Where in NY? Dogfish Head is in the city and on the Island, and upstate. You may have to hit certain stores though. I know I picked some up in Queens when I was visiting my brother in law. 90 and 120 Min IPA.

Rockland County near Palisades Mall...theres only one store with a lot of selection that I've found near there(Rt 59 Beverage Center) and they won't sell to me because my Maryland ID looks different than the picture they have in their book

Got a different Magic Hat sampler a few days ago. This one includes #9 and Fat Angel, both of which I've already tried(and reviewed here) and two new ones: Blind Faith(IPA) and Humble Patience(Irish Style Red Ale)...both are very very good imo. I'd rank the BF an 8.5/10 and the Humble Patience a 9/10, which is tied for the highest grade I've given out so far(havn't found a perfect beer).

Don't know if any of these have been mentioned, but light/relaxing beer alternative to Corona = Stella Artois

If you like Steam (awesome beer) and regularly drink Sammies, beers inbetween that you may enjoy are Fat Tire and 90 Schillings - may not regularly reach where you live, though.

That's just off the top of my head - if you brew beer, or are simply a beer fanatic, plan a trip to Denver in September for the Great American Beer Festival - it is THE premier beer event in the country

You are correct. Pacifico is the best mexican beer. I just find myself drinking Corona more at parties and I like it.

This is very true. Pacifico blows corona away, and is delicious on a hot day, with or without the lime.

Modelo Especial
or
Superior (if you can find it)
or
Chihuahua (if you can find it)

I also like the Negro Modelo, as well as the Especial. I haven't had the other two, will have to look for them.

best mexican beer is XX Amber....

Another excellent suggestion. Damn, now I want tacos and mexican beer, but instead I'm having corned beef and cabbage and guiness.

Trying Tsingtao for the first time....my first Chinese beer ever. Its definitely not bad beer, but nothing really distinctive about it either imo. I'd say 6.5/10 or 7/10.

...and rancid flatulence.

Had a McChouffe yesterday (Beligan Brown Ale). What a great beer. I have only seen it in 1 pt. 9 oz bottles. At 8.5% this beer packs a punch, you wont get a better buzz from beer, its unlike any buzz I've had on beer before and it goes down real easy too.

I've never found an Asian beer that I cared much for. Do you have an updated list of favorites based on your recent experience?

I updated the first post a bit to reflect that.

Question:

Can someone with a kegerator give me some info on them. I saw that they were about $500 or so.

And how much are the kegs? I'd assume that in the long run you'll actually save money because you're buying in bulk, no?

And how does shipping work?

This seems like a good idea to me beause then I could have bulk amounts of some of the beers that I can't get in my area.



Also, I'm interested in hearing more about brewing your own beer. I went to homebrew.com and looked around a little, but I'm a total novice, so I need something more basic.

I've been in the market to build a kegerator for quite some time but recently broke down and purchased a prebuilt from the store. I have a bar with two taps that I have my homebrew hooked up too. The kegerator is big enough to hold three 5 gallon kegs and was equiped with a mini co2 tank and a single tap tower coming off the top. $600.

I removed the tower and ran the cords thru the hole and out to my double tower tap on my bar.

As a homebrew novice, simply find your local homebrew store. They are littered with beer dorks who loving nothing more than to talk beer. Most of them have clubs attached to them where you can go to homebrew tastings/parties and really dork out and talk about beer. But they can give you really good pointers.

The truly beautiful thing about homebrewing is that there are no rules. One of my most popular recipes with my friends is a cream ale flavored with Celestial Seasonings Tension Tamer Tea. Sound bizarre? You bet! But oddly tasty and the exact recipe is most likely unique. And for some reason the tea offers an awesome head retention that lasts to the final sip.

My two kegs currently on tap are a Kwak clone and an Imperial IPA. Waiting in the wings are a Porter and a extremely hard apple/strawberry cider that will probably age another year or two before getting cracked open.

Bell's Oberon.
Probally been suggested but I'm too drunk too read all the post's.

No, I don't think it has been suggested. I've never heard of it...anyone else who has had it care to comment?

I like the Blue Moon Belgian White Ale, but the Sam Adams White Ale is amazing.

I'm actually Drinking Sam White right now...I've gotten hooked on it lately...very good.

Just because I like replying two months late .....

The very best Mexican beer is nearly, but not quite as good as cat urine. In comparison to real beer of course.

That is all.

Did you hit the forums at homebrew.com? Very helpful, especially with kegerator stuff. I think there's a deals/equipment forum as well.

For homebrewing, goto www.howtobrew.com. It's an online book for beginners and has some advanced info. The first chapter is a quick overview of the process using a simple recipe. Each step is covered in more detail in subsequent chapters.

The other thing to do is find a homebrew shop in your area. You can pick up a starter kit of equipment for about $100 and get started in your kitchen. They should be willing to answer specific questions and make further recommendations.

Man, we are having too much in common lately - don't tell me that you like Kevin Jones now?

Oberon is a slightly americanized Belgian Wit. Has orange and corriander in it. Its another hazy wheat like blue moon. A long time ago, it was called solsun, but it infringed upon another microbrew, and they changed the name. Its very propular in MI, since its brewed in Kalamazoo.

I'm a brewer, and made a more americanized version for my brothers wedding. It should be ready to drink in about two more weeks. At three weeks total fermenting and conditioning time, its the fastest brew that I make.

I'd recommend the deluxe starter kit form homebrew.com with an autosiphon upgrade. Its about $120 or so and comes with John Palmer's brewing book called "How To Brew" (as noted by the website above). I bought mine a couple years ago, so prices may have gone up.

Order an all extract kit, ask them to crush the grains and start with a "white labs yeast tube". Pick out a kit, and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Buy the "buyers club membership" and you will save about $20 on this first order, plus any future orders for the next year.

I've never really disliked KJ...its just that I think Pinner is one of the top backs in the league.

It's also unfiltered, and like most wheat beers, has a bit of a citrus finish to it.
It's only available during the summer, and then only in regions that Kalamazoo Brewing ships to (Illiniois and Michigan being two largest recipients).

I will give a hearty to EVERY style that Kalamazoo Brewing produces.
Their porter is top notch, and when I get sick of that, the Pale ale and Amber are also outstanding.
Throw that in with their ever-popular Twelve Stouts of Christmas, and you have a year-round winning formula.

I drink Bell's almost exclusively.
I also own the last unopened bottle of Solsun.

I like a lot of Bell's stuff, but their stouts are way too sweet. I think they put a lot of lactose in there. I'm not big on beers that are so sweet that I feel like I need to brush afterwards.

Oberon is already being released for the summer. I have had some fresh stuff. I've only seen it in kegs so far though.

Actually, it's released yearly on April 1. I've had SEVERAL 6-packs already. As a matter of fact, that's what I was drinking last night.

You and I must have different tastes when it comes to stouts. The Cherry Stout and Double Cream Stout are my favorites, with the Spiced Stout and Outmeal Stout not far behind.

I've been drinking this Belgian Wheat Ale Called "Wittekerke". It is one of the best beers I've had and tastes nothing like any other beer I've tried. They sell it in both cans and bottles.

I suppose so. I like a more tart stout. Not overly bitter, but with a tart taste. FOr me, porters fill the sweeter segment. I make a maple porter every year with maple sap and homemade syrup that is not half as sweet as some of the bell stouts, but is excellent. I'm more of a hop head and enjoy the big, bitter brews. (thanks wilked, I still owe you)

Dogfish head and stone breweries really fit my liking. When I'm not drinking the big IPAs, I like some of the mellow wits or other belgians. Ever have a saison?

Are you another Detroit-area FBG?
I've had several wits/belgians, but I don't recall having a saison.

I just moved back to the East Side and am only 5 minutes from the best beer selection I've ever seen. I'm sure I will start experimenting again. At my old house, I was "stuck" with a store that only regularly carried 8 different varieties of Bell's.

North of Detroit. Currently Grand Blanc. I can't name you a saison that is available in a store, but a lot of brewpubs make them. Generally the better brewpubs, not something like Big Buck. DragonMead might have one, but I haven't made it down there yet. I brew a lot of beer and make my own saison. Its a belgian ale that is spiced like a belgian wit. Corriander and bitter orange peel. It is a higher gravity brew with about 8% alcohol. It has a light taste though. sweeter than the wit. Great summer brew.

If Dragonmead makes a saison, I would know about it. Although, to be honest, I haven't been there in a couple months.
If you're ever planning a trip down, LMK. We'll turn it in to a FBG drunken mess.

Will do. I'll see if there is a commercially available saison next time I run out to Oliver T's. If you have a place that sells a lot of belgians, you should be able to find one.

Saison Dupont is a belgian saison that I saw at the store. There was another american made one, but damn if I can't remember the name now.

I am trying pranqster for the first time right now. Its okay. I've only had a couple swigs so far. First impression was that it might be a hair oxidized with some cardboardy flavor. Nice carbonation, but little head retention for a belgian. Definitely has a "microbrew" flavor to it, and not in a good way. I will reserve judgement though.

If you really are a beer geek, homebrewing is the way to go. When I first started, I wanted to brew a beer as good as the Sam Adams' Stock Ale. Before long, my homebrewed beer blew that stuff out of the water. Homebrew.com is probably the best site for info on homebrewing. But, the book you MUST have is John Plamer's "How to Bew", available in condensed form here...
http://www.howtobrew.com/
You can get started with extract brewing, which is easier and less expensive, but once you start brewing with fresh malted barley, the beer just kicks butt. Depending on how much of a handyman you are, you can get started from $50 and up. For a grain brewing setup, it's probably $150 for the do it yerselfer. I have about $5000 invested in my all stainless steel brewery, but you certainly dont have to go that nuts with it. Better beer than you can buy, for about 15% of the price.

I want to do that so bad. Some day I will. Thanks for the info!

Just bought a 6 pack of Hoegaarden Original White Ale and will post my review later.

Tetleys, Boddingtons, Guinness, Murphys, Beamish are all good in the nitro cans.

I like the Abita Purple Haze as well. Good stuff. Their amber isnt bad either.

As for weiss beers, Id recommend Weihenstephaner's Hefeweissbier Dunkel (Dark weissebeer). Not as citrusy like their regular Hefeweissbier, and a little more robust. We get it here in Florida in the 16.9oz bottles for about $2.19. Good on a hot day. Very refreshing, and at 5.4% ABV it packs more of a punch than regular beers.

Also, Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse is solid. About $7.49/6 pack.

jcw, have you ventured into any stouts yet (other than Guinness, which pales in comparison to stouts like Sam Smiths, etc...). Sam Smith's Imperial Stout, at 7% ABV, is one bad mamma-jamma. Goes for $8.50 per 4 pack here, but its sweet nectar.

Also, I think Sol is better than pacifico as far as mexican beers go.

Saw Duvel in the store the other day and thought about trying it. I think Im gonna tomorrow. Its a Belgian strong pale ale at 8.5% ABV....8 point freakin 5 percent.

At $12 a 4 pack, its pricey. And thats for what looks like about 11 ounces per bottle.

Any of the Duvel belgians are world class beers. Some folks don't care for it, since they have a lot of spicy and fruity qualities, but that's what belgians (most of them) are. Be careful with a genuine Lambic though (by genuine, I mean the stuff that is brewed in the Lambic Valley in Belgium)..... the Sam Adams Lambic is a very toned down version of the style. For one thing, a geniune Lambic is pricey, and is best sampled by buying one bottle and sharing it before you go and buy a 4 pack.

I think a lambic is best enjoyed by watching someone else drink it, seriously. And, I'm pretty sure there's no such thing as a Lambic Valley. Lambics are brewed in the Senne Valley. And I'm certain that Duvel doesn't make a lambic. And, Belgium probably makes the widest variety of beers in the world outside of the US, so I'm not sure that you characterize "most" of them in any way.

Nice try at beer snobbery though.

Duvel's solid. Have you checked into getting a 750 mL instead of the four pack?

Havent seen a 750....I can buy singles though, so Ill probably pick up one bottle to try for about $4.

I'm sure it's psychological, but I've always enjoyed my Belgians (Duvel, Chimay) more in the 750 rather than the 11.2 ounce size.

You probably get a better yeast accumulation in a 750 as well. The smaller bottles don't seem to have enough sedimentation.

No, there is some science behind it. The larger bottles breath better than a single serving bottle.

No, not really. I'm going to keep trying more and more new ones though. Everything new I've tried since I started this thread, i have posted here and given my review, and I'll continue to do that.