state your beer, drinkers

[Clockwork_killa]

this is an interesting topic. i did some research. i am by no means an expert but i think you've oversimplified the process: lambic by definition doesn't necessarily have to have fruit flavors, only fruit lambics have to. what i was able to find out from the Cantillon brewery website, in their very detailed description of how they make their Kriek (cherry lambic), was that they take some half-mature lambic and then add the fruit. then the beer matures more before it's ready to drink.

i consider Cantillon information pretty reliable as they are a well-respected, family-run brewery.

from the Lindemann's website:Wikipedia has lots of info on lambic but none about when fruit is added. it does, however, mention how many fruit lambics are considered "lower quality" by beer enthusiasts, though it does not mention why. I suspect this is because many lambics are sweetened, whereas hardcore lambic-drinkers prefer the extremely sour, unsweetened (yet still fruit-flavored) varieties. but i don't think it has to do with when the fruit is added: it's the addition of sugar that makes a lambic sweet, not when the fruit is added.

Lambic isnt neccesarily fruity, but many of them are like Kriek or Pecheresse(peach), Gueuze lambic however isnt fruity.

Lindemans is (for the most part) still Lambic, its brewed the same way and Im quite sure there are strict regulations on brewing processes and naming, not all Lindemans is Lambic though, some of the stuff they make are basically girls drinks but those dont call themselves lambic. Calling it the "wine cooler of beers" is a bit unfair, I will however say that while Lindemans is well known it is by no means the best example of Lambic, I find their beers too sweet, Mort Subite and Timmermans are better in my opinion. I should probably mention that I lived in belgium for 18 years, so I do know a thing or two.

[theetruscan]

Lambic isnt neccesarily fruity, but many of them are like Kriek or Pecheresse(peach), Gueuze lambic however isnt fruity.

Lindemans is (for the most part) still Lambic, its brewed the same way and Im quite sure there are strict regulations on brewing processes and naming, not all Lindemans is Lambic though, some of the stuff they make are basically girls drinks but those dont call themselves lambic. Calling it the "wine cooler of beers" is a bit unfair, I will however say that while Lindemans is well known it is by no means the best example of Lambic, I find their beers too sweet, Mort Subite and Timmermans are better in my opinion. I should probably mention that I lived in belgium for 18 years, so I do know a thing or two.

I said that the Lindeman's lambics are like wine coolers, not lambics in general, not at all. Specifically the ones that add juice/fruit at the end. Real lambics are like more sophisticated wild ales, and are incredible.

[Clockwork_killa]

I said that the Lindeman's lambics are like wine coolers, not lambics in general, not at all. Specifically the ones that add juice/fruit at the end. Real lambics are like more sophisticated wild ales, and are incredible.

Yeah, I know, I was mainly talking about Lindemans, I guess my post wasnt particularly clear though, sorry.

[mojinho]

people from quebec should not complain about beer choice try living in ontario!

or brazil, motherfuckers

[theetruscan]

or brazil, motherfuckers

I'll mail you cases of microbrews, send me loads of beautiful brazilians!

[ahk1979]

Just throw the dogfish head festina peche in the garbage now. I'm saving you the time it takes to open, pour, taste, and recoil in horror.

Enjoy the rest of them though.

just drank it now and it wasn't all that bad. not my beer style of choice, but i would drink it again on warm summers day. much better than the last Berliner Weisse that I tried.

[chronoaug]

The peach thing isn't even beer though. Isn't it just a malt beverage like their version of smirnoff ice? I've never had berliner weisse but i'll remember to steer clear.

Thanks for the lambic recs. I'm going to make a short list and check the 2 decent stores. If not, i'll have to get it at that bar but since it's a bar, it's about 1.5x the price.

[totally epic]

Berliner weisse = cringe.

[mojinho]

I'll mail you cases of microbrews, send me loads of beautiful brazilians!

bodacious brazilian are on their way, they fold up nice and compact (except the boobs) in a standard-rate envelope

[JohnnyLaw]

people from quebec should not complain about beer choice try living in ontario!

Quebec has a lot of very good microbreweries. I'll give you that. But as far as imports go, the SAQ doesn't give a damn about beer. We can't get a single American microbrew in the province unless we import privately (prohibitively expensive). On the other hand, I've had some pretty good pickups at the LCBO like Westmalle, Thomas Hardy, Dogfish Head, etc.

Overall though, you're right that Quebec is the better province.

[englandmj7]

For those of you in LA, The Third Stop (a wine/beer bar by the Beverly Center) has some excellent deals throughout the week. Just stopped by last night and they had bottles of Hitachino Red Rice Ale and pints of Young's Oatmeal Stout for $4 each. Considering how expensive going out generally is in LA (and that Red Rice Ale is usually $4.99 a bottle in stores), it's a great spot.

They have about 40 or so beers on tap, including:

Allagash White

Bernardus Tripel

Delirium Tremens

Lindeman's Framboise

Unibroue Maudite

Chimay

Old Rasputin

Not the best beer bar ever, but definitely the best in West LA.

[Thorns]

I've been finding it really interesting to see the differences between east and west coast in beer selection/tastes. It seems west coast is much bigger on imports no? While east coasters seem to be bigger on our local micros.

[theetruscan]

The Trappist in Oakland is something special.

Gotta run through what I tried.

Fantome Saison - nice farmhouse ale, little more sour than I was expecting, not really worth the $24, but entirely pleasant, and nicely nuanced. It's somewhere between the milder farmhouses and the more aggressive sours. Fun, excellent, not quite worth the asking price.

Lost Abbey Devotion - a depressingly boring beer. A kick of hops at the end gave it something at least, but it wasn't worth remembering.

Rodenbach Grand Cru - this beer tastes like balsamic vinegar. I dunno even how to say it beyond that. It tastes like balsamic vinegar, but AWESOME! If you find this get it.

Duchess De Bourgougne - Simply fantastic, wonderful sour beer. Something to remember and drink again and again.

Boelens Bieken Honey Ale - Nice sweet beer, I don't like sweet beer but it was pleasant.

Tried 3-4 more after that, but . . . ummm, fuck, I dunno what they were, or anything. Sometimes you forget that nice beer still has alcohol. Then we got back to the hotel and my room ended up covered in blood and pringles. Ah well.

[ak]

coopers sparking ale

coopers pale ale

and anything by little creatures

[englandmj7]

I've been finding it really interesting to see the differences between east and west coast in beer selection/tastes. It seems west coast is much bigger on imports no? While east coasters seem to be bigger on our local micros.

I wouldn't necessarily say so.

We have thousands of local micros here as well and usually always have a few varieties of them in most of our bars. Craftsman, Lost Coast, Bison, Russian River, Rogue, etc, etc

[kiya]

england, don't forget the high and mighty Stone Brewing.

[Nullsleep]

In no particular order ...

Westmalle Tripel

Tripel Karmeliet

Rochefort 10

Kasteel Blonde

Abbaye des Rocs Grand Cru

Gouden Carolus Grand Cru

Chimay Blue

Hitachino Nest Real Ginger Brew

Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

[theetruscan]

england, don't forget the high and mighty Stone Brewing.

San Diego isn't local!

[englandmj7]

San Diego isn't local!

It's local as "west coast" goes......

[chronoaug]

I had a bottle of Nostradamus the other night and it was a really tasty belgian brown ale. It was 9% but tasted a bit lighter than that. Had a bit of sweetness to it and really enjoyable.

Just a thought from the above guy's list: Am i the only one who doesn't like Chimay Blue? I had it a few nights ago and just didn't enjoy it all that much. Can't put my finger on why.

[alf]

For those of you in LA, The Third Stop (a wine/beer bar by the Beverly Center) has some excellent deals throughout the week. Just stopped by last night and they had bottles of Hitachino Red Rice Ale and pints of Young's Oatmeal Stout for $4 each. Considering how expensive going out generally is in LA (and that Red Rice Ale is usually $4.99 a bottle in stores), it's a great spot.

Not the best beer bar ever, but definitely the best in West LA.

Those are good prices. I was gonna try that place last week but gave up when we couldn't find free parking. Ended up at barney's, which sucked. Must try again and pay valet.

[englandmj7]

Those are good prices. I was gonna try that place last week but gave up when we couldn't find free parking. Ended up at barney's, which sucked. Must try again and pay valet.

Yeah; I think there's only one street around there that you can park on without a permit. Fortunately, I can pretty much walk there, so I don't have to hassle with parking. The nightly specials are great, but all other draft beers are $6, no matter what you get, every night. For something plain like Guinness, it's a bit on the high end, but when you get a big glass of Delirium for that price, it kind of equalizes out.

[totally epic]

I've been finding it really interesting to see the differences between east and west coast in beer selection/tastes. It seems west coast is much bigger on imports no? While east coasters seem to be bigger on our local micros.

Well, in Seattle at least, we have Merchant du Vin to thank for that.

Fantome Saison - nice farmhouse ale, little more sour than I was expecting, not really worth the $24, but entirely pleasant, and nicely nuanced. It's somewhere between the milder farmhouses and the more aggressive sours. Fun, excellent, not quite worth the asking price.

Pretty much what I thought. Too subtle for $20+/bottle.

[Clockwork_killa]

In no particular order ...

Westmalle Tripel

Tripel Karmeliet

Rochefort 10

Kasteel Blonde

Abbaye des Rocs Grand Cru

Gouden Carolus Grand Cru

Chimay Blue

Hitachino Nest Real Ginger Brew

Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA

Westmalle is easily my favourite trappiste beer. Does anyone like Maredsous, the brune (brown) is really good, also barbar which is made with honey is fantastic but far too easy to forget how strong it actually is.

[theetruscan]

Checked out the Monk's Kettle in SF. Overpriced, but the beer menu is really nice in the amount of detail they give you.

Tried:

Collaboration - something done by Russian River and Avery. Something of a very sweet beer. First sip was the most Belgian taste of any American beer that I've ever had. Ended up kind of settling into tasting like North Coast Old Stock but with a bit more sweet and a bit more complexity. Very nice, too sweet for me. Kiya mentioned barnyard, but in a good way (I think).

Girardin Gueuze - Nice enough sour ale. Fairly simple, could have had a little more sugar actually. Worth a taste for sure though, very nice. Rodenbach is better and nicer to my tastes, but if you really love sour this has a severity that you will love!

Had a little taste of Duchess again, while fewer than 12 bottles into the evening. My god is that a nice beer.

[Thorns]

I wasn't saying you guys don't HAVE plenty of good micros. Obviously you guys have a great selection, what I was referring to was how it seems like the population of west coast beer drinkers here tend to gravitate towards imports at a higher rate than east coasters. I guess the social scientist in me is constantly looking for changes in population tendencies.

[totally epic]

I don't think it's the same all along the West coast. For example, Whole Foods in Seattle carries a LOT of Belgian & German beers because that's what this town likes. I went to a Whole Foods in Portland and it was mostly domestic micros, with only a few Belgians.

[Thorns]

Is there a larger population of europeans in seattle vs portland you think? Or what do you think the change in selection would be attributed to?

[theetruscan]

Is there a larger population of europeans in seattle vs portland you think? Or what do you think the change in selection would be attributed to?

Probably that portland has literally a few hundred more breweries than Seattle?

[benjaminarnold]

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Edited November 29, 2021 by benjaminarnold