The beer aisle

deathmetal · Jan 7, 2016

A fascinating place, the beer aisle at your local grocery store or Wal-mart.
There are the big mainstream beers at 6-9 cents per ounce.
The imports at 11+ and the "common imports" like Heineken at 10-11.
Then there's Shiner Bock, a local beer, at 10-11 as well.
Which do you think is the equivalent of Dunhill? Seattle Pipe Club? 1-Q?

agnosticpipe · Jan 7, 2016

Lagavulin 16 :mrgreen:

deathmetal · Jan 7, 2016

High-falutin' beverages never had any stock with me, but it does sound delicious. What's the per-ounce price? Is it Stonehaven or Captain Black?

papipeguy · Jan 7, 2016

I don't drink much beer at home anymore but I do keep Stella Artois in the fridge. They call it the Bud of Belgium but it is so much better. I also have Yeungling, our locally brewed beer, on hand. It's a fine brew that I'd equate with a C&D blend rather than a Sutliff.

buroak · Jan 7, 2016

Samuel Smith and Samuel Gawith are good English companions of similar caliber in their respective worlds.

deathmetal · Jan 7, 2016

@buroak:
On the nose!
But what's the beer equivalent for Penzance?
Maybe Duvel?

pappymac · Jan 7, 2016

Warning: The following is my opinion. Your's may vary.

1. Don't buy beer at WalMart.

2. Big mainstream beers (Bud, Miller, Coors and all the "craft" beers that are owned by them) are the equivalent of OTC tobacco. A lot of people like them but they are not the greatest things you can buy.

3. Big name imports like Heineken? See 2. (Exception being Guiness, Harp or any of the Scottish or Irish Ales)

4. Samuel Adams is better than most big mainstream beers. Especially the Samuel Adams that can only be bought in the 22 oz. bottles.

5. Guiness, Harp, Samuel Smith, Samuel Gawith or any of the Scottish or Irish type Ales. Also any of the Belgium Ales.

6. Local small breweries. I find more interesting beer from them than the big guys. One of my favorites in Louisiana is Bayou Tech LA 31 Brewery. Just about every state in the US now has craft breweries and they are all unique. There are also a couple of craft breweries in Canada that produce good beer and ales.
When in doubt, drink single barrel Bourbon from Kentucky, Sour Mash from Tennessee and single malt Scotch that's at least 12 years old.

deathmetal · Jan 7, 2016

2. Big mainstream beers (Bud, Miller, Coors and all the "craft" beers that are owned by them) are the equivalent of OTC tobacco. A lot of people like them but they are not the greatest things you can buy.

3. Big name imports like Heineken? See 2. (Exception being Guiness, Harp or any of the Scottish or Irish Ales)

And he hits it out of the park... in my view!

pappymac · Jan 7, 2016

deathmetal - I've had quite a few of the different Shiner's and there's only a couple I didn't like. Are you in Texas? If so what do you think of Saint Arnolds?

deathmetal · Jan 7, 2016

Shiners are generally good, but it's "iodine beer" -- dries you out. Saint Arnolds strikes me as very similar to Sam Adams, oddly: good but sort of meandering down the middle. And yes, I'm in the best nation ...errr state... on earth.
Talk about a place that needs to abolish liquor taxes! I've been to the Saint Arnolds brewery and have to say the beer on tap tastes a bit better than the stuff in the stores. Could be confirmation bias... I'll have to resample several times (hic!) to find out.

pappymac · Jan 7, 2016

I was born in Port Arthur and graduated from South Park HS in Beaumont. I laugh when people talk about how good Lone Star is. One of my favorite out of business beers was Pearl Cream Ale.

deathmetal · Jan 7, 2016

What makes Lone Star good is usually the price. Ice cold, in the right setting, it hits the spot. Warm, in a leather armchair? Not so much

kola · Jan 7, 2016

Samuel Smith's Organic Tadcaster and my favorite, Konig Ludwig Weissbier (a great German wheat beer)
American beers are watered down and laced with chemicals and other crap I choose not to consume.
The German Purity Law is a wonderful thing.

pappymac · Jan 7, 2016

What made Lone Star big was Willie and Waylon writing songs about it.

northernneil · Jan 7, 2016

I truly enjoy experimenting with craft beer. I always try to support my local brewers / distillers, of which there are many available, just not exported outside Alberta.
I am really enjoying barrel aged beers right now. I prefer them to be well balanced compared to overly strong in the alcohol / taste department. And am very excited about the ability to age such beers.
One thing Alberta, my home province, has going for it is the privatized liquor stores. Even though we have the highest alcohol costs in Canada (more likely North America), we have some of the best selection available! No political restrictions for the store owner, if they want it they can have it, assuming it meats Federal regulations of course!

derfatdutchman · Jan 7, 2016

At least things have gotten better here in PA and we can now buy beer in some grocery stores.

cynicismandsugar · Jan 7, 2016

Pappymac is a wise, wise man. I'm also a master of stating the obvious.

eriksmokes85 · Jan 7, 2016

I'm a big fan of cardhu 12 whiskey. That's if I'm lucky to have bills to get it. Other wise it's speyburn.

jvnshr · Jan 8, 2016

Few years ago, when I was in Amsterdam I visited Heineken Museum (Heineken Experience). At the end of the visit, they teach you how to drink a beer and you get 2 free drinks (totally 3 including the beer training). I swear that was the best mainstream beer I have ever tasted. Probably they were making it much better than the bottled ones so they can trick people during the visit. Even my wife who hates beer loved it.
Some time ago, while being a student my favorite beers were Heineken, Corona, Efes Pilsen (Turkey), Tuborg (Denmark), Asahi (Japan), Tsingtao (China), etc.
Now, if I want a beer I just grab either a Guinness or an Erdinger (mostly Dunkel).

pappymac · Jan 8, 2016

Beer to try when you come to Louisiana: Abita Bourbon Street Maple Pecan, Bayou Tech LA 31 Stout, Lazy Magnolia 10, Bayou Tech LA 31 Biere Noire (also imported to parts of Canada). Chafunkta Brewing Old 504 or Kingfish Ale, Tin Roof Parade Ground Porter or Bengal Pale Ale, Covington Electric Porter or Winter Warmer.
I have a love/hate relationship with Abita Brewing. Some I love, some I hate. That being said, If it's a choice between the big nationals (including Sam Adams) and Abita Amber on tap, I take the Abita Amber. Next to the Bourbon Street Maple Pecan (only sold in 22 oz. bottles), I still believe Amber is their best beer. Abita now has a highly sought after and very good Hard Rootbeer named Bayou Bootlegger.

The beer aisle

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