Booze

(Hillary ) #1

Does anyone ever drink beer? If so what kind?

(Stickin' with mammoth) #2

I’ve had long conversations with multiple beer stewards in Portland, Oregon, Mecca of the microbrew, and they all seem to come down on the side of “I don’t think you can make a good beer without carbs.”

The fact that I favor porters and stouts would seem to clinch that deal. (sigh) Oh, well, there’s always beer brats.

#3

Ok, so, Grand Rapids, MI is Beer City, USA for many years running…:grinning:

I miss beer more than anything. I’m not yet ready to even sip any of the multiple bourbons I have in my bar. I’m afraid of a carb relapse. (I’m really good at making bad decisions.)

(Kevin) #4

Oh indeed - India Pale Ales being my likely favorite. No restrictions, though - stouts, porters, lagers, pilsners, love the brews of the Trappist monks in Belgium, etc.

(Jim Russell) #5

Omission makes a pretty tasty light gluten-free beer. http://omissionbeer.com/

Omission Ultimate Light Golden Ale is smooth and easy drinking, but full of flavor. Citrusy hops and a clean finish leave you wanting more. And with only 99 calories and 5 carbs, you can have another without feeling full.

5 grams is a little on the high side, but I’m happy to just sip one beer after a long day at work.

(Doug) #6

The craft/microbrew beer scene in the U.S. has exploded over the past few years, as in some other places in the world. A new brewery opens every 12 hours in the U.S.

I’ve been blown away by quite a few - big shout-out to California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania. New York, Ohio and Illinois are coming up, and even my employer’s home state of West Virginia has produced Big Timber IPA, which I thought was perfect the first time I met it.

Hmm… Hard for me to set aside something like a good stout, the toastiness of roast malt while you’re walking across a chalky plain, hints of chocolate, toffee, vanilla in the air, soft, creamy coffee opening in your mind, you’re drinking a black hole of love.

However, yes, India Pale Ale: there is often talk of the ‘structure’ in good wines, and while that often seemed a difficult concept for me to grasp, with good IPAs it seems clear to me. IPAs are not for everybody, due first and foremost to the pronounced bitter taste of hops. Let us picture the rich, rolling, variegated series of modulated-bitter waves in the floor of your mouth, then a rising, swirling citrus tide, most pronouncedly grapefruit with a pine-needle background, ascending to the roof of your mouth like golden light, tickling with lemony butter, finishing with that peculiar toasty quality of good Champagne.

#7

You’re killing me. Don’t stop.

(Carpe salata!) #8

Trappist Rochefort #7 <Homer Simpson drool <

Yes, that would have to be the best beer ever.

(Doug) #9

Peter, #7? :wink:

(Carpe salata!) #10

Yes, number seven.

Oh wait … Number 8. Never mind, I blame the 9.2% alcohol :sunglasses:

(Doug) #11

Ha! Yeah, those brews are formidable. I love them all, and some other Trappist offerings as well. Rochefort was founded in the 14th century, after all, so no surprise they really have it down. In my opinion it’s a case of Belgium simply doing beer very well.

(Carpe salata!) #12

Yes they do. The mix of grains and fermentation stages is truly an art form.

Around here there is a local craft brew which is a chocolate stout. It is awesome. I was wondering how they crafted such an amazing product, so I asked the chief barman…

He said they put Belgian chocolate in It :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

OK that would work.

(Stickin' with mammoth) #13

You wouldn’t be talkin’ about Choklat, would you? That shit’s evil-good.

(Carpe salata!) #14

I think this was a local craft number . And oh yeah seriously hits the carbaholic’s spot.

(Stickin' with mammoth) #15

Well, I’ll never be tippin’ any suds again, but if you fancy those side trips down Hops Lane, I highly recommend it, especially on an empty stomach. It’s 10%; you won’t remember anything else that happened that day.

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(Carpe salata!) #16

Whoa! Yeah but no.

#17

Thanks you for this! I didn’t know Omission made a lower carb version!

#18

It would be nice if I could find that Omission beer around here but no luck, the closest place that carries it is an hour away in a town I very seldom ever visit. I love IPAs and heavy beers so have been avoiding them. I did try Bud Select 55… seriously, someone actually thought this was beer? Of course, I absolutely hated Budweiser to begin with but was trying to like low carb beer so I tried it after not having had a real beer for a while.
I may splurge with Guinness Draught sometimes as it’s around 10 carbs and treat myself to an IPA from time to time but for now it looks like I will continue chilling out with a nice glass of red wine.

My favorite beer is Sierra Nevada Bigfoot… 32 carbs… :frowning_face:
Guess that’ll be a very rare treat.

(Ken) #19

Once you reach your goals and ease into comfortable lipostasis, you all will find that periodic Carb intake is fine, healthy, and enjoyable. This includes beer. You have to get to the point where carbs are no longer Heresy.

#20

Most of the American craft beers seem to be brewed using too much sugar/glucose in the process.

Least damaging to my mind are the simple low alcohol % German Purity Law Pilseners or similar, whether from Germany, Austria, Czechia, Belgium, but the export varieties seem to be the stronger % ones. You might be able to find something of the sort on draught in the States if you live in a big city ?

There’s always Corona, it’s quite similar to a Pilsener.

Low alcohol English Ales are fine too, a nice bitter for instance, but they really do need to be drank in England, they travel very poorly indeed. Draught Guinness is probably the closest you can get to one, even though it’s a stout.

There are the low alcohol Italian and Spanish maize beers of course – Italian Moretti and Peroni (not the extra-strength ones), Spanish Mahou (green label better than red). And the Galician barley beer Estrella Galicia.

The only American beer I find satisfying (though of course I know the US beers rather badly) is the Spencer Trappist Ale, though I still think it’s a bit too sweet (better in cold weather I think).

Belgian beers are a huge subject, but the one I always go back to is the Chimay Blanche (white label). It’s the only one of the Chimay beers that’s managed to keep its original flavour despite the ever-increasing size of production.