a short break from learning. I hate exam periods.

Well it was a rather sugary orange didn't really work, I'll try a more sour variety.

I've never understood adding orange flavor to beer. Is it really supposed to improve the flavor?

Then again, the only beers I have ever had with orange flavor were bottled with the flavor added already. I never liked it; I think it detracts from and hides the flavor of the actual beer. These weren't cheap beers, either; they were American pale ales.

It's for a special type of beer that is only made in Belgium and Holland,' witbier' (' white beer')

http://www.hoegaarden.com/_img/witbier.png

It's very refreshing, a tad sour, shouldn't see it as traditional beer.

see my beer review. for more info. (Or was I lazy that day?)

I've just found an excellent new small Welsh brewery-Rhymney. I think they're based in Merthyr Tydfil, and I doubt anyone outside of Wales will ever see any of their ales, but if you do I heartily recommend them. Their stout, in particular, is delicious, wonderfully chocolatey.

Found a place that sells Carlsberg Elephant Malt Liquor. :2thumbsup: Ten dollars a six-pack, but that's all you need to get ripped for the night.

6 bottles to get ripped? Dear god where are the times that'd work for me.

Does the job for me, never drink more then that, 3 or 4 in weekends usually