Commercial Beer Recomendations

There is really no rhyme or reason to how I chose beer at the liquor store. I usually try to get something I haven't had before and sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. Now I thought I would start this thread so that people can recommended good beers you have tried lately so others can go into liquor stores with an idea of what to look for. So anyone have any suggestions they would like to share? Lately I've been drinking mostly stouts and have a case of Guinness Extra stout on hand and I really wish i had guinnes draught instead but you learn by trying. Any help is appreciated.

I enjoy New Belgian beers. Favorite ones are Ranger IPA, mighty arrow, 1554, & fat tire. For stouts I like old rasputin, samuel adams cream stout, & Founder's breakfast stout. Sierra Nevada also has a bunch of good beers.

Anything Stone.

90 min Imperial IPA, Dogfish head brewery.. its a must try beer

Lagunitas makes some good hoppy stuff. Kona makes some good beer as well (I'll go with pipeline porter as my fav from Kona). Can't really go wrong with Sierra Nevada either... The tough thing with this question is that I like almost all beers, just depends on my mood.

Alaskan ESB - I had it last weekend (on the way home from Costco ) and it was nice. My wife, not a hops person at all, was able to tolerate it also.

1554 from new belgium is a very tasty and unique brew. My favorite commercial beer going right now is Hazed and Infused from Boulder Brewing. Its a awesome APA with a huge hop flavor, they use a small portion of roasted barley in the grain bill too that adds a little something that we aren't quite used to getting in a pale ale. I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't had it. Now is also the time to pick up Sierra Nevada's Celebration ale if you like IPAs.

In Indiana? Not sure what's distributed there. I think I'd start at beertown.org, pull up the list of local micros, and try their offerings of your favorite styles, dry stout I'd assume.

Best beer I had in the Midwest? Hmm... Summit maibock, bells two hearted, rahr helles those are all I can think of at the moment

How about some Belgians? Brewery Ommegang makes some fine beers. I especially like the Ommegang Witte. Hoegaarden is an awesome wheat beer. Then there are the trappist ales. Once you go trappist you don't go back.

Belgians are hit and miss for me. I only wanted to spend $20 today so ended up just getting a 12 pack of sierra nevada and guiness foreign extra stout the guy at the liquor store threw in some organic beer for free because i told him i was a homebrewer and wanted the bottles.

Mendocino Brewing's Oatmeal Stout
Rogue's Dead Guy Ale
Rogue's Mocha Porter
Sierra Nevada Celebration 2010

My friend, you have opened a can of worms. When I go into the store (you can buy beer a liquor store??), I usually just pick out some things that I have heard of, or that just sound good to me at the time. Try to find some local Indiana brews, I usually have good luck with my local micros. As far as more widely distributed ones, I would roll with anything Stone or Founder's.

had a few magic hat encores tonight for the first time. very good ipa. i hope my batch i have in the fermenter now turns out just like it.

droopy77 said:

had a few magic hat encores tonight for the first time. very good ipa. i hope my batch i have in the fermenter now turns out just like it.

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I enjoyed the encores that were in the last magic hat sampler I bought too, the rest of the beers were sub par in my opinion though. Well I guess their "dark as night" black lager was pretty good.

sportscrazed2 said:

Now I thought I would start this thread so that people can recommended good beers you have tried lately so others can go into liquor stores with an idea of what to look for.

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At random:

Anything by Hangar 24, Goose Island, Ballast Point or Firestone Walker.
Allagash Black
Avery White Rascal
St Bernardus Abt 12
Lost Abbey Inferno

My general MO is to always try to grab a sixer of something new that I haven't tried and usually whatever I'm into at the moment.

In no particular order:

MacTarnahan's Winter HumBug'r (the labels come off the bombers really easy)
BridgePort's Hop Czar, Blue Heron, IPA, ESB
Deschutes Inversion, Cinder Cone Red, Black Butte Porter
Rogue Mocha Porter, Dead Guy
Ninkasi Double Believer Red, Total Domination, Tricerahops, Oatis

Lots more

All Bells beers are pretty good especially Hopslam and Two Hearted. For trappist I am really enjoying Rochefort 10 right now. Also, we are getting pretty close to Samichlaus season!:cross:

If you liive in Indiana, you've got to try some beer from Three Floyd's. Their Dreadnaught IPA is my favorite in the world.

Some of my favorites as well as a good variety of styles:

Three Floyds Alpha King
Stone Oaked Arrogan Bastard
Troeggs Mad Elf (seasonal for the holidays - 12 or 13% ABV)
Gulden Draak
Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout
Traquair House

Also, if you have a phone with internet access, you can check out www.beeradovcate.com while you are at the store to check ratings and comments.

Let us know what you choose and your thoughts about them.

So much depends on location...in Colorado I love Oscar Blues-Gubna is my fav. Odell IPA is also excellent and Avery Out of Bounds Stout are some favs. In Minnesota where I'm headed as I type it's all about Surly Furious!!!!

eljefe said:

Also, if you have a phone with internet access, you can check out www.beeradovcate.com while you are at the store to check ratings and comments.

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My local grocery store has the beer labeled with Bearadvocate ratings on anything with a B+ or above. :rockin:

Mongrel said:

My local grocery store has the beer labeled with Bearadvocate ratings on anything with a B+ or above. :rockin:

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I am jealous.

Unfortunately in PA, you can't buy beer in grocery stores. Worse yet, you either have to buy a full case ($100+ for belgians and limited edition micros) or you have to buy 200% mark up at a designated bottle shop. Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout is $120 for a case or $12 per 12 oz bottle in a bottle shop.

There are some grocery stores starting to find ways to bend the rules and sell beer in a "cafe". Their prices are a lot better, but there aren't that many.

Anything from Sweetwater (provided they distribute that far north), but especially the 420 Extra Pale Ale and Blue.

MJDore said:

Anything from Sweetwater (provided they distribute that far north), but especially the 420 Extra Pale Ale and Blue.

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This. I got a Sweetwater 420 for 99 cents at a Mexican restaurant the other day. I can tell you for sure that it tasted better than the 4 dollar one I had a few weeks before.

@ eljefe - look around for a Wegman's or Whole Foods - both of them have broken the code on beer sales in grocery stores in PA (have a food court and a place to sit). There are a couple of them in my area and it's great.

And back on topic - I always recommend that you buy local, whatever that is, for many reasons:

1. There are great brewers everywhere - buying local encourages this proliferation, which is a good thing. Bigger is not necessarily better in brewing.

2. It's "greener" - by not consuming the fuel required to transport a high weight, low cube (i.e., expensive to ship) product a long way.

3. Beer is notoriously fragile unless careful "cold chain management" techniques are employed. There is risk of light and especially heat exposure.

SteveM

I am in Pgh and unfortunately Wegmans has not ventured into our area. There is one in Erie that has a decent selection and good prices. We have Giant Eagle and some of the stores are starting to sell six packs (none near me though). There is a rumor that the one by us will start selling shortly.

Have you ever been to the Beeryard in your area? Someone sent me a link and it looked they had a good selection. My friend bought a keg of Mad Elf. Needless to say he is and will be enjoying his holidays.