Yeah, this sounds like the kind of thread posted by a drunk guy, but I'm actually sober right now. Which, when you think about it, is kinda why I'm starting the thread. Last year, I decided to become a beer connoisseur of sorts (no, NOT a drunk). The goal was to try a different type of beer every week and learn the differences between them so I could recommend them to different people or buy a specific one when I was in a certain mood. Unfortunately, about two months into this experiment, I ran out of money and had to resort to crappy macrobrews (although not all macrobrews are bad, since I am a fan of Yuengling). Now here's where all you beer lovers come in. My suggestion is to post a beer that you like and describe it (is it a bitter hoppy beer, is it light, etc) and when the best time to drink it is. I will then compile this list and drink the beers that catch my eye. There's also a second challenge. I'm looking for a good summer beer. By that, I mean something light and drinkable (Budweiser has the right idea about the word "drinkability", they were just wrong that it applied to them). It shouldn't taste like water, though (or have a general "bad" taste like Bud). Ideally, it should actually be quite flavorful (the point here is that if you say Guinness you lose). And with that, I'll start the topic: Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA: A pretty hoppy beer (the IBU is something like 60). It has a good flavor. Definitely a beer for those who love hops. Not something you're supposed to drink in mass quantities, but to sit back and enjoy or drink with food.
st pauli girl dark,, a beer that i like.. there isnt a lot of them. despite it sounding like a pun or something a full bodied beer with depth.
I love wheat beers, but I must say that this one never did much for me. We even carried it at work for a while, but we had to stop because so few people ordered it.
A lot of things tend to be regional, too. I'm not sure why, but Leinenkugels tends to be the wheat beer of choice around here.
New Glarus Spotted Cow You'll probably be hard pressed to find it out East, but it's damn good year round.
Abita Purple Haze It has a raspberry flavor to it that's refreshingly different from other beers and goes well when you want something a little different.
This is where I may fall into the lager vs beer trap. But Pilsner Urquell. I love it. Not sure how to describe it. This is what someone said on the net I just found, they sound clever: "This is definitely a very crisp beer upfront. Hops make themselves known in a big way at first. The body has some semi-sweet malty character, but it's fleeting, as the hop bitterness tingles the tongue in the finish and holds for a while after the swallow. Definitely a pilsner that tilts more to hops than most I've had." I would say it's slightly sweet, caramely almost... but not as much as its Czech cousin Staropramen.
Hey bud, I don't have time to answer the first part, but as far as a summer brew, I am loving Harpoon Summer Beer right now. I'm loving Blue Point Summer Ale even more, but you asked about beers. Enjoy! ***Oh, and I'm not a fan of adding fruit to beer. At least not for a man!***