OT Porters

[daklander]

 

Beer topic in the Acoustic forum . . . shocked :=) Stout is one style of Porter and the most famous stout holiday is coming up - St Patrick's day Guinness rules all!

 

 

A good beer always goes good with playing acoustic guitars so it's really an on topic discussion.

 

The big difference between Stouts and Porters is the use of roasted unmalted barley in Stouts rather than the roasted malted barley used in Porters. Overall I prefer a Porter but it's close.

 

Also, I do like Guinness but it doesn't necessarily "rule all".

Try Smithwicks, a Guinness product but an Irish Ale.

And, of course, Murphy's is always worth having a pint.

[garthman]

Guinness was great when it came "live" in bottles - yeast present in the bottles so that the fizz was produced by a secondary fermentation. Nowadays it is pastuerized and carbon dioxide (or nitrogen for the "smooth" versions) is pumped in.

And like Dak says . . . . . good beer and guitars are made for each other.

[Stackabones]

One of my student's dad is a home brewer and he just gave me a bottle of his porter!

[Freeman Keller]

I have spent the last 10 years trying to make a "good IPA"...a year ago I realized I lived in the IPA capital of the world...True statement.

 

 

How true. As a fellow northwesterner my motto is "Life is too short for Bad Beer, Cheap Coffee and Boring Women" - (maybe I should make a tee shirt, eh?). While not a big Porter fan, I love IPA's, the hoppier the better (and isn't it interesting that a third of the worlds hops come from Yakima (where I'm going to see Leo Kottke next month so this really is an acoustic guitar topic....) My understanding is that hops for Guinness come from Yakima.

 

For Dak, yes, the Deschutes Brewery (and their brewpub) are regular stops for the Kellers when we are skiing or climbing at Bend, and Black Butte Porter (named after features on the Sister's volcanoe just outside Bend) can be found on tap all over the northwest.

 

For Outdoor, if you haven't tried a great new IPA, check out Widmer's Broken Halo, and of course, my all time fav

 

http://www.arrogantbastard.com/index3.html

 

now, back to your regularly scheduled guitar discussion

[outdoorgb]

, and of course, my all time fav http://www.arrogantbastard.com/index3.html now, back to your regularly scheduled guitar discussion

 

 

Ah yes, Broken Halo is very good. Always a go-to when given a choice. Have not tried Arrogant Bastard. I'll put it on my list.

 

And yes, you are in Hop Central. Too bad about that fire last year though...drove the price of hops way up.

[Freeman Keller]

And yes, you are in Hop Central. Too bad about that fire last year though...drove the price of hops way up.

 

 

Also too bad when Bert Grant died a few years ago - gotta believe he had a lot to do with the whole micro brewery thing. Plus there were some great gigs at the pup.

[Stackabones]

And there's a huge hop shortage ... I hear plenty of microbrew IPAs are going to find it tough for awhile (I heard until 2010 or something like that).

[garthman]

I think the UK must have the largest number of breweries per head of population then anywhere else in the world. If anyone has a few hours to spare, have a look at these sites to read about all our great breweries and the beers they brew.

http://www.quaffale.org.uk/

http://www.greatbritishbeer.co.uk/

[Freeman Keller]

I think the UK must have the largest number of breweries per head of population then anywhere else in the world. If anyone has a few hours to spare, have a look at these sites to read about all our great breweries and the beers they brew.

 

 

On our two tours of the UK we learned to just tell the bar tender what kind of beer we liked and let him impress us with their featured beers. Seems like almost every pub had a little brewery in the cellar - no nitrogen, just hand drawn.

[daklander]

.....a great new IPA, check out Widmer's Broken Halo, and of course, my all time fav http://www.arrogantbastard.com/index3.html .....

I don't get along well with IPAs. Though I haven't tried Broken Halo, reading about it tells me I wouldn't like it.
I have suffered down Arrogant Bastard and other like IPAs. If I wanted to taste hops that strongly I'd just graze.

[Stackabones]

IPAs are really fun, but some of the hoppiness has gotten out-of-control and too trendy.

 

On a related Porter note (I think), any one into black lagers/Schwartzbier?

[daklander]

IPAs are really fun, but some of the hoppiness has gotten out-of-control and too trendy. On a related Porter note (I think), any one into black lagers/Schwartzbier?

 

 

Yes, and actually Sam Adams Black Lager is pretty good.

 

I agree the IPAs has gotten out of control. A lot of it tastes like the skunky beers of old.

[Stackabones]

... and so do I.


This one's nice ...

[outdoorgb]

Also too bad when Bert Grant died a few years ago - gotta believe he had a lot to do with the whole micro brewery thing. Plus there were some great gigs at the pup.

 

 

I went to that pub some 12-15 years ago. I was in Yakama playing "Apple Tree" golf course and saw a pub named Grant..."that's my name too", so when ever I go out....

 

Stopped in and had a few. Beautiful place if I remember correctly. Still have a coaster.

[jamesp]

Black Butte, ummmm.
Anyone else ever blend beers in their misspent youths?

We were so desperate for good beer we use to mix Guniness with PBR or MHL. I don't remember it being all that good.

Only after moving to the big city did I discover Tooth's Sheaf Stout and Chimnay (sp?). Both were way expensive for everyday drinking tho'. Watney's on tap was such a treat back then, now I can walk to three microbrewerys.

I wish Terminal Gravity in Enterprise, Ore. got more of the good stuff over this way.

[mister natural]

Dak - huge fan of Kona brewing co but can't get it here in the midwest. Smithwicks does rock.

Garth - Belgium has the largest ratio per-capita of breweries. UK is in the top 5 . . .

IPA are terrific in smallish doses - I can't drink more than one or two and there certainly have been excesses by some craft-brewers within this style. Red Hook still my fave but it really has to be 80F degrees outside for me to enjoy IPA.

Stack - thanks for the tip on black-lager - any fave brands you can recommend ?

[Freeman Keller]

I went to that pub some 12-15 years ago. I was in Yakama playing "Apple Tree" golf course and saw a pub named Grant..."that's my name too", so when ever I go out.... Stopped in and had a few. Beautiful place if I remember correctly. Still have a coaster.

 

 

If Bert was there he would have been the one in the kilt.

[Michael Martin]

I love porter. Only thing is, every time I drink one I have this on the brain for hours afterwards...

Hey porter! Hey porter!
Would you tell me the time?
How much longer will it be till we cross
that Mason Dixon Line?
At daylight would ya tell that engineer
to slow it down?
Or better still, just stop the train,
Cause I wanna look around.

[panhandler]

Last evening I had 2 Sam Adams Honey Porters... Very nice they were. They came in an assortment 12 pk.

Tonight we're doing the Samuel Smiths Organic Lager. It's quite good, but it aint no cheap date! $4 a pint.

It goes perfect with a lil Nickel Creek in the background!

[Stackabones]

Stack - thanks for the tip on black-lager - any fave brands you can recommend ?

 

 

Start with those two in my post above (one classic and one new) and then just go to town. The Sam Adams that Dak mentioned is nice, but it's been a while since I've had it so I can't remember anything specific about (which means I need to drop by the store). Shiner makes one that I need to try ... especially since it's homegrown.

 

I kinda like black lagers/Schwartzbier for winter or summer. Pretty seasonally easy going brew imo.

[garthman]

Dak - huge fan of Kona brewing co but can't get it here in the midwest. Smithwicks does rock. Garth - Belgium has the largest ratio per-capita of breweries. UK is in the top 5 . . . IPA are terrific in smallish doses - I can't drink more than one or two and there certainly have been excesses by some craft-brewers within this style. Red Hook still my fave but it really has to be 80F degrees outside for me to enjoy IPA. Stack - thanks for the tip on black-lager - any fave brands you can recommend ?

 

 

Thanks for the correction re Belgium - we tend to forget about that little place.

 

BTW - try Budweiser Budvar (the real Czech brewery) dark lager if you can find it. Excellent.

[garthman]

On our two tours of the UK we learned to just tell the bar tender what kind of beer we liked and let him impress us with their featured beers. Seems like almost every pub had a little brewery in the cellar - no nitrogen, just hand drawn.

 

 

Ah, if only that were true. The truth is that, unfortunately, there are way too many pubs selling carbonized and nitrogenized (?) crap. Many young people here have no idea what a good English ale tastes like and are content to drink frozen, fizzy stuff containing alcohol, usually straight out of the bottle.

 

Thankfully, there are still proper landlords around who are willing to put in the extra effort to provide real, cask-conditioned beer and, even better, those pubs often provide a selection - and what a joy it is to sample them.

 

I have recently discovered a microbrewery not too far from me that not only sells excellent bottle-conditioned beers but also barrels! Party time!

 

http://www.stonehousebrewery.co.uk/

 

PS. One of my favouite winter ales - Wood Brewery "Wonderful" has been voted Best Strong Bitter of 2007 by CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale). Deservedly so IMHO.

 

http://www.woodbrewery.co.uk/news.htm