The AFF Beer Thread

[Rob]

Originally Posted by blueoval

Well said Eamon. I agree with the west end comment. They may as well call it A55 end coz it taste like it came from there.

For an everyday beer, its best to go the premium versions of the cheaper brands. Thats what I do.

I find Cascade/Hahn Premium are great like that - good taste and good price.

[Fairlane]

There is only one

TOOHEYS OLD

Drinkable anytime anywhere and with any meal.

In the absense of Tooheys Old or when I convince myself I must have variety, I drink Southwark's Stout, Kent Old Brown, Reschs Pilsener Coopers Vintage Ale, (2008 which I am drinking right now) and XXXX Bitter. Pretty much everthing else is dross, especially with CUB destroying all the classic reschs and tooths beers in order to sell more crap like Pure Blonde and VB mid.

[Bluepower]

Gave up the beer (alcohol totally) 5 months ago.

fitter, stronger, happier than ever.

I used to love a heinekin, carlton draught, VB and the then "new" miller chill.

Now, plenty of H2O.

enjoy guys. anyone want to give up drinking, i can help. PM me.

Chris

[flappist]

My favorites around the world.

When in China, Tsing Tao
When in NZ, Speights
When in USA/Canada/Mexico (and most of the rest of the world), Corona
When in WA, Dogbolter.
When in SA, anything not made is SA especially not Southwark
When in Tas, Boags
When in Vic, Calton Draft (it tastes better there, I don't know why)
When in NT, what ever colour tins ya got mate, hic.
When in NSW, Crownies
When in QLD, XXXX
When in FNQ, more XXXX

[scottmeister]

Mmmm beer.

In terms of aussie mainstream beers, don't diss them too much- Tooheys Pils, Coopers Sparkling and Vintage, Boags Draught, Cascade...they all have their respective tastes and likeabilities, each to their own!

Chimay is excellent, but expensive. Although I'm not a huge fan of wheat beers. I like my crisp pilsners. Try: Wicked Elf Pilsner, Murrays Blonde, Pikes Oakbank Beer, James Squire Pilsner, James Squire Pepperberry Winter Ale (excellent!).

A good porter or heavy goes down a treat here and there too: Murrays Grand Cru, Hoegaarden Grand Cru, Guinness (on tap only!), Carlsberg Elephant beer. I'm a bit of a whore for microbrews, I've got a good 60+ different bottles up on my wall at this stage...getting bigger with each weeks haul!

At the end of a hard day though, nothing like a good cold Tooheys Pils or Boags Classic Blonde for me - best low carb beer out I reckon, Pure Blonde is crap imo.

Now, someone make a fine scotch and whiskey thread! :

[broken_suave]

Some beers of note, for me would be:

"Shanghai Beer" - I'm sure theres a proper name, however its label simply says 'beer'.

Drinks almost like an irish red, but has a pale amber colour. Quite balanced and refreshing, with bucket loads of character. - 6.5/10


"James Boags Premium Lager" - I like this for easy drinking. Not quite every day, but to have a beer just to sit down and enjoy one, this is my pick.

Its refreshing with a good mouthfeel and a nice soft after taste. 7/10


"Kronenburg 1664" - 'Classy' French Lager. Its not something I could drink all the time, as it appeal is short, after a while you get bored with it, but a nice drop none the less.

Light and easy to drink, subtle gassy after taste. 6.5/10


"Boddingtons Pub Ale" - One of my most favourite beers. Great for celebrations or special occasions, or simply just to enjoy.

Beautiful Flavour, easy to drink, lovely sweet after taste. 8.5/10


Kilkenny Irish Beer - Another favourite for special occasions and to enjoy and unwind with.

Nice mild red, lovely balanced flavours, great relaxing drink. 8/10


"Guinness Stout Draught" - If I'm not drinking something lighter like Boags, I'm probably drinking this. An all time favourite of mine, its what got me interested in beers.

A great no-nonsense drinking stout, not too heavy, but robust enough to let you know what you're drinking. 9/10

"Guinness Double Stout" - Probably best suited to drinking slowly while rugged up around a campfire. Whilst it may not be as strong as some others, it very easily and quickly creeps up on you if you're not careful.

Strong full bodied flavours with a 'whole' mouthfeel. Lingering bitters and malt after taste. 8.5/10


All in all, I'm not incredibly fussy, I can drink most beers and get some sort of enjoyment out of them, but I'm not a dedicated beer drinker. I'm a fan of a nice vino, mostly reds. I like fortified wines, Port, Tawny, as well as sherries and meads. I get into cider a fair bit as well, a great alternative when I dont feel like a beer, but just want to pull a drink out of the fridge.

[StAndArdAU]

Hahn Super Dry FTW. will drink it from sun down to sun up.

[uranium_death]

Originally Posted by Cobra

Corona is also very over rated, not to mention crap! And putting a lemon in it is just a means to detract from it's terrible taste.

Amen.

Beer should NOT be placed in clear bottles as sunlight is not good for it.
Lemon is to hide the skunky flavour that will come with sun exposure.

Somehow, it's become majorly metrosexual. You're cool if put lemon in your beer.

I have more respect for VB drinkers. VB is at least beer. It's not my choice of beer, but it is at least beer.

And with regards to Coopers...I used to love it, but I didn't touch it for 6 months, just drinking European ales. When I tried a Sparkling, I struggled. It just wasn't that good compared to the international offerings.

For an Australian brewery, the only "large" ones I like are Boags and Cascade.

Otherwise, it's Little Creatures, or my favourite, Grand Ridge.

Try the Grand Ridge Yarra Valley Gold. That one is not bad.

[mondeoxr5]

Good little brewery in Broome called Matsos which does some really nice beers.

The Monsoonal Blonde is particularly good

[irlewy86]

Originally Posted by uranium_death

Amen.

Beer should NOT be placed in clear bottles as sunlight is not good for it.
Lemon is to hide the skunky flavour that will come with sun exposure.

Somehow, it's become majorly metrosexual. You're cool if put lemon in your beer.

I have more respect for VB drinkers. VB is at least beer. It's not my choice of beer, but it is at least beer.

Corona drinkers are usually just a lemon slice off being Smirnoff Double Black drinkers, who in my mind would drink vomit if it was labelled correctly.

"I can really taste the lemon"

[The Yeti]

Originally Posted by ST

I am a Carlton Draught addict. I absolutely love it, especially on tap. Call me unsophisticated but BLOODY HELL it is great.

Also enjoy Carlsberg, though sometimes it just tastes too watered down. Plenty of other good beers, just don't branch out enough which I really should do (don't have a whole lot of knowledge on good beers apart from the obvious). I just have that thing about Carlton Draught like most of us do with Coke.

What he said Carlton draught on tap its just good unprotensius drop Ive drunk plenty of high end beers (to excess : ) but theres somthing about CD that I cant go past

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by ST

Also enjoy Carlsberg, though sometimes it just tastes too watered down.

Prob cause its from Thailand.

Elephant Beer by Carlsberg was one that I use to like....I wonder if you can still get it.

Originally Posted by Cobra

Corona is also very over rated, not to mention crap! And putting a lemon in it is just a means to detract from it's terrible taste.

The box shouldn't smell like a public male toilet!

Originally Posted by flappist

When in China, Tsing Tao

Love on the label on the back that says greater then or equal to 4% alc vol. Had a good laugh over that when I was over there.

[SNGT]

asahi
budweiser
carlton or the Very Best (VB)

[DVSFPV]

im a hahn super dry man myself, at anytime of the day its brilliant!!!!

[ST]

Originally Posted by vztrt

Prob cause its from Thailand.

Really? I thought Tooheys were planning on brewing it locally at some stage? Is it still happening? Always thought it was brewed exclusively in denmark, but that was probably just me from misreading the bottles after a few too many!

I like Crown Lager but it really doesn't justify it's price, doesn't cut it as a premium beer. It is a good everyday beer and that's it really, nothing too special.

Reading this thread makes me very thirsty.

[DDXR6T]

Loving all the comments about corona, so so true.

I'm a pretty main stream person with my beer selections. Stella artois, Becks and Heineken are all good as long as you get the imported bottles (normally in tatty old cartons that have been recycled a million times). Boags Premium Lager is a good one, as is James Squire Golden ale (But, a tad hard to drink heaps). If I'm feeling rich, I'll get some 'old speckled Hen' - An english beer. Something a bit different to what most would be use to but goes down well only in moderation. These are my regulars, have tried 100's of beers, but really can't be bothered reminiscing on them cos i'll get thirsty.

In my opinion - Tooheys Extra Dry is australia's most generic beer. It seems to go down well at any occasion, and I'm yet to meet a person who really despises the stuff.

I'm not a big fan of the aussie 'favourites' - VB, west end etc. Nothing bothers me more than being offered a beer at someones place and having them produce that damned horrid sight of a red or green tinny.

[RSgerry]

the worst beer on th planet is emu export, followed very closely by emu bitter. nothing on earth tastes like this muck.

[Paxton]

Originally Posted by ST

Really? I thought Tooheys were planning on brewing it locally at some stage? Is it still happening? Always thought it was brewed exclusively in denmark, but that was probably just me from misreading the bottles after a few too many!

Fosters are Brewing it in Australia, and have been for 18 or so months. I've not tried it since it became a local beer, so I can't comment. Was nice from the source, however.

[XR6_661]

Mmmm beer.

I'm fond of cantina, just had a carton the other day. $40 for a slab.

Hate XXXX...a.k.a Bilge water.
Hate VB...a.k.a foot wash

Don't really touch too many other beers...

I'll drink crownies if they are cold...
Sovereign lager is quite nice too. Is that still around?

But yeah. I'll have a cantina please.

[ST]

Originally Posted by Paxton

Fosters are Brewing it in Australia, and have been for 18 or so months. I've not tried it since it became a local beer, so I can't comment. Was nice from the source, however.

Ahh thanks for the correction. I haven't had it in a while but i'm sure i've had it since Fosters have started brewing it. Didn't notice any difference at all. Which obviously is the aim, but won't change my thoughts on it.

Was anybody lucky enough to actually try their (carlsberg) very limtied beer claimed to be the most expensive in the world? It actually was claimed to be the best beer ever brewed.

[Swordsman88]

I drink a range of beers depending on what mood i am in (at a pub, at home, hot day, with food etc.)

Main beer i drink from a pub would be Boags Premium Lager, or maybe Heineken. If im being reall cheap i might stomach Tooheys New.....i prefer that over XXXX (qld standard....). I can't stand VB...sorry victorians!!!! On a hot day i'll drink almost any beer within reason.

I do a fair bit of home brewing....i brew a range of beer (and nonalcoholic ginger beer) but pefer the lagers or ales. Heavy flavour beer (not stout though!) is the way to go, stuff like cascade light is just water as far as my taste buds are concerned. I have a Coopers Pale Ale home brew that i stuffed up so it has very little head/carbonation, but by god is it strong flavour. It is practically purple LOL! Great for use in cooking etc.

Good beer in my book is Coopers Pale Ale, or the best, Little Creatures Pale Ale. If you like ales you'll positively LOVE little creatures. I haven't drank all that much foreign beers but look forward to trying more. Of what i have i hate american beer, but like most european stuff.

Best beer i ever had? I tried a cherry ale once at a small pub (old school inside, like an english pub) in Canberra that served primarily their own beers brewed on site. It was SUPERB....slightly sweet, with a definite ale flavour but a tartness from the cherries. Ran out of cash that night buying it (it wasn't cheap!).

[Perana]

Coopers Vintage FTW!

[Cobra]

Originally Posted by Perana XR8

Coopers Vintage FTW!

Heritage is better ben! I have had it only once, a few months after I moved to Adelaide and it was at the Windy Point Restaraunt, I havn't been able to find it since. It comes in VERY limited batches, a lot less than Vintage. I have had Vintage ale a couple of times and althought it was alright it doesn't compare to Heritage IMO.

[Cobra]

Originally Posted by uranium_death

Amen.

Beer should NOT be placed in clear bottles as sunlight is not good for it.
Lemon is to hide the skunky flavour that will come with sun exposure.

Somehow, it's become majorly metrosexual. You're cool if put lemon in your beer.

I have more respect for VB drinkers. VB is at least beer. It's not my choice of beer, but it is at least beer.

And with regards to Coopers...I used to love it, but I didn't touch it for 6 months, just drinking European ales. When I tried a Sparkling, I struggled. It just wasn't that good compared to the international offerings.

For an Australian brewery, the only "large" ones I like are Boags and Cascade.

Otherwise, it's Little Creatures, or my favourite, Grand Ridge.

Try the Grand Ridge Yarra Valley Gold. That one is not bad.

You probably don't like Amstel then because that's in a clear bottle. I can't say I've let any of my beers sit in direct sunlight, unless of course I'm drinking it outside. And I couldn't for the life of me put a Lemon in an Amstel either. But that's because they taste so good. I guess tatse like looks is a subjective thing. Some here like VB, a lot more than I expected. At least no one seems to like the garbage from every other mainland state in Tooheys New, XXXX, West End and Emu Export.

[StAndArdAU]

Taste is a VERY subjective thing, and i think some people should stop and think before they go and make remarks about the type of people who drink certain beers (corona, xxxx etc). Make negative comments about the beer not its drinkers and can we try to structure thoughts in a personal fashion. I could spend a minute revealing my thoughts on people who buy 'boutique' and imported beer thats hard to pronounce let alone afford but thats not what this thread is about.

Personally i find the best beer is one i can buy ice cold from the Tap. 90% of the time it'll be Hahn super dry, otherwise Swan Draught or Carlton Draught will do nicely.

[ubute]

Skunking of beer is mainly caused by the alpha acid compounds in the hops (that make the beer bitter) undergoing a reaction from the energy provided by sunlight or UV. This transforms into compounds that contain sulfur which gives the nasty dirty bum smell. The way breweries avoid this, while still using clear bottles, is to use genetically modified hop extracts for bittering instead of real hops or just use small amounts of real hops with lower alpha acid %. Explains the boring watery taste of corona a bit more.

Personally I've been pretty partial to American Pale Ales of late such as Little Creatures Pale Ale or James Squire Golden Ale. It's more a style rather than a reference to typical american beers, because they use american hops like Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial etc.

[Perana]

Originally Posted by Cobra

Heritage is better ben! I have had it only once, a few months after I moved to Adelaide and it was at the Windy Point Restaraunt, I havn't been able to find it since. It comes in VERY limited batches, a lot less than Vintage. I have had Vintage ale a couple of times and althought it was alright it doesn't compare to Heritage IMO.

Hrmm yeah Ive had Heratige too, but still preferred Vintage.

I still have about half a carton of '06 vintage, Vintage. gets better and better with age!

[uranium_death]

Originally Posted by Cobra

You probably don't like Amstel then because that's in a clear bottle. I can't say I've let any of my beers sit in direct sunlight, unless of course I'm drinking it outside. And I couldn't for the life of me put a Lemon in an Amstel either. But that's because they taste so good. I guess tatse like looks is a subjective thing. Some here like VB, a lot more than I expected. At least no one seems to like the garbage from every other mainland state in Tooheys New, XXXX, West End and Emu Export.

I have never tried Amstel, but you don't put lemon in Amstel.
Therefore, these is no BS surrounding the brand.

For me, beer is about the beer. The image around beer to me should not exist, as it does with Corona.

Also, Elephant beer is still around. Most Dan Murphy's should stock it.

[blueoval]

A hard earned thirst needs a big cold beer, and best cold beer is served in an esky this size

[StAndArdAU]

^^ haha thats classic! Did the ice stay good for a long enough time??