first post

[bigben]

not sure where to put this so I put er here. I turned 21 in august of this year. so I am rather new at drinkin beer. my first case that I bought was a sam adams brewmeister variety case. I have drank all of em I believe that there was scot ale, pale ale ,hefeweissen ,boston lager ,black lager and one more ale. I at first liked the boston lager and black lager the best. mind you I never tried to get drunk. mainly because I felt that you were supposed to taste the difference in the beer and not gulp it down. the ales where good except the scot ale. I think at the time I did not like it but have found it to be pretty good. I bought a case of the boston and the black lager next. I then moved onto Yuengling lager. different taste then the boston lager. but still great. I was then introduced to cherry wheat. I bought a couple cases of that. I had thought that it would be like a hard mikes lemonade but was surprised that it tasted like a hefe weizzen and then have a cherry flavor after wards. I have also had the sam adams winter variety pack. it had in winter lager, boston lager, black lager, cranberry lambic, porter, and old fezziwig ale. I liked everything except the porter. I could drink it but it was not pleasant. within the last two weeks I bought a case of labbat blue mainly for up at hunt camp where alot of my buddies think that my taste in beer is to bitter. the labbat was good but I still like the micro brew style beer. a buddy at work home brews and eventually I would like to atleast try home brewing. I have had some of his and it is awesome. the last stuff he made was what he called the great pumpkin ale. I am lookin into expanding into different brands of beer but am afraid of getting saddled with a whole case. I have also been down to the pa ren faire and sampled a marzen and oktoberfest that they had. they were great but I hated waiting in line for 30mins to get a beer. I was wondering if you fellow beer drinkers could point me in the direction of some other brands of beer? I have been lurking here for around two weeks.

and one more thing excuss my ignorance but what is a IPA?

[dparsons]

Welcome aboard. You seem to be doing a good job exploring.

IPA = India Pale Ale. The style was so designated because it was designed to survive the boat ride from England to India without refrigeration. It has higher alcohol and hop content. The high hop content is popular with the hop-heads, of whom there are many.

As for recommendations, you'll get tons. I'm not quite sure where Carlisle is, so I wouldn't know what local microbrews to recommend. From my own experience, some recommended beers I've found and others I haven't. The ones I found I would have tried anyway because they were in the refrigerated section in the store. For me, I found a store with a decent selection and started trying micros. If I like a brand, I'd try more varieties. If I didn't like a brand I'd move on.

A couple brands (mostly Western) with larger distribution you'll likely run into (at least I do):
Dechutes, Rogue, Bridgeport, Stone, Boulder Beer, Great Divide, Sierra Nevada, Westmalle.

[bigben]

carlisle is about 40 miles west of harrisburg pa

[MeridianFC]

There are some mighty brews up your way. You should be able to find the Victory Brewing (Downington) products around in stores and maybe bars. You're not far from the Lancaster Brewing Co. (er...Lancaster). You should go there and do a tour and have 'em show you how beer is made. They make some tasty brews and their pub is very comfy. Closest to home you have the Appalachin Brewing Co., which sadly I've not been too so I can't comment on their wares, though I know at least one member here is based in/around Harrisburg. Try posting in the Mid Atlantic forum in the travel section here.

http://www.victorybeer.com/

http://www.lancasterbrewing.com/

http://www.abcbrew.com/index_flash.htm

[chazwicke]

Meridian is correct PA has a wealth of good beer these days. Right in Carlisle is Market Cross:

http://www.marketcrosspub.com/

I've not been there yet so would appreciate comments should you decide to investigate.

Check out Lew Brysons site:

http://www.lewbryson.com/pabrew_update.htm

and for sure buy his PA book. In fact I'd get his Mid Atlantic and New York books too. They are about the best guides out there for those areas and you can check the updates at his sight.

[bigben]

thanks for the suggestions.
I can get the lancaster brewing products at the local beer distributor. and if not he can order anything I want(what are neighbors for) I will have to try market cross pub. I travel within 2 blocks of it everyday. another quick question what would a IPA taste like compared to a sam adams boston lager?

[steveh]

Originally posted by bigben
another quick question what would a IPA taste like compared to a sam adams boston lager?

American IPA: More hoppy-bitter with citrus flavor and nose, more aftertaste with earthy and fruit esters from warm fermentation. SABL is hoppy with Noble hops (mostly S. Eastern European hops) and more clean malt flavor in its aftertaste from cold aging.

British IPA: Less hops, but still with a fruit/citrus flavor and nose. Thinner body than the SA, but still having complex earthy and fruit ester character.

S.

[bigben]

allright thanks for the help. after work today I am stoppin at the beer distributor

[steveh]

If you want to learn some more about style characteristics, check this web site for some fast facts: http://www.bjcp.org/styles04/

S.

[bigben]

thanks for the site. I will check it out then.

[MeridianFC]

Michael Jackson's (no not that one) beer books are well worth checking out too. "New World Guide to Beer" and "Beer Companion" are indispinsible IMO.

http://www.beerhunter.com/publications.html

[bigben]

I bought a variety pack from lancaster brewing co today. the strawberry wheat was the first to be tasted. pretty good but not what I expected. I had thought it would have more strawberry flavor. got the rest chillin in the fridge till tonight.

[bigben]

tried the pilsner and the milk stout last night. the stout was pretty strong but good. the pilsner I thought was awesome. tonight I am gonna sample the 4 grain amish pale ale. all in all good beer

[steveh]

Originally posted by bigben
the stout was pretty strong but good.

Strong, or full of flavor? Strong usually denotes high alcohol. According to what I see on line, the Lancaster Milk Stout is 5.3% ABV (alcohol by volume), not terribly strong.

It's interesting to see someone on the other side of the palate curve here. There are so many good beer drinkers looking to ratchet up the alcohol, hops, and flavor hit -- here's Ben with little experience in beer (good or otherwise) who can give us all some good insight into how we used to be. remember when Guinness was scary and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale was killer hoppy?

We've all been in your shoes at one time Ben. I have an experiment for you; Lancaster makes a Winter Warmer at 8.9% ABV. Try another bottle of the Milk Stout and follow it with the Warmer -- sip slowly and don't serve it too cold, then report your observations back to us. BTW, you are using a good glass to drink from, aren't you?

S.

[caseyff]

Troegs!

[bigben]

yes good glass was used. I could not get a good head to form though. I would say more full of flavor. wasn't bitter but definatley would not want to take more then a sip of it at a time. I have had other porters and one stout. this one had more flavor then the others.

[newportstorm]

Originally posted by bigben
yes good glass was used. I could not get a good head to form though.

Try a hot water rinse of the inside of the glass first. Shake it dry. Pour the beer in two steps - pour half, vigorously if necessary, to allow a head form. Wait a couple minutes. Top off the beer.

Cheers!

[bigben]

thanks I will try that tonight.

[bigben]

I had the 4 grain amish pale ale last night. good stuff also. I would say complex and full of flavor is what I would say it tasted like. thanks for the help here guys. I will be sure to check out the victory brews and the appalacian brewing co I am gonna visit along with lancaster brewing co.