Beer Reviews - Would you read them?

[Vandamguy]

problem solved

DisableMicrobrews=Y

[Dtrain323i]

Well if we want to start this off, we need to decide on a beer. It should be one that is pretty easy to find across the country (or at least where the reviewers live). As soon as my wife's grandfather pulls through for me, I'll be able to do a review of some "special" rye whiskey.

[Duck, Duck, Goose]

American beer sucks.

European ftw.

[SAVAGE-0]

Mainstream American beer sucks.

European ftw.

ftfy

its true though... the shit beer over there tastes like beer... not piss unlike here

[Dtrain323i]

I don't touch mainstream american beer outside of Sam Adams. I get all of my beer from this place that just opened up by my house called Brix. It's a wine bar/store. They have everything from Two Buck Chuck to $1,000 magnums of some rare french wine.


They also have a back cooler dedicated to all manner of small craft beers and microbrews. My personal favorite is Breckenridge Vanilla Porter.

[rumsfald]

for the "featured beer of the week"

the coordinator (I nominate karrde, since he started this thread) would designate/hound the volunteer feature beer host

we (you asshole drunks reading this read) would all volunteer to be feature beer hosts

the coordinator would compile a list of volunteer hosts, likely by alphabetical order (cause we're all louses and can't keep track of complicated shit.)

The volunteer beer host has these responsibilities
- post their featured beer-of-the-week on Sunday (or whenever).
- buy some of said beer (easy step)
- drink some (easier)
- participate in the discussion that ensues after posting.

Each week, the volunteer switches, so if we have 8 people that means you get to go once every two months.

The community of enjoyers (those of us who aren't hosting)
- make a good-faith effort to find said brew, if we can
- drink
- discuss

If some people want to consistently find hard-to-find brews, the will soon be discovered. That doesn't mean they can't host...they can! it just means the more esoteric you pick, the less participation you are likely to have. I think the goal of this is to have fun, share new brews, and have fun. Not to show off your beer-penis or play stumper.

[copulatingduck]

[quote author=Caffeine link=topic=4905.msg169444#msg169444 date=1281929693]
Read them? I would drink them  8)

also the featured beer thing... I'd totally also write a little ditty about the same one - see how we vary.

one of the guys on my trip tried 85 different beers in the 35 days and kept a little beer log... he's moving to boston soon for MIT, so I'm sure he'd be into this, so long as we can find the beers you try in boston
[/quote]

i forget what it was called, but while i was in philly chatting up liquor store owners, i heard about a store in i think Allentown, PA which the proprietor described as "The Mecca of Beer Enthusiasts on the East Coast." Apparently it has the largets selection by far, the owner is a huge beer nerd, carries 100's upon 100's of different microbrews, has an insanely huge warehouse, likes to display everything in pyramids.... I could go on and on. I was literally salivating just listening to this guy talk about the store. I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the place though, but i figure if i make like toucan sam and just follow my nose ill find it eventually once i head back to boston to finish my degree

[copulatingduck]

also, i'd like to throw the idea of doing this bi-weekly out there, in order to give working stiffs (yay that's me now!) ample time to track down, purchase, and partake in said beer. if people don't have ample time to track down a beer, there won't be much conversation and if there's no convo going i worry that enthusiasm will die off pretty quickly.

one other thing: it would probably be a nice idea to pick hosts at least 1 week in advance. that way, say I'm making a trip to buy beer for Karrde's week. If I know I'm going to be the host for the following week, I can browse around the store while I'm there and save myself a trip. I live in a dry county, so if I could save myself a 45 minute drive both ways it would be much appreciated.

[ZargonX]

for the "featured beer of the week"

the coordinator (I nominate karrde, since he started this thread) would designate/hound the volunteer feature beer host

we (you asshole drunks reading this read) would all volunteer to be feature beer hosts

the coordinator would compile a list of volunteer hosts, likely by alphabetical order (cause we're all louses and can't keep track of complicated shit.)

The volunteer beer host has these responsibilities
- post their featured beer-of-the-week on Sunday (or whenever).
- buy some of said beer (easy step)
- drink some (easier)
- participate in the discussion that ensues after posting.

Each week, the volunteer switches, so if we have 8 people that means you get to go once every two months.

The community of enjoyers (those of us who aren't hosting)
- make a good-faith effort to find said brew, if we can
- drink
- discuss

If some people want to consistently find hard-to-find brews, the will soon be discovered. That doesn't mean they can't host...they can! it just means the more esoteric you pick, the less participation you are likely to have. I think the goal of this is to have fun, share new brews, and have fun. Not to show off your beer-penis or play stumper.

This is a plan I can get behind.

[at0m]

I need to get in on some good brands of beer, i'm sick of getting stared at when I order a Rum & Coke in a business setting because I don't drink Beer >_< then when I order a second while they're on their third beer, everyone thinks I'm an alchy :\

[copulatingduck]

u could get jack and coke for variety? :-*

[at0m]

or i could lrn2beer :\

[copulatingduck]

yea, there's also that. for me it was v much an acquired taste, so really all it takes is some amount of dedication, the funds, and maybe some friends to help guide or motivate if you're completely out of your element. review thingy should be a good learning experience, i hope it happens

[shadowcast]

yea, there's also that. for me it was v much an acquired taste, so really all it takes is some amount of dedication, the funds, and maybe some friends to help guide or motivate if you're completely out of your element. review thingy should be a good learning experience, i hope it happens

Yeah, If find that many of the odd european and microbrews are an aquired taste.  Examples of this would be the Dutchess and the rejewvenator(which is "infused with concord grape juice") neither of which I can ever find myself interested in drinking.  Thank god there are tons more that I love. =)

Also:

[quote author=rumsfald link=topic=4905.msg169911#msg169911 date=1282185441]
for the "featured beer of the week"

the coordinator (I nominate karrde, since he started this thread) would designate/hound the volunteer feature beer host

we (you asshole drunks reading this read) would all volunteer to be feature beer hosts

the coordinator would compile a list of volunteer hosts, likely by alphabetical order (cause we're all louses and can't keep track of complicated shit.)

The volunteer beer host has these responsibilities
- post their featured beer-of-the-week on Sunday (or whenever).
- buy some of said beer (easy step)
- drink some (easier)
- participate in the discussion that ensues after posting.

Each week, the volunteer switches, so if we have 8 people that means you get to go once every two months.

The community of enjoyers (those of us who aren't hosting)
- make a good-faith effort to find said brew, if we can
- drink
- discuss

If some people want to consistently find hard-to-find brews, the will soon be discovered. That doesn't mean they can't host...they can! it just means the more esoteric you pick, the less participation you are likely to have. I think the goal of this is to have fun, share new brews, and have fun. Not to show off your beer-penis or play stumper.

This is a MANI can get behind.
[/quote]

:-* Rummy and Karrde for organizing this shit.

[Dtrain323i]

I need to get in on some good brands of beer, i'm sick of getting stared at when I order a Rum & Coke in a business setting because I don't drink Beer >_< then when I order a second while they're on their third beer, everyone thinks I'm an alchy :\

try Sam Adams Cherry Wheat. It's a fruitier beer that can help get you started.

[A. Crow]

[quote author=at0m link=topic=4905.msg169945#msg169945 date=1282193542]
I need to get in on some good brands of beer, i'm sick of getting stared at when I order a Rum & Coke in a business setting because I don't drink Beer >_< then when I order a second while they're on their third beer, everyone thinks I'm an alchy :\

try Sam Adams Cherry Wheat. It's a fruitier beer that can help get you started.
[/quote]

Or, Grow a Set.

Like a boss.

[CaffeinePowered]

yea, there's also that. for me it was v much an acquired taste, so really all it takes is some amount of dedication, the funds, and maybe some friends to help guide or motivate if you're completely out of your element. review thingy should be a good learning experience, i hope it happens

You started where most of us start, drinking absolute piss (Milwaukee's Best, PBR, High Life, etc), then graduated to "good" beer. I think we should start Atom on something like Old Style or Keystone

[at0m]

Old Style or Keystone

Shit like that is why I don't drink beer, son.

[copulatingduck]

dont play edward 40hands, no matter how cool everybody says you'll be its never worth it!

[rumsfald]

ok, waiting for Karrde to chime in, since this is his inspiration. Don't wanna hijack his thread.

Bi-weekly is certainly a great suggestion, CDuck. I was actually thinking when I posted it that it'd be hard currently for me to scout as effectively for brews as I used to. every other week will help that.

If Karrde likes this general direction, then we can have a sign-up thread and project "volunteer hosts" out at least 5-6 weeks.

I volunteer to go first to take the pressure off.

And I think that good, dive-brews should not be discouraged. The other week I was feeling nostaligic, and kinda trashy, so I picked up Mickey's grenades for the first time in like 16 years. They were surprisingly better than I expected.