what beer were you pleasantly surprized with

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Steveruch

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Last X-mas I was given a gift set with a 22 ounce bottle of Stella Artois and 2 fancy glasses. I normally don't care for the light lager style and wouldn't have bought this for myself, but I gave this a go and it was pretty good. Better than any BMC that I remember drinking long ago in the dark ages.
 
Last X-mas I was given a gift set with a 22 ounce bottle of Stella Artois and 2 fancy glasses. I normally don't care for the light lager style and wouldn't have bought this for myself, but I gave this a go and it was pretty good. Better than any BMC that I remember drinking long ago in the dark ages.

You're not setting the bar very high for comparison.

I basically agree though; euro-lagers may not be the most exciting but most of them are of pretty solid quality for what they're trying to be.
 
I made an American pale ale last year and had noticed a possible start of an infection after one week in the primary. A friend said to add a pound or two of sugar to up the abv and it worked... no infection. Then it wouldnt clear despite cold crashing and a four week primary.

That beer was amazing! I had tons of compliments from noobs and brewing veterans alike. The batch didn't last long lol...
 
Once on a whim I bought a cheap case of a beer called "Hollandia". I did not expect much from it aside from being a BMC like Euro lager.

I was stunned! It was a fantastic pilsner. Once the case was finished I went back to buy another only to find it had been discontinued in this area. Have not been able get it since.
 
Peroni is a lager I enjoyed, and Boddington's was a pub beer that was surprisingly good for me.
 
Can't remember exactly how many years ago but, on one of the many business trips I made to LA, when staying over in Santa Monica at the sea shore motel I found the library alehouse. Until then I had only seen the usual crap on tap in pubs, Guinness, Sam Adams and the Newcastle brown abomination that you guys have over there that is NOTHING like the Newcy broon we drank in Blighty, being the better of all the evils. I was blown away by the pints of Allagash and Bear republic Racer 5 that I was served at the Library and was so relieved to find some decent beer to make my frequent biz trips over there even more enjoyable. :mug:
 
I made an American pale ale last year and had noticed a possible start of an infection after one week in the primary. A friend said to add a pound or two of sugar to up the abv and it worked... no infection. Then it wouldnt clear despite cold crashing and a four week primary.

That beer was amazing! I had tons of compliments from noobs and brewing veterans alike. The batch didn't last long lol...

That's a great tip
 
Pleasantly surprised by SA Nitro Coffee Stout. It's part of their nitro series. Comes in pint cans with a nitro widget that pops when you open the can. Very smooth and creamy with just the right amount of coffee. Not a fan of many SA brews anymore but this one I like. Also, their Old Fezziwig seasonal that comes out into their holiday assortment.
 
Around the corner, we have an Aldi's grocery store that has liquor in it...had a couple of their beers. Surprisingly, not that bad...from what 6 years ago me remembers...
 
For me it's Schaefer. I like light American lagers from time to time but this one I expected to be really terrible. It was surprisingly good for what it is, it had a nice light grainyness and nothing about it was off-putting.
 
For me it's Schaefer. I like light American lagers from time to time but this one I expected to be really terrible. It was surprisingly good for what it is, it had a nice light grainyness and nothing about it was off-putting.

A long time ago (mid 70s) I worked a couple of weeks at the Schaefer brewery in Fogelsville, PA as a temp. It's now owned by Sam Adams and I don't know what is brewed there. I applied for a permanent job there but didn't get hired.
There was a guy there who's job was to keep the cooler in the lunch room stocked and to keep track of the beer that each employee was allowed to take home.
Yes, there were a lot of employees who had beer with their lunch and at breaks. There was even a few who would hit the lunch room after work instead of stopping off at a bar on the way home.
 
I went on a fishing trip where I knew I would be drinking all day and I was very limited to a certain few bmc's in northern Newfoundland. I picked up a six pack of miller lite. I really enjoyed it.
 
I made a mutt wheat out of a bunch of left over grains. It was about 25% specialty grains, 50% wheat and the rest 2 row. During the mash my manifold came apart and my efficiency was around 60% so I ended up with a light wheat. At the start of the keg it was the worst I've ever made, I contemplated dumping it but let it be. 3 weeks later it was nice, crisp and delicious.
 
When I first got to Germany many years ago, I wasn't sure what to drink, so I started with a German beer I had been familiar with in the states: Lowenbrau. While the stateside version was never a huge favorite of mine, the German version turned out to be surprisingly wonderful! I eventually discovered that it and other German beers that are made for export (i.e., not consumed on German soil within 90 days) must undergo a pasteurization process where most everything original in taste and carbonation is basically boiled out of the beer, then re-added before bottling. What a total difference the un-pasteurized German beers --- esp. on tap --- were compared to the export version of the same label!
 
I made an American pale ale last year and had noticed a possible start of an infection after one week in the primary. A friend said to add a pound or two of sugar to up the abv and it worked... no infection. Then it wouldnt clear despite cold crashing and a four week primary.

That beer was amazing! I had tons of compliments from noobs and brewing veterans alike. The batch didn't last long lol...


I had a similar situation with a pale. Think I may have infected it when taking a hydro sample stupid me. Anyways I saw a couple of the distinctive pellicle bubbles. So I through it in a keg added 3 oz of hops and cold crashed it. That beer was fantastic. Came out a little more like a lower end IPA but my buddies loved it and I really couldn't have been happier. Didn't last long at all.
 
When I first got to Germany many years ago, I wasn't sure what to drink, so I started with a German beer I had been familiar with in the states: Lowenbrau. While the stateside version was never a huge favorite of mine, the German version turned out to be surprisingly wonderful! I eventually discovered that it and other German beers that are made for export (i.e., not consumed on German soil within 90 days) must undergo a pasteurization process where most everything original in taste and carbonation is basically boiled out of the beer, then re-added before bottling. What a total difference the un-pasteurized German beers --- esp. on tap --- were compared to the export version of the same label!


That sounds like a fast way to ruin good beer for sure.
 
The very first time i tried a Sam Smiths oatmeal stout, i was very impressed.
It's now my go to stout if i have nothing in the pipeline ... :rockin:
 
Was bumping around Sunday getting a tire replaced.
That took about 25 minutes so I had a bit of time to wander through a nearby liquor store to peek at the craft beer section.

I found a domestic Belgian tripel called Golden Monkey from Victory Brewing. It's been around for a while. Usually I'm hesitant to buy craft brew, but I was curious.
I checked out the label and brewed by date, then took the beer home. Later on during the afternoon I opened the bottle and was impressed. It was nicely spiced, with a good noble hops aroma. Very sweet and malty.
Carbonation was fine and creamy, no real lasting bubbles, but good lacing. The ABV is listed as 9.5%. No alcohol "heat" when drinking this chilled, but the aftereffect is noticeable after one bottle.
DEFINITELY NOT a guzzling session beer but more of a strong dessert in a glass. Two of these consecutively would almost be overdoing it.

Bottom line ... I LIKED this. Nice, golden Belgian ale with a stealthy punch. :rockin:
 
my most recent discoveries that i can remember ;)

Dogfish head - Palo santo marron: i love the flavors and complexity. pleasantly surprised me.

Green flash - Le freak: i usually don't like the "belgian style this or that". but if you ignore the fact that's how they decided to describe it... it's one tasty beer ;)


J.
 
Was bumping around Sunday getting a tire replaced.
That took about 25 minutes so I had a bit of time to wander through a nearby liquor store to peek at the craft beer section.

I found a domestic Belgian tripel called Golden Monkey from Victory Brewing. It's been around for a while. Usually I'm hesitant to buy craft brew, but I was curious.
I checked out the label and brewed by date, then took the beer home. Later on during the afternoon I opened the bottle and was impressed. It was nicely spiced, with a good noble hops aroma. Very sweet and malty.
Carbonation was fine and creamy, no real lasting bubbles, but good lacing. The ABV is listed as 9.5%. No alcohol "heat" when drinking this chilled, but the aftereffect is noticeable after one bottle.
DEFINITELY NOT a guzzling session beer but more of a strong dessert in a glass. Two of these consecutively would almost be overdoing it.

Bottom line ... I LIKED this. Nice, golden Belgian ale with a stealthy punch. :rockin:

You really can't go wrong with anything Victory makes. :tank:
 
Bought a 750mL corked bottle of Brooklyn's Sorachi Ace beer on a whim not knowing much about it. Had very little hope of it being decent but I do like Sorachi Ace hops. I was very pleased (surprised) and immediately looked it up on Beer Advocate to find it scored 98 points. I am looking for more.
 
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