What is your favorite beer?

[Duck59]

agreed but if I had to try to name a few of my favourites I would go with the Orkney Ales with Red McGregor and Dark Isle being my favourite.

I'm lucky enough to get Orkney beer on a regular basis. Their Dragonhead Stout is absolutely gorgeous. It is only 4.0%, so you can drink it as a session beer, though if you tasted it blindfold, you'd swear it was stronger. Corncrake is a relatively new, pale beer which is very good. The 3.7% Raven is a lovely session ale and Northern Light is excellent on a warm day, if you can find a warm day, of course. Orkney Dark Island is known as Orkney Duck Island in this house.

There is a second Orkney brewery, the Swannay Brewery. I like their Island Hopping, a 3.8% session beer and the slightly misleadingly-named Orkney Best, which is a mere 3.6%, but very hoppy. Unusually for a Scottish brewery, they do a dark mild (Dark Munro), but the chap that runs the brewery comes from Lancashire, so knows about these things.

Shetland has its own brewery, too, Valhalla (a nod to the island's Viking roots). I like the Simmer Dim, a pale summer ale and the Sjolmet Stout.

When I first moved to Scotland in 1992, there were about seven or eight breweries and the brewing scene looked pretty dire. Now, there are breweries all over the place. Without access to my Good Beer Guide, I couldn't tell you how many, but there must be around 60 to 70.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

It is one of our treats when we are up in Scotland on holiday. We also raid the Tescos in Perth that has a very good selection of beers and take home enough to make the car rattle. It usually lasts us through to Christmas I wasn't a fan of the Corncrake at all, I have to confess, but I am off Pale Ales at the moment. I will have a look out for the Swannay brewery beer, it is quite possible we have had it already and I have simply forgotten about it, so much has happened since we were last up. I do miss not being able to get the nice beers at sensible prices. I have a local beer shop (local in inverted commas that is) but his prices are 'interesting' is the best word. He offered to get me the Orkney Beers in, but the price was going to get up as twice what they are in tescos in Perth! I said no. I wasn't thank interested... sadly. I will stick to raiding tescos and stocking up (tescos seem to be the cheapest locally to Loch Rannoch for the beer unless you can name somewhere else?)

 

[Duck59]

There are some very good independent offies in Edinburgh. There are two very close together on Dalry Road and a couple up at Bruntsfield. In Broughton Street (city centre) there is Villeneuve, which is mainly wine, but sells some good beer. Nearby (and also at Tollcross) there is a Real Foods shop, which sells lots of organic produce. They do a few organic beers, particular from the Black Isle Brewery. I like the Yellowhammer (a pale ale, be warned!) and their porter is very nice, too.

In Perth, there is Exel Wines, mainly wine (who'd have guessed?) but they sell a few Scottish beers. It's in South Street in the centre. There's a lovely deli in Cupar, if you stray into Fife, called Luvian's. They sell all sorts of beer and a good range of malt whisky. They've also got a place in St Andrew's; there's another good offie there, but I can't recall the name.

I try to avoid Tesco if possible, on the basis that if they like avoiding tax, then I like avoiding them. Sometimes, though, it's difficult to resist if you want a few bottles of ale, because I'll concede that their range is quite decent. We put our imaginary clothes pegs on our noses and get out quickly.

I should give M & S a bit of a compliment, too. They sell quite a good range of beer from independent breweries, mainly English, but not all. They sell O'Hara's Carlow Stout, a delicious alternative to the fizzy, mass-produced Guinness, Murphy's and Beamish. Odd fact: I once drank O'Hara's Stout in Zagreb!

 

[Lullabelle]

I like Singha, that is about the strongest I drink. Last weekend our local pub had a beer festival and I tried a few 'proper' beers. The devil you know is an aussie beer apparently and very nice it was too

 

[Berties]

agreed but if I had to try to name a few of my favourites I would go with the Orkney Ales with Red McGregor and Dark Isle being my favourite.
I am also rather partial to Fraoch though its availability is 'interesting' south of the border.

View attachment 1367 View attachment 1369 View attachment 1370

What else? I can't really name any off the top of my head.
I like something with a bit of body... Like Chimay (obviously not from the UK though) and some of the irish beers we have encountered.

View attachment 1366

chimay also do good cheese!

 

[sidevalve]

Still searching. Not sure how much longer I can keep going but I will try to do my best

 

[Duck59]

Still searching. Not sure how much longer I can keep going but I will try to do my best

Very much my modus operandi. With the plethora of new breweries springing up in the UK, it;s almost impossible to keep up, but scientific research must continue. What, after all, is one's liver for?

I have to say, that as somebody with a hearty dollop of Irish blood, the resurgence of stouts and porters is a most welcome development. The recent obsession with "black IPAs" is a thoroughly interesting move. In truth, these are not too dissimilar to European black lagers like Kostritzer, but why should we not explore this further? Experimentation is to be encouraged - I came across a beer that I did not for a moment expect to like in the shape of St Peter's Brewery Honey Porter. Surely too sweet? Not in the least. Superb.

 

[Morning Glory]

Very much my modus operandi. With the plethora of new breweries springing up in the UK, it;s almost impossible to keep up, but scientific research must continue. What, after all, is one's liver for?

I have to say, that as somebody with a hearty dollop of Irish blood, the resurgence of stouts and porters is a most welcome development. The recent obsession with "black IPAs" is a thoroughly interesting move. In truth, these are not too dissimilar to European black lagers like Kostritzer, but why should we not explore this further? Experimentation is to be encouraged - I came across a beer that I did not for a moment expect to like in the shape of St Peter's Brewery Honey Porter. Surely too sweet? Not in the least. Superb.

My thoughts entirely. Its hard work trekking from real ale pub to real ale pub to micro-brewery. Wetherspoon's, if you have one nearby, saves footwork though.

 

[Duck59]

My thoughts entirely. Its hard work trekking from real ale pub to real ale pub to micro-brewery. Wetherspoon's, if you have one nearby, saves footwork though.

My only quibble with Wetherspoon's is that they try to be all things to all people. While they do serve a decent variety of beer and thus appeal to the cask ale drinkers among us, they also want to be a "family" pub as well as the sort of place where they can get a bunch of vodka-and-Red-Bull swilling asbo-holders guzzling themselves into oblivion. The mix doesn't really work.

 

[Morning Glory]

My only quibble with Wetherspoon's is that they try to be all things to all people. While they do serve a decent variety of beer and thus appeal to the cask ale drinkers among us, they also want to be a "family" pub as well as the sort of place where they can get a bunch of vodka-and-Red-Bull swilling asbo-holders guzzling themselves into oblivion. The mix doesn't really work.

I know what you mean. But the price is so-oo much cheaper!

 

[Berties]

My only quibble with Wetherspoon's is that they try to be all things to all people. While they do serve a decent variety of beer and thus appeal to the cask ale drinkers among us, they also want to be a "family" pub as well as the sort of place where they can get a bunch of vodka-and-Red-Bull swilling asbo-holders guzzling themselves into oblivion. The mix doesn't really work.

Wetherspoons has no identity ,hardened all day drinkers at the door as it's quicker to have a ciggy ,cheap oap offers ,kids menu ,it's a quick fix for a fast snack ,but it's lost it's way ,I often ride to Poole quay and sit outside for a coffee looking towards brown sea island ,that's the best Wetherspoons can do for me

 

[Duck59]

The original concept of Wetherspoon's was not a bad one, being based on a George Orwell essay describing the ideal English pub. The imaginary pub was called The Moon Under Water, which was as I recall the title of the essay. Indeed, there are several Wetherspoon's pubs bearing that name. It's hard to imagine Orwell being enthralled by anything they have to offer these days, other than perhaps a decent glass of cask beer.

 

[Pat]

I am not really a beer drinker, recently my daughter introduced me to Angry Seas, it is more an ale or cider than beer. One glass is all I can drink but I do enjoy that one glass.

 

[Delftse Post]

This a favorite of mine - Oude Geuze from 3 Fonteinen just south of Brussels, Belgium.

It's made using a very unusual process - very old hops are used, so there's no hop flavour - they're only used for preservation. The fermentation uses wild yeast and bacteria which simply drop in from the environment. There's no pitching of cultured yeast as happens in normal brewing, so it's generally brewed in autumn when it isn't too hot. The resulting beer (lambic) is then aged in wood barrels and finally different ages of lambic are blended and bottled. Younger lambic provides some sugar, so it referments in the bottle giving a champagne like fizz. It's sour, tart, funky and super refreshing!

It's a fantastic, artisanal product and now the name "Oude Geuze" is protected under EU law, so can only be produced in or near to Brussels.

 

[sidevalve]

Just been to a motorcycle do and I've been trying some real cider [the kind you can't see through and with the lumps in it] and it's not bad at all