This (not) Bud's for you old_gregg: the official craft beer thread.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

This made me think of our own mpfunk
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[Blueintheface]

Ha!

[MartyFunkhouser]

This made me think of our own mpfunk
[ATTACH]7059[/ATTACH]

FTR, I like Arrogant Bastard Ale.

Things have been pretty boring these days on the Utah beer scene. Nothing really exciting has come up in the past month or so, but I think that will be changing soon. I keep furiously checking for Red Rock's release date of Forbidden Peach. I'm hoping that they do a Saturday release so I don't have to take time off work to get a couple of bottles. I'm also hoping to get some lead time to get a babysitter so that I can go with Mrs. Funk and get 4 bottles instead of 2.

[creekster]

I'm also hoping to get some lead time to get a babysitter so that I can go with Mrs. Funk and get 4 bottles instead of 2.

You really know how to show a woman a good time.

[Pheidippides]

Wait, there's a whole thread for this?

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[Jeff Lebowski]

Wait, there's a whole thread for this?

There is a hockey thread too. God help us.

[Pheidippides]

There is a hockey thread too. God help us.

Mpfunk can keep the hockey to himself.

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[MartyFunkhouser]

There is a hockey thread too. God help us.

At least I haven't started a comic book thread yet.

[Pheidippides]

Okay. Let's now get serious. Texas is not the beer state that Colorado and Oregon are but we have some decent offerings in Houston. St. Arnold's is the older one but for my money the best place in town is Karbach. Their Weisse Versa is my favorite wheat beer, and when I want to go the other way their Hop Delusion is shockingly good for something over 100 IBUs. They also have a bourbon barrel aged stout that is amazing but a bit harder to get. Extra points for a great beer garden that had one of the best heavy metal cover bands I have heard on a Thursday. They have made exactly one bad beer and that is it.

If I'm going to reach outside of Houston I'm going to say Dogfish Head (and especially their 90 minute IPA), just about everything Lagunitas does, and Deschutes Mirror Pond. Oddly, the best pilsner I've had goes to Sam Adams and their Noble Pils (which I have had exactly once). Pilsner Urquell is also magnificent if you can find one that isn't skunked from the Atlantic voyage. And in Houston the St. Arnold's 5'o'clock Pils has earned it's reputation.

Beer brewed with fruit is for people who are tired of being made fun of for drinking Leinenkugel all the time but are still not able to put on their big boy pants and drink something solid. This is especially true if the beer in question is Abita. Exception can be made for a grapefruit sculpin but nothing else.

I had some great beers in London this year but since I can't get them here I promptly forgot their names. Also, the Biergarten in the Germany portion of Epcot is fun. I had a mug that made a Super Big Gulp look small by comparison, after which I danced the polka (literally true, and pictures exist). A good time to be sure.

[Flystripper]

Comments from above - Deschutes Fresh Squeezed is my favorite of their offering. Not a huge fan of the Dogfish Head stuff. Its ok but I just think there is better stuff here in socal.

Favorites right now:

Pretty much anything by Nobel Ale Works: Galaxy Showers for a double IPA, Big Whig for a single, and if you are in CA you have to try Naughty Sauce its a golden milk stout with coffee and its served on a nitro tap. I am not a stout guy but it is amazing. I order it every time I see it.

El Segundo Brewing Company is putting out great stuff. Very IPA focused (It is SoCal after all) They are all great and they even have a beer called Broken Skull that is co-marketed with Stone Cold Steve Austin so you know its bad ass. Hop Tanker or Two Five Left are my favorites though.

Stone's "Enjoy By" series is very good but they just finished up Enjoy By 7-4 and i don't know when the next release is. Can you get Enjoy By in other states? If you can get it you should try it. Its the best beer Stone makes by far.

Knee Deep Brewing Company is also very IPA focused but that have some awesome ones...Breaking Bud or Hoptoligist are my go to selections from these guys

This is what I am drinking lately.

[Pheidippides]

Comments from above - Deschutes Fresh Squeezed is my favorite of their offering. Not a huge fan of the Dogfish Head stuff. Its ok but I just think there is better stuff here in socal.

Favorites right now:

Pretty much by Nobel Ale Works: Galaxy Showers for a double IPA, Big Whig for a single, and if you are in CA you have to try Naughty Sauce its a golden milk stout with coffee and its served on a nitro tap. I am not a stout guy but it is amazing. I order it every time I see it.

El Segundo Brewing Company is putting out great stuff. Very IPA focused (It is SoCal after all) They are all great and they even have a beer called Broken Skull that is co-marketed with Stone Cold Steve Austin so you know its bad ass. Hop Tanker or Two Five Left are my favorites though.

Stone's "Enjoy By" series is very good but they just finished up Enjoy By 7-4 and i don't know when the next release is. Can you get Enjoy By in other states? If you can get it you should try it. Its the best beer Stone makes by far.

Knee Deep Brewing Company is also very IPA focused but that have some awesome ones...Breaking Bud or Hoptoligist are my go to selections from these guys

This is what I am drinking lately.

Not all of those are available in my area. I do love fresh squeezed - how do you feel about their pine drops?

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[MartyFunkhouser]

Okay. Let's now get serious. Texas is not the beer state that Colorado and Oregon are but we have some decent offerings in Houston. St. Arnold's is the older one but for my money the best place in town is Karbach. Their Weisse Versa is my favorite wheat beer, and when I want to go the other way their Hop Delusion is shockingly good for something over 100 IBUs. They also have a bourbon barrel aged stout that is amazing but a bit harder to get. Extra points for a great beer garden that had one of the best heavy metal cover bands I have heard on a Thursday. They have made exactly one bad beer and that is it.

If I'm going to reach outside of Houston I'm going to say Dogfish Head (and especially their 90 minute IPA), just about everything Lagunitas does, and Deschutes Mirror Pond. Oddly, the best pilsner I've had goes to Sam Adams and their Noble Pils (which I have had exactly once). Pilsner Urquell is also magnificent if you can find one that isn't skunked from the Atlantic voyage. And in Houston the St. Arnold's 5'o'clock Pils has earned it's reputation.

Beer brewed with fruit is for people who are tired of being made fun of for drinking Leinenkugel all the time but are still not able to put on their big boy pants and drink something solid. This is especially true if the beer in question is Abita. Exception can be made for a grapefruit sculpin but nothing else.

I had some great beers in London this year but since I can't get them here I promptly forgot their names. Also, the Biergarten in the Germany portion of Epcot is fun. I had a mug that made a Super Big Gulp look small by comparison, after which I danced the polka (literally true, and pictures exist). A good time to be sure.

Lagunitas and Deschutes both make good beer. However, I just don't drink it that much because I think I can get local stuff that is just as good or better and I like supporting the local breweries. I don't care what any says, Utah has good breweries.

If you are a pilsner fan (I'm not a big fan), next time you are in Utah give Bohemian's pilsner a try. It is really good for a pilsner, but kind of boring as I see all pilsners for the most part.

With your fruit beers comment, I think you aren't making the proper exceptions for sours. I'm not a fan of most fruit beers, most of it falls into your category. Sours are a whole different ballgame. There are some fantastic sours that have fruit in them. Paardebloem is outstanding. I had a couple of sours at Great Notion in Portland that had fruit in them and were really good. Seriously, you need to try some sours/wild ales.

[MartyFunkhouser]

Comments from above - Deschutes Fresh Squeezed is my favorite of their offering. Not a huge fan of the Dogfish Head stuff. Its ok but I just think there is better stuff here in socal.

Favorites right now:

Pretty much by Nobel Ale Works: Galaxy Showers for a double IPA, Big Whig for a single, and if you are in CA you have to try Naughty Sauce its a golden milk stout with coffee and its served on a nitro tap. I am not a stout guy but it is amazing. I order it every time I see it.

El Segundo Brewing Company is putting out great stuff. Very IPA focused (It is SoCal after all) They are all great and they even have a beer called Broken Skull that is co-marketed with Stone Cold Steve Austin so you know its bad ass. Hop Tanker or Two Five Left are my favorites though.

Stone's "Enjoy By" series is very good but they just finished up Enjoy By 7-4 and i don't know when the next release is. Can you get Enjoy By in other states? If you can get it you should try it. Its the best beer Stone makes by far.

Knee Deep Brewing Company is also very IPA focused but that have some awesome ones...Breaking Bud or Hoptoligist are my go to selections from these guys

This is what I am drinking lately.

I need to just take a pilgrimage to SoCal to try Nobel and El Segundo. I think you have mentioned those to me before. Distribution into Utah sucks. There is good local stuff, but not distribution into the state. Never seen Stone Enjoy By anywhere that I've gone. However, RedBird made a comment about having one earlier and he is in the Northeast, so clearly there is some distribution.

Any SoCal sours that you would recommend?

[Bo Diddley]

I had some great beers in London this year but since I can't get them here I promptly forgot their names. Also, the Biergarten in the Germany portion of Epcot is fun. I had a mug that made a Super Big Gulp look small by comparison, after which I danced the polka (literally true, and pictures exist). A good time to be sure.

This is actually my favorite restaurant at Epcot. I go there for the food...

[Pheidippides]

Lagunitas and Deschutes both make good beer. However, I just don't drink it that much because I think I can get local stuff that is just as good or better and I like supporting the local breweries. I don't care what any says, Utah has good breweries.

If you are a pilsner fan (I'm not a big fan), next time you are in Utah give Bohemian's pilsner a try. It is really good for a pilsner, but kind of boring as I see all pilsners for the most part.

With your fruit beers comment, I think you aren't making the proper exceptions for sours. I'm not a fan of most fruit beers, most of it falls into your category. Sours are a whole different ballgame. There are some fantastic sours that have fruit in them. Paardebloem is outstanding. I had a couple of sours at Great Notion in Portland that had fruit in them and were really good. Seriously, you need to try some sours/wild ales.

Sours and lambics are their own thing and do not deserve to be lumped into whatever monstrosity brewed that Abita Strawberry Ale I had once.

Seriously, Louisiana, you are supposed to be about drunkards. You have the most relaxed open container law in the country. You have drive through margarita places. You also have terrible beer.

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