Strong Ale

[den]

'Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants to see us happy.'
Benjamin Franklin

I am quietly quaffing James Squire's Malt Shovel Brewery newest beer, Australian Strong Ale. It's a limited release, which is sad. I could go for this as an alternivie to the MSB Porter Ale.

From the site: "James Squire Australian Strong Ale is a no-expense-spared beer, brewed to the glowing russet colour of autumn leaves. Crystal wheat and several malted barleys produce deep toasted flavours with a rich toffee edge. Lifted floral hop notes of rare Australian hops complement the profoundly malty, biscuity flavours and the apricot/fig esters created by wild ale fermentation. "

And it's a very yummy beer indeed.






Stouts and Porters are exceedingly yummy indeed
Brown ales are very yummy. Haven't tried Boddington's, but it's a Brown Ale so it must be yummy.
Coopers Pale and Sparkling Ales are yummy.
Indian Pale ales and wheat beers are only a bit yummy
Tooheys Extra Dry, VB, and Crown are yummy. Cascade Premium and Hahn's are very yummy.
Toohey's New is yummy if you're really hot and thirsty. XXXX and Fosters aren't.
Budweiser, Millers, Coors and and Corona and not yummy at all. Especially Corona. If you have to stick fruit in it to make it drinkable, it's not a yummy beer.
I'm not too keen on Pilsners, but Urquell is fairly yummy.
Steinlager, Becks and Stlla Artois are yummy, while Heineken and Southwark are only a bit yummy.
Sam Adams is an American Beer That Doesn't Suck. A few years ago I set out to find a large brewery produced ABTDS, working on the theory that there had to be at least one. I declare Sam Adams to be a yummy beer. So there.

(sighed)
The Opinionated Beer Git.

Comments

[tropism.livejournal.com]

Bah, there're other American Beers that Don't Suck, but I think that Sam Adams is the only one that's a large enough company that you'd be getting it down under. It's a pity our biggest exports are swill.

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

I was working on the "Big enough to export" theory. I've heard there are lots of really nice beers over there, but they're all from small breweries.

I've also tried Michelob and Schiltz too. Not very yummy.

[tropism.livejournal.com]

Schlitz is renouned to be crap. ;) I'm not too impressed by Michelob either.

Currently, my favorites (Aside from Sam Adams) are a few of the Wicked Pete's brews, most notably the Wicked Ale, and Yeungling Lager. The former's large enough to be country-wide, and the latter is a more regional brew, emanating from Philadelphia, IIRC, and mostly found only along the east coast. But it seems to be spreading too.

The lager is my default beer -- it's cheap and light, not very bitter, but still having a nice toasted barley taste that you just don't get out of things like the mass market ones.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[charles.livejournal.com]

I've been drinking quite a bit of Peroni (Nastro Azzurro lately). Yummy.

[oceansedge.livejournal.com]

Must bring you to Canada....

[trpeal.livejournal.com]

The problem with American beers is that Prohibition forced the homogenization of taste. Before 1919, when 18th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified and "the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited," there were literally thousands of local breweries across the US which catered to local tastes. After 1933, when the 21st Amendment repealed Prohibition, there were about 250.

These remaining breweries were in a position to claim vast markets, but the only way they could do so was by producing brews that were acceptable across the country. Notice the use of the world "acceptable," not necessarily "good." The lowest common denominator effect took hold, and it wasn't until around the 1980's or so that different types of beer began showing up again.

I happen to not mind Budweiser that much, myself, but there are plenty of better beers out there, no argument.

[weyrdbird.livejournal.com]

Dear Git,

I think you'd like some of the New Glarus Brewery Beers.
And the Angelic Brewery/Restaurants brews. And the Stone Of Scone Scotch Ale they serve at The Great Dane.


When are you coming to visit?!!

I.P Freely