I am a craft beer convert, but I still have to keep some A-B products around for wife and less refined guests.

Seriously, it's like eating toostie rolls (A-B) all your life and discover a box of chocolates (craft beers). I really enjoy beer now. Before it was just popping a cold one with the guys.

There are, generally speaking, two types of craft beer drinkers, Hop lovers and malt lovers. I go to the dark side; malt.

I've checked out over 2 dozen different breweries and I can honestly say, you can't compare one to another, because each is uniquely different. You also find out, it's like a fraternity. They love each other! Brewmasters visit each other, and learn from each other.

Here's my take:

Not a big hoppy fan, but if you love hopps, Schafly Dry Hop American Pale Ale should be on your list. Anything from Lagonista. But if you have a total addiction to hoppy beer, the prize goes to Oskar Blues' Deviant.

Fruity beers, again not a big fan, but I have to say, on a hot humid summer day, they taste great. Moving past the Bud-Light Lime and Rita series, Leinenkugel Summer Shandy is a good lemon flavored beer (stay away from the berry or orange). Kirkwood Station has a great blackberry wheat. Wheat beers go well on summer days, or a good Belgium white ale.

Maibocks - Have to say Shiner tops my list. Next is Rogue Dead Guy Ale.

Ales - While the Germans were brewing Lagars, the Brits and Belgians were brewing Ales. There are lots of good ales, O'Dells 90 Shilling stands out for me.

Red Ale - O'Dells Runoff Red.

Brown Ales - AleSmith Nut Brown Ale.

Rye - Great Divide Hoss, Boulivard Rye-on-rye

Porters - my favorite. DeSchutes Black Butte Porter, Founders Porter, Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgeral Porter (have to drive to Sprinfield IL for Great Lakes).

Stouts - Young's Double Chocolate Stout, Founder's Breakfast Stout, New Holland's Dragon's Milk, Left Hand Milk Stout

Be careful going to the darkside. Many have much higher alcohol content. You might have 2 or 3, but it's like 6 or 7 lagers.

This post was edited on 1/20/15 at 9:52 am

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Posted by KCMIZSEC

Member since Sep 2013

2199 posts

Posted on 1/21/15 at 12:28 pm to Stlox

quote:
There are, generally speaking, two types of craft beer drinkers, Hop lovers and malt lovers

I love both, but I usually let the weather dictate what I drink. When it's hot I usually like to go with the more hoppy beers. When it's cold I go with the darker, maltier beers. In the spring I drink almost exclusively IPA's. As it switches to summer I find myself drinking pale ales more. I switch over to ambers, reds, and browns in the fall. And in the winter I switch to porters and stouts. If it's extremely hot and I'm outside I like Leinenkugel Summer Shandy. I usually only drink those when it's at least 90 degrees and I'm at the ball game.