Best beer is from the US

I know it sounds like an oxymoron or words coming from a delusional person.

After spending most of my adult life laughing at grown men drinking an assortment of watered down beer going under the “lite” label, I have discovered what may be the best beer I have tasted “anywhere”.

Driving back from Seattle post the Hawks trashing of the 49ers, (gotta love T. Rawls with his 209 rushing yards), I did the customary Canadian thing and stopped for some cheap gas in Bellingham prior to crossing over.

When the kid manning the cash at the station discovered that I was from the north, he suggested that I try a “local” brew from Bellingham Washington. I told him that drinking US lite beer may lead to having my passport revoked or even a deserved beating, he insisted that this was different.

Reluctantly, I purchased a ½ sack of his recommended, Kulshan Winter Ale.
Once home, I poured a glass … WOW … This is a rich dark chocolate roasted barley ale … smooth and delicious.

I may start going back south just for the beer now. Kudos to the Gas station kid with good taste
http://www.kulshanbrewery.com/beer/kittten-mittens-winter-ale/

Lots of good American beers, almost exclusively micro brews though.

Ted

O C Diver said:

Lots of good American beers, almost exclusively micro brews though.

Ted

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I'm coming around. Would be nice to see them get more shelve space, and counter the Giant brewery's dominance in stores.

BALLENTINE ALE

Is the only USA brew I have discovered (so far) that tastes acceptable simply chilled , not near frozen.

Put it in a net bag , hang it below a while to cool and it tastes great.

Most of the other brews are not fit to wash grass off a lawnmower.

FF said:

BALLENTINE ALE

Is the only USA brew I have discovered (so far) that tastes acceptable simply chilled , not near frozen.

Put it in a net bag , hang it below a while to cool and it tastes great.

Most of the other brews are not fit to wash grass off a lawnmower.

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I will put that one on my list as well, and get to the bottom of it.

Kulshan makes some nice dark ales/stouts. Not quite on a par with Guinness in my opinion but they make a very acceptable substitute if Guinness isn't available. Kulshan is available in a number of establishments in Bellingham.

Winter Ale is seasonal so if you like it get it while you can.

Greetings,
Just remember. You don't buy beer, you only rent it.

Marin said:

Kulshan makes some nice dark ales/stouts. Not quite on a par with Guinness in my opinion but they make a very acceptable substitute if Guinness isn't available. Kulshan is available in a number of establishments in Bellingham.
Winter Ale is seasonal so if you like it get it while you can.

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I find Guinness too bitter for my liking, although I'm a big fan of Newcastle brown ale.

Apparently, Bellingham is a hotbed for emerging micro breweries. This will take more investigation.

Bellingham-Area Craft Breweries Bring the Suds - WhatcomTalk

Yes, there are a number of them there. Some of them have opened pubs/restaurants in their brewing facilities.

A few years ago, two guys came into our yacht club in San Diego (our club has eight beer taps) with a keg of craft beer. They offered it at a discount if we would give it a try. This month, they sold their craft beer company "Ballast Point Brewery" for 1 BILLION dollars. Yes, that's with a "B."

So many beers, so little time!

At this moment I'm enjoying a bottle of Not Your Father's Root Beer from Small Town Brewery. It's a 5.9% alc. spiced ale. Refreshing and a welcome change from the usual beer taste. Satisfies both child and grown-up in me.

There's a plethora of micro-breweries in California. One could spend a life-time sampling all their beers once.

Guinness, Corona, and Heineken are over-rated so I avoid.

Just remember. You don't buy beer, you only rent it.

SAME as coffee.

I find beer to be like women. The colder the climate the thicker they are, and the hotter the climate the thinner I also am a micro brew fan, here in Alaska we have many small micro's to fit just about any taste. Most micro's make at least one variety you can put up with, at least on a temporary basis.

Heck, it our little town of Poulsbo (~9000 people now) we have three microbrews. Two of those are withing a short walk of the Marina! And as to the previous statement "so many beers, so little time!", I heartily second that. Hmmmmmm, I think it is time to crack open a bottle of Oatmeal Stout.....

Cheers!
Marty..........................

MartySchwartz said:

Heck, it our little town of Poulsbo (~9000 people now) we have three microbrews. Two of those are withing a short walk of the Marina! And as to the previous statement "so many beers, so little time!", I heartily second that. Hmmmmmm, I think it is time to crack open a bottle of Oatmeal Stout.....

Cheers!
Marty..........................

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I used to stop in at Thomas Kemper's (back when it was in a converted abotoiur on Bond Road) on my way home to Kingston, pick up some fresh ale, and pet the brewery Labrador Retriever.

Now I have to go to the converted post office in Powell River to get my growler filled.

My two rules for beer:

1. Don't buy beer that's common ( in both meanings of the word) enough to be advertised on TV.

2 Don't drink beer that was final filtered through a Clydesdale or tastes like it was.

Ted

It really is quite amazing how dramatically the beer landscape has changed over the past 20 years within the United States. In the 80's, with very few exceptions, it was Budweiser, Miller, or Coors, and pretty much nothing else. If a bar wanted patrons to think of them as having a wide variety of beers then maybe they would offer Heineken.

Today, any bar or restaurant that doesn't offer a pale ale and an IPA--at least--is considered a barren desert as far as beers are concerned. While American pale lagers are still fairly insipid, and they are still the biggest selling beers in America, there is just so much variety in American-brewed beers today that anyone who immediately thinks of "Budweiser" (or the like) when they think of "American beer" is just sadly and desperately behind the times.

The irony is that while the American mega-breweries, making their pale lagers, are struggling to figure out how to compete with all of the varied and flavorful micro-brews now available here, pale lagers are actually becoming more and more popular in other areas of the world. The market share controlled by pale lagers has been going down in the United States over the last decade, but it has been going up in most of the rest of the world.

It's a wonderful time to be a beer drinker in America.

Id have to vote Fat Tire beer as the best beer ever.

I'm quite fond of Guinness, but I'm very fond of Back Hand of God organic stout.

I usually buy Cutthroat "Full-Flavoured West Coast Ale" and it comes in a 500 ml tin making it very economical boat brew too.

US doesn't make all the best beer, Nya nya!

The best beer is what you like, and what you can get! Kind of like the best boat... And the best anchor

The "best beer" is the one you have aboard , or a visitor brings in a cold ice chest!

Some very, very fine beer in the US. I'll grant you that! But, then there's Westvleteren Abt 12. It's in a league of its own. I don't have a favourite brewing country. Just favourite beers--and there are many of them.

Here I brew the first commercial example of an IPA in BC (1995). Jewel in the Crown.

Wifey B: I saw the words "Best Beer" in the title and only one word came to mind, "Oxymoron." I don't get it. Neither does my hubby. All you beer drinkers. Did you like the taste when you started or was it an acquired taste? I understand we all have different tastes, but this is one that I only tried a couple of times because I found it to taste so bad. I'm sure many of you feel the same about Champagne, which is my drink of choice.

Just curious. In your quest for the "best beer" what are you looking for?

BandB said:

Wifey B: I saw the words "Best Beer" in the title and only one word came to mind, "Oxymoron." I don't get it. Neither does my hubby. All you beer drinkers. Did you like the taste when you started or was it an acquired taste? I understand we all have different tastes, but this is one that I only tried a couple of times because I found it to taste so bad. I'm sure many of you feel the same about Champagne, which is my drink of choice.

Just curious. In your quest for the "best beer" what are you looking for?

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Guess the simple answer to your question is, it depends on how you were raised.

Personally, I refer to champagne as Emperor's Drink. Like the story about the emperor's clothing that was spun out of gold, I can't appreciate $100+ bottles of fizzy water, so I lack sophistication and have an uneducated palate.

Back to my original point. My parents raised me to try everything when it came to food. I was forced (later to much appreciate) to experience different cuisines, meats, fruits, and vegetables. Get out of my comfort zone and try stuff. To this day, there's almost nothing I won't try, and most things I can appreciate whether I choose to have them again or not.

While my number one beverage is water, drinking almost anything else that lacks a complex flavor is pointless to me. If you want to compare beer with champagne, they both are an alcoholic beverage with some amount of carbonation. Complex micro brews have flavor and charicter. Champagne is basically Colorado Koolaid (Coors Light) in an expensive bottle.

Hope you don't take this too seriously.........Empress.

Ted

O C Diver said:

Guess the simple answer to your question is, it depends on how you were raised.

Personally, I refer to champagne as Emperor's Drink. Like the story about the emperor's clothing that was spun out of gold, I can't appreciate $100+ bottles of fizzy water, so I lack sophistication and have an uneducated palate.

Back to my original point. My parents raised me to try everything when it came to food. I was forced (later to much appreciate) to experience different cuisines, meats, fruits, and vegetables. Get out of my comfort zone and try stuff. To this day, there's almost nothing I won't try, and most things I can appreciate whether I choose to have them again or not.

While my number one beverage is water, drinking almost anything else that lacks a complex flavor is pointless to me. If you want to compare beer with champagne, they both are an alcoholic beverage with some amount of carbonation. Complex micro brews have flavor and charicter. Champagne is basically Colorado Koolaid (Coors Light) in an expensive bottle.

Hope you don't take this too seriously.........Empress.

Ted

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Wifey B: My parents didn't even know the word, "Cuisine." I ate what was put on the table and it wasn't generally very good. I don't even want to know what some of those meats really were. I don't recall ever seeing my father once he got home without a beer in his hand. We had the grocery store brands of soft drinks occasionally but mostly tea. And actually hubby and I drink 99% water as we don't do sodas or tea or coffee (or beer).

And don't you roll your eyes at me like that? (Said in teacher's voice) :lol:

BandB said:

Wifey B: My parents didn't even know the word, "Cuisine." I ate what was put on the table and it wasn't generally very good. I don't even want to know what some of those meats really were. I don't recall ever seeing my father once he got home without a beer in his hand. We had the grocery store brands of soft drinks occasionally but mostly tea. And actually hubby and I drink 99% water as we don't do sodas or tea or coffee (or beer).

And don't you roll your eyes at me like that? (Said in teacher's voice) :lol:

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I would guess water is 90% of what I drink. Seldom have more than one beer as the first is always the best. I'm also a cheap drunk. One beer, two beer, three beer, floor.

While I'm not a shrink nor ever played one on TV, you probably associate beer with your father, an unpleasant memory. Considering your childhood, I can excuse your distaste for beer. Knew you were deeply concerned about that.

Hope you are more open minded about food.

Ted

O C Diver said:

I would guess water is 90% of what I drink. Seldom have more than one beer as the first is always the best. I'm also a cheap drunk. One beer, two beer, three beer, floor.

While I'm not a shrink nor ever played one on TV, you probably associate beer with your father, an unpleasant memory. Considering your childhood, I can excuse your distaste for beer. Knew you were deeply concerned about that.

Hope you are more open minded about food.

Ted

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Wifey B: Definitely some association. My hubby and I both are impacted by fathers who were alcoholics. Still we do drink occasionally, just not beer. Fancy drinks with umbrellas, champagne. Wine other than champagne only with the occasional multi-course meal. Wine coolers do nothing for me either.

As to food, I'm moderately adventurous, but still like the basic stuff most. Still some things it only takes one very small quantity to make me sure I don't like it. Caviar is something I can't grasp how people eat and yet one of our best friends just loves it. She grew up with it even eating it as a kid. Then we have a friend who is culinary trained and she tries anything she has a chance to try. My favorite foods I never saw as a kid. Steak to me was country style or hamburger, no rib eyes and definitely no prime rib. I was squeamish the first time I tried lobster or crab legs. Fish was what was caught in ponds and small lakes. Shrimp was fishing bait. I thought roast beef always had to be tough.

BandB said:

Wifey B: Definitely some association. My hubby and I both are impacted by fathers who were alcoholics. Still we do drink occasionally, just not beer. Fancy drinks with umbrellas, champagne. Wine other than champagne only with the occasional multi-course meal. Wine coolers do nothing for me either.

As to food, I'm moderately adventurous, but still like the basic stuff most. Still some things it only takes one very small quantity to make me sure I don't like it. Caviar is something I can't grasp how people eat and yet one of our best friends just loves it. She grew up with it even eating it as a kid. Then we have a friend who is culinary trained and she tries anything she has a chance to try. My favorite foods I never saw as a kid. Steak to me was country style or hamburger, no rib eyes and definitely no prime rib. I was squeamish the first time I tried lobster or crab legs. Fish was what was caught in ponds and small lakes. Shrimp was fishing bait. I thought roast beef always had to be tough.

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Glad you try different foods; sign of an open mind. Nothing wrong with selecting what you like.

Ted