House Beer Timeline

[hops99]

After having a Honker's Ale last night for the first time in a while, I started thinking about my "house" beers over the years, and how they've changed. I know in the past we've had a thread or two about house beers on this site, but what about your house beer selections since you first started enjoying beer (or more specifically, good beer)?

Here's mine, failing memory and all:

'91-'93 Labatt's Blue
'93-'94 Fosters
'94-'95 Dos Equis Amber
'95-'97 Samuel Adams Boston Lager
'97-'98 New Belgium Fat Tire
'98-'99 Goose Island Honker's Ale
'99-'00 Penn Pilsner
'00-'01 Capital Amber
'01-'02 Victory HopDevil
'02-'03 Schlafly Pale Ale
'03-present Great Lakes Dort Gold

[Jeff]

Okay, ready to see just how quick your taste can change after you discover what beer should taste like:

Jan 2003 - April 2003: Bud Light or Michelob Light
May 2003 - July 2003: Sierra Nevad Pale Ale
August - September: Theakston's Old Peculiar
October - November: Fuller's Porter (No longer available in my area and I will cherish my last three bottles)
December - February: Emperyean Darkside Vanilla Porter

[Tweek]

couldnt say actual dates but in order would be

bass
Sierra Pale
Sam Adams
Unibroue Trois Pistoles ( a brief stint due to funds)
Rogue Dead guy
Rogue Oregon Golden

[kgaugler]

I'm like Tweek and can't remember dates (just ask my wife how many times I've forgotten her birthday:( )

Michelob
Sam Adams Lager
Sam Adams Ale

Now I usually have both Anchor Steam and Magic Hat Blind Faith (IPA)

Somewhere in there was Chamay

[Jughead]

Originally posted by hops99
... I started thinking about my "house" beers over the years,
Here's mine, failing memory and all:

'91-'93 Labatt's Blue
...

Are the Canadian Macro's popular in the states, or were you living in Canada at the time?

[hopjack13]

i think sierra navada pale ale ruled as a house beer for almost half a decade in my fridge, sence about 97-02 before that it was widmers hef (i lived in oregon) then old english and king cobra...just kidding. it wan't until about 2002 when i got a hold of my first stone product, arrogant bastard! and that has pretty much been the norm every sence, although i would keep more alesmith if it was cheaper and easier to get.

[hops99]

Are the Canadian Macro's popular in the states, or were you living in Canada at the time?

Yeah, they were very popular back in the early 90's, and I think still are today in my area (Ohio/Michigan). I live in Ohio, very close to the Michigan Line, and I'm only a little over an hour from the Ambassador Bridge to Windsor. I used to drink copius amounts of Blue and Molson Canadian right after college, and drank my way up and down the product lines (Molson XXX, Brador, which I still kind of like, and a slew of Labatt's stuff: Blue, Kokanee, Crystal, Select, etc.).

I used to think back then that the Canadian macros were a little better than the US macros. And, I think if someone offered me a Kokanee tomorrow, I'd still drink it - I could always detect a slight hop presence in that brew, and it was much drier than the average macro.

[Beaver]

Originally posted by Jughead
Are the Canadian Macro's popular in the states, or were you living in Canada at the time?

They were pretty big in Michigan. The conception was that they were stronger than US macros.

[steveh]

Originally posted by Beaver
They were pretty big in Michigan. The conception was that they were stronger than US macros.

I think the proper word to use is "misconception!" ;)

But yeah, it was the same misinfo here in Illinois. One thing's for sure, they tended to have more flavor than US macros.

S.

[Beaver]

Did the Canadian beers list ABW vs ABV? I don't recall.

[chazwicke]

My current house beer is Coniston Bluebird. I have had many over the years but usually I have a variety going. One I had for a while was Tupper's Hop Pocket Ale. Back in the 90s sometime.

[barley ben]

I would have to say, up to about a couple of years ago, it was Guinness. I only have six legal drinking years under my belt so I dont have much of a fridge list.

pre-21 Cheap beer and malt liquor

21+ Guinness

02-04 Yards Love Stout & Victory Hop Devil

[Beaver]

I've never really had a house beer. I always get something new when I head to the paint store. I do get 90 Shilling most frequently.

[steveh]

Originally posted by Beaver
Did the Canadian beers list ABW vs ABV? I don't recall.

The Canadian beer was labeled at ABV, just as the rest of the world - except the U.S., which didn't even mark their beer, but was reported to the government in ABW.

To quote Fred Eckhardt,
"The difference is roughly one fourth. Four percent by weight is five percent by volume. Canadian beer was, and is, almost the same strength as U.S. beer, and these days, strong Canadian beer is actually less common than strong U.S. beer."

S.

[Beaver]

So if people did have the ABW, it would appear that the Canadian beer was weaker, not stronger? That does nothing to explain that misconception then!

I do think some were higher alcohol than macros...Molson Brador and XXX.

[bigmf]

As I recall from when I first started drinking, the american imports were labelled with ABV as per Canadian regulations. This is a long time ago now but I beleive Olympia was 4.6%, Old Milwaukee 4.7% and some other I can't remember was 4.4%. Canadian Macros seemed to be a standard 5% accross the board. So from our perspective in Calgary in 1988, just based on reading the labels, Canadian beer was stronger. We had also heard some of the details of a 3.2% law in some states. This furthered our misconceptions on the subject. I can say definately that Canadian beer had more flavour, to my tastes.

We now do have a lot of stronger Canadian beers, but they seldom get exported because they are mainly microbreweries. There are definately less strong beers than the US based simply on the population difference between the two countries. On a per-capita basis, I wouldn't be surprised if there were fewer. It's hard to say whether the microbrewery industry in Canada is as strong as the US (correcting for population differences). But the need was never as desparate as it was in the US.

M.

[newportstorm]

Can't really say I have a "house beer". I buy a lot of singles, bombers, 750s, so variety rules my house. Usually no more than a sixer of anything unless it's a seasonal or special (Celebration, Bigfoot, etc.) and even then, some is squirreled away for cellaring. The last 12 pack I bought that I consumed totally was Sam Adams Boston Ale because it's pretty tasty and inexpensive at under $10.

I do occasionally have cases of Newport Storm seasonals, but those are typically scored free at the brewery for participating in their Internet Contest or helping out at an event.

Cheers!

[steveh]

Originally posted by Beaver
So if people did have the ABW, it would appear that the Canadian beer was weaker, not stronger?

Depends, MGD, Bud, Pabst, Old Mil, Labatt, and Moosehead are all 5.0 ABV - or 4.0 ABW.

That does nothing to explain that misconception then!

My theory is that we all thought it was stronger because they actually bothered to print the alcohol content on the label, unlike here in the U.S. That, and the Canadians actually had some flavor to them, not the sickly, corn-sweet taste of Miller or Schlitz.

I do think some were higher alcohol than macros...Molson Brador and XXX.

Didn't some of those "specialties" come around later, more toward the mid to late '80s and closer to the Micro Revolution? I remember "smuggling" some interesting ones across the border at Sault Ste. Marie around '89 (the statute of limitations has to have run out, if not - the evidence is long gone!). Don't remember much of them other than they weren't available in the 'States - and one really nice stout from one of the bigger breweries.

S.

[Beaver]

Originally posted by steveh

Didn't some of those "specialties" come around later, more toward the mid to late '80s and closer to the Micro Revolution? I remember "smuggling" some interesting ones across the border at Sault Ste. Marie around '89 (the statute of limitations has to have run out, if not - the evidence is long gone!). Don't remember much of them other than they weren't available in the 'States - and one really nice stout from one of the bigger breweries.

S.

They may have been later. late 80s, early 90s is when I started drinking. There were really no microbrew presence in MI at that time that I was aware of.

[steveh]

Originally posted by Beaver
There were really no microbrew presence in MI at that time that I was aware of.

Definitely not in the U.P., but I believe Frankenmuth was around...maybe in one of its downs, not ups, at the time.

The Micros from the west were just creeping their way into the midwest at the time, but brew-pubs were popping up. I stopped in one on the Canadian side of SSM on the same trip - pretty awful, all extract brew.

S.

[Stodbrew]

Since the late '80's my house beer has pretty much been SNPA. With the unfortunate setback of the college years, it was probably Coors due to budgetary constraints. Now days, SNPA still has a place in the fridge, but usually, its whatever I bring home from work, or what I can get from other brewers around the area.

[BluesHarp]

I generally have some IPA's, like Alpha King, Hop Hearty, or Two Hearted Ale on hand; and always some Guiness.

I now have access to so many new beers, through a newly discovered "paint store" , a cousin with relatives on the west coast, and now by trade after discovering this "Mecca" we call Realbeer:D ; that I rarely have less than a dozen different breweries represented in my fridge.

Priot to that; I usually had a selection of New Glarus, Capital, and Tyranena on hand (and a few Millers and Lites for the "unwashed masses" lol!)