So, beer then?

MartinCliffe

MartinCliffe

Well-Known Member
As this is the pub, let's talk beer. IMO, the best beer in the world is brewed in Belgium. Often by Trappist monks in monasteries. My favourite is Orval, which is a wonderfully spicy dark ale. Other great Belgian ales are Leffe (Blonde and Brune) and Westmalle Dubbel. I find Duvel overrated.

The other thing the Belgians do well is fruity beers. My favourite fruit beer is Timmermans' Peche, which is peach flavoured. Sounds weird, tastes great! Another great flavour is kriek, which is made out of sour cherries.

I also like some of the oriental lagers - Tsing Tao is probably my favourite, although Cobra is also excellent with a curry, and Tiger beer is available in most Chinese restaurants and is nicer than most typical English lagers.

Here in England, we do brew some interesting beers ourselves. Wychwood brewery make something called Hobgoblin, which is a chocolate flavoured dark ale - perfect for cold dark winter nights. I remember having a lemon flavoured organic ale from a local brewery in Shropshire which was also delicious. Lots of small breweries produce great beers that don't get the recognition or distribution they really deserve.

Of course, sometimes you just want a cold one with a pizza or curry in front of the TV. For that, you can't beat Carlsberg Export lager... Fosters, Kronenberg 1664 or ordinary "green" Carlsberg is also very pleasant. The most popular lager in the UK is probably Stella Artois, which is vile and has strange chemicals in it that make you violent... interestingly enough, the stuff they brew in Belgium is much nicer, even though it's the same beer.

The beer I miss? About 15 years ago, there were "Ice" beers which were readily available and popular. Bud Ice, Fosters Ice, Labbatts Ice etc. These have disappeared from the UK... and I miss them - particularly the Labbatts Ice. Such a shame.
 
Ah, my favorite topic. :cool:

I agree on Belgium being the best brewing nation - they have a long history, more distinct styles than anyone - and most if not all of those styles are still available. They're a little hard to come by here in California, but if you know the good shops you can find it. Most of the time, I go with Chimay - it's readily available and pretty damn good. Love me some Saison Dupont, too. If I had my wish, I'd be able to find Westvleteren, but that's even hard to find in Belgium, I understand.

England is great, too. In my couple of trips there I found a lot of crap beer, but once I learned to find the really great pubs where they care for their beer properly... wow... Really, really great stuff. Nothing like having a fresh locally brewed pint in a little country pub. I need to go back there.

America came very late to the quality beer party, but we're doing our very best to catch up. Here in the San Diego area, it's becoming a bit of a mini beer mecca, and starting to develop regional styles. Like most west coast beers, all very hoppy and strong. India Pale Ales are the go-to beer around here (for the adventurous, at least). There's also the most Belgian-like brewery I've encountered outside of Belgium, which is nice. :)
 
Love those Belgians, their beer is the best in my experience. There's a place in Paris that I've spent years trying to remember the name of...owned by a 300 pound Belgian guy with a black beard, you enter off the street, go down a flight of stairs, and next thing you know you've got a tureen of muscles and french fries in front of you and a beer list that's 15 pages long, all Belgian, stuff this New England boy has still to this day never seen in the US. Needless to say, I tried as many beers as my liver could stand. One of my fondest memories of international debauchery.
 
Leek, my nearest town, is home to Den Engel, which is one of the top Belgian bars in the country. It can be a dangerous place to end up on an evening when I've not got to drive anywhere :)
 
I'm going to file that away for future use, Martin...don't know when I'll make it to Leek but it never hurts to know a good pub anywhere in the world. If you're ever in Nashville, go to the Flying Saucer at 10th and Broadway, next to the historic Union Station hotel. 200 beers on tap, heavy on the micro brews. Try the Rouge Beers from Oregon, killer stuff...and definitely don't drive with our draconian DUI laws! ;)
 
qtcustom said:
I'm going to file that away for future use, Martin...don't know when I'll make it to Leek but it never hurts to know a good pub anywhere in the world. If you're ever in Nashville, go to the Flying Saucer at 10th and Broadway, next to the historic Union Station hotel. 200 beers on tap, heavy on the micro brews. Try the Rouge Beers from Oregon, killer stuff...and definitely don't drive with our draconian DUI laws! ;)
Click to expand...

Definitely going to make a note of that one! I'm still not sure if we're going to be attending Summer NAMM, but if we are I know where you'll find me at least one night!

Here's one for any one visiting San Diego: the 30th Street area in the North Park neighborhood has an ever-increasing number of really good beer bars. And, there are a few really great breweries in the North San Diego county area where RJM is located (come visit! :) )

Last night's ale of choice was Chimay. The most readily available of Belgians around here (Stella doesn't count), and still one of my favorites!
 
If you do hit up summer/twang edition of NAMM, make sure you spend at least one evening at the Broadway Brew House (it's across the street and 2 blocks south from the convention center). Another 100 or so beers on tap...Dogfish head 120 minute IPA is a personal fave. And send me a PM if you do, cause that's our post-work watering hole and I"ll buy your first pint. :cool:
 
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